Crazies...

It seems like the crazies are starting to come out of the wood work. Either that or the people reporting the news are ignoring the filters and starting to report on things that we wouldn't normally hear about. Which might be my own little conspiracy theory.

A while back a friend turned me on to the BBC. She told me that if I really wanted to know what was going on in the US then I should get my news from somewhere else. With that advice we got on the subject of how the news is fluffed and not fully reported here. Not until recently did I ever notice American news reports mention the UN. It was always "the US is" instead of "the UN is". No wonder so many people here think we do everything and feel so neglected when no one runs to our aid. There's a lot of people that don't even realize that other countries helped us when 9/11 happened. I do count volunteers flying in from other countries to help clear the rubbish as help.

Now that I've ranted..

The US seems to be in a remodeling stage in more of a way than it has during any new President's reign. People are becoming more and more aggravated with new taxes and less jobs to pay them with. Some blame it on bigger corporations outsourcing their production to China and other countries with low production costs. Others blame it on big business actually running our government through donations and lobbying. I believe that one wouldn't exist without the other. Some people are starting to get pretty upset by it all.

Last night a man was so upset he traveled from California to the Pentagon to express himself by opening fire on two security guards when they asked for his credentials. Apparently his parents knew about his mental instability but there's not much you can do when the offspring is 36yrs old and going in an out of jails. Some bleeding hearts might say that the "system" failed him. I don't believe the system should be accountable for people.

Last month a man flew his small airplane into an IRS building. At least this guy had some stable thoughts. He just did it all wrong. Sometimes I believe that people can think about something to such a point that it makes them crazy. It makes them think about it to a point that they believe everything they think to be 100% true. Which brings about the Manifesto of Joseph Stack III. Though some of the thoughts seem to be solid, they are completely one sided and seem to be more reasons for him to believe he hasn't done anything wrong. Maybe it was shame or just pure distaste that made him do it, either way, it's just plane crazy.

These are just two of the crazy things that have hit the national news lately. In local news there has been many other little incidents that you don't hear about. If it doesn't have an effect on the national level it doesn't really get spread out to the rest of us. It does seem that the US is going through some major changes. Whether they'll be good is still to be seen.

As for all the changes and political stances, I'm not getting into all that. I don't want to end up being crazy and crashing my big wheel into any street signs.

-Be Safe

Soothsaying from a Sayer of Sooth...

The big election night was last night. It was an event that gripped the nation. It was one of the biggest events this nation has seen in decades. No matter the outcome it was going to make history either by voting in our first African American President or our first female Vice President.

But I have to say, it bothers me to say African American just as much as it would to say Irish American. If a person is born here in the United States I'm much more comfortable just saying American. After all, is a person less or more of a person just due to their lineage? I don't think so.

It's not very often that the establishment that I work in turns off the music and turns up the television. The whole place was so quiet that people looked over when someone ordered a drink, as if their quiet voiced order would take away from the experience. It was also strange to hear the customers chant along with the "Yes we can" during Obama's acceptance speech.

I have to say, the speech that Obama gave was very good. It covered all the aspects that it possibly could. It drew from Martin Luther King JR and Abraham Lincoln. It drew from the people that started it all with their $5 donations all the way through the entire process to the people that were the most important during the entire campaign. It even went so far as to cover his ass when things might not go the way they're wanted to go in the next 4 years. It was a speech that kept you interested and kept you listening.

In January the new Camelot begins. The White House will have it's first young children since JFK. Along with them will also be the new puppy that their father promised them during his acceptance speech. Which, even I have to admit, brought a smile to my face.

A big part of me is pretty cynical. I tend to look at things through a different gaze then most. I look at a lot of things in a bad light. Maybe that's from the years of work that I've done where I have to expect the unexpected. Maybe it's from looking at people as they walk up to the door and in less than a minute I need to decide if that person is going to be a problem. That's right, I have to make a judgment call on every person that walks up to the door. I have to decide if I think that person might start a fight or be too intoxicated to even come in.

Granted, this has nothing to do with intoxication or an anger assessment. After you do this type of work it just sticks with you and your every day life.

Now onto the conspiracy part. A conspiracy is known to be an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons; plot. I wouldn't say that this conspiracy is necessarily an evil or treacherous thing. In fact, I think this nation needed a jump start. I think it needed a person of darker skin to take the reigns in order to let a few things come to an even playing field. Not to say that it's not close to that now but nothing is perfect.

I do believe there were no problems with this election. I noticed that all the votes were in much faster than ever I remember before. You could say that's due to the early voting but I could say that would be a good cover up.

