dlv e-mail, feedback, etc. ...

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In this mailing:

e-mail directory
More notes from the field
Feedback responses
Administrivia
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e-mail directory:

Several e-mail directory entries have come in. If you want to get listed
in this, there's still time.

If you want to exchange e-mail addresses, please hit REPLY to this
message and say to the effect "add me to the e-mail directory."

Please indicate both the name you wish to be listed as, plus the
full e-mail address. Be sure to check for spelling.

Example:

Please add me to the e-mail directory.

Name: Annie e-mail: annie@annie.net
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More notes from the field:

Denise writes:

>>To Denise and Gina for organizing (and piloting) the Friday morning air
>>tours. I've heard nothing but raves for this event. It was amazingly
>>successful and a real hit!

>I was surprised at the response, really. I didn't expect people to take
>time out from a T event to go flying, but I guess girls just want to
>have fun of any kind.

>I was thinking of doing a boating thing for next year, waterskiing,
>skibobbing, tubing, and maybe a tour of the lake, and would like to know
>if anyone else is interested. Under the circumstances, formal dress
>would be optional. ;-)

>If so, could we get at least one more participant to bring a boat?
>Naturally, I wouldn't expect Alice to tow hers all the way up here, but,
>anyone else? Tony and I can bring our 17-ft Tri-Hull, which can seat a
>maximum of 7 people.

>>To Mindy for coordinating the Second Annual Diva Las Vegas Open! I
>>understand the audience found it very enlightening and entertaining. :)

>And I apologize to Mindy for not being able to make it, but my ankles
>were all swollen up and I couldn't even stand up that morning. We had a
>delightful walking strip tour the day before, but it took its toll
>(remind me never to walk in sandals again). Tony said that there were
>some very amusing events that went on with the golf, and I wish I could
>have been there to see it.

>>To Tina and Tim for sponsoring and coordinating the Sunday evening Folies
>>Bergere show and subsequent limo tour. The Del Mar Motel will never be the
>>same.

>Yes, and I can't wait to see the pics from that! hahaha I wonder if the
>wino at the Four Queens realizes how much he contributed to the tour.

>Tony tipped him a well-deserved buck.

Uh, sure he didn't tip the guy and say "hey, follow her!"

>>BTW, Tim is an excellent bartender. :)

>Yes, he got us all smashed, which is what a bartender is supposed to do,
>right?

>>A big round of applause and thanks from all of us to Bob for the most
>>excellent Hoover Dam tour.

>Yes, thanks to Bob! The tour was great, and I learned a lot. Bob
>really knows his dam business!

>>Last but certainly not least, to the most important people to DLV, you,
>>the 60+ participants, without whom DLV would be nothing! You're a super
>>bunch of people, and a joy to be with!

>I agree. It's always the participants who make the trip for me, which
>is why I could enjoy events like a trip to a wig shop, even though I've
>never actually worn a wig. Even our "straight man" enjoyed meeting
>everyone and is eager to go next year.

>We are going to need some kind of radical fun thing to do to replace the
>dam tour, since that's always been a big part of the trip. I guess we
>could replace it with the regular public dam tour.
...


>First off, thank you and Tina and to the other organizers of DLV 2001.
>This being my first DLV and my first time out at a "convention", beit
>not structured like Southern Comfort, etc. I came back to Nashville
>more confident and more self assured about Monique than I have in the
>11 years I've been dressing and going out to various clubs throughout
>the USA, Candada and the UK. The friendliness and acceptance of ALL the
>girls that attended DLV made that difference for me. So I would like to
>Thank You and Tina and ALL the girls at DLV that I had the pleasure to
>meet and chat with!!

>I have lots of photos, of which I will be submitting a select set as per
>your guidelines.

>Thanks Again Annie for a great job!! It was a pleasure meeting you :)
...

>Annie, you've got to have some kind of a dress code. You just can't
>have a nice dinner when somebody's dressed in something my 16 yo
>daughter would be embarassed wearing.

>Also, is there any way to tell the people wearing those strapless
>low cut numbers to look at themselves from all angles? It doesn't
>look quite right when you see it from above, or even standing right
>next too.
...

>One thing I like about Diva is the people. All very down-to-earth.
>At the other conventions, you've got people so stuck on themself
>trying to show how cool they are. That me me me me stuff only
>goes so far and gets old.
...

>Hey, Annie, I thought you were going to show us how to make those
>boob goo breasts, weren't you?

Uh, I do remember saying I would show somebody one of the forms, but
nobody came up and asked. The procedure to make them is on the web at:

http://www.geekbabe.com/annie/feature.html
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Feedback responses:

Here's a collection of the responses received so far, grouped by question.

