RIP Haunted Strip Club!

After over 20 years of business the “haunted strip club” that I used to work at in Los Angeles shut down earlier this week.

If you’ve ever flown into LAX odds are you’ve seen this…uh…interesting landmark:

Yes I worked at this place.  Don’t judge.  The stories I have about The Carolina Century Lounge are SPECTACULAR!  I’m grateful for the experience I had there as weird as it was.  I was only there for a little under a year, but I could go on for hours about this place…(it’s in my book…or if you’re lucky maybe I’ll divulge some of it here earlier if I get some friendly positive feedback)

This club’s exterior was featured in the movie “City of Angels” in a heartwrenching scene where Nicholas Cage sits in front of it on a bench in the rain and cries after Meg Ryan dies.

The club made headlines in the news back in 2005 when the owner posted this on the marquee.  Toys R’ Us even threatened a lawsuit. (I was not employed at the club at the time).

I was actually planning on stopping by as a patron the other night with some friends-but after checking online I discovered the club had closed down because their lease had expired and was not renewed.  I drove by to see if anyone was there that I used to work with and took some pics of what it looks like now:

There was also an adult shop in the front of the club.  I was always too scared to check it out when I worked there…someone told me that Angelina Jolie once stopped by there to purchase a rather large “toy”.  I heard they had a big clearance sale earlier this week so maybe she stopped back by.

The door was open and I popped my head in to see if my old boss was there.  He wasn’t, but another woman I used to work with was.  I gave her my Rick’s business card and told her what I was up to…she didn’t really seem to care, but nonetheless I was glad I stopped by the place before it’s demolished and becomes another boring parking structure by the airport.

I wonder if the parking structure will be haunted by the ghosts that roamed the Century Club.

I am still on vacation.  I am doing nothing but watching gobs of mindless reality television, playing on the internet and blogging if I feel the need to.  I love being on vacation!

How to Elope in Las Vegas…

I have left Las Vegas…

One of my main goals while there was attempting to get a good male friend of mine wasted so we could get married. The last time he was drunk he said we could elope if an Elvis impersonator was involved. My plan didn’t work, and a few hundred dollars after I bought him shots I realized I had gotten him TOO wasted to do just anything but go back to his hotel room alone. Whoops! Sorry! 🙂

http://www.wikihow.com/Elope-in-Las-Vegas

Eloping in Sin City is harder than you think. In the movies they don’t tell you that you have to go to city hall and wait around for a license which usually takes awhile. You can’t just stroll in a chapel and get married without a license. It’s really cheap to get one, but the actual wedding packages are pricey.

http://www.mandalaybay.com/thingstodo/suite_romance.aspx

or then there’s the polar opposite of the site above:

http://www.alittlewhitechapel.com/tunnel_packages.html

My friend and her husband used the “drive thru” option at Little White Chapel and wore white Juicy Couture sweatsuits in a white rented Honda accord. They are now divorced.

then there’s the happy medium:

http://www.excalibur.com/weddings/wedding_packages.aspx

I had to throw this in:

http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/evt_weddings_packages.php

I can’t stand theme restaurants, and I used to work at Planet Hollywood in college. I certainly wouldn’t want to get married in one…I’d sooner get hitched at ESPN Zone.

So I didn’t get married in Vegas…would I ever? Yeah maybe I would, but it wouldn’t be with a random stranger. The packages at Mandalay Bay’s The Hotel look quite lovely. I think people put too much emphasis on wedding ceremonies and planning out such a big event that lasts only one day, rather than focusing on the actual relationship. Personally, I’d rather go to city hall and blow the $ I’d spend on a wedding and reception on an apartment or car.

But at the rate things are going this looks like who I”ll be marrying:

http://www.marryyourpet.com/

oh…my…I don’t think so.

$$$

MUCH to the surprise of myself, and many others I did not have a single alcoholic beverage while in Vegas! For various reasons I am not drinking at the moment-and NO I am not pregnant.

I tried to get one of my managers, Tito, to bet me $2,000 that I’d not drink booze while in Las Vegas. My idea was that if I didn’t, he’d give me 2G, but if I did I’d give him the money. He did not accept the bet.

I am seeing how long I can go without booze. Since I’ve stopped my skin has cleared up and I’ve dropped about 20 lbs and I look younger so I’m really motivated to keep it up. Although the thought of having a shot or a glass of wine sounds tempting as I’d probably become immediately intoxicated and or wasted and somewhat of a cheap date.

Anyways…I’m still on vacation right now…it’s glorious. I haven’t taken any time off in a year. I don’t have to be up early, I don’t have to be anywhere. It’s nice that my biggest concerns are trying to locate a Red Mango where I’m staying, figuring out how many days I should do cardio, making sure I can tivo True Blood, maybe rent the first season of Mad Men-I have yet to see an episode-and determine if it’s worth it to have regular or fat free ranch dressing.

I will end this blog by saying the only bad thing about my time in Vegas was that housekeeping from the hotel used HALF of a bottle of my new Latisse! They gave me a discount though…so all is forgiven.

