MiTHology (4.0)

GBBO series 16 episode 1: Mith Reacts

September 6th, 2025

Caution: SPOILERS ahead for this episode, also for series 12 and 15 of the same show!

The Bake-Off is back! Finally. It feels like it’s been a long wait, doesn’t it? I’ve been craving this show for months, and this premiere hit the spot. I’ve been watching this show since 2017, and it is truly the OG baking competition show, the one that got me started watching all the rest of them.

The sixteenth season: I really feel like this show has aged well. It’s become self-aware without losing any of its authenticity; the 2025isms (“Prue is low-key savage”, all the jokes about Paul’s blue eyes, etc.) don’t feel out of place; the aesthetic hasn’t changed, but also hasn’t become dated; unlike so many shows that do not age well, it has managed to not become a parody of itself.

At the same time, it’s sad to me to see how old the show has gotten. Paul and Noel are both looking older. When Paul eventually retires, the Bake-Off simply won’t continue. How could it? Like him or not (and I do like him; I think the attitude is just a part of his job), he really is GBBO.

But it’s not time to worry about that yet. Another season begins, and I think this is going to be a good one. The editing in this episode was on point; my husband and I were laughing a lot; and, at this stage, there’s no obvious winner right out the gate (looking at you, Giuseppe in series 12), which raises the suspense level.

However, this episode was also tragic for me:

Over the years, my husband and I, while watching this show together, have observed a trend: the contestants that I pick early on as my personal favorites tend to be the ones who end up going home in the first few episodes. It’s become a running joke: my blessing is like a death sentence; my selection of “favorite” is a curse. And I’m afraid that, this episode, my cursing power was stronger than ever.

During the Swiss roll Signature challenge, when they were introducing Hassan and his creation, my stupid little ears perked up. Chocolate, coffee, and caramel: definitely the best flavor choices this challenge. And additionally, for his decorative inlay design, he chose blue roses. “Blue roses,” he said, “are a symbol of achieving the impossible.” If you know me, you know I was cheering for him from this moment, because I have a thing about blue flowers and their symbolism. Plus, Hassan seemed like a really likeable guy. But! I dared not speak aloud that I had chosen him as my favorite, lest I curse him. I kept my mouth shut.

And then!! Holy cow! The disaster that ensued! My husband and I were cry-laughing as poor Hassan tried to like knead the leaking gloppy chocolatey mess into some semblance of a Swiss roll shape. It still tasted amazing, apparently, but it was basically just a pile of broken cake and filling, heartbreakingly topped with some chocolate curls. (“He decorated the corpse,” my husband remarked.) Hassan then came in 10^th in the Technical, and in the Showstopper, Paul said his bamboo scene looked “like a bad dream,” which had me once again cry-laughing, because apparently Paul’s worst nightmares are about landscapes of stumpy, awkward bamboo stalks.

What else? There are so many contestants, this early in the game, that it’s hard to talk about how cool everyone is and every noteworthy thing that happened without rambling on for like 3,000 words, so I’ll try to keep it concise.

Nataliia was certainly a highlight of this episode! I did think it was interesting that Nataliia chose to do such an incongruous combination of flavor/decor in her Swiss roll: a traditional Ukrainian design for the inlay, with tropical passion fruit and mango flavors inside?! Hassan did the same thing, a Japanese landscape with a pumpkin spice cake inside! Weird; I feel like, if this were the Food Network Baking Championship, the judges would have dinged them for something like that. But, Prue and Paul didn’t seem to care.

Then Nataliia came in third in the technical, and her chocolate-cherry-rum “map of Ukraine” cake was, according to Paul, “a special cake” and “stunning.” Good for her!

And then she won!? Honestly, I was expecting either Tom or Iain to be star baker this episode. Even though he came in last in the technical, his blueberry mascarpone Tartan-patterned Swiss roll was phenomenal, and his Icelandic waterfall landscape cake in the Showstopper looked and sounded incredible. He’s one to watch for sure. Iain also killed it in both the Signature and Showstopper. That artwork of his university on the inlay of his Swiss roll was insane! Contestants with fine arts skills always go far in this show (thinking about little Sumayah last year). And then, the beach design on that chocolate stout/blackberry cream cheese cake, dang! So, I was sure it would be one of these two dudes. I was surprised when they called out Nataliia. But then I looked back on the episode and yeah, she really was the most consistently good, and then her showstopper was next-level, so, the win was well-deserved! I really like Nataliia and would love to see her win the whole thing.

Two IDK LOL moments that were peak TV: Pui Man randomly putting rosewater in her fondant fancies in the technical, for no reason at all. When Paul asked why she did that, she was just like: “I don’t know,” lol. I can relate. Also, Nataliia telling Noel during their little chat session that she “didn’t know” what her husband was good at, hahaha. Noel Fielding is such a blessing to this show.

I like so many of the contestants this year but I’ll try and wrap this up. A couple final observations. Iain looks like Puck from The Sandman season two. He’s like a sneaky little baker elf (what kind of magic spell did he cast to get that cake to stay together after it collapsed in the showstopper?!), and I think he might win the whole thing. My husband and I both really liked how they did the technical this episode; letting the contestants see and taste the finished fondant fancy, and giving them more ingredients than they needed to use, made it really fun to watch (those ground almonds were a trap!). This episode also taught me what myxomatosis is, as my heart broke for Leighton’s poor little decorative sheep. Also, there was a whole lot of lemon in the Signature, did you notice that? Five out of twelve Swiss rolls were lemon!

And before we go, can we talk about Pui Man? She somehow managed to make matcha taste amazing in the Signature! That takes a crazy amount of skill. And this was right after she said in conversation that she “doesn’t eat sweets” – lolwut?! Ma’am? You don’t like sweets? As a contestant on GBBO? This girl is quickly becoming my favorite, hahaha – no, wait, I take that back!! I never said that. She’s not my favorite. I don’t have a favorite!

“Claggy” count: 2

“Concertina” count: 1

My high point: Everything Pui Man did.

My low point: Drag king? Eww. Poor taste. This show’s supposed to be family-friendly. Surely there’s some other element of her life that they could have chosen to showcase.

