So the Reign Begins!

Queen Ginger is rested up from a VERY busy and exciting weekend,  and has taken the time to snag a few pics from various facebook albums to let some of you far flung Ginger Snaps see what Mardi Gras is all about!  So, here's a recap of the night:


Unlike a Bal Masque, where guests participate in the costuming- much like a British "Fancy Dress Party- the Krewe of Olympus stages a Bal Tableau for the pleasure of the reigning King and Queen. The "official" purpose of the party is to entertain the royalty, but it pleases them to share this with their subjects, so guests at a Tableau Ball, in formal attire, are seated at the extravagantly decorated tables of their Krewe Member hosts. 


The Olympus Ball, by tradition, begins with the blowing of the Captain's Whistle, signalling the start of the Ball. The Captain's Whistle, by the way, has been passed down from Captain to Captain since 1970, and is a special treasure of the Krewe.  Having survived so many drunken parties, it is as temperamental as some of our members, so now we always keep a spare handy in case it chooses not to blow! After the signing and signing of the National Anthem, the opening chorus takes to the stage to set the theme for the ball.  


This year,  "museum guards", with their obligatory flashlights, were so busy scanning the audience looking for trouble, that they failed to notice a band of notorious "art thieves" trying to abscond with their collection.  Upon trying to take the biggest prize, an enormous pink jewel, they are foiled by it's protective systems, the alarm sounds, and mayhem ensues as the guards try to thwart the theft. Ultimately, however, the guards are tied up by the thieves, just in  time for their leader, the Pink Panther (Captain Bill) to take to the stage to assess the progress of his minions.  

The jewel is freed from it's protections so the Pink Panther can easily grab what his minions were unable to obtain! Once he has the jewel, he quickly leaves the stage as the guards return from their capture, discover the loss, and begin the search for the missing treasure.  Captain Bill returns to the stage as Inspector Clouseau, jewel in hand, and returns it to it's vitrine so the ball can continue!

Once the  Ball Captain is seated in his place of command,  the Reigning Royalty returns to enjoy the show. King Dwane and Queen Randy, as Nicholas and Alexandra, greet the masses, and then take their thrones onstage to enjoy the show.

During the Ball, the reigning Royalty and the Captain are the only Krewe members seated to see the show.  Everyone else is backstage, either preparing their costume for presentation, helping others get in costume, or managing curtain calls, sound cues, and all of the other details it takes to create such a production. Per the Krewe's bylaws, each member is allowed to present one "major costume" in the ball, although they may play "bit parts" to support other presentations, and most participate in the chorus numbers,  as well. Some member choose not to present a major costume, but participate as stage hands, set builders, and seamstresses.  Every person contributes something to make the show a success!

The only Krewe members that present 2 major costumes are yours truly and her consort, the new royalty.  Because our identity is a closely guarded secret that is only revealed to the Krewe members the morning of the ball, the new royalty are required to create "decoy" costumes keep Krewe members from surmising our identity because there is nothing being built in our garages!

King Tony's decoy costume was the Chasing Rainbows Museum at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  

As you know by now, Miss Ginger appeared as Elvis- the fat postage stamp Elvis that appeared in Vegas, not the young movie star Elvis that Miss G could never pull off.


I'm sure the irony is not lost the the Queen went as "the King", and the King appeared as 'The Queen of Country Music"!














After the Elvis presentation,  Miss G had about one hour to transform from "the King" into the Queen of pre-revolutionary France! 


Meanwhile, what visit to a museum would be complete with the requisite field trip children, being corralled by a group of frazzled teachers? 

Being the coastal South, and Mardi Gras, of course our school is Catholic,  and our rainbow nuns had their hands full as they tried to prevent their screaming schoolkids from giggling at the appendages on the various statues!

After the museum visit,  the school children grab their lunchboxes and take to the audience to collect donations for our designated charities!

Meanwhile, it's almost time to reveal King and Queen Olympus XLI to the world!  Just a few more costumes are being presented as we are getting suited up for our reveal to the world!

We first appear in a cloud of fog, with Swarovzki-crystalled masks concealing our faces.

Representing le Chateau de Versailles, we are wearing costumes inspired by the artworks featured on our backpieces.

