Category: Thought and Opinion

Movies and TV, Music, NY Ink, Thought and Opinion

Get Me On NY Ink

I am a man on a mission and I need your help. I want to be a reality TV star. Let me first give you some background as to why:

A few weeks ago I posted an article on Technorati (and this blog as well) about my affinity for the TLC reality show NY Ink, a show dealing with the drama of opening a tattoo studio in the SOHO district of New York City. A tattoo virgin myself, I loved not only the drama and beautiful artwork but also the real stories people told on why they got their particular tattoo.

Much to my surprise the article was Tweeted and linked to by Ami James himself, the star of the show, and owner of the Wooster Street Social Club where the show is filmed.

A few days ago, NY Ink was picked up for a second season and Mr. James again graciously Tweeted the link to my article but this time also included it as an entry on his own personal blog:

Having been inspired not only from the attention to my article but also from the show itself, I decided to make it my mission to try to get cast on the show for season two.

In addition to the article (with over 500 Facebook “likes” and almost as many Re-Tweets), I’ve also had the opportunity to make contact with several of the show’s stars via Twitter.

One caveat of getting on the show is that you will have to pay for your tattoo as a regular client. There are no “perks” for being there other than being on television and getting to tell your story. You pay as any normal customer would.

I’m told that the cost may run as high as five times the price of a tattoo at a typical studio but I am willing to pay the price.

So, without any further adieu, here are the reasons why I believe I’m the ideal candidate to be cast next season:

#1. I’m a tattoo virgin whose had mostly negative opinions about tattoos until I watched this show.

#2. I do have a good story to tell about my rock & roll days and dreams coming true.

#3. I am a huge fan of Megan Massacre’s artwork. And she’s from Pennsylvania too so that should count for bonus points.

#4. I have my own group on Facebook with the sole purpose of getting me on NY Ink.

#5. Megan Massacre (The Artist) knows I exist:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#6. Jessica Gahring (The Shop Manager) likes my taste in poetry and quotes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#7. Robear (The Floor Manager) has “Favorited” one of my Tweets:

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, so those last three aren’t really reasons but they’re still pretty darn cool none-the-less.

Let’s be honest here folks. I don’t have the pipes to be the next American Idol. And there’s no way I’d survive a day in the African Safari outback on Survivor (especially without bacon and Count Chocula). But getting my first tattoo and becoming a bad ass on national TV?.  Now that’s right up my alley and is SO rock and roll. Will it hurt? That I don’t know but I’m willing to risk it.

So what can you do? It’s easy. Join me on my quest for reality show immortality and help spread the word by signing up for the Facebook group “Get James Wood on New York Ink Next Season”

Who knows? Someday soon you just might see me getting needled by Megan Massacre! ~ And if so, I promise not to cry.

Music, Thought and Opinion

30 Years of Hi Infidelity

Thirty years ago at this summer a young twelve-year-old blogger (me) was busily wearing out the vinyl of one of his favorite albums: Hi Infidelity, the break-through album by REO Speedwagon, a band who had achieved moderate levels of success during the 1970’s with songs like “Time For Me To Fly” and “Roll With The Changes”.

The release of Hi Infidelity catapulted the band from a local mid western act into a world-wide arena rock sensation selling an estimated 10 million copies and spending fifteen weeks at #1 on the Billboard album charts. Powered by the songs “Take it On The Run”, “Don’t Let Him Go” and the song that started the power ballad craze, “Keep on Loving You”, which became the band’s first #1 song.

REO Speedwagon has gone through a few line-up changes over it’s 44 year history (yes they’ve been rockin’ since the 1960’s)  but still holds founding member Neal Doughty (keyboards/Hammond Organ) in it’s arsenal along with long time members Kevin Cronin (vocals, guitar), Bruce Hall (bass guitar) and the “babies” of the group: Dave Amato (21 years as lead guitarist) and Bryan Hitt (20 years on drums). Gone are the original members who contributed to the Hi Infidelity album: guitarist Gary Richrath (left in 1989) and drummer Alan Gratzer (retired).

Not surprisingly, the band is celebrating the 30th anniversary of this monumental event with the digitally remastered release of Hi Infidelity: The 30th Anniversary Edition.

