Watch Out for the Dachshound....

... he cheats!!!

Jackson and Shelby have been looking for a "Cat Friendly Pool Table" ever since they saw this!!

FYI... I think Ice Houses are a uniquely Texas thing! An Ice House is like an open, outdoor bar. The structures are typically garage-like in nature, with large doors that open to the outdoors when the establishment is open. Traditionally, Ice Houses would have had a horse trough full of ice and beer, but modern Ice Houses now usually have the familiar top-load bar refrigerators we all know and love. Most of the seating is outdoors at picnic tables and benches, and it's not uncommon for Ice Houses to have horseshoe pits or other outdoor games. Indoors, there's usually only room for the bar, a pool table or 2, and a jukebox.
Ice Houses are popular in Miss Ginger's historic neighborhood for a couple of reasons. First: her neighborhood is deemed "dry" by an ancient and outdated city charter from the time before the "Houston Heights" was annexed by the "City of Houston". So, Ice Houses have existed for years in the formerly rural areas at the edge of her neighborhood. Secondly, Ice Houses are cheap to run. They usually only serve beer, making permitting inexpensive, and requiring little investment in stock. Originally established as the place a working man would grab a drink on his way home from a hard day, the "decor" typically is sparse and rustic. Finally, believe it or not, in Miss Ginger's newly gentrified neighborhood, Ice Houses are actually sort of "kid friendly". It's not uncommon at all to see young families stop by an Ice House while they are out on a bike ride or family walk, as the kids can play outside, and dad can slip in and grab a cold one for he and mom without giving a thought to who has to drive home!

Are there Ice Houses any where else in the country? And do the dogs play by the rules there?

Home Improvement!

It's been kind of quiet out there in Bloglandia! Not too many new posts or comments to keep up with, so Miss Ginger decided to do a little remodeling during the lull!

Check out the top of the page, just under her FABULOUS header! She's added a menu bar with links to pages of static information that doesn't change often! This has allowed her to clean up the sidebar and move some information into other locations where there's room to grow!

So, whaddya think of the new look? What other pages would you like to see Miss G add?

Real Life Action Figure!

Miss Ginger thought this picture of one of her most handsome supporters was so FABULOUS she just had to share it with you all! This image brings the NOH8 Campaign to life for a lot of people who may not otherwise understand it, and Miss G congratulates Dallas on his courage, strength, and character!

Mr. Dallas is a real life firefighter here in the Houston area! Miss Ginger has been lucky to make his acquaintance through her fund raising efforts at the BRB, where this incredibly handsome cowboy can be found wetting his whistle most weekends!

Miss G just has to comment that NO ONE works a cowboy hat better than this blue eyed cutie!!

Miss Ginger is inspired to create her own NOH8 photo... watch for it here.. as soon as she has time!

This Was Facing Miss Ginger...

When she opened the garage this morning!! Hopefully she will have something much more orderly to show by day's end!

Be It Ever So Humble....

There's no place like home!


More later after Miss Ginger unpacks and unwinds a bit!







Meanwhile, enjoy:

She's Done It!!!

Damn that Miss Ginger, she has gone and done it! Boy G tried to talk her out of it, but NOOOO, is she really gonna listen to him?

She has announced her candidacy for Fund Raising Director of the Krewe! What the hell is she thinking? It's like the hardest job there is! Plus, everyone blames everything on the Fund Raising Director!

And it's all Momma W's fault! She got Ginger drunk at Christmas and made her promise! And Miss G can't go back on a promise to Momma!

Plus, she was realizing at work today... Bunnies on the Bayou is right around the corner! Then there's Derby Day, Miss Mint Julep, Miss Ginger's Roundup, Trash Disco, the Legacy Luncheon, Fais Do Do... oh, God, and what else is she missing?!

It's gonna be a hell of a year for Miss Ginger! Wish her luck!

Happy Birfday 2 Me!!!

Thanks to the momentous effort of Jackson and Shelby's nannies, Miss Sonna and Miss Dee, Miss Ginger was able to have a delightful birfday dinner on her brief layover with some great friends at one of her favorite restaurants, Cavatore, here in the Heights! Follow the link to their somewhat awkward website. It has a scroll bar in the center disguised as part of the (incredibly ugly) graphics. If you have patience, you might be able to find a photo of the ADORABLE proprietor, Frederico Cavatore! Unfortunately, he was not overseeing the house Sunday night, but we still had a FABULOUS time!