I don't believe it was a landslide victory. I just believe that all the right states were reported at the right times in order to make it seem like it was. A stronger reason to make the public believe that they wanted this very badly. This done in hopes that it might help to stifle the thoughts of the weaker minded racist faction.

Part of me believes that the Republicans went with McCain and Palin because they knew the outcome. McCain is older and not so healthy. Palin's thinking is completely backwards. Her views on abortion, classroom sex education and book banning were all very backwards and old. Let's face it, a large portion of the public thought they had a lower mentality. Which could sum up to be an easier win for the good guys.

So in a way, a person could believe that this was all put together to try and make the people believe that they've taken back their government. When in reality, we have a new President but how many of the lawmakers in the rest of the government will go along with their ideals?

Now what if Obama hadn't won? If he had lost, would it have pushed the nation farther back into a racist state? Would there have been riots? I think all of that would have happened. In fact, I heard from a reliable source that there were McCain supporters that were beaten down just for voting for McCain. Which is asinine. I'd even venture to say that the people involved didn't even vote.

Would there have been another civil war? I doubt it but I do believe there would have been many riots and even more talks about how racist America is. Yet, after electing Obama it opens the door to many other nationalities to run for the Presidency. It allows the country to be more open to newer views.

So overall, if this was a giant conspiracy to make the nation more open, to make the people believe they regained control, or even to try and hide the mistakes from the last three Presidents; then maybe it was a good thing.

Next on the agenda? Maybe revoke NAFTA so we can get our jobs back and our nation's strength. Maybe a health system that can benefit people, like myself, that work 40 hours or more a week but can't get insurance through our work. Maybe more thought into solutions that will last decades or centuries rather than quick and inefficient.

Dreams can become reality. Yes, they can.

The Incoherent Mind...

I don't understand a lot of people. I guess that's just how I work. I see things, a lot of things. It's what I do. I watch and talk to a lot of people. I see the things they do and I notice a lot about people. I paste the events together and I get to see a lot of the darker side of them. I see a lot of the bad and not a lot of the good. I also see a few people in the opposite way and even fewer in both.

A friend of mine just went through a rough time. She had to kick her boyfriend out of their apartment. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later and I'm glad it did. He was a slacker and very much still a 12 year old.

He would come into the establishment on some of her nights. He would complain if she didn't pay enough attention to him. He would follow her from table to table as she waitressed and hang on her. He even dry humped her as she was trying to take orders on occasion. I tried to talk to her about it but she was overcome by the attention and was actually happy about it.

As time went on he got worse. His drinking got heavier and he became even more childish with every drink. Next thing you know he's taking his shirt off and acting like a monkey.

One night I pulled him out and around the side of the establishment. I had flashbacks of my father as I had one hand on his shoulder and my right index finger about a half an inch away from his eyeball.

"Listen to me. Quit fucking up in here."

"What? I'm just having a good time, people are laughing."

"I don't give a fuck who's laughing and who's trying to have a good time. I'm telling you to straighten the fuck up."

"Mike... listen man, we're just having a good time.."

At this point I squeezed his shoulder and dug my thumb in to hit the pressure point right in the area of where his shoulder meets his neck.

"Good time? At who's expense??" He started to talk and I squeezed that pressure point more and his knees started to buckle. "Listen to me now. Shut your fuckin mouth and listen. You take your shirt off one more time, you follow her around all night, or even think about dry humping her in front of customers and your ass will be out here faster than you've ever imagined it could be. You've only been allowed to slide this far because of her. Your sliding days are over. I don't give a shit who you are anymore. Now your just another piece of shit."

"But she likes the attention... she said it makes her feel better when I'm here..."

"You really fuckin believe that by degrading her it's a good thing? Are you fuckin stupid? I don't care what she says. Do that shit at home, don't ever do it here again. I'll lay your ass down on this sidewalk."

A month or two later I found out that he wasn't paying his bills or his part of the rent. I didn't hear it from Maria, I heard it from other staff members. I guess after I treated her boyfriend like a 6 year old she didn't want to talk to me about him anymore. She was afraid I might have another talk with him on a more serious matter, so I waited.

A couple more months went by and I heard about it again. He still wasn't paying his bills or his half of the rent. He works in the industry as well and he works at a fairly busy place. I kept wondering why he couldn't pay his share. It started to bother me even more when I kept hearing Maria say she couldn't do certain things because she was juggling bills. I've known Maria for a few years now and she never once had a problem with bills and such. I could also tell when she was upset.

