Bobservations

Shortly before I went out to Oregon, Carlos wanted to speak to an acquaintance of ours in Miami, George. George had done work on our home there, but was also a psychic, too; tile-setter and psychic? Okur.

Anyway, Carlos wanted to talk to George about his father, and so he called. Near the end of their chat, George told Carlos to tell me that I needed surgery on my hernia and not to let it go.

Um, George? I don’t have a hernia. Of course, that didn’t stop the thought from entering my mind at every turn while I was away, but then … when I returned home …

Carlos has a hernia. His was diagnosed by his doctor, and we’re setting a time for his surgery.

I’m not saying George was right, but it looks like he was one off.

Ten years ago Philip Todd Wilson was a Kentucky school principal who fought to ban books that included “homosexual content”.

This week Wilson was arrested and charged on 30 counts related to possession and distribution of child pornography.

Why does it always seem that the most hate-filled homophobes are either closeted gay men or pedophiles or into kiddie porn?

A Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama is capturing national attention for a sign in front of the church; one side reads:

“A black vote for Trump is mental illness.”

The other side says:

“A white vote for Trump is pure racism.”

Pastor Michael Jordan put the sign up hoping it would encourage people to choose a name other than _____ on their ballots their next year.

Playing to his base—and we all know who that is—this week _____ released a new campaign video over Twitter.

It wasn’t terribly newsworthy until the new _____ Pence logo appeared, featuring a lion illustration that appears to have been taken from a Dutch Twitter account suspended for promoting White Supremacy.

You.Don’t.Say. The use of the same logo was first reported by former Snopes Managing Editor Brooke Binkowski, who revealed the similarity in a series of tweets, and then followed up with a link to an archived version of a now-deleted Tweet by VDARE, an anti-immigration group criticized for promoting White Supremacy.

The lion logo is the exact same.

It suggests two things … either someone in the _____campaign decided to use this hate group’s logo as their own because the president is a racist xenophobe, or someone in the _____ campaign is an idiot.

Well, now it looks like some states are pushing to criminalize the sharing of intimate photos to get revenge on former sex partners.

Down in Texas, because, of course, a new law bans so-called cyber flashing and cracks down on people who send unsolicited nude images on dating apps and elsewhere in cyberspace.

The law forbids what is often characterized as technology-enabled sexual harassment and makes electronic transmission of sexually explicit material a Class C misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500 if the person who received it hasn’t given consent.

So, no more dick pics … sorry Cheney, Sargent, Van Patten, Nixon.

St. Edward Catholic School in Nashville has pulled the Harry Potter book series from the school’s shelves because, according to Reverend Dan Reehil, he spells in the books are real.

Yes, that’s what he said. And isn’t it ironic that the Reverend pulls books off the shelves because he thinks the spells are real, but he works for a church that allows, abets, and supports pedophilia and child rape?

Uh huh.

This week, in response to the nationwide epidemic of mass shootings, Walmart announced a major change in gun policy and a ban on sales of some types of ammunition.

Walmart will discontinue all sales of short-barrel rifle ammunition that can be used with military style weapons, discontinue sales of handgun ammunition and stop all handgun sales in Alaska, following two “horrific” shootings at Walmart stores this summer. In addition, they are also asking customers at Walmart and Sam’s Club to no longer openly carry firearms in stores, in states where “open carry” is allowed, unless authorized law enforcement officers are present.

Good on them, and I hope they hold steady because the NRA is already, ahem, gunning for them

Andrew Biernat, hot model, hot actor, from Washington. He’s so dreamy, and can really pull off that old Hollywood glamor.

He can also pull off his clothes.

Just sayin’.

Odds'n'Ends

We watched Australia on the DVR Sunday afternoon, a could and wet Smallville day. I like Nicole Kidman, especially since she divorced her not-gay husband and married Keith Urban. Plus, it had the epic Hugh Jackman and his Huge Ackmans in it. The sight of him dripping wet in the shower was nirvana, and the tight shirts that showed off pecs and guns was fantastic....what was I talking about? oh, yeah, Australia. It took almost as long to watch as it would take to fly there, but it was good, and epic, and Huge.Ackman.

