Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Adsense or nosense...

Every once in a while I take a look at the ads that Google puts on my page. I opted for the ads because I figure if people actually use them and I can make a few bucks here and there it's not a bad thing. After 6 months I've made a penny. So they're not really worth it to me. They do offer a bit of eyebrow raising and thought occasionally.

They change fairly often since they're supposed to go through the posts and find prevalent topics to offer search options for. Yet, I don't think they're working very well. Or they're working in the exact opposite way.

For instance, here are the ads that I see now as I write this.

Ads that make no sense: Friend Poems, Quotes, Love Letter Poems, Romance Poems, Poems about Women, The Power of Nice, Bring Back Lost Love, Romantic Love

Ads that make sense: Deal w/ Difficult People, Workplace Issues

So I guess 2 out of 15 isn't too bad....

I've been looking at a few different sites that offer payments for postings and other types of advertisement options to make a little cash. I figure if people only have to click on something and it offers something they want to look at and it doesn't bother their pc, then what's to lose? We both win.

So in a few days I'll more than likely have some new eye candy on the side of the page. Maybe I'll actually make enough for a cup of coffee before work. Who knows.. maybe even a steak dinner. Ok, I'm getting a little far ahead of myself there.

I wonder if any newspapers would be interested in a doorman's opinion column? It might go well in a Nightlife section. Ha ha!! Yea.. I don't think the world really wants to know what doormen and club security personnel think of them. If they did there'd be a lot more blogs and columns out there about us. Then again, the world thinks we're all muscle bound idiots.

More to come.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Frankie the Chic II...

So on the rare occasion that I actual get to sit at home and enjoy a night of absolutely nothing, the phone rings.

"Hey Mike, Frankie here."

"Oh hey man, how's it going?"

"Pretty good man. How's things?"

"Good. I'm guessing you got my contract?"

"Yea.... I got it and gave it to my manager."

"He didn't go for it huh?"

"Yea... not so much. He said that he thought your price was a little high so I thought I'd give you a call and see what we could do."

"I tell ya what Frankie. Tell your manager to come up with what he wants me to do and what he wants to pay me and I'll come up with a counter offer. That's the best I can do. I'm already cheaper than any professional guys he could hire."

"Well yea, he said that but he said the label just wouldn't go for that type of expense."

"Well, send me his offer and we go from there. Easy enough."

"Ok man, I'll talk to him and see."

"Alright Frankie. I'll talk to you soon."

As much as I would like to go out on the road with a band I'm not doing it out of faith. I'm doing it so I can go out on the road and make money, just like everyone else that does the type of job they do. As much as I'd like to go out and do what ever I want to do without consequence, I can't. I have bills to worry about just like everyone else.

There are advantages to knowing guys who actually go out on tours and do this type of work. I know what they charge and what duties they have. I know when I'm low balling my fees and in turn I know when the label wants to think I'm a novice. This also gives me a good idea whether the label thinks the band is actually worth sinking the money into them.

All in all. It doesn't really matter to me if I get the job or not. It'd be nice to get away and go on the road. I'd end up with a lot more stories to tell and it'd probably be a really good time. I'm not going to lose money or sleep over it though.

I just didn't have the heart to tell Frankie that his label isn't going to pay for a "bodyguard" no matter how cheap I became. So I'll wait til the offer comes and refuse it. Then he'll forget about it and everything runs smooth. No need to put reality in his face when he's riding his 15 minutes of fame.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Frankie the Chic?...

When you work in a bar long enough you tend to meet just about every person that comes in on a regular basis. In some way you know each person that comes in. Usually they're just clones of the people that came in 5 minutes before. Every one fits in their own little niche.

Then there's the person that comes up and starts talking to you and asking questions. Then asks questions that are a little more personal than you like. Then you realize, you know this person but you thought this person was a guy.

"Wait.. wait.. hold on, Frankie?"

"Yea man, who'd you think?"

"Honestly man, I thought you were a chic."

Frankie's mouth dropped open, "What?!"

"Man, look at you. Your hairs all done up, your skinny as shit and what's up with all this make up crap on your face?"

"Well, the record went well. The label's PR guy said that if we did a few changes with ourselves that we'd get better exposure and more sales."

"Yea but come on..."

"Hey Mike, I'm still me just with a different cover. You always said don't judge a book..."

"by it's cover. Yea, yea, that was me, not so much me anymore. The job doesn't really offer much for that anymore."

"Yea I guess. You ever thought of getting out of this?"

"It's crossed my mind a couple times."

