Muggy Monday

After a pleasant weekend with comfortable weather, Monday promises to be the start of a hot and muggy week.  
Time to . . .

(This is where I share things I've been thinking about over the weekend.)

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A Quote

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."
  --- Andy Warhol

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I don't have a specific word for you this week, but rather a turn of phrase.  Last week in my art class, someone commented to someone else that I had made my sweater "from scratch."  Of course, I knew what she was trying to convey, but it got me wondering . . . where, exactly, did the term "from scratch" come from?

So I looked it up.

Here's what I found on the Merriam-Webster website:

In cooking, "from scratch" means you prepared something from only the most basic ingredients -- with nothing "premade."  In building (structures), "from scratch" means you didn't use any pre-fabricated parts.  In creating a business, "from scratch" means nothing was provided for you at the start.

So . . . what do you think?  If I knit a sweater with yarn I purchased?  Is it "from scratch"?  Or not?

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Are you already weary of trying to keep up with primary season and where the various Democratic candidates stand on the issues?  I found this nice little summary site that NPR has put together to track the issues in the 2020 election.  It's concise, clear, and colorful -- with easy-to-read graphics.  It's very well done and an easy way to follow along -- especially if you're anything like me . . . and the debates make your head explode a little.  Check it out!

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Tom and I went to see The Goldfinch on Friday.  It's totally being panned by the critics, so I don't suppose it will end up in contention for any awards come Oscar time, but Tom and I liked it.  If you were a fan of the book (I liked  the book, but didn't love it; Tom hasn't read it), you may especially like seeing the characters come to life on the screen.  

The biggest criticism of the movie seems to be that it follows the book too closely.  And I suppose that's true -- because the movie crams pretty much all 800 pages of the book into a 2 1/2 hour movie!  The movie is very faithful to the book (with a couple of notable changes).  I think it's worth watching -- although maybe wait until it's available to stream.

Edited to add:  Here's a little article about the actual painting of The Goldfinch, with a peek at the reason for author Donna Tartt's choosing it as the painting Theo steals in the story.

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I hope your Monday is off to a great start!

 

Comments

[Vera]

I have not read that book - read too many disappointing reviews of it and anyway, I tend to steer away from books that are wildly popular. You already know I'm not much of a movie goer...I think 2.5 hours would do me in! LOL. Interesting about "scratch" - I had forgotten about the scratch in the dirt at race time.

[Vicki]

Thanks for the NPR site. That might just save me.

[Carole]

I agree with Vicki - thanks for the link to NPR. I trust them and at this point I can't watch the debates. Obvs, I'm going to vote for whoever the Democratic candidate is, so I just hope we choose the one that can be the orange man.

[Bonny]

Another thanks for the NPR site! The debates are just yelling and soundbites to me, and I'm looking for something a little more substantial when I actually cast my vote. I hope NPR continues to add to it, and I hope the Democrats get their s**t together and produce a candidate that can beat T*rump.

[Patty]

THANK-YOU for the NPR site! Also...I love that succulent shot!

[Kathleen]

The purist in me (not to mention, the spinner) says that a sweater knit from purchased yarn is only partially made from scratch. To be truly made from scratch, you'd have to raise the sheep, shear him/her, process and spin the yarn, then knit it. Regardless, it's still better than store bought in that you invested your time and energy in it. Sort of like baking a cake from a mix vs baking from flour, sugar, etc.

[Kat]

As usual, NPR provides amazing information for the consumer! And, I truly loved The Goldfinch (the book) I have not yet seen the movie - but have really been thinking I would not, because how do you make a movie from an 800 pg book? But, I might indeed queue it up when it is available to stream!

The heat and humidity has returned here as well... summer appears to want to depart with a bang!

[Dee]

Interesting about "from scratch". I guess Kathleen summed it up pretty well. But, even if your sweater isn't totally from "scratch", it is still pretty impressive that anyone can knit a sweater, or socks, or whatever.

[Pam]

I'm going to argue that your sweater *is* from scratch -- and that if you spun the yarn, your yarn would be from scratch, and if you had a sheep, your fleece would be from scratch. . .

After all, we don't make you grow wheat to say you made a cake from scratch. But if you did. . .

I think I'll put the Goldfinch on my Netflix queue. I liked the book, mostly. But didn't love it. The parts I liked, I imagined quite visually, so may or may not want to see them portrayed. We'll see.

[Chloe]

Interesting quote from Warhol. I didn’t know he actually talked. He always seemed kind of Oracle-like to me.

[Sarah]

Those succulents are incredible -- I've never seen one grow into a tower like that!

I'd like to see the Goldfinch, but I'll either have to get my mother to go with me or wait until it's streaming or on DVD from Netflix -- it's not my husband's kind of movie! I'm glad to hear it's faithful to the book, because one of my pet peeves is when a book is adapted and the screenwriters make major changes. I expected that it'd be difficult to cram everything from a book that length into a movie and still have it be a reasonable length, so it's good to hear that it's a good adaptation.

[margene]

Love the Warhol quote. The woman meant her comment as a compliment and it surely is. Maybe it can be argued (my accomplished knitter/spinners), but honestly, anything made with your hands seems to deserve that kind of compliment.