Purple Party!!

Hey everyone, just a quick update about our weekend. It was Dallas Purple Party Weekend and we had a blast. We did some last minute shopping because apparently purple isn't in our normal color selection. I had so much fun with my green hair on St. Patrick's Day that I decided since it was the Purple Party I should go for purple hair, seems logical right? In the right light it was purple but clearly from the pics, it was slightly more pink than purple. But the point of the night was to have fun so off we went to Dallas.

The bottle said purple.

One of the big reasons I wanted to go to the opening night party was that my best squirrel friend (in my head) Manilla Luzon was going to be performing. Sahara Davenport was performing as well. These fabulous ladies are from RuPaul's Drag Race. If you haven't seen it, check it out. It is a great show. Usually I can take or leave drag, but watching the show you get that weird sense that you know the people and Manilla was my all time favorite.

We got to S4 at 9:30 in the hopes that we could beat the line. Mostly because it was trying to storm and I had sprayed on purple hair and the purple streaked wet dog look is no longer in. The line moved quickly and we got inside. We got a couple drinks and found out the the first show wasn't until 11pm. Now as anyone who has ever been to a gay club can tell you, 9:30 is not a great time for a crowd. Depending on the night, 11:30 might be a little early. So we just pulled up a couple of bar stools and enjoyed the music and some chit chat about our weeks.

Finally 11pm rolls around and they start the show. We assumed that they would start with the local talent first, and they did. Like I said before, I can take or leave a drag show but I forgot that here in Dallas you get some serious production numbers. None of the "just stand there and lip sync" stuff. Manilla makes it to the stage and it was almost surreal to see her. I know I am at a drag show and that she is a drag queen so it makes perfect sense but I think it goes back to that feeling that you know someone that you watch over and over on TV. Sahara came out and did a number and we knew that they would not perform again for quite a while so we let the pounding music from downstairs pull us off our bar stools and on to the dance floor.

When we hit the dance floor, it was late enough and Purple Party enough for it to be packed. And not just a typical late Saturday night packed. This place was wall to wall sardine realness. And for the first time in my experience, we had Furries at S4. No not Furbies, Furries (Google it). I can only imagine how hot they must have been in those suits in addition to it being a million degrees since it was so full. We danced for an hour or so and then decided that we were going to go pay our tab and head home.

Throw a "color" party and the gays will pack a club.

HEHEHE Furries! These were a little stinky though.

Shoulda been purple lights.

Gotta luv a Heather!

We got back upstairs to pay our tab and Manilla was on stage again so I got up close and took this great pic. I figured I had to have at least one pic that was at least mostly in focus. As we were heading out, we learned that there was going to be a secret meet and greet. Thankfully one of those handjobs I begrudgingly gave in the bathroom to important looking people paid off. Oh come on now, like you have never done something a little degrading to get access to something you wouldn't have had access to otherwise?? I don't believe you.  All you need is a little hand sanitizer and you are fine. Besides, it is in a gay club, I carry sanitizer there all the time. We headed off to from what I can tell from the pic, was probably called the "blood red" room and waited what we hoped would be just a short while. Since we were waiting on a gay guy and a drag queen combined, it didn't seem promising.

Surprisingly enough there weren't many people waiting and we made our way to the front of the line with ease. Having inside information makes everything easier. If only I had checked to see if I had my emergency Sharpie packed in my utility belt. No autographs but I got to be in a fabulous drag queen sandwich. Once again, I swear the bottle said it was PURPLE. Either way there are now 2 more names on my "Famous People I Have Met" list. It grows more rapidly all the time.

I will leave you with a parting shot of me sleeping on a towel. By the time our wild and crazy night was over, I just didn't have it in me to wash it out. Thanks again for reading, everyone. Until next time. Since it seems fitting, "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else??? Can I get an Amen up in here? Now let the music play."

Try not to get too excited about seeing me in bed.

OKC Crew Weekend

Starting today off with some heavy duty rehydration and relaxation after a crazy weekend with two of our OKC friends Jimmy and Carlye. What follows is what I can only assume is a pretty accurate portrayal of the weekends events, which are brought to you by our sponsors, Vodka and Natty Light!! Let's begin.

FRIDAY NIGHT:We all had to work Friday, so our night didn't start until maybe 10pm once the OKC crew made it to Dallas. We stayed at the Embassy Suites Market Center. It is a very nice hotel with a big open middle that makes the top floor where we stayed a  little dizzying. Our suite was nice and the Do Not Disturb sign was one of the most creative I have seen to date. Once we got settled in the room, it was time to break out the beer and catch up on what we have missed out since we last saw each other. Fast forward thru the gabbing and a few drinking games and we hit the bottom of the beer. How many beers is too many for 4 people? We brought a 30 pack and it didn't survive the first night. Luckily, we had planned on staying in the room and not going anywhere that first night. We played games and chatted and listened to loud music, luckily we either didn't have neighbors or the walls were really thick. I think it was about 3am when we finally made it to bed.