>>1. Of the activities you attended, which did you most like and why?

>The Thursday night get together at Keys. I thought this was the nicest
>venue. Being able to have dinner, live entertainment and the social
>atmostphere made this very enjoyable.
...

>Hoover Dam was quite spectacular (even though it was not a dress-up
>event).
...

>Liked Folies show the best (just a 1st class show all around).
...

>Not that I had a lot of time to go to all the events, but I must say the
>dancing did it for me that was just wonderful..more, more, more
...

>I liked the ones with the big crowds the best, like Friday at Goodtimes.
>Great bar, I sure wish there was a place like that around here. I really
>enjoyed socializing. Key's has to be my second favorite after Goodtimes.
...

>I enjoyed the dinners (Milano's and the Sahara buffet), and of course
>the socializing at the clubs.
...


>>Which did you least like and why?

>I liked all that I attended, however, Saturday night was the least
>enjoyable. This was most likely due to the fact that very few were in
>attendance and there was not much time to socialize.

Huh? Very few in attendance? I think Kenny Kerr was our second most
attended activity, headcount over 30.

RHPS had a smaller crowd, but that's definitely not for everybody.

Or did you mean the after-activities at the bar(s)?

>But, I really
>enjoyed Kenny's show.
...

>Goodtimes lounge was dark, dank, smoky, and depressing. An hour there
>would have been enough.
...

>Liked RHPS the least (crowd was too loud and rowdy, and film technical
>difficulties were quite awful).

Yes, the film break at one of the major high-points (beginning of the
Time Warp) totally ruined the continuity. IMAO, some of the people in
the audience, and the MC, were acting like total jerks (but we know
that guys can be like that :) even for the RHPS crowd.
...

>Least liked, Rocky Horror. Not quite what I expected and not what I've
>seen in the past. Way too many audience shouting at keywords that I was
>simply cluless about. In fact, 4 of us left simply because of this.

It's not what I expected either and not what I've seen in the past from
that cast. They are capable of a much better, less chaotic performance.
...


>>2. Of the activities you chose to skip, why did you do so? Was it lack
>>of interest, schedule conflict, time crunch, too public, etc.?

>The shopping trip times were in conflict with some other business I had
>to take care of. However, I still would not have attended as it is
>just not my thing to shop in a group.
...

>I skipped the gay bars because I'd rather just go to straight dance
>clubs. If we hide ourselves away in gay bars we are (a) preaching to the
>converted, and (b) missing opportunities to show the general public that
>we do in fact exist. Out of sight, out of mind. I'd rather go out an
>deal with the public.

>I skipped Rocky Horror because I've always thought it was a lousy movie.
>I've tried seeing it once every 5 to 7 years just to see if it's gotten
>any better. It hasn't. Besides, I'd rather go club-hopping (see above).
...

>I skipped many of the daytime shopping activities and group dinners
>because I was sleeping.
...

>I'm still too new to this whole thing to go out in the daytime. Maybe
>next year, maybe never.
...

>My biggest obstacle was time. I live here, and work construction so this
>time of year is rough on time during the week.
...

>Skipped the shopping outings - why, my roomate and I arrived 2 days
>before DLV started on Wed and we had already checked out some of the
>shops that was in the DLV vendor lists.
...

>I skipped Folies Bergere because of the cost. I heard that the
>show was good, but we just couldn't afford it.
...


>>3. Did you patronize any of our recommended vendors? If so, are you
>>satisfied with their products and services? Are there any vendors that
>>should be added to our list?

>I did visit Serge's Wigs and found them to be good. I would definitely
>add Las Vegas Fantasy Tours to the list. Robin and Amy were excellent
>and very knowledgeable. Robin also was in attendance at various
>functions.

Yes, LVFT has been added to the list.
...

>Cathy at LaRue's Hair and Nails refused to schedule me for a makeover,
>saying she doesn't do them anymore because of "lack of support from the
>community".

Hmmmm... this is in contrast to another report of a dynamite nail job
by Cathy.

>Face It International are no longer at the address listed.

>Marita no longer works at Goldilocks.

Ok, thanks. We'll get those off the list.
...

>Yes, went to Vegas Girls Wigs (very helpful in cleaning wigs for low
>prices in 1 day) Serge's (again this year, they wanted 6 days to clean a
>wig: too long)

Vegas Girl has always been very good to our people. I can't ever remember
a single complaint about them.
...

>I have been to most of them. New York shoes seems to have reduced their
>shoes selection, and raised their prices.

