Bee seasoned

Yesterday the National Spelling Bee was ready for prime time, promoted to ABC after years on ESPN. Years of dominance by my Indian-American brethren ended as Katharine Close of New Jersey won, spelling a Sanskrit word (kundalini) and winning on a German word (ursprache). Congratulations to Katharine, participating in her fifth contest. By the end she still had calm nerves, likely a result of being so bee seasoned.

German words figured heavily late in the competition: the runner-up misspelled weltschmerz, and heiligenschein took care of the last Indian kid, who placed fourth.

What's the message here to Indian parents: that their kids learn German? Who does that? Oh wait, I'm the only one. And a lot of good it's done: I'm not even attending the World Cup.

So, with the geography and spelling bees behind us, all we have left on TV is the Nasonex Bee.

55 Fiction Friday assumes all German spelling instructors look like Frau Farbissina.

Frustrated by yet another unfunny skit, Garrett asked aloud, “What are these writers smoking?” He set out to determine the answer.

It’s not hard to wander from the official studio tour. Soon he found the writers’ lounge, and the answer: pure Jamaican high grade, imported direct.

Since then, Garrett thought just about everything was hilarious.