One night her boyfriend came walking up with a few co-workers. He was all smiles as they walked up. I said hello to most of the co-workers and then it was his turn to walk in. He put his hand out for me to shake. I took a good look at him and said, "You need to make sure you scrub your face after work." Either he didn't hear me or he didn't care, under his nose was a white powdery substance.

That's when a lot more things started to come to light. I always figured he was either hyper active or a coke head but now I knew for sure. The little bastard wasn't paying his bills because he was snorting it all away.

As time went on he'd be quiet and every once in a while I'd have to set him off to the side. Information on what was going on was becoming more scarce as Maria quit talking to certain people. As information became less available I had to start interpreting things.

Maria started to become more lax at work. She was never a drinker or a drug user the whole time I've known her. Now all of a sudden she was drinking more and she was even smoking weed. It started to draw even more attention to her. I tried to talk to her about it and her answer usually entailed trying to fit in with her boyfriend and his friends. This just blew my mind. I can fully understand doing new things to fit in with your significant other. I can't understand drinking or doing drugs to fit in. To me that's just a sign of a weakness.

Finally a night came when there was a foul smell in the air. With the smoking ban it's very easy to smell cigarettes or any other funky smelling fumes. Low and behold, in the back of the establishment at one of the tables, the boy had a one hitter and was smoking weed. He was automatically ejected from the establishment. When I asked why I was told that Maria asked Casper not to tell me why. I told Casper to tell me because I'd find out anyways.

The next night he came by and I pulled him to the side again. He tried to apologize and I interrupted.

"Shut up. I don't ever want to hear the words I'm sorry come out of your mouth again. You wouldn't be doing this shit if you were. Don't you understand that when you fuck up in here, you don't just make you look bad, you make Maria look bad too?"

"But.. what?"

"Your her fuckin boyfriend. Your the one she chooses to be with and you make her look like a fuckin idiot for being with you. Your actions make people think less of her."

"No.. listen man, I was really fucked up that night..."

"Is that your fuckin excuse for not paying your bills? Is it your excuse for walking up here with coke all over your face? For taking your clothes off? For being a fuckin dirtbag? You know you can't be smoking weed in here. You know you can't be fuckin around. This is the last time I'm talking to you about any of this."

"Ok, ok... can I go inside?"

He went inside and ten minutes later he and Maria are outside arguing for a few minutes and he left. Maria didn't talk to me for a few days after that. Paulie and I had several talks about him and about how the next time would be the last time we'd put up with his bullshit. Boyfriend or not some one has to draw a line and since this is a work place we were ready to do that.

A few weeks later another incident occurred. This time it involved a regular punching the boy. Seems he was trying to push the regulars buttons and pushed it well enough that the regular pushed back, with his fist. The boy was removed and told not to come back.

Maria seemed much happier at work after that. She even started smiling and laughing more than she had been in the past month or two. Next thing you know, she's telling me about how she's kicking the boy out of the apartment and that they're broken up. I told her that it was the right thing to do and if she needed any help dealing with him to let me know.

She told me about the money he owed her. I told her to keep certain things of his until he paid up or to just keep enough of his things to kind of settle the debt. Conveniently he doesn't own anything of value.

Hopefully he starts paying back some of this money he owes her. Then again, I wouldn't mind having another talk with him. Maybe drive a few more points home and instill them into his head.

This is all...

Milquetoast Windbag Esq....

There are a lot of people out there that talk a lot. They say general things that are on everyone's minds and then talk it up like they're the first to think it and honestly feel a lot about it. Take Casper for example. He'll jump into the middle of a conversation and run with it. His opinions reflect that of the general populace so he's usually never wrong because he agrees with everyone.

"Man, fuck Osama! We should just go over there and blow up everyone until they hand him over!"

"You really think that'll work Casper?"

"Yea, why not? I'm sure after a thousand or so people they'll hand him over."

"Really? Even though they've been strapping bombs to their chests and blowing themselves up?"

"Sure."

"So your saying that if we start killing them at random it won't make them more angry and want to kill us even more? Not to mention the fact that they don't care about us at all or themselves."

"Sooner or later they'll see that we mean business. Who cares if we kill a few women and children in the process? Think about all the people they killed on 9/11."

"So that makes us better than them how?"

"Well, it doesn't make us any better than them but we'd find Osama a lot faster. Then we wouldn't have to worry about him being out there and planning another attack."

"You don't think we wouldn't piss off anyone else enough to want to do the same thing after we kill off their family?"

"Man, no one else would be stupid enough to attack us after we do something like that."

"Your genius just puts me in awe sometimes Casper. How do you even survive living in such an inadequate situation as you do?"

