Proud to be a Houstonian!

Houston's out lesbian Mayor Annise Parker shows her NOH8 realness!!

Free Enterprise?

Or perhaps this post should be entitled "Only in America"... Miss Ginger doesn't think this kind of foolishness could happen anywhere else!


So here's her take on the shizz:

Many years ago, an airline named Continental moved from El Paso to Houston, and established its "Golden Jet Service". Over the years, the successful airline bought smaller airlines, like Texas International, and merged with other airlines, like Eastern.  Through the years, management struggles and bankruptcy's made Continental an also-ran with most of America's other airlines, but in 1991 a man named Gordon Bethune took the helm and made customer satisfaction his mantra.  Bethune knew that happy people make happy customers, so he immersed himself in creating a culture of empowerment, respect, and open-minded negotiation that allowed the airline to flourish and develop a relationship and reputation with the citizens of a city that would be come the country's 3rd largest.


Bethune retired sometime before 9/11, and left the carrier and the people who made it in the hands of Jeff Smisek.  Smisek had worked with Bethune over the years, and together they worked with the City of Houston to develop, expand, and redevelop Houston's Intercontinental Airport as the airline's largest hub by expanding service into the merging Latin American market. With Newark at their European gateway and Houston as their Latin American gateway, the airline could funnel millions of people onto profitable, long-haul flights with recently developed "regional" jet service.  What a gold mine!


But then, the economy soured, fuel prices rose, and 9/11 happened.  Continental, like most other airlines, sought government loans to stabilize themselves against the lost revenues.  They cut flights, reduced staff, and eliminated services to remain in business.

Ultimately, they merged with United Airlines to form the world's largest airline.  With Continental's Latin American reach from Houston, United's Asian reach from LAX, and the combined European reach from the carriers' formerly opposing hubs in Newark and New York, the decision seemed brilliant. And they kept Jeff Smisek at the helm,  to ensure that the new airline would have the service culture of Continental while leveraging the worldwide recognition of United.  They even commingled the names and logos in what may have been the last good decision of the process.  It all went downhill from there.


Smisek and his transition team negotiated Chicago as the headquarter city for the combined carrier, snubbing the long-standing relationship Continental held with the city of Houston.  In addition, failure to reach bargaining agreements in a timely manner with the multiple labor unions representing the various groups of workers have left most employee's edgy, dissatisfied, and downright grumpy!  That has certainly been Miss Ginger's observation on the many flights she has taken on the new carrier!

Meanwhile, a little Dallas startup called Southwest Airlines has quietly waited for it's opportunity to explode into the market.  While other airlines have competed to add new routes and the latest jetliners to their offering, Southwest's fleet of stalwart 737's has been hopping from point to point, filled to capacity with khaki-wearing flight attendants serving happy customers with low expectations. Because they have contracted for gates in underutilized, sometimes outdated or out of the way airports, they have been able to keep their fares as low as their profile, and some really smart fuel-hedges made by management in recent years have allowed them to remain the low price leader as other airlines (like United) have realigned themselves in an attempt to compete.


"So, Miss Ginger", you may be asking yourself, "What's so foolish about all this?"  Well, here goes:


Because Southwest has a little cash in their pockets, and since their recent acquisition of Airtran has given them a taste of the international life, the management of Southwest approached the City of Houston about expanding the facilities at Houston's Hobby Airport to allow them to add routes to Mexico and the Caribbean.  Seems like a reasonable request, right?  And just to make it all professional and shit, the folks from Southwest commissioned an independent consultant to study the feasibility and predict the economic advantage to the city.  Voila! If we expand Hobby, according to the study, Houston will benefit through the creation of jobs, expanded tourism (creating still more jobs), and an enhanced value of the airport and the facilities.  Add to the equation that Southwest can pay for the construction through the profits from the routes, and it all makes perfect sense, right?! And just to prove they are good sports, Southwest agreed to build an extra gate, and give it to the city, free of charge, to rent to whomever they wish. 


