 |
| Shaunna's Friday look |
According to Urban Dictonary, a Kiki is:
A party including good music and good friends, held for the express purpose of calming nerves, reducing anxiety and stress and generally fighting ennui. May involve locked doors, tea and salacious gossip
In the drag world, this is a term that refers to two or more queens getting ready together.
 |
| Dana and I with the girls |
One would think, that after a year and a half, that I would be used to the conversations that drag queens have. But, deep down, I'm still the small town boy, who blushes when someone says I'm hot, much less when they're talking about anything dirty. And, drag queens thrive on double entendres and skewing conversation so that it sounds dirty, even if it really isn't. An example, "You've always got to clean the tip afterward." Maybe it was the Cape Cod and a half that I'd had, but when this came up in conversation, regarding eyelash glue, I couldn't help but think that it was meant to sound like something else... I'll leave it up to your imagination to figure out what that could possibly mean.
 |
| Sheneeda Diet |
Anyway, this was a weekend of drag. Shaunna Rai and Vanila Honey-Bush got their kiki on, although, they were headed to two different locations, only to end up back at the same location...Blackstones.
 |
| Shaunna Rai |
Shaunna Rai and I went out to Mainestreet Ogunquit, for the Mardi Gras party, for a little bit. We met some friends there. I might have made fun of a guy who sounded a little bit like Willie Nelson while he was karaoke-ing. And, then we went back to Portland, for Blackstones. The night took a turn for the better once we got back to Portland. I was more relaxed. I met a fan of my blog. (I keep finding out people are reading it, and it still surprises me that anyone's interested in what I have to say.)
 |
| Miss E'on |
The night, like the first night that I met Dan, ended up at Denny's. Shaunna, Chad, Chad's man, and Lee. We were greeted at the door, by a couple ladies, who proclaimed to be the welcome wagon. On the way in, they were like, "That lady is really tall." And, of course, Shaunna Rai, being Shaunna Rai, said, "And, he has a big dick." Stories were told, and fun was had. At the end of the night, Shaunna got Dan a potential new client, by handing out a business card. This woman loved Shaunna's "extensions." So, they got talking, and Shaunna was like, "I'm a man." And, the woman freaked out a little, but not before telling her friend, "I told you so!" And, then, it was time to go home and get some sleep, because the drag was going to be happening all over again on Saturday.
 |
| Leanna Love |
The morning started off badly. The landlords at our apartment, pay a bare minimum, apparently, for care for the parking lot behind the building. Thus, it's a sheet of ice, that probably won't be gone until mid May... And, we got stuck on it. After calling them, knocking on their door, and sending them a text, to see if anything could be done, I still got no response. Although, they did get a car that was blocking us in, to move, so that we could get out. Fishy much? From there, things started looking up. Dan and I have found a place that sells Gluten Free Donuts, so, I can stop feeling deprived of donuts. The Holy Donut, is one of my new favorite places in town. I recommend the pomegranate glazed and the chai glazed donuts.
 |
| Vanila's signature split |
Once I had a happy tummy, Dan started packing Shaunna's bags, and getting ready to go. And, I got to go shopping... For shoes... For Shaunna. I've been lucky, for the most part. Dan never makes me do anything that I'm totally uncomfortable with. And he's made it clear that if I'm not up for doing it, that I need to speak up and tell him. That being said, I had reservations about going out, specifically to buy pumps. "You know what ones I'm talking about, right?" "Yes, they're the ones that are half neon yellow vinyl looking, and half black velvet, with wings. And, I'm buying a matress pad for your AIDS walk outfit, and the nude color shoes from Deb's..." And, yep, that's what I did. And, I just about died, when I bought the yellow and black shoes, and the cashier looks at me and says, "Wow, you're the second guy to come in and buy these shoes today." Um...ok...wow...
 |
| Miss E'on |
 |
| Sheneeda Diet |
So, yeah. The car got loaded up for the trip to Lewiston. And, we were off, like a herd of turtles (because apparently, I drive like an old lady, who ISN'T from Pasedena. We got there, and got settled down, and then came the call for alcohol. The ladies like to pregame while they're getting ready for a show. Only, nobody thought to get alcohol, before we got to Lewiston. So, it became my responsibility to go out and get some, while they started getting ready. I managed. With a GPS, and a little luck. Because I have no idea where I am, most of the time. I'm one of those totally, undeniably stupid people with directions. "You go, right, then right, then right, in my head, means that I'm going around in a circle. Not that there's still one more right to make it a full trip around the block... But, I survived, and managed to get back, with alcohol. So, all was good.
