In Which Randomness Reigns

In Which There is Knitting:

The Brioche Helmet Hat has kicked my butt, but in a rather surprising way.  Brioche stitch? Check.  Short rows in biroche stitch? No problemo.  Freakin' gauge?  Um, yeah, not so much.  Perhaps not so surprising after all.  I have always been a loose knitter, and I think I have gotten even looser (no, not like that, well, much).  I can't imagine why I ever bought any needle in a size greater than 5mm.  I could knit with nautical rope and it still would be too loose on a 6mm needle.  So, I now have a hat perfectly sized for a Yeti.  If you know any Yeti, let me know, because I have a lovely hat and one sideways sock that I'd love to give them.  Okay, a one-footed Yeti would be preferable.  One who doesn't mind pink and purple in his fashion choices.  Any takers?

Speaking of fashion choices, my doomed hat was doomed anyway, because Eleanor took particular exception to the short-row ear-flap-like things at the bottom of the hat.  I tried to explain their functional value, but should have known that such a rationale would fall flat with the person who thinks wearing pink sandals two sizes too small and a shirt with nothing but tights ("because I really, really like these tights!") is just the right sort of outfit for November.

So, I'm back to the classic EZ design of a simple watchcap in brioche stitch, this time with 4.5mm needles.  And hopefully the three-year-old fashion police will assent.  Film at 11.

In Which Bad TV is Analyzed Way Beyond All Reason:

So, The Amazing Race: Family Edition.  If you're not watching it, you might want to skip this, because it is, I acknowledge, inane.  I do bring the cultural politics of religion in American life into it, but in a completely inane kind of way.  'Kay?  We all set?  Good.

Okay, what is the deal with the Weavers?  Right along, since pretty early on, they've been complaining about how everyone hates them.  And this animosity, at least to hear them tell it, seems to be related to their, um, faith, if you can call praying to sweet baby Jesus that they win a million dollars "faith."  Like, I, personally, would roll my eyes at them and give them the cold shoulder, because, you know, being the whole lefty pagan-UU lesbian-mom, civil libertarian, bleeding-heart-liberal and all, it just kind of saves everyone a certain amount of time and effort for me to not socialize with bible-thumping Southern evangelicals whose politics I can very easily infer.  But you know, despite the throng of lefty infertile lesbian fiber artists who flock here every day, I recognize that I am not exactly in the mainstream of reality televsion, or, well, really the mainsteram of pretty much anything.  You hear the Pat Robertson crap about how Christians are discriminated against in this country (um, okaaaaay), and I get the impression that this is what the Weavers are trying to pin their lack of popularity on.

So yeah, when Pat Robertson says it, no problem: BULLSHIT.  But could it be that the rest of these frosted-blond, all-American reality TV show contestants are also looking at the Weavers and saying, "thanks a lot for getting your fucking president elected, if you want to to call it that, and have fun with the Supreme Court, dude." And I will pause now to point out that there are many Christians in my life whom I love and respect.  Just not so much with the evangelical neo-fascist ones.  And I do feel sorry for the Weavers and I wish them well, even if I don't much like the president I figure must be theirs.

So that's option 1: TAR casting seems to have created an unusual subgroup of people who are generally unimpressed with the whole born-again thing in our culture and they're taking it out on the Weavers.  'Kay.  I suppose it's about as likely (perhaps more so, since I do think we're in the majority) as nearly everyone on Survivor this season thinking that Jesus cares whether they win a reward challenge.  (Poor Rafe, man, I'm telling you.)

Option 2, which I've been kind of thinking might be more likely, is that something happened that hasn't been shown that gave this wide range of people reason to dislike the Weavers so intensely.  But what?  Does anybody know?  I tried to read TWoP, but I simply can't page through 79 pages of discussion on this.  I mean, they're kind of obnoxious, a little weird, but they seem pretty normal to me.  Maybe it's 1.  I can't decide whether it makes me happy that I'm not the only one angry at evangelicals just on principle, or whether it gets too close to making people think Pat Robertson is right.

And yes, I do need to get out more, thanks.

