One of my favorite movies, Peaceful Warrior, has been released on DVD today! I've seen Peaceful Warrior twice in theaters, once last year when it was given a limited release, and again this year when it was given a wide release. You can buy Peaceful Warrior on DVD by clicking here.
I interviewed with one of the owners of Bliss last Wednesday. He basically asked me to explain why I'm the man for the job. I told him about all the experience I have - over 10 years doing Security in night clubs and at concerts; doing Security for the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and Sundance; running Security at Vortex, Players, & Natalies. I told him that I am good at filtering out the troublemakers. I explained that my Security philosophy is to be aware of what is going on around me and prevent things from escalating before they get out of hand. I told him that I am trustworthy. I told him that I am a Christian. I told him that although I am not perfect, I am honest. I told him that my purpose in life is to protect people. After I was done "selling" myself I asked him what kind of pay they were going to offer me. He told me that he was going to talk to the other owners and they would let me know.
We got our liquor license approved today. We also passed the fire and building inspections. If they can pay me what I am worth, I will be signing a contract later this week or early next week. Yes, I am learning from my past experiences (like this one, this one, this one, and this one) and will be getting a contract. They will have to pay me more than I'm making at Teleperformance to get me to cut back to part time so I can work both jobs. I put in a schedule change request last Wednesday. I requested to only work on Mondays and Tuesdays from 3:30 PM until 12 AM starting the week of July 8th through July 14th because Voodoo's Unveiling Party is on Wednesday, July 11th. This would allow me to work at Voodoo on Wednesdays, Fridays, & Saturdays and have Sundays & Thursdays off. I found out today that I won't know if my schedule change request has been approved until the end of next week. I have heard that our benefits at Teleperformance, especially the dental benefits, are not very good. I want to work both jobs so I have something to fall back on if Voodoo doesn't work out but if they can't give me the schedule I want, and if I can get a good contract for Voodoo, I might just quit Teleperformance and work at Voodoo.
We are having another Job Fair for Bliss and Voodoo this Friday and Saturday from 12-4 PM. We have hired enough bartenders, barbacks, cocktail waitresses, and shot girls for Bliss but we are still accepting applications. I will still be interviewing people for positions at Voodoo, the 18+ part of Bliss that I will be managing. I need to hire Door Girls and Energy Bar Girls. The Door Girls will be collecting cover charge at the front door. The Energy Bar Girls will be selling energy drinks, soda, and bottled water at the Energy Bars. I want to hire a few of the guys that I interviewed last week for Security. I also want to rehire Dan, who worked the last night Vortex was open. I will interview some more guys for Security this weekend and then they will have go to a second interview with one of the owners early next week. We will have some training at the end of next week.
Speaking of Security, I have been reading Clublife, a blog by a bouncer in New York City, off and on for a few years now. While reading the Bouncer (doorman) Wikipedia article last week I came across another blog by a bouncer working at a night club in a holiday park complex in the UK. It's called A Dirty Job. The Bouncer article also links to two other bouncer websites, Door Network and Working the Doors. You can also check out the rest of my blog for the club life from my perspective.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Finally!
Two weeks ago, on Tuesday, Phil called me and told me that he had recommended me to the new owners of Vortex for a job. No, I didn't tell him to go jump in a lake. Wednesday, I finally went downtown to the Labor Commission and filed a wage claim against Travis Pera and his brother, Ryan Pera who is the one who signed the checks from Club Vortex that bounced.
On Thursday I met Phil and he told me that he was recommending me to be the manager for Voodoo, which is the 18+ part of the new club on the 1st floor. The 21+ part, on the 2nd , 3rd, and 4th floors, will be called Bliss. The owners have someone that they want to run Security for Bliss but Phil recommended me to run Security for Voodoo as well as managing the Door Girls, Energy Bar Girls, D.J.'s, and Go-Go Dancers. I still have to meet with the owners to talk to them about pay. I will be working there on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
On Saturday I was working at Teleperformance when A.J., the Head of Security at Harry O's, called me to ask if I could work the MySpace Party they were having. I told him I would ask my supervisor and call him back. I was on lunch so I asked my supervisor and he asked me if I could get him into the club. I told him that I didn't know but I would see what I could do. He let me go so I went home to shower and eat and headed up to Harry O's. When I got there A.J. had me work one of the VIP sections on the balcony on the stage left side of the club.
My area wasn't too busy because only the VIPs were up there. I always keep an eye on the Go-Go Dancers as much as possible without neglecting my area. Around midnight I saw one of the Go-Go Dancers who was dancing on the main bar below me talking to one of the barbacks. Then I saw the barback get up on the bar where she was dancing and talk to a customer directly in front of the Go-Go Dancer. I signalled A.J.'s brother, who was working one of the doors to the backstage area on the stage right side of the club, with my flashlight (Surefire's 6P with the P61 lamp assembly). He got someone to watch his post and then moved towards the Go-Go Dancer. A.J. must have seen the barback up on the bar, and I think they give radios to some of the barbacks, because he was on the pervert before his brother got there. I later found out that the pervert had been taking up-skirt pictures with his camera phone.
Later on I asked A.J. if I could get my supervisor in and he said yes and put his name on the list at the front door. When my supervisor called I told him that he was on the list. The next day (Sunday) I checked my mail from the past couple of days and my CCW was in there! Finally!
Last Tuesday Travis called me but I was working so I couldn't answer. I called him back and he threatened to sue me for check fraud if I didn't drop my wage claim. I told him to go ahead and try. Then he said that he was going to claim that I was an independent contractor, which he knows is a blatant lie, and get my case dropped. I told him that he was full of it and he knew I wasn't an independent contractor so go ahead and try to get the case dropped. He then told me that he would pay me $500 if I would drop the case. I told him that he owed me more than $1,000 so he would have to pay me more than $500. I suggested $800. He offered $600. I told him that I would think about it and call him back. I called a friend and asked him what he thought I should do. He suggested that I take what I could get, move on, and let go. I called Travis back and told him I would settle for $600. He told me he would pay me on Thursday. I told him that I wouldn't take a check because I didn't trust him.
Travis finally got around to paying me on Friday. He paid me $600 cash and had me sign one form that he was going to fax to the Labor Commission saying that I was dropping my case against him and another form saying that I wouldn't pursue any further payment from him. After getting paid I went to the pawn shop and got my XD 45 ACP handgun out. It had been in the pawn shop since last year. I had to pawn it to help pay rent because I went overboard in helping Chere and her kids. Then I went to my friend's house, who loaned me some money last year to help me since pawning my gun didn't get me enough money to cover rent, my car payment and food for a couple of weeks, and finished paying him and his wife the money I owed them. I spent Friday and Saturday with them. Friday night, on the way to see Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (A-), my car kept stalling due to some type of short in the electrical system. I got it back to my friend's house after the movie. Later that night when we went to Wendy's to get a shake it stalled some more. I called my car dealership, Menlove Dodge Toyota, and they got it towed up to the mechanic near the dealership in Bountiful. They finally got it fixed today and I'll be getting a ride up there to pick it up after I get off work.