What sets this 2 CD release apart from most other milestone reissues is what’s also included on disc two:  The Crystal Demos –  previously unreleased demo versions of nine songs from the album. Here, listeners actually get the opportunity to hear the “raw” sound of what was to become the biggest selling album of 1981. In addition, the CD package also contains liner notes from Kevin Cronin and long time guitarist Gary Richrath.

Hi-Infidelity’s accolades include:

* The highest-selling rock LP of 1981

* Has sold more than 10 million copies in the US

* On February 21, 1981; the album reached #1 on the Billboard album chart and remained at #1 for 15 straight weeks; over-taking  John Lennon’s “Double Fantasy” album. Not many bands can claim their record dethroned a Beatle.

* Remained on the Billboard 200 album chart for 101 weeks, unprecedented for an American rock band at the time

* The single “Keep on Loving You,” certified  #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 21, 1981

* “Take it On The Run” and “Keep on Loving You” were one of the first videos that aired on MTV (#9 and #17 respectively)

REO Speedwagon is currently out on the road in support of their “new” record.  As an bonus, in addition to all of the other hits they are known for, the band has also included at least six songs from the Hi Infidelity album into their set list.  It’s the perfect opportunity for fans to hear most of this milestone record performed live.

There are plenty of reasons 80’s rock fans should revisit REO Speedwagon’s magnum opus. What’s even better: wearing out the polycarbonate plastic on this 30th Anniversary Edition is much harder to do than it was on the original vinyl. Be sure to check it out.

 

Article first published as 30 Years of Hi Infidelity on Technorati.

Childhood Memories, Summer, Thought and Opinion

Forty Something

I was sitting outside alone on my patio enjoying another beautiful Saturday morning in late July drinking my coffee. My wife, daughter and two crazy dogs still soundly sleeping on the second floor. It wouldn’t be long now before they were all up and the day would “officially” begin.

The freshly cut grass was still damp from the last night’s thunderstorms but its smell still reminded me of summer. I heard the familiar call of the locusts making their presence known. The sound of which announcing that August was but a few days away.

Before too long, the season of leaves changing colors and colder temperatures will be upon me again but that only made me appreciate this day even more.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and inhaled life. All the while thinking, “I’m forty something years old and it’s great to be alive.” I tend to think that from time to time. More often now that I’m older. There’s a sort of oneness I have with God, Nature, whatever you want to call it, when I have this quiet time.

I’ve been doing a lot of social network stuff lately. Whether it’s posting funny status updates on Facebook, announcing my affinity for television shows and sports on Twitter or reading critical comments on my music articles (c’mon dude – you’re nit picking a typo – sheesh!).

I’ve also been doing a lot of catching up with old high school classmates. Something I really enjoy doing. In fact, I’ll be attending another semi-reunion in a few weeks at Musikfest where I’ll reunite with some people I haven’t seen in years. Who knows, we might even do some walking through the park and reminiscing.

Just the other day I friended a girl–well, now “woman”, who was in my homeroom for most of my time in school.  I haven’t seen her since graduation but the two of us had coincidentally shared the exact same birthday. I remember always making mention of that “bond” with her every year as our big day approached.

Now, almost 25 of those birthdays have passed and I had not even thought about that birthday bond until I saw her picture. I love being reminded of things like that.

When ever I reconnect with someone from the past it’s surreal. I know we are all now forty-somethings and have all experienced adult life. We’ve gone to college, gotten married, had children, bought a home. Everything expected of us as members of society. The thing is, when I see these wonderful people none of that matters to me. I still see us as we “were” not as we “are” (having a career, paying bills, taking vacations).

I realize that we all have lives now and some of our children are even at the age we were when I last saw them but I like to remember the innocence we had. Not some forty-something with a bunch of adult responsibility, but a time when the future and possibility was wide open.

Well, my coffee cup is empty and the dogs are at the door wanting to join me on the patio. Looks like the day is ready to officially begin.

Books, Childhood Memories, Movies and TV, Thought and Opinion

Spider-Man

I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I was fourteen years old and my parents had just paid for my first subscription to The Amazing Spider-Man comic book. Having grown tired of my whining for sixty cents every month and my pestering of the local drug store for the latest issue they gave in to my demands and sent in a check for $7.20.  I could hardly wait for the first issue of my favorite super-hero to arrive in my mailbox.

