A Response...

This post began as a response to a comment by Jspin but it started to get rather lengthy, so I decided to put it here instead.

Jspin wrote:

I do the same thing, try to help people live "normal" lives and I don't know why I do it. Like you say it's disappointing when you see these people fail that you see so much hope in. The ones that go back to what they were just about to escape. They're just about to be free and they give up hope and fall back into the pit they once were. I wish I could help them all. Just pick them up and be like here, stay out of the hole, and look around this lovely place. But, I've realized that people need to do things to learn. You can tell a person everything there is to know, you can lay out the perfect plan for 'complete happiness', 'success', everything a human could want and yet, they won't follow it. They'll do what they want to do no matter what you say. It isn't because they don't want to listen and not because they don't care, I think it's because it's human nature. We all must do it. We all must experience things to learn about them. Maybe if we can implant memories and functions into the brain like in "The Matrix", we could 'save the world'. ;p

You're absolutely right, Jspin. Even though it's a mostly losing battle that I fight to "save these souls", (See Post "Little Miss Know It All"),  I'll never stop trying because the satisfaction I get when once in a great while one of them "makes it", it makes it all worth while. I'll never take credit for anything, for people truly have to want to be helped in order for them to help themselves and ultimately, they have to do all the work. Thankfully, I have had the joy of witnessing some girls pull themselves out of the depths of self-destruction, be it from drugs, alcohol, abusive partners, depression and suicide attempts and all the insidious side effects from the above mentioned.  Some of those who've "made it" are still working with us and others have moved on to do other more "normal" things.

We've had the pleasure of seeing several of our Entertainers and Bar Staff graduate from college or technical school and that is a truly wonderful event for all of us on the management team.  We prefer to just be a stop along the way for some women on their journey of life, not the end of the road. 

Interesting, as I was writing this, I got a phone call from one of my former Entertainers. "Lolita" is one of the girls that I think I had a hand in helping to move away from the "Stripper Mentality." She is an accomplished Burlesque dancer, a headliner of shows actually and she for years, fought a mostly losing battle with low self-esteem.  It was a daily struggle for her just to come to work.  Now, "Lolita" is not only focusing more on burlesque, she is also a talented photographer with her own business.  She stopped "stripping" about a year ago in order to devote herself full-time to her photography business and to travel all over the country as a burlesque headliner.  A success story, for sure.

It's the Lolitas that keep me going when I feel like I'm not having much of a positive impact. 

Just Another Day....

Thankfully my weekend didn't live up to it's usual wackiness. Although I do enjoy the fact that no two workdays are ever alike and there is much humor to find especially on my shifts, sometimes I prefer when things just go along as they should, without any weirdness. That was how my Sunday double and Monday night went for the most part.

I finally got firm confirmation that regular customer Terry* did indeed have sex with "Mariah" in the parking lot. Gross. I just don't get these girls sometimes. I passed the info along to Greg*, the GM, for him to handle it the way he deems appropriate. I can't help but be angry with "Mariah", as she was one of the girls that I really went that extra mile for. I've spent countless hours with her, trying to help her find some direction in her life and to get away from the negative influences she keeps opening herself up to. Ever since the night when I called her out for leaving the building with Terry*, she won't even look me in the eye. That's guilt, for ya. I know, I won't be successful in helping them all and it's disappointing when that becomes apparent with someone I really thought had a chance for a "normal" life.

So, I came very close to pushing an annoying customer down the stairs to the DJ Booth. If you've read my previous posts, you know that I've discussed that fact that I don't like to be touched by just anyone. I have my own little space bubble and in no way do I give out any kind of vibe that would indicate to someone who doesn't know me very well that it's okay to breach my invisible barrier. I'm sure you know at least one person like that and it's usually pretty apparent to everyone around them. So, there I am sitting on a stool in the DJ Booth, an area I think of as one of my "safe zones", hanging out with Gino* my bodybuilder bouncer turned DJ. I like spending time up there as it's a raised area with a perfect view of the bar and the main floor and I truly enjoy the company of Gino. Gino and I have worked together for almost 3 years now and we are extremely comfortable together and enjoy easy conversation. Anyway, I'm sitting there when up comes Shawn*, a regular customer who comes in almost every night of the week. He's a young guy and up until this moment, I had never had any major issues with him. He came up into the booth, put his arm around me and started fucking with my hair. WTF? Who does this punk think he is?

