Facetiously Funny

As I was browsing the New York Times I came across a review for the movie Religulous, which is a documentary about religion and faith by comic and television host, Bill Maher. It's not the review itself that is the topic of this post, but rather a particular turn of phrase that was used in the review. The Times reviewer called the movie "facetiously funny". So now I'm just trying to figure out if he's being superfluously redundant. "Facetious" is one of those words I've come to dislike. It's used way too often by people who think they have to explain that what they just said was not serious, i.e., "it was supposed to be funny". "Oh, I was just being facetious". Yes, maybe. But now you're just being pompous. Anyway, Merriam-Webster defines "facetious" as "joking or jesting often inappropriately", or "meant to be humorous or funny, not serious". And one of its definitions for funny is "seeking or intended to amuse, facetious". Hmm. Facetiously facetious? Funnily funny? Let's say we use the "not serious" definition for "facetious". Can one then be "seriously funny" in a way that means "serious" for real (seriously), not "serious" as its used by some to mean "excessive"? Ironically, one of the definitions for "serious" is "not joking", in which case the phrase, "seriously funny", becomes an oxymoron. OK, so "facetiously funny" bugged me enough that I had to Google it to find out if it had any precedent. At the time I wrote this, Google told me that there were 191 documents with this phrase out on the web and 7 out of the 10 links on the first page of Google search results reference the New York Times review. So then I searched for the phrase by excluding all results that mention "Religulous". Now there were just 49 results. Good. This was a small enough set for me to browse quickly to find out if this phrase had been used anywhere else in a way that justified its use. And yes, I found this link, which in turn linked here for a lovely, little limerick about skiing topless in the Tetons while sipping tea. When one considers the English translation of the French word, "teton", I'd say this little poem is indeed facetiously funny.

Stinky Compost

I need to do something about the compost behind the barn. It's not doing what it's supposed to do. I suppose that's because I really haven't taken the effort to nurse it along. Ideally it should be a warm mass of rich, dark decaying vegetation and food scraps. But right now it's just a pile of stinky stuff I'd rather not look at. The crows are happy, the coons are happy, the skunk is happy. Even the occasional bear is happy that I don't turn the glop into the soil beneath. But my nose is most unhappy when I have to contribute yet another bucketful of kitchen leavings to that heap. Yuck. So it's about time to get the pitchfork and dig in. While I'm at it I should repair (or replace) the meager fence around the pile that really had no chance against that bear. This was the same brute that ripped the window off our garbage shed, then pummeled what I thought was a very sturdy trash barrel into a blue blob of industrial strength plastic. Fortunately it hasn't returned since then, but it is autumn now and I'm sure many bears are out there looking for anything to pad their insulation for the winter. So our redolent compost heap is like a beacon for woodland critters to come party behind our barn.

It drives the dog crazy.

Guilford Fair

A perfect two days for the Guilford Fair this Labor Day weekend. I had a chance to walk around for a while on Monday and check out the sights and sounds...and smells: the fried dough, barbequed chicken, Anon's Thai food, horse manure. I managed to win a few bucks for lunch after my elderberry jelly and garlic dill pickles got ribbons.

Vermonters are less religious

A recent Pew poll found that Vermonters (and our neighbors in NH) are less religious than people in most other states. That doesn't surprise me and it's encouraging. Independent thinking is a hallmark of this region and this poll simply reinforces that notion. While I don't attend my local church, I'm not opposed to it or its rituals. The church is relevant to many people, both religious and non-religious. It's a great community resource and often, it seems, religion is secondary to its primary mission which is to help and bring people together.

Crunchy bread

I used to measure ingredients for my bread. Now I just pour them in (except the yeast!). I like to see what comes out in the end. This past weekend I needed a loaf or two for a bean soup I made. So here is what I poured into my Kitchen Aid bowl:

• Some hot water
• Some cold water
  
• Two tablespoons of active yeast
  
• Some light brown sugar
  
• Somewhere around equal parts whole wheat flour and white flour
  
• Wheat germ
  
• Oatmeal
  
• Flax seeds
  
• Walnuts
  
• Some olive oil
  
• Salt

I put the switch on low and added flour until the dough held its shape but was still somewhat sticky. I put plastic wrap over the top of the bowl and the thing doubled in bulk in about a half hour! Maybe I didn't measure the yeast... So I dumped the dough out of the bowl, kneaded it, then cut it in half. I shaped two long loaves and sprinkled some flour and cornmeal on top. Then I let them sit and rise for another half hour on parchment paper while the stone in the 450F oven heated up. Finally, into the oven until I smelled something burning and they were done. It turned out to be a hearty and crunchy bread, very good for soup. I like it toasted as well with peanut butter. I probably can't duplicate it so that's why I took this picture (sorry, the other loaf disappeared quickly so there's just the one left).