A Belated Thank You.....

to Mistress Maddie for honoring Miss Ginger with her Grande Dame of the week award! Miss G ia touched and honored not only for the recognition by the Mistress herself, but for all the kind comments left by her followers! I hope you all can make it to see one of Miss G's shows some day... and Cali-Boy... shw promises to stuff your string with more than just singles!

Love to all!

Ah Too Busy to Blog!!!

Miss Ginger has so much to tell her FABULOUS readers, but's she's just been too BUSY to get it all down on teh interwebz! There are hotel and restaurant reveiews, a whole ball to cover, the Saints win and that ensuant madness, and restructuring at work that have our gurl in a TIZZIE with a capital T! Not to mention BALL XL coming up in 2 of the shortest weeks Jesus ever died for!... er... for which Jesus ever died! Miss G PROMISES to replace this phone in with REAL posts, with links, pictures, and everything! As soon a shit settles down a bit... and Nog gets better... and the ball is over.... and the house is clean..... and the car is washed.... and the Saints have won... and hell is frozen........

Flying the Friendly Skies!

Once again, Boy G hits the friendly skies and head to the mother country, NOLA, for several days of partying and work!

As all hardcore GingerSnaps® know by now, it's Carnival Time, and the ball season is in full swing! This year, the Ginger's, along with the rest of the ball committe from the Krewe of Olympus, have been invited to be guests of the Krewe of Petronius in NOLA for their annual ball masque! Since Boy G needs to go for work anyway, he gets to go, and Miss G is staying home. He's really excited, because he has not attended Petronius before!

In other news, Miss Ginger is going to take Nog to the vet tomorrow, since he doesn't seem to be eating, and she can't manage to get any Benadryl down his little throat. They can make sure he's not dehydrated, and hopefully can give him something to stimulate his appetite and maybe something to reduce the snottiness! At least he's grooming now, so he must feel somewhat better. And even at his sickest, he's be still SUCH a little love bug! Lately, he's actually been sleeping in his carrier, which Miss G never thought in a million years he would do! I do think he knows she's trying to help him feel better! Poor little thing- Miss G knows how miserable she is with a sinus infection, so I can only imagine how he feels! Miss Sonna is going to look after him while Boy G is in NOLA, and she's great with animals, so I know he'll be in good hands!

Still lots to do to get ready for the Krewe of Olympus's 40th Ball, Olympus XL, Ports of Call. One of the reasons Boy G is going to NOLA Friday is that he has a TON of work to do to get the backstage agendas, schedules, and layouts prepared, and he knows he won't do it in Houston with that half finished costume staring him in the face!

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish!

Can you believe that someone has actually created a website called "Boycott Houston" that is calling for "Christians" across Texas to boycott the city of Houston because we elected a gay mayor and are allowing Planned Parenthood to build one of their largest clinics ever!?

It is the most ridiculous, pitiful thing I have ever seen!

First of all, here's the "about us" quip from their website:

"Do you want a Texas version of San Francisco? Neither do we!Do you want Texas to be the abortion capital of America? Neither do we!Houston has elected an openly homosexual mayor and built the largest abortion clinic in the United States and you can do something about it!
While you may or may not be a resident of Houston and eligible to vote for mayor, you can vote with your dollar.
This is why we are calling on Christians everywhere to boycott the city of Houston.
We want to impose “economic sanctions” on Houston, Texas!
Please make your voice heard and join our cause. By signing the online petition you send Houston a message; That you are tired of babies being
murdered and the radical homosexual agenda being shoved down the throat of normal society."

It's so ridiculous on so many levels! I think my favorite part is on their "missions" page, where they declare:

"While not everyone in Houston is responsible for voting for a homosexual mayor or for building a Planned Parenthood version of Auschwitz, a boycott is the best way, and in many cases the only way for those not living in Houston to have a positive effect for righteousness in that city. Those in Houston who dare to call themselves ”Christians” are largely at fault for allowing these two abominations to happen. If everyone who calls on the name of Christ had gone out and voted against the newly elected mayor, she would have been defeated in a landslide. "

Really?! Are you people really so deluded that you think you have the numbers to back this up?! Houston is a VERY international city! I'm pretty sure if you totalled up the muslims, hindus, buddhists, jews, agnostics, atheists, wiccans, and undeclareds, not to mention the number of Christian GLBTQ citizens who don't share your narrow view of Christianity, you would find that we can and did outnumber your self-righteous asses! Screw your narrow view of "normal" society!

