Yes, it’s been ages since I updated this once semi-regularly updated blog. You see, I actually have another blog, and that blog got some attention a while back from a little rag called the NY Times, and it’s been keeping me busy. Not to mention that I started a new job, which also keeps me extremely busy. Something had to give. Not to say that I won’t ever update again, but expect the hiatus to continue for a while. Just as the bees hibernate in the winter, so must I.
I have very loud sneezes. VERY LOUD. I cannot emphasize this enough. People on the street sometimes look alarmed when I sneeze. I try my best to contain/suppress my sneezes, but to no avail. Anyway, I find it interesting that, in New York City, where hardly anyone bats an eye at anything, that people will a.) actually be startled by my sneezing as opposed to say, a crazy, ranting nutjob nearby and b.) often say “God bless you!” to me. This last part, to me, is particularly bizarre. You won’t move half an inch to the left to let me out of the subway, but you want to bless me when I sneeze?! Actually, my soul is not escaping my body and I don’t really need your blessing to prevent this from happening, but I would really, really like it if you don’t hit me with your newspaper or touch my rear end, and would let me get off the 4 train in a reasonable amount of time. With my soul intact. Thanks.
So after I got back from my trip to California and Oregon, I was dissapointed at not finding “Supermarket Poet” Zach Houston. Not being content to merely feel dissappointed, I googled “berkeley supermarket poet” and then “Zach Houston” which somehow lead me to find an e-mail address for him. Not even knowing if the e-mail was still valid, I fired off a note to Zach telling him that I had looked for him at the Berkeley Bowl supermarket and was disappointed that he wasn’t there. He was kind enough to respond with a poem for me about bees! I love it, and he gave me permission to post it here - it’s after the jump.
Unfortunately, the art vendors outside of the Berkeley Bowl who don’t represent non-profit organizations got the axe from management there - they were having problems with some sellers sleeping in front of the supermarket. But Zach says he is at other places these days, so all is well.
Thank you Zach for your poem, and for contributing poetry to the world and proving that people still need, and want, poems.
Back from the West Coast. The picture of a bee on a flower was taken by the lovely and talented Rashmi at the San Francisco Flower Mart.
A good time was had, but alas, we didn’t find the Berkeley Supermarket Poet (aka Zach Houston) as I had hoped - So I wrote my own poem to summarize the experience. Here it is:
Berkeley
We came to California
for a wedding and a poet
but the poet wasn’t there
Three cheers for weddings
and air travel and Ativan
and hippie-yuppie supermarkets
filled with produce
pollinated by the bees.
Yes yes, I refer to myself as Queen Bee - and I am indeed the Queen Bee of Temple of Sting. While in my fantasy life I am a beekeeper and TOS pays all my bills, in reality I put in the ol’ 40 hours a week as a worker bee. And now it’s time for some much needed vacationing, so expect posts to be slow for a week or two.
Dear friends of Temple of Sting,
You remember the late, great beloved zine of the mid-to-late 90s which explored the connection between good/evil (bees/Sting).
THE TIME HAS COME to revive TOS on the Internet.
The brilliant husband of the Queen Bee of Temple of Sting has pointed out to me that, lo and behold, it is no coincidence that Colony Collapse Disorder, the disease mysteriously killing off honeybees, is occuring when the Police have gotten back together and are touring.
TEMPLE OF STING 2.0 not only intends to bring you the latest and greatest in music and bee news, but it may very well BE CRITICAL TO THE SAFETY AND CONTINUED WELL-BEING OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT.
Just as Sting seemed to disappear for a while only to re-emerge playing a lute and reuniting with his old band, Temple of Sting has laid low but is now emerging stronger and better than ever.
In honor of Independence Day and National Pollinator Week, let the revolution begin - again.
Yours truly,
The Queen Bee Janine