This is what several people have reported. Add to that the attitude problem
I observed two years ago, plus the reports of fewer larger sizes, we might
wanna drop this one from our list. I've already yellow-lighted it on the
web guide.
...

>Yes, Serge's Wig (the wig outlet - not the main store..too $$$) and
>quite satisfied with the hair and the level of treatment that we
>received. My roomate and I shopped there in boy mode and was treated
>like a transgendered 100.
...

>>4. Did you visit any clubs and bars that were not covered by the DLV
>>activities? Would you recommend them for a group activity?

>Yes, but I forget the name. Kind of across the street and up from
>Key's
...

>Studio 54 was a lot of fun, and had a good crowd on Tuesday, which is the
>night set aside for the showgirls who work in the other hotels. No problems
>using the ladies' room.

>Club Rio was pretty good on Wednesday, although I was told by a security
>guard not to use the ladies room. (This was my fault, as I lingered in there
>too long with a GG I met at the club who wanted to fix my make-up. I knew as
>I was doing it that it was a bad idea).

>The Voodoo Lounge had a good band. No problems.

>Tom Jones at the MGM Grand was a spectacular show. Crackerjack band, too.
>Lots of housewives in the crowd, no problems.

>The House of Blues on Friday had the best music (flashback 80's night,
>all the stuff I like to listen to like The Cure, New Order, Psychedelic
>Furs, Violent Femmes, etc.

>Lots of drunken frat boys in the House, though, which led to some
>near-confrontations.

Yes, and I wonder how many of those frat dudes are glbt? :)

>Thanks to Gina for coming with me, which probably
>kept me from getting my ass kicked. Didn't use the restrooms at all
>while there. Still, I had a great time, and met lots of cool GG's who
>wanted to take pictures with us.

>Saturday I tried going back to Studio 54, but the line was literally 500
>people deep and there was no chance of getting in. Got lots of hoots and
>catcalls from more drunken frat boys while waiting in the taxi line. The
>strip was packed and there were too many yahoos riding around on the
>backs of pick-up trucks. Thught the better of it and decided for
>safety's sake to change back into boy-mode, then went to C2K at the
>Venetian, which was a very young crowd dancing to Techno.
...

>Went to karaoke at Flex, a pretty generic gay bar out west on
>Charleston. Very clean, friendly staff, not crowded at all on a Monday
>night. Uses same karaoke DJ as Goodtimes does on their Wednesday
>karaoke night.

>Went to the Green Door, a new club (at least to me) right there in the
>Commercial Center. It is a swingers club, with $45 cover unless you
>have a driver's license proving you are a genetic girl.

$45!!!!! Jeez! Don't tell me you paid that twice, or did both you and
your fake ID pass? <bfg>

>Scene there was
>very dead on Saturday (surprising) and on Monday (not surprising). Club
>is small with very few facilities. I don't recommend it.

>Stopped in for a drink at Badlands Saloon, also in the Commercial
>Center, which is a country-western honky tonk kind of gay bar. Very
>friendly staff. Nice place to chat without loud music (loud but not too
>loud).

Now I'm certainly not a Charlie Whiskey fan, but one of my favorite
places to go people-watch is a country bar in downtown Omaha. (This is
the place that served Donna a queen-size White Russian in a beer mug
during FH 1997.) I can imagine Badlands is kinda like this place.

>Not sure where to mention it, but I thought that Keys was much improved
>over last year. They had singers every night that I stopped in this
>year, although I didn't stop by there Sunday or Monday this year. (It
>was lack of entertainment on Sunday and Monday early evenings that was
>my big complaint about them last year). Did anyone stop in either of
>those nights.

I agree Keys is a fabulous place. That has to be the all-time fave of
the DLV group. I think some people stopped there on Monday, after the
group left the LV Lounge. I was there Saturday briefly, had one drink
while I was waiting for some people I had to pick up for RHPS, and was
not there again until last Friday after the Pride Parade.

>I finally got tired of the exotic dancers at LV Lounge after my third
>night of stopping in there. Apparently they don't do actual drag much
>there anymore. Guess it's hard to argue with the success some of their
>dancers were having with tips,

>not to mention the around the corner
>activity in the back booth area.

Hmmmm .... Guess I missed that part. <vbfg>

>I don't object to any of this, in fact
>I liked the dancers a lot, I just over-dosed on it while hoping to see
>some real drag performances. I also stopped in at LV Lounge around 6 AM
>for a last drink on Sunday AM and Tuesday AM. Their late-night
>bartenders continue to be quite friendly.

I heard a LOT of complaints about the LV Lounge this time. Mostly the
less refined atmosphere (lap dances and such) and the loud music when
the dancers were doing ... uh ... their thing.

