It's Time to Ketchup!

Hey, GingerSnaps!  Once again, Miss Ginger has gone for MONTHS without giving you any real sauce on here, so it's time to catch up!  So far, this summer has been a BLUR!

Let's start, as summer does, with Memorial Day.  Miss Ginger made a quickie trip to the Big Apple to see her dear, dear sister DD, compliments of the oft-maligned Continental

United airlines.  It was so good to see my dear sis, and yes, we did make it to "the Urges" for a little tipping the dick dancers philanthropy!  We also made a stop at Excellent Dumpling House for some Borbequed Pork Buns, just to make Mistress Borghese sorry she chose the beach instead!  

Those who follow closely may remember that Miss Ginger toyed with the idea of a craft blog, but those who follow closely also know that Miss G finds it hard enough making time for this blog, much less the crafts that would be required to start another blog.  Plus, Miss G has enough abandoned blogs out there!  But, always true to her word, Miss G WILL be adding crafts to this blog in the not TOO distant future, and she has been crafting away furiously in order to have many several at least a few posts prepared before she launches into this!  Rest assured, you won't have to be crafty to enjoy these posts- snarkiness is the most important crafting skill for Miss Ginger! One of the things we ARE working on is a Dust Bunny Duster, which I know you will all want to make!

Who needs a Swiffer® with one of these guys around?! 

On other fronts, Miss Ginger was ELATED with Justice Robert's vote on the Affordable Care Act!! Miss Ginger has spent a bit of time on the 'net lately talking some of her more conservative friends down off the ledge, but she couldn't be happier seeing the US take this baby step into the modern world!  No one questions the right of government to provide police protection, fire protection, hell, even the schooling of our children!  But, mention that you'd like to protect the daily health of all citizens in a similar manner and you start a firestorm of controversy!  Nutwood Beth Facebooked this great article that describes the known changes in chronological order;  it's kind of amazing how little impact this will have on most of the US!  Will there be in increase in your insurance premium? Let me answer that question with a question: "has there not been an increase in your insurance premium every year, for as long as you can remember?"  Oh, and by the way...how many tax increases can you remember in your life time from which you could opt out simply by doing something you should have been doing anyway?!! And, as many articles have pointed out, if the "tax on non-participants" didn't exist, you'd have to take out the "no pre-existing conditions" requirement, which would render the act useless.  It's a great starting point, and I'm proud to support the President who signed it into law!

Anderson Cooper came out. Yawn.

Tom Cruise came out left Katie Holmes. Yawn.

So, watcha think, dear 'Snaps.... is Miss Tommasina gay?

"Oh, gurl- you KNOW I am!!"

The Olympic trials have started, and are America's newest form of "reality TV"! Does anyone ever remember US Olympic Trials getting PRIMETIME coverage?  Clearly, there is a god!!

Cool your jets, girls, boiz, and gurls,  he's married!

Dat's right..... maddied!

And, as the rest of the world goes gaga over "Magic Mike",

Miss Ginger says: "ladies, if ya wanted to see hot guys naked, all you hadda do is TELL me!!

Miss Ginger's Kangaroo Court®

Here again is Miss Ginger Grant with more riveting cases from the courts of Harris County Texas, and in Miss Ginger's Kangaroo Court®, YOU, dear GingerSnaps, are the sole judge and jury!  So let's get cracking!

Jakadrien Turner, a 15 year old Dallas girl with clearly a troubled home life, ran away to Houston, shoplifted, and got caught.  Apparently not wanting to be returned to her mother's custody, the young girl made the very poor decision to lie about her identity,  giving the name of a 22 year old Columbian national upon her arrested.  Jakadrien identified herself as Tika Lanay Cortez, and claimed that she could have her passport and and Columbian identification papers sent to authorities. She couldn't, and ultimately she was deported, and lived in Columbia for a period of time long enough to get pregnant. Her grandmother finally tracked her down in Columbia, worked with authorities to get her returned to the US, and now her mother (the one she ran away from) is suing the DHS, the Justice Department, and Janet Napolitano for $15 million dollars!! 