Me: "Please stop touching me, okay?" (I was nice about it. Really, I was)

Shawn (sarcastically): "Ooh, don't touch me, don't touch me. Sorrrrry, I'm touching you"

As he said that, he started poking me repeatedly in the arm. Grrr. I felt my eye twitch and my body stiffen.

Me: "I mean it, dude. Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me." My hands were slowly balling into closed fists.

Gino (firmly): "Back off, Shawn, she really does not like to be touched."

When Gino says something in a firm tone of voice, it scares people. Shawn quickly pounded sand and got far away from Gino and I in the booth.

Me: "Thanks Gino, he was really pissing me off."

Gino (laughing): "Well, I know you and I didn't want to see you hurt yourself attempting to either punch him or push him down the stairs."

LOL

When that's the worst thing to happen on one of my shifts, it's a damn good night. Of course there were mini-dramas going on with the Entertainers as usual, but nothing major or worth the energy to relay them on here. My waitress had to leave in a hurry to take her sick baby to the hospital, my bouncer Jack* wrapped his truck around a telephone pole on his way to work (he's okay), two rich dudes thought it was funny to smuggle in small bottles of booze (trying to cause us to lose our Liquor License?), 2 guys almost came to blows over a stupid joke and a cracked-out freaky dude hopped the wall from the parking lot into our smoking patio, scaring everyone out there and ran away before my bouncers could assist him on his journey out the door. Just another mostly calm night at The Strip Club.

Finally...

I finally have a scheduled date for the Stryker Dekompressor.  It's been a frustrating wait for me to finally get things in motion.  Since I am a cash-pay patient, the Pain Management Center gives me lower prices for the more costly procedures and there has been some confusion on what the actual price would be.  My Doc gave me one price, then when the scheduling department called me over a week ago, they gave me a considerably higher price.  I refused to schedule at that time until I knew exactly the cost.  I knew I would pay whatever it was but if I could get it for less, it would be worth the wait for them to figure it out.

At last, today I heard from the scheduling department again and the price is indeed thousands less than what they had quoted me on the phone previously.  Whew, that's a big relief considering my finances are slowly diminishing due to all I've been through medically over the past several months.

I am excited to get the ball rolling and I have high hopes that this surgery will be the answer to my prayers.  I am a little nervous, as I will have to be alert and awake during the entire procedure, however I will be sedated and am hoping that nifty side effect of memory loss works in my favor again.

The big day is March 5th, exactly seven days after my 42nd birthday.  As I told my friend Tim earlier today, this will be the first big event of my 43rd year in this life, so that's got to be a good thing. Right?  Happy Birthday to me, my gift hopefully being a new lease on life.

Paging Dr. KiKi

I'm not a T.G.I.F.er, I'm a T.G.I.T.er. Thank God it's Tuesday. I hate that I feel that way, as until recently I would have gladly worked 7 days a week. As I've said before, I love my job but trying to get through the madness of my shifts when I'm in such pain, is an exercise in frustration. I've always been the kind of person who always goes above and beyond what's expected, always going that extra mile in my obsessive quest for perfection in everything I do. Yeah, I know I'm OCD but I've learned to harness it and use it to give me personal satisfaction in a job well done, be it at work or at home. As long as I'm doing something, there's no anxiety associated with my obessive tendencies. Not so much lately.

At work, I'm unable to really work the floor the way I prefer and be everywhere I'm needed at all times. I can't just run and go do something quickly, be it to get champagne, fresh bottles of liquor for the bar or bottle service, change from the safe, handle a situation that might be brewing in another part of the club or let the DJ know I want him to call a drink special. I've always been an extremely fast walker, to the point that it was a running joke that if a customer sitting at the bar felt a sudden whoosh of air, the bartender told them it was just KiKi zooming by so fast you couldn't see her. Not so much anymore.

I struggle just to get from one end of the building to the other and it's not in a timely manner. I can't carry anything that weighs more than a couple of pounds, so I need help with so much that I do. This is excruciating for me, as I am a fiercly independent woman who hates to ask for help for anything. I've always been this way, sometimes to my detriment. There have been many times in my life when I really needed help and refused to ask anyone or even let on that I needed help at all. I know that's kind of a bad thing and over the past few months I've come to terms (sort of) with the fact that it's okay to let people help me when I really need it. It's been tough but I've had no choice but to let go a little.

