Happy Caturday!!

Perhaps I'd better cut back on the caffeine!!

Dimwits

The dimwits at NOM never cease to amaze Miss Ginger;  she often wonders how people who are so short-sighted manage to wipe their own asses, much less create a multi-million dollar campaign to fight against something that is inevitable!


Their latest gaffe comes in the form of a "confidential" document circulated among NOM's "leadership" that became public through the State of Maine's investigation into the financial tactics of the group.


For all of their accusations of a "homosexual agenda", it seems that NOM has an agenda of their own.




1. "Drive a wedge between gays and blacks" in order to divide the Democratic party.
2. "Find, energize, and connect African American spokespeople for marriage."
3. "Develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage.
4. "Provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots."


In addition, NOM says they are hoping to "recruit glamorous" but "non cognitive" celebrities in their attempt to thwart gay marriage.


Seems like a pretty specific agenda to this busy Queen!  And a pretty stupid one, too!


Their first naive agenda item mistakes the whole thing as political, as they attempt to divide the Democratic party. If the issue were political, they may (and that's a big may) be able to change the minds of some blacks or gays by exaggerating specific issues. We all know, however, that is a fundamental rights issue, and it would be much harder, probably impossible, to change the hearts of people who have felt the pain and sting of discrimination their entire lives.  That's a bond that NOM can't understand, so there's no way they could ever find a way to dissolve it.


As far as finding African American spokespeople to take up the cause against gay marriage, this is probably the only respectable tactic on their hate-filled agenda.  I don't care what race, creed, or gender their spokespeople are, but if they think having black spokespeople will further their cause, more power to them.


For the third, any tactic that begins with the word "provoke" just smacks of sadness to Miss Ginger.  Really, NOM?  Your plan is to invite well-respected African American scholars to spew your spiel, then turn the media on them so they are called names by their own people?  Niiiiiice!




And the final idea, to recruit "non cognitive celebrities" seemed so senseless to Miss G that she had to check her understanding of the language to make sure she was following the words correctly:


cognition |ˌkägˈniSHən|nounthe mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understandingthrough thought, experience, and the senses.• a result of this; a perception, sensation, notion, or intuition.

So, if my tiny little drag queen brain is interpreting this correctly, NOM wants to recruit celebrities who are too stupid and uninformed to understand what they are arguing for?

Oh, wait, they already have plenty of those!

Sunday Sermon

Caturday Hunger Games

Happy Caturday from Shelby and Nog!

Sorta Speaks for Itself....

Do You Remember?.....

......Melissa Sue Anderson from "Little House on the Prairie?"


All that fresh prairie air must have been kind to her because she looks great today!

That prairie air was great for more than just the kids!  Even though Pa Ingalls didn't fare so well,  look how great Karen Gassle, who played the mother, looks!

How about Nancy McKeon, who played Joe Polnicek on "The Facts of Life?"




She's looking better than ever as well!

Some did not fare quite so well. Remember Irene Cara from "Fame?"

She grew up to be Maya Rudolph's mother, I think.

The Captain and Tenille where America's Sweethearts back in the Love Boat days, and even Momma G knew the words to some of their songs!  Poor Tenille looks like she grew up to be the wife of an orthodontist rather than a former pop star! And "The Captain?"  He looks like he's been selling hot tubs and garden sheds out on Highway 6!

The men did not fare well, at all.  Check out former B-52 cutie Fred Schneider, who apparently developed that nervous disorder where you pluck your eyelashes out....

Perhaps the most unfortunate is Donna Douglas, who played Ellie Mae on what, IMHO, was  the funniest television show of all time!  If you've ever wondered "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", here she is!

And what about the most FABULOUS movie star ever?!  A beauty and talent beyond compare?!

Naaah, that's just Tina Louise, a bedraggled old TV star who played a movie star on TV!

 Here she is!  Looking timeless, radiant, and youthful as ever!  Check out all the other "ageless wonders" on TMZ!!!

Meanwhile, check out one of Miss G's favorite new numbers:

First of All.....

....in addition to all of the other reasons I hate the vile bastard, Queen Ginger now realizes he has disgusting yellow teeth. Ugh, you know how she can't abide poor dental hygiene! 


And honestly, she couldn't possibly care less who Newt the Fruit Gingrich picks as a running mate, because he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning the election anyway!


But Queen Ginger encourages him to pick Perry, because A: it will get him the hell out of Texas for a while, and B:  he can loose the election for Gingrich as fast as Palin lost it for McCain!

Happy Caturday!

Happy Caturday!  Anyone going out tonight?!  Don't go out half-dry!


(Thanks, Mr. A, for turning me on to these! Follow the YouTube link for more cat translations!)

Oh, Good Grief!

I  Not sure which has me laughing harder... the stupid overdub, or the fact that someone actually invented this product in the first place!