 |
| Shaunna Rai, Mannequin Realness |
The kiki leading up to the show...well, it was like it always is. A lot of talking. A bit of calling people out. Some joking about things. And, a lot of vague references to the male anatomy, veiled by the conversation itself. While the kiki is the weirdest part for me, because it's when the guys turn into the girls...and it doesn't always happen when the makeup is on. Sometimes it's before. Or, midway. At some point, the conversations change just ever so slightly, so that you know that it's no longer Dan talking, but Shaunna Rai. For all intensive purposes, it's jarring, even after so long. Upcoming shows were being planned. And, then, suddenly, everyone was ready.
 |
| Joey Starr |
Having never been to the Acme club before, I had no idea what to expect from the venue. Apparently, it's a private club, and so smoking in the building is actually allowed, if you have a membership. (This was both good and bad for me, because as I'm no longer smoking but sometimes like to smell it, I had that opportunity. However, it also put the craving in my mind, and I'm still trying to stifle it, two days later.) The main area was larger than most of the venues that Shaunna has performed at, because it wasn't confined to a stage. The "dancefloor" area was a runway of sorts. Which would've been great, if the patrons hadn't been so into it, and crowded the floor to get close enough to take pictures of the girls...which made it awful for me to get pictures without pushing my way through the crowd.
 |
| Leanna Love |
It was a good crowd, and interestingly enough, an overwhelming support of family was there. My parents came out to see the show, and support Shaunna. Benni (Miss E'on)'s dad and his wife came to support, and Larry (Leanna Love)'s mom and sister came out to support. Along with friends of ours from Portland, and even a couple of people that Dan knew as far back as 7th grade.
 |
| Sheneeda Diet |
I got to help pick out the music that Shaunna would be performing to, which is always fun. Except for when I get nervous that I've read the crowd right that a song is going to work well with the crowd, and it flops. Then, not so much. But, it worked out okay. I also got to help Vanila get her music. She didn't have anything picked out, prior to arrival, and so, it ended up being a last minute download, and send the email to DJ Craig. And, for whatever reason, my email decided that it was going to crap out on me. It took about 17 tries to get everything to work, before the email actually got to the DJ.
 |
| Shaunna Rai |
Given that it was Mardi Gras Madness, people were dressed up with masks, and whatever. And the main goal of the night was to get yourself some beads. Like the real New Orleans Mardi Gras, people were willing to do whatever, in hopes of getting beads. Except my mom. While we were waiting for the show to start, someone came out with beads. And a rowdy table to the right of us, started chanting, "Beads, beads, beads." And, then, like a bolt of lightning, out of nowhere came these pale white globes! One of the women had flashed her chest for beads.
 |
| Vanila |
"I can tell you right now, I won't be doing THAT for beads," my mom said. And, I had a bit of a buzz, and looked at her and said, "that's okay, I'll do it." And, then did a bit of a nip slip, and showed off the nipple ring I got for my birthday, that neither of my parents had seen before...Come to think of it, it wasn't really worth it. I didn't get any beads for showing it off...
 |
| Miss E'on |
The show itself was great, although, the sound system was way off. From where I'd gotten my seat, I could hear about two words out of every 5, between feedback from the mic and I assume, the bass. And, it didn't really matter who was talking. The only time that I could actually tell what was being said, was when it was a name. And, at the end of the show, when Sheneeda Diet announced that the buffet was open.
 |
| Sheneeda Diet |
To be honest, the only reason that I understood that the buffet was open, was because aside from the donuts in the morning, all I'd eaten all day was a couple of Rice Krispy treats from the gas station. And, I'd heard that Michael (Sheneeda) had made meatballs for the buffet, and during the entire show, that was all I could smell...well that, and the cigarette smoke from downstairs. I was starving. And, the meatballs were amazing. I may or may not have brought home a large ziploc bag of them...
 |
| Shaunna's outfit was stoned by me and Dan. |
At the end of a show, I tend to avoid going backstage, until I'm summoned. Only because I know what goes into tucking, and I know what's going to come out of the untucking process. And, I like to imagine that magically, they just turn back into boys. You know, like in Cinderella, when at midnight, her dress turns back to a rag dress. Only, with boy clothes. So, when I go backstage, I never know what exactly to expect. And, at the end of the night, when Shaunna's suitcase died, well, it wasn't quite the perfect ending to a good night...
 |
| Prodigy Diamond |
No comments:
Post a Comment