Everyone that I work with is amazingly supportive, even the Entertainers are constantly asking me if I need anything and Entertainers are notoriously selfish and oblivious to the feelings or needs of others, so that's pretty cool. The staff members take it upon themselves to assist me without even asking if I need it. That makes me feel so good and it helps relieve the stress that I feel when I have to ask. Greg*, Bryan* and CeCe*, (the other managers), have given me a standing offer to work any of my shifts if I'm in too much pain to make it in. That's fucking awesome. Mr. Boss Man continues to pay me my full salary every pay period even though I haven't been able to work my full schedule in a month. That is fucking unbelievable and almost unheard of in this industry and I am so thankful that I work for him.

They are all so amazing that they've even offered to do a fundraiser for me to help offset the cost of my upcoming surgery, since I pay all of my medical expenses out of pocket. When they told me they were going to do this I was blown away. In spite of everything negative going on with me and how I feel, I have this unbelievable group of people supporting me and helping to keep me from falling into an abyss of depression. They keep me going when all I want to do is crawl under the covers and cry. There is no way I can ever re-pay them for everything they're doing for me and they tell me that's perfectly alright, they don't want anything in return except for me to get better and start living again instead of just existing in the state I'm in. I couldn't ask for a better group of people in my life and I'll be loyal to them forever.

This post began as another rant and morphed into my own little therapy session with myself. It's become increasingly more therapeutic for me to share what I'd normally write in my private journal, with anyone who happens by this site to read. I'm okay with that and I am so thankful for all of you that do come by, it keeps me inspired to continue communing with my Little Pet Blog.

A Rant.....

Having a good, positive attitude is so very important. In the industry in which I work, it's imperative. Staff members or Entertainers with bad attitudes can spread their negativity like a cancer and throw everything off kilter. We are in the business of customer service and when that cancer begins to spread, it trickles on down the line and before you know it, the customers sense it. Once this happens, everyone feels it in their collective pockets. Customers simply do not tip well when faced with oppressive negativity from everyone around them. Those of us on the Management Team fight this battle with our Staff on a daily basis.

A bouncer and a bartender with bad attitudes were the main topic in our Thursday night Manager Meeting this week.

Matt*, the bouncer, is a good guy and personally, I like him, but boy, oh boy does his attitude suck. He's been with us for several years and is suffering from an acute case of the strip club disease called "Entitlement." This is common and career killing. People who've been with us for a while suddenly get it into their heads that they are entitled to get any damn thing they want. Be it choosing specific shifts for themselves, titles proclaiming their self-importance, demanding higher "tip-outs" and feeling like they can do a better job than any of us on the Management Team. Don't get me wrong, we love people who take initiative and work hard and we reward them appropriately. It's the ones who think they've "paid their dues" and no longer feel the need to work as hard as everyone else, that piss us off.

Matt* cornered Bryan*, our day shift manager, on Thursday just before shift change and gave him a piece of his mind on everything from the other bouncers, to the DJs, the Bar Staff and CeCe*, another manager. You might remember CeCe from a previous post in which I described my friendship with her. CeCe is an awesome person and a kick-ass manager, and I was pissed off to all hell when I found out that not only had Matt talked shit about her to Bryan, he had been slamming her to other staff members, as well. Matt is a grown man, why on earth would he think it was okay to speak disrespectfully about one of his superiors in such a manner that would get right back to all of us? This is not Corporate America, with bitter, disgruntled cubicle surfers busting ass for a measly paycheck that gets eaten up from taxes. This is a strip club, you make as much money as you set your mind to make. Good customer service means everything, and how friendly and attentive you are determines how much money you'll go home with at the end of a shift. It's not rocket science, not by a long shot.

It was decided that Bryan and Greg*, our GM, would have a sit down meeting with Matt and let him know that his attitude is unacceptable and since he felt that no one is doing their job as they should, we would now be holding him accountable for doing his job as he should. They also planned on reminding him that we have a stack of applications about 2 feet high in our offices, of people who would like nothing more than to have his job. We absolutely abhor having to take such a hard line but sometimes it's necessary to get people back on track again.

