ABC's adoption reality show –- ex-cuse me??

Let me just say right now that I don’t watch reality shows, I don’t like them, any of them. It’s just not my thing. I’m sure there are good ones and good-guilty-pleasure ones, ones where people go on and make asses of themselves, have their homes turned upside down by complete strangers, or get their wardrobes snarkily critiqued. I say, whatever, good clean fun. But this is just disgusting – a reality show where infertile couples vie for the right to “win” a birth mother’s baby. You can see the ABC promo here, and email them here to tell them what you think about their show. You can also read more at Suburban Bliss, where I found out about this. How do these people sleep at night?

4:54:45 PM      trackback [] 

Goofing with the bees

I tried getting a shot of all the bees in my azaleas, but they kept chasing me off. I did manage to get one or two. Here’s a close-up.

From The Point:

And the Rock Man said, "Say, what's happening with you boys, you look like you're pretty shook up. You been goofing with the bees?" And Oblio told the Rock Man that they were banished and asked him whether or not this was the Pointless Forest. The Rock Man said, "Say babe, there ain't nothing pointless about this gig. The thing is you see what you want to see, and you hear what you want to hear. You dig? You ever see Paris?" "No." "You ever see New Dehli?" That was a no. "Well that's it. You see what you want to see, and you hear what you want to hear." [lyrics]

2:42:48 PM      trackback [] 

What I'm listening to

Just arrived: Radio Mundial's La Raiz. From the band's website:

[According to] All Music Guide's Thom Jurke, "Here the music of the Andes meets the street music of Brooklyn's neighborhoods meets the folk and popular styles of Puerto Rico meet the old trad styles of Havana and the sass of its nightlife as it careens into the Caribbean heat; the result is dance floor music of the highest order where ska, reggae, steaming funk, and a polyrhythmic assault take on rock & roll in a free for all of skittering, joyously raucous, largely acoustic-based music where anything goes. And best of all? It's pop music."

2:37:38 PM      trackback [] 

Writers group dinner

I had a nice time at our writers’ group reunion last night. ML made chicken cacciatore and we shuffled around her kitchen peeking over her shoulder and drinking wine before she ushered us out and into her cozy living room until everyone was there, all six who made it. Then we convened around her big dining room table for food and conversation. I eat alone most of the time, so as I told ML it was nice to have supper with the family – and it did feel like family.

I thought we were just going to catch up and socialize, but a couple of people brought pieces to read after dinner. K had a new beginning to the novel she’s working on, with some nice new detail and foreshadowing, and ML had three poems, including a pungent one on the smell of the homeless. ML and K are both psychiatric nurses, as was one other woman who was in the group briefly; another was a therapist. I’m not sure if that’s coincidence – members mainly found out about the group by word of mouth – but I also think their work must generate a lot of material. They’re interested in people, they’re psychologically oriented, and by the sound of things writing must give them a good outlet for job stress. I was hoping MA, who does the time-honored writer’s day job of secretarial work, would have a comedy piece for us, but maybe next time.

There will be a next time. We are going to attempt to meet once a month at ML’s so that those who want to share writing can do so, and those who just want the conviviality can come along for that. I’ll take a second helping of both.

11:19:08 AM      trackback []