The cake that I would most have liked to eat: Toby’s PB&J Showstopper cake, with browned butter sponge, white chocolate, strawberry jam and praline. If you know me, you know I’m all about peanut butter desserts, and I always love when a contestant goes for the PB&J theme on this show, because it’s not exactly a common flavor combo in the UK.

My official prediction for winner: Tom, with runners-up Iain and Nataliia – but, as I observed earlier, it’s hard to say, at this point! Jessika, Lesley, and Aaron also seem like potential champions.

What do you think?? I don’t usually beg for comments (or even allow comments on most of my junk, lol) but leave me a comment!

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The So What

August 8th, 2025

Daily writing prompt
What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?
View all responses

That’s the question, isn’t it? This is the heart of the whole question of why do we write. The “so what” thing that my favorite writing professor used to go on about, that still haunts me to this day.

When I was a kid, I used to love to write just for the fun of it. Up until I was eighteen or so, I churned out pages and pages of fiction, easy-breezy, whenever and whatever I pleased, and never gave a passing thought to the “so what.” I assumed that one day I would be a real writer, but for the time being, this was just fun, and I was good at it – I was so sure that I was so good at it! (Not so sure about that anymore, lol. Oh to have that kind of confidence again! In anything!!) It felt, back then, like liquid gold just flowed out of my hands at will, and I crafted for myself and my friends all manner of treasures and delights.

But then we grew up! For whom am I writing nowadays? And why? I’m not just killing time between classes in middle school anymore. Not passing notebooks around the lunch table, laughing at each other’s little stories, dabbling in juvenile delight, anymore. Gone is my lunch table friend circle; nobody cares, anymore, to read my stuff just because it’s there! I’m an adult now; things matter; so what am I doing with my limited time? And why?

That same professor, Professor So What, always talked about how crucial it was to know your audience – to have a specific person in mind that you were writing for. One time, he even assigned us for homework a page-long character description of our target reader. I can’t remember what kind of person I described. Probably a sad and confused female millennial like myself.

We’re adults now. For me, becoming an adult was essentially one and the same thing as converting to Catholicism. After a liberal/atheist upbringing, I started looking into the faith at age 22-23, when I was, for the first time, living far from home, in an entirely different state from my family of origin. After a couple years of waffling, I was finally confirmed Catholic at 25. Today, almost eleven years later, I’m far from an exemplary Catholic, and frankly feel more like a beginner at it than I did at 25, sometimes. Even so, becoming an adult meant converting, because it meant becoming aware of the significance of things, of what actually matters, of morality and the world outside of myself, than I had been before.

But so am I writing only for Catholics? Definitely not! In fact, I daresay most Catholics probably won’t relate much to this blog. I’m a misfit Catholic — what I like to call a Weird Trad, lol. I wish I fit in with my fellow Catholics, but I don’t. That, I suppose, is the kind of individual that I’m picturing myself talking to as I write this junk: some other Weird Trad. Some other girl who doesn’t feel like she fits in among her fellow Catholics.

But not just her! Really I’m writing for any misfit out there; for anyone who’s weird and overthinks about stuff – about what it’s okay to do, about spiritual matters and ethical matters. Or someone who struggles with disorder in their life, whether an ED or AvPD or just not being the person that they’d like to be, and is trying to figure out how to be in the world. Or, another mom who doesn’t feel like she has anything in common with all these other mommies at play group.

Maybe just someone else who’s lonely and likes to watch TV and came to discuss her favorite shows!

Maybe, someone who maybe kind of wants to convert but doesn’t feel able to because she just can’t relate to religious people as she perceives them. Or even someone who thinks religious people are stupid and, as a weird/overthinking type of person, can’t relate to them at all, but enjoys talking about ethical problems and is up for a debate.

Maybe this is arrogant, but, I’d love it if I could show such a person that it is possible to be both weird and Catholic. Or that it is possible to have a happy and fun little life as a disordered person. How is it possible to be a functioning adult, a wife and mom, with AvPD/an ED/an alcohol addiction? “How can you be a Catholic with a personality disorder?” “So wait, you’re a Catholic and you also have tattoos and listen to mainstream rock and hip-hop? How does that work?!” I’d love to talk through this stuff with someone! I’d love it if someone came to debate me and ended up becoming a pen-pal or even a friend. I’d really love to help people see the light about Catholicism, but even if they’re not interested in that, I’d love to just find people to chat with about any of the topics on this blog. I guess I’d love to just make connections with people, even if it’s just about a show that we both liked. Maybe this is how I fill the void in my life where healthy adult friendships ought to be, lol.

Are you a Catholic convert or thinking about becoming one? Is your personality disorder or other mental health condition keeping you from converting? Do you see Catholicism and weirdness/sadness/anxiety as incompatible? Are you interested in a friendly discussion or debate on religious/ethical matters? Are you perhaps in recovery from something? Or are you a weird mom trying to masquerade as a normal mom? Do you lose sleep worrying about how or who you ought to be? Do you love the Baking Championships on Food Network?! Are you just bored and lonely and looking for friends to chat with online?? If you answered yes to any of these, then congrats! You are my target audience, and I’d love to receive your comments or emails.

So, I guess that is the small change that I’d like this silly little blog to make. To help people connect with the faith, or at least just to connect in general. Good connections are something that, as someone with AvPD, I’ve always yearned for.

Years ago, when I had MiTHology 2.0, I remember connecting via WordPress with another blogger, a fellow convert, who also struggled with emotional stuff and also wrote about Christian topics, and was working on his first book. We traded emails back and forth, and for some reason he seemed to like my perspectives, and he even gave me the privilege of beta reading his manuscript; and then, when a family vacation took his family near my city, we all met up IRL for lunch; and when his book was published, he even dedicated it to me with a lovely message. I still cherish it to this day. I haven’t heard from that friend in many years (have tried to find him online, alas!, to no avail), but, that experience was one of the coolest things ever, knowing that I, stupid little me, was able to help someone with something important. And my silly little blog was what helped make it happen!

In recent years, the internet has helped me connect (and re-connect) with a few really good friends, who have been a hugely positive influence on my life in very real ways – in more ways than I can describe, in ways that influence the world beyond just me. But even just a little friendly connection over a movie or favorite book or something, even something like that can make such a difference. That’s the kind of connection I’d love to have more of; that’s the kind of thing I’d like to facilitate with this blog; that is, I guess, why I write.
Is it ok to separate the artist from the art?