I was a Spider-Man from way back you see. As far as I could remember. Well, I’m guessing that my ability to recall things started at age five so at the time probably about nine years if you want to really get technical about it.

Regardless, if there was anything Spider-Man related, I wanted in on it. I loved the idea of  how a guy everyone considered a dork (like me) could become this superhero with all the abilities of a spider. The red and blue tights concealing his identity only added to my excitement.

Want to know how much I love Spider-Man? Here are just some of the highlights:

  • I remember literally running home from school to watch the old Spidey cartoons from the 1960’s. Although I must admit, I thought the people who created it must have been high on mushrooms or something because some of the crazy psychedelic scenes were a bit over the top.
  • My brother and I shared a room growing up and he used to wake me up in the middle of the night. He’d say I was dreaming that I was  Spider-Man and literally trying to climb the walls. I still haven’t forgiven him for rousing me. I mean, bro, I was Spider-Man!!!
  • My neighbor friend and I actually made our own Spider-Man movies with an 8mm camera complete with costumes.
  • I was laughed to scorn when the live action Spider-Man series was on television in the mid 1970’s. You definitely take your lumps when you’re a Spidey fan.

Back to my original point: I was so excited to be getting my first Spidey subscription that I eagerly checked the mail every day. Days turned into weeks but I knew my heart my boy Spidey would never let me down. He’d arrive, just in time, like the theme song from his cartoon said. Sure enough, one day I opened the mailbox and there was a comic book completely surrounded by a brown paper bag style wrapper. Spidey was HERE in all of his red and blue glory!!

I hastily tore open the paper in anticipation of what lay inside, being extra careful not to tear any pages. I could just picture Spidey beating the crap out of Dr. Octopus or The Green Goblin. Maybe the cover would have a picture of Spidey’s girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, dangling from a building along with some villain laughing menacingly as Spidey was just out of reach of grabbing her. I could hardly wait.

Anticipation and excitement vanished immediately and my jaw dropped when I saw the cover of issue #252 looked like this:

What the? Who is this? Someone must have screwed up at the comic book department. My parents checked the wrong title when they ordered. NEW Spiderman? What effing’ rumors are you talking about? I never got that memo. Apparently though, some alien costume had replaced the red and blue tights my homey always wore and I was NOT a happy camper.

With a quick look insider this comic I determined there was no red and blue costume at all. This was NOT my Spider-Man so out of frustration this issue quickly went into the garbage. On a side note: today that issue, which cost sixty cents back in 1984, is now worth $400.

Looking back though, I still have good memories of my days with Spider-Man and we still see each other when ever a new movie comes out (the next one being next summer).

Sadly, my dreams of being Spidey and climbing the walls don’t seem to be happening any more (thanks Bro). I do, however; still have my comic book collection tucked away with a lot of good back issues (one of them NOT being issue #252 thank you very much). I’ve even transferred the 8mm movies onto DVD so I can enjoy all of the adventures again. I’ll be selling them for $9.99 an episode for anyone interested.

It sadly took four years of this dark costumed imposter posing as my boy until the red and blue suit returned but the damage had been done. I had spent the better part of my teen years suffering in silence as my favorite hero played dress up. But it all worked out. I’m just glad my Spidey came back!

Spidey and Me
Thought and Opinion

Bin Laden Might Declare Victory Posthumously

When I got word that US special forces had invaded a small town in Pakistan and killed 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden I had mixed emotions. Certainly I was glad that the man who spear-headed the deaths of 3000+ Americans on a Tuesday morning in September 2001 had gotten what he deserved, albeit almost ten years later.  Looking at the state of our economic situation the last few years, however; I’m concerned our declaring full victory may be a bit pre-mature.

Early next week, unless our elected officials can come to some last-minute agreement to raise the debt ceiling, the United States will be unable to pay its bills for the first time in our history. This embarrassment will send shock waves through out the world as interest rates rise and much-needed programs are no longer funded. This is not the time nor place for the people we elected and sent to Washington to be unable to come together and reach the very basic of decisions for the good of the nation.

One solution that was thrown out to alleviate the impasse was to create some sort of “Super-Congress” composed of equal members of republicans and democrats that would spear head legislation of this type through.