I disagree with the complaints that their drink prices are high. They
were in line with just about every other place. They were cheaper than
the casino bar at the Sahara.
...

>Yes, Flex - great dance music. My roomate and I went there on Tuesday
>nite before DLV started. While alot of men there, ALL patrons and the
>staff were VERY T-friendly. I would recommend Flex as a place for Dance
>Nite next year vs the Gypsy which is more suited to the 21-25 year old
>people.

>Music was excellent - great Diva dance music <giggle>, a pool table for
>those who want to shoot pool, pleanty of places to sit down (girl can't
>stand in heels all nite like at Gypsy), etc. Overall, I found Flex to be
>an AB FAB club.
...

>>5. Did you do anything on your own that you would recommend we consider
>>as a DLV activity?

>NO

I guess that means no, huh? :)
...

>It would be fun to take over Studio 54 or House of Blues some night. With 2
>or 3 dozen of us, the podunks would be out-numbered.
...

>Karaoke, which I think is always fun.

That's been suggested before but we never acted on it. I know Goodtimes
has it some nites, and part of the group wandered over there for it this
year. (I learned the hard way not to take the mic myself a few years
ago.) <semi grin>
...

>No, I did not, but the Backdoor has dancing on Friday nights as well for
>those that like the Latin sound.
...

One thing I would like to bring up here would be the Star Trek thing at
the Hilton. I went over there with Densie and Tony on Tuesday, I think.
I'm not a hardcore Trekkie by any means, but I was engrossed in the
exhibits and really got off on the ride. (I won't give away the ending,
but it was totally unexpected and very amusing.)

It was not at all crowded on Tuesday (translated: not that many kids),
and it would be a low-maintenance activity for those who wanted to do
it. It was $25 per person, iirc, so some may choose to skip it for that
reason. The lighting is somewhat secluded, so it would not be one of
those in-your-face daytime activities for those who don't normally do
daylight.
...

>No, but CAT was trying in her worst way to get me on the speed ride
>(coaster) at the Sahara. This might be something we might want to
>consider for next year. We just need an enterage of people willing to
>comb out our hair after the ride is over!

We had some people do the coaster at NYNY (Long Live Cyclone, RIP
Thunderbolt!) a couple years back. One person had a sore neck for some
time after.
...


>>6. How were your hotel accommodations? Would you recommend your hotel
>>to other DLV people?

>The Sahara was great! I am a little bias as I stay there normally.
>However, the front desk was efficient,

>the restaurants had good service
>(especially the coffee shop at 3-5 in the mornings) and very friendly,

I do agree about the coffee shop. I kinda discovered the $2.99 steak and
eggs special when I volunteered to pick up the tab after one of my few
and far between winning sessions.

I also liked the buffet, despite the complaint(s?) I heard about the
food on Friday. I was staying there, 11 nites total, and did the buffet
many times in both modes. I'll admit it ain't haute cuisine, but they
always had enough variety and the price was right. They are several
dollars cheaper than the buffet at the Riviera, and just as good,
IMAO that is.

>the Valet Parking staff always gave us preferred treatment, was warmly
>received in the shops (and found some great buys on jewelry) and my
>room was maintained above what I expected.

>The casino was not as
>friendly as one would like, but it is impossible for them to be
>responsible for customers behavior towards us.

I only heard of one incident (craps table, pit boss intervened). Were
there others? I noticed a number of our people either playing or just
walking thru, with no apparent unwanted attention.
...

>Imperial Palace was a bit of a dump,

Hmmmm ... First time I've heard this. It ain't the Ritz-Carlton by far,
but I've stayed there and I've seen others' rooms there, and never seen
a bad one. I'm sure it's several points up on the Richter scale from the
Del Mar. {ducking and running}

Seriously, there are places in Las Vegas that make your local Roach
Motel look like the Ritz by comparison.

Did anybody else get this impression of the IP?

>but I guess for $69 a night it was
>about as good as could be expected. The central location to the big
>hotels on the Strip was a huge plus, however, and for that reason, I'd
>recommend it.
...

>I visited one of the girls at the Main Street Station downtown. What a
>nice clean hotel with very nice furnishings.
...

>I live here
...

>Sahara. No problems at the Sahara whatsoever. I even went down in
>boymode with painted nails and jewlery still on for morning coffee or
>breakfast and the hotel staff was very very nice. Ate late nite dinners
>(3-4am) at the Sahara Coffee Shop - we were treated with the upmost of
>respect.

>Casino staff - very freindly. Bar staff - very friendly. Valet called
>us ladies (and not guys as I seem to recall reading sometime back in
>one of the DLV updates).