Oh, and the whole thing is the brainchild of some asshat preacher from Amarillo! Double WTF? It's clear across the state from Houston- why do you even fucking care?

And as for your boycott- I've seen the way your "Christian Masses" fleece our coffers when you travel on your "pilgrammages"! You stay 4 to a room at Motel 6, take all your meals at Denny's, drink iced tea, stiff the waitress, and don't shop or visit museums or otherwise leave your money behind because you spend the whole weekend in "bible study"! I'm pretty sure our economy is not gonna crumble, thankyouverymuch!

So, Christian Wrong, here is one drag queen who is decidedly NOT going to support your boycott!

So far there are like 3 comments on your blog- I'm pretty sure this post will get more than that!

Hey, Sailor!

I'm sure they do, too!

Brave Little Man!

So, if you follow Boy G on facebook, you know he and Nog took a trip to the emergency vet clinic last night! We are lucky to have a 24 hour clinic here, and it's right by the Galleria, not too far from the house!

Nog showed up around 9pm, still snotty and wheezy and sounding like a sleestack!

Miss Ginger promised to God that if he came back she would take him to the vet right then and there, so after a little bit of a kerfuffle she got him into a carrier (only the 2nd time in his life!) and off they went!

The folks at the clinic couldn't be nicer! The lady at the desk, Tootsie, was SOOOO sweet, and when she heard Nog's breathing she had a tech come out right past all those pukey dogs to take a look! For us cat people, puke is a way of life, but apparently dog people get all freaked out at the first little pile of vomit. Titty babies! Anyway, the lady heard his snotty breathing, and we went right back for more inspection.

She listened to his heart and lungs, and thankfully they both sounded clear, reducing the likelihood of pneumonia. Then she took his little temperature, butthole style, and he didn't even scream or flinch! That process makes my inside kitties howl like banshees! Maybe Nog is a "friend of Toto!"

Anyway, temp normal, so we waited a bit for the Dr., who looked not unlike Santa Claus in the off-season! The kind and gentle Doctor gave Nog a good look over, and said that he thought he would be okay, but I was smart to bring him in when I did. "No," thought Boy Ginger, "I would have been smart to have brought him in YESTERDAY when I first realized he was really sick! But that's not for here!" So I just averted my eyes like humans do when they are ashamed of themselves!

So we got home at 2am, and Miss Ginger sat up with him for about 1/2 an hour to make sure he got settled in. Then we all went to sleep for a few hours! Jackson and Shelby were up at 7am, and Nog showed up for his breakfast shortly after, so things are looking good.

He decidedly did NOT want a dose of Benadryl® when Boy G got home from work with it, and stormed off in a huff when Miss G tried to give it to him! I think he'll be back for breakfast in the am, though! Positive thoughts!

By the way, it's not exactly a "consumer" product, but Miss G MUST do a quick CPR® on Convenia® injectible antibiotic by Pfizer®! Anyone who has ever given a cat a pill knows that it's virtually impossible, and liquid drops are not much easier! Convenia® is a 14-day single injection! As long as he doesn't get worse, Nog is good to go for 14 days, and after that, if he's shown improvement but is not better, we can go to our regular vet for another! Whomever invented that must have been a cat lover, and it definitely gets 5 lipsticks from Miss G!

Thanks again to everybody for your prayers and good wishes! Your sweet comments here and on facebook definitely talked this old girl down off of a couple of ledges!

A Post From Nog!

Hi evwybody! Thank you fow aww the pwayews and weww wishes! I fewt tewwibow and aww I wanted to do was hide undow the house. Daddy took me to a pwace cawwed a "vetewanawians" and they gave me medicines and even gave me a littow steam faciaw to help cleaw up my snotty nose! Daddy wiww teww you aww about it tomowwow... I think he is vewy, vewy, tiwed! I wuv you aww vewy much!