"Well, we're going to be going out on a big tour soon. Ever thought about being security for a band?"

"It's been offered a couple times but no one wants to pay me what it's worth."

"I bet we could."

"Well, check it out and let me know. I'll figure out what I need and email you the contract."

"Contract? We don't need a contract, we won't screw ya."

"Frankie, in this business there's always a contract."

Voice from inside the bar, "Francis!! Come on, I got your drink."

"Alright Mike, I gotta go. Let me know what's up and I'll get back to you about it."

"Will do."

Contracts are a great thing to have when it comes to personal security. You lay down your price and the responsibilities and then go from there. Offer - Counteroffer and so on.

When it comes to traveling and going on tour I don't trust anyone. I get a contract that way I don't get left behind somewhere. I'm gonna watch my ass first and then yours after you decide you want me to.

I'm definitely not putting on make up and doing my hair in a special way for you though.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

100 Posts...

Here it is... number 100... I have very few regular readers but the ones I have check in on a regular basis if not daily. To you I want to say Thank you. If you didn't come back so often I might have just given up on it and did it somewhere else.

As you might have noticed my posts are starting to become a little more regular as I've opened up the topic a little more with time. I've already passed the amount of blogs I did last year and I'm still half way to reaching what I did in the first 6 months.

The entries are becoming a little less powerful as they were in the beginning but such is life. With time everything becomes a little bland. That's why I started opening the blog up a little more with other topics. Not to worry, there are some past events that still need to be posted and I'm sure new things will pop up as they always do. New endeavors will sprout new posts and so on.

I also noticed that it's now been a little over 2 years since I originally created this blog. Looking back at the Welcome post a few things have changed. Mainly work related things including the forced rejections. They have happened and I've spoken of them here. It's not something that I look forward to happening, it's just a part of the job when I'm forced into that situation.

Just to give a reminder to what I hope this blog could show to everyone that reads it.

Not all doormen or bouncers are the stereotypical "idiot". They're not all muscle bound guys that like to show off their strength. They don't all like to fight. Not all of them do this as their main form of employment. Not all of them are "man-whores".

I also hope that people might read this and look at it from the point of view I try to put out there. Maybe someone can read this and look back at something that happened to them and realize why it happened. Doormen are just doing their job. We get paid to make a decision and stand by it. It's easier for some people because that's how we were raised by our fathers and we have the size to stand up. It is the type of job that you have to be ready for. It's not the type of job for any Joe Schmoe to just do. If you can't handle every day conflicts then you can't handle this type of job for a long period of time.

Now that I'm opening up the blog a little more with my personal opinions on certain subjects I hope that it might become a little more accessible to the readers. With this post I'm going to open up the comments so people can post comments. Feel free to post any comments you like. It's open to non-registered users but I have taken the liberty to moderate comments. It's the best option that I think I have at this time. You can also contact me through e-mail and AOL instant messenger. That information is on the right side of the page at all times.

Feel free to send me any questions you have and I'll answer them here.

On the right of the site there's also a subscription box where you can enter your email address and you can get all these updates in your inbox. There's a few people there now and it would be great to see even more. It's a free service and you don't have to sign up for anything more than the delivery.

Also, if you haven't noticed. I have added Google Ads onto the page as well. Feel free to click away on these. Every click helps send me a little money and it doesn't even come out of your pocket. Think of it as "Greasing the doorguy."

Alright, that's all for now. I'm off to work or sleep and I'll post here soon again.

Be safe.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Busy, Busy...

Now that the heat is starting to turn up more and summer is in effect we've been getting busier. Thursdays have became the new Friday and Friday and Saturday are still just as busy as always. Plus, with all the little festivals going on in the neighborhood it gets people out of their house earlier and they want to stay out later. Which means even more people trying to get into the establishment.

What's this mean for me?

It means that I deal with more people that just don't seem to have a clue. It means more people waiting in line to get in and even more people arguing with me as to why they aren't coming in. The wait time is longer because less people are leaving. Even more people are trying to play the "I work at this place or that place" game and more regulars to deal with.

The entire neighborhood has changed a lot. There's more of the baby stroller yuppie types in the neighborhood now and a lot more suburban people coming through which means less stories about people trying to tip me to get in. Now it's usually "Stop by my job and I'll hook you up with free entries with your dinner," or "I'll hook you up with free tickets to a show." The sad part is that I already have these hook ups through these peoples bosses. So now your offers are null and void.