Our other bad attitude, problem child is Holly*, a bartender. She's been with us for about 2 years, she started as a waitress and was promoted and trained as a bartender 1 year ago. We never hire bartenders off the street, we only promote from within from our waitress staff. Holly was an awesome waitress, she always busted her ass every shift, in hopes that someday she would get her chance to move up in the ranks to bartender. We noticed, for sure, and felt confident in our decision to promote her. It didn't take long for Holly to become a power hungry, bar diva. They are the worst. They get back behind the bar, start making more money than they've ever made in their lives and it changes them. They are mean to the waitresses and they get it into their heads that the club could not function without them. We've seen this too many times to count and it's baffling. One thing we tell these young women in their training as a bartender is to never, ever forget where you came from. Holly has been disciplined in the past about her attitude, giving away free drinks, (HUGE no-no) and yelling at the waitresses when they don't call out their orders they way she thinks they should. As a result of her previous write-ups, she now works at least one waitressing shift per week in addition to her 3 busy bar shifts.

We have a huge Mardi Gras party every year, it's our biggest theme party of the year and it's tonight. Every year, it's standing room only and absolutely crazy. Through the rumor grapevine, we heard that Holly was telling other staff members last week, that if she was not scheduled to work the main bar position for the party, that she was going to quit. She told people that she felt like she deserved it over anyone else. Well, she is not scheduled to work any bar position for the party. CeCe, with 13 years bartending under her belt, will be the main bartender and Keri*, with 4 years experience, will be working the 2nd bar position. Holly wasn't scheduled because she simply isn't fast enough and she's still too green to work a party of that magnitude. If I wasn't laid up with this crippling back pain, I would have been behind the bar tonight right next to CeCe. Between the two of us, we have over 30 years experience behind a bar, 22 of those years mine. Not to brag but to state the facts, CeCe and I are experts in the field, with none of the other bartenders we have even coming close. We have to schedule accordingly on certain shifts, with only the best interests of the club in mind. Our young "bar divas" just don't get that, they take it personally and that's exactly what Holly did when she found out she would be the Champagne Hostess tonight instead of bartending. Our Champagne Hostesses have the ability to make more money than just about anyone in the club, but to Holly that doesn't matter, it's all about image and power to her.

Will she show up for work tonight? I don't honestly know, but I hope she does. I like Holly and would hate it if we lost her over something so petty and stupid. She has it in her to be a highly skilled bartender someday, if that's what she chooses to do.

As I review what I've written tonight, I'm not entirely happy with the content I'm putting out there. This has been a rant on my part, more than anything. Oh well, it is what it is. I wish I was there tonight with all my comrades in arms against the masses, this pain once again taking away from me something I love. I love the thrill of a massively busy shift and the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the night. The decision was made collectively that it was more important for me to stay home and rest tonight so I'd be able to get through my Sunday double tomorrow. I know it was the right decision but it still sucks.

Okay, I'm done ranting and I apologize to anyone who came here to read about another funny/weird story of My Life in a Strip Club. I won't let you down next time, though as I'm sure KiKi's Wild and Wacky Weekends will be in full effect tomorrow night. Till next time, ciao.

Birthday Girl Turned Stripper?

Monday night was considerably tamer than Sunday and for that, I was relieved. I was running on empty from the moment I woke up and just wanted to hurry up and get the shift over with so I could go home and go to bed. I gave everything I had to my Sunday shift and it took everything out of me. I was hurting, tired and in no mood for bullshit. Thankfully, no bullshit was handed to me and I made it through the shift without incident.

We had quite a few out-of-towners in on Monday night, avoiding the mad rush at the airports from all the Super Bowl and FBR Open fans. They were relatively well behaved and I only had to cut off a couple of them, with no problems.

One of my waitresses was turning 20 years old at the stroke of Midnight and I spent considerable time trying to convince her to go up on stage for one song. It's a tradition at our club that whenever a staff member has a birthday, we throw them up on stage for 1-2 songs, so they can get showered with Birthday Cash from all of their customers that they've been serving. It's a damn good tradition, I say, as I've experienced many birthdays at this club and it's always the best money shift of the year, hands down. When I was just a bartender, before I became a Manager, I easily made $1500 or more on my birthdays and I told this to Ashley*, trying to talk her into a mere 2 minutes on stage for a ton of money.

