( click- from left, Rhonda, Emma, Mary, Becky, Linda, Me, Dottie, Stacy, Vernice, Terri, Becky, Sue, Cathy. From piano stool- Leslie, Patty, Carolyn, Cathleen -Cute hat!, Tricia)

Remember that 80’s Madonna song ”Quien es esta nina? Whoooo’s thaaaat girl?” Well, at our annual Holiday Queens’ & Consorts’ Party I heard, “Who’s that Queen?” and “Who’s her consort?” several times! How could a Royal group such as ours not completely know each other?  Here’s how. We travel, work our royal selves to death, and hardly take time for fun, contrary to the self-indulgent diva/queen reputation.  Also, when we do have a spare moment,  we can over commit our time to our subjects and realm. And then what happens? THEN we can’t come to enough MJQ gatherings to remember the names of our Regal sisters.

I plan to start a January blog that will introduce a Queen a day, so prior to any party, you can visit January archives and get a teenie refresher. I will start with some of the group photos from the Holiday party.  If you don’t remember every name, you are not alone:)

(click)Chris Miller, friend of Queen Jennifer is leaving to start a consulting biz.  I think the crown gives him an edge.

Hey.  Thank goodness for Queen Carolyn.  Did you know that formatted DVDs are in -R or +R ? Whatever that means.  Well, I spent hours trying to view images from Coronation and The Consort Holiday party. I now know my machine reads negative R. Erin gave the images in positive R.  After much hand-wringing, self-doubt and a call to my repair guy, it was Time for an extra strong Seabreeze and advice from Queen of Pire Tools.  She sooo rules.  After a my mini break-down, Carolyn calmly fixed my image errors.

So. Since I had just read the blog for The Creative Coast, I figured what better way to test my Super-tech skills (that are in still in their infancy), than to use the lovely pic above for good.

FOQs and MJQs, I wll send image link today or tomorrow, thanks to Carolyn.

3 drinks (AKA $45.oo dollars worth of drinks, not counting tips), toast flouncing.)

November 30th the MJQs met at The Mansion on Forsyth Park for drinks.  Again, I was less than impressed with the service or lack there of at this 4 star wanna be. If you need the space to have a function downtown, then I suppose this location will fill the bill, but if for some strange reason you long for a Southern experience in the style that represents the best of hospitality, good taste, and of what makes Savannah a destination, better rethink your choices.

I will stick to my very limited dealings with the place and its staff.  Last April we had cocktails at The McMansion and we were met with surly service. Not a single smile or “thank you” was uttered as we shelled out 16.00 for a single glass of wine poured into a cheap glass 2.00 stem. At the time, I chalked it up to Crown Envy, a little known syndrome of the type one witnesses from certain women that are temporarily blinded by jewels in some one’s hair. You don’t believe me? Put on a tiara and watch. A handful of ladies give you the disappoving you-r-such-a-harlot stare. Others will ask, “Where in the world did you find your cute tiara.?” So, since the wenches behind the bar were…well…wenches, their sour attitudes were ignored by us.  Now back to our recent expereinces at The McM. 

The poor barkeep that met us Friday evening was totally over-whelmed by a flow of females asking for wine, Cosmopolitans, and Mint Juleps. Honey, the bar was almost dead with about 8 folks already served when the first group of ladies approached. During the 45 minutes I stood at the bar waiting for a drink, this pitiful lad struggled with every concoction.  It took me 45 minutes to get my first drink.  I was never even acknowledged or greeted.

Three ladies had to flounce upstairs to get their drinks since they had waited so long. Lucky for me someone else was able to get his attention and procure the julep for me.  Now, the julep was so bad I almost gave it back to him, but frankly I was suffering from absolute dehydration and I decided I would never get another drink so I kept it.  The little pseudo-drink was, from what I could figure a concoction of ginger ale, bourbon, sugar, mint leaves and huge lime wedge perched atop the glass. Yuck.  More like a little punch.  In the future, I suppose I must resort to ordering bourbon and water, a side of mint, and a packet of Dixie Crystal that I stir in myself. I was at this bar for 2 hours and never offered another drink or even spoken to by anyone behind the bar.

Now you may ask if I have eaten at the Mcmansion? No dear heart, I have not.  I am not talking about their food or “dining experience.”  Wait.  I did attend a big gala that was catered by the McMansion. Does that count?  The food was horrible and pretentious. The wine glasses were hot, fresh out of the dishwasher.  The funniest food item they served was some mashed potato thing in a martini glass with a port wine  reduction, (AKA gravy) and shredded cheese. I know this event was a fund-raiser and the non-profit that booked the location was not wlling to shell out the ten prices needed to make a decent table of nibbles. 