August 4th, 2025

(Caution: spoilers for Sandman season two!)

I ask this today because, currently, my husband and I are watching, and really enjoying, season two of The Sandman. But this is not the first time I’ve had the occasion to worry about this particular question.

As you may know, I’m a huge fan of David Foster Wallace, whom some people out there claim ought to be “canceled” because of certain shitty things that he did to people during his life. I’m also a fan of certain songs by Chris Brown, as well as makeup products and tutorials by Jeffree Star, both of whom have also done shitty things in the past. I’m sure that plenty more of my favorite writers/celebrities have done problematic, cancel-worthy things, but these are just the few that come to mind at the moment.

Am I a bad person for continuing to allow myself to enjoy The Sandman? (The show specifically, not the books; I did read the first book or two, back in like 2015, because my boyfriend at the time (who’s now my husband) was a huge fan of the series; I thought they were pretty cool, but they didn’t captivate me enough to want to read the rest; plus, the bf admitted to me that he’d long had a crush on the character Death, which obviously pissed me off and turned me off from the whole series, lol.) Am I a bad person for continuing to enjoy DFW, Chris Brown, and Jeffree Star, even though I know they’ve done inexcusable things? Can we separate the artist from the art? Or, more importantly, should we?

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I have a lot of things I could say about The Sandman from a Catholic POV – how sometimes it completely misses (it presents an inaccurate picture of God and religion in general, and also, it unfortunately gets pretty woke), but other times gets it beautifully right (like with the character of Fiddler’s Green, who’s inspired by the brilliant Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton; or like with some of the ideas about heaven and hell and who goes to hell and why; or like that scene in season two where the Pope “approves female priests” (I was starting to throw up a little in my mouth) and then we see that the “Pope” is actually Loki in disguise and the real Pope is locked up in a faerie-dust-induced coma somewhere, lol; that was actually not too far from accurate, I mean obviously Loki is fictional, but it is true that evil, the smoke of satan, has corrupted the heart of the Church!). But, I won’t go into all of that here, because the question at hand is not whether the show is good, but whether it’s okay to like this show at all, knowing that its author is probably guilty of sexually assaulting multiple women. (I say “probably” because I don’t know if it was ever definitively “proven” that he did, and I like to always give people the benefit of the doubt; but I did read that the evidence against him is really strong, and that he apparently even paid large sums of money to multiple people to get them to keep quiet about him, which really doesn’t look good for him, unfortunately.)

Can we separate the artist from the art? Well, whether one can or not is subjective, isn’t it?

For me, in the case of The Sandman, I both can and cannot. I’m still able to enjoy the show. I’m enjoying it very much! But, at the same time, I can’t really forget, even while watching the show, about the allegations. Like, the whole plot thread about the Lady Nuala being “gifted” to Morpheus to do with whatever he liked… knowing that that was written by a dude who SAs women, kinda gave me the ick. Pretty much all of the sexual scenes gave me an extra bit of ick, honestly. I already dislike sex scenes, but they’re even more repulsive when you know that they originated in the mind of a rapist.

So, my enjoyment of the art is definitely colored by what I know about the artist. But, for me personally, it’s not to the point where I can’t enjoy the art. Because it’s also a really compelling story, and I have to know what happens! I guess if the story were less good, it wouldn’t be worth sitting through the moments where I remember and get the ick; but for me, in this case, it balances out.

However, I imagine if I were a family member of one of his victims, I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to tolerate it at all. If I were the mother of one of those victims, there’s no way I could stand to watch even a single second of this show, or to read a single word of anything NG ever wrote! Or if I were myself a survivor of SA, I might have a stronger reaction.

But, shouldn’t I – as a Christian especially! – be so empathetic as to be unable to tolerate anything NG ever wrote? Isn’t it a moral failing that I’m not disgusted enough to boycott The Sandman? I ought to love my fellow humans so much that their suffering is personal to me, even if they’re not my daughter or myself. Right?

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Another example people like to bring up w/r/t the whole artist/art separation issue is Hitler’s paintings. We all know that Hitler painted pictures, and that he applied to art school and was rejected. If you’ve ever seen his pictures, you know that they’re really not bad. They’re technically very good. They’re kind of soulless, lacking a certain vitality or warmth or emotion or something, but as architectural drawings, they’re very nice!

Is it okay to look at, for example, Hitler’s painting of Neuschwanstein Castle, and enjoy it? It’s a pretty picture. I wouldn’t hang it on my wall or anything, but, what if someone else wanted to? What if someone else just really likes a nice technically-proficient but heartless painting of a building? Would it be a moral failing for that person, knowing who the artist was and what he did, to purchase a print of that painting, frame it, and hang it on the wall in their house? There was an episode about this in season one of Justified, actually!: there was a character who was an avid collector of Hitler paintings, and yes, the guy was a scumbag! But, in theory, could you enjoy Hitler’s artwork without being a scumbag yourself? I’m not sure; I kind of think not. His crimes were so horrific that I really can’t see how anyone with an iota of knowledge of history could possibly separate the artist from the art, in that case.

But shouldn’t I feel the same way about NG as I do about Hitler? – Is the former as bad as the latter? I think not. Hitler is like the go-to example when talking about moral problems, but perhaps it’s not fair to always compare people to him. Even if so, does that make it okay to enjoy The Sandman, just because raping several people isn’t as objectively bad as murdering zillions of them?

Should we permit ourselves to separate artist from art, even if we can? Shouldn’t we boycott content from bad people on principle, even if we’re tempted to enjoy it because it’s fun?

On this same note, let’s think about Chris Brown. Super talented artist! I’m pretty obsessed with some of his songs. I still listen to them, even knowing what he did to Rihanna. Is that a moral failing on my part? Shouldn’t I be so horrified by his actions that I just can’t stomach the sound of his voice? I imagine, if I were Rihanna’s mom, I’d feel that way; but shouldn’t I, as a mom of girls – as a Christian – as a human being!! – have that reaction anyway?! I probably should.

But, even if I’m not repulsed by the sound of his voice, shouldn’t I boycott his music on principle, because I know it’s the right thing to do?