She finally agreed to do it shortly before we were about to close. The club was almost empty by that time and I'm sure that's why she waited. I totally understand stage fright, as I've experienced my share as a struggling aspiring actor/model when I was living in Los Angeles and when I first moved to Arizona. I've done a few small things, but that's a story for another day. The first time I got up on-stage at this club was tough for me too, but I did it knowing the pay-off would be well worth it.

Anyway, back to Ashley. My bouncer, Jack*, had to physically pick Ashley up and carry her over his shoulder, to the stage. She was obviously terrified, at first. Once the money started raining down around her she loosened up a little. See, even though the club was almost empty, there was still a large party of guys sitting on the main floor. They bought several bricks of 1's from the bar, circled the stage and began throwing the money at Ashley. The best way to describe this large party of guys is to say they are "Self-Employed Local Distributors." They come in several nights a week and always drop at least $1000 just buying bricks of 1's to "make it rain" on-stage. I love that they do this, even though they look kind of silly, like kids trying to emulate what they see in rap videos on MTV.

Ashley, on-stage shortly before the stage was absolutely covered in money

She stayed up there for 2 songs and made so much money that my bouncers had to use champagne buckets to carry it all off stage. I was happy for her but I may have created a monster. See there's a running joke in the strip club; What's the difference between a waitress and a stripper? Two weeks or one stage. Ashley's been with us more more than 2 weeks but this was her first stage, so we shall just have to wait and see what happens. Too many times to count, our hot waitresses have crossed over to the dark side of dancing. We've gotten to the point that when we hire waitresses, we hire girls who are already considering dancing but just want to get a feel for the industry by waitressing. These girls are always the hottest girls that come through the door, fresh-faced, not yet jaded and eager to learn the art of the hustle. The Cover Girl for our club, who is in all of our advertising, started out as a Day Shift waitress. Way back, when I first started working in the strip club industry, I considered dancing but then I came to my senses and realized it was not for me. I am thankful for the women willing to do it though, without them I wouldn't have the amazing career that I do.

Super Bowl Drunks and Success

I was dreading my Sunday double. It was the first double for me since walking has become a significant issue for me. My Doc gave me a corset type back brace, since using my cane was leaving me in even more pain by the end of a shift. The back brace sucks. It makes me walk like a duck. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the fact that with the brace I am now able to walk, but damn if it isn't really fucking uncomfortable.

My day started out slow, as guys don't usually go to the strip club to watch the Super Bowl. I expected this, so I wasn't worried, I knew we would soon be inundated with post-game revelers.

Around 9:30, Giant's and Patriot's fans started to trickle in, until it became a full fledged wave of football fans in all shapes and sizes. There was a large party of Patriot's fans in our Lounge and they were depressed and crying into their beers. They were so subdued that I knew they weren't going to be any problem, but I asked my bouncers to keep an eye on them to insure they didn't get too sloppy drunk. They didn't and much to the dismay of my waitresses, they didn't stay long either. These guys had big money written all over them but because of their devastating loss, they were in no mood to spend.

Have I mentioned that I live and work in Arizona? Our club is but a hop, skip and a jump from the stadium where the Super Bowl had just ended, so that may give you a better idea of the magnitude of the wave of post-game revelers. So close in fact, that I could hear the jets overhead that flew over the stadium after local girl Jordin Sparks sang the National Anthem.

We have been preparing for this weekend for months. We were well staffed and ready for anything that might come our way. Our GM, Greg*, even came in to assist me Sunday night, to be my feet when things started to get crazy. The amount of money spent by out-of-towners during our Friday and Saturday shifts was astounding. We broke all standing sales records by a long shot and our Staff and Entertainers made more money in those 2 days than they had in the previous month of shifts combined. Crazy, stupid money, I tell ya and everyone worked their collective asses off for every single dollar.

So, when I say we were ready for the post-game party, we were fuckin' ready for anything. Mr. Boss Man called me Sunday morning to give me a pep talk and a number he wanted me to hit in sales. I was blown away, as the number he gave me was higher than any typical rockin' Friday or Saturday had ever hit; "I have faith in you, Dina, (Mr. Boss Man doesn't call me KiKi), put your mind to it and you'll hit it."

So, when the wave began, not only did we have guys coming directly from seeing the game live, we also had rich golfers in town, as Sunday was the last day of the FBR Open in Scottsdale. Rich dudes with their private jets abounded and soon the club was packed and money was flying into the greedy little hands of my excited Staff.