Have You Ever Wondered?

So I’m walking down the strip last night in Vegas, and my male friend was handed a card advertising a girl on a card-who I assumed was a hooker for “Only $35”.

During my past visits to Vegas I’ve seen these cards and I’ve always been curious.  What does $35 get you from a “lady of the evening”?  Would the woman be willing to sit around and just chat for cash?  I was seriously interested in inviting her over for beer and a pizza to my room.  If I were an escort, frankly that would be a nice break in my work day to chill out compared to getting laid.

I called the number on the card, and the phone girl verified by calling my hotel that I was indeed a guest and not some serial killer.  I was then told that “Britney” could come to my room, but it would not be only $35 like the business card said.  It would be $300, but they’d knock off $35 as a special bonus.  Not exactly a lie, but still a bit misleading.  The girl on the phone was so sweet and friendly and assured me that I’d have an amazing unforgettable time with Britney, but I didn’t really feel like spending $300 so I politely declined and hung up.

I’m in my hotel room around 4:30 am, and my phone rings.

It’s Britney.

“Hi baby!  Did you want me to come over and play?”  I told her that I was asleep and that no, I did not think it was a good time for her to come over.  She sounded sad and hung up.

The next morning at 10:30am my phone rings again.  This time it’s a friend of Britney’s, “Jessica”.  “Hi baby!  I’m right by your hotel…do you want me to come over?  I politely told “Jessica” that I wasn’t feeling well and to please stop calling me.  Her tone changed from very sweet and concerned to annoyed and she hung up.

The point of this story is you cannot get a hooker to come to your hotel room for $35….well at least not one you’d probably WANT to actually sleep with.  I hope this helps clear up any questions or curiosities that people may have about these mystery $35 business cards.

I’ve had a wonderful time in Las Vegas, although as my trip winds down I’ve found that I’m very tired despite the massive amounts of sugar free Red Bull and every other sugar free energy drink I can get my hands on.  It’s been a pleasure meeting everyone at the convention.  I will be posting pics of the Awards Show soon.  I’m thrilled to say that Tootsies in Miami was awarded a regional club of the year award, and Ken Sistrunk of Rick’s Cabaret was chosen as best general manager, a man well deserving of that honor.

Feel free to add me on Facebook-just leave me a personal note…and follow me on twitter as “wallstreetstrip”.

If anything crazy happens my last night in Vegas…I’ll be sure to blog again…but then again you know what they say….what happens in Vegas….

Hello and Welcome!!!

Hello and Welcome to the new friends and readers to my blog!

I’m attending the Gentlemen’s Club Expo XVII here in Las Vegas and I’m already having the time of my life.  For more information about the expo, check out www.exoticdancer.com

For more information about who I am and what I’m up to, check out the FAQ section of my blog and the “About The Author” section.

This blog consists of several different things.  Sometimes I write about what I’m up to when I’m working at Rick’s Cabaret www.ricks.comand other times I’ll write about what’s happening with me on a day to day basis.  Some people find it boring…others don’t.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to shoot me a note through this site.  Keep it friendly!  Thanks for reading and I’ll be doing my best to blog about the events during the convention and the awards over the next few days!

Randi

Vegas Baby!!! VEGAS!

In only two days I will be at the Gentlemen’s Club Expo once again!  VERY excited and thrilled to be going back this year!  If you’re out there, come on up to me and say hello.  I’ll be roaming the convention hall and most likely the pool.  I’ll be taking plenty of pictures and doing my best to blog while I’m there…but you know how Vegas can be….somewhat unpredictable.  Right now my goal while there is to go to the gym once a day, and to read a book while I’m there.  My friends are laughing at these goals (and maybe you are too).  For more information on the convention and awards, go to:

http://www.exoticdancer.com

Advice to Those Participating in Online Dating…

Yes I am on an internet dating website.  I’m on a few to be exact, and I have been for quite some time.  Originally when I signed up for it I had high expectations.  I am canceling my membership when it expires at the end of this month because I’ve had more bad luck than good.  Does this mean I am giving up on dating?  No it does not.  It does mean that I will no longer be blindly meeting my cyber friends in hoping for something more.

I would like to give the men who have contacted me some advice to maybe better help them succeed in their future dating endeavors.  These men have no idea that I have a blog, so who knows if they’ll even read this…but it can hopefully help anyone out who’s an avid internet dater.

If you email someone and you don’t hear back from them, cut your losses.  Don’t pine away.  It’s not a good idea to send an email like this, especially if more than two weeks has gone by.

Hey

I’m disappointed I haven’t heard back from you… but such is the online dating world…

One thing I’ve learned in this life is that everyone is entitled to change their mind… so I hope maybe you change it back and I get the chance to meet you in person.

It also seemed like a form letter…like he may have sent it to some other people too.

Is it wrong that if I’m not interested in someone that I do not write back to them at all?  I don’t think so.  I feel that it’s much more polite than saying,  “Hey I’m not interested in you…sorry.”