This painting of Marie in her coronation robes was created by Jacques-Fabien Gautier d'Agoty, who, interestingly enough, was most famous for his morbid paintings of human anatomy!  A glittered representation adorns the backpiece, and the dress was custom made by an Easter European seamtress with hand-stitched details!

By another Krewe tradition, the Royalty select attendants to serve them on stage, as well as to ensure we don't become entangled in those 16 foot trains!!  It is considered to be an honor to attend the new royalty, and I was thrilled to have 2 of my dearest friends in the Krewe onstage with me!

After the reveal,  we proceed down the ball floor to greet the Captain who crowned us, and receive toasts from him in the beautiful jeweled crystal goblets that are his gift to us.

Once the toast is complete,  we return to our positions to receive King and Queen Olympus XL as they step down from the throne and greet the audience for the last time as King and Queen.

When they leave the stage, our reign begins as we receive members of various community organizations, many of whom bring gifts to show their esteem.  They are each presented with a gift from us, as well.  Then entire Krewe then comes to be received in the Grand March, and then in open court we receive members of the community at large.  


Because we get to do whatever we want, and because we had not had an opportunity to rehearse court positioning anyway,  the "ceremony" just sort of deteriorated into a big l party on the ball floor at that point, with lots of hugs, a few tears,  and many well-wishes from the crowd!  It may have seemed like bedlam to Marie, but to Queen Ginger it was exactly the way she wants to receive her subjects-  at a high-sprited party with a cocktail in hand!!


There was a bit of confusion about the scheduling of the after party, but it all turned out fine as King Tony and Queen Ginger arrived at the Hilton Hotel to discover many of their well wishers right there in the lobby bar.  So Queen Ginger,  in hoop-skirt drag with whiteface makeup and a pompadour on her head,  continued to hold court until midnight, at which point a very tired queen retired to her chambers!!


There's lot's more to tell, and lots more to show,  but Queen G suspects you GingerSnaps need a rest from all this Royal talk for a bit!


PS:  How do you like the new blog header?!


Love to all!!!    QOXLI  !

Idle Thoughts and Great Advice!

You 'snaps hear Miss Ginger talk about the "Krewe" a lot, and you may wonder who they are, and why I talk about them so much. Well, the "Krewe" is like my surrogate family. Oh, don't get me wrong, I have a "real" family that I love very much, and they love me. They even deal with Miss Ginger pretty damn well, for a bunch of straight boys. My real family is there when I need them, for things like strokes, and cancer, and birthdays, and vacations. But they have their own "everyday" lives, and that doesn't always coincide with Miss Ginger's life, or even Boy Ginger's, for that matter.
My Krewe family, however, is always there. When Miss Ginger hosts a show, her Krewe family shows up, with fists full of dollars, to cheer her on and drive her cause. They are there on Sunday at 9:30am for breakfast, when the rest of the world is just arising. They are there to be the Captains and Lieutenants in the Ball we call Miss Ginger's life. And for a group that is decidedly NOT a "drag" organization, they are there to let Miss Ginger be Miss Ginger.
Some people in the Krewe or outspoken and omnipresent, and some are demure and behind the scenes. But they are always there, and Miss Ginger loves them all.
And from the Karma of the internet, Miss Ginger has received several comuniques recently from one of her favorite individuals in the Krewe, who is often softspoken and understated. She sent Miss G the hilarious Ass Smiley at Walmart photo, and she also sent this piece of clever and usefule advice:

Car Keys Tip - pass it on PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT. Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr.'s Office, the check out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the keychain. It works if you park in you r driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around... After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that! And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or prevent a sexual assault. It is also a good idea to carry your car keys with you in case you fall outside and no one is around ot notice or hear you. you can activate the car alarm and then people will know there's a problem. P.S. I am sending this to everyone I know because I think it is fantastic. It would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone .

It makes Miss Ginger remember that old commercial from a few years back: "I've fallen (down drunk) and I can't get up!"
Thanks, Lea! If you're reading, keep on reading and sending me great stuf!

It's Good to Be the Queen!!!