In Which I Tell You a Few Other Random Things:

• The beaded bracelet is beaded, though I haven't yet sewed the links on.  It's a kit from Earthfaire.  Once I got going on it it did go really quickly.  And I likey.  A good, quick Yule gift.
• Ellen at Earthfaire gives good customer service.  I asked her a pretty darned stupid question, which involved a certain amount of blindness on my part, and she was quite patient.  Thanks, Ellen.
• I'm doing the "pre-cooking" for Thanksgiving today.  My mom went through an ovo-lacto vegetarian phase before becoming a vegan, and man-oh-man I had the best ovo-lacto vegetarian entree for Thanksgiving.  Chestnut roast in puff pastry with black cherry-port cream gravy.  I know.  I adapted it from the Christmas section of the book Vegetarian Entertaining with Friends.  The meat-eaters used to wind up eating more of the chestnut roast than turkey.
• With the advent of my mom's veganism, I've had to reitre the chestnut roast (though it does sometimes turn up on winter solstice), and I've been casting about for a vegan option with similar mojo.  This year, I remembered a wild rice casserole I used to make that was pretty damn good.  I'm making that today, and then I'll scoop it into acorn squash halves and bake it tomorrow, to be served with the cashew gravy on the side.  I don't think it can beat ANYTHING that's encased in puff pastry (let's be real here), but I'm optimistic.  I'll let you know.
• I'm also doing some pre-work on some other things, including marinating some sliced beets for a beet-apple salad.  I just finished boiling them, and there it is, a big pot full of red.  Apparently beet is not at all colorfast, but can I just tell you how hard it is to keep from sticking a big handful of wool in there?  Food, mamacate, food.

Well, I think that's quite enough from me today.  Back to the galley.

Comments

[Mindy]

The chestnut roast sounds divine. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

[amysue]

Dinner sounds yummy. I've managed to make the Curried Pumpkin Soup and the Banana Cranberry Pecan Bundt Cake and Emily made the Cranberry-Clementine Sauce. I still want to make some sort of yeasted bread or rolls and pre-carmelize the onions for the Carmelized Onion Tart. Have a wonderful day with all you hold dear.

[Carole]

The chesnut puff pastry thing? could you share the recipe? Huh? Huh?
As for the beets, the minute you said beets, I was thinking, oooh, she could dye some whool in the beat juice.
Okay, timer's going off, pies #1 and #2 are done. Happy Thanksgiving!

[Kellee]

Can I tell you that I just called the husband over here to read that beet thing? No seriously. I just said essentially the exact same thing to him last night.

And yeah - you got the eyroll too, but at least I'm not the ONLY one....

[wenders]

OMG. Why are people talking about BEETs and not explaining the weirdness of the Weavers from TAR?! Hello, priorities?!

I think that they always throw on a crazyGodfamily. And, did you see the episode where they cornered the kid who was really mean to his mom and kept asking why he gave them the U-turn or whatever it's called? We're only nice to you, why why why would you do that?!?! If you're cornering people, you're not nice. And that's the stuff they SHOW! I also think they are really open about how judgemental they are. I tend to notice that some of the families keep the snarkiness in the car, while these people don't seem to care if anyone overhears them.

Basically, as my friend Philip says, it's like they think that the more they say God and Jesus, the less they need to follow his word.

AND, "God, please let us win! . . . "if it's your Will" is my favorite line from that entire show. COME ON!

[Norma]

In which I am once again GLAD I don't watch TV - esPECIALLY "reality" TV. I might have to kill somebody if I had to watch that family. Might...just....have...to. But only if it were HIS WILL, you realize!!!!

[Heidi]

Holy Mad Cow, I'm drooling--I'd love to have the chestnut thingee recipe, too! Another Thanksgiving alternative--I made a vegan veggie pot pie once upon a time. Everyone loved it! I think anything in a pastry crust will go over well.

Reality TV makes the Baby Jesus cry!

[claudia]

I've often looked at beets just that way....

[Lee Ann]

After having spilled beets on myself and never, ever succeeding in getting out the stain, I say go for the wool.

And I agree about puff pastry. Puff pastry all on its own, or twisted into sticks with a wee bit of cheese sprinkled on them and then baked, is also really lovely. Ah, well...the rice sounds good too...

I'd make a really lousy vegan. I am too in love with butter.

[Laurie]

Thought the same thing about the beets. I'm not about independent thought today. Having tea before I get to high TG gear.

This season's Survivor sucks. Nobody truly interesting, or more than one dimensional. They've even eviscerated Stephanie.

[JoVE]

Ricey things in squash are good. But not the same as puff pastry. That chesnut thing sounds pretty nice.

I have a book that says how to dye with beets... Maybe I will go look up and send you instructions (but wool might do odd things to the flavour of your salad so maybe Saturday, okay).

Reality TV? Just Say No.

[Ruth]

The menu sounds fabo, but I'm serving the King, Queen, and Crown Prince of Pickytopia today, so we have to go with Very Safe Vegetables. Wish I were at your house.

