And Now it Really Is a New Year

Avocado has headed off to the second semester of high school. Sarcasm Girl should be doing same for the beginning of the spring semester. Once I do my web crawl I will head into the freelance gig I should have started yesterday. The Spouse went off to work an hour early so he could hit the gym. We are all striving toward virtue.

Got any good resolutions plans for the year?

Family Archeology

The Spouse was cleaning some old files out of his computer the other day and came upon the following, materials for Sarcasm Girl's "mystery" birthday party when she was...eleven? She invited six or seven girls for a sleepover, assigned each of them a character to play, and whispered "You're the killer!" to one lucky guest when she arrived. All the participants got the following letter when they arrived:

Le Chateau Parure
Antigone-by-the-Sea, California



5 May, 1952


Good Evening :

You are the guest of the fabulously wealthy (maybe even a little too wealthy) Mr. Arturo Utensile, world-famed Fertilizer King, in his extraordinary Mansion by the Sea™ le Chateau Parure. After you have settled in, please come down to the Drawing Room™ for cocktails and to get acquainted. Dinner will be served at 7:30pm in the Dining Room™.

After dinner, guests are invited to attend
• a screening of Murder on the Orient Express in the Theatre™.
• games in the Billiard Room™.
• a beauty treatment in the Spa™

After that, you will be led, once again, to the Drawing Room™ to find out what this is all about. Thus, we shall get down to business.

Of course, the discovery of a dead body could utterly change this carefully constructed schedule… If such a discovery takes place, you are all on your own. Look for clues, confer among yourselves, and try to figure out who the murderer is. After all, anyone who isn’t the murderer could be a witness—and slated for sudden death!

If you have any questions or problems, your courteous and obsequious staff includes myself (Blevins, the Butler), Wilhelmina the maid, and Mrs. Codswallop, the cook-housekeeper.

We hope you will enjoy your stay.



Arvid V. Blevins
Butler and Major Domo to
Arturo D’Agostino Utensile, Fertilizer King

I remember playing Mrs. Codswallop, the cook-housekeeper, and I remember the body of Mr. Utensile being found crushed under SG's bed (it was a pair of the Spouse's slacks, stuffed with rolled towels, extending out from under the bed). The Spouse played Blevins, but I cannot fathom who Wilhelmina the maid was (unless I played her too...Avocado was at an overnight with a friend).

The guests also got the following:

Okay: don’t make a face! Don’t gasp. Stay perfectly calm. And above all, DON’T SHOW THIS TO ANYONE!

There’s a murderer among you!

A couple of tips:

1) Find out about the other guests: their motives, how they knew Your Host. Gossip,
2) Don’t accuse anyone unless you’re pretty sure you’re right. They might sue your pants off if you’re wrong, or embarrass you publicly.
3) Clues will show up during the night. They may take a little interpreting, but if you guests talk among yourselves, we’re sure you’ll figure them out. Just remember that the person you’re talking to could be the murderer!
4) If you need help with your character or don’t know what to do, your Courteous and Helpful Wait Staff will be happy to help; just take one of us aside and ask for assistance, coaching, etc.
5) If the guests don’t figure out who the murderer is before bedtime, she will be exposed when the Police show up.

Happy Trails, Suspect. Remember: only you know for sure that you’re innocent!

When I consider that Avocado wants to have a sixteen person co-ed sleepover for her birthday later this month, merely running a murder mystery party seems quaint and simple.