"But wait!", screams Continental  "the New United". "You can't do that to us! That study is flawed! You owe us the opportunity to commission our own study, 'specially since we practically BUILT Intercontinental for you, and all!"  


So they did, and of course, it painted pictures of gloom and doom. Jobs will be lost as customers are split between the 2 airports.  Lines will form as the TSA and Customs Office split their agents between two facilities. And flights will be cut because of the diminished traffic.


"Say WHAT?!"

So they City Council voted. And of course, they voted to allow Southwest Airlines to give them 6 additional gates at Hobby, free of charge, and guarantee them rent for 5 of them. The City of Houston and Southwest have forged a partnership for the future!


 But here's where it gets STUPID!  That night, that very same night, the New United issues this press release:

United Airlines to cut 1,300 Houston jobs

DAVID KOENIG, AP Airlines Writers, JOSHUA FREED, AP Airlines Writers

O. M. G!!  Miss Ginger thinks this may be the world's 1st case of corporate immaturity!  Southwest can't possibly begin service until 2015, yet United is going to cut jobs NOW?  Read the article, I beg you!  You'll get the full taste of how ridiculous this is!


Personally, methinks the airline industry needs a bit of government regulation to compete in a world economy where many of the largest airlines outside of the US are run by the countries they serve.  In a industry like air transportation, where the infrastructure (airports, run by the local governments) are so inextricable from the enterprise,  one has to wonder if "free enterprise" is really going to work.  If each airline had to build its own airport, think of how the cost of tickets would rise!  If the government didn't manage air control, how would you keep the planes from one airline from hitting those of another? Plus, if any yokel with the cash to buy a used airliner could put it in the sky, just think about the crap that would be falling from the sky!  WE all have to wear hardhats every time we went outside!


So, when you go to vote in the next election, will you vote for Mitt "let them make money at all cost" Romney?  Maybe that explains United's babyfied behavior... the Republicans are right: corporations ARE people!  Pissy, babyfied people who pout if they don't get their way!

http://www.fly2houston.com/iah

Incredibly Busy!!

WTF?!  Queen Ginger is just not important enough to be THIS busy!!!
So much has been going on that Lady G just doesn't know where to begin!

First of all, it had been HEINOUSLY hot here in Texas this summer!  And DRY!!  In this soggy, humidity-ridden part of the state, we have actually been asked to ration water and reduce our dependence on electrical energy! The City of Houston has given us specific watering days (Sunday and Thursday for you detail queens!) and  ERCOT  has warned of record weekend usage, possibly requiring rolling blackouts over the weekend!  How will Miss G dry her luxurious red hair?


Additionally, social obligations have been off the charts!  It started with the HRC Gala at the beginning of the summer, and it hasn't let up yet! Last weekend was the Krewe's Trash Disco Party, and Queen G is STILL soaking her feet from all of that "boogying" and such!


 On top of the social obligations, Boy G has been INSANELY busy at work, all in a good way, but there's never any rest for the winners!  Southern Decadence will be a "no go" for the G's this year... WAY too much going on, and too insanely hot to even consider attending! It's been a while since she's missed it, but this year, it's not in the cards!


And on top of all else,  the Queen decided her carriage did not befit a sovereign of her stature, so she has spent much of her online time as of late considering the options for new royal conveyance.

She's landed upon a model named after Amurca's 16th President,  and Queen G is proud to "Ride Amurcan", even though she knows it was assembled in Canada, from parts made in Malaysia!  But the engine and transmission were made in Amurca, dammit, hand assembled with loving care by migrant workers from Mexico!  It's as Amurcan as apple pie! 




Lest my dear sister DD think she is going to get a ride to Gristedes after my trip through the tunnel (above), that is NOT the CDQG (Carriage de Queen Ginger)!  Her's is a more royal bronze tone, with a limited interior only found on a a select few vehicles!  And ALL Royal Carriages MUST be named, so look forward to a photo tomorrow so you can share your opinion of a title befitting such a luxurious machine!

