10 New Year's Resolutions for the Pipe Smoker

Details of the December Meeting
Another great turn out at C.B. Perkins before the meeting. The club presented the owner with a bottle of Johnny Walker Red to show him our gratitude for his hospitality all year. We also had a record turnout for dinner at Bertucci's.
For our December meeting with did a Yankee swap instead of a tobacco raffle. We had 20 tins of tobacco wrapped in holiday paper. Based on your number pulled from a hat, each person selected a tin and opened it with the choice to keep the tin he had or swap it with someone else who may be holding something more appetizing. It turned out to be a pretty uneventful swap and I believe only one tin was exchanged for another. If we do this again we'll have see about making this a bit more challenging. But the important thing was that everyone seemed pretty happy with their selection.
There was a lot of talk about the Kaywoodie holiday party which hosts the Northeast Regional Slow Smoking Contest. SHPC was well represented this year but unfortunately did not take home the trophy this year. There were more attendees this year than in prior years and if it gets any bigger than this Bill will need to add on another wing. Read more about the event below.
On a less positive note, club president Eric Kahn was unable to make it to Kaywoodie's this year due to some medical issues that caused a short hospitalization. Eric's doing better now and back to work and reported to me that his pipe has been an integral part of his convalescence. Eric, our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes the Movie
Last month we had a special addition to the SHPC Gazette, a chance to get free tickets to a sneak preview of Sherlock Holmes the movie. Two members, Neil and Joel were fortunate enough to get the tickets, saw the movie and gave it two thumbs up.

Neil says..." At first I wasn't sure Downey, Jr. could pull it off and make me think of him as Holmes. After all, my main mental references are Rathbone & Brett. But I have to hand it to him, and Joel and my friend Charlie (also a Holmes fanatic) agreed. I felt Holmes' presence - a different interpretation - but Holmes. I felt his deductive mind. And perhaps more importantly, I felt his mania. He doesn't really fit the physical description that Conan Doyle projects but it's to the credit of this brilliant actor that I bypassed that in my mind and sensed Holmes, perhaps updated for 21st century viewers, but Holmes nonetheless.
I loved their rooms as I feel the combination of order and chaos reflects Holmes' mind set. Remember, Holmes is disturbed. He's out of control when he doesn't have a case to occupy his troubled mind. The rooms were very atmospheric as was the entire movie. Watson and Mrs. Hudson could hardly keep up with the disarray.
And best of all (for me) I LOVED how they portrayed Moriarty, who we'll most definitely be seeing in the next movie. Moriarty's shadowy presence in this film is truly menacing.
You have to remember that the film makers have to dance a fine line in a movie like this. First, they need to please the diehard Holmsians and second, attract a good audience of people who have never seen or read a Sherlock Holmes movie/story. I feel that fine line was met in this film.
A sleepily cerebral Rathbone or a brilliant, looney Brett would definitely please me and many other Holmes fans but they would put today's audiences to sleep."

I was unable to go to the sneak preview but I did see the movie on the 26th. I found it very entertaining, the special effects were very well done and Rachael McAdams was great to look at and is "the women" of the movie. But I consider myself more of a Holmes traditionalist and found myself longing for that Holmes. I think Downey Jr. is a great actor and I think both he and Jude Law played an exceptional role in the film, but he hasn't won me over as the new Holmes just yet. But that won't stop me from seeing the next film which will undoubtedly be made because after all, I am a diehard Sherlock Holmes fan and if I can't get the 19th century version, I'll have to take what I can get in the 21st. All this aside, I highly recommend every Holmes fan see this movie with an open mind and leave the syringe with the 7% solution of cocaine at home in the desk drawer (you won't need it).