This one, I’m not so sure about. Chris Brown, DFW, and Jeffree Star: these are all people who, as I personally see it, made mistakes in their past which they regretted. They have dark pasts, they were deeply troubled – which is not an excuse for hurting others, not at all, because you can be a troubled person without hurting others; but it does explain why they behaved the way they did, because people who are hurt do tend to hurt others. It’s not right, but it’s a common symptom. But, such people can grow and change and see where they messed up and work on themselves and be better. Which I know Jeffree and Chris both did. (DFW, I’m not sure about the details, but I know that he was in a committed monogamous relationship at the time of his death, which I’ve read was healthy and unproblematic; and from what I’ve read about him, he didn’t exactly feel great about the way he’d handled his earlier relationships.) People like this, repentant sinners, I find it easier to empathize with and forgive than someone like Hitler. So, I’m not sure if I agree that these people deserve to be canceled. NG doesn’t seem like a repentant sinner, though. To the best of my knowledge, he’s basically admitted to being an asshole, but not to committing any crimes. He probably does deserve to be canceled.

So why am I not participating in the canceling? Why am I still loving this show so much?

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What are my motivations here, anyway?

There are certain celebrities that I cannot stomach because of their nasty behavior. Mr. Maroon 5, for example, and Marilyn Manson. However, this may be more of a personal distaste issue than a moral issue.

Yes, it was gross that Mr. Maroon 5 cheated on his pregnant wife; but, I still like to listen to Gavin Rossdale, who also cheated on his wife, which makes me think maybe it’s not that I’m so repulsed by cheaters, but rather that Mr. Maroon 5 as a performer has this weaselish and squirmy persona, and sounds like a goose when he sings, while Gavin Rossdale has literally the best singing voice of any male out there, and seems like a cool person otherwise. Similarly, Marilyn Manson: he’s done some disgusting stuff, yes, but that only augments my pre-existing dislike of his music. It’s just not my cup of tea.

And meanwhile, I’m a big fan of Ronnie Radke, who obviously has done some bad shit in the past, for which everyone still wants to cancel him. I will defend him to the death though! He seems like a really good-hearted and intelligent person who keeps things real (yes, his roast reels are kind of unhinged, but come on, as a rock star it’s his job to be unhinged and entertaining; plus, people shouldn’t start shit online if they don’t want to get roasted, lol, Ronnie never comes for people without being provoked). I’d put him in the “repentant sinners” category mentioned above, because he did his time for the mistakes of his youth, and nowadays the worst he does is make fun of people who talk shit. Big deal.

However: this makes me wonder: am I biased here because Gavin Rossdale and Ronnie Radke are both very beautiful people, while Marilyn Manson and Adam Levine are not? I wonder if I’m letting aesthetics color my perception. I know it’s been proven that people tend to perceive attractive people as smarter, better, and more capable, and to perceive ugly people as dumber and worse all-around. I’m pretty sure I’m being fair here, but I have to wonder. It’s like how, if you kill an earthworm, it’s fine, no one cares, but if you kill a butterfly you’re a sick and nasty person and why would you do that. But is the worm really any worse than the butterfly?

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Anyway.

Long story short, I do not know if it’s a moral failing that I’m watching, and really enjoying, The Sandman season two.

Maybe some might argue that it’s actually a good thing, to be able to appreciate the good products of someone who’s otherwise bad. Isn’t that how God sees us, after all? God sees both the bad and the good in us, and loves us regardless of our behavior. And a good, virtuous action always glorifies God, even if the person who did it has also done a lot of bad actions. And producing a beautiful work of art is a good action. Good inspirations don’t come from our corrupt humanity; they come from God, and they teach us about God. So, maybe it’s not bad to be able to enjoy a work of good art created by a bad person.

There are things Good and True and Beautiful in The Sandman, as also in Infinite Jest and other stories by DFW. It would be sad and misguided to just chuck all of these stories in the trash because they came from sources that are corrupted – which we all are, to a certain extent, after all.

So if I had to attempt to make a conclusion here, which I’m not sure I can, I’d say that, well, maybe it’s a matter of balance?: if it’s a really good piece of art, and the artist who made it has any redeeming qualities or humanity left in them – then, perhaps, there’s nothing necessarily morally wrong with being able to enjoy their work (although it’s certainly understandable that some people would prefer not to). But in the case of someone like Hitler, where the artwork is just okay and the evil he committed is so incomprehensibly staggering and cold-blooded and large-scale, then you’d probably have to be a pretty messed-up person to really enjoy his art.

I don’t think you can really call someone a bad person for enjoying the works of Neil Gaiman or Chris Brown – as long as the fan in question isn’t making excuses for the bad behavior of those artists. We can recognize that they did something evil and that the art they made is good. Such is life. Sinful people can still do good things and create good things.
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Why do people celebrate summer?

June 7th, 2025

As I write this, it’s early June, and I just returned from a late morning, outdoor summer festival for kids at a local park, which I attended with my three children (five, three, and two). And the event left me wondering: why do people celebrate summer? And why do people think of this as a great time to get outside? When it comes to being comfortable in the outdoors, summer is the worst season by far.

Granted: I live in the southeastern US, where summers are infamously hot (it was 85F before noon today) and brutally humid (“it’s not the heat that gets you, it’s the humidity!”). Also, as I write this, I am 35 weeks pregnant, which definitely doesn’t help with the whole heat tolerance thing.

But in general: seriously: unless you live in a far northern area like Alaska or remote Canada or Scandinavia or Siberia, where the dead of summer probably peaks at about the temperature of an early spring morning here in the American South, I really don’t understand why summer got this reputation for being the time to get outdoors and have “fun in the sun.”

Does anyone actually like being hot? Does anyone actually like being sweaty? Being sweaty is one of my least favorite sensations. It’s gross. And sweat stinks. It makes you stink. It makes your clothes all wet, ruins your hair and makeup. And dressing modestly in summer is a challenge. I make it work with lightweight maxi skirts and high-necked tees, but there are certainly times when I’m tempted to just wear some short shorts and a tank top.