As for the Weavers, OMG, they make me crazy. First of all, I'm a Christian (Presbyterian/UCC lefty variety), and whatever brand of Christianity these people represent is nothing I want anything to do with. "We're the good people on this race" ... "We're the only ones trying to live a Godly life" ... etc., etc. ... all the while throwing garbage at other competitor's cars, mocking the breasts and teeth of female competitors, calling someone a "retard", making fun of what someone does for a living, taunting innocent bicylists, trying to get a Park Ranger to delay the team behind them ... hypocrisy, thy name is Weaver.

From what I've gathered (sources: TWoP, behind the scenes videos, after the race interviews with eliminated teams ... o.k., yes, I love the show, even if I think the Family Edition was a yoooooge mistake), this two-facedness has not gone unnoticed by the other teams. The Weavers seem to have a very narcissistic, paranoid world view, and while I'm very sorry they lost their patriarch, it in no way excuses their behavior.

These are very sheltered, ignorant (Lake Ponchatrian is one of the Great Lakes? Asking if Pennsylvania is a state? and this woman teaches school?) people. I believe they are genuinely confused by their reception by the other teams, I just don't think they're in any way capable of being introspective enough to figure out WHY.

[Steph]

No Yeti here. Is the hat really big? I'm so cold I would like something warm to crawl into right now.

You could felt the hat though. Then it would be real warm. Or a good tea cozy.

Have a nice dinner, sounds yummy.

[Stacie]

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Teri]

Ack! As I sit here about to embark on the self-same hat, and remembering your comment about Birch and how we both appear to "knit loose", I'm not all nervous that the nice little hat I'm intending for my 4 year old nephew will end up too large for my 33 year old husband! *deep breathe* I'm using a heavier yarn than that called for, though, and not double-stranding, so maybe that means there's hope..?

And I'll add my vote for the recipe for the chestnut thingy.. sounds delightful!

[stephanie]

Chestnut thing must be mine.

[julia fc]

Notice how Rafe, who finally said "gay" last night(yippeee!), is a Mormon, but never invokes Jesus or anyone else, because I bet he knows the lord helps those who help themselves. The arrogance and self-importance of so-called christians, or any faith-flag-waving yahoo, turns my stomach. Like a god would care about a reality show. Like an intelligent and loving prime mover wouldn't be working on something omni-important like food for all. The Weavers are exactly what's wrong with organized religion.

[Sneaksleep]

Mmmmm, chestnuts and puff pastry.... Well, even without that, it sounds like you had a yummy Thanksgiving. Exactly how big is the hat? My dad's head has a two-foot circumference...

[Juno]

Maybe just a tiny bit of wool in the beet juice? Cause that has stuff always leaves a mark.

Pretty please?

And roasted chestnuts in puff pastry with cherry/port cream ...... dear me, I think that actually made me go a little weak in the knees.

[Jody]

I'm with Ruth on the interpretation of the Weavers. Calder and I have become over-committed devotees of this show (we watch it nightly on the Game Show Network, that's how bad it's gotten) and every single night, I make some variation on the phrase: I wish we knew what was happening behind the scenes. Because you have to wonder: why are we spending so much screen time with these awful, awful people?

For that matter, how close are those two last teams to each other? Where are the producers? How did they make this challenge work? These are by far the most interesting questions to me.

And because I cannot get worked up over racing in the US of A (I can go watch camel races on Monday in Morocco, or the search for a giant office chair in Alabama on Tuesday, and guess which one is more intriguing), I'm cynical about the demonization of the Weavers. Which isn't to say that the Weavers aren't terrible, because Oh. My. God.

Who are these people, and in what parallel universe do they live, throwing trash and then saying that the other team hates them? Throwing trash at ALL? It's all sorts of yicky, and Christianity has nothing to do with it, although in my Christian world, it does make their paranoid tribalism that much worse.

Still and all, I'm deeply afraid that the reason why we're getting so much of the yucky Weavers (you think none of the other teams are saying interesting and provocative stuff over in their cars on the long drives through the desert?), is (a) to keep us watching the loathesomeness and (b) as a foreshadowing of the Weaver's eventual stomach-churning win.

None of these competition shows function without a team or person you love to hate. That the Weavers keep hanging on is just gravy for the producers.

Calder has a theory that the producers hated/hate the Weavers, too, and he thinks they scheduled all those challenges at racetracks just to screw with them.

Never mind their complete failure to understand the basic teachings of Jesus, the Weavers are spoiled brats. Consider their crazed behavior back on the bus ride. Spoiled Brats. Everyone including the mother. Scary scary people.