One of the best things about being Queen of the Krewe is "call-ups"!!  Yasee, at the end of the Ball, after the King and Queen are revealed, the Krewe has "call-ups", where the newly named King and Queen "call up" representatives from various community organizations to be "recognized" by the new royalty.  The best part of all? They almost always bring PRESENTS!! 

Queen Ginger LOVES presents, so she was SO excited that today finally arrived and she and King Tony got to open the presents that have been piled on her dining room table since the ball!!

The first present revealed was the present Queen Ginger presented to King Tony,  which was a custom-made sash to wear at "state obligations".  Queen G made them by hand, and as you can see in this photo, Prince Jackson found them quite cozy!

As the gifts were presented, Queen Kaylynn, QOXXXVIII assumed the role of Royal Scribe and recorded the gifts and their generous donors so appropriate thank yous can be penned and posted!

There were many, many, lovely and thoughtful gifts from Krewe members and community organizations,  and the Royalty were overwhelmed by the generosity and good wishes from the Krewe and community at large!

Prince Jackson and Princess Shelby were particularly appreciative of the gifts bestowed upon their Daddy and Tante Tonya, and had a great time playing in the discarded wrappings and ribbons!












Once the gifting was complete, we retired to the back garden to enjoy a few more cocktails and discuss our ambitions for the Krewe's upcoming year!!

For those of you out of town Ginger Snaps, mark Feb 11th, 2012 on your Calendars for the presentation of Ball XLII, our 42nd tableau!!  This is the ball presented in honor of Queen G and King T,  so you KNOW the return Royalty presentation will knock you socks off!!  Start saving your pennies NOW so you can make it southward for this momentous occasion!

Queen Ginger's First "Diplomatic" Function

Miss Ginger is so excited that she and King Tony, along with Captain Bill, are headed off on our first tour of duty as ambassadors for the Krewe of Olympus!  We are going to Galveston this weekend to mask with the Krewe of Bacchus!  The Bacchus ball is a more traditional bal masque, so we will be wearing our coronation vestments once again. Queen G hopes to get some better pictures for you this time, and because she will have a bit more time to get ready,  she's hoping to have a better face painted  this time,  too!


Bacchus is a new Krewe, and their very first King and Queen will be reigning over the ball!  Queen Ginger and King Tony are VERY excited to be welcoming a "sister" Krewe to the Texas Mardi Gras landscape- hopefully, there will be more to come!!

The weekend begins at Galveston's historic Tremont House Hotel, where Queen G will take residence beginning Friday night.  This FABULOUS hotel,  built in 1879, is also the starting point for Saturday evening's events, with a cocktail party in the hotel bar.  Then, at 6:30 pm,  a saxophone band will parade to the Railroad Museum, with the ball guests falling in second line behind! A "second line" is an impromptu group that follows behind a parade,  with the original, permitted group referred to as the "main line".  "Second lining", as it has now been verbed,  is quite common in New Orleans,  where parades often disrupt one's route on a regular basis during Lent.  Often, the only way for one to get to their destination is to fall in "second line" and tag behind the parade until it leads to where you are going! 


Anyho, Queen G and King Tony will join the second line and parade down the streets of Galveston to the historic Galveston Railroad Museum, where the ball will take place.  Miss G has never been to this museum, but as you know, she loves her some choo choo's, so she's really looking forward to it! 


Other than Saturday night, it should be a relaxing weekend, which this old Queen really needs!!  Maybe a mani and pedi on Saturday, and perhaps a massage, but that's about the extent of her planning!  


What are you GingerSnaps doing this weekend? 

This Is The Moment....

The time has come, dear GingerSnaps, to share the thoughts that have been consuming Miss Ginger for the last few months.  This has been a very painful time for Miss G, with a lot of emotional writhing, and even a few tears.  But, today is the day that she puts it all behind her and moves forward with her life.


Miss Ginger, after much consideration, has withdrawn her membership from her beloved Krewe of Olympus.  She can write about it now because it is done. The email went out today. She pushed the button, pulled the trigger, fired the shot... whatever you want to call it. It's done.