Speaking of luxurious, Miss Ginger finally got a tour of the FABULOUS new Legacy Montrose Clinic she has been working so hard to help fund! Actually, "luxurious" is probably not an appropriate word to describe the practical, efficient facility that has been built to LEED compliance, but for the Legacy staff that has been scattered across the far-flung, under-spaced facilities, I'm sure it will feel like a dream come true!  Not to mention the clients, who will now have comfortable, spacious, private waiting rooms reserved for their specific needs!  There are separate facilities for primary care, eye care, dental care, pediatric care, behavioral care... 3 floors of care, plus administrative offices all in one place!  Both Queen Ginger and Boy Ginger could not be prouder of the "baby" they have worked so hard to produce, along with countless others in the Houston community who understand the need for this crucial care!


If you're so inclined,  plan on attending the Grand Opening ceremony on October 16th!  Miss G is pretty sure she can score you a VIP tour!!


So, our busy gurl gets to put on her scrubs tomorrow and help Boy G clean out the garage!  We can't expect that beautiful machine to bake in the hot Texas sun now, can we?!

Walk Score® Results Are Out...

and the Big Apple has ousted the Golden Gate as the "Most Walkable US City"  with a "walkability score" of 85.3%!  This should be great news for everyone's favorite walking bunny, who thought he was just walking because the traffic is too bad to drive a car!!  Truth is, his city offers more treasures within walking distance of more addresses than any other city in the country!  The #4 ranking goes to GingerSnap-rich Chicago, and Mistress Maddie enjoys the #5 ranking... at least whenever she drags her hung over ass into the city! 


Poor lazy Miss Ginger is stuck in Houston, which, surprisingly, ranked 23rd out of 50. Heat, distance, and humidity make Houston very unwalkable in Miss Ginger's book, but according to the survey, some places are worse (sucks being Oklahoma City!)


Interestingly enough, however, Miss Ginger's humble domicile enjoys a walkability rating of 85%!!  Her historic neighborhood was built as a "streetcar community", where everything was designed to be a short walk from the streetcar line.  The electric streetcars are long since gone, but the long, narrow layout remains, making distances pretty manageable.  Now, if only we could find a solution for the heat and humidity, Miss G might actually stretch her legs and get some exercise!


Check out the amenities within walking distance of Miss G, and then put in your own address to see your score!  Which GingerSnap has the highest walkability rating?

Houston Philanthropy At It's Best!

What a day it was today in Houston for philanthropy and recognition of Human Rights!!

A midday "flashmob" in the Houston Galleria (right in front of one of Miss G's stores!) celebrated breast cancer awareness with a coreographed routine to Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Surive!"

Best part of all? It was sung LIVE by Ms. Gaynor her ownself, right there up in front of the Macy's! So sorry I missed it! Sponsored by Houston Philanthropists Sue and Lester Smith, it was one of Houston's best "worst kept" secrets, although Miss G didn't find out about it until after it had happened!

Then later tonight,  Miss G, along with the rest of Houston glitterari gays and lesbians, gathered at the Hilton Americas for the 14th annual Houston Human Rights Campaign gala.

The unspoken star of the night was Cuc Vu, who's "Miss Saigon" story of her escape from a war-torn Vietmnam was both riveting and inspiring.

The "spoken" star of the night was Kate Walsh, star of TV's "Grey's Anatomy" and its' spinoff, "Private Practice". She was sweet, cute, charming, and entertaining. And, we agreed, apparently a tad drunk. Not that we all weren't!

 
 
 
 

Miss Ginger's BIG excitement for the night, however, was her opportunity to meet Nikki Araguz, live and in person! There she was, tiny little petite woman that she is, looking 100%, bonafide, real woman. Not that there should be any doubt, nor should it matter, but believe me when I tell you, if Miss Ginger did not know this woman was transgendered, she would lose a bet, because there is no way anyone could tell she was born a man if she didn't tell them. Nikki was sweet, charming, cordial, and genuine! I can't WAIT for her reality show to air, so I can watch and recap it weekly! Miss Ginger is officially "starstruck!"