And does anyone actually like being in the bright sunlight? Squinting to see anything? Squinting gives you wrinkles on your face. And you have to use a bucket of sunscreen, which is greasy and smells and makes you look and smell like a dork. (Yes, btw, I am very white.) The sun ages you and gives you skin cancer. “Fun in the sun,” my rear end! I need a freaking parasol.

And also, bugs. Are there people out there who aren’t bothered by the bugs? Where I live, there are abundant wasps (what is their purpose? I truly believe that they, along with student loan agencies, are the very minions of Satan), mosquitoes (which carry diseases), ticks (which also carry diseases), fruit flies (which don’t carry diseases but are annoying as heck and cloud in your face when you’re sweaty, getting in your eyes and mouth), and all kinds of nasty crawling things that try to hitch a ride on your body and sneak into your home and crawl on your bed at night. It’s disgusting. If you have a pet (which I don’t, but I used to be a dog groomer), this is also the time of year they’re most likely to get fleas. Which, why do those even exist? It’s just truly a vile time of year. It feels like we’re living in a freaking rainforest, or the Australian bush.

If there’s any season that should be the “great outdoors,” “fun in the sun” time, it’s early spring, or perhaps late fall/early winter. Here in the South, the heat and bugs persist well into October nowadays, but November and December are usually pretty nice because the bugs have died by then. Early spring is nice, too, like late February/early March, before the bugs come back, and before the humidity, when temperatures tend to hover in the 60s F. I mean, these are the temperatures at which the human body is most comfortable. We are not reptiles; we do not thrive in 90-degree weather.

I get it: some people love to swim. Or surf, or whatever. For those kinds of activities, in an outdoor pool or in the ocean, temps in the 80s and 90s are probably ideal. I don’t swim, myself, and I don’t like the ocean – it’s too dangerous, too scary – but I know some people like it. That’s fair. But I don’t think summer should be so glorified just because it’s conducive to a hobby of one portion of the population.

And I guess the fact that school’s out is another reason why people love summer. That is nice. And yes, as a kid, of course I liked summer break. But it makes sense that we have a break in summer because that’s when it’s too freaking hot to leave the house at all. It’s too hot to get in the car. It’s too hot to walk around. It’s simply too hot for humans.

I guess some people like to garden, and summer is garden season. So that’s cool. I’m glad some people enjoy gardening, because I sure don’t! I wonder if these people actually enjoy being out in the heat and bugs, or if they simply put up with it because they enjoy growing plants, and this is the time when plants grow.

Maybe I should move to one of those far northern places I mentioned earlier. Move, or stop complaining, you’re probably thinking. And perhaps that’s fair! But, this is my stupid little blog, and I can complain here if I want to, lol. (And, anyway, I am a Southerner at heart; I will always love the South, and love to complain about it, and, despite everything, will probably always love it here more than anywhere else.) And besides: the point here is, I’m genuinely curious about why summer has come to be celebrated as the funnest of all seasons, why people think it’s the best time to be outdoors. “Yay, summer!” What? Why?? What are the pros? Here in my neck of the woods, this is the time to hide from nature, to stay the heck indoors.
Spring Baking Championship s. 11 Finale Part Two: Mith Reacts

May 21st, 2025

CAUTION: SPOILERS for season 11 of Spring Baking Championship.

That’s a wrap for this season! What did we think of the finale? I’m eager to hear your thoughts. Here are mine:

Well; one of my predictions ended up being right, but the other did not. It was hard to see Mary-Frances go, but Raveena’s bake-off cake did seem a bit more special. So that wasn’t so surprising. It would have been great to see Mary-Frances win. But, she certainly did seem to gain some needed self-confidence, during the show. Everyone always talks about how much they’ve “grown” during the competition, but Mary-Frances really became noticeably more lighthearted, cheerful, expressive, and bold as the season went on!

So onto the final Main Heat. I feel conflicted about how this one went.

The challenge was Marie Antoinette hairstyle cakes. Lisa’s and Raveena’s both looked very Marie Antoinette, with the towering cakes covered in piped whitish gray frosting decorated with bows and adornments. Priya’s did not look Marie Antoinette at all. It was cool, but no one is going to look at that and think of the Queen of France. It was all chocolate! I know Priya’s a chocolatier, and was playing to her strengths really well. I feel like she should have at least done white chocolate. Her topiary concept was cool, but it was very contemporary and dark. When I saw it, I really didn’t think the judges were going to be happy with her interpretation. But – they loved it? I guess the whole “Marie Antoinette” theme was just a suggestion?

To be fair, though, it did sound like Priya’s tasted the best. Hers was the only cake that elicited genuinely amazed, delighted reactions. Raveena’s earl gray tea dried her cake out a bit, and her ganache was a bit too thick. And Lisa’s was, apparently, a little tough in texture and a little “too safe” in flavor. The judges disagreed about her fresh raspberries.

I was actually kind of annoyed by their judgment of Lisa. They told her that her piping didn’t look like hair. Which was simply not true! It looked at least as hair-like as Raveena’s piping, which they complimented! And Priya’s didn’t look like hair at all – didn’t even try to – so, what the heck?

But, I’m also glad it ended up being Priya. The fact that she started off as a hairstylist, then made the decision to switch up her career after that wildfire evacuation upended her life? It definitely made for good TV. Kardea is always the most sensitive and warm as a judge, which I love about her; hearing the little speech she gave Priya about destiny and all, was really touching.

I guess I’m slightly bummed that my prediction ended up being wrong, lol. I would have loved to be right about Lisa. But, on the other hand, Lisa did mention in this episode that, when she was first dating her husband, they took a vacation to the Dominican Republic together (!!), which tells me that she probably does not have a pressing need for 25k in her life, hahaha, she’s got money, she’ll be fine.

Honestly, I thought Raveena’s was the prettiest, and the most interesting, flavor-wise, so I kind of felt like she should have won. But, when I saw the judge’s reactions, I knew it was going to be Priya. The enjoyability of the cake as food is, after all, the most important thing, isn’t it? And Priya is, I believe, the oldest contestant (although she doesn’t look it; married twenty years? I was like, what, did you get married at ten?!), and a mom of three, and her family seems positively lovely. So, I’m genuinely happy for her. She was very humble about her victory – commenting the whole episode long on how beautiful her competitors’ cakes were, and, at the end, turning the focus back to them as she mentioned that she was “among the best” – and she did really deserve it. Congratulations, Priya!