"Yea, I know, people been telling me for years that I'm pretty damn smart. But these people need to pay."

Even though we disagree on the topic, you'd be surprised how many people agree with Casper.

The world is full of idiots.

9/11...

It's strange to think that 6 years have gone by since the tragic incident that occurred. What's even more strange is that we still haven't caught Osama Bin Laden. Even with all the fancy equipment the government has he can't be found.

I wonder if I spent enough time on Google Earth if I would be able to find him?

I really don't have much to say on the topic of 9/11. I remember where I was and what I was doing. I remember the plan to head home if something happened nearby and I remember the people I was to take with me. Most of them have exited since I no longer live near where I did then.

I did find this video for you all to check out. It's pretty long, I think it's almost 2 hours but it's a decent one to watch. It might even make you think a little.

I can't put the video up here but you should definitely go to the site and check it out. Click on the link below and take a little time to watch it.

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

Processing of numbers...

It's very rare these days that I entertain the idea of actually going out on a date. I've become very cynical about the concept of dating. There are too many different forms of dating and there doesn't seem to be many people left with the same ideas of it as I have. I guess I'm the old school version compared to the new action packed city version.

I'm not the type of person to date more than one person at a time. It's just confusing and extremely embarrassing if you say the wrong name to the wrong person. It's easier to keep things on a one to one standard. That's not the only thing that's better to have as a one to one standard. I'm not the type to sleep around with more than one lady at a time either. It's just safe practice. Then again, if all women were ladies...

Yea... I'm a doorman, a "bouncer", and I work in bars. Doesn't mean I'm completely stupid, want to fight all the time or need to have sex all the time. Granted.. if I could, I would. Just not with everyone in the neighborhood.

There are certain types or ladies that catch my eye. Like most types of people they usually stick to their neighborhoods or the places that tend to lean to their preference in music and lifestyle. All the different places I work or have worked have never been the type of places that have attracted the type of ladies that I'm more attracted to. Which I guess could be a good thing.

So occasionally a lady will be out of her environment and she'll stumble her way into one of the places I work. I always take notice and still I won't go out of my way to make an impression. I just stand there, check her i.d. and welcome her to the establishment. I'll make a little talk and try to get a smile from her, which works about 80% of the time. After that it's out of my hands. I don't pester her, I don't have drinks taken to her table and I don't keep an eye on her. I just go back to standing at my post and doing what I get paid to do. On a couple of occasions I've had a lady come back up to me and she'll open up a conversation. By the end of the conversation she knows things she wanted to know and sometimes even more. At the end of the night she leaves usually saying that she'll see me soon. Rarely do I see them again.

If they do come back I welcome them to the bar, check their i.d. and act surprised that they are back. I usually do this by bringing up some kind of quirk that we talked about. We talk a little bit and she goes into the bar. When I make it inside she comes up and we talk and I either notice what she's drinking or I ask her. Then later when it looks like she might be getting bored at her table or she might be leaving I ask the waitress to go over and ask her if she wants a drink and that the doorman is buying. Sweet guy, right?

A couple hours later it's last call. She's still hanging out and we've talked a couple times. The lights have come up and it's time for everyone to leave. She walks up and grabs my arm, "How late do you have to be here?"

"Well, I have to get everyone out of here and then clean up a little. Maybe an hour or so until I can take off."

"Oh.. can't someone else do that for you? I really want to hang out with you tonight."

"Well, they could but I'd rather they didn't. How bout we switch numbers and we can hang out tomorrow sometime during the day."

"I'm busy tomorrow but I do want your number. I really want to hang out with you."

She's not comfortable giving me her number so I just give her mine. Then she gives me a little peck on the cheek and she heads out.

I don't hear from her until this night happens.

Typical. People wonder why I get cynical about women.

Days off with a Concert in there...

Finally been able to take a few days off from work here and there. I think I really needed it. With any job you always tend to hit that point where you need some time off. I don't think it was due to the stress levels just the fact that standing in a spot for 7 to 8 hours a night and for 5 to 7 nights a week tends to wear on you.

So I went to a concert on one of my nights off. I rarely ever go to shows anymore. After you've worked in a venue long enough it kind of loses its flair. So I go to 2 or 3 shows a year where I really want to see the band.

The second band that played tried to be more of the political awareness types of bands. This one just tries to push their own ideals. If your going to try and change the world then put the facts out there that you know. Don't just tell all these people what they should do. Also, remember, over 50% of the people at your show are under 18 years of age. They're there for the music and the experience, not to listen to you talk and talk between songs. Plus, they're signatures and opinions aren't worth anything constructive. I almost got up and left.