It's late! Hopefully, there will be more later, to include a photo op of Miss G with Nikki!

Tragedy!

Douglas Schantz was a Houston energy executive who, like Miss Ginger, loved the City of New Orleans and travelled there often. That's probably about as much as he and Miss G have in common: the love of a city and the spirit it represents. But really, isn't that enough?

The Houston Chronicle began following his story early Friday morning, when he didn't return to his hotel from a French Quarter bar crawl with his colleagues. For 4 days, police, private eyes, and coworkers combed the French Quarter trying to find anyone who might have seen him, or knew his whereabouts. Many suspected foul play, and hate against New Orleans spewed forth on the Chronicle Blogs about what a dangerous city it was, and how certainly he had met his fate at the hands of some evildoers.

Turns out, New Orleans is not the hell pit they imagined. Even in it's antiquity, the French Quarter is rife with surveillance cameras, and over the course of time, investigators were able to track his movement through the French Quarter. The last camera image of him shows his approach to the banks of the Mississippi, in a restricted area near the docks of the Steamboat Natchez. He never reappeared in the 4 hours of tape that followed.

Today, his body was found in the Mississippi river. No signs of foul play. No suicide note. No reason to think anything other than the guy got drunk, stumbled to the river, and fell in. Such a tragedy, really. Miss Ginger wonders where he thought he was going? And why he violated the restricted area. It's really sad, and Miss G's heart goes out to his family, friends, and coworkers. Really, just a tragic accident.

Yet, Miss G can't help but find herself angered at all the ASSHATS on Chron.com who had to leave comments about "the dangers of New Orleans." Apparently the most dangerous thing about New Orleans these days is that they overserve drunk people.

My heart breaks for his family, his friends, and his company. And my heart breaks for New Orleans.

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She's In!!

Not all precincts have reported, and it's been a close race, but the Houston Chronicle has announced that Annise Parker has an "unbeatable lead" against her opponent in the race for Mayor of Houston, Texas!!!

Wow! An out lesbian voted in as Mayor of our nation's 4th largest city! There are many who thought it never could happen in Texas, but we believed, and it has come true!!!
I don't think Annise is a reader of TFBOMGG, but if you are: "Congratulations, darlin'! You deserve it and we are all damn proud of ya!"

In Other Local Races....

...there are at least 3 openly gay candidates running for various City Council seats in Houston. Honestly, City Council races usually bore Miss Ginger: "something about crime"... "something about neighborhoods"... "something about transit".... "something about land use"....


That is, until Carlos announced he was running for City Council!

Ah, Carlos! What can Miss G say about dear, sweet Carlos? She met him at a black tie affair, and damn, if that boy doesn't look FINE in black tie! He's not the most experienced candidate on the ballot, and based on our conversation, he may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but really, people... are you that shallow? Do you select your leadership based solely on experience and intelligence? What about charisma? and charm? and shear, unadulterated, utter sex appeal? Now THESE are the traits Miss Ginger looks for when endorsing a candidate!

So, Miss G knows there's a lezzie running for some Council seat, and another old gay guy running for the other, and she'll vote for them if she can remember their name tomorrow morning! But, you can bet your bottom dollar on one thing: when it comes time to cast her vote for City Council At-large Position 5, she will be casting her vote for her future husband: Carlos A. Obando! She's perfect for the job of "First Lady At-Large"- I mean, c'mon people... they don't come much larger! Now, if she can just convince Carlos.... !

Tomorrow is Election Day!

And it's a big one for the GLBTQ community in Houston! Out lesbian Annise Parker, who has served on Houston's City Council and as City Controller, is running for Mayor! Both Miss Ginger and Boy Ginger have met Annise on several occassions and have always been struck by her smile and her sincerity. She is known for having run a tight ship with the city's pursestrings, which is important in our current economic environment! Better yet, while she is active, visible, and supportive within the GLBTQ community, the word on the street among the straights is that she is respected for having refrained from using her position to further a "gay" agenda. Personally, I think she has been more than "neutral", but clearly shrewd enough to remain fair, consistent, and popular!

