You know that Wendell Berry poem about despair for the world?I'm trying TV instead.
I'm not exactly sure where to find a wood duck at this time of year anyway.
Other than its mind-numbing effects, the TV isn't doing much to make me feel any better. On the one hand, NCIS reruns (more specifically Mark Harmon) and House (Hugh Laurie!) do have a way of making me smile.
I'm wondering what it is about grumpy almost-gray-haired men that I find so amusing.
On the other hand, watching an episode of What Not to Wear this afternoon and seeing a little too much of myself in the awkward, she-really ought-to-wear-some-makeup woman, that didn't improve my mood much.
Are there any normal, well-adjusted people on TV? Are there any normal well-adjusted people who watch TV?
God it bores me.
I found a neat little used bookstore and self-publishing place in Asbury the other day. I went in shopping for a retirement gift and came home with this, and this, and this.
So much for not buying any new books. I felt a little guilty, but happy to have discovered a book shop where the proprietor was a reader herself and capable of making book recommendations. Probably I'll go back there often.
My clients are one-by-one going off the deep end and threatening to take me along for the ride. I can probably predict the full moon by the number of phone calls I get on any given day.
I'll save that rant for another time.
In the pizza place the other day, a man "selling" toys out of a very large duffle bag approached me by asking if I had grandkids. Grandkids.
Pfft.
I gave him some friendly sales advice.
;-)
Probably my camera lenses are "for sale" in a similar fashion in some other pizza place or chinese restaurant.
Still pissed about that.
Anyone use Pandora Internet Radio? It's very neat.
So what are you all watching or reading or listening to lately?
14 comments:
Now first of all, Mr. Berry is talking about a place in his mind .. there is always a wood duck in there.
Second, if you can explain how a grumpy, almost-gray-haired man can be found amusing, would you kindly pass that along to BL?
She watches MadMen.
I've got 6 pretty old cd's going in my car ... Jackson Browne, Fleetwood Mac, Gordon Lightfoot, Dwight Yoakum, Allison Krause, and Phil Coltur(e?) Very interesting on shuffle!
Listening to Canada Geese flying overhead preparing to migrate south.
Interesting choice of books Laura... will check them out. :c) Grandkids? Seriously? I had a patient ask me the same thing the other day. Course, she is mid 40's, looks 60 and probably got started when she was 16, so has 5 of her own. I simply smiled and said, "I got a late start being a mom." All the while, I was feeling quite good that I literally look 20 years younger than her...ninny ninny boo boo.
Me? I'm reading The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a prequel to his huge hit The Shadow of the Wind. A whole lot of fun reading this. Gothic, slightly supernatural. Books and books and writing. A great story to get lost in.
TV? Poison! I am trying to watch less and less. That said, I couldn't resist watching "The Big Lebowski" last night. Oh well, the road to Hell..
Just read "The Blue Zones" about little places in the world where people live the longest. There are many lessons there we can apply to our own lives.
Reading "Thoreau's Country" by David Foster. It's a fascination examination of Thoreau's journals. (If only Henry had a blog! Actually, someone is turning it into a blog.) It's amazing how many things he observed so long ago are still being re-learned today.
@Laura - Reading your post had me wondering if only NJ people refer to pizza establishments as the "pizza place." I always have, but it sounds kind of odd if you think about it.
@MojoMan - Gotta love "The Big Lebowski"
Rabbit's Guy: I love Wendell Berry, but need to work on keeping his wood duck in my head, obviously.
Nice choice of music there... for an almost-gray-haired guy.
;-)
Dave: Yours still migrate, huh. I agree... their calls are very evocative.
Jayne: Ha! It's all about one's perspective on the world, I guess.
Pablo: I loved Shadow of the Wind! I didn't know he had another book out... thanks for the heads up.
MojoMan! Where've you been?
What's funny is that I never watch TV if I can help it.
Thanks for another book suggestion.
Have you found an excuse to visit the NJ Pine Barrens yet?
Patrick: LOL... what else would I call it?
Funny... I can identify someone who grew up in Jersey City (where my parents and all my relatives are from) by their use of a couple key phrases and their peculiar, even for Jersey, pronunciation of certain words. Ever hear someone from Jersey City say toilet? It's hilarious!
TV pretty much sucks most of the time. God I hate the Disney channel. Way too much of that sometimes. Wanna shoot myself after listening to that same episode of Hanna Montana for the 15th billionth time. Cripes. History Channel / Nat Geo channel and of course the Mecum Auto auction. Pandora radio is awesome. Works great on the i-phone.
I've pretty much given up TV having finally been introduced to the wonderful world of Netflix! I watch Newhour with Jim Lehrer and then pop in a DVD or turn off the TV and read. I had totally forgotten how wonderful the "Jewel in the Crown" PBS series was, and still is.
I just read "The Last Child," John Hart's newest novel and "The Plague of Doves" by Louise Erdrich which was nominated (but didn't win) the Pulitzer. They are quite different, but I enjoyed them both. I've already placed an order for "True Compass," Ted Kennedy's autobiography which is coming out in a week or so, and for Barbara Kingsolver's new book, "The Lacuna" which is coming out in November.
I don't use Pandora Internet Radio, but I do find almost anything I desire on iTunes radio selections. I have speakers with a massive woofer so I can listen to digital radio with great sound.
Patrick: We cal it a 'pizza place' too. NJ doesn't have the corner of the market on weirdness.
Right now, I am watching NCIS, wishing it was House.
As for TV watching--I watch some: NCIS (hey, that puts me in Susan's company); sports--esp. football, but also tennis & golf; national news; Keith Olbermann & Rachel Maddow on MSNBC. All the rest is mostly crap. Don't even get me started on "reality" TV.
Books--good choices. I loved Dakota--Kathleen Norris is a favorite of mine. I can second NC Mountain Woman's choice of "A Plague of Doves." Louise Erdrich, another favorite of mine.
Kev: I love Pandora for the exposure to new music... god knows I'd listen to the same couple songs all the time otherwise.
NCMountainWoman: I like Louise Erdrich, too, but I love Barbara Kingsolver. I'm excited to have something new from her to look forward to!
Susan: LOL!
KGMom: Crap is right.
I'm surprised you've read "Dakota" tho given the subject matter, I guess I shouldn't be.
I'd love to find some of her other books... guess I'll have to visit the library for that. She writes poetry, too right?
Waiting for Fall NCIS. :-) My daughter informed me she was going to submit my name for What Not to Wear and I didn't know what that was. I'm afraid to watch. We're extremely bored with it right now- mostly watching The Closer. There's a good grumpy old man detective on that one , too. I'll check out Pandora Radio...
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