All things considered, the shift ran smoother than I thought possible, with one exception; a drunk asshole who didn't like to be told he had to leave. It all started when I was taking a break at the bar on our outdoor smoking patio. If you've read my previous posts, then you know this is where the weirdos always seem to find me and thus begin the trip down the road to the end of their evening with us.

So there I was, sitting at the bar, checking my email on my phone, when Mr. Obnoxious Drunk plops himself down on the stool beside mine and slams his body into me. It hurt. Bad. Here I am, bound up in a tight, uncomfortable corset because my back pain is so immense that I can hardly walk and this fucking asshole is going to slam his fat, drunk, sweaty body into me?

"What the FUCK is your problem, dude?" I calmly said, staring directly into his beady, bloodshot eyes.

"I jush wanna ashk you a queshtion." He slurred.

"Well, you've just gone about it in the wrong way, motherfucker, now get away from me." I said.

He quickly stumbled off of his stool and staggered back into the club, slamming the glass door behind him as he went. Oh hell no. There were a couple of Entertainers sitting a few stools away from me and one of them asked me, "What the fuck was that all about, KiKi? Are you okay?" I replied, "Yeah, I'm alright but that drunk just fucked with the wrong bitch. I'll be right back." I hobbled back into the club to the sound of my girls laughing with each other, because they knew what was coming. All of my girls are very protective of me, even more so now that my physical pain is so obvious, but in situations like this, they know that I am more than capable of taking care of business. I just had to be careful how I phrased the incident to my bouncers, as they are even more protective than my strippers and I didn't want them to hurt Mr. Obnoxious Drunk, I just wanted him out.

As I rounded the corner from the Lobby to the inner club, I saw Mr. Obnoxious Drunk trying to order another beer from the bar. I signaled to Rick*, 1 of 3 bouncers I had that night, the universal gestures that indicate not only do I want this dude cut-off, I also wanted him out. As I watched, I could see that Mr. Obnoxious Drunk was not taking to kindly the fact that not only wasn't he going to get another beer, he was no longer going to have the opportunity to continue in his boob-grabbing attempts, that he was getting a swift escort out the door. As the argument escalated, Mr. Obnoxious Drunk chucked his empty beer bottle at my bartender, behind the bar. Thankfully, it missed her and just expedited his escort towards the door. Greg witnessed this and he took off after Rick and Pay*, my bouncers, to assist them in any way he could. Apparently, once they were all out the front door, Mr. Obnoxious Drunk tried to take a swing at my 3rd bouncer Jack*, who was already outside. I instructed my cashier to call the non-emergency line for the Police Department, just in case he continued to try to fight and to insure that he didn't get into his car and try to drive. We all know the non-emergency phone number by heart, as we call it often when drunks refuse to take a cab. It's CoverYourAss, all the way, in case some idiot gets into a car, drives drunk and hurts them self or someone else.

Anyway, the Police show up rather quickly, as street patrols are at maximum level to attempt to discourage drunken football fans from driving. Mr. Obnoxious Drunk was so damn obnoxious and drunk that eventually the Police took him into custody for trespassing and disorderly conduct. Serves that fucker right, he could have really done some damage to me in my fragile physical state, with his drunken half body slam.

Shortly after coming back into the club, one of my waitresses came to me and informed me that the 3 guys responsible for the horrific act of violence earlier in the week, were sitting at a table on the main floor. She was running a tab with one of them, so I told her to go in the back, make a copy of his credit card and Driver License and to joke with them and try to get them to admit that it was, in fact, them that beat 2 of our customers so badly that they ended up in Intensive Care.

Boy, oh boy did they brag. They wanted to know if their act was caught on our cameras, could she tell it was them in the video and didn't she think it was funny when one of them danced around after repeatedly kicking the already unconscious men in the head. It made me ill when she told me all of this. Greg and I made the decision not to call the Police at that time, afraid of a violent confrontation with the Police on our property when there were so many innocent bystanders in the building and parking lot. I had my waitress write a statement of exactly what they said to her and gave it to Greg to deal with the next day, when we weren't so busy. I wished I could have had them arrested then and there, but I had to consider the safety and welfare of my staff and customers. It just wasn't worth taking the chance. I sure hope that they are caught and get sent away for a long time.