She didn't want to do it. She LOVED the Krewe, and what it stood for, and tried very hard to make her time there mean something. She worked hard for the organization, and supported it's missions and endeavors, and still does. But she just can't be there anymore. It's just no fun!


Like any family, there were always disagreements, and Miss Ginger often found herself trying to be the voice of reason, the peacemaker of the family, if you will. It never worked.  The 2 sides of that "family" were more like the Hatfields and the McCoys, and the more Miss Ginger tried to pull them together, the more they pushed apart. She just couldn't take it any more.  She's like a child whose parents have divorced: so sad that the family is breaking up, but so happy that the yelling and fighting will stop.  And as for her feelings about the Krewe, I think that's like a lot of those divorced parents:  "I love them. I will ALWAYS love them. I just can't LIVE with them!"  How often have we heard that?!


There are those that may not be happy that Miss Ginger has chosen to share this with you, dear GingerSnaps, but you deserve to know. Most of you are distanced from all of this drama anyway, and those of you who are close to it will just have to understand Miss Ginger's need to share. Or not. It is a risk that she's willing to take. But regardless of where anyone sits, all of you who know me and love me know that I did everything I could do to improve my relationship this group, but ultimately, I had to leave. It just wasn't for me any longer.  The members that remain will be able to move forward with their plans, whatever they may be, unfettered by Miss Ginger's attempts to keep the group current, and connected, and going the direction she wanted to see it go.


Miss Ginger thought she would be happy today, but she is not. Nor is she sad. She's just calm. Calm and strangely rested. Man, that's a feeling she hasn't felt in a long time. It feels good!  Because, regardless of what's to come, it's done.  This is the moment Miss G takes her life back!

The Krewe-a-thon Continues!

This weekend is referred to as the "Krewe-a-thon", because it's such a big weekend for us. Last night we held out "Campaign Party", which Miss G hosted, where all of the people who are going to run for a board position bring food or snacks to "schmooze" the other Krewe members into voting for them. It's all in fun, but it's serious business!
Then today was the Annual Meeting with the election of the new board of directors. This is really important because in addition to the President, Vice-president, etc., we elect the Ball Captain. This is a moment of suspense for 2 reasons. First, the Ball Captain will decide upon the theme of the Ball, the location and date, the colors, and every thing else about the ball itself. Even more important, the Ball Captain has the honor of naming the royalty for the following year.
Miss G is pleased with the outcome of the elections, and is especially happy that SandsandAndy were elected as Ball Co-captains! She's even more pleased that she can finally reveal, now that they have been elected, that they have asked Miss G to be one of their 2 Ball Lieutenants!! Miss Ginger is so excited to serve as Lieutenant, especially since this is Ball 40 (we use roman numerals, so it's Ball XL!) Can you believe this was started back in the early 70's, when Miss G was just a little faglette? What a long what she has come!
Anyho, hos, you can expect lots of ball blogging over the next year. But, Miss G won't tell the theme, she won't reveal her costume, and she certainly won't leak the names of the royalty... no matter how drunk you get her. But you're welcome to try!
Now it's time for early bedtime. When the group decided to go to Tia's for mexican after the meeting, Miss G suspected it wasn't a good idea. But as she recanted all the little rhymes Daddy Ginger taught her ("beer on liquor, you'll get sicker", "beer on wine, you'll be fine", etc.) she couldn't recall as single one that started "tequila on vodka..." so she figured she'd be okay. So far, so go. I guess we'll know tomorrow! Stay tuned, my little 'snaps!

Updates to the Social Calendar!

Miss Ginger has been a busy beaver getting the social calendar updated all the way out to February, 2011!! She needs a cocktail after all that!! It's a true "homosexual agenda!!" Check it out and print a copy for yourself! It's a veritable compendium of all things Ginger!!

Next on the list: "All Hands On Deck: the Love Boat Sails to Gilligan's Island" presented by Aaron Patterson to benefit the Krewe of Olympus- Texas, Inc.


Aaron is a prospective member of the Krewe and a Mr. Mint Julep, and is a major supporter of Miss Ginger and the community!

And, Miss Ginger gets to play that bitch who copied her name, "Ginger Grant"! Should be a lot of fun!!!