"Guys" can be unisex, just so they don't use the "s-word". :)

>The room itself was basic but for $69/night ($37/night if you join the
>Sahara gamblers club) a very good deal. Clean room - houskeeping staff
>very friendly and accomidating when we needed extra towels, tissues,
>etc.

>Bottom line, I highly recommend the Sahara for DLV attendees.
...

>Sahara was decent, the buffet was pretty good, we didn't have to go
>through the casino to check in, and we didn't have too much trouble with
>the elevators. I really liked the layout of the place, especially after
>we found a shortcut to the buffet that saved us from the long hike
>through the casino. Their casino has five-cent VP, and drinks were
>comped to us at the rate of 1-3 per hour, depending on the time of day.
>We found that we were usually able to drink at the VP machines and win
>enough money to go to the buffet, but your mileage may vary.
...


>>7. Would you attend another DLV? Why or why not?

>Most definitely! And will bring more friends! This was exactly what
>you had advertised it to be...a vacation and not a convention. There
>was a very nice mix of girls comfortable with themselves at any time,
>girls who are expanding their worlds and girls who were in a public
>atmosphere for the first time. I believe every one of us came away
>with a much higher image of ourselves and our community as a whole. I
>also think the public received a very positive impression. I met some
>wonderful people and know that my life will be richer for the
>friendships that blossomed at DLV.
...

>I wll consider attending again some time in the future.
...

>Yes. Best week-long rolling party in America.
...

>I would definitely attend another DLV. Its great to meet other girls
>from different parts of the Country
...

>I'll definitely be back next year.
...

>Yes, DEFINATELY; please refer to my {other notes}.
...


>>8. Would you prefer a more structured or a less structured schedule
>>of activities for DLV 2002?

>Overall, I would not change anything except I would like to see Saturday
>night be more like Thursday night.
...

>Less structured. I go primarily for the nightlife anyway, so it would be
>helpful to have more nighttime options available. As far as daytime
>goes, it doesn't really matter to me.
...

>Structure is good. Independent souls are always free to improvise, and
>many do.
...

>You definitely need more structure. At Southern Comfort you've got things
>going on all day and night. Your schedule was quite sparce by comparison.

DLV has never been intended to be yet another FanFair clone. I would go
as far as to say it's an alternative to the mainline t* conventions.

Now, to address the sparcity (is there such a word?) of the schedule,
there's nothing to prevent a fuller schedule as long as there is
interest, and as long as people step forward and volunteer to coordinate
the additional activities. DLV has always been a cooperative event. If
there's interest in something, and if it's a priority for some, it will
happen. If there's not, it will not.
...

>I felt that the schedule for DLV'01 was realistic, not too much and not
>overdone or trying to pick and choose where and where not to go or do.
>No overlapping scheduled events unlike some of the more 'formal'
>conventions; e.g., SCC.

We've had overlapping or alternate activities in the past, just none
for this year.
...

>I think it's about right, although putting a few more activities on the
>list wouldn't bother me. We can always choose whether or not to do
>them.
...


>>9. Do you have any suggestions for other activities that you think the
>>group might enjoy?

>A tour of Liberace Museum might be suggested. I found it very
>interesting.

Ya know, we did this at the very first DLV, and I rather enjoyed it, but
there just haven't been enough people jumping up and down waving their
hands to make it happen again. We'll put this on the prospective
activity list again this next year and see if there's interest.

I think this was tentatively scheduled the third year, but lacked enough
interest.

For one year, this was kinda the running joke on the mailing list, like
"are we really gonna do this one this year" and such. :)
...

>Some dinner gatherings at some of the nicer restaurants would be good (e.g.
>Emeril's, the Bellagio Buffet, Brown Derby,the top-tier hotel restaurants,
>etc.)

All it would really take to make this happen is to have somebody suggest
it and coordinate it (take headcount, make reservations, etc.)
...

>Not yet, still replaying this year in my mind.
...

>Maybe next year for our group get together, maybe we could have an
>official introduction where we introduce each other, cause I do not
>think everyone attended all the activities

Never in the history of DLV has the whole group attended any one
activity. People are coming and going all the time, and some have other
things to do when there is a group activity.

For Friday this year, I was gonna bring some of those sticky "Hello, I'm
so-and-so" nametags, but I didn't remember it until about 7:30 on Friday.
I was trying to do a Mousekateer Roll Call thing at both the Wednesday
and Thursday things, but the group got too large and so engrossed in the
conversations, that it became impractical.
...

>I've always wanted to try parasailing. I wonder if they allow it
>at Lake Mead.
...
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Diva Las Vegas 2001
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