Do you mean to tell me that in the 236 years this country has been around we now suddenly need to create a separate committee to deal with the most basic of needs? Has it really come to this? These people, and I mean ALL of Congress, need to stop worrying about the 2012 election and get this thing resolved and pronto.

This whole thing sort of reminds me of the recently ended NFL lockout. All of last season it was on the minds of everyone. Broadcasters and sports pundits all claiming that there may be no football next year when the owners “lock” the players out once the season is over.  Sure enough, as predicted, there was an lockout with both sides blaming each other.

It’s puzzling to me why the people making the decisions almost always wait until disaster before doing the right thing.  Everyone knew football was going to be affected but no one did anything about it until after it was too late. And, in true football form, Congress has been flirting with this issue for months and only until recently decided to take the ball and try to run with it. Quite frankly, I think our economy is more important than pig skin.

Back to my original point on Osama Bin Laden and pre mature victory. It’s good to keep in mind that the terrorist mastermind’s game plan from the beginning was not to keep bombing populated buildings and mass transit lines until we as a society surrendered.  No, his real intention was to have us fight the threat using all resources possible until we were bankrupt.

Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for ten years, the heightened alerts and extra scrutiny at our air and sea ports, the greed of Wall Street investors, the bail out of the auto industry, our involvement in the Egypt and Libyan crisis are just some of the things that have put all the pieces in order.

Today our country is faced with defaulting on its obligations. Sounds exactly like a long-range plan the creep from the cave would have relished had he lived to see now doesn’t it? So let’s do the right thing and make sure his cronies don’t declare victory on his behalf.

Article first published as Bin Laden Might Declare Victory Posthumously on Technorati.

Movies and TV, Thought and Opinion

Super Hero Saturation At The Box Office

It was no surprise when Captain America: The First Avenger reaped 65 million dollars in its opening weekend at the box office and knocking the final Harry Potter film out of the top spot. The viewing public definitely has a soft spot for movies of  men and women running around in long underwear. People like me are more than happy to open our wallets and pay to see the battle between good versus evil. Some people, not me, will even shell out the few extra dollars to see it in 3D. I decline this option because most of the time there’s no real reason for the film to be in this format and quite honestly, no one can tell the difference anyway (aside from making you wear silly glasses).

During my pilgrimage to the theater I noticed several middle-aged men wearing old school Captain America t-shirts. I even bore witness to man bringing his two young sons into the movie who were both dressed in full Captain America garb (minus the shield of course). It’s nice to see that a hero that has literally been around for more than seventy years still stands the test of time.

Unfortunately, I think we have been a bit over-saturated with super-hero movies during this summer season. 2011 has produced no less than four films with stories of well-known super-heroes. In addition to Captain America we’ve seen Thor, Green Lantern and X-Men: First Class. Each of these films were able to scratch the itch of comic book lovers everywhere.

My fear though is that this plethora of heroes on-screen will eventually result in films being made with bad story lines and might also lead to the extinction of the genre in future movies. Ironically, the case for over saturation will inevitably be made next May when The Avengers is released.

The Avengers are a team of super-heroes who band together to fight evil. If you’ve been following story lines in recent Marvel Studios films over the past few years ( Iron-Man, Thor, Captain America) and forced yourself to stay seated through all of the ending credits, you were thrown a bone with a snippet from the new film.

Try as I might I am having a difficult time believing that The Avengers will be a good film. Consider that the following heroes, many of whom had their own feature length films, are all set to appear: Iron-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow.

Next add in the always unpredictable Samuel L. Jackson as Colonel Nick Fury, the man who assembles the team. Finally, put in the super villain and Thor’s arch nemesis, Loki and his intentions on destroying the world.  Sure sounds like a great story line for a few months of comic books doesn’t it? The problem is, this isn’t a comic book that can be spread out over six or seven issues.

How will they be able to utilize all of these heroes and give them adequate screen time? Is it even possible to bring all of these people together, tell the reason they need to save the world and then have them fight to save it? More importantly, can the film makers do all of this in under two and a half hours with a great story line? Unless they are doing a trilogy of films similar to Lord of the Rings, my initial guess is that we’re all going to be in for a disappointment.

I do hope they save the day next May and prove me wrong.  My continuing super-hero affection depends upon it.

Article first published as Super Hero Saturation At The Box Office on Technorati.

