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 Pride from Queen Ginger Grant!

I trust all the GingerSnaps across the globe had a festive weekend as we celebrated Pride around the world!  


New York City gets the "Pride Prize" this year for giving us the greatest reason to celebrate!  Best wishes to all my 'Snaps in the Empire State, especially to David Dust and Franky G!  Auntie Ginger can't wait to come up and babysit the ADORABLE children you will have!


Here in H-town we had our typical, if not enlarged, Gay Pride Celebration!  A few die-hard members of the Krewe pulled together a float for King Tony and Queen G to ride, even if enthusiasm from the general membership seemed lacking!  Queen Ginger can always count on her lesbians to make sure she is duly honored!  We had a great time waving to the crowd and throwing glorious pearl necklaces to all the handsome hotties we saw in the crowd!   I've heard a crowd estimate of about 250,000,  which is a lot when you consider the prevailing political views in Texas!  I think it just goes to show what a farce our political system can be, when the direction taken by our leadership so clearly does not reflect public opinion!!  

After a long day of prepping and parading, Queen Ginger gave her new breathing machine QUITE a workout today!  3- count them- three (!) naps today borders on ridiculous!!  

But, my Dr. will know about all three of them TOMORROW thanks to the built-in wireless telstar uplink on Queen G's new machine! 














So, GingerSnaps. how did YOU celebrate Pride? And more importantly, how many naps did YOU take the next day?

Checking in from Amsterdam!

Well, GingerSnaps, Miss G has made it to Amsterdam, and the city is a clean and beautiful as she remembers! It's such a great city for travel... no wonder is one of the primary gateways to Europe! From plane, to train, to hotel, all within 30 minutes...no cabs, no long walks!

After checking Miss G into the hotel and

dropping off her bags, our travelling trio head over to canal #3 to find the boat where Captain Bill and Aunt Tonya will be staying. It's right up the street from Miss G's hotel, and it's so cute! It has a little "patio" on the back right at the water level, so we'll have a GREAT view of the boats when the parade starts! This is a picture of the view from the little patio.

Yesterday, we sat out there through the late afternoon, sipping vodka and watching the sun go down. We made ourselves a little snack tray of meats, Dutch cheeses, and other treats, and drank, and gossiped, and waved at the boats till bedtime. What a great evening!

Last night was a great night's sleep, so Miss G a up and attem, ready for the parade! She's had a nice "English Breakfast" at the hotel, and she's got all her party gear ready to head over to the canal and take her place on the "patio". Happy pride, everyone!

Here She Goes... Again!

Tonight is repack night for Miss G. She arrived home after 2 nights in NOLA on business, and she has tonight and tomorrow AM to wash and repack before heading off to Europe for her annual trip across the pond!

She had so much fun last year at Amsterdam Pride that she has decided to return, and make this year bigger and better than ever!

On last year's trip the trio decided the only way to do it was on a canal boat, and we vowed in our drunken stupor that next year, a boat on the canal was the only to go! Lucky for Miss G, she sobered up the next day! Even luckier for her, Aunt Tonya and Captain Bill didn't, so, while she sleeps in her first class room at the Sofitel, the boys will be "roughing it" on their rented canal houseboat! But, for the parade, Miss G can put on that fabulous dress she made from the Minnow's sails and have a day of fun right on the canal! And the best news yet... even if a terrible storm blows across the canal, Miss G can just scramble up to the street in safety and not risk being stuck on a desert island with that lecherous Skipper or the lesbious Mary Ann!!

After a long party weekend and a full Monday to recover, the worldly Miss G and her companions will board the Artisia overnight train and head down to Venice, Italy, for a couple of nights of sightseeing and pasta, but mostly wine. As you know, Miss G LOVES her some Pinot Grigio, and she intends to scour Italy trying to find the very best!! After Venice, we'll spend a couple of nights in Firenze, and then on to Rome for a quick overnight tour before winging back to Texas!

She knows from experience that she can post from Amsterdam, and she's pretty sure she can upload from Italia, so you can look forward to lots of FABULOUS pics of our adventures!

Take Me OUT to the Ball Game!

Tonight is an event that Miss Ginger is pretty sure is a first for Houston, if not the world! "Pride in the Park" is a fund-raising event that will take place at a Major League Baseball game! Has that been done in any other cities?