Here's where the story gets a bit sketchy, so grab a glass of wine- the Kangaroo Court will wait.

Jakadrien told authorities that after she ran away, she fell in love with "a trafficker", whatever the hell that means.  Of course, he abused her. Of course, he threatened to kill her and her family if she tried to leave. And of course, she managed to miraculously escape him, yet never told authorities about him until the whole ugly mess landed in court.

Apparently, in the short two weeks between her escape from her captor and her arrest, she met some people with family in Columbia.  Throughout her time in jail, she made multiple phone calls to these people, all the while maintaining the alias of Tika Lanay Cortez. Her new friends were unable to provide her with false documentation to prove her legitimacy in the US, so she was deported. 

Here's where the game of "he say's/she say's" starts.  The Associate Press says it reviewed some 15 phone calls that were recorded during her incarceration, and throughout all of those calls she maintained the alias of Tika Lanay Cortez.  But once a Dallas TV station shined its cameras on her upon her return, she's all "Oh, no, I told them I'm just little 15 year old Jakadrien Turner and I wanna go home to my momma!"  

Now, keep in mind, this little girl plead guilty to the shoplifting charge. She never told her attorney that she was lying about her name.  She was told of the immigration hold, and had 8 days to muddle this over in her mind and say "oh, I'm just kidding" but she never did.  And once she was handed over to Immigration authorities, she never told them she was an American citizen, and never complains of the deportation.

So now Granny, on the left, has her baby girl back, to spoil and love the way only a grandmother can.  And her Momma, on the right, has dollar signs in her eyes as she claims her baby girl has been a victim of discrimination.

"Ms. Turner's illegal detention and deportation are the direct and foreseeable consequence of official policies, patterns, practices and customs that manifest not only intentional discrimination based on race and ethnicity and a failure to recognize basic principles of due process, but also a reckless disregard for human life and liberty," according to the lawsuit.

So, what say ye, jury?  Does Momma get $15 million in reparation for  violation of her daughter's civil rights, or does the suit get thrown out as frivolous? Do you think it would have been handled differently had her skin been a different color? Read the evidence, and you decide.... in the comments section, of course!!

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!)

Thinking about.....

... starting a craft blog. Would anyone read?

Two Can Be the Loneliest Number!

So, here's the deal:  Queen Ginger has been doing this little blog for several years now, starting it back when she was just a princess!  It's never been about "being a blogger" or "standing for" anything, it's just a little corner of the interwebz where a drag queen can be herself, speak her mind, have some fun, and make a few friends along the way. And oh, what friends she's made! Her blog friends, like her friends in life, are not huge in numbers, but they are great, like-minded people that she's thrilled to have in her life!

Some, she's met in person, like her dear, dear sister David Dust, along with crazy Cousin Maddie!  On the west coast, she's got the Mermaid Momma, Creative Kailyn, and Fightin' Mad Mary!  And covering the middle of the country, Nutwood Beth and Bucko.   The more she thinks, the more she realizes she's met!  Chicago Dan, and everyone's 2nd favorite drag queen, Amber LeMay.  DJ Howard. Is she forgetting anyone? Oh, Sissy Mark! Who else....? 

And there's still more to meet!  Tug, and Auntie Flame, for sure!  Smalltown Bob, and Mr. and Mrs. Miss Alaineous! The world is filled with GingerSnaps, and Queen G wants to meet them all!  She's cooking up a few little round-ups around the country this spring, but tentatively we are looking at the 2nd weekend of Jazzfest in NOLA, the week after Easter in NYC, and a jaunt to the west coast sometime in May.  Any takers?

Meanwhile, let's reel things back in to the point of this post!  While Queen Ginger is all about quality, not quantity, she has realized that over these years, she has collected 98 wonderful, registered, card-carrying GingerSnaps, and for that she is truly grateful!  But, she also realizes, this box is a couple of 'snaps shy of full!  Wouldn't it be great to have an even 100?  

