Sweet Shiva!

I’m sitting here stressed about a million things – the cavity I’m ignoring, my workload which alternates between non-existent and overwhelming, the fact that I haven’t been tapped to substitute teach a class since giving my sample class, the weird creaky noises coming from my car that my mechanic tells me to ignore, my finely honed skill at shooting myself in the foot in so many aspects of my life – when out of the blue (well, out of my iMac’s speakers) comes relief from a wholly unexpected quarter: Afghanada has been renewed for a third season. The first new episode will air today. In two hours. Happy happy! Joy joy!

Guilty pleasure

So there’s this radio drama that airs on the CBC every Friday morning at 11:30, and I simply cannot stop listening. It’s called Canadia 2056; it features science fiction, American-Canadian relations, intergalactic toilet plunging, amorous computers, a brain in a jar, romance, action, comedy. It really has it all. It’s like a mash up of Futurama, the Hitchhiker’s Guide, and this stupid audio production of the story of King Midas that I did in grade 5.

What is it that’s so compelling about radio dramas? And why aren’t there any in this country? (Or if there are, where are they?) Why do I have to outsource for my auditory amusement? Afghanada (when it was on the air, and I hope it’s coming back for a third season) also held me totally in thrall.

Afghanada

So I’ve been listening to the radio drama Afghanada on the CBC every morning at 11:30 (shhhh… don’t tell my boss), and it has drawn me in completely. Two grunts and their sergeant, delivering aid, having cultural clashes, getting into fire fights, as part of the Canadian peace keeping mission in Afghanistan. The back drop of Canadians in Afghanistan is interesting enough, but it’s the human drama that really grabs me. This ain’t Melrose Place, folks. This is a drama about people with actual real world problems, people who get themselves stuck in very bad situations over and over again because it’s their job, and not a job that they can quit. People who have to deal with their own personal shit and can’t let it control them because there are much bigger issues at stake. It’s been making me feel a bit better about my own crap. It’s refreshing to see that someone else understands that sometimes you’re in a bad situation, you can’t get out of it, can’t really make it much better, just have to get through it as well as you can, trying not to harm anyone else. Check it out!

I noticed that in the tag line for this blog, I mentioned dining, though I haven’t actually followed up on that and written anything on that subject. Well… I like food! How’s that for a solid start? I don’t actually have much to say about dining. I have a CSA share which has been providing me with ridiculous amounts of produce for the past few months; that’s been great. I love the idea (and the act) of getting food from local sources; knowing the people who grew it, the land it was grown on, others in the community eating from the same crops. I love the fact that buying a CSA share stems the tide of unsustainable development, and keeps farmers on their land. Also, the food is amazing, and I’ve been eating things that I’d never heard of before, can’t pronounce, and/or would never have thought to buy, otherwise. Huguenot Street Farms