A block of seats at Minute Maid Park (formerly Enron Field- scary, huh?) has been reserved for the event! Miss Ginger doesn't know a thing about baseball, but Boy G at least kinda knows the rules, and Legacy and Bunnies are among the beneficiaries, so he's gonna go give it a look-see. Minute Maid part is fun, and Boy G can always fit beer and boys in tight pants into his day!

EVERYONE whose ANYONE is gonna be there! The Gay Men's Chorus is singing the National Anthem, and our own Mayor Annise Parker is throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. I'm told Mayor A has quite the fastball!

Should be lots of fun. It's a shame the Astros don't play better!

Sex is Sex, Goddamit!

The uber-conservative and VERY Republican Houston Chronicle ran a very uncharacteristic "blog post" today entitled "Teens and gay sex: the numbers may suprise you"! Apparantly, there is shock in the universe that teen boys don't recognize butt fucking as "gay". WTF!?

These stats don't suprise Miss Ginger at all! While "acceptance" of gay sexuality may not be markedly increased among America's "adult" population today, "conversation" about such controversy is definitley "up"! In my parent's day, the conversation about the local florist was gossip about whether he "was" or "wasn't", not about whether he "should" or "should not" be allowed to marry!
It didn't matter one little bit to me and my best friend in high school! When he threw rocks at my second floor window on Saturday night, he knew that my momma had gone to bed, and my daddy was sound asleep in his recliner! We knew we could go up to my room and explore each other's bodies in a way we knew would not be accepted by our parents, yet in a way we did not identify as "gay". I mean, c'mon... it was a small town in south Louisiana! We knew there were people in the world who were "gay", but we had also been taught that this "freak of nature" only occured in places like California and New York. Even though we knew what we did with each other was "wrong" in the eyes of our parents, we also knew it brought us great pleasure, and a treasure we could share only with each other!
When we were in college, it was my BFF who first discovered that there were others in the world who could share such intense pleasure with us. At first, I was jealous, but I soon realized that I was not so much jealous that my love had been usurped as I was that my best friend was having thrills that I was not enjoying! Once I realized I could have the same euphoria, all was well in the Universe!
Then, Baby Ginger became the horndog of South Louisiana! She fucked what she could, and worked out until she could fuck what she previously couldn't! She was the belle of the ball, the wrecker of homes, and the breaker of hearts!
Then, the worst possible of scenarios occurred: she graduated from college!! Quelle dommage! She would now be required to earn her own way in the world!
Lucky for her, her parents didn't know about the whole "butt fuck" thing, although she's quite convinced that before their untimely deaths, an unspoken "don't ask, don't tell" policy evolved. Momma G once said "your Daddy and I don't tell about our sex life; we don't want to hear about yours!" 'nuff said! The 'ner disinherated Miss G can live with all that!
Originally, this post had a single point, but its has now evolved into a "bi-pointed" post!

Point #1: As conversations about sexuality become more comfortable, and lines between "gay" and "straight" blur, it's important that high school age kids learn that intimate contact with another human of either gender can put them at risk for STD's. It's no longer the Grease mentiality of "don't fuck the easy girls" and you'll be okay!
Point #2: Miss G's philanthropic focus has evolved, Miss G realizes, as a way for her to "make right with the world" her parents very narrow focus on sexuality. What better way to repair their naivety than to use their own money to support a cause they would have opposed... because they assumed it did not apply to them! If they had known how important the cause was to their baby boy, they would have been the proudest parents the the P-flag rally. Eventually! Love ya, Joy and Frank! And I wish you were alive today to see how succesful and happy your baby boy has become!!!

A Few Pics...

Aunt Tonya has arisen and has almost pulled herself together for breakfast, so Miss G decided to take a moment to post a couple of pics of Amsterdam Pride from the last few days. First is a shot of the awesome crowds in and around the canal for the parade. This canal actually circles around the city center, so this scene was repeated for miles. Miss G hasn't had time to dig through the "weareproud.nl" website to determine the number of people viewing the parade, but it wouldn't surprise Miss G to find out it numbered around a million! If you dig around the website, click on the british flag for English. I guess the Brits do far outweigh the Americans here!

Next is the hottie who was hanging out with his pals in the boat right below us. As a teaser to keep you coming back to TFBOMGG, I will throw out there that Miss G has video of this hottie. Shirtless! Stay tuned!