My high point: Raveena’s husband, during the “video clips from the family back home” section. The other two family videos were all emotional and tearful and sentimental, as they typically are, but Raveena’s husband was hilarious and so chill. They seem like such a cool couple.

My low point: Not within the episode, but, after the episode: I looked up when Summer Baking Championship starts this year, and apparently it has not been renewed for this year?! What the actual F?!! You’re telling me I have to wait until winter (because I do not watch the Halloween championship)???! UGH! No summer baking 2025! I’m honestly crushed. I hope they don’t discontinue it permanently.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Obviously Priya’s chocolate-orange blossom cake. Chocolate orange is an unbeatable flavor combo! It sounded phenomenal. Duff complained that there was “a bit too much filling,” hello, that’s the best part! I’ll take it.

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In Case Of Fire

May 20th, 2025

Daily writing prompt
What personal belongings do you hold most dear?
View all responses

Core memory time!: growing up, I was often told the tale of how, when my mother was pregnant with me, the family house caught fire in the night (an outdoor tiki lantern not properly extinguished, I think it was) and was completely destroyed. No one was hurt, but the house, and a lot of belongings inside of it, were lost forever.

I thought about that story a lot, as a kid; my anxiety really latched onto it. The way I saw it, already, by the time I was born, I’d nearly died in a fire. Mortal danger was imminent. A ruinous house fire, I presumed, could truly strike at any time, any one of these nights, and I needed to be prepared. And thus, I have always, my whole life, kept a mental list of which objects I would grab on my way out in the event of a house fire.

The items on the list have changed over the years (at one point, my copy of JTHM: The Director’s Cut was #1 on the list, lol), but two things on it have been the same for most of my life; and currently, these two items are really the only things I think I’d grab, realistically. If there were more time, I might try and save some of the sacred art and icons on the walls, the crucifixes, my children’s certificates of baptism, the handmade quilts my mother and MIL have gifted us, or some of my framed counted cross stitch projects, or maybe my laptop. But, probably, there wouldn’t be enough time, after ensuring that all of my kids were safe. Luckily, my top two must-save items are small and close at hand, kept in my bedroom at all times. And they are:

1) My teddy bear. Yep, as a mom in my mid-thirties, I still sleep with my childhood teddy bear. My mother gave him to me when I was two or three years old – just a basic cream-colored teddy bear with black eyes and a brown nose and a serious little mouth; nothing fancy – and the moment that I received him and gave him his name is one of my earliest memories. Since then, he has slept in my bed every night, almost without fail (there was one particular trip for which I forgot to pack him, which made sleeping in that motel bed even more uncomfortable, and to this day I superstitiously believe that my forgetting the bear probably should have been a red flag that I should not have taken that ill-fated trip in the first place). I cannot sleep comfortably without him under my arm – nothing else will do – and if, in the night, he escapes and rolls out of the bed, I inevitably wake up and need to find him. This bear has been just about everywhere with me, and has, as they say, seen some shit. At times, my husband will look at him, sitting there on our bed with all his wear and tear and floppy limbs and patchy fur, and be like: “we should probably consider retiring that bear soon, putting him somewhere safe, to preserve him,” to which I always respond absolutely not, over my dead body. In the event of a house fire, this bear is escaping with me, no question.

And:

2) The USB drive that contains all of my writing. I’ve been storing all of my major writing projects on a flash drive since I was old enough to know what a flash drive was and how to use one. Even the projects that I wish I could get rid of. Some of the earlier ones are… ugh, you don’t want to know. I shudder to even think. I never look at them, never, and never ever plan to; it’s too embarrassing, even though no one but myself has ever laid eyes on any of this junk.

Why can’t I get rid of them? The thought that, one day, after I die, my children or grandchildren will discover these files and look at them, makes me positively sick with dread. I cannot let that happen. I’ve seriously considered having the USB somehow implanted in my body so that it’s destroyed with me when I die, almost like Himself in Infinite Jest (although, that didn’t work out according to plan for him, did it).

Why can’t I get rid of these stupid old files from like 2003-2006, which I wrote when I had no idea what anything was, and didn’t even realize that I didn’t know? (One of them is a “novel” of literally about 300k words, the longest thing I’ve ever written – all of it, just pure vomit!) They’re so mortifying to even think about! But, I can’t bring myself to delete it!

Is anyone else like this, with their old creations??

What’s weird is, I was pretty okay with destroying my old drawings. I used to keep sketch pads, during my teens and early twenties, in which I drew billions of little pictures that were just as cringe as some of my writing (if not more so); at some point, though, I threw all of these out, and it was not even that painful or difficult. But the writing! I can’t delete it! – Is it because I poured so much of my little heart and soul into the writing, whereas the doodles were just little snapshots, representing tiny fragments of what was contained in the writing in its horrible fullness? There was a time when I really loved to draw, but writing has always absorbed me and fulfilled me in a way that drawing does not. Writing was, for me, like the consummation of what drawing suggested.

Looking back on my life, I can organize it into sections according to what I was writing at the time, because my writing life has always been just as vivid and real and important as my real life. I guess, to sound super cliché and drippy, throwing away these old artifacts would feel like throwing out pieces of myself. Which, perhaps I ought to be okay with. Those horrible stories are pieces of my self, of what makes me Mith. But, I shouldn’t love that! Why should I be so attached to my little individual self? “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, keepeth it unto life eternal.”

Maybe one day, when I am closer to holiness, I will be free, and finally be able to purge this USB drive of all its cursed contents. But, until then, it stays with me, and will definitely be escaping with me in the event of a house fire.
Spring Baking Championship s. 11 Finale Part One: Mith Reacts

May 14th, 2025

SPOILERS AHEAD for season 11 of Spring Baking Championship!

Was anyone else thrown for a loop? I was expecting the whole finale – but we only got the first half! I was not prepared for that cliffhanger after the sudden death bake-off.

Obviously, I knew there’d be some kind of sudden death elimination after the first challenge, since they were going into the finale with four contestants instead of three. But still, I thought it’d be one big episode. Guess we have to wait another week!