I created a Myspace site for Voodoo last week. Today I started helping one of the owners of Bliss with Bliss's MySpace site. Bliss and Voodoo will be having a Job Fair tomorrow and Thursday from 12-4 PM. We will be hiring for all positions. On Sunday I created ads at www.craigslist.com/ and www.ksl.com/ for the Job Fair. Today I created an ad at www.saltlakehelpwanted.com/. I'll be going in at 11:30 AM tomorrow to meet the new owners. I hope the online ads are enough because the owners didn't want to run an ad in the Salt Lake Tribune or City Weekly. One of them decided to run an ad in the Salt Lake Tribune a few weeks ago so they didn't want to spend more money running another ad. I have no idea why you would run a Help Wanted ad six weeks before you're going to be opening but I've realized that some things just can't be understood.
Sunday night I ordered a SmartCarry concealed gun holster. I ordered the Security V model. I had done some research online comparing SmartCarry and Thunderwear. I found out that SmartCarry has a better perspiration barrier and they don't have any downward facing seams on the top front of the firearm or tactical reload pocket for your gun to snag on. They're also less expensive than Thunderwear.
I finished reading Requiem for an Assassin by Barry Eisler. It was very good. Barry Eisler, who used to work for the CIA, has some good articles about personal safety and martial arts. If you're a writer or if you're interested in becoming a writer check out his articles for writers. While you're on his website check out his Links page. I haven't finished reading Old School-New School: A Guide to Bouncers, Security and Registered Door Supervisors by Jamie O'Keefe because I've been spending a lot of time at Gamerzz playing games and working on the Voodoo MySpace site. I hope to finish reading it soon. I also want to read Verbal Judo: Words as a Force Option by George J. Thompson, Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating, and Patriot Acts by Greg Rucka.
On Thursday I met Phil and he told me that he was recommending me to be the manager for Voodoo, which is the 18+ part of the new club on the 1st floor. The 21+ part, on the 2nd , 3rd, and 4th floors, will be called Bliss. The owners have someone that they want to run Security for Bliss but Phil recommended me to run Security for Voodoo as well as managing the Door Girls, Energy Bar Girls, D.J.'s, and Go-Go Dancers. I still have to meet with the owners to talk to them about pay. I will be working there on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
On Saturday I was working at Teleperformance when A.J., the Head of Security at Harry O's, called me to ask if I could work the MySpace Party they were having. I told him I would ask my supervisor and call him back. I was on lunch so I asked my supervisor and he asked me if I could get him into the club. I told him that I didn't know but I would see what I could do. He let me go so I went home to shower and eat and headed up to Harry O's. When I got there A.J. had me work one of the VIP sections on the balcony on the stage left side of the club.
My area wasn't too busy because only the VIPs were up there. I always keep an eye on the Go-Go Dancers as much as possible without neglecting my area. Around midnight I saw one of the Go-Go Dancers who was dancing on the main bar below me talking to one of the barbacks. Then I saw the barback get up on the bar where she was dancing and talk to a customer directly in front of the Go-Go Dancer. I signalled A.J.'s brother, who was working one of the doors to the backstage area on the stage right side of the club, with my flashlight (Surefire's 6P with the P61 lamp assembly). He got someone to watch his post and then moved towards the Go-Go Dancer. A.J. must have seen the barback up on the bar, and I think they give radios to some of the barbacks, because he was on the pervert before his brother got there. I later found out that the pervert had been taking up-skirt pictures with his camera phone.
Later on I asked A.J. if I could get my supervisor in and he said yes and put his name on the list at the front door. When my supervisor called I told him that he was on the list. The next day (Sunday) I checked my mail from the past couple of days and my CCW was in there! Finally!
Last Tuesday Travis called me but I was working so I couldn't answer. I called him back and he threatened to sue me for check fraud if I didn't drop my wage claim. I told him to go ahead and try. Then he said that he was going to claim that I was an independent contractor, which he knows is a blatant lie, and get my case dropped. I told him that he was full of it and he knew I wasn't an independent contractor so go ahead and try to get the case dropped. He then told me that he would pay me $500 if I would drop the case. I told him that he owed me more than $1,000 so he would have to pay me more than $500. I suggested $800. He offered $600. I told him that I would think about it and call him back. I called a friend and asked him what he thought I should do. He suggested that I take what I could get, move on, and let go. I called Travis back and told him I would settle for $600. He told me he would pay me on Thursday. I told him that I wouldn't take a check because I didn't trust him.
Travis finally got around to paying me on Friday. He paid me $600 cash and had me sign one form that he was going to fax to the Labor Commission saying that I was dropping my case against him and another form saying that I wouldn't pursue any further payment from him. After getting paid I went to the pawn shop and got my XD 45 ACP handgun out. It had been in the pawn shop since last year. I had to pawn it to help pay rent because I went overboard in helping Chere and her kids. Then I went to my friend's house, who loaned me some money last year to help me since pawning my gun didn't get me enough money to cover rent, my car payment and food for a couple of weeks, and finished paying him and his wife the money I owed them. I spent Friday and Saturday with them. Friday night, on the way to see Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (A-), my car kept stalling due to some type of short in the electrical system. I got it back to my friend's house after the movie. Later that night when we went to Wendy's to get a shake it stalled some more. I called my car dealership, Menlove Dodge Toyota, and they got it towed up to the mechanic near the dealership in Bountiful. They finally got it fixed today and I'll be getting a ride up there to pick it up after I get off work.
I created a Myspace site for Voodoo last week. Today I started helping one of the owners of Bliss with Bliss's MySpace site. Bliss and Voodoo will be having a Job Fair tomorrow and Thursday from 12-4 PM. We will be hiring for all positions. On Sunday I created ads at www.craigslist.com/ and www.ksl.com/ for the Job Fair. Today I created an ad at www.saltlakehelpwanted.com/. I'll be going in at 11:30 AM tomorrow to meet the new owners. I hope the online ads are enough because the owners didn't want to run an ad in the Salt Lake Tribune or City Weekly. One of them decided to run an ad in the Salt Lake Tribune a few weeks ago so they didn't want to spend more money running another ad. I have no idea why you would run a Help Wanted ad six weeks before you're going to be opening but I've realized that some things just can't be understood.
Sunday night I ordered a SmartCarry concealed gun holster. I ordered the Security V model. I had done some research online comparing SmartCarry and Thunderwear. I found out that SmartCarry has a better perspiration barrier and they don't have any downward facing seams on the top front of the firearm or tactical reload pocket for your gun to snag on. They're also less expensive than Thunderwear.