And, as fans of Miss Ginger, you'll be the first to know about this "hot off the presses" event!
Be sure to put a big red circle around Saturday, June 19th, for the Krewe's "Waking up in Vegas" party!! This is not your grandpa's casino night, and it's sure to be lots and lots of "stays in Vegas" fun!

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!

Congratulations to the Krewe of Bacchus!

What a FABULOUS weekend Queen Ginger and King Tony have had this weekend with the Krewe of Bacchus!!

Friday night, Queen G checked into the fabulous Palm Suite at the Tremont House hotel on Galveston Island, napped a bit, and then met up with King Tony and Captain Bill upon their arrival.  After a quick bite at the hotel,  we headed out to explore the bars in Glaveston, most notably, Robert's Lafitte,  where we knew there was certain to be a drag show of dubious quality!  Never to disapoint, we were treated to the "Miss Lafitte's Sweetheart" pagaent, and, as expected, discovered that, among the 4 contestants, there were probably about only 3 healthy teeth to share!  We're not sure what it is about Galveston Island, but if you are a drag queen of questionable dental health and you don't live here, you might as well start packing... you will end up her eventually!

After an "interesting" night of drag entertainment,  our royal threesome awoke to enjoy breakfast at the hotel,  where they reviewed the latest edit of the ball video with Captain Bill.  After a bit of liesurely shopping on the Strand, we had a yummy lunch,  and then retired to our respective chambers for a pre-ball nap!

The evening began with a cocktail party here in the lobby of the Tremont,  where Our Royal Majesties had their first audience with the new Bacchus Royalty, Queen Bacchus I.  We also got to meet King Bacchus I, as well as Bacchus I, the official representation of Bacchus, in effect, the Krewe's "mascot", for lack of a better term.  All were lovely and cordial, and appreciative of our rather large envoy from the big city to the beachy island!

After a couple of drinks at the bar,  our entourage paraded about 2 blocks down the Strand to the Galveston Railroad Museum,  as stunning preservation project to save an incredibly beautiful Art Deco station, as well as a collection of actual locomotives, cars, and equipment chronicling the golden age of rail travel.  The ball was a beuatiful affair, with a live band, plentiful cocktails, and a delicious buffet catered by Chopin of Galveston!

After supper,  visiting dignitaries were invited to the floor for a rather undignified dance contest,  where Queen G and King Tony won the prize for their respectable minuette!  No bump and grind for this royalty!  If Miss G is gonna represent,  she's gonna REPRESENT!! 

Once the ball was over,  our Royal Entourage headed to Stars Beach Club,  were they were treated to yet another drag show, and more face time with many of the beautiful people who had attended the ball!  It was  FABULOUS evening, and Queen G is suitably exhasuted and ready for a good night's rest!

Miss Ginger's Busy Social Season Has Begun!

The whirlwind season has begun for Miss Ginger! Last night was the Krewe's 12th night party, and here's a snap of Boy G with GingerSnap str8upwithatwist enjoying the festivities! Next weekend is the main event gala for ERSICSS, their annual Coronation Ball, so sometime between now and Saturday Miss G has to find or make a floor length gown that actually fits her ample curves. After that, there will only be a couple of weeks to finalize everything for the Krewe Ball, then it's Mystery/Fantasy weekend, Mardi Gras, and LUEY. Poo-yi! (That's Cajun French for "oye!") Miss G's gonna be one busy girl, and her staff is in full swing sewing, building, shopping, and of course, drinking, in preparation for these big events! She'll make sure to keep you updated on all the happening! Off to breakfast, then Miss Annie is coming over to help Miss G with a costume fitting. Then, this afternoon, Miss G is hosting the Krewe for the invitation distribution. Thankfully, Celia was here Friday so we won't have to have a hot mess cleaning frenzy to get ready for that! Lucky for Miss Ginger, she has a great staff to help her get ready for all of this, including Mister Jackson Brown, an especially talented florist and crafter:

The Year has Started!

The new year starts today for the Krewe of Olympus- Texas, Inc, with the election of new officers!  We are truly Mardi Gras TEXAS-style this year, with 3 of our officers living in other cities! In addition to Houston, we now have Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin on the board!  With Skype, email, and Southwest Airlines, who says we all have to be in the same city?!!