She only needs 2 more!!  C'mon, folks! If you've been reading, but you're not following, do a girl a favorite and set up a free google account so you can be an official "GingerSnap!" And, if you've got like-minded friends who might enjoy kicking back a few pinot grigios with the world's most entertaining drag queen, send 'em a link!  The world can only be a more FABULOUS place for it!

An Idle Brain Is the Devil's Workshop...

... and 2 are just a disaster waiting to happen!!!

Mrs. Miss A and I were chatting tonight on faceplace (ain't technology somethin'?) and we realized that we were going to need a pretty grand scheme if we ever hoped to get all the GIngerSnaps together!  


I mean, on top of our riDICulously busy schedules, and the fact that we are flung from one coast to the other, there is also the fact that flights are expensive, no one has time to drive, Houston is out of everyone's way, and there's nothing to do in Detroit.


Then, we had a BRAZZILIANT idea!!


What if we plan a GIngerSnap rendevouz in the Windy City? Mr. and Mrs. A can make an easy drive from the motor city!  Points east can typically find cheap commuter trains to make the trip.  And the most far flung of us can find cheap flights to O'Hare and Midway almost any time of the year! Nutwood's just a hoot and a holler from there! We can live on pizza and beer, camp out in cheap hotels (from which you can all come visit Miss Ginger at the Palmer House!) and if we are really sweet, we might even be able to talk Dan or Proper into giving us a tour of the city and it's infamous "BOYSTOWN!"




Waddya think, GingerSnaps? Anyone interested?  When's the best time to to go?

Loss

Humor us one more day and we promise to get back to our normal, FABULOUS selves.


This has been a tough day for Shelby and I.  Much as the doctor had warned,  she has been verrrrrry clingy, but otherwise relatively normal.  I have seen her feed and drink, which is great, but she doesn't seem to be using the litter box. That's something I will call about tomorrow if it doesn't resolve itself.  Maybe she's using the one upstairs that Jack rarely used. Surely, she's been today or she'd seem a lot more miserable!


I'm tormented by smells today. When they brought Jackson to me, he smelled horrible- like a dirty baby. That putrid milk smell that a baby gets by the end of the day.  Combined with wet cat. I never want to smell that smell again!  In addition, in a fit of poor judgement, I tied the crawfish shells from the weekend in a plastic bag and put them in the outdoor garbage bin.  That was a bad idea... it was 90 degrees today.  The yard reeks, and the garbage man doesn't come until Thursday.  And to top that off,  I think a possum has died under the house. I get a faint wiff of it here in the office, and the downstairs bathroom filled with fleas last night, which always happens when something croaks beneath the floorboards. At least they seem to confine themselves to the bathroom, which I think is because the floor there is white. I really wish I could just turn my nose off for a while. Instead, I've chosen to shove it into a glass of wine.


Believe it or not, this is the first time in my adult life that I have experience the loss of a pet, and the first time I have had to put one down.  We had an Irish Setter for most of my childhood, and she died the summer between high school and college. Natural causes. I wasn't home at the time. It was sad, but not terrible.


Today was terrible. After having lost 4 grandparents, 2 parents, a brother, numerous aunts and uncles, and many, many friends, I thought I was a grief warrior! Grieve, yes. Take your time, yes. Time will heal, yes.  Yet somehow, this was different.  My pain initially was much more intense- the tears were like acid running down my face.  I cried harder, longer, and much more intensely than I did when Momma or Daddy died. When they died, I felt blistered. It hurt. I wasn't going to die from it, but it hurt.  And it lingered, and different things would irritate it and make it worse again. It seemed like every time I walked, I rubbed against that blister and irritated it again.


This was more of an acute pain, like a stab, or a cut.  It hurt really bad when it happened, but now, it seems bandaged, and as long as I'm careful, I think it will heal quickly and leave one of those scars that reminds you how much fun you were having when you fell. He was my first cat. He came into my life with my first live in lover.  He stayed with me after I had my first real breakup.  And now he's gone.