I wish I could revisit posts of people hooking me up like Mr Strong Handshake did back in the day. If I had more days like that I wouldn't be so stressed about everyone being clueless about how things work. I guess I've been in the industry too long to realize that not everyone thinks of these things as common sense practices.

The major festivals bring about bands and promoters and I'm always trying to hook them up. I don't ask for anything from them but if I have heard of them I will do what I can. If I don't know you then I hope that you show up with someone I know from the club you played at. Then I can make them look like rock stars. Occasionally I'll get tickets to a fairly big show in the area for helping them out.

When I get the tickets it's a toss up as to what I actually use them for. Sometimes I'll give them to some unknowing customers that were really cool or I'll give them to a co-worker, very rarely I'll sell them. If I do it's money in my pocket and everyones happy, especially me. I've even used them as trade before to get things that I really wanted for myself. Flat panel TVs and other items are pretty expensive these days.

So every hook up is used for a hook up. That's how it's done. A person doesn't go out of their way for you just because they think your nice if they don't know you. They do it so they can get something out of it for themselves. Yes, that even goes for that nice guy that held the door open for the girl. Everyone wants something.

I know.. I'm being cynical again. Or am I?

Friday, August 03, 2007

Lost or Found...

It's inevitable. Some day you'll forget something at a bar. Hopefully you forget it and someone didn't just steal it. Your best action is to call the bar the next day and see if they have a lost and found.

Every night I walk the establishment and see if anything is left behind. I watch the floor for dropped money and I look around to see if anyone left behind bags, cell phones, clothing or anything that catches my eye. I do have to admit, any money I find I keep. It's usually only 5 or 10 bucks but if it's on the floor and not inside anything it's fair game.

Occasionally I'll find a briefcase or satchel and I look through it to see if there's any type of identification in it. That way if there's a way to contact the person the management will contact them. If there isn't a way to contact them the bag goes into the lost and found. If the person doesn't come back for it in a couple weeks then who ever finds it gets first dibs on it.

One night as I was walking the area I found a satchel that had a laptop, ipod, 6 or 8 manilla folders, and numerous other things. One of the things inside was a little leather book that had $700 in it. All together, I'd say there was $1,500 worth of items inside this bag. I took it down to the office and signed it in to the management. Then I went back to finishing the night.

About a half hour later there's a knock at the door. So I walk over to see who it is at the door and find a gentleman in his 40's standing there with a cab waiting for him. I unlock the door and slightly push it open. "Bar's closed. Can I help you?"

"Yea mate, I was here earlier and I think I left my bag here."

"Can you tell me what it looks like and the contents?"

"Yea, yea.. It was a black satchel with grey on it and I had my laptop, an ipod, and a bunch of paperwork in it. My passport should be in there too."

"Ok, give me a second and I'll take a look. Be right back." I locked the door and headed back to the office to get the bag I just put there. I walked back up to the door and held up the bag. The man smiled big and gave me a thumbs up. I unlocked the door and handed it to him.

"Oh man, thank you mate!! This thing has my whole life in it. I'm here from Australia and I'm giving a proposal to get my company work here. If not for you I'd be literally screwed! Thanks so much!!"

I stood there looking at him. Listened to everything he had just said. I saved him from a lot of problems. Might have helped make him a millionaire or some shit. Then he says this. "I wish I could give you a reward or something for saving me."

Then he got in the cab and left.

Ok... I'm not the type to be looking for rewards because I found your stuff in the bar. I find things in the bar almost daily. If I saved you and your business from what ever I saved you from and you have $700 sitting in there (that I could have taken) then how bout a monetary reward? I'm not saying $200 or $300 but $50 would have made my night.

People don't seem to understand. When people find things in bars 70% of the time the ones that lost it don't come back for it. They don't remember where they lost it or where they had been that night. So after a couple weeks most of these things go home with who ever found it.

The other part that people don't understand is this. When things are found at a bar, who's to say that what's in them is found in them. What's stopping that person from pocketing that $700 that was in there? Hey, we found it on the floor in a bar after 400 or 500 people were in here. Maybe someone else took it cause it wasn't there when I found the bag. Or who's to say we ever even found the bag.

So remember, if you lose something in a bar and you go back and all your things are still there, then someone honest kept that for you. They're not expecting you to give them a reward. They're not expecting you to go out of your way for them. They will second guess themselves the next time they hear someone go on about how they saved someone's life by holding onto something. Maybe next time they just won't find the bag or turn it in.