One thing I always love about these later episodes leading up to the finale: there are so few contestants that we really get to spend time with each one of them. As exciting as the early episodes are, they feel so rushed! Trying to cram twenty-four bakes into forty-three minutes is just way too fast! Now that there are only four, we really get to experience the baking along with each contestant. Really savor the flavors, if you will.

There were only six bakes this whole episode! And Fraisier cakes was such a good decision, for this last Preheat. Such a classic, nothing too wild and wonky, but at the same time, so intricate and fussy and technical. I wish Paul had been here for it, though. He would have nailed this!

And the contestants were asked to “make a statement” with their Fraisier cake. I thought Mary-Frances met that brief the best. She decided to make a strawberry-forward Fraisier cake, replacing the vanilla crème mousseline with a strawberry one, and then decorated it with green marzipan and buttercream in that very ornate, almost vintage style that she’s so good at. It was very her, and very much a “statement.”

Priya’s idea for a Persian love cake inspired Fraisier was on point, and those sugar-coated strawberries on top were gorgeous! But, apparently Duff couldn’t taste the cardamom or rose, although Kardea tasted them loud and clear. Was it just me, or was Duff being super harsh this episode?! I guess he feels like he needs to be, in the finale!

And the other two Fraisiers: Raveena’s unfortunately fell a bit flat and was overcooked (she had some struggles and had to re-bake her cakes, I felt so bad for her), and Lisa’s, while perfect and gorgeous as usual (well, Duff complained that the pastry cream was slightly overcooked), was not too much of a “statement” because it was basically a normal, classic Fraisier but with a cute dog on top. Loved that story, though! Lisa told us that she owned that dog from the time she was twenty up until she was thirty-six. Which made my jaw drop! Because I was like, wait, you’re telling me this girl is older than thirty-six?! She literally looks about twenty-two! (My husband, seeing the photo of the adorably gnarly-looking sixteen-year-old Yorkie, remarked that “the dog must be her Dorian Gray portrait,” lol.) Seriously, this whole time I’ve thought she was a lot younger than me. I kinda hope she gets famous so she can blow up on social media and drop her skincare routine. But, I digress.

In the end, we saw Mary-Frances and Raveena going into the sudden death bake-off (I guess Mary-Frances’s crème was slightly too thick; bummer). “The One Dessert That Will Magically Fix Everything” was a great challenge. This was so intense, because, first of all, they only had sixty minutes (!), and second, it was such an emotional and personal theme, and three, they each chose to bake such a different dessert! It’s apples and oranges! How are you supposed to compare a warm Indian spice cake with a cool yuzu pavlova?! And they both got excellent feedback with only a couple of minor complaints.

I had no idea whom the judges were going to choose. Mary-Frances’s meringue was slightly too soft, but Raveena’s pistachios should have been more finely chopped. Mary-France’s yuzu curd had a better texture, but Raveena’s orange-ginger curd had a better flavor. But they were both so good! From the feedback, it was impossible to tell whose was better. Going to bed last night after watching the show, I decided that they were probably going to send Raveena home, but this morning, having slept on it, I think it’s actually going to be the opposite. Raveena’s cake was, I think, more of a “baking championship” type dessert, and maybe a little more ambitious. Not that a pavlova isn’t ambitious — I’ve seen enough of these shows to know how hard it is to bake a meringue! But, the fresh fruit wasn’t glazed or anything… and Raveena’s was so extra, so heartfelt, with all the spices and those cardamom cheesecake dollops on top. I don’t know. This is just my guess. What do you guys think?!

My high point: The camaraderie! Even though I wish Corey and Paul were still here, it was actually kind of really cool to have an all-women finale. They all seem genuinely friendly with and supportive of each other. Like, during the bake-off, everyone was talking with each other and just being so positive and kind. My favorite moment was when Lisa and Priya were watching Mary-Frances prepping her fresh fruit: “She’s peeling a kiwi – with a spoon! She didn’t even break the skin. She’s a monster!”

My low point: Duff’s harsh judging! Not one single dessert made it past him without some little complaint! I was like, come on, lol. But, at the same time, I get it, and I’d definitely rather watch strict judging than judging that’s too lax and gentle. He’s still such a likeable judge.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Mary-Frances’s strawberry and marzipan Fraisier. I wouldn’t even mind that that crème was “too thick,” it sounded delicious.

My official prediction for the finale: 4) Mary-Frances; 3) Priya; 2) Raveena; 1) Lisa.

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Are homesteaders morally superior to the rest of us?

May 8th, 2025

ETA: this is part one of two. For the follow-up, in which I more or less find the answer to this question, please see part two.

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There’s a big movement these days, especially among Catholics, to get away from the city/suburbs, buy some land in the countryside, buy some animals, plant some seeds, and become self-sufficient. I get it. Self-sufficiency is cool. In the event of a societal collapse, you’ll be prepared. You’re safe from all the weird toxic ingredients and contamination incidents that affect grocery store products. Additionally, living off the land is a very spiritual thing. You’re living in accord with the rhythms of nature; the seasons, the weather, sunrise and sunset. You’re connected to your food source in a way that grocery shoppers are not. City life is comparatively removed from God’s creation; God designed us to live off the land, didn’t He? For homesteaders, life is probably, in a lot of ways, more “real.”

But does that make them better than the rest of us, who live in the city and buy all our food at the grocery store?

I think in some cases, maybe?

Let’s consider two individuals, we’ll call them Fran and Marge:

Fran is a devout Catholic and a faithful wife. She tithes on her whole income, never misses Mass on Sundays or holy days, says her rosary daily, goes to confession weekly, and reads the lives of the saints. Fran and her family live in a nice suburban housing development with HOA fees. They don’t have room for animals or a garden (except a few potted flowers and ornamental shrubs), plus Fran doesn’t like getting her hands dirty. She’s an elegant lady. So they do all their shopping at their local grocery store, or sometimes the farmer’s market if it’s convenient, which it’s not, because Fran has ten kids, whom she homeschools, and also volunteers for Meals on Wheels and the local free pregnancy center, and in her free time enjoys committee work and Well Read Mom book club meetings with her church friends. She also works out daily at the local YMCA, where she takes aerobics classes.