Today, Tuesday, it's what i like to call effing cold in Smallville. It was roughly 15 degrees this morning, roaring up to a high of 32, then tumbling back down to 14 degrees. Add to that the fact that i have a nasty sinus headache, and, well, Smallvillians best be on their best behavior. I am a cranky bitch in the cold, but give me a modicum of pain and I become a serial killer.

I read about the Harvard Library LGBT attack, where some threw urine, or perhaps urinated themselves, on the LGBT section. Now, however, school officials are saying it was an accident, you know, like how you just have to go, so you head to the library, and the gay section, whip it out and start spraying. Well, not exactly like that; they're saying that someone, a janitor type, was cleaning the shelves and knocked over a jar of urine, because, you know, urine belongs in a jar on a library shelf.

Carlos and i also saw Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, part One over the weekend. i like seeing Potter movies in the theater but we go a couple of weeks in to avoid the crowds. It was good, but let's face it, it was just a two-hour-and-forty-minute setup for the finale. I think most of the Potter movies can stand alone and you'd still get the story, but this one seemed to rely on the fact that you'd have seen the last one and would then, next summer apparently, see the last one.

Obama, after being by the Repugs in November, and his own arty since then, has vowed to take on the GOP. I'm wondering. Is this desire to "fight" the Republicans the same thing as his being a "fierce advocate" for the LGBT community, because we know how ell that turned out. I'd like to see him stand up to the Repugs, and those in his own party; quit being the nice guy. It hasn't worked.

The Golden Globe nominations were announced today. I love the globes, a big drunken Hollywood lovefest. Here are some of the nominees, with my personal favorites in bold:

Best Supporting Actress in a series, mini-series or TV movie

Hope Davis, The Special Relationship
Jane Lynch, Glee
Kelly McDonald, Boardwalk Empire
Julia Stiles, Dexter
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family--Though Stiles and Lynch are also favorites


Best Actress in a TV series, comedy
Toni Collette, Unites States of Tara
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Lea Michele, Glee


Best TV movie or mini-series
Carlos--I haven't seen any of these, but for some reason, this one sounds good.
The Pacific
Pillars of the Earth
Temple Grandin
You Don't Know Jack


Best original song – motion picture
Bound to You - Burlesque
Coming Home - Country Strong
I See the Light - Tangled
There's a Place for Us - Chronicles of Narnia: The Dawn Treader
You Haven't Seen the Last of Me - Burlesque


Best Actor, TV series comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carrell, The Office
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matthew Morrison, Glee
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory


Best Actress in a TV series, drama
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men
Piper Perabo Covert Affairs
Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy
Kyra Sedgwick, the Closer


Best Supporting Actor in a series, mini-series, or TV movie
Scott Caan - Hawaii 5-0
Chris Colfer, Glee
Chris Noth, The Good Wife
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
David Strathairn, Temple Grandin


Best TV Series, comedy
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
The Big C--I'd like a threeway tie with Glee and Modern Family, but, if not, The Big C is the clear winner.
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie


Best Actress in a mini-series or TV movie
Hayley Atwell, Pillars of the Earth
Claire Danes, Temple Grandin
Judi Dench, Return to Cranford
Romola Garai - Emma
Jennifer Love Hewitt, The Client LIst--this is what I LoveHewitt about the Globes. This fool in the same category as Dench and Danes. Laughable.


Best Actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Anette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Anne Hathaway - Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie - The Tourist
Julianne Moore - The Kids Are All Right
Emma Stone Easy A


Best Actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Johnny Depp - Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp - The Tourist
Paul Giamatt- Barney's Version
Jake Gyllenhaal - Love and Other Drugs
Kevin Spacey - Casino Jack


Best supporting Actor in a motion picture
Christian Bale - The Fighter
Michael Douglas - Wall Street, Money Never Sleeps
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Jeffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Best supporting Actress in a motion picture
Amy Adam, THe Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech
Mila Kunis - Black Swan
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Jackie Weaver - Animal Kingdom


Best Actor in a TV series, drama
Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
John Hamm Mad Men
Hugh Laurie - House


Best motion picture, musical or comedy
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
The Kids Are All Right
Red
The Tourist


Best TV series, drama
Broadwalk Empire
Dexter
The Good Wife
Mad Men
The Walking Dead


Best Actress in a motion picture, drama
Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine


Best Actor in a motion picture, drama
Jesse Eisenberg - Social Network
Colin Firth - The King's Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter


Best motion picture, drama
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network

Expecto Patronum!