I still have Shelby, thank god!  And my little Nog, the one I worry about the most, is healthy and happy and ruling the back yard.  And I'm sure there will be other cats in my future. Maybe I will find them; maybe they will find me.  But Jackson will always be my first kitty, and that means he will always be a special kitty.  And I thank ALL of my kitty loving friends for their love, support, understanding, and patience!


It would probably do me good to get out. But I don't want to leave Shelby alone. She's never been alone. As luck would have it, I had planned a few days "staycation" this week to try to get some things done. So much for that. But at least I have a couple of days to keep an eye on Shelby, and I am thrilled that I have my GingerSnaps to talk to.  You all mean the world to me!

C'mon- Make my Day!

See that little box over there to the right, underneath where is says "Welcome to the Land of the Gingersnaps"?  Well, that little fella has been sitting there since 2008, slowly but surely welcoming each new GingerSnap that joins our fold!  Believe it or not, there are 91 of you out there, reading always, sometimes, or never about the goings on of Miss Queen Ginger and her batty felines!  Surely, there are 9 more people in the world that want to watch the antics of this crazy queen and her whacky cats, 24/7/365 moments a year!!


Whadya say?  Help Queen G get to 100 followers!  Send her link to some of your likeminded blog buddies, and ask them to follow Miss G! And if you're out there lurking in the shadows,  sign up for a blogger account (it's free!) and come out into the light to bask in the glow of Ginger's warmth and goodness!  


Please don't make me grovel!  It's so unbecoming of a Royal to beg!!

Pretty Damn Brazziliant!

According to the Houston Chronicle, online retailer Amazon.com is working to patent an online gifting system that to Miss G seems nothing short of brilliant! According to the article, Amazon knows that about 30% of the items it ships as gifts will be returned, at expense and inconvenience to both the recipient and the retailer.  Therefore, they have devised a system of advanced notification that allows users to convert an undesirable gift to something they want, before it even leaves the warehouse!!


Users can set parameters for gift acceptance on Amazon's site, and gifts that fall within the parameters will be shipped as usual.  But, if the gift falls outside of the parameters, like "no gifts from Aunt Mildred", or "no clothing with wool", the recipient will be notified that the gift has been ordered and paid for, and will ask the recipient for further instructions.  Seems like a "win-win" to me!!


Apparently, the Emily Post set is up in arms. What do you think, dear GingerSnaps? Would you use such a service?

It's Caturday Here as Well!

Since David Dust and Behr Mark have sorta started a "Caturday" theme, Miss Ginger thought this would be a good time to share this little story.

Yasee, Boy Ginger is a bit of a cat whisperer. Not quite as bad as depicted on this obviously gay man's Prius, as Boy G only has 3. But he ALMOST had 4 this week. Almost!

This week, while working in Dallas, Boy G met the sweetest little cat at the Courtyard by Marriott (luxurious, I know!!) When we got home from work Thursday night he came right up to us, meowing and mewing and skinny as could be! Another lady was there and I said "is that your cat?" and she said that it wasn't, but it looked hungry and she was trying to find something to feed it but couldn't. So, Boy G hopped back into the car and head up the expressway to Tom Thumb to pick up a couple of cans of food.

When he first got back, he got a good look at the cat in the headlights and realized that he was a beautiful white color, with tips of tan that made him a beautiful ivory color. Since to this day he's still not sure of the gender of the kitten, he decided "Ivory" would be a perfect name because it could go either way.

When Boy G opened the first can, Ivory came right to him, but seemed to want love and snuggles more than food. He would come right to Boy G's hand, sniff, rub his cheek, circle round, rub on Boy G's shoe, etc... all the flirting a cat does when it wants human attention. As Boy G sat on the curb, Ivory crawled right up into his lap, and even let Boy G hold and carry him! This led Boy G to believe that cat had been abandoned, because a feral born cat would probably not be so friendly.

Ivory was quite a talker, which may be what led to his cruel dismissal. With his sort of seal-point coat and all that vocabulary, Miss G assumes he is part Persian or Siamese, both notorious talkers! He also had clear blue eyes, like a bottle of Windex... another sign of his Asian persuasion!