The rest of my night went smoothly but I was personally disappointed that I missed my lofty sales goal by a mere $887. Dammit. So close and yet so far. I survived Super Bowl weekend, though and I'm proud to say that I significantly contributed to a record breaking sales week for our club. Everyone made an insane amount of money and it was awesome to see that all of our planning paid off in spades.

I was rooting for the Giants, by the way. =)

Get Out Of Jail Free Cards and Unnecessary Violence

Last night's Manager Meeting was a long one. There was much discussion about the incidents with "Kim" and "Mariah", as well as an incident that happened Wednesday night at shift change.

Mr. Boss Man, the owner of the club, made the decision not to fire "Kim". I wasn't at all surprised, as Mr. Boss Man is known for giving people 2nd chances, especially Entertainers. After all, none of us would have a job there if it weren't for the women willing to take off their clothes for money, right? "Kim" has been an Entertainer at our club for almost 4 years and has never behaved in the manner in which she behaved Sunday night. Mr. Boss Man sat down with "Kim" and spoke with her for over an hour, to find out what's been going on in her life that would bring her to act out in such a violent manner, in the club she thinks of as her 2nd home.

Apparently, "Kim" has been going through a lot of personal issues recently and was using alcohol to escape the stress and depression in her life. I won't go into all the dirty little details but suffice to say, she's got a whole lotta shit on her plate. Of course, the bouncer staff is pissed off to all hell that she's still allowed to work there but they're just going to have to get over it. They've all used their "Get Out Of Jail Free Card" at one time or another, so they need to give her the same understanding that everyone has given them. "Kim" has agreed to give Jack* and Rick* money to replace their torn vests and she has already apologized to everyone involved, including me. It's over, as far as I'm concerned but if it ever happens again, Mr. Boss Man has agreed that she will be out the door for good.

The outlook for "Mariah" is considerably less positive. Mr. Boss Man has yet to make a final decision concerning her actions. As I said in the last post, we have an extremely big weekend this week and need all the Entertainers we have to work. However, as of last night, "Mariah" has not shown her face at the club since Sunday night.

When I walked into the offices last night, our GM Greg*, called me into his office to show me video surveillance from an incident the previous evening. What I saw, from the grainy black and white footage of our camera facing outside from the front door, made me sick.

There were 2 guys, semi-regular customers, talking to 3 others about 10 feet away from our front entrance. Greg found out later that the 2 semi-regulars had accused the other 3 of stealing one of their cell phones. I could see on the video that the argument was rapidly escalating, when suddenly it turned into a brawl. Well, not a brawl so much as an attack by the 3 guys on the 2 semi-regulars. I had to avert my eyes at one point, because the horrific violence was just so incredibly disturbing. They beat the 2 semi-regulars into unconsciousness, then continued to kick both of them in their heads, as they lay there out cold, then ran away before anyone inside knew anything had happened. Greg walked out the front door a few minutes later to have a smoke and was stunned to see 2 men laying in the walkway, unconscious. It wasn't until later, after paramedics and police arrived, that Greg was able to get back to the offices to review the events on our surveillance system.

The 2 semi-regulars were seriously injured. They both suffered fractured cheekbones, concussions, lacerations to their faces and many lost teeth. No one knows the 3 guys who did it and watching that video made me want to throw up. Incidents like this are usually few and far between, but lately it seems like everyone has lost their damn minds. What if just one of those guys had a gun in their car? It happens at other clubs in town. We've been lucky that we've never had a shooting but that doesn't mean we are safe. Too many times to count, I've watched the news to see yet another shooting at one of the clubs in the city. It's usually the bouncers and managers that get shot in the parking lots.

A couple of years ago, at a rival club, an angry drunk who had been kicked out, stormed the front door and began shooting at anything that moved, inside the club. One of my favorite Entertainers had been a dancer at that club when it happened and she was on-stage dancing when the shooting began. Two of her friends died that night and needless to say, she never danced there again. I don't like to think about stuff like that, but I have to in order to stay always vigilant when I am manning the ship on my shifts.

I won't be working my shift tomorrow because of my continuing high level of pain, but I will be there for the duration of my 16 hour shift on Sunday. I for see that the first 6-8 hours of my shift will be extremely slow, due to the Super Bowl, but I imagine we will be inundated with post game revelers from 10:00 pm and on. I can only hope that the weirdos will be too drunk to leave their homes and my shift will go on without incident. I can hope, can't I?