Last night, King Tony and Queen Ginger had a whirlwind night, beginning with the Krewe's Campaign party, at Chez Ginger.  The campaign part is where we all get together to booze and schmooze, and the members who have announced their candidacy bring "groceries" to bribe the members for their votes!  It's all in fun, and a great chance for the candidates to share their vision for the upcoming year!




King T and Queen G snuck out early to head over to "Bringin' in the Green", a St. Patrick's day fund raiser for the Montrose Counseling Center.  Once the social hour was over, our royals headed over to the Brazos River Bottom to check out the Mr, Ms, and Miss BRB contest, and wish our dear friend Aurora Briar the best on her step-down.  


Tomorrow, the Krewe hosts it's Appreciation Party to show our love to all in the community who support hour endeavor!  It's always a lot of fun, and our first chance to watch the video recording of the event with our guests!


After that, a day in the office and then in the air again to Baton Rouge!  It's been since December that Boy G hasn't had a business trip, but now the twice-monthly travels begin again!  


With the election of Ball Captain, next year's theme is secured! Now, you KNOW Queen Ginger is not going to spill the beans, especially during her return year!  This year, Queen G and King T will have the entire year to plan and execute the costume and presentation, to create the most extravagant, over-the-top return for the ball over which they will reign!  It also gives you far-flung GingerSnaps a full year to save your pennies and plan your travel- if you ever thought someday you'd want to see one of Miss G's balls  Mardi Gras shindigs, this would be the year to come!  There's room at Chez Ginger- first come, first served!! Ball XLII will be February 11th, 2012, at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Hope to see you all there!

Flight of the Animals!

The extremely handsome Aaron Patterson is sponsoring a show for the Krewe that you simply MUST attend!
Miss Ginger first met Aaron last year when he was a candidate for Mr. Mint Julep, and was THRILLED to have the opportunity to crown him when he won! She was the extremely lucky Queen who got to crown both Miss and Mr. because my Mr. was AWOL. ( sung: something about sharing, something about always...)


Anyway, Aaron is sponsoring a show for the Krewe so, of course, Miss Ginger will be there "in her glory!" Actually, she's going to spend this weekend sewing some "glory", because most of the "glory" in her closet doesn't fit, and the "glory" that does fit has been too oft' seen! But, she's got a HUGE bolt of animal print fabric that should be perfect for this show!


Miss Sapphire Sewing Machine is supposed to go in for her annual checkup this month, but it looks like she'll be late. Don't you girls hate it when you're late?! Scares the bejeebus outta ya!


I hope missing her appointment doesn't void her warranty!

I Am BUSSSYYYYY!

Miss Ginger has been busy preparing the Underwriter mailing for the Krewe! Oye, that took a lot of time to create, print, address, and stamp over 600 letters!! Some of the gang came over last night for a "lick and stick", so off to the post office they go!!

On top of that, work is crazy, the kitties are needy, and we have a Krewe garage sale this weekend, so Miss G needs to get through the closets and garage to get all the "stuff" out that she wants to be rid of!

Not much time left to discover interesting things about which to blog!

T-1 and Counting!

It's the day before the big day! Miss Ginger has taken today off from work, as has many other Krewe Members. It's "load-in" day, and Miss Annie and the gang have already started the rounds in the U-Haul® (insert lesbian joke here) to begin picking up costumes for delivery to Reliant Center. Miss G is last on the rotation, because her costume is so big it will probably take up the whole truck. (insert size queen joke here).

After load-in, chaos, and set-up, there's a full dress rehearsal tonight. Tomorrow morning, after the general meeting, the Captain will reveal to the Krewe his selections for next year's King and Queen. Don't get excited, 'snaps. It's not Miss Ginger! The new royalty already knows they have been selected, and have been keeping it a secret all year as they prepare the costumes for their dramatic reveal!

More later- gotta run! Photos Sunday!

Miss Ginger's First Prom!

