I like that one.

This golden city, set in shining hills,

is mere illusion; in a single

exhalation the sun is gone

the world consigned to dullness

and the grey of everyday, dusk

and quickly, dark.

Especially that bit. I think I'ma show that one to my lurvly wife.

I was watching "NCIS" last night--I think that's its name, the one with the goth-girl computer whiz--and thinking about something I read in "Telling Lie for Fun and Profit" by Lawrence Block. He says he gets lots of ideas by watching TV and trying to guess the plot. On the show, they were hunting some Al Qaeda terrorists, and one of the suspects was a former Navy man who was injured out of the service, and one of the strikes against him was that he then converted to Islam. I winced at that and thought "Being Muslim doesn't make you a terrorist, come on, people." The FBI knew where he was but wouldn't turn him over to the NCIS chief, a stereotypically arrogant, "the rules don't apply to me so long as I get the job done" type. The FBI agent in charge, an Hispanic woman in this case, was shown, as usual for the FBI, as uncooperative, contemptuous of other departments, and caring more about their operation that little people's lives.

So I'm eating dinner and watching, and I think "Maybe the FBI won't give up the suspect because he's actually a deep cover agent working to infiltrate the Al Qaeda cell, and if they turn him over for this they'll blow his cover." I had the big "reveal" scene all plotted out and everything. But, no. The NCIS chief waves his dick around and gets the suspect, who really is a terrorist. The twist is that the overly-concerned neighbor lady was having an affair with the female Navy commander's husband and was using the threats to cover an attempt to kill the commander. I knew the neighbor lady was involved somewhere the moment she appeared on the screen, but I was hoping she'd turn out to be the real terrorist.

Sigh. At least the goth-chick is fun. She tries to explain things to the chief, who is tech-clueless, and has to go from "I had to decrypt the jpegs we were sent, but I think I figured out the key" to "computer makes pretty pictures now."

Anyway, I had a point with that. I wonder if the plot I was anticipating would be considered too complicated for audiences. Well, not to a Buffy audience, I wouldn't think. The injured sailor was black, too, and the neighbor lady was a perky blond mom. Cliche on cliche.

And, Connie sums up why I watch no network TV at all these days. As a writer, it makes me want to hit them all very very very hard.

Bev, have I mentioned that I purely loved that poem?

If you do it, can I film it? That would be a reality series and a half, Deb. I only have one new network show that I watch now, come to think of it.

(voiceover)

"College-age unemployed roommates in unaffordable houses, all over America."

(Camera pans in over various "real world" locations, goes black)

(voiceover)

"Yuppie stockbrokers with delusions of Iron John-hood playing "Lord of the Flies" on deserted islands, with film crews and craft services"

(camera pans over lush Pacific island, goes black)

(voiceover)

"Donald Trump showing the world his definition of 'job training' and 'ethics'"

(camera pans over Trump Tower, goes black, then bright)

(voiceover)

"Now, coming this fall, the ultimate reality series...."

(camera goes wide-angle on several furious writers with medieval weaponry. Because I'm writing myself into this one, I'm swinging a godentag over my head)

"WRITERS' REVENGE!"

Camera shows writers of several crappy episodes of primetime network television, being chased by an army of gleefully crazed and screaming good writers. One former "Angel" writer hunts down a hack who writes for "Yes Dear", and chases him into a dark alley; we hear screams and pleas for clemency. Retired writer from "Maximum Bob", riding a vintage Norton, barrels down on a "Miami CSI" writer, brandishing a scimitar, shouting "THIS IS FOR THAT 'HANGING THE PROFESSOR IN THE SWAMP' EPISODE, ASSHOLE! AIEEE!" Scenes of carnage are shown in quick cuts.

(voice over)

"Coming this fall, Thursday nights, on NBC. (pause) "You'll never miss "Friends."

(fade to black)

Man, deb, they should actually film that and show it before every new tv season.

Maybe I should pitch it....

I just sent a ton of stories out to be beta read by someone completely outside the fandom, who knows nothing of my life for the past four years.

I've already bitten my nails down to the almost-bleeding point.

I'm a third of the way finished with this, I think, if I follow my loose outline of how it should shape.

Breathe, Allyson. Breathe. It's all good.

And we're here as backup.