And just so you know that we really were here, I present this shot of Miss G, Aunt Tonya, and MeeMaw. Though looking at the pics I realize that it could be taken just about anywhere in the world! And it was actually taken in Dublin! But we were so busy "oohing" and "ahhhing" at the parade it never occurred to us to snap photos of ourselves!

More later! Off to brekkie!

Miss Ginger has a FABULOUS Day of Dutch Pride!

Miss G can barely even figure out where to BEGIN to tell you about the FABULOUS day of Pride she had here in Amsterdam!! Miss G, MeeMaw, and Aunt Tonya got moving around 11am-ish, had a quick brekkie and then staked out a spot along the canal route, toward the beginning, not far from our hotel. Clever Aunt Tonya had thought to buy a bottle of Absolut at the duty free on her way in, so all we needed was a mixer to keep us flawlessly beveraged during the parade without having to scramble to find a bar, stand in line, etc. We discovered 2 liter bottles of Orangina, the yummy little orange fizzie drink you can only buy in the US at expensive cafes in little tiny bottles. So, we poured off the top of the fruit juice, replacing it with vodka, and made the yummiest drink ever! You really should try it!

Just remember, ORangina. A mistake could have tragic consequences!

Miss Ginger cannot BEGIN to describe the spirit, feeling, and atmosphere in Amsterdam on this very special day. The mood is exhuberant, and EVERYONE is partying, celebrating, and having a good time! The spirit is more like Mardi Gras than Gay Pride, in that EVERYONE is included, not just "the Gays". Anyone who is Gay or loves someone who is Gay should make a point to experience Gay Pride in Amsterdam at some point in their lives! It's unlike anything Miss G has seen elsewhere!

In talking about the positive mood, we realized that what sets Amsterdam apart is how extremely positive the attitudes seem to be. There is no mention of equal rights, or gay marriage, or fair treatment, or non-descrimination- those things are simply a given here. Many of the issues and controversaries that seem to dampen and polarize our American Pride celebrations simply don't exist here, leaving the people of the Netherlands to openly, loudly, and enthusiastically share their pride with the rest of the world!

We found a great spot along a railing at the end of a bridge crossing the canal that the parade would travel. Once we situated our selves, scoped out appropriate "facilities" (right around the corner!) and prepared our beverages, the parade began! And what a great parade! Miss G has almost 2 hours of video, which she needs to edit, crop, and combine, but she will try to get a little teaser for you together soon!

We also had the immense pleasure of having a boatfull of HOTTIES just below us, and Miss G has some great shots of that as well!

After the parade, we popped into our favorite little cocktail spot, Prik, just ahead of the crowd. Perfect! After polishing of 750ml of Absolut, we needed potties and toddies to keep the day going!

We had a couple of cocktails there, then headed

over to The Queens Head for more drinking and partying on the streets. The street was really crowded, and by this point Aunt Tonya was getting a bit "full", so we found a great spot in the back of the bar, with windows that overlooked the canals. By then the parade was over, and all the boaters and party barges were just crusing the canals, waving, drinking, and having a good 'ole time! From our perch in the window, MeeMaw and Miss G waved and smiled at the boaters and had fun trying to get them to wave and smile back at our camera. Video to come of that, also. Aunt Tonya practiced her Spanish on the Germans, and smoked a lot.

After a while the bartender made us close the window, and we decided we were hungry anyway, so we went to a little steak place that had a table available, and then headed back to the hotel for showers, disco naps, and costume changes. While Miss G is AMAZED that she wasn't drunker and more tired (how much IS 1 third of 750ml, anyway?!) she certainly would welcome a shower at that point, and a disco nap seemed like a good idea, especially if she had any intention of discoing any time this century.

We made plans to muster in the lobby at 11:45pm, then head over to "the Cockring" to ogle the crowd there. Miss G actually awakened and reported as planned, but, unfortunately, Aunt Tony apparently had been a tad overserved, and was down for the count. MeeMaw needed to stay at the hotel to take care of her, so Miss G decided to call it a night as well, giving her a chance to report in to you lovely people, and maybe do a little research on what kind of trouble we can stir up tomorrow! Meanwhile, I promise to catch up on your blogs and such some day real soon! Love to all!