That's right, dear 'Snaps, Miss Ginger never went to prom in high school.  You will all be shocked to learn, I'm sure, that Miss G was "the class fag", the one who was picked on in the hallways, mocked in gym class, and otherwise ostracized by all but a select few friends in high school.  Miss Ginger couldn't WAIT until 3pm each day so she could escape those terrorist boors, so there certainly is no reason why she would want to get all dolled up on a Friday night and watch them drink themselves silly on hootch they stole from their parent's liquor cabinet. Just not Miss G's scene.


So how ironic is it that on the exact same night that Miss G's    
old gang meets for their 30 year high school reunion, Miss G gets to go to her first prom! And with one of her favorite people, no less, Ms. MB, of OCD landscaping fame!   


At one point Miss G actually contemplated going to the reunion, but her discovery that 2 of the people she would have actually enjoyed seeing wouldn't be there reduced the number of people she might want to see to 3, and one of them she sees all the time in NOLA.  That, coupled with an unfortunate facebook interaction she had with some unfortunate coonass girl who's name was probably Tammy, made her decide she'd rather spend her time volunteering.


So what a fortunate coincidence that the kids from HATCH were having their prom on the same night, and Queen Ginger was invited to represent the Krewe!  HATCH is a wonderful organization here in Houston, hosted by the Montrose Counseling Center, that allows young people to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity in a respectful, safe, and protected environment.  While other kids are at career fairs deciding what the want to be when they grow up, the HATCH kids are busy determining WHO they want to be when they grow up! It's a crucial decision for GLBTQ teens, and unfortunately, a decision some don't survive long enough to make.  

So the Queen, along with the Float Lieutenant, Vice President, and Secretary of the Krewe had a great time watching the kids have a great time!  It was certainly one of the most "colorful" things Miss G has ever seen, with girls, boys, gurls, boiz, queens, kings, and one young person designated as "Rainbow" on his or her shirt that Miss G could only label as "fabulous"!  There were kids from all walks of life, all colors of skin, and all different angles of the diversity rainbow when it comes to orientation and gender identity.  Once group of biological girls, who called themselves "The Gendermen", did a little lipsync performance dressed as bees, and they were just adorable!  2 different Lady Gagettes, one almost 7 feet tall with her shoes on, came together for an impromptu GaGa duet of "Bad Romance" that had the whole crowd on their feet!  Seeing kids with somewhere to go where they could be themselves, dress as they want, and act however they want to was pretty amazing.  Queen Ginger looks forward to doing more work with the HATCH kids, and looks forward to the next time she's asked to interview the students for the Youth Scholarship Fund.  It's great to be able to help kids find their way to becoming happy, stable, successful adults!

Glitter and Be Gay!

Miss Ginger LOVES glitter! It can make anything sparkly and more FABULOUS! Through her work with the Krewe, she has become quite the expert at glittering, and we buy it by the pound, literally! We have perfected many techniques for the application of glitter over large surfaces, including the "spray paint and shake" technique (only works for a light dusting) and the Elmers and acrylic paint mix to make a good "crust" of solid color on a surface!The secret to a perfect glitter application is to get a matching paint color under the glitter, so the correct color shows through instead of whatever the background color was! You can use tiny artist brushes for detail work (let touching colors dry before adding the next), or paint rollers to cover large areas quickly. And there are members of the Krewe who pride themselves on being able to create any color of the rainbow by shaking the appropriate colors of glitter together. 2 years ago, Miss Ginger had to make "raw meat"! That color took some practice!

Glitter can also be a pain in the ass! Sometimes it sticks to everything except what you want it to! Even though Miss Ginger has a strict "no glittering in the house" policy, it follows her in from the garage in a cloud, like Pigpen on a Peanuts cartoon! You would think it would be easy to vacuum it from a hardwood floor, but it gets a static charge that makes it cling for dear life! A Swiffer does a little better, but it still misses a lot! It ends up in the car. The driveway sparkles in the moonlight. I even find it in the cats' fur! By the time the ball gets here, Miss Ginger's buggers are sparkly!

But in one week, when the ball is over and broken down, we can begin the process of "degliterring" the house. Between Celia and me, we should be able to get it all out by April. Just in time to start preparations for Miss Mint Julep....... Oh, well!

I guess Miss Ginger is just destined to live a glittering life! She just wishes in wouldn't find it's way into every corner and crevice!