I finished reading Requiem for an Assassin by Barry Eisler. It was very good. Barry Eisler, who used to work for the CIA, has some good articles about personal safety and martial arts. If you're a writer or if you're interested in becoming a writer check out his articles for writers. While you're on his website check out his Links page. I haven't finished reading Old School-New School: A Guide to Bouncers, Security and Registered Door Supervisors by Jamie O'Keefe because I've been spending a lot of time at Gamerzz playing games and working on the Voodoo MySpace site. I hope to finish reading it soon. I also want to read Verbal Judo: Words as a Force Option by George J. Thompson, Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating, and Patriot Acts by Greg Rucka.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Fate's Wedding
Fate and Theorian are two of my friends that I used to do Personal Protection for when they opened for many different Hip Hop artists that performed in Utah. They opened for artists such as Method Man, KRS-ONE, Bubba Sparxxx, the Yin Yang Twins., and the Alkaholiks. They move to Las Vegas two years ago but I have kept in touch with them.
Two weeks ago, on Wednesday, Fate, Theorian (a.k.a. Dissaster), Paradise (Fate's wife), and Derek (their roommate) came up to Salt Lake City. Fate and Paradise had a small wedding ceremony back in February but Paradise's family, who are Tongan, wanted to have a bigger ceremony with all of their family. Fate called me several weeks ago asking me to be in his line for the wedding. I haven't grown (or shrunk) any since my brother's wedding and they were getting suits from the same place, Men's Warehouse, so I didn't have to get fitted again.
Last Wednesday night, after I got off work, I went over to Fate's sister, Teisha's house and hung out with them for a little while. Thursday afternoon I picked up my suit. After work on Thursday night I picked up Fate, Theorian, and Derek and we met Shane at Habits (where Player's used to be) for some Karaoke. They spent a lot of money renovating the club and it shows. After karaoke we went to Denny's to hang out with Shane and his friends. Friday night they wanted to rest so I went to Gamerzz for a couple of hours before going home to get some sleep.
Saturday morning I picked up Theorian, Derek, and "Little Man" (Teisha's son) from Teisha's apartment. Then we went to Fate's mom, Carol's house and picked up Fate. Little Man decided to ride with his mom to the wedding so Theorian, Derek, and Fate rode with me down to the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga for the wedding. Just before we got off the highway, Theorian said "That was brave." I responded "What was brave?" He said "Passing that cop like that." I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw a marked police car with his siren on. I'm usually on the look-out for cops because I tend to drive fast but somehow I completely missed this one. I pulled over to the side of the road, pulled out my driver's license, and asked Fate to get my registration and proof of insurance out of the glove compartment.
When the cop came up to my window he was upset because he was "going 65 and I passed him like he was standing still" and he "had to go 85 just to catch up to me". After he chewed me out and I explained that we were on the way to Fate's wedding he asked "Where do I know you from?" I said "I do Security at some of the clubs downtown." He said "Vortex?" I said "Yeah." He told me to slow down and let me go. As we pulled out Fate and Theorian told me that they were praying that I wouldn't get a ticket.
At the church I carried Little Man around to keep him occupied while we waited for the wedding to start. Fate told me that Little Man's sister, Dejanae, was sad because she wasn't in the line for the wedding so I invited her to walk around with us. Theorian was Fate's Best Man. Derek, Lam, and I were in the line with a bunch of Paradise's cousins.
Shane was in the line too but his truck broke down so he was a little bit late. He got there before Paradise though. Fate sang his song, Rest of My Life, to Paradise as her father walked her up the aisle while Derek played acoustic guitar. After the wedding we walked down the stairs and a bunch of people, including Shane, took pictures. After that we got into limos and rode around for a while. At 3:45 we got dropped off at Little America for the wedding reception.
This wedding reception was different from any other wedding reception I have ever been to. They had a Pacific Island dance group do dances from all over the Pacific Islands. The Tongans have a cool wedding tradition in which relatives on both sides of the family are given several expensive, beautiful, handmade blankets. Carol and Teisha received blankets. Most of my experience with Polynesians has been breaking up groups of them in fights while doing Security at clubs. In fact, several of the clubs that I have done Security at have limited the number of Polynesians that are allowed in to prevent things from getting out of control. I can understand supporting your family but when they are causing a problem you should straighten them out, not join them in fighting. It was good to have a positive experience with Polynesians and see how giving they can be.
Saturday night, after the wedding reception, Theorian, Derek, and I went to Gamerzz to play some Counter-Strike: Source. We were all not feeling good because it had been a long day and we hadn't kept ourselves hydrated so it wasn't as much fun as it could have been. After playing for a few hours I dropped them off at Teisha's apartment and went home to get some sleep.
Sunday morning I picked up Theorian and Derek and we went to the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga to be with Fate and Paradise at their first mass as husband and wife. The Tongan tradition is for them to attend church together and wear a ta'ovala. After church Paradise's parents treated a bunch of people from both sides of the family to a buffet at Crazy Jim's buffet, a really good Chinese buffet restaurant. After lunch Theorian, Derek, and I went to Gamerzz and played some more Counter-Strike: Source. We had a lot more fun because we were well fed and hydrated. Sunday night I saw Flywheel (A+) with a friend.
On Monday I saw Pirate's of the Caribbean: At World's End (A) with a friend and his family. Sunday evening I picked up Theorian and Derek and we helped my friend and his family clean up a house that they will be buying from a relative and renting out. On Tuesday I picked up Theorian and Derek and we went to Paradise's parents house to hang out with Fate before they went back to Vegas. It was good seeing Fate, Theorian, Teisha, Little Man, Dejanae, and Carol again. It was good meeting Derek. I hope to see Fate, Theorian, and Derek again soon.
I've read more than half of Requiem for an Assassin by Barry Eisler. I'll finish reading Old School-New School: A Guide to Bouncers, Security and Registered Door Supervisors by Jamie O'Keefe when I'm done with Requiem for an Assassin. On Sunday night I was listening to 100.3 FM when I heard Susan Dermond, author of Calm and Compassionate Children, mention Christian Centering Prayer. I Googled Christian Centering Prayer and found this website. In the near future I want to read Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating.
I've been catching up on some of my favorite blogs and websites with Google Reader for the past couple of weeks. Blackfive had a good post about Good News from Iraq. He also posted about this article - Graying duo keep passenger in check. Click here to subscribe to Blackfive. Click here to subscribe to my blog.
Tonight at 6:30 PM my church, Calvary Chapel Salt Lake City, is having Church in the Park. We meet at Sugarhouse Park on the first Wednesday of every month from May through September (in July it's the second Wednesday because of July 4th) for a free BBQ, fellowship, worship, and a message. For a map and directions to Sugarhouse Park click here. If you live in Utah, you are invited to come. Bring your family and friends!
When the cop came up to my window he was upset because he was "going 65 and I passed him like he was standing still" and he "had to go 85 just to catch up to me". After he chewed me out and I explained that we were on the way to Fate's wedding he asked "Where do I know you from?" I said "I do Security at some of the clubs downtown." He said "Vortex?" I said "Yeah." He told me to slow down and let me go. As we pulled out Fate and Theorian told me that they were praying that I wouldn't get a ticket.