Anyho, Boy G sat with Ivory until he finally ate, and then petted him a bit more before heading back to his room for the night. He sent several texts trying to find a home for Ivory to no avail. The next day, Ivory was once again skittering around the parking lot of the hotel, and came right up to Boy G as he opened up the second can of food before he headed off to work, and then the airport.

At work, he asked around a bit more to find out if anyone needed an ADORABLE pet, but alas, no takers. Boy G toyed briefly with the idea of trying to bring him to Houston, but there is no way he would ever place an animal in a cargo hold of an airplane, and his mewing from a carrier under the seat would have made Boy G the most unpopular co-passenger in airline history. Keeping the car and driving home with Ivory was quickly dismissed, since Boy G can only drive for about an hour or so without falling asleep. At that rate the drive from Dallas would have taken forever!!!

So, Ivory is left to fend for himself at the Courtyard Marriott on North Central Expressway in Big D. If there are any Dallas GingerSnaps out there who could help find Ivory a good home, I know the GingerNation would be eternally grateful! As Okrah often says: "pay it forward!!!"

Welcome Gingersnaps!

We've picked up 2 more GingerSnaps® today, bringing the census of GingerNation® to 64! Hope you enjoy it here, and check out Miss G's blogroll and meet all her awesome friends!

Miss Ginger Welcomes a "Newwwww Memba"!

3 actually! 3 new GingerSnaps have joined GingerNation®, and Miss Ginger couldn't be more delighted! No one is better at welcoming New Members than Fat Fighters own Marjorie Dawes, so here she is with a special welcome!


Not that anyone's counting, but that brings GingerNation® to a census of 61!!!

Happy Labor Day!

Miss Ginger got so wrapped up in her Labor Day festivities that she plumb forgot to wish all the GingerSnaps out there a Happy Labor Day! She hopes everyone had a safe, happy, and relaxing celebration to mark then end of summer! Now get those white shoes and seersucker suits packed away: Miss G doesn't want to be seeing any of that until next May!!

After checking out of the hotel, Miss G stopped by the Casina before she left NOLA to head over to Baton Rouge, where she'll be working tomorrow. She's had a hankerin' for something special ever since her ill-fated trip to New Jersey, so she decided on a big pile of rich, delicious sliced beef for dinner!

Tomorrow, she's back in Houston and back on her diet!

A New 'Snap Among Us!

Seems like it's been years since we had a newbie around here! Welcome Kyler to the hot tranny mess we call TFBOMGG!

And check him out, everybody:

he's a cutie!

His blog is called Out Left. Hmmm, wonder what it's all about?!

Not that anyone's counting, but that makes 55 GingerSnaps in this crazy box of cookies!

Puttin' it out there!

Miss G is puttin' it out there that the Olympus Ball XL (that's "40" to you non-Romans!) is February 6th, 2010 at the George R. Brown Convention Center here in Houston, Tx! January will be cold and nasty in most parts of the US, and it might be that way here, but more than likely it will be 70f and sunny! Miss G would LOVE to have a whole table of GingerSnaps and DustBunnies to represent GingerBunny nation, but she needs to know relatively soon! So here's the deets:
Miss G has a guest room, a convertible room,and a sofa. First dibs on each.
The Krewe usually negotiates a deal at the Best Western near Tony's Corner Pocket, the bar where we usually have our after party.
There is a GORGEOUS Hilton near the convention center for those who are more luxury inclined. Miss G has a remote connection... if you find the price astronomical, let her know and she'll see if she can negotiate!
She has a table of 10 seats... if she needs more, she can get them if she knows soon enough! So, if anyone is able to commit to a GingerSnap/Dust Bunny summit, let her know so she can get the social committee to work on it!

PS- Houston is the hometown hub for Continental Airlines, the Official Airline for GingerNation, so you may get the best deal through them!

It's That Time of Year!