Cavatore is frozen in 80's restaurant schtick, complete with tableside caesar salads (YUMMY!) and live piano music! The restaurant is housed in a 100 year old barn that was completely dissasembled in Bastrop, Texas, trucked to Houston, and reassembled on the site where it stands today. The walls are covered with Italian kitsch from the 40's, 50's, and 60's, and every time we visit we find something delightful! This time, Miss MB discovered an Italian language movie poster for the film "Trapeze", starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, and Gina Lollobrigida. I could only find a pic of the American version, but on the Italian poster for "Trapezio", the men are both posed more square to the camera, and Burt Lancaster is showing a box that is not to be believed! Miss Ginger supposes there was something in his contract that insured he would be depicted a "more masculine" than Curtis. It's so ridiculous it looks "morphed", and we laughed hardest that a lesbian had discovered it!

Then,the piano player plays the song from "Gilligan's Island" and Miss Donna has the waiter bring out these adorable little GINGER bread man cupcakes!! I'm sorry the picture is blurry because they were SOOOOO cute! And then the piano player started playing every George song know to man: "Georgia on my Mind", "Georgie Girl", etc...

It was such a great birthday, and Miss Ginger is so appreciative of those that celebrated with her in person an across the interwebz! Love to all!!

Home, At Last.... Briefly!

Miss Ginger is back home with the kitties after a helluva week of travel! She spent a LONG week in San Antonio working for the man, and then flew directly from there to NOLA to party with Bubba J in her beloved New Orleans! She's home for a quick birthday celebration before she wings it back to NOLA and Baton Rouge for a few more days of work!

San Antonio was a bust... we worked our asses off and were too tired to do anything at night except eat and go to bed. The first night, Tuesday, we wanted to have dinner at Pappadeaux's and make our own little Mardi Gras party, but alas, we weren't the only displaced Cajuns with that idea! The wait for a table was 2 1/2 hours, and we were all grubby and exhausted, so we blew that off and ate at a dumpy little mexican place.

Wednesday night we decided we would eat in the bar at the hotel, since more than anything, we needed to get our drink on! The Olympics were on the TV, and Miss Ginger hates to admit how much fun we had watching the women's downhill skiing! If you saw the telecast, you know there was some deal with the snow that was making the course particularly treacherous, and after about the 6 skiers ended up skidding widly down the mountain on their asses, we had tears in out eyes from laughing so hard! "Yard Sale!" we would cheer as skis, poles, boots, etc. were flung all over the ice! We were that dangerous combination of drunk and tired that made such sophomoric humor seem hilarious!

Thursday was uneventful but busy, and finally Friday came and Miss G jetted off to NOLA to meet up with Bubba J for their birthday bash! After a couple of martinis at the hotel bar, we crossed the street to Palace Cafe and had a beautiful meal! Palace Cafe was created by Dickie Brennan almost 20 years ago, and Miss G remembers going there with Momma G and Daddy G when it first opened. The restaurant is housed in the old Werlein's Music Store, which was an insititution in New Orleans for many years. Werlein's was a music store of grand scale, because so many musicians make New Orleans their home, and it was, at the time, THE place to by instruments, sheet music, and parts for all things musical. Inside, there was (and still is) a cast iron spiral staircase which leads to the mezzanine, which is where the pianos were displayed. Werleins had an enourmous selection of pianos, and Baby G loved to see them whenever he went shopping in NOLA with Momma G. The food at Palace Cafe is delicious, and Miss Ginger completely enjoyed her Barbequed Shrimp appetizer, and the Pecan Crusted Mahi Mahi she had for dinner! Palace Cafe should definitely be on your "bucket list" of New Orlean's restaurants!

Saturday, we played at the casina for a while, where Bubba J won and Miss G lost. And that's not a typo... we dubbed it "the casina" a long time ago, in honor of the way our neighbors from the Mississippi Gulf Coast pronounce it!

After paying her voluntary taxes to the Louisiana State Government, Miss G headed back to the hotel for a long, much needed nap! Then, it was off to dinner at Emeril's NOLA, which was on Bubba J's "bucket list". The wait for a table was quite long, and as we pondered waiting or changing, the maitre' d said "I'll have two seats at the chefs table in about 45 minutes". Score!

While we waited, we decided to walk down to the bar at Tujagues for a cocktail. Tujagues bar is ancient- it survived prohibition, and still stands today very much unchanged. Bubba J had a super single malt scotch, and Miss G had a delicious martini while we bantered with the bartender.

Then back to NOLA, for one of the greatest meals Miss Ginger has ever had. Not only were we at the Chef's Table, which is really more like a bar that surrounds the oven end of the cooking line, but we were at the end, right next to where the head chef calls out the orders and handles the plates as they come off of the line. It was all very "Top Chef", and he was quite cordial and chatty when he wasn't busy dealing dishes!

Miss Ginger had a Andouille Crusted Gulf Drum, and Bubba J ordered a Ribeye, medium rare. Both were delicious, but as we were eating, the Chef turned to us and said.. "that steak's not medium rare- it's too well done. Let me do it again!" We hadn't even said anything to him, he just noticed on his own! Bubba J had already eaten part and was enjoying it, so he declined the chef's offer and finished his meal. Afterward, the chef sent over his 2 favorite desserts, which really wasn't necessary, but greatly appreciated! NOLA is another "must do" restaurant, and for a couple or a solo diner, it would be totally worth requesting the Chef's Table!