At the church I carried Little Man around to keep him occupied while we waited for the wedding to start. Fate told me that Little Man's sister, Dejanae, was sad because she wasn't in the line for the wedding so I invited her to walk around with us. Theorian was Fate's Best Man. Derek, Lam, and I were in the line with a bunch of Paradise's cousins.
Shane was in the line too but his truck broke down so he was a little bit late. He got there before Paradise though. Fate sang his song, Rest of My Life, to Paradise as her father walked her up the aisle while Derek played acoustic guitar. After the wedding we walked down the stairs and a bunch of people, including Shane, took pictures. After that we got into limos and rode around for a while. At 3:45 we got dropped off at Little America for the wedding reception.
This wedding reception was different from any other wedding reception I have ever been to. They had a Pacific Island dance group do dances from all over the Pacific Islands. The Tongans have a cool wedding tradition in which relatives on both sides of the family are given several expensive, beautiful, handmade blankets. Carol and Teisha received blankets. Most of my experience with Polynesians has been breaking up groups of them in fights while doing Security at clubs. In fact, several of the clubs that I have done Security at have limited the number of Polynesians that are allowed in to prevent things from getting out of control. I can understand supporting your family but when they are causing a problem you should straighten them out, not join them in fighting. It was good to have a positive experience with Polynesians and see how giving they can be.
Saturday night, after the wedding reception, Theorian, Derek, and I went to Gamerzz to play some Counter-Strike: Source. We were all not feeling good because it had been a long day and we hadn't kept ourselves hydrated so it wasn't as much fun as it could have been. After playing for a few hours I dropped them off at Teisha's apartment and went home to get some sleep.
Sunday morning I picked up Theorian and Derek and we went to the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga to be with Fate and Paradise at their first mass as husband and wife. The Tongan tradition is for them to attend church together and wear a ta'ovala. After church Paradise's parents treated a bunch of people from both sides of the family to a buffet at Crazy Jim's buffet, a really good Chinese buffet restaurant. After lunch Theorian, Derek, and I went to Gamerzz and played some more Counter-Strike: Source. We had a lot more fun because we were well fed and hydrated. Sunday night I saw Flywheel (A+) with a friend.
On Monday I saw Pirate's of the Caribbean: At World's End (A) with a friend and his family. Sunday evening I picked up Theorian and Derek and we helped my friend and his family clean up a house that they will be buying from a relative and renting out. On Tuesday I picked up Theorian and Derek and we went to Paradise's parents house to hang out with Fate before they went back to Vegas. It was good seeing Fate, Theorian, Teisha, Little Man, Dejanae, and Carol again. It was good meeting Derek. I hope to see Fate, Theorian, and Derek again soon.
I've read more than half of Requiem for an Assassin by Barry Eisler. I'll finish reading Old School-New School: A Guide to Bouncers, Security and Registered Door Supervisors by Jamie O'Keefe when I'm done with Requiem for an Assassin. On Sunday night I was listening to 100.3 FM when I heard Susan Dermond, author of Calm and Compassionate Children, mention Christian Centering Prayer. I Googled Christian Centering Prayer and found this website. In the near future I want to read Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating.
I've been catching up on some of my favorite blogs and websites with Google Reader for the past couple of weeks. Blackfive had a good post about Good News from Iraq. He also posted about this article - Graying duo keep passenger in check. Click here to subscribe to Blackfive. Click here to subscribe to my blog.
Tonight at 6:30 PM my church, Calvary Chapel Salt Lake City, is having Church in the Park. We meet at Sugarhouse Park on the first Wednesday of every month from May through September (in July it's the second Wednesday because of July 4th) for a free BBQ, fellowship, worship, and a message. For a map and directions to Sugarhouse Park click here. If you live in Utah, you are invited to come. Bring your family and friends!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Facing The Giants
On Sunday night I watched Facing The Giants on DVD. This was a great movie with a great message! It is one of my favorite movies! This movie is about having faith in God and glorifying Him in all you do. My church, Calvary Chapel Salt Lake City, had a screening of Facing The Gaints as a fund-raiser for Easter at the E but I wasn't able to watch the whole thing because I had to go to work at Club Vortex. I'm glad that I finally got to see it! I also want to see Flywheel, another movie produced by the producer of Facing The Giants, Sherwood Pictures.
I used to play WoW (World of Warcraft) when I worked at GoodGame but when I quit working there (because they could no longer afford to pay me) I quit playing. This past January, when I was working at Teleperformance, I bought the expansion for World of Warcraft called The Burning Crusade. I've been playing WoW on a regular basis since January but I'm probably not going to renew my monthly subscription next month because I want to spend less time vegging in front of a computer and more time reading the Bible, reading other books, hiking, and playing basketball & volleyball.
Last Sunday I wasted two hours of my life watching 28 Weeks Later with Phil. He really wanted to see it. I didn't want to and should have just done something else instead. We'll probably watch Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End this weekend. I'm also looking forward to seeing Ocean's Thirteen, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and A Mighty Heart.
I've avoided posting about the Virginia Tech Massacre until now because it is a very negative topic. My heart goes out to the family and friends of the victims of the Virginia Tech Massacre. I do believe that if students and faculty at Virginia Tech with Carrying Concealed Weapon (CCW) permits had been allowed to carry their guns on campus, Seung-Hui Cho might have been stoppped before he killed 32 people and wounded many others. Mike Kinsey wrote a good article about this issue on the Ohioans for Concealed Carry Website. I took the training for my CCW permit last year and finally got around to submitting my paperwork and paying for my CCW a few months ago when I started working at Club Vortex. Because of the increased number of CCW applications following the Trolley Square Mall Shooting (where an off-duty police officer prevented the shooter from killing more people) it currently takes up to 100 days to get your CCW so I should be getting mine soon. I'll be getting my XD 45 out of the pawn shop in July.
Barry Eisler's newest book, Requiem for an Assassin, comes out today. I'll be getting it when I get paid on Thursday. Check out Barry Eisler's blog. I'm still reading Old School-New School: A Guide to Bouncers, Security and Registered Door Supervisors by Jamie O'Keefe. After Requiem for an Assassin, the next fiction book I want to read is Shibumi: A Novel.
Barry Eisler's newest book, Requiem for an Assassin, comes out today. I'll be getting it when I get paid on Thursday. Check out Barry Eisler's blog. I'm still reading Old School-New School: A Guide to Bouncers, Security and Registered Door Supervisors by Jamie O'Keefe. After Requiem for an Assassin, the next fiction book I want to read is Shibumi: A Novel.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Snapped?
