Thanksgiving menu

Crab and cream cheese appetizer
Brined turkey
Roasted-garlic mashed potatoes
Sage sausage stuffing
Green beans with lemon
Cranberry chutney
Rolls
Pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream
Apple crisp with vanilla ice cream

It’s a tradition around here that I ask people what their plans are for the holiday. Let me know in the comments. And have a great Thanksgiving, everyone.

Tonight’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” was one of my favorite episodes of the entire series so far. I love that they are featuring some families now, and the tone was so overwhelmingly positive I had a huge smile on my face the whole time. I loved the message that people should be comfortable with who they are, and not try to hide behind a toupee or anything else. That’s a message that a lot of gay people have had to learn the hard way.

Gurgle.

Average Joe

Is anyone watching this show? I am, and it’s quite entertaining, I must say. Even though I knew Melana would eliminate one “Average Joe” and one model tonight from the remaining six, I was shocked that her “Average” brushoff was the cute and sweet glasses-wearing John – from La Crosse, no less! He’s been my favorite throughout, and definitely more of a catch than funny but not-much-else Adam and insufferable bully Zach.

I was glad Melana kicked off the truly scary-looking “model” Alex – I don’t think I could have looked at his face for another week. He reminded me of those lizard aliens on “V”.

Ah, television. How you comfort me.

Shills

Salon has a piece today about the ubiquitous on-air therapist Dr. Phil. The good Dr. is being criticized for, among other things, endorsing a line of weight-loss products called “Shape Up.” The most interesting line in the article is this:

“While he reports that he discussed his decision with his mentor, Oprah Winfrey (who has consistently refused to endorse products herself) he remains determined to chart his own course.”

Oprah has refused to endorse products? That’s just not true. Just today was Oprah’s consumerism orgy called “My Favorite Things,” where she shills Christmas gifts like face cream and DVD players, while magnanimously giving the mentioned products to everyone in the audience (who hoot and holler like lottery winners as each new freebie is announced). Oprah’s book club has made millions for the lucky publishers of her chosen tomes. If that isn’t endorsing products, I don’t know what is.

I guess I’ve always had a problem with Oprah, ever since I read a profile of her where she said she loves giving stuff to people, but if anyone ever actually asked her for anything, she would no longer consider them a friend. And I don’t like when casual mentions like the Dr. Phil article reinforce the erroneous idea that Oprah’s some kind of combination of Barbara Walters and Mother Theresa.

Strange historical fact: Eleanor Roosevelt did margarine commercials.

Word of the Day

quisling

Got the idea from Rich Procter’s latest on Smirking Chimp, a pretty funny parody of Republican “talking points.” Reads sort of like those Onion “Ask A…” columns, but with more truth and bite.

Memo to Tom Daschle

Could you please stop calling marriage “a sacred rite between a man and a woman” on Meet the Press and anywhere else you get a microphone shoved in your face? Civil marriage, no matter what it’s called, is a legal contract enforced by the state. How about using your position as Senate Minority Leader to remind people of the difference between civil and religious marriage, instead of being a wishy-washy pseudo-Republican? We’ve got enough real Republicans already, Tom, thanks.

Fantastic article on BostonPhoenix.com: Embrace the wedge. Dan Kennedy makes the argument that the Democrats should heartily embrace gay marriage, and use it to paint the right as the intolerant reactionaries that they are. Stop being wishy-washy and take a stand. If Howard Dean truly believes that this is about equal treatment, he shouldn’t be trying to straddle the fence so hard he’ll get a hernia. Show how similar the arguments against gay marriage are to the arguments against interracial marriage. Grab the issue and throw it back in the Republicans’ faces.

Here’s the money quote from the piece:

“Why is it that conservatives are always able to pretend that they are more patriotic, more religious, more moral than liberals? Why do liberals let themselves be put on the defensive over and over again?”

I couldn’t agree more. Let’s see some backbone, people. Grab the high ground back from the reactionaries. Stop looking at the polls and stand up for something. Do it now.

Quote of the Day

“A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they’re not dead, really. They’re just backing away from life. Reach out! Take a chance! Get hurt, even. Play as well as you can. Go, team, go!”

-Maude (Ruth Gordon), “Harold and Maude”

A tale of two cities (many thanks to Arthur)