Chitchat and the occasional in-depth analysis about fiber, knitting, spinning, crochet, cooking, feminism, self-image, and a modicum of personal blathering.

Monday, April 27, 2009

The harder they fall, one and all

I have a reading recommendation for today. I enjoy a lot of posts on the blog Shakespeare's Sister, but this one is truly outstanding, by the blog founder Melissa McEwan.

Rank (and file) Bigotry

A quote:
the fantasy of this nonexistent perfect America is the very thing that created the beloved "traditions" of racism, sexism, and homophobia in the first place. It has been the dangling enticement of a happy family, supported by a single secure and well-paid job, in which no one is wracked with disillusionment, dispossession, or a lack of opportunity—an invitation to join for which most Americans are never given the chance to RSVP—which created the resentment and scapegoating that are the foundations of social conservative traditionalism.


Go read it, seriously. She nails so much of the current xenophobic rabid right-wing viewpoint, it's really amazing.

A little Jimmy Cliff to listen to while reading now.


On the health front, I'm feeling a little better. Moving in the right direction, in any case. My stomach still hurts, the incisions itch, and I'm still completely exhausted but at least the pain is getting better instead of worse. And, as promised, here is a link to my gall bladder picture. Please be warned, though, it's gross. The red thing it's laying completely across is my liver. The instrument across the bottom of it is a good three, four inches.

On to more pleasant things, I'm almost finished with the first of the latest pair of entrelac socks. These photos are from last week, before I went to the hospital, so they're slightly out of date. I'm working my way down the foot on this sock.

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I'm pretty happy with how it's coming out though. It seems every pair of these gets better. I'm itching to make another pair for myself soon. And in socks for myself, I'm making excellent progress on Thelonious.

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These may be my new favorites. Since I'm knitting them on a larger size needle but not a thicker yarn, they're airier than most in this pattern, which is what I wanted. They'll be excellent for spring and fall wear.
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Isn't that pretty? I think the wool/silk blend will be pretty durable, too.
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I haven't picked up the Decimal sweater in the last week or so. I'll get back to it, I will. I've been a little distracted this week, plus I need to finish Thelonious before the end of the week. I'm about to turn the second heel, so that should not be a problem.

The weather has been quite unseasonably hot. Upper 80s on Friday, Saturday, yesterday, and today. This is the new way of things here in Pittsburgh, apparently. Winter directly to summer. Friday, the low was 37, and the high was 85. Freaky.

Please enjoy these pictures from last week's trip to the Carnegie Museums, pre-surgery, where we went to see their art in bloom and horse exhibits. And on that note, I'm going to go take a nice shower to cool off and ease the itching in my stitches. The surgery was laparoscopic but I have a cute little series of three stitches in my belly button that is making me crazed.

"Dinosaurs in Their Time"
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"Hillman Hall of Gems and Minerals"
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"Art in Bloom" and other items from the Scaife Gallery
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1 comment:

Elizabeth said...

Thanks to Ravelry, I'm far more aware of the obnoxious extremists on the right than I had been previously. I've been perplexed, amazed, appalled, outraged, angry, and mostly, incredulous at the so-called Truths they espouse. While they scream about the loss of their liberties under Obama, they can't see how all our liberties were diminished under Bush. That was a great blog post you linked to. I might need to start following that one regularly.