...nog

Please Pray for Nog!

Or his soul.... Miss Ginger is not sure which is appropriate right now.
You may recall that Nog had a battlescar that Miss Ginger has been nursing, and it seemed to be healing beautifully. Everyday when he had his breakfast and dinner, Miss G would check it and make sure it was staying clean. The fur was even starting to grow back over it, so all seemed well there!


And little Noggins also has the nickname "Snotnose Jones" because he always seems to have a runny nose! It's usually clear, he's hungry and playful and it doesn't seem to bother him, and it's alway comes and goes, so we've not worried too much about it!


Until Saturday. When Miss G went out to give Nog his breakfast, he had blobs of green snot hanging out of both nostrils. Ewe! He was playful and hungry, but Miss G knew that couldn't be good, so she figured she'd be taking him to the vet on Monday. Sunday, there was green snot all over his bed, (cats can't really blow their noses, yaknow!) and he looked like he didn't feel too good, but still, he ate. Miss Ginger made the very bad decision to wait until Monday instead of going to the emergency vet. Now she REALLY regrets that decision!


Come Monday morning, Nog is nowhere to be found. He didn't come for breakfast, and Miss G coudn't find him in any of his normal places. I'm sure the neighbors were totally over the crazy drag queen rattling a bowl of catfood and screaming "NOG!" all morning! No Nog, so Miss G went on in to work and worried about him all day! At the best case scenario he has a little kitty sinus infection, which is miserable enough when you can blow your nose and take sudafed! From the amount of snot on his bed, it is probably more likely that he has pneumonia. Why, oh why, didn't I take him on Sunday!?


Mid afternoon it occured to Miss Ginger that since it had become sunny (finally!), perhaps Nog would show up for a midday sunbath, so she called Miss Sonna and asked if she would run by the house and see if she could find him. She did, and she said she saw him in the brambles under the tree by the driveway, but he wouldn't come out and she couldn't get to him. Still, Miss G was happy to know he was alive, so she slammed the rest of her work into her briefcase and headed out the door. When she got home, she searched all through those brambles, but no sign of Nog. But then, she saw 2 little green eyes a little farther down the hedgerow, and then a little black nose and little black ears. And then, a sparkling white vest and tiny white boots! WTF? Nog is solid black- naked- no clothes, no shoes. Just black! So who is this little kitty? The G's have never seen it before!


So now, Miss G is more in a quandry than ever. Did Miss Sonna really see Nog, or was it just this little imposter? And either way, where is Nog now?! Miss G has his little crate all ready, and if she ever sees him again she's gonna pop him in it and take him to whatever vet is open!
She has cried her eyes out thinking he might be dying, cold and lonely, hiding in brambles somewhere too weak to make it home! And it would be all her fault for not taking him when she first noticed something was wrong! How can she be so cruel and irresponsible!?

Miss Ginger's Sound Off!

Miss G doesn't usually put a lot of commentary about music on the blog... especially modern music! She's more the Ella Fitzgerald/Sarah Vaughn type! But, she finds herself curiously fascinated by the sound and lyrics of this recent ditty from the UK: "We Are Golden" by MIKA. At first, she thought it must be a solo debut by one of the "Scissor Sisters", but turns out, heshe is on hisher own! Check it out and leave a comment with your opine! One caveat... it may be kinda irritating at first but it grows on you!

Works fo Me!

from Oddly Specific!

Well, Adjusted!

Boy G's appointment with the chiropractor went quite well for the first visit! Of course, he knew that Dr. Ken was adorable and charming, but she also found him to be compasionate, smart, and very intuitive- all great traits for a caregiver!

He is the first caregiver of any type who was willing to accept, nay, EMBRACE, the fact that the back pain is caused by the foot pain! He totally understood the dancing doll analogy! And then, he asked the question that cinched Boy G's respect for him: "Did you wear corrective shoes as a child?!"

Oh, God, yes, I wore corrective shoes, and oh God, how I hated them!!! "What kind did you have to wear?" Tap shoes! And I hated them!










In the 60's, all grammar schools had linoleum floors.