Next let’s look at Marge. Marge is a devout Catholic and a faithful wife. She tithes on her whole income, never misses Mass on Sundays or holy days, says her rosary daily, goes to confession weekly, and reads the lives of the saints. Marge and her family live on fifty acres, off a dirt road an hour outside of town. They have chickens, a dairy cow, a couple of goats, and a pig that they’re planning on slaughtering a few months from now to stock up their freezer. Marge makes her own yogurt and cheese from their own cow’s milk. They also have a huge garden, and Marge makes everything from scratch, canning and preserving all her own produce. It’s a full time job, between that and homeschooling her ten kids, but for Marge it’s very spiritually fulfilling. She doesn’t have time for volunteering outside the home, but for Marge, her home is her ministry.

Who is the “better” Catholic? If all other factors are the same, and they’re both very prayerful and striving to remain always in the state of grace, then is Marge better because she homesteads? But what about all of Fran’s hard work? I don’t know if we can say that Marge is doing better – can we? As a wife and mother, shouldn’t her home be her foremost ministry, before any committees or volunteer work?

Let’s consider a third individual though. We’ll call her Lois. Lois is a devout Catholic and a faithful wife. She tithes on her whole income, never misses Mass on Sundays or holy days, says her rosary daily, goes to confession weekly, and reads the lives of the saints. But in her free time, Lois is kind of a nerd. She enjoys watching TV and movies (but avoids anything racy or sinful), playing computer games (only clean ones), reading novels, writing stories, drawing, and knitting or crocheting. Committee work is not for her. She is an introvert and enjoys sitting quietly and looking out the window. She errs on the lazy side, but is doing her best; she’s a little chubby, but not obese or anything. Her suburban home has a decent-sized yard, but Lois has no interest in gardening or livestock. It’s just not how she cares to spend her time. For her, serving God means doing her very best at keeping her little house and homeschooling her ten kids, creating beautiful things, and just trying to be a good Christian witness to everyone whom she meets along her way as she goes about her little life. Including at the grocery store where she shops.

Is Marge a better Catholic than Lois? What about Fran, where does she fall in there? Is Marge the most Catholicest of all of them? How would we “rank” these three?

I guess we can’t really rank them. Only God can do that. But we can at least make an educated guess as to what kind of lifestyle we think is the holiest, can’t we?

But then, who are we to know how God speaks to Lois, or to Fran, or to Marge? God built each of these women and knows their interior life and workings and struggles in ways that no human ever can. Only He can really judge them.

But we still have moral compasses to steer us towards the best ways to live. What do we think? Should Lois and Fran abandon all their other works and hobbies, sell their homes, and buy some land and some livestock? Should Fran make herself miserable by getting her pretty fingernails dirty even though she hates it? Should Lois give up her crochet and computer games and instead raise chickens?

If I had to guess, I’d say there’s no moral obligation for them to do that. I think homesteading is one of those things, like exercise, or reading old books, that’s very good for you indeed, but not a crime not to do.

Or is it? I’m genuinely not sure.

I know one thing for sure: not all of us have the luxury of being able to move out to the country. Land and livestock are expensive. There’s a stereotype that farming is such a humble and simple way to live; but it takes a lot of money to be able to live that humbly and simply! Maybe back in the day, farmers were poor folks, but these days, it’s kind of the opposite: poor folks live in cities and surrounding areas, now, and rich folks are the ones privileged enough to live off their own land. And yeah, sure, I bet it does save money, living that way, long-term (canning your own goods, slaughtering your own meat, harvesting your own produce…), but, in order to save that money, you have to have a lot of money upfront to buy the animals, the supplies, and the property! Someone living paycheck to paycheck simply cannot do that.

But, a morally perfect person would make good financial decisions, wouldn’t they? A morally perfect person probably wouldn’t become poor enough to need to live paycheck-to-paycheck, because they would work hard, be careful to avoid unpayable debt, and their upstanding moral qualities would pay off in their lives, and surely anyone who’s not a complete screw-up, morally (because financial management is a moral matter) can afford a half acre or so, somewhere, can’t they? (I’m not talking about situations where people become poor through no fault of their own, such as medical debt from an illness or injury. Clearly such a person is not at fault for not being able to afford their own farm.)

But those of us who could have done better in the past, and are now dealing with the after-effects of our previous less-than-perfect financial decisions (as a millennial, I’m thinking specifically about student debt); is our inability to homestead a moral failing? Is our grocery shopping a symptom of our sinfulness? Should we be ashamed of it?

What about those of us who could, in theory, start a little garden or farm, but just don’t want to? What if, like Fran, we just hate getting sweaty and getting our hands dirty, and don’t particularly like farm animals? Or, like Lois, we’d rather do other hobbies? Should we just forget about our personal preferences/desires for comfort and pleasure, and get out there and do it anyway? – Is this what a very holy person, someone completely detached from all desires for comfort and pleasure, would do? I’m not such a person, so I honestly do not know.

I feel like Marge and Fran are “better” Catholics than Lois. But that’s just a feeling, and I’m not sure if it’s in any way correct. Personally, I have the most in common with Lois, except I’m not as content or confident as she is; I’m always wondering, fretfully, if I should be more of a Marge, or at least a Fran. Although I’ve tried being more Fran-like in the past, and I suck at it. My attempts to be more Marge-like never stick, either. I just can’t wait to get inside and take a damn shower. Should I just accept that I’m a Lois, or should I push back against my natural inclinations and try to be more like Marge, or even Fran?

So, I don’t really have a way to conclude this little post, because I honestly do not know. All I know for sure is, when I’m talking to folks from my parish who tell me they homestead and make their own everything, I feel like a shitty Catholic compared to them.

Is it okay to be different? Is it okay to live in the city, or to want to? At this point, I can’t help feeling like Marge is the “best” and most Catholicest Catholic, followed by Fran, and then Lois; but that might just be my emotional perception, influenced by my poor self-image. I feel like perhaps if Lois and Fran become more spiritually advanced, they will develop a true desire to homestead, because it will seem more in keeping with the way God designed humans to live, and they will begin to love God’s will above all other things – right?

Or, maybe that’s now how it happens. Maybe you can be a saint and live happily in the city and shop for groceries. I truly don’t know, at this point. I’d love to hear some other people’s opinions on this.