Music, Thought and Opinion

The Tragic And Unnecessary Death Of Amy Winehouse

Incredible vocalist and five time Grammy award winner Amy Winehouse, aged 27, was found dead in her home on July 23rd, the result of an apparent drug overdose

When I first heard Back to Black I could not believe that beautiful sound was coming from such a young woman. She had a voice that only seasoned female jazz musicians held, and it was natural. How prohetic it was that one of her biggest singles, “Rehab”, dealt with drug abuse and how she refused to go get help.

Sadly, it was that same alcohol and drug abuse that ultimately silenced her beautiful voice. Just a few weeks ago she had to cancel her entire European concert tour because she appeared completely wasted at her performances and couldn’t even remember lyrics to her own songs.

I have to admit, when I heard the news of her death I also found one other thing to be a bit ironic as well. Having died at the age of 27 I realized that the media and music conspiracy theorists will now surely place her in the same unfortunate “immortal” category as Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix. All of whom eerily died well before their time at the exact same age.

The ones she will join in the “27 Club” were also all victims of the cruel effects of alcohol and drugs and have left an empty void of what might have been. We can now only imagine the incredible music we missed out on over the last forty years.

Consider the other members of the 27 club who died prematurely:

Janis Joplin – Heroin Overdose

Jimi Hendrix – Sleeping Pills, Wine, Asphyxiated on his own vomit

Kurt Cobain –  Suicide. History of depression and drug abuse

Jim Morrison – Official cause of death unknown but believed to be drug overdose.

All of the these talented musicians suffered silently, in their private lives for the most part, until it was too late. The tragic part of the Amy Winehouse saga was that the public bore witness to her struggle on a daily basis through magazine and Internet gossip sites.

One question will continue to bother me about this unnecessary waste of life. When will we as a society stop waiting for the inevitable to happen before we do something?

Instead of Amy Winehouse now being the subject of a documentary about musicians who died tragically at age 27, and how she, along with Hendrix and Morrison are all jammin’ up on cloud nine (where we’ll never hear them), couldn’t someone, anyone have gotten her the help she needed?

Article first published as The Tragic And Unnecessary Death of Amy Winehouse on Technorati

Thought and Opinion

Friday

It’s here! It’s here! The greatest day of the week is finally here! That’s right boys and girls, it’s Friday again!

Wikipedia says Friday is the day between Thursday and Saturday. How dare they put Friday in the same classification as the other days of the week?

As IF Friday is on equal footing as, let’s say, a TUESDAY. Ask anyone to choose what day of the week they look forward to the most and see what their answer is. You’ll see, it’s all about the Friday.

I mean, really, what’s not to love about Friday?

  • It’s the last day of the typical work week.
  • It’s the day the official “weekend” begins.
  • It’s PAYDAY!
  • It means we do things in a more casual way
  • It’s the day new movies are released in theaters
  • It’s usually the precursor to the day you leave for vacation
  • It’s the night you can get sloshed and have two days to recover before going back to work.
  • It’s the day you can say “TGIF” and people agree. You surely couldn’t say “TGIW” and get the same response.
  • People have written hit songs paying homage to Friday. Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night” is a good example. Another one comes to mind but I can’t think of the title of it right now.

About the only “negative” thing you can say about Friday is that a certain “13th” day of the month might possibly fall on it. Big whoop-tee doo. A Friday the 13th twice a year is still better than 52 weeks of Mondays.

The only thing better than a Friday is my birthday, October 5th. But in two years from now the stars will align and even that too will once again fall on a Friday.

I like to take my Fridays with a big plate of bacon and coffee. The day is fresh like clean linen hanging out on the clothes line on a warm spring day. The possibilities are endless.

Friday is a blank canvas and you’ve got all the paints to create a masterpiece.

Make it a good one!

Thought and Opinion

Have You Ever Had The Feeling….

I’m not saying everything I’m about to post here is true. I’m just saying there are certain things in society that strike me as peculiar. Since this is my blog I’ve decided to post a few. So, with that in mind:

Have you ever had the feeling…

Sporting milestones are fixed?: 

I’m not talking about actual outcomes of games (although I’m sure there are cases where that may be possible). But what I mean is a more individualized situation.