I sounded like the fuckin' Rockettes when I walked down the hall! "Why did you have to wear them?" Because my feet would roll inward and wear out the sole and heel of my shoes. "When did you stop wearing them?" In the 7th grade, when I told my mother I would not go to junior high in those damn shoes! I swear, I would have killed myself first! I finally won the battle! "And that's when you ruined your feet!"

They are like ground meat now.. he could see that when he had me take my shoes off. They offer no support to my back at all, and throw my knees and hips completely out of alignment, causing me to use muscles for walking and standing that weren't designed for walking and standing. It all makes perfect sense!

All of this has led to swelling, inflamation, arthritis, and scar tissue. None of this is a surprise, either! So, step one is to get rid of as much of that as possible, so we can see how much damage is done!

Today, I got to lay on a traction table, which was kind of like a wonderful upside-down massage. After abut 10 minutes of that, I got another 10 minutes or so of electrical stimulation, or, as Miss Ginger calls it, "back fireworks". Then, the kind Doctor came in and examined and manipulated my back, which was not unlike a massage, but more purposeful.

He gave me some advice for reworking my office spaces, explaining that normal computer keyboards are designed for tiny Asian people (not his exact words!) and because I am so broad-shouldered and muscled (swoon, Boy G's heart!) I need a split keyboard that comes in 2 sections so my hands can be the same distance apart as my shoulders. Again, makes perfect sense!

Boy G goes back Friday. Now, Miss G is trying to figure out how SHE can get to meet the FABULOUS Dr. Lester!

Boy Ginger's Back....

No, he's not been away. Miss G is referring to his spine. Our spine. (Damn, speaking of dual gender identity in the 3rd person is difficult!) Anyway, it hurts!

It has hurt for YEARS!! Boy G remember vividly the first time it gave him problems. It was August of 1988. He was at work, walking down the aisle, not a care in the world, and BAM! It was like someone shot him in the back! He doubled over and fell to the floor in pain! Once someone came over and helped him to his feet, he could not stand erect (no cracks, bitches!) and spent the next few weeks slumped over like an old man! The doctor gave him anti-inflamatories and muscle relaxers, but his life has not been the same since!

Since then, he's seen orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, podiatrists, chiropodists, massage therapists, and even an accupuncturist! Nothing helps!

It's not terrible all the time. To understand the way he describes it, think of one of those little toy dancing dolls you get at Disneyland. You know, the ones with elastic through the legs... it's tight when it's untouched, but when you push the little button at the bottom, the elastic relaxes and the little monkey dances and wiggles and everyone giggles. Well, in Boy G, someone took the elastic out that runs from his left foot to the base of his neck and replaced it with a stiff, rigid wire... a rod, almost! On the best of days, it's like a stiff wire that doesn't bend as easily as the rest of the body. On the worst days (or weeks, like the last few) things sieze up all around it, making everyday motions painful. Currently, it's siezed up around the right side of Boy G's neck, and there's another spot under his left shoulder blade. That point feels like someone shoved a screwdriver up under his shoulder blade and left it there! Misery!

Anti-inflamatories (NSAIDS) don't help. Muscle relaxers don't really help other than inducing sleep. Immobilization just makes things get stiffer. The closest we can get to relief is to alternate cold compresses (ice packs) and heat therapy (hot baths). It may not fix anything, but at least the bath part feels good! After the quack of an accupuncturist and the $7,000 bill from the best of the physical therapists (not on the insurance plan!) the Gingers pretty much decided they were doomed to a life of misery. She's grown tired of doctors telling her that her back hurts because she is fat! She is fat because her back hurts too much to exercize! She's grown tired of doctors who tell her that her back hurts because she is old! She ain't that old- and the doctors who are telling her this are older than she is, and they are running marathons and shit!

So, at the Krewe's Red Explosion party the other day, she ran into Dr. Kenneth Lester, a local, gay, adorable chiropractor. She's known him socially for a while, not well, just casually, but her neck was killing her and the alcohol wasn't helping, so she walked up to Dr. Ken and said: "If I come and see you professionally, do you think you can do something about my back and neck, or will you just tell me it's because I'm old and fat like everyone else does?!" Dr. Ken flashed me that adporable smile and said "I promise you it's not because you are old and fat! It's about having less pain today than you did yesterday. Come see me and we'll come up with a plan!"