The Mardi Gras Madness Begins!!!

Well,  Christmas is finally over, and the greatest holiday of the year is ahead of us:  Mardi Gras!! This one's going to be particularly crazy for Miss G, as she has barely begun working on her costume!  As you may have seen in the past,  they are usually quite elaborate, and huge! 
But first, there's money to raise to pay for this shindig!  There Krewe's 12th Night Party, our final fundraiser of the year, is coming up January 8th, and it should be a real humdinger!!

Part of the fun that night will be a silent auction, and we're really excited to be able to showcase the art of one of our supporters, Houston's own Kermit Eisenhut! Kermit is an incredible artist and one helluva nice guy!  Miss Ginger has had the pleasure to come to know him through his work with Art League Houston, one of the Krewe's beneficiaries this year! Kermit is integrally involved in the League's Healing Arts program, and has worked with the group to create a couple of art chairs that he has donated for our silent auction!!

We're really excited to be able to offer an item from this noted artist, so you local 'Snaps make sure you come to the event and submit your bids!!  Hell, even if you're not local,  email Miss Ginger your bid and she'll submit it for you!

This is a "red letter" Mardi Gras for Miss G for a several other reasons, a couple of which she will note here!  First,  Miss G will return to the Crescent City to celebrate this glorious holiday, something she has not done for many, many years!!  There is NOTHING like Mardi Gras in the French Quarter, and everybody should see it at least once in their life!!

It's crowded and loud, but everybody is there to party and have a good time, so you hardly even notice it!  And, don't think it's too late to plan a trip to the Big Easy!  Miss G just made her reservations last night, so she knows for a fact there are still plenty of rooms available!  Let her know if you need hotel recommendations- she's stayed in most of them at some point or another!! She'll be at the Omni Royal Orleans this time... she's never stayed there before, but Momma G loved it so it must be nice!! And, it's a GREAT location!!

Another reason this will be a special Mardi Gras is because she will get the chance to meet the one and only, incomparable Amber LeMay!!  Yes, folks, the LeMay sisters are leaving all that snow in Vermont to vacation in the Big Easy for Mardi Gras, and Miss G certainly looks forward to meeting them!! 

Miss G has more to share, but that's for later!  She's got to get to bed, and you folks all have reservations to book!  Orbitz, Expedia, or whatever you have to do, but figure out how you're going to get yourself to NOLA for the big party!!  And, since Mardi Gras is so late this year,  you really don't have to worry about NOLA becoming SNOWLA and ruining your trip!

See ya there!! 

The Mystery/Fantasy Ball

The Mystery/Fantasy Ball is a black tie/costume party thrown every year in Houston by a group of people who pay dues to become hosts. They have it in the same nightclub every year, the "theme" is similar every year (this year was some Ali Baba thing Miss G didn't fully understand), they throw plastic beads from the stage every year, they have dick dancers in cages every year, and all the people from the Krewe stand in the same corner every year. There is no charitable beneficiary, which is typically what it would take to get Miss G into a girdle or Boy G into a tux. Every year the G's promise to boycott it. And every year one of them ends up going!

This year was no exception. Miss G had long decided it wasn't worth a weekend of girdle marks, and Boy G had work stuff to do and really kind of was looking forward to staying home alone and wallowing in self pity on his birthday weekend. Several people had inquired if either was going, and all were told "no".

Then came a "facebook" from MA that said "Meg and I are picking you up at 6." Well, what the hell? I guess I better hot-glue something to a mask if I have to wear one in 60 minutes!

So Boy G ran to the garage and whipped up a mask, grabbed his tux out of the trunk (where it has resided since the Krewe Ball) and ran upstairs to S, S, and S.

The party was about as expected. It was fun. Virtually ALL of Miss G and Boy G's friends were there. The music was good. And the cocktails were free. All in all not a bad party.

But Miss G's next ex husband wasn't there. Not that he KNOWS he is Miss G's next ex husband. Or even Miss G's next husband. Hell, he barely even speaks to Miss G. But he is FABULOUS and someday Miss G hopes to be his wife!

Until then, enjoy the pics from the event!