I have been playing games online at Gamerzz in Taylorsville for about seven months now. I've been their unofficial Security guy for most of that time and, as of December 31st of last year, I am their promoter for their Lock-Ins (all-night LAN parties). I got Sky High Party & Pizza and FastKart Indoor Speedway to sponsor the Lock-Ins. This means that they provide passes to their business as door prizes and prizes for tournaments. I also got Dominos Pizza to provide pizza at a discounted price. Right around the time that Club Vortex got shut down, one of the employees at Gamerzz got let go (he got into a fight with one of the owners and I broke it up) so they needed to hire some people to cover his shifts. Another regular at Gamerzz, Finkle, and I got hired.
Let me back up a little bit here. Around the beginning of the year Gamerzz started implementing a "No Loitering" policy. This LAN center, being just a few blocks away from Taylorsville High School and Salt Lake Community College, was a "hang out" for several high school/college age students. This was becoming a problem to the point where sometimes there were more loiterers than customers. Sometimes this group would be so loud that it would be a distraction to the paying customers that were trying to conentrate on their gaming. They would also loiter next to the building. Because Gamerzz is in a strip mall, the owner of the strip mall complained to the owners of Gamerzz about this group loitering next to the building. The employees would have to repeatedly tell this group not to loiter next to the building. The rule (or "guideline") that was implemented around the time that I started working there was that these loiterers had half an hour to either get on a computer or leave the property for the day.
The leader of this group of loiterers is a 19 year old disrespectful, mouthy pothead whose nickname is Rick James. Rick James has, on several occasions, shown disrespect to the employees of Gamerzz by doing things such as flipping them off and arguing with them when they try to enforce the rules. On a couple of occasions we have wanted to suspend him from Gamerzz for a short time to punish him for his inappropriate behaviour but one of the owners, Jared, has not let us do this. He is afraid that if he punishes Rick James then him and his group will no longer come to Gamerzz. Rick James just "apologizes" and continues to be disrespectful. Although some of these loiterers, one of them being Rick James, are actually paying customers on a regular basis, some of them are not.
I worked there two or three days per week for the two weeks following Club Vortex being closed down. During this time I did a good job of enforcing the "No Loitering" policy. The other employees were not as consistent on enforcing this policy. When I got hired at Teleperformance my training schedule conflicted with my schedule at Gamerzz so the schedule was adjusted to cover my shifts. I am now just a back-up.
On Saturday, April 21st I was playing at Gamerzz and there were a lot of loiterers. They were being noisy. After two or three hours Finkle, the on-duty employee at the time, told the loiterers that they had half an hour to get on a computer or leave for the day. Rick James claimed that there were no open computers even though there were. Even if there weren't any open computers, Rick James and the other loiterers know that they can get on a waiting list so that as soon as a computer becomes available they will be the only ones that can log onto the open computers. The fact that they know about the waiting list and had been there for at least two hours but had not got on the waiting list proves that they were not intending to get on a computer. Rick James still wanted to argue and complain as he often does. At this point I told him to not argue with Finkle. Rick James's friend Spencer, who was sitting on a couch near the back of the LAN center about 10 feet from where I was sitting, told me to sit down and play my game.
Let me back up again. A month or two before this incident, I was playing at Gamerzz when Luke came in and told me that there was about to be a fight outside. I ran outside and asked Spencer, who was sitting in his car, what was going on. He said that a group of Polynesians, who were now standing next to their car, had tried to pull him out of his car and beat him up. At this point they got in their car and left. So I came to Spencer's defense when a group of guys were trying to beat him up.
Now back to the story. I told Spencer that he needed to leave now. He refused to leave and again told me to sit down and play my game. I moved closer to him, pointed towards the door, and told him to leave now. As an employee I was telling him to leave. By refusing to leave he was trespassing. He stood up, got in my face, and told me that he wasn't going anywhere. Technically by getting in my face he was threatening me. I told him to get out now. He told me "No" and stuck his tongue out at me. While that wasn't as bad as spitting on me, it wasn't the smartest thing to do. I spun him around, wrapped my arms around his shoulders and dragged him towards the door. At this point Rick James and his group of 6-9 guys rushed me and grabbed me. One of the smallest in the group jumped on me and was hanging from my neck in a futile attempt to throw me off balance. I stood my ground and told them all to get out. Luke, who works there and is friends with these guys, told them to get out too. Finkle, who is also friends with these guys, called the police. All of them, except for Rick James, left the building. Rick James was trying to provoke me to throw him out of the building. I just stood my ground and Luke and I told him to get out. After talking some trash he got out.
After everyone was out, Finkle called Jared, the owner. The police showed up within 5 minutes. We told them what happened. Then Jared showed up and we told him what happened. He then talked to the police and talked to Rick James and his group. After he had talked to everyone he told me that it should not have come to this. I should have called him. I explained that the customers should respect us and we should not have to call him to enforce the rules. I also explained that if we were all consistentt in enforcing the rules and if he hadn't overridden us when we wanted to suspend Rick James then he might respect us more and it wouldn't have gone as far as it had. He told me that if he suspended Rick James then him and his group might not come back. I told him that them not coming back would be a good thing. He explained that if they left, his business would suffer a major loss of revenue. I explained that as long as he let a bunch of troublemakers continue to break the rules and disrespect his employees, it was going to be hard to attract a good crowd. He again stated that it should not have come to this and told us to call him in the future.
Jared then went over and talked to Rick James and his group again. While he was over there Finkle and Luke took Jared's side of the argumnent basically saying that we had to walk on egg shells with these guys because we couldn't afford to lose them as customers. I explained that this "gang" of guys should not be running the shop, we should. They went into the whole "loss of our customers" spiel again. I said that I understood that but said that we had to draw the line somewhere.
Jared came back over and told us that he was going to let them stay. I asked Jared if he was serious and said that they should have to leave for the day, at the very least. They basically tried to jump an emplyee and Jared wasn't going to punish them at all. He said that he was going to tell them that they could either get on a computer or leave. So basically, after loitering for two or three hours, arguing with an on-duty employee, and then trying to jump an off-duty employee, they were just told not to loiter.
In a recent blog post, Luke claimed that I "snapped" and "assaulted a customer by putting him in a chokehold". He obviously doesn't understand what snapped means. Snap means "to suffer a physical or mental breakdown, especially under stress". Just because he doesn't understand the gang mentality and how to deal with a group of guys doesn't mean I "snapped". Just because I chose to physically remove a loiterer that had been trespassed and was challenging me doesn't mean I "snapped". If I had snapped, or lost control, Spencer would have been unconcious, I would have layed those guys out when they rushed me, and I would have thrown Rick James out when he was provoking me.
I didn't put Spencer in a chokehold. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and dragged him towards the door. He wasn't enough of a threat to warrant me putting him into a chokehold. I knew that I could handle him without putting him in a chokehold (click here to read about a situation which did warrant me using a chokehold). Luke's lack of experience with physical confrontation, the loiterers being his "friends" (although I doubt that he spends any time with them outside of work and they don't respect him as true friends do), and his passive nature lead to him making an incorrect assesment of the situation. I like Luke and he has treated me well from the first day that I met him. I guess I just expected a more objective assessment of the situation from one of my co-workers that I have backed up on several occasions.