Sooo, Boy G is going to visit Kirby Health and Wellness tomorrow. Even if it doesn't help, the eye candy will be worth the appointment!

Checking In!

Both Ginger's have been insanely busy, so we're kinda "phoning it in" today, but we wanted to say "hey!" and make sure everyone is surviving the cold! We have actually had over 24 consecutive hours of below freezing temps here in Texas, which happens like, never! And there's another 24 hours before we expect any relief! Miss Ginger hears ya- it's not that cold! But, give us a break! We don't own the right clothes for it. Our homes are not insulated and heated for it. And it's a damp cold that chills right through to your bones! Miss G can handle a cold night, when a film of ice forms on top of the birdbath- but right now, that fucker is frozen solid!

So, these cold temps have Miss Ginger turning up the heat on the forced-air furnaces, which, in turns, exacerbates Boy Ginger's tender little sinuses. So that brings Miss G to her next CPR®:

The problem: Dry, stuffy, irritated sinus passages.

The product: Any brand or style of "Neti Pot"

Neti Pots are all the rage right now, thanks to the preponderance of yoga studios and middle eastern holistic medicine gurus. The most basic and inexpensive kind is plastic and comes from a drugstore, and is packaged with packets of the saline sinus wash solution.

Boy Ginger has a plastic Neti Pot that he travels with, and a nice ceramic one from Whole Paycheck that he uses at home.

A Neti Pot is not difficult to use, but it does take some practice and getting used to! The pot is filled by mixing the saline packet with warm water. To use the pot, one leans over a lavatory or basin, places the spout into the nostril, and turns the neck so the nostrils are stacked vertically. Breathing normally through the mouth (okay..um, I don't normally breathe through my mouth!) allows the solution to flow into the top nostril and out the bottom nostril. Easy, right? Not so much! A reflex similar to the gag reflex (maybe it is the gag reflex) tends to make you divert the water out through the mouth instead of through the sinuses. But, if one relaxes, and takes time to figure out the personal physiology of it, they will be rewarded with clean, soothed sinuses, and potentially a sinkfull of saltwater and snot.

Wait! Finish reading my blog post before you all rush out to Walgreen's! Miss G KNOWS that last sentence made you all want one!

When the sinuses are relatively clear, but painful, the saline solution soothes the dry, cracked tissues and encourage the formation of protective, clear mucous to keep them moist. If one has a sinus or upper respiratory infective, the Neti Pot will not flow so easily on it's own, but Boy Ginger has discovered that by alternating the application of the solution with copious amounts of nose-blowing, he can clear an amazing amount of goop out of his head!

Just a couple of caveats. Obviously, a Neti Pot is like a toothbrush- everyone should have their own! It should be kept immaculately clean. And always use a saline solution, never clear water.

The verdict:

FIVE LIPSTICKS!!!!

Everyone should have, and learn to use, a Neti Pot! Some people use them every day, but Boy G only uses his when he is "feeling sinusey"! It really helps!

The MOTHERLODE!

If you have followed TFBOMGG for any time, you may know that there are 2 things that Miss Ginger truly adores: Sam's Club and vodka! So imagine her shrieks of joy when she read in the Houston Chronicle that Sambo's is going to offer it's own brand of premium vodka, Rue 33!

Miss G did a little online research, and it's true! Rue 33 will be a wheat vodka make in France and imported for exclusive sale in 241 Sam's Club locations by the end of January! While the French are not particulary known for their vodkas, Miss G has enjoyed the only well-known French vodka she can think of, Ciroc, on many occassions! She finds it to be exceptionally smooth and martini worthy!

Rue 33 will initially be offered only in 1.75ml bottles, but as it's popularity grows, Miss G is confident that Sam's Club will begin to stock it in their customary 5 gallon buckets and 55 gallon drums!

There's only one teeny little problem: due to some arcance redneck liquor laws, Sam's Club can't sell liquor in Texas! For whatever reason, grocery stores and chains like Sam's can sell all the wine and beer they want, even on Sunday after noon, but no one except state licensed liquor stores can sell distilled spirits! Quelle dommage! How on EARTH will Miss Ginger provide her readers with the in-depth Consumer Review that they expect and deserve if she can't buy the product in her state?!