There are some bands out there that do it right. They talk a little but get straight to the point. They have media slide shows going during their set. Best of all, they provide information so you can make your own decision. They don't try to pressure you into something by saying you only like us if you do this. The best example of a band I can think of that does it right is System of a Down. The band I saw, I won't even mention their name.

So having a few days off has been some what nice. I've gotten a few things done that I've been wanting to get done. I've opened up a few other possibilities that weren't there before and I've started working on a back up plan. Just in case I decide to leave this glorious position.

Big holiday weekend coming up, we'll see what might come from it.

Bullsh*t -n- Bologna....

What ever corner you turn there's almost always some kind of bullshit going on. At every job I've ever worked there's always bullshit going on. Sometimes good but usually there are teams set up to play the field. The connivers versus the workers.

Let's take a look at these words.

Connive:

1. To cooperate secretly in an illegal or wrongful action;
2. To scheme; plot.

Workers:

1. 1. One who works at a particular occupation or activity: an office worker
2. A member of the working class.

Two totally different, opposite ends of the spectrum, words. Yet, they seem to exist within a level of existence that is soon to come crashing down.

Whenever you work at a place where your boss falls for fake people being cool you will always have connivers. These people are pretty much useless. They'll sit around and joke with just the right people.

They might even stop into work early, while the day staff is still around, just so they can find out who the real bosses are. Then they start doing favors for them and get on their good sides. Obviously, the day staff has no idea what's going on at night so they think that person is awesome for showing up so early for work.

Next thing you know, they get the good shifts or a faster advancement because the day boss loves them. Molly and I have never really had a problem seeing eye to eye. The times that we have had talks have always been settled and one of us has seen a point of view that the other did not. She usually understands that she doesn't know what's going on at night. She's never here at night and likes it that way. So once in a while she needs to get an idea of what is going on.

The problem in that is this. If she found out half of the things that are going on then half of the staff would probably get fired. Between the self inflicted habits and people just not doing their jobs they'd be out the door. Including one Sparky that she thought was such a great idea. An update on him soon to come. So sometimes it's better to let things play out the way you want them too.

This is when the other side of the coin kicks in and also how things get a little twisted. There are definitely teams in a sense at any bigger place. Taking the way our little club works it always seems to be the doorstaff versus everyone else.

The doorstaff is basically made up of blue collar workers. We all know how most regular jobs work. You go to work, do your job, and after so long you get rewarded. End of story. Unless your worthless you get what's coming to you. Sometimes you do even when your worthless just not in a good way. Besides all this, when we see someone get screwed over we want to try and fix it. It might take us a while but it gets fixed. Especially when it's someone that we consider part of our team.

Everyone else is basically the bartenders, managers, and the higher ups. The bartenders are usually no problems. Most of them have been doormen before they became bartenders. They know what's going on and don't usually involve themselves.

The manager is pretty pliable. Depending on how you handle them depends on where they are. We keep them out of trouble so they listen but that's never anything to really believe in.

The higher ups are ones I stay away from. These are people you don't want to include in anything. Usually that's where the top dog goes if really needed. The top dog (TD) is the head doorman. TD knows all the higher ups and can state his opinion to them without consequence. If I were to open my mouth to them I'd probably get fired on the spot.

Now the twisted part. This is when you get all the different people going in all the different paths. The connivers become the hunted and the workers becoming the connivers against the connivees. Certain people that want in to see certain friends won't be allowed in. Favors will be hard to get and the connivees will be watched for any certain patterns they start.

It's almost like a well drawn out battle plan. In the nightlife it really is basically all about what people can do for people. Then again, it's also what you can't do for people too. No one really knows what can or can't be done for anyone. We can tell you no and the manager says yes but the manager has to come to us and say yes. We don't have to look for the manager. The inconvenience is there for both the parties, the person wanting something and the manager having to make time for them. We're the middle man, we don't always have what you want.

Some might say that we just get lazy because we won't go look for someone. Guess what, that's not our job. When it comes to letting people in that are on a guest list, this is our job.

"Your on the list, come on in."

OR

"Your not on the list. The cover's $__."

"But I was told I was on the list for tonight."

"Your not, so you can pay the cover or don't and not come in."

"Well, can you get ______? They said they'd put me on the list."

"No we can't. Either pay or don't, your choice."

That's when the person gets all upset and leaves. Which could mean a numerous amount of things could or could not happen. It's just a small slice of enjoyment for us and maybe an eye opener for someone else.