Way on up in NYC, The Waldorf-Astoria, Tao, and The W all have friendly service, nicer stemware, better drinks and, here’s the shocker…similar bar prices to the McMansion. Never the less, when faced with adversity, we , The MJQs absolutely make the best of a challenging situation and rise to the occasion. We yuck it up, flounce a little, and smile real pretty for pictures so it did not ruin our time.  In fact, we had a blast drinking over- priced wine. miniature Cosmos, and bad Juleps. Then some of us went on to dinner at Wally’s Six Pence Pub, crowned our waitress, and devoured a darn good burger.  Next time though, I really don’t think we will congregate at The McMansion. Alligator Soul or the Mercury Lounge will likely be the location of choice:)

(Thank you, Peter for you kindness. The princesses love seeing you!)

I don’t write lots of poetry, but when I can’t put together an essay, paragraph, or narrative to express a feeling or experince then poetry or painting works.  Here’s one in honor of a generous spirit, Peter Hooten. His up-lifting nature is… well, I don’t know.

I am caught in traffic again.

Go, go speed racing,

Raging down white lined,

lonely black to trip’s final stop.

Spindly pines’ kudzu mounds blur.

Seldom has a soul stopped

to breathe the new spring air.

By the edge of the killer road

anonymous yellow wildflowers

whisper in the dewy air.

Still gripping the wheel,

I imagine I am home,

and you call me to stop there.

Listen and be still kind heart.

Feel the grace of green.

Watch the cynical fog burn-off clean.

It is the sun’s kind talent

shining down peoples’ hard highways.

Part of the journey, you say.

I still travel to the end.

Wandering, waiting for a generous spirit

to stop me again.

Hear the wind? 

(fun and friends, click)

When was the last time you did a shot?  I mean a shot of liquor?  Not that I advocate any such thing, condone or encourage such behavior.  Sweetheart, if you had asked me that very same question a month ago I would have laughed at you. When you said , “No. Really I am serious. When was it?”  I would have had to think long and hard and I would have come up with about 17 years ago at Hard-hearted Hannah’s.  Now here’s a warning. I am preparing to take a detour off track and tell that story real quick, since it does actually relate to being stupid. And having fun.

The Madeira beach method was a crazy way to do tequila that my dear Carolyn and her friend Cissy learned during a vacation to Florida.  Lick a guys neck and sprinkle with salt. Have  him hold a lime like a flaminco dancer holds a rose. Now lick salt, do shot, and then get the lime from his mouth. A darling, charming friend of ours, Dolly was getting married and her fiance` stopped by after a party to have a couple of drinks at Hard-hearted Hannah’s.  We proceeded to do Madeira Method shots with her husband-to-be.  Lucky for us, she is a forgiving soul and since the next evening he made it to the wedding, we were not permanently ostracized for unseemly conduct unbecoming of a friend.  

Now back to today and recent stupidity. There’s this person, otherwise know as a talented young  doctor and regular nice-guy by the bar doing a flaming shot by dipping his finger in Sambuca, lighting it with a lighter, blowing it out, and downing the liquor.  As Carolyn said, she avoided getting sucked into that moment since, as she observed it, “It just looked stupid.”  I, however was enthralled. Oh. Pretty fire and anise flavored sticky, sweet stuff that glows in a glorious blue flame . Hey. Why not ? (’Cause it’s stupid?) Nope.  No such maturity was evidenced at that particular moment.

Was it fun? That one little shot did not give me a roaring headache the next day as some predicted it would. Just a tad bit of a throbbing headache around my eyes was the result.  Nothing that 3 Diet cokes and a cheeseburger couldn’t handle. Frankly, it is more fun telling about it later. Like now, for instance.  If any advice can be gleaned from this little story, then it is just being stupid can make a funny story. That is if no one is hurt and you can forget any pain you might have endured during or after the event of being stupid, then it is well worth it.  So, ask yourself and rethink your veiw, “Can I be safe and have a silly story for later?” Then go right ahead and be utterly stupid. You are really not too old, honey. Tell me all about it later.  I always need a good laugh.

 Click- (Queens Becky and Stacy, Queen Pat)

Queen Pat has a birthday coming up on December 20th and Queen Becky K has her big day after Christmas on December 30th. 

(Coronation news to follow after Royal photographer, Erin Weathers gets the images to me.)