Consider this: Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees had his historic 3,000th hit at home in Yankee Stadium and a home run no less. This coming from a guy who’s had a so-so season, hit only two other home runs and been on the disabled list with a messed up calf. Yankee fans in the midst of an awkward season, where their team didn’t get their ace pitcher Cliff Lee, get to wave the banner again.

Now I’m not saying Jeter didn’t deserve his milestone 3,000 hit. He obviously does.  All I’m saying is could the opportunity for an opposing pitcher to throw a meatball right down the middle and also get into the record book be any more tempting?

Have you ever had the feeling…

Politicians Don’t Have Our Best Interests at Heart?:

So the United States is on the verge of default and our elected representatives don’t seem to be able to get it together and figure it out. In fact, some would much rather see us default and have interest rates go through the roof just so they can see which party actually takes the blame for it at the ballot box next year. After all, there is a presidential election in 2012. The most important one we’ve ever had, since the last one.  The future of our country depends on it… yadda, yadda, yadda.

I’m so tired of seeing this dog and pony show going on from people who only care about being re-elected. Want a real simple solution to all of the problems facing this country? I can sum it up in two words: TERM LIMITS


Finally, Have you ever had the feeling…

You were being watched?

All this hacking scandal stuff with News of the World and News Corp makes it easy to see how quickly our privacy can be invaded without our knowledge; regardless of whether “Big Brother” is the government or a billion dollar news organization.

Oh why couldn’t that guy have connected with the shaving cream pie on Rupert Murdoch?

But seriously, don’t you occasionally feel like the eyes of strange things are upon you? I mean, if they can hack into the royal family and the Prime Minister they could easily get you or me. It’s possible.

Look, out there in the audience…

Art, Movies and TV, NY Ink, Thought and Opinion

New York Ink: The Best Show You’re Not Watching

I’m not a big fan of reality television. It gets old quick when the biggest shows are singing competitions and celebrity dance offs.

I’ve also grown tired of watching single bachelors choosing a soul mate from dozens of women only to read about their break up in People magazine six weeks after the show ends as they try to come to grips with what went wrong.

And please, don’t even get me started on the show about the beach.

Sadly, I began to accept the fate of having to spend the end of every night mindlessly dialing 1-800 numbers. That is of course, until I stumbled upon New York Ink.

New York Ink is a new “reality-based” show on TLC that follows the events of famed tattoo artist Ami James as he opens a tattoo studio, The Wooster Street Social Club, in the SOHO district of New York City.

The show also includes a plethora of incredible tattoo artists: Megan Massacre, Tim Hendricks, Tommy Montoya and Chris Torres. Also on board are Billy DeCola (the intern), the lovable Jessica Gahring (shop manager) and Robear (floor manager and big cuddly guy).

Being a tattoo virgin, I initially just tuned in to see what the whole tattooing process was about. What I discovered was a refreshing change from the otherwise mundane variety of shows that currently dominate the TV dial.

Most of New York Ink deals with the day to day struggle of Ami trying to make a go of it in New York. Of course, there are the clashes with staff members and all the drama that goes with it (very typical in reality shows). But what sets this show apart from all the other standards is the real “human” element. That ace in the hole being the clientele that come into the studio to get tattooed.

For in between shouting matches among staff and Ami’s frustration with the business being slow are scenes of customers coming in, getting their tattoo and telling their story. This is where the show really shines.

First, each client gives the artist an idea or sketch of what they have in mind for a tattoo. After it’s drawn up and the tattooing process begins we are treated to the back story of why the person chose the particular piece.

I’ve heard wonderful tales of people getting tattoos to commemorate the loss of loved ones, their experiences from 9/11 and even how they’ve overcome other impossible odds.

Afterwards, when the final piece in unveiled, there is a flood of emotion that both the client and artist share. Many times, at least for me, it’s very moving.

This show made me rethink my original negative feelings about tattoos. I never fully understood the real reason why some people would get one. It’s wonderful when a show can change the way you feel and New York Ink does just that.

The season finale of the show airs this week and there’s drama that an artist is leaving and Ami may also lose the shop. But none of that concerns me. In “reality”, I know Ami, Megan and the rest will all be ok.

I’m tuning in because I want to hear more stories about the art of being human.

Article first published as New York Ink: The Best Show You’re Not Watching on Technorati.