Now to worry, dear readers! Miss G has you covered! Next door, in her home state of Louisiana, they sell liquor at Sam's Club... the grocery store... 7-11.... most bait and tackle shops... even Walgreens! So, the next time Boy G takes a little business trip to the motherland, he intend to bring back a bottle or 2 of Rue 33 for Miss G to put through her rigorous testing process!!! She make sure it works properly in martinis, bloodies, cosmos, and anything else she can think of! It doesn't get lipsticks 'till Miss G says it gets lipsticks!

Salut!

You Just THOUGHT the Holidays Were Over!

Oh, no, biotch: Miss Ginger's favorite ones are just beginning!

January 6th marks the 12th night of Christmas, celebrated as the Feast of the Epiphany, the start of the carnival season!

Some celebrate 12th night on the 5th, and there's actually lots of debate a confusion about the exact date of 12th night. Do you count Christmas? Do you count "days" or "nights". In the Krewe of Olympus we follow the medieval custom of starting each day at sunset ('cause you get to start drinking a whole day earlier!), so we always celebrate on January 6th, and party through until Mardi Gras.

12th night is usually celebrated with a King Cake, and the modern version has a little plastic baby hidden in one of the slices. The person who recieves the slice with the baby is thought to have good fortune for the rest of the year. They also have to throw the next king cake party!

BTW, the Christmas Wreath you hang on your front door is a representation of the wreath-shaped King Cake!

The length of the Carnival Season varies from year to year, depending upon the Sunday of Easter. The date for Easter is determined by a complicated algorithm involving "Ecclesiastical Full Moons" and all sorts of giberrish Miss G couldn't possible follow, so she just looks on a calendar! From Easter Sunday, one can count back 40 days to Ash Wednesday, and one more day to Mardi Gras!

It's kind of funny that the position of Mardi Gras on the calendar is always such a topic of conversation during carnival! You will hear people all over Louisiana commenting: "Mardi Gras is so EARLY this year!", or "Mardi Gras is so LATE- I hope it's not hot!"

This year Mardi Gras is on February 16th, which is a little early. Most often it falls at the end of February, around Boy G's birthday, and it can fall well into March some years. On the 16th, it's likely to be quite cold out, and the French Quarter's riverfront location makes it quite windy, so this could be a very chilly year.

Miss G hasn't made the trip to NOLA for Mardi Gras in several years, and she's thinking this year might just be the one to return to her roots, which, contrary to popular belief, ARE red! Anyone want to meet up in NOLA?

Nog's Bobo!

A very observant Auntie Flame noted Nog's bobo in a comment she made! Nog told Miss Ginger he snagged his shoulder on a nail while he was making rounds under the house, but she's pretty sure he lost a turf battle! It's a nasty open wound, so Miss G has been keeping an eye on it, and sure enough, yesterday he showed up with nasty yellow pus oozing from it!

Now, Nog is a gentle sort, and LOVES his Momma Ginger, but he's an outdoorsy sort of fellow and just a step away from feral, so the thought of a trip to the vet is not happy for he or his Momma!

Ginger decided to attempt home treatment, figuring at this point there wouldn't be much the vet could do for the wound that she couldn't do at home. So, she got some peroxide and antiseptic, and some antibiotic ointment and cotton balls, and set up a little "clinic" for him right there on his back porch!

She thought cleaning the wound and getting the antibiotic on would be a right kerfuffle, but as it turns out, he was very trusting and patient as Nurse Ginger dabbed away the nastiness with peroxide, cleaned it up with antiseptic, and patted on the the antibiotic. He was such a brave little boy and he didn't cry or struggle at all!

He seems to be doing much better today, so Miss G will keep an eye on it and keep treating it. Hopefully it will heal nicely and his shiny black fur can grow back over!

"Hard Freeze" Forecasted for South Texas!

In South Texas, when the temp drops below 32 degrees for more than 12 hours, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declares a "hard freeze" and warns us to hunker down and prepare for the wrath of God!