Rick James and a few of the paying customers from his group have still been coming to Gamerzz but the loiterers have not been there as much as they used to. So, while Jared and the other employees might not like my methods, they are effective.
Let me back up a little bit here. Around the beginning of the year Gamerzz started implementing a "No Loitering" policy. This LAN center, being just a few blocks away from Taylorsville High School and Salt Lake Community College, was a "hang out" for several high school/college age students. This was becoming a problem to the point where sometimes there were more loiterers than customers. Sometimes this group would be so loud that it would be a distraction to the paying customers that were trying to conentrate on their gaming. They would also loiter next to the building. Because Gamerzz is in a strip mall, the owner of the strip mall complained to the owners of Gamerzz about this group loitering next to the building. The employees would have to repeatedly tell this group not to loiter next to the building. The rule (or "guideline") that was implemented around the time that I started working there was that these loiterers had half an hour to either get on a computer or leave the property for the day.
The leader of this group of loiterers is a 19 year old disrespectful, mouthy pothead whose nickname is Rick James. Rick James has, on several occasions, shown disrespect to the employees of Gamerzz by doing things such as flipping them off and arguing with them when they try to enforce the rules. On a couple of occasions we have wanted to suspend him from Gamerzz for a short time to punish him for his inappropriate behaviour but one of the owners, Jared, has not let us do this. He is afraid that if he punishes Rick James then him and his group will no longer come to Gamerzz. Rick James just "apologizes" and continues to be disrespectful. Although some of these loiterers, one of them being Rick James, are actually paying customers on a regular basis, some of them are not.
I worked there two or three days per week for the two weeks following Club Vortex being closed down. During this time I did a good job of enforcing the "No Loitering" policy. The other employees were not as consistent on enforcing this policy. When I got hired at Teleperformance my training schedule conflicted with my schedule at Gamerzz so the schedule was adjusted to cover my shifts. I am now just a back-up.
On Saturday, April 21st I was playing at Gamerzz and there were a lot of loiterers. They were being noisy. After two or three hours Finkle, the on-duty employee at the time, told the loiterers that they had half an hour to get on a computer or leave for the day. Rick James claimed that there were no open computers even though there were. Even if there weren't any open computers, Rick James and the other loiterers know that they can get on a waiting list so that as soon as a computer becomes available they will be the only ones that can log onto the open computers. The fact that they know about the waiting list and had been there for at least two hours but had not got on the waiting list proves that they were not intending to get on a computer. Rick James still wanted to argue and complain as he often does. At this point I told him to not argue with Finkle. Rick James's friend Spencer, who was sitting on a couch near the back of the LAN center about 10 feet from where I was sitting, told me to sit down and play my game.
Let me back up again. A month or two before this incident, I was playing at Gamerzz when Luke came in and told me that there was about to be a fight outside. I ran outside and asked Spencer, who was sitting in his car, what was going on. He said that a group of Polynesians, who were now standing next to their car, had tried to pull him out of his car and beat him up. At this point they got in their car and left. So I came to Spencer's defense when a group of guys were trying to beat him up.
Now back to the story. I told Spencer that he needed to leave now. He refused to leave and again told me to sit down and play my game. I moved closer to him, pointed towards the door, and told him to leave now. As an employee I was telling him to leave. By refusing to leave he was trespassing. He stood up, got in my face, and told me that he wasn't going anywhere. Technically by getting in my face he was threatening me. I told him to get out now. He told me "No" and stuck his tongue out at me. While that wasn't as bad as spitting on me, it wasn't the smartest thing to do. I spun him around, wrapped my arms around his shoulders and dragged him towards the door. At this point Rick James and his group of 6-9 guys rushed me and grabbed me. One of the smallest in the group jumped on me and was hanging from my neck in a futile attempt to throw me off balance. I stood my ground and told them all to get out. Luke, who works there and is friends with these guys, told them to get out too. Finkle, who is also friends with these guys, called the police. All of them, except for Rick James, left the building. Rick James was trying to provoke me to throw him out of the building. I just stood my ground and Luke and I told him to get out. After talking some trash he got out.
After everyone was out, Finkle called Jared, the owner. The police showed up within 5 minutes. We told them what happened. Then Jared showed up and we told him what happened. He then talked to the police and talked to Rick James and his group. After he had talked to everyone he told me that it should not have come to this. I should have called him. I explained that the customers should respect us and we should not have to call him to enforce the rules. I also explained that if we were all consistentt in enforcing the rules and if he hadn't overridden us when we wanted to suspend Rick James then he might respect us more and it wouldn't have gone as far as it had. He told me that if he suspended Rick James then him and his group might not come back. I told him that them not coming back would be a good thing. He explained that if they left, his business would suffer a major loss of revenue. I explained that as long as he let a bunch of troublemakers continue to break the rules and disrespect his employees, it was going to be hard to attract a good crowd. He again stated that it should not have come to this and told us to call him in the future.
Jared then went over and talked to Rick James and his group again. While he was over there Finkle and Luke took Jared's side of the argumnent basically saying that we had to walk on egg shells with these guys because we couldn't afford to lose them as customers. I explained that this "gang" of guys should not be running the shop, we should. They went into the whole "loss of our customers" spiel again. I said that I understood that but said that we had to draw the line somewhere.
Jared came back over and told us that he was going to let them stay. I asked Jared if he was serious and said that they should have to leave for the day, at the very least. They basically tried to jump an emplyee and Jared wasn't going to punish them at all. He said that he was going to tell them that they could either get on a computer or leave. So basically, after loitering for two or three hours, arguing with an on-duty employee, and then trying to jump an off-duty employee, they were just told not to loiter.
In a recent blog post, Luke claimed that I "snapped" and "assaulted a customer by putting him in a chokehold". He obviously doesn't understand what snapped means. Snap means "to suffer a physical or mental breakdown, especially under stress". Just because he doesn't understand the gang mentality and how to deal with a group of guys doesn't mean I "snapped". Just because I chose to physically remove a loiterer that had been trespassed and was challenging me doesn't mean I "snapped". If I had snapped, or lost control, Spencer would have been unconcious, I would have layed those guys out when they rushed me, and I would have thrown Rick James out when he was provoking me.
I didn't put Spencer in a chokehold. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and dragged him towards the door. He wasn't enough of a threat to warrant me putting him into a chokehold. I knew that I could handle him without putting him in a chokehold (click here to read about a situation which did warrant me using a chokehold). Luke's lack of experience with physical confrontation, the loiterers being his "friends" (although I doubt that he spends any time with them outside of work and they don't respect him as true friends do), and his passive nature lead to him making an incorrect assesment of the situation. I like Luke and he has treated me well from the first day that I met him. I guess I just expected a more objective assessment of the situation from one of my co-workers that I have backed up on several occasions.
