Erika's Annex Page 444 - Anatomy of a Birthday Party

How does a tgirl birthday party work? Moi has chronicled other parties in the past, but this time moi decided to analyze the mechanics of the process. So, what do you need for a good tgirl birthday party? Well, first of all, you need - - - MOI! After all, if a tgirl has a birthday party in the forest, does it make any sound? More to the point, if it isn't recorded photographically, did it really happen? That is where moi comes in, and for that reason, moi was out and about in the early evening, with the sun still in the sky, to attend and record the festivities for the birthday of Empress Vi of the Imperial Court of Los Angeles and Hollywood, at The Port, the newest tgirl hangout.

First things first. For a birthday party, you need someone who is celebrating a birthday. Empress Vi, seen left with her prezzies, filled that role to perfection, first, because it was her birthday and second because...because...well, just because.

Then you need a gracious hostess. In this case, Jennifer filled that role, meeting and greeting the arriving guests and (because this is also a fundraiser for the Court) taking their donation at the door

Oh then there is food, and lots of it. Did moi mention that this was a mainly Filipina-inspired event? And if moi has learned one thing, it is that there ain't no party if there ain't loads of food - and the deeper fried the better.

Every tgirl birthday party MUST have a Mistress of Ceremonies, to keep things on track and warm up the crowd. In this case, Empress Lala from San Diego filled the bill admirably, although moi must express skepticism of her fishing story and the size of the one that got away.

And since this was not just a birthday party, but a FUNDRAISER too, it was appropriate that Empress Karina reminded the guesties that every penny counts - there was even a receptacle provided to aid in giving (see below)

Of course, there must be entertainment, and who better to start the entertainment ball rolling but the birthday girl herself.

Moi will not dwell in depth on the entertainment here, since that will be the focus of the succeeding web page (just warnin' ya). Needless to say it was variegated and extravagant.

...and sometimes in your (actually, moi's) face. But it's all for a good cause after all.

For those not interested in performance and display, the bar management thoughtfully provided big screen baseball action.

Ultimately, no birthday party would be complete without a birthday cake. And, given the fire marshal's absolute prohibition of candles and naked flames in the establishment, it was left to those in attendance to find something else to blow out to consumate the celebration.

Some guesties took notes for future celebrations, and others (and who could blame them) merely POSED.

At the end of the bacchanal, it was time to tally up the take (this was, after all, also a FUNDRAISER) and distribute the remaining food to the needy. Let us therefore now slip quietly away to the Photopage List, to prepare for a deeper analysis of performance.