After dinner, we walked down to Pirate's Alley Cafe, an adorable spot Miss G discovered last fall when she went to the quarter with her Cousin JC. Pirate's Alley Cafe is also an Absinthe House, and absinthe has become quite rechechez in the quarter once again! Absinthe was once banned because it was thought that the wormwood herb was a drug that caused hallucincation. Modern absinthe does not contain wormwood, but it is still like 110 proof and will knock you on your ass! Miss G thinks it tastes terrible, but it's fun to watch the pomp and circumstance suyrrounding the drink. First, a sugar cube is suspended over the glass with a slotted spoon especially made for the purpose, and the liquor is poured over the the sugar cube. Then, the cube is lit afire to carmelize a bit. Finally, water is dripped from an absinthe fountain, disolving the sugar and diluting the alcohol to a drinkable condition. As the water mixes into the liquor, it begins to cloud. It's a drink best sipped very slowly, but of course, there were drunk tourists kicking them back like tequila shots! Miss Ginger is quite sure they all felt terrible this morning!

Miss G slept in the big cushy first class seat of the 757 in which she came home, and is now rested up and ready to celebrate again tonight, lesbian style! That's sure to mean more drinking and over-eating! When this birthday week is over, Miss G MUST get back on her diet!

Miss Ginger Almost DIED Today!

Miss Ginger returned to the hot yoga room today, and at one point she thinks she saw God... and not in a good way!

Miss G's friend and neighbor Dee has been working like crazy over the last few months to convert her old cottage here in the neighborhood to a hot yoga studio. Anyone who has ever dealt with remodeling knows what a kerfuffle it can be, but imagine if your remodel includes a custom made furnace designed to heat a specially insulated space to 110 degrees!

And the most difficult part of all: she had to install a handicap ramp in order for it to meet building codes! How stupid is that! I have not seen a lot of wheelchair-bound people participating in hot yoga!

Anyway, Dee invited a few of us over today to practice with her in the new room- kind of a test run, if you will. Now, mind you, Miss G hasn't been in a yoga room in over 2 years, but she wasn't about to refuse the chance to be in on the "innaugural run" of the new system! Of course, yoga is all about "do what you can", and Miss G was hammering away at those poses at first! Been then, along about tulandasana, she just kind lost it! She promised herself she wouldn't leave the room, but after that point she pretty much just sat on her mat and whimpered until it was time for final breathing! But everyone has to start (or restart) somewhere, and she's proud of herself for a least getting back on the horse!

You may wonder why one would put themselves through 90 minutes of torture- and Miss Ginger wonders the same thing, usually about 45 minutes into the class. But then, after she gets home and takes a nice, soapy shower, she enjoys a miraculous, clean-from-the-insides feeling that can't be accomplished just by bathing! Hot yoga is not for everyone, but everyone should try it at least once!

Now, I know when I say hot yoga, many of you are thinking this:
or this:

I only wish!!














Unfortunately, it ends up looking more like this:

Or, for Miss Ginger, this!

Anyho, I'll post more about the place and it's special mission when it's up and running!

Just Another Sunday....

And here's a message for those idiots at Hallmark:

First off, Miss G HATES Hallmark! Those stores give me the willies! They are always owned and staffed by some wretched "Christian" woman who hires her entire Vacation Bible School class to work for her. They are filled with stupid tchotchkes that are so infuriatingly "cute" and "sweet" that Miss G stumbles out in a sugar coma.

The whole concept is just so contrived.... think about it:

You're supposed to buy a card to tell somebody that you love them.

If your relationship is healthy, you should be doing that every day anyway!

You're supposed to give people a box of chocolates shaped like a heart.

Not an efficient shape for candy packaging! You can get way more candy into a rectangle!

You're supposed to go out for a romantic candlelight dinner.

Miss Ginger eats out almost every night- nothing magical there!

You're supposed to fuck like rabbits.

Are you kidding me?! After all that wine, sugar, and rich food, missy bitch is sure to be moody and have a major headache!

So, enjoy your VD if you must!! Just leave Miss Ginger out of it!

Getting Back to Normal?

There's a question mark because nothing is "normal" about Miss Ginger's life!

Regardez le "monstrosite" that has consumed Miss G's life, soul, and garage since October!

One side of the garage was completely out of commission, and the other side was in a constant glitter whirlwind mess!

But it was all worth it in the end, and Miss G is quite proud of the final result! She had an absolute BLAST on ball weekend, and she's so thrilled to have such great brothers and friends who attended the ball and made it all worthwhile!