There are 3 other candidates, and Annise and 2 others are considered "front runners". There is likely to be a run-off, and Miss G is quite sure Annise will be a part of it! Stay tuned for tomorrow nights election results- right here on TFBOMGG!

Who knew?

that Saturday night could be so much fun! Last Thursday, Miss Tony called and said: "Miss Ginger, if you're free Satruday evening, we'd love to have you at our table at the Diana's Saturday night!" Translated, that means :"we racked our brains trying to think of someone we knew who owns a tuxedo who will be sitting at home alone on Saturday night. Let's call Ginger!"

Anyway, Miss G had heard of the Diana's but had never actually attended one of their functions, so she was kind of curious!

The event was held at the Houston Zoo, which seemed like kind of a strange venue to Miss G but it turned out to be perfect! She was kind of concerned that she would look odd arriving at the zoo in a tux, but then she realized that if she just followed the parade of gay men in formal attire through the parking lot she would end up in the right place!

Did you ever notice how the tuxedo is the great equalizer? I mean, what man doesn't look good in a tux? I don't mean those stupid pastel blue things high school boys wear to prom, or those crazy nerhu things the scruffy stars in Hollywood wear. I'm talkin' solid black, satin collar, stripe-down-the-leg formal that makes fat men look skinny and skinny men look HOT!

Anyho, the Zoo turned out to be a loveley place to have such an event, and the Houston Zoo was clearly well-rehearsed at hosting such an event, with in-house catering and everything.

The Diana event itself is silly and kinda stupid, but it does command Miss G's respect in terms of longevity! It has existed since 1956, when a group of gay men got together to watch the Oscars- probably at the home of the only one who owned a TV- and I don't mean a tranny! Since then, they have incorporated as a foundation and give money to great charities that Miss G supports, so it was inevitable that she would someday connect with them!

The highlight of the evening was a "stage show" put on by the sea lions at the zoo, and it was entertaining and educational. Do YOU know how to tell a seal from a sea lion? Sea lions have ear flaps, whereas seals just have pinholes. Sea lions tuck their tail under to form back feet and walk on "all fours", seals just flop on their bellies on dry land and can't really walk. And sea lions can jump 10 feet above the surface of the water; seals can only swim. So now you know!

Heidi Klum, eat your heart out!

Miss Ginger Demonstrates!

Usually when Miss Ginger demonstrates, it's "how to make gumbo" or "how to sew a housecoat", but today Miss Ginger actually participated in a political demonstration at Houston's FABULOUS art deco city hall.

Let me back up- Miss Ginger got all wrapped up in what to wear. An all black, professional suit? We want to look respectable. Something bright? We want to attract attention and get noticed? Pastel? It's after Labor Day! She worked herself into such a frenzy that she decided to send Boy Ginger as her stand in. Boy was thrilled to go, because he had promised the dear, sweet David Dust that he would cover Houston as the Dust Bunny correspondant for the national Join the Impact campaign.

Neither Boy or Ginger are much on demonstration and protest, and their support of causes tends to be more humanitarian than political. But, on a very basic level, there is no more humanitarian need than human rights, and the right to marry whomever one chooses should not be denied to anyone.

And, when you think about stupid prop 8, where along the way did society start "defensive legislation", anyway? I mean, prop 8 is proposing to "ban" something that isn't even legal! How stupid is that?

Anyway, Boy Ginger met fellow Dust Bunnies Str8upwithatwist, Margo, and AlanHou, and we snapped this photo for dear David and the other bunnies:

At first Miss Ginger thought there were about 1,000 people there, and she saw SpecialEd (from our Special Events team at work) and NeighborJane from down the street, plus lots of other peeps.

By the time she worked her way out of the midst to take this crowd shot, she revised her estimate to more like 2,000.

And here's a little movie clip of the crowd chanting:


So that's it from Houston! I'm looking forward to seeing coverage from Dust Bunnies all around the country on David's blog!