According to the Houston Chronicle, we are advised that "those with agricultural interests in the warned area are advised to protect tender vegetation. Pets should be kept inside. Outside pipes or sprinklers should be adequately insulated." Well, as Miss Ginger has said many times before, if the son of a bitch freezes, she didn't want it in her garden anyway!!!

But, she does worry about her darling outside boy, Nog!

Nog's outdoor heating source has served him well for the past few years, but it has distinct limitations. First, it can't go on the deck. Secondly, it has to be constantly "stoked" or it will burn out rather rapidly. And, finally, the smoke makes Miss Ginger's frocks stink to high heaven!

So, this leads us to the 2nd of Miss Ginger's promised Consumer Product Reviews, hereforeto dubbed Miss G's CPR's!®

THE PROBLEM:

Cold Kitties

THE PRODUCT:
Mr. Heater Tough Buddy Portable Propane Heater

Miss Ginger has had her eye on the "Mr. Heater" product since she first saw it at Lowes last year. But, at over $200, she couldn't really justify it's cost, especially considering last years particularly mild winter. But this year, after it was marked down to 139.99, and then to 104.99. she decided the time is right.

It's really a pretty remarkable product. According to the manual, it is appropriate for heating enclosed shelters, such as barns, outbuildings, and garages, and for temporary emergency heating of residential structures. Perfect for South Texas, because if a "hard freeze" turns into an "ice storm" we could be without power for weeks!

The Mr. Buddy uses (2 ) 1-pound propane tanks, available at any home improvement center, and even Sam's Club! The unit is self lighting, and has 3 heat settings. On the lowest heat setting, the manual claims 220 hours of warmth. Miss G hasn't had the product for 220 hours, but she can tell you that on "high" the yield was probably more like 8 hours. It has an oxygen sensor and self-monitored pilot, along with a gravity sensor, so the unit shuts itself off if the pilot goes out, the oxygen level drops in the vicinity, or the unit is tipped or moved.

At first Nog didn't feel particularly safe around his new heater,

but once he became confortable with it's features and benefits, he told Miss Ginger he gives it "4 kibbles"!

That equates in GingerSpeak to 4 lipsticks! This product is worth it's price for the flexibility and safety it offers, while keeping her little boy warm and toasty!

De they have "hard freezes" where you live?

Caption This:

So Far, So Good!

So far the new year has treated the G's pretty well! Miss G, as per usual, stayed home with the kittehs on New Year's Eve to give Boy G a chance to go out with the rest of the amateur drunks! It worked out perfectly, since he had been invited to ring in the new decade with FABULOUS friends Tom and John. Tom spent most of the eve prepping and cooking the requisite foods for luck and money, while John spent most of the night filling glasses for himself and others, as evidenced but the photo below! Certainly no one went thirsty at this party!
Boy G apparently spent most of the evenining copping photo ops with Houston's least eligible non-bachelor, the uber-handsome and extremely friendly BR!!!
Photo op #1:

Photo op #2:

Photo op #3:

And this was just on Boy G's camera! I know there were many, many more!!! Can ya blame him!

Of course, uber-cutie is waaaaay off limits, because he is betrothed to the equally FABULOUS and ultra-fun Miss Meg, mother of the other super cutie, Baby Jack (not pictured; past his bedtime!) They are the most adorable family in the gayborhood! (wrong Jack in this picture!)

Boy G copped quite a few photo ops with Mrs. R as well, along with resident baybays Gretchen (t) and Toby (b). (These are photo references, not sexual labels.) We didn't get into all that. Although, according to Boy G, Miss Gretchen has breath that comes in somewhere between "sewer gas" and "Fat Bastard farts"! That doggie needs Orbit®! Just sayin'!

Boy G actually made it until midnight, because he heard that Dick Clark was going to count down the last 10 seconds, and Boy G thought he might have meant not "of the 00's" but "of his life", so it seemed historic. But, as Carson Daly droned and bored and pimped and preened into the new year, Boy G finally realized something: "we're on the wrong fuckin' channell!"

Oh, well!! By that point it was time to wander home and get some rest so Boy G could spend the day with 2 of his favorite people on Earth: "the Lesbians!"

Happy New Year, one and all!