Presidential Visit

POTUS BHO is visiting Houston tonight to grub for money greet his constituents at 2 grand events in the Bayou City, one at Minute Maid Park and the other at the River Oaks Swankienda of the only Democrat on Kirby Drive.  Miss Ginger, unfortunately, chose not to cough up the $38,000 tariff, fearing it could ultimately cut in to her Cristal fund, but she is supporting the Prez in spirit.  Not so the rest of River Oaks, who have been bitching up a storm about traffic snarls, and accusing him of using AF1 as his "personal limousine".  Okay, assholes, here's Miss Ginger's take on that:  first of all, it IS his personal limousine!!  It is specially designed to be the only safe method of air transport for the POTUS, and it's not like anyone else would want to risk being a passenger on the same plane if he chose to fly coach!  Plus,  rewind a bit, you idiots:  the citizens of the US footed the bill for 16 YEARS of your precious Bush and Shrub jetting back and forth to their little place in Kinnebunkport and their little camp in the hill country!  So shove that in your bong and try to keep it lit!


Queen Ginger is not sure why President Obama feels like he needs to raise money in Texas for this election anyway.  The republicans in Texas have already donated MORE than enough money to ensure he wins the election!!

  

And, as you can see, we have welcomed BHO to Houston with some of that only-in-Texas, rain-so-hard-you-can't-see-your=hood-ornament weather, so perhaps that has something to do with the traffic snarls?


We are in for 5 more days of this mess, and the Queen has a tummy bug anyway,  so there's going to be lots of snuggling and tummy rubs for Princess Shelby this weekend as the 2 royals "fly the sack" for the better part of the duration!


What's up in your neck of the woods? Any new Olive Gardens opening any time soon?

Sooner or Later....

... it had to happen.

After a first term of relative calm as the first lesbian mayor of America's third largest city, Mayor Annise has become the target of ridiculous accusations from an offbeat radical of the religious right during her second term of office.

Recently, Parker has come under attack by the pastor of a supposed "megachurch" here in Houston, but, quelle surprise, even after googling it, Queen Ginger has never fucking heard of it!  Apparently, it is somewhere on the edge of town, with satellite locations at the other end of town and in, of all places, San Diego, CA!  Here in the land of megachurches, you've got to be pretty damn big to outshine Pastor Joel and the clan!


Actually, this time it's some asshat named Riggle- isn't that perfect- and he's up in arms because Parker has joined with 160 mayors of America's most progressive cities to call for legalization of gay marriage. 








Riggle, ignorant of the way the law works, holds forth that Mayor Parker is "not upholding the constitution" by calling for gay marriage, and that she should step down if she can't uphold the constitution as it is written. What a moron!


I guess in the 9th grade he was so busy with his nose stuck in a bible that he missed the part of civics class where we learn that the constitution can be amended, and that open discussion and dialogue sets the groundwork for those amendments to be written.  If Parker were performing gay ceremonies or signing same-sex marriage contracts, then perhaps she could be accused of not upholding the law, but she is not doing those things.  She is using her right to free speech, and using the machinery built into the constitution to keep it up-to-date and relevant.


Queen Ginger finds it funny that Riggle and his little 3,000 member congregation keep themselves up at night worrying about this shit!  Parker is serving her second term in a city of over 2 million people, a majority of which voted for her- twice- fully knowing that she is  lesbian, and fully knowing that Kathy, her wife, would serve as the city's "First Lady".  


How much time and tithe will the religious right piss away before they realize that are fighting a battle they can't win?!  Perhaps we should fight fire with fire and do it the Fred Phelps way... let's throw a party outside of every Catholic Funeral Mass and celebrate the fact that we are now one step closer to voting in gay marriage!


On second thought.... let's take the high road!  It's just a matter of time!

Just Teasing...

Hot Tranny Mess is the only way to describe the condition of Queen Ginger's updos after a season's worth of crown head!  The only thing that will tear up a wig faster than shoving a rhinestone crown into is is pulling the same crown back out, and as you can see, these 2 girls, once Miss Ginger's signature coifs, look like they've been rode hard and put up wet (that was one of Daddy G's favorite sayings!)


So, it's been wig week at Chez Ginger.  Queen G does not particularly enjoy wig week.  She's a seamstress, not a hair burner, so her wig keeping skills are not the best.  Still, there's no loss in trying to fix these 2 bird's nests: the worst she can do it not make them look any better, in which case their fate will be the same- garbage can!


Wig week starts with a good washing.  We start with a sink full of laundry detergent and warm water, to break down all the spray, sweat, and makeup.  After that, baby shampoo helps rinse out any remaining detergent, and then a good rinse with lots of cool water.  A good shake in the shower gets a lot of the water out, and then they hang upside down for the remaining water to drip out, and for the entire thing to dry.


Working with synthetic hair is NOTHING like working with human hair! Human hair has natural oils and moisture that keep is soft and manageable, and your hair grows from the follicles in consistent sections, allowing all of the hairs to collect into locks, which can be formed into curls, sections, etc. by your hairdresser. 

Synthetic hair has no oil or moisture- it's like thousands of tiny pieces of curling ribbon all tied together at one end.  Because there is no oil to help the hairs slide along one another, and no moisture to keep the strands from becoming stiff, trying to get a comb through the stuff is dang near impossible!  A teasing pic like this is about the only thing that will go through it, and to make that work, you have to start with a small section at a time, working from the ends to the crown, taking longer and longer strokes until all the fibers in that section are separated.