Rick James and a few of the paying customers from his group have still been coming to Gamerzz but the loiterers have not been there as much as they used to. So, while Jared and the other employees might not like my methods, they are effective.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
My Second Car
On Monday Preston called me to let me know that he had some family drama on Sunday and that was why he didn't call me. He picked me up from Gamerzz and we stopped by Auto Zone to get some fusible links and some wire cutters on the way to work. On our lunch break Preston replaced the two fusible links but the truck still wouldn't start. Preston game me a ride home.
Tuesday morning I called Scooter and asked him if he could tow the truck to his shop and fix it. He gave me the number to the tow truck guy. I called the tow truck guy. He was really cool. He came to my house and got my keys so he could go to my work and tow the truck. Tuesday afternoon I called Menlove Dodge Toyota, where I had bought my first car (the one that got totaled last year), to see of I could get another car. They said that I could and scheduled me to come in on Thursday at 1:15 to pick out another car. Preston gave me a ride to work and a ride home.
Wednesday morning Preston picked me up and we went to get our paychecks from work. Shortly after picking up our paychecks, Scooter called me to tell me that the truck was fixed. Preston insisted on giving me $50 because he had mistakenly told me that the battery in the truck needed to be replaced but it didn't. I told him that he didn't need to do that but he told me that he wasn't going to take no for an answer so I took it. After we ran a couple of errands Preston took me to the shop that Scooter works at and I picked up the truck. He only charged me $200 for the tow, the parts, and 3 hours of labor. He had to replace 3 fusible links (he said Preston had put the wrong kind in), and some wiring. He also had to wire the starter correctly because he claimed that Preston hadn't hooked it back up the right way. The truck started just fine but the radio wouldn't come on. Scooter suggested taking it to R.C. Willey to get it fixed. I went to R.C. Willey and Best Buy but neither of them could get the radio fixed that day. When I got to work I talked to Preston and he told me that his friend Travis could fix the radio for me.
Thursday morning I went over to Travis's house and he fixed the radio. All it took was removing it and replacing the fuse in the back. I tried to give Travis some money but he wouldn't take it. Then I headed up to Menlove Dodge Toyota to get my second car from them. I have been making payments ever since my car got totaled last year and still owed them $4,300. They waved $2000 of what I owed them and added the remaining money to the loan for the new car. I got a gold/tan colored 2002 Buick Regal LS. The car is what they call a "sleeper" because it is a luxury car but it has a 3.8 liter V6 with 195 horsepower and 225 pounds-feet of torque. It does 0-60 in less than 8 seconds! It has also traction control and a FF (front-engine, front-wheel drive) layout. The FF layout puts the heavy engine over the drive wheels which gives it better traction.
Preston gave me a ride up to Menlove on Friday to pick up my car. By the time I got done filling out paperwork I had less than 15 minutes to get to work. I made it easily. My new car handles really well!
Tuesday morning I called Scooter and asked him if he could tow the truck to his shop and fix it. He gave me the number to the tow truck guy. I called the tow truck guy. He was really cool. He came to my house and got my keys so he could go to my work and tow the truck. Tuesday afternoon I called Menlove Dodge Toyota, where I had bought my first car (the one that got totaled last year), to see of I could get another car. They said that I could and scheduled me to come in on Thursday at 1:15 to pick out another car. Preston gave me a ride to work and a ride home.
Wednesday morning Preston picked me up and we went to get our paychecks from work. Shortly after picking up our paychecks, Scooter called me to tell me that the truck was fixed. Preston insisted on giving me $50 because he had mistakenly told me that the battery in the truck needed to be replaced but it didn't. I told him that he didn't need to do that but he told me that he wasn't going to take no for an answer so I took it. After we ran a couple of errands Preston took me to the shop that Scooter works at and I picked up the truck. He only charged me $200 for the tow, the parts, and 3 hours of labor. He had to replace 3 fusible links (he said Preston had put the wrong kind in), and some wiring. He also had to wire the starter correctly because he claimed that Preston hadn't hooked it back up the right way. The truck started just fine but the radio wouldn't come on. Scooter suggested taking it to R.C. Willey to get it fixed. I went to R.C. Willey and Best Buy but neither of them could get the radio fixed that day. When I got to work I talked to Preston and he told me that his friend Travis could fix the radio for me.
Thursday morning I went over to Travis's house and he fixed the radio. All it took was removing it and replacing the fuse in the back. I tried to give Travis some money but he wouldn't take it. Then I headed up to Menlove Dodge Toyota to get my second car from them. I have been making payments ever since my car got totaled last year and still owed them $4,300. They waved $2000 of what I owed them and added the remaining money to the loan for the new car. I got a gold/tan colored 2002 Buick Regal LS. The car is what they call a "sleeper" because it is a luxury car but it has a 3.8 liter V6 with 195 horsepower and 225 pounds-feet of torque. It does 0-60 in less than 8 seconds! It has also traction control and a FF (front-engine, front-wheel drive) layout. The FF layout puts the heavy engine over the drive wheels which gives it better traction.
Preston gave me a ride up to Menlove on Friday to pick up my car. By the time I got done filling out paperwork I had less than 15 minutes to get to work. I made it easily. My new car handles really well!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Da T.R.U.T.H.
On Sunday mornings I usually watch Lift Every Voice on BET. Yesterday morning the guest on Lift Every Voice was a Christian rapper named Da T.R.U.T.H. In his song Who Am I? featuring Tye Tribbett & Kirk Franklin, which will be on his Da T.R.U.T.H. & Friends LIVE DVD (in stores May 15th), Da T.R.U.T.H. talks about something that has been bothering me lately. This song, which is similar to my friend Theorian's song What If featuring Ms PHD, asks the question "When people see me do they know that I'm a Christian?" I know that I am a Christian but I don't always act like one. When I curse, I'm sure that people don't think that I am a Christian. I pray that God will help me change my ways and be the light of the world that he has called me to be.
Training at Teleperformance is going well. We learned about Windows Vista last week. We had an assessment every day. On Friday we had 2 assessments and a final assessment. I aced all of them all week except for the final, which I got a 96.67% on (I missed one question). The assessments were open-computer and open-note. Also, my trainer gave a very thorough review before each assessment so it's nothing to brag about. I'm just happy that I am doing so well because the better I do on the assessments, the better the chance is that I'll get the schedule that I want when training is done.
On Friday it was raining so I had my headlights on in Dave's truck when I went to work. I forgot to turn them off when I went inside to work so when I came out at the end of the night, the battery was dead. Because it was dark I put the jumper cables on backwards so it wouldn't start. I didn't figure this out until Saturday evening when I came back with one of my co-workers, Preston to try jump-starting it again. It still wouldn't start so we took the starter to Auto Zone and they tested it. It passed the test so we assumed the battery was bad. I bought a new battery but it still wouldn't start. I called Scooter, the sound guy at Club Vortex who is also a mechanic, and asked him what was wrong with the truck. He said that it was probably the fusible links. It was dark by the time he told me that so I treated Preston to the buffet at Godfather's Pizza.