Many have asked how Miss Ginger accomplished such a feat, so she's going to share her secrets now! The backpiece rolled on casters behind her, and was 14 feet tall.

The skeleton and back panels were made of Styrofoam boards. Just so you know, "styrofoam" is a trademark of Dow Chemical for it's brand of extruded styrene building sheathing. That cheap cooler you put your beer in is not "styrofoam", it's molded polystyrene. Just so you know!

On top of the skeleton is a layer of paper-faced polystyrene board. Miss Ginger's favorite brand is Fome-cor, but there are many!

One of Miss G's "trade secrets" is her method for securing the sheets of styrofoam into their 3-dimensional shapes. Hot glue will melt styrofoam, and white glue isn't strong enough, and doesn't dry well on non-porous surfaces. Plus, the angles need to be braced against lateral force. Many krewe members cut bracing pieces from styrofoam scraps and glue them in place, but Miss Ginger has found it much easier to "floam" each corner with Great Stuff to create a rigid, custom fitted brace for each corner.

Finally, the surfaces have to be decorated with paint,glitter, fabric, jewels, and God knows what else. None of that stuff sticks readily to styrofoam. So, enter #4 of Miss Ginger's "must have" products, 3M Super77 Multipurpose adhesive.

Honey, this shit is the Holy Grail of crafts and costuming! Sprayed on 1 surface, it creates a repositionable bond with a long work time, which dries with reliable adhesion. Sprayed on both surfaces, it creates a "death grip" that is impervious to moisture, water, steam, fog, and abrasion. And when used in an enclosed room, it sends Miss G to her "happy place"!

So, for this particular endeavor, Miss G used:

12 sheets of Styrofoam

6 sheets of Fome-cor

13 cans of Great Stuff

15 cans of Super 77 adhesive

and enough craft paper, bamboo skewers, and hot glue to build an aircraft carrier!

Our ball is a blast, and our gift to the community! Let's just ignore it's carbon footprint, okay!

A Few More Pics...

Here's a few more pics of the costume that Miss Ginger has scrounged off of facebook and the internet. You saw the front of the costume in my last post, and I've found a picture now of the back!

First, the inspiration: Casa Batllo, a stunning example of Gaudi architecture and a Barcelona landmark.

Some see it's beauty, and some think it's ugly, but Miss Ginger has to say that photos don't do it justice! She's wanted to do this costume ever since her trip to visit the Casa in Barcelona, and she finally got her chance!

Miss Ginger is pretty certain there is not another bolt of silver eyelash lame anywhere in the city of Houston!

Several facebook friends have posted pics of the entire ball. Check out these albums from Gordon and Ross, if you want to see more of what we do!

Oh, What a Day after Oh, What a Night!

The Saints won the Superbowl! I knew when they won the Championship that they would win the bowl. Miss Ginger is all football psychic like that!!!

The Brunch was AWESOME! Jim Benton Catering was amazing, and we all had a great time watching the ball video and holding court for the first time with our new royalty!

And here's your first glimpse at the monster that has absorbed my life for the last few months!

First.. the inspiration pic of the fountain in Parc Guell in Barcelona that inspired the creation:

And now, Miss Ginger's creative rendition:

There's lots more to it! The backside is Casa Batllo, another Gaudi gem in Barcelona! Now that I have my truck back, I can dig for my camera and get the pics uploaded! Stay Tuned!

Oh, What a Night!!!!

And the fog is still lifting!!!

The Krewe of Olympus Ball last night is now just a memory, but the hangovers may last well into next week!

There's so much to show and tell, but the weekend's not over yet! Miss G thought she would pop on a give a quick post while she waits for the caterers to show for the annual after ball brunch! This is where the Krewe members get together to watch the unedited video from the ball- quite exciting, because none of us get to see the ball because we are backstage doing various duties. Miss G is hostessing this year, so the party's at her house... at least until the superbowl starts!

Anyway, Miss G will post pictures when she finds her camera. Which she thinks is in Boy G's truck. Which they are pretty sure is still at the convention center. When the limo driver offered to drop Miss G off at home at 3am this morning, it seemed like a good idea. Now, maybe not so much!

I do have one pic from my camera phone that represents what the evening is all about- celebrating with King and Queen Olympus XL, King Dwane and Queen Randy!!! Here's a drunken shot from the limo ride between the convention center and the after party!! Looks like they are kinda enjoying their night!!

I LOVE this image of Captain Andy with his hands on the Queen's consort's knee- "Honey, this year you'll learn why they call it DRAG! Because YOU'LL be the one she asks to help her drag that shit all over town!"

More later, including pics of Boy G's costume: Barcelona!

Havin' a Ball!

Miss Ginger is in the midst of Ball XL- the Krewe's 40th anniversary ball, so posting will be non-existant for the next few day, much as it has been for the past week or so! She promises updates and pics once the dust, er... glitter settles!