It's that time of year when everyone is celebrating pride, coming together, and raising money for their favorite organizations! You just never know WHERE Miss Ginger is going to show up this time of year, because there are so many shows and invites she can't possibly be at everything! But here are a few events where there's a REALLY good chance you will at least catch a glimpse of her!

First, Alex Stroud, Candidate for Mr. Mint Julep 2009, is having a show this Saturday night (tomorrow!), 8pm, at Tony's Corner Pocket. Miss Ginger just HAS to be there for him, because Mr. Alex has worked his adorable ass off raising money for the Mint Julep Franchise this year, and tomorrow night is just another example. Plus, Miss G is totally crushing on him, even though he has a BF. (She's quite the homewrecker! Not!) And plus plus, after the show, as always on Saturday night, Tony's will have dick dancers, aka penis prancers, aka male strippers, and that's always good for an ogle or 2! Won't be the same with Mamie, Maddie, and the rest of the trannies, but it will still be a fun time!

Then, on Sunday, June 13th, the Board of Directors of ERSICSS has a show at EJ's, 2517 Ralph at Westheimer, to raise money for Legacy Community Health Services. You can be pretty sure Miss Ginger will be there as well because: A: it's a benefit for Legacy, B: she's always there for her friends from ERSICSS, C: she will have already shaved her netherlands from the night before, and D: the bartenders at EJ's are usually shirtless and handsome! How many more reasons does a girl need to put on a face and heels and strut out in style!

The next weekend, on Saturday, June 20th, Candidate for Miss Mint Julep Mona Lott hosts a show at Tony's Corner Pocket entitled "Over the Rainbow!". The ever colorful Miss Mona is sure to have a show that will wow and amaze us!

But, the month's not up yet! On Friday, June 26th, the PWA Holiday Charities are presenting a show at Tony's Corner Pocket. 8pm on a Friday is a great time to be out and about, and the Holiday Charities always put on a great show for a great cause!

The summer draws near it's close as we present the Mr., Ms., and Miss Mint Julep Contest, Sunday, July 19th, 2:30pm at the Brazos River Bottom. This year's show should be extra FABULOUS with a new venue, new performers, and some great candidates who have really worked hard this year to raise money for Legacy! If you only see one drag show a year, this is the one to see!

So keep an eye out for Miss G when you're out and about in H-town the summer! Be sure to tip her, and when you do, be sure to tell her "I'm a GingerSnap!"

Starting a Collection for David Dust-

No, honey, don't send any money! Although I'm sure he would love that if we did! But I think would should help him collect photos of every Arby's in America! It will be easy- we drive past them all the time! So pull out that camera phone and snap a photo! And while you're their, pull in and get some of those new loaded potato bite things they have! They're kind of like a McDonald's hash brown but they have cheese and bacon in them... heavenly!

Wait, I got off-track. So snap a picture of Arby's in your neighborhood, on your way to work, etc. Let's start by trying to get an Arby's in every state! We already have the world headquarters in Atlanta!

So here's Arby's in West Oaks Mall, Houston, TX.

Where's your nearest Arby's?

David: you have to check them off as we 'snap em!

We Lost A 'Snap!!

Yesterday we had 31 GingerSnaps following the blog, and today we're down to 30.

Gee, I hope I didn't offend anyone!

More Pics from the Ball!

GingerSnap Timmy has posted some great pics from the Ball on his blog! Check them out- and while you're there, you may just decide to become a LemonTwist!

I Just Love my FEEDJIT!

Miss Ginger just LOVES the FEEDJIT she added to her blog! If you haven't noticed it, check it out- it's way at the bottom of the toolbar to the right, and it looks like a little map. It adds a red dot every time a visitor comes into TFBOMGG for the first time in a geographic area! Not only do we have GingerSnaps® from coast to coast in America, we are collecting snaps from around the world! I knew of 2 Snaps in the UK, but we've also had visits from Spain, Italy, Germany, and Brazil! (Miss Ginger LOVES Brazillian men- she may have to learn Portugese!) I wonder how many other International GingerSnaps® we will get?!