SATURDAY:  Woke up about 9:30 in the morning so that we could make it downstairs to the free breakfast. Free food, especially for the morning after, is a blessing and I am pretty sure it saved my life. After letting breakfast settle a bit, we began our day of fun by hitting Target. This isn't really a vacation staple, but forgetting to pack a swimsuit can create a problem and Target can solve it. Found a suit and some fake mustaches for a dollar. (More on this later.) We then headed to Oaklawn to do some walking around and window shopping. Also to have a refreshing beer after walking around in this marvelous heat we are having. And since it was a mini vacation, you can have a beer in the afternoon right??

Ice Ice Miggity!!

We returned to the hotel to get some swimming and sunning done. The hotel had a nice pool and hot tub, sadly it was indoors. They did have a patio attached to the pool area that had some great sun and we took full advantage of all the offerings in the pool area. Nothing beats sweating out all the previous nights toxins while soaking up all that vitamin D. After our pool fun, it was time to take the Okies to In-N-Out Burger. Its a hell of a drive, but well worth it once you get that double double animal style in your hot little hands. They are constructing a new building along the way that has this weird diagonal structure attached to the facade which makes for a weird looking building. I'm guessing it's some sort of architectural feature that will make more sense upon completion. It gave us all something to discuss on the car trip. Once we arrived at In-N-Out, which has been open a couple of months now, both the drive thru and dine in lines were still a bit of ridiculous. However the dine in line moved quickly enough and soon we all had our burger feast. Shockingly, we were able to find 4 bar stool seats after Richard did a little tactical positioning. Anyone who has eaten at any In-N-Out can tell you that seating is always an issue even in the locations that have been open forever.

After ingesting that huge meal we needed to walk it off a little so we went to a Ross that was right down the street for a little discounted fun. I found a clearance shirt which I really liked and planned on wearing out that night. Sadly upon putting it on later that night,I noticed that there was a small problem. It looked plenty big but you can see appearances were deceiving. I certainly don't have a 6pak, but dammit a large is supposed to be plenty big for me. Luckily, I had stuff packed for going out already so this minor setback was just that, minor. But I'm getting ahead of myself here, let me backtrack.

 We made the long drive back to the hotel to prepare for that night's festivities. To start it all off, we attended the "Manager's Reception" in the lobby. This was their code for free drinks. Yes, you heard me correctly, the hotel had a bartender who would make you whatever drink you wanted, two at a time. When you finished, you just got back in line over and over and over. What an amazing concept in customer service. This will be a new requirement I look for in future travel planning. I can think of no better way to decrease the nights bar tab. Thanks Embassy Suites *HIC* Once the "reception" was over we all made it back up to the room feeling fine and decided it was time to make use of the props we had collected on our journeys. And yes alcohol does tend to make things funnier in your head than others may think, so just know this was funny as hell to us.
 

Getting ready to go out came next and of course that means it's time for some shots. **IMPORTANT NOTE FOR READERS** When we were ready to go out, we called a CAB. This is always a better plan when you have been drinking. Don't want to rely on anyone who has been drinking like we have to drive anywhere. LOL Not to say that we were stupid drunk, just that we all knew we had had enough to not be driving. Back to Oaklawn for the night's partying and dancing. Had lots of fun making the rounds at all the bars. S4, TMC, Roundup, Woody's and then back to S4 to dance the night away. I had 2 left feet that night but who cares, I danced like nobody was watching. It is always more fun to just cut loose and this group sure knows how to do it. A little after midnight, we had all had enough and hailed a cab to take us back to the hotel. We got home and decided to order pizza. Pizza, salad, bread sticks and the most amazing brownies the world has ever known. Quickly devoured and then off to sleep for all of us.

SUNDAY: We slowly started getting around on the last day of our adventure and decided that brunch was in order. We packed up and headed out to the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff. There are enough cafes, restaurants, and shops here to fill up a morning and afternoon. We went to Tillman's Roadhouse for an amazing brunch. I had an amazing egg sandwich with bacon and avocado. It came with a salad dressed with a spicy dressing and what turned out to be fried avocado pieces on top. We all ate and felt much better about life. Then came walking around and hitting all the shops, clothing, vintage, housewares, florist and the most amazing chocolate shop, Dude, Sweet Chocolate. They used dark chocolate and have combinations and creations you would never think of. They had a blue cheese and sea salt fudge that would blow your mind. Another combo that was incredible was orange pop rock chocolate bar. They gave us all sorts of free samples and it took all my willpower to just buy one chocolate bar with cardamom and soy nuts. I will definitely be returning here to get more goodies. Dark chocolate is one of my BIG weaknesses. So they have me hooked!! After our chocolate-gasm, it was time to say goodbye and so hugs all around and the OKC crew headed back home. I added links to both places in case you are planning a trip to Dallas. Be sure and check them out.

 

What a great weekend!! Thanks Jimmy and Carlye for making it a blast. Can't wait until next time.