So if someone does something really good for you without asking then remember to pay it back in some way. What works well a lot of the time is just an offering. The next time you go there offer to get them a drink, or food, or even throw them $20 or more for holding the bag.

That whole pay it forward thing is bullshit. If you don't do it naturally then you won't pay it forward. Pay it back to the one that helped you.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Let's get dinner some time....

There are a few things that bother me. Most of them separate between work and life.

I'm not the guy that typically works in a bar or a nightclub in a security position. I don't take a liking to my job due to the power that comes with it. Power means nothing to me. Why? Because away from work I'm no one just like you. I take comfort in knowing that. I know that once I step away from which ever establishment I'm working at I'm just another person riding a bus, walking down the street or driving down the road. I'm no one special when away from work. While I'm at work I'm the one person everyone wants to know.

I get a lot of "We should hang out" or "Let's get dinner some time". I get it so often that when I hear it now I usually just brush it off as someone else trying to get nice with the bouncer. They think that false guarantees will get them in faster, free drinks or they'll be upgraded so they can skip the line. It doesn't work like that.

I'll tell you now, the fastest way to be remembered by a bouncer or doorman is cash. Good ole green paper money. Now I'm not talking about being cheap here either. Depending on the number of people that are with you will depend on how much you will need to be remembered. On a typical scale the best way to be remembered is about $20 a head. But... if the club has a cover charge for the night then the typical scale would be twice the amount of the cover per person.

Now depending on the club it's all different. Your best bet would be to actually show up early and talk with the door staff. Show up on a slow night and talk to the guy at the door. Chances are he's the same guy that's there on the weekends to but bring that up in conversation. If the guy acts like he doesn't want to hear a word your saying then he probably doesn't and your shit out of luck.

I hate to admit this part. I really do because at some clubs it works like a charm but it only works for the ladies. Ladies... show off what was given to you. Either it was given to you at creation or you've bought it but it does work at a lot of clubs.

Clubs want hot ladies there. It's a proven fact that if there are women there, men will show up and spend even more money. I've even let groups of women skip the line just so the guys see what is in store. Of course, I'm more the type that only wants to see it if I can have it. And I rarely see anything I want by the end of the night.

Sorry hun, your wasted, I'm sober.

So now that I've gone off on a tangent...

I really don't want to hear about how we should hang out or we should go out some time. I really don't. I hear it a lot and I've followed up on a few of them. It usually ends up with responses such as how busy they were at work and how tired they are and don't want to go out. That's fine. I hate to say it but I remember that crap when you show up to the club again. It's when I get to say how tired I am and I don't want to open the door for you so you'll have to wait in line.

Hey, turn around is fair play. It might seem petty but remember.. You offered something up to the table worth far more than I ever did. I offered the pass to get into a bar. You offered up "dinner" as you pressed your big ass chest against me and your hand came up missing.


This isn't a one ride bull. Put your money where your mouth is.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

My purse!!... or rent?

So I get home the other night and I find an email in the trusty inbox. By the time I get home there's usually nothing going on. There might be a few other bar people online and half the time they're just checking their myspace or falling asleep. Then I pop open my mail system and I get this message.

This is so f*ckin ridiculous!! I got jumped when I left the bar last night!! They took my $400 phone, $600 worth of make up, my keys, and my $1100 purse!! I'm so pissed off right now!! It's gonna take me forever to get that stuff back so if you want to get a hold of me your gonna have to drive your ass out here or email me.

Wow.. an $1100 purse.. What a waste of money. I could buy a lot of things with $1100. A used car, weights, gym memberships, rent for a few months, just about anything. Anything more important than a purse. I mean, I have pockets but I realize women need purses to carry everything. Do you really need a purse that costs more than the car you drive?

Now I understand, if you can afford it then do it but come on. If you have to drive a crappy car, live in a smaller place or a far off place to afford your lifestyle then is it worth it? Plus, any team of snatchers knows what purses are good or bad. They probably sold that $1100 purse for $200 and were happy. The $600 of make up is probably laying in a gutter somewhere within a couple blocks of where you got jumped. Which is either a lot of make up or, once again, some over priced name brand crap. The phone has probably already been sold for $100 or even $50. Phones are fairly easy to get rid of and reconfigure.

Sorry for the bad luck but try getting your priorities in order. Just because something costs a lot doesn't mean it makes you look that much better. I've seen a t shirt and jeans girl look a hundred times better than a dolled up turnip.

Just glad to know that it didn't happen when you left my bar.

**To the one that sent me the email: If you actually read this, take note how many times I have driven out to see you. Then realize I'm not going to.