Random Musings

We are in the home stretch to our Sometimes Annual, Sometimes Not, Cinco de Never Celebration at Casa Bob y Carlos.

Limes for the Rice and the Pinto Bean Corn Salad? Check.

Limes for the Chipotle Lime Peanuts? The Bo’s House Special Salsa and Guacamole? Check.

Limes for Margaritas? Double check.

Lemons and Oranges for the Shrimp Ceviche? Check.

Wine? Need a few more bottles …

Beer and Liquor? Check.

Now, it’s just a matter of building ceviche and salsa and guacamole and cooking rice, and heating tamales and sopes and  … and … I best get busy …

Last week I posted about the GOP congressmembers who bullied some of their colleagues into voting down an LGBT-protection clause, and how the Democrats went off on the Republicans for being blatantly anti-LGBT haters.

Well, the congressman who introduced the legislation, openly gay Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, is not giving up on his anti-discrimination measure to protect LGBT workers.

Tuesday Maloney vowed that he would try and attach his proposal to the energy and water spending bill scheduled to be debated in the House this week and scheduled for a final vote on Thursday.

“There is a majority [in] the House of Representatives right now to oppose discrimination in the workplace [and] … the only way discrimination is going to win is if Kevin McCarthy keeps rigging the votes.” — Congressman Maloney

Let’s hope McCarthy’s fellow Republicans won’t bend to his bullying this time.

I was over the Chewbacca Mom about ten seconds into the video and the fact that now she’s freaking everywhere makes me wanna boycott anything and everything Star Wars.

If you are one of the few who has yet to see it, move on.

A new version of Roots is set to premiere on the History channel next Monday. I am interested, though I often wonder why not just show the original. Sure it’s about forty years old but the story is the same.

That said … Hot Men Alert!

The new Roots stars — clockwise from upper left — Malachi Kirby, Matthew Goode, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Regé-Jean Page.

Ooh yes; a good story and some eye candy.

It might be just me, but aren't the Avengers and X-Men really just the same movie? And even if they aren’t I have no desire to see either one.

Poor Mark Cuban is conflicted …

A day after offering himself up to be Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Cuban, who calls himself an independent, said he is also open to being [t]Rump’s Veep.

How does that happen?

Why I am in love with Helen Mirren, Reason #13,849:

When 10-year-old Oliver Burton declared that his dying wish was to have afternoon tea with the Queen of England, he never received an invitation to Buckingham Palace.

Luckily, Dame Helen Mirren, who is playing the Queen in The Audience in London’s West End, stepped up to meet Oliver, who has Down’s syndrome and is also battling terminal spine and bone marrow cancer.

Mirren invited Oliver and his family to the Gielgud Theatre to see the show, and then after she met the young man while still in her Queen drag. She sat and had tea and cakes with the boy — “royal” footman served the tea — and then Oliver met Mirren’s corgis. Finally, Helen Mirren knighted Oliver, giving him the title of Sir.

“She stayed in character for the whole thing. Oliver thought she was the real Queen, and well, that’s good enough for us.” — James Browne, Oliver’s father

I didn’t need another reason to love Mirren but I’ll take this one.

The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus was at the center of a disturbing incident at Petco Park last week when, as they were preparing to sing the national anthem, their singing was replaced by a recording of a woman — reportedly the anthem singer from the night before. No one stopped the recording and when the chorus was led off the field afterward they were taunted with homophobic slurs … “you sing like a girl” … from fans.

Afterward, the chorus wanted answers, specifically about whether it was discriminatory or a hate crime. The Padres' investigation concluded it was a mistake, that DJ ArtForm hit the wrong button and played an old recording, but he was fired anyway:

“Based both on the unintentional mistake that was made, as well as the failure to immediately intervene and correct the situation by those who had oversight, we have terminated our relationship with the third-party contractor who was responsible for the error, and taken disciplinary action against our employee who was responsible for the game production on Saturday.

We once again sincerely apologize to members of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, their families and those who came out to support their pride night performance. The Padres organization is proud of our longstanding commitment to inclusion – within both our sport and our community.

We deeply regret that a mistake on our part has called this into question, but accept full responsibility.” 

But now, the San Diego Gay Men's Chorus has announced that it wants the Padres to rehire the DJ — DJ ArtForm — who had been fired for his role in the anthem mess:

"We applaud the San Diego Padres organization … for its ongoing efforts to make something good come out of unfortunate recent events. We have met with Mr. Dee and he has agreed to meet with and work closely with the LGBT community to bring our communities together with constructive, positive change.

"We also would like to publicly accept the sincere apology of DJ ARTFORM and recognize his support for the LGBT community and equality for all people. We do not wish to see him lose his job with the San Diego Padres and kindly ask the Padres to reinstate him. Everyone deserves a second chance."

And DJ ArtForm has also spoken out, and taken ownership for the mistake, and apologized, adding it was just a mistake and nothing discriminatory against gays:

“I believe we all deserve a second chance."

Here’s hoping the mistake doesn’t ruin jobs and relationships for all involved.