After we ate he drove me up to Harry O's in Park City so I could get paid for the security work I did up there during Sundance. I got paid, and paid well. When we dropped me off at home, he told me to call him at his friend's house yesterday afternoon and he would come take me out to the truck and replace the fusible links. I called his friend's house yesterday afternoon but he wasn't there. I couldn't get a hold of him all day. I hope that I'll be able to get a hold of him today so that I can get it fixed without having to pay a mechanic to tow the truck and fix it.
Last night Phil and I saw Spider-Man 3 (B) and Next (A). Spider-Man 3 was good but it wasn't as good as Spider-Man or Spider-Man 2. It did have good special effects. Next was really good. It was very well written. Nicolas Cage and Jessica Biel played there roles very well. Jessica Biel is one of the most beautiful women that I have ever seen. I'm looking forward to seeing Home of the Brave (another Jessica Biel movie!), The Hip Hop Project, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
Training at Teleperformance is going well. We learned about Windows Vista last week. We had an assessment every day. On Friday we had 2 assessments and a final assessment. I aced all of them all week except for the final, which I got a 96.67% on (I missed one question). The assessments were open-computer and open-note. Also, my trainer gave a very thorough review before each assessment so it's nothing to brag about. I'm just happy that I am doing so well because the better I do on the assessments, the better the chance is that I'll get the schedule that I want when training is done.
On Friday it was raining so I had my headlights on in Dave's truck when I went to work. I forgot to turn them off when I went inside to work so when I came out at the end of the night, the battery was dead. Because it was dark I put the jumper cables on backwards so it wouldn't start. I didn't figure this out until Saturday evening when I came back with one of my co-workers, Preston to try jump-starting it again. It still wouldn't start so we took the starter to Auto Zone and they tested it. It passed the test so we assumed the battery was bad. I bought a new battery but it still wouldn't start. I called Scooter, the sound guy at Club Vortex who is also a mechanic, and asked him what was wrong with the truck. He said that it was probably the fusible links. It was dark by the time he told me that so I treated Preston to the buffet at Godfather's Pizza.
After we ate he drove me up to Harry O's in Park City so I could get paid for the security work I did up there during Sundance. I got paid, and paid well. When we dropped me off at home, he told me to call him at his friend's house yesterday afternoon and he would come take me out to the truck and replace the fusible links. I called his friend's house yesterday afternoon but he wasn't there. I couldn't get a hold of him all day. I hope that I'll be able to get a hold of him today so that I can get it fixed without having to pay a mechanic to tow the truck and fix it.
Last night Phil and I saw Spider-Man 3 (B) and Next (A). Spider-Man 3 was good but it wasn't as good as Spider-Man or Spider-Man 2. It did have good special effects. Next was really good. It was very well written. Nicolas Cage and Jessica Biel played there roles very well. Jessica Biel is one of the most beautiful women that I have ever seen. I'm looking forward to seeing Home of the Brave (another Jessica Biel movie!), The Hip Hop Project, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Everything Will Be Alright
Yesterday afternoon Steve Ketter finally paid me the rest of the money that he owed me from working Securty at the Main Event Lounge at Sundance. He claimed that the money that he was pre-paid was not only for me and the other Security guys, it was also for work he had done for Debbie setting up the Main Event Lounge in the months prior to Sundance. His experience reinforces my prior conclusion that in the future, when doing private security, I should get a contract so both parties know what is expected and to help in collecting any money owed. Tomorrow I am going to finally get paid from Harry O's for the security work that I did up there during Sundance. Once I have been paid from Harry O's, I will be completely paid for all security work done during Sundance!
Back when I was working at Club Vortex, I bought Tye Tribbet and G.A.'s latest album, Victory Live! Listening to this CD really helped me through a difficult time. The songs that were especially uplifting were Everything Will Be Alright, G.A. Hymn, Still Have Joy, 1-2 (Victory Check), and Victory.
There are several good Christian events and concerts coming to Utah soon. The Akiane Art Tour and Gallery is coming to the Patrick Moore Gallery in Salt Lake City. The Akiane Art Tour and Gallery will showcase the art and poetry of Akiane Kramarik, a 12-year-old prodigy that has been blessed by God and gives him credit for her gifts. It will run from Saturday, May 5th to Saturday, June 2nd. Click here for more info.
The Jeremiah People will be performing at First Baptist Church of West Valley City on Sunday, May 13th (Mother's Day). They will be doing free concerts at 9:30 A.M. and 11:00 A.M. At 6:00 P.M. they will be performing their drama, Dear Diary. Check out their tour blog by clicking here.
Christian rock group Flyleaf is coming to the Gallivan Center Plaza on Saturday, June 2nd at 12:00 noon as part of 94.9 The Blaze's Viva S.L.C. event. Tickets are only $12.50 and can be purchased at Smiths Tix or any Graywhale CD location.
The Tooth & Nail Tour is coming to In The Venue in Salt Lake City on Monday, June 11th at 5:00 P.M. The Tooth & Nail Tour features several punk/rock bands (most of them are Christian bands). MxPx, Project 86, The Classic Crime, The Fold, and Sullivan will be performing. Tickets can be purchased at 24tix.com.
To find Christian concerts and events in your area check out CCAuthority.com and iTickets.com.
Back when I was working at Club Vortex, I bought Tye Tribbet and G.A.'s latest album, Victory Live! Listening to this CD really helped me through a difficult time. The songs that were especially uplifting were Everything Will Be Alright, G.A. Hymn, Still Have Joy, 1-2 (Victory Check), and Victory.
There are several good Christian events and concerts coming to Utah soon. The Akiane Art Tour and Gallery is coming to the Patrick Moore Gallery in Salt Lake City. The Akiane Art Tour and Gallery will showcase the art and poetry of Akiane Kramarik, a 12-year-old prodigy that has been blessed by God and gives him credit for her gifts. It will run from Saturday, May 5th to Saturday, June 2nd. Click here for more info.
The Jeremiah People will be performing at First Baptist Church of West Valley City on Sunday, May 13th (Mother's Day). They will be doing free concerts at 9:30 A.M. and 11:00 A.M. At 6:00 P.M. they will be performing their drama, Dear Diary. Check out their tour blog by clicking here.
Christian rock group Flyleaf is coming to the Gallivan Center Plaza on Saturday, June 2nd at 12:00 noon as part of 94.9 The Blaze's Viva S.L.C. event. Tickets are only $12.50 and can be purchased at Smiths Tix or any Graywhale CD location.
The Tooth & Nail Tour is coming to In The Venue in Salt Lake City on Monday, June 11th at 5:00 P.M. The Tooth & Nail Tour features several punk/rock bands (most of them are Christian bands). MxPx, Project 86, The Classic Crime, The Fold, and Sullivan will be performing. Tickets can be purchased at 24tix.com.
To find Christian concerts and events in your area check out CCAuthority.com and iTickets.com.
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