It takes hours to pick through a wig in this manner, which is why "wig week" is so tedious!  There is one product Queen Ginger has discovered that makes the process easier- and it's right on the shelf at your local drug store! 

"No More Tangles" is a spray-in conditioner designed for children's hair, but Queen Ginger has discovered that it help replace some of the oils that synthetic hair is lacking, allowing the strands to slide along each other better, and allowing them to cling together to form locks that can later be sprayed into place.  It's a godsend, especially for wigs that have become really frizzy and matted.  It happens. Trust!

Once the wig is untangled, the sections can be managed and arranged to create your style.  Each lock can now be separated and sprayed to create a curl or section.  Always use a spray made for synthetic hair, for 2 reasons.  1st, synthetic hairspray is sticky, and will hold the hairs together to form a lock. whereas regular hairspray won't.  Secondly, synthetic hairspray dries with a crystal shine that makes synthetic hair look natural and lifelike.  Regular hairspray makes a wig look dull, like straw- or Lindsay Lohan's hair.


As disclaimed earlier, Queen Ginger is not the best coiffure artist on the drag circuit. But, I think you'll admit by looking at the before and after, she did save the 2 dos from the trash heap!

BEFORE

AFTER!!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Changes abound in the GingerNation!

Queen Ginger has a new Royal Air Carrier, like it or not! Many in Houston have lamented the merger of Continental Airlines with Chicago's native United, saying that United's inferior service and poor on-time record will hurt Continental. Regardless, as of today it's just talk, since the merger is pretty much complete.


Queen Ginger has flown Continental for many, many, years, and has never flown legacy United, but has never heard good things about them.  The Queen has many friends and acquaintances who have worked at Continental on the ground here in Houston and in the air, and they have always spoken very highly of Continental as an employer.  Former CEO Gordon Bethune is credited with turning Continental around by changing the culture, and current United CEO Jeff Smisek was, as I understand it, groomed by Bethune to take over the helm after his retirement. I see know reason to believe he can't create the same culture at the new United.


There's lots of buzz in Houston about what will happen to the service and reliability of air service from the new United in Houston.  Truth be told, other than the United name and Chicago as headquarters, it all seems like Continental to Queen Ginger!  The globe livery and blue and gold branding remain as it was at Continental, with only the name changed.  They kept Continental's website (the best, by far, in the industry!) and changed the name there.  They kept the service in the airport lounges (free booze!) and changed the names.  The frequent flyer program, while called Mileage Plus,  looks a lot more like One Pass than whatever United had.  Honestly, the changes Queen G have seen have been cosmetic, and well-handled.


Boy Ginger is QUITE the expert on organizational change, having been through it several times in his long career. He's seen it handled badly, and he's seen it handled well, and it seems to him that the new United is doing it right!  Give them a chance, Houston! You may be surprised!  Any Chicagoan GingerSnaps have a different perspective on the new United?

Farther away, Logo has announced that it is distancing itself from identifying as a "gay-themed" network, and will broaden the scope of it's programming to be more  mainstream.  Unfortunately, the direction they're headed is the dreadfully overworked "reality network" format, already overcrowded by Bravo, TLC, Oxygen, WeTV, MTV, and countless others.


Honestly, I'm not surprised by this turn of events- the programming on Logo was dreadful! How many repeats of that stupid "Queer as Folk" can a person watch?! Other than RuPaul's Drag Race and the long defunct "Big Gay Sketch Show", the programming on Logo, was, well, queer. There, I said it. Blast me in the comments if you wish.  


Honestly, as the GLBTQ community continues to fight for more freedom, more rights, and more "normality", it's to be expected that there will be less and less need for things to be specifically labelled "gay".  Gay bars will just be bars, Gay TV will just be TV, and Gay pride will just be a big celebration for everyone, like St. Patrick's Day!


Change is good!  I hope my little blog helps make it happen, in some tiny little way, shape, or form!

Happy Caturday!

Sorry we've been so quiet- it's not that Queen Ginger and Princess Shelby aren't thinking about you!  We've just been so busy with the process of "deballing" that we've barely had time to breathe!


Boy G took the last couple of days off work to help the Queen and Princess with "deballing"- the process of getting all of the remnants, reminders, and scraps of the ball preparation process packed away, sent away, or thrown away.  It's a double whammy for Queen G since she did a piss poor job of deballing last year, so there's really 2 years worth of garbage to sift through! 

The good news is that we are almost done!  The guest room is clean, the library is clean, the craft room is clean, and the garage has been culled down to one pile of poo that should be under control later today! 


Once done, the Queen is going to do her best to be a bit more consistent with postings!


Meanwhile, thoughts and hugs to those GingerSnaps in the Midwest and Upper South who are dodging storms and bad weather- take care of yourselves and let us know you are okay!  And to our dear, dear, David Dust, we wish a speedy recovery from the rocking' pneumonia (and the boogie woogie flu!)