Dancing at Drag Bingo…

I had the alarm set for 8:00 this morning, not remembering my 9:00 conference call. I ended up taking it from home. Poor Loretta was taking the call from Santa Cruz at 6AM. The meeting ran over by about 10 minutes, and then Loretta, Cassandra and I stayed on the line while Cassandra went over 21 CFR 11 organization-wide issues, and I listened in. That ended up going until 11:30. Good grief!

At 3:30, I met with Linda T. to get access to ITIM’s databases to use in our ISO training e-Meeting next Tuesday. We did obscene things with that “stress release” object she has in her office.

I left the office at about 6:40, and headed for the Armory. I went in the back door, and we did a few dances on the stage to “check it out” before folks started arriving. It was hot as hell up there, and the lights weren’t even on yet.

Robert and I sat with Mary, Suzanne, Janet, Steve, Mandy, Debbie, and I can’t remember the other girl’s name. None of us won any games of bingo, but we had lots of laughs all night long.

We danced the Honky Tonk Twist after the 2nd game, actually following the 90-year-old yodeling grandmother! We got a “rise” out of the crowd the first time, during the “four-wall” dance, that we were facing the back wall. Who knew? A bunch of gay men in the audience approving of 8 dancing cowboys’ butts facing them! 🙂

We did our second dance, “Hanky Spanky,” to Madonna’s “Hanky Panky” at the end of the intermission. People really seemed to be getting into it.

They raised $10,000 for people living with HIV and AIDS. Very cool. They sold $1500 worth of “cards” for the last game, the 50/50 game. 50% of proceeds going to the winner, 50% to the “house” — with a cap of $500. So, the winner got $500, and the “house” (AAS-C) got $1000.00.

It’s really amazing how this Drag Bingo has caught on. Before the first “big show” in the armory, which was the last one in January, they had been making about $3000 for the evening. At the January one, which was the first one in the Armory, with Tammy Faye (Baker) Messner guest appearing, and increasing the seating from about 300 to about 700, they made $15,000. And then this Friday, $10,000. Awesome.

I wonder who this compares with Crape Myrtle, Evening with Friends, and the AIDS ride in terms of bringing in donations. It’s got to be right up there, if not surpassing them.

Bingo finished at about 11:15, and I spent the night at Robert’s. “Nick” came online while he was checking his e-mail. I was surprised, and pleased, that Robert was “in touch” with him. Wouldn’t mind a “repeat session” with him again. Oink. Oink.

Leave a Comment