Steven Helmer Publications

After having rain, or at least the chance of rain the past couple days, the weather finally cooperated enough for me to get back out with my camera at lunch. Between the overcast sky and visible humidity, I did have a few challenges with the photos being a bit darker than my editing skills could overcome. However, there were a few unique things this time around as well, offsetting that a bit. Here are some of the photos: I've taken quite a few green heron photos this year, but what can I say? They are very cooperative. I was a bit surprised this grey heron hung around the whole time I was walking to a spot I could get a clear photo of it. They are usually very skittish, and I fully expected it to let out a loud squawk and fly away. It was in the same spot when I got back to my car. I would have liked to have gotten a better photo of this hawk since I was standing quite some distance away when I took it. However, it flew off before I could get closer.  If you look closely at its leg...

Here are my thoughts from the Green Bay Packers 28-9 preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last night: I am cautiously optimistic about kicker Trey Smack. I think you can forgive me for having a healthy dose of skepticism after they traded up to draft him in April, especially after the high turnover at that position since letting Mason Crosby walk following the 2022 season. However, so far, so good. Yes, it was just one game, and a preseason contest at that, but Smack was on the road in Pittsburgh and went 4-for-4 (with one being negated because of a penalty), including two from 58 yards. That's something he can hopefully build upon. It was hard to get a good read on the starting offense. Jordan Love and the rest of the starters have a history of getting off to a slow start and their lone drive in the game, which ended with a field goal, was restarted because of a penalty, and then ended with a field goal again, didn't do anything to change that narrative. However, since it...

Synopsis: The device transports Stuart ( Kevin Sussman ) to a mental hospital where his psychiatrist, Amy Fowler ( Mayim Bialik ) works to convince him the alternate universes were just inside his head. He is cured and returned to Denise ( Lauren Lapkus ) and their two kids. However, while he seems to have a happy life, there are clues warning him it isn't real. My Thoughts: This was, by far, the weirdest episode yet but I liked it. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love a good mystery, and this episode had multiple. There was the mystery about where he was, the mystery about who was trying to warn him and the mystery about why his friends seemed to be accepting their perfect reality without question. The last one is never given an answer, other than maybe Stuart is immune because of his connection with the device. The episode seemed to be setting up a larger storyline. The universe inside another universe twist was an intriguing one. It might just be a one-of...

As someone who loves classic movies and classic television, it shouldn't be a surprise to learn I've seen every episode of Gilligan's Island at least a couple dozen times and the made-for-TV movies based on the series at least a half dozen. While I will stop short of saying I can recite the episodes word-from-word, I can recall most details from those episodes without seeing them. Anyone who knows the show also knows it was cancelled after just three seasons and less than 100 episodes, forcing it to rely on the movies, which were made more than a decade later, to bring closure. That may or may not be the reason the series/movies left quite a few unanswered questions. Here are five that have always nagged at me: Was Ginger ( Tina Louise ) psychic? I am asking this question based solely on the episode "Ship Ahoax" which features Ginger pretending to be a psychic at the Professor's ( Russell Johnson ) request to fend off island madness only to have her prediction...

Synopsis: In the late 19th century, a teenaged Jack Curry went to work promoting boxing matches which, at the time, were illegal in most states. Ambitious and always looking for a way to make money, he began promoting professional wrestling matches on the side, not knowing he would be one of the main reasons it would eventually grow into a mainstream sport.  This non-fiction book tells Curry's story and how he, other promoters and the wrestling stars they groomed grew what once had been a carnival attraction into a sport that packed arenas with thousands of fans and the various obstacles, including themselves, that nearly caused professional wrestling to fail. Review:  As I've said before, other than on occasions when I can find absolutely nothing else on TV, I stopped watching professional wrestling around the time it started being referred to as "sports entertainment." In fact, I couldn't even name ten active professional wrestlers without looking them up. I ha...

Synopsis: After growing tired of the constant sexual harassment from her boss, Karen Walker quits her job at a cat food factory and tries out for the Avengers roller derby team. She earns a spot and because of her showmanship, quickly becomes the star. However, her quick rise and independent attitude don't sit well with her veteran teammates, and she soon finds herself losing some of the spotlight to a newly signed skater. Who's in it? The movie stars Claudia Jennings, Betty Anne Rees, Roberta Collins, Louis Quinn and Alan Vint. Review: I started watching another movie this morning but, while I didn't necessarily hate it and do still want to watch it, just didn't feel it. So, I turned it off and looked for another film and finally decided to watch The Unholy Rollers, which I had saved for some time. The film proved to be better than expected, though also not quite what I thought it would be. I'll start out by saying, for a movie about the roller derby, there is a ...