That's Wizard-speak from the Harry Potter books for I await a protector.

Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter, has become a protector, of sorts, having recently made a sizable donation to the Trevor Project, a non-profit organization that operates a nationwide, around-the-clock suicide prevention helpline for LGBT youth.

Daniel Radcliffe: "I am very pleased to begin my support of The Trevor Project, which
saves lives every day through its critical work. It's extremely distressing to consider that in 2009 suicide is a top three killer of young people, and it's truly devastating to learn that LGBTQ youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. I deeply hope my support can raise the organization's visibility so even more despondent youth become aware of The Trevor Helpline's highly trained counselors and Trevor's many other resources. It's vitally important that young people understand they are not alone and, perhaps even more important, that their young lives have real value."

Expecto patronum indeed.

Summing Up Sunday

Well, another weekend has come and gone and Monday is here, hotter than hell already!

One day, while we were having the house painted, there was a knock at the front door. A pleasant looking woman stood there, clipboard in hand and asked for either me or Carlos by name.

I asked what she needed and she said she was here from the County tax assessment office to measure our pool. Our. Pool.

I was a bit taken aback, because, well, although we've only lived here two years I was nearly 100% certain that we didn't have a pool. And I told Pleasant Looking Woman just that.

Are you sure?

Well, I said, if we had a pool you would have found me in it by now.

I wish we had a pool today!

____________________

Yesterday we went to see the new Harry Potter movie. It was good; I always like Harry Potter, mostly because I spend the rest of the day walking around and saying Pott-ah for no reason. But it really felt like it was merely a set-up to the next two, the last two, movies to come. Good, not great.

Now, however, as we're sitting there, waiting for the film to start, they flash the Silence Your Cell Phones Now Please sign on the screen. I was thrilled to see the woman next to me open her purse, scoop out her phone and, well, not turn it off, but turn off the ringer. Silence. I get it now. I was ready to thank her because it always seems that a phone goes off in the movie theater these days.

But, during the movie, she must have opened her purse ten or fifteen times to see if she'd gotten a call. And every time that bag opened and she checked her phone, a light so bright poured out of her purse I thought that I was Carol Ann and it was Poltergeist.

Go into the light, Carol Ann. Go into the light.

I was a'scurred a'that light.

_________________________

Carlos made his delicioso Banana/Walnut pancakes for breakfast.

Carlos took me to the movies.

Carlos made dinner. [Although to be fair the chicken was a little undercooked and had to be grilled a bit longer.]

Carlos cleaned the kitchen.

Carlos cleaned the bathroom.

I played Queen For A Day.

Carlos is still paying for Chicken-Carlos-Car Accident.

I am still not at liberty to say more.

______________________

I watched the Next Food Network Star.

Debbie got booted. I hate Debbie.

She's a liar. She's a crier.

One challenge was a group challenge and she was in charge of the cash. At the grocery store they came in over-budget and she made everyone on her team put something back while she kept all her ingredients. Then she lied to the judges about it and cried that they would question her integrity.

She was on another group challenge and only worked on her food while the rest of the team worked together and worked the room. She cried then, too.

Last week she was told she had to use anchovies, olives and capers in her food. She forgot the capers and, when questioned, she, oh, I don't know, lied about having to use capers. She said they were in the dressing; she said she didn't have capers; she said she forgot them.

Lied. Integrity. Cried.

Buh-bye Debbie.

_________________

Design Star.

Nathan is just the cutest little thing. I want to carry him around in my pocket and then take him out whenever I need a smile. He is so adorkable. Carlos doesn't get adorkable, but if he gets me Nathan for Christmas it'll be. The. Best. Christmas. Ever.

And then there's Dan.

The Man.

I want Dan to come redo my kitchen all by himself and let me watch. And as he works and works and bends over and wears those jeans for weeks on end, I'll watch.

Then, when he's done, I'll say something like, You know, I think Asian Modern was the wrong way to go. Can we change to Tuscan-French Country.

And he'd work. and I'd watch. And he'd finish. And I'd say.

I'm not really feeling the Tuscan-French Country. How about New York Loft-slash-Bible Belt Chic?

And it goes on.