In addition to the message above, the same guy contacted me on another site I was on TODAY (it’s been over a week since he sent the other one) and said:

“We really must stop meeting like this…”

If he contacts me again I will most likely have to come right out and say I am not interested. I wish people would get the hint.  I’ve been on that side plenty of times…but I know the signals by now.

I had one guy who sent me a friendly email, immediately requesting that I call him on the phone.

I believe in corresponding a few times with someone online before I’m comfortable chatting with them offline.  Thanks to modern technology and Facebook, texting, etc…this may sound awful..but I really have turned into someone who doesn’t love talking on the phone.  I waited ONE day before making my move and just as I was about ready to email him back, he sent me a message:

“Did you want to chat offline or not???”

Umm…thanks for giving me the chance to get back to you.  When someone is that pushy right off the bat I take it as a sign of things to come in the future.  I did not respond.  Also, he seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with his dog according to his profile.  VERY unhealthy.

If you have a username such as “MEHULKWILLCRUSHTHINGS”, “BLOODNGUTZ”, or “MASSIVEDSTRUCION” sorry…I do not think I will contact you back and I may be a little wary of why you’ve decided to call yourself that.  If you look sad or angry in your pics and have illustrations of skulls and blood in your profile as well, I’m probably not getting back to you.

On one guy’s proflie it said:

What’s the most secretive thing you’re willing to say here:

Sherectile Smisfunction

Uh…wow…that’s jumping the gun a bit.  Although I do admire someone with a sense of humor…you never know how a stranger may interpret things.

You can think I’m a bitch if you want.  I don’t care.  Maybe I’m too picky, but I do feel that the Internet dating websites can be a “forced” way of looking for love.  That’s the experience I’ve had with it anyways.  In the past I’ve either met people that range from one extreme to the other: The man who constantly talks about marriage on the first (and last) date, or the guy who tries to be all suave and makes it clear that he wants nothing but a random hook up and gets angry when I don’t get wasted and I leave after a few drinks.

Also…if you are ever running late for a date, like REALLY REALLY late…CALL or text!  It takes less than five minutes to do so.  I’ll let it slide the first time…the next time…maybe I won’t.

I Wish I Could Blog About Whatever I Wanted To!!!

Yet I cannot.  Yes we are all entitled to freedom of speech, however there are lots of things that I cannot write about here in fear of making enemies, losing friends, and various other things that I cannot…well…I cannot blog about.  Damn.

Can I just say that Facebook makes it extremely easy to stalk people unless your profile is private?  In making this statement I saying that I am NOT stalking anyone. What’s I’m saying is that it makes it very easy to figure out where the cute guy I like is going to be this weekend.  In fact I know where A LOT of my Facebook friends are going this weekend.  This guy and I are Facebook friends and we’ve met in real life about a dozen times, I’ve written on his “wall”, yet he barely knows that I am alive, but when you rsvp to an event it lets the entire world know that you are going-or not-and what the address of the event is.  I could easily show up and be like “Oh my gosh!  I didn’t know you were going to be here! What are the odds…this must be fate!”

Facebook and other networking sites help people “bullshit”.  They assist us in figuring out how to get information about people that we may want to get to know better…or vice versa.  It’s better than google when you want to get to know more about somebody.  Facebook is a good tool in helping to “force” destiny or fate in situations regarding the opposite/same sex in romantic circumstances with many females I know, and probably a few males.

Does anyone remember that television show “Felicity”?  It’s like the episode where Noel hacked into that model’s email account and found out that she was reading an obscure book (amongst other things)?  He went as far as to buy it, and  carried the book around campus on purpose so she’d run into him and think to herself, “Omg! It’s fate!  We’re reading the same weird book.” When in fact he was really just hacking into her email account.  Of course she found out and I do not remember what happened at the end of the episode, but she was just a “guest star”, so I’m assuming that it didn’t work out with them.

This is the end of this blog entry.  I am aware that it’s an abrupt ending, but I am tired and do not feel like writing anymore for the evening. Godspeed.

“I think I read your blog…”

Someone said to me the other day:

“Hey, I think I read your blog.”

I asked them what they read, and they drew a blank.  I think the person was lying.  I wanted to say:  You THINK you read it? You mean you don’t know if you do or not? I mean…it’s not Pulitzer prize material by any means, but come on…I think you’d know if you’d read it or not.

Someone also told me the other day that they do not like my blog.  I wanted to tell them that I didn’t like them, but whatever.  You cannot please everyone.

Please go to www.exoticdancer.com and vote for Ken Sistrunk to be manager of the year. Click on “Convention”, then click on “GM voting”.  Please vote for Ken, he’s an amazing manager and has been a good friend for years.

Vices…

My one “treat” of the week is a rationed 0.25 tab of xanax that my Dr has given me.  It was prescribed for my upcoming trip to Vegas for my flight.  She only gave me a limited number. I am allowing myself to take one a week.  I choose a night where I know I can oversleep so I can fully enjoy it.  It makes me feel warm and fuzzy when I take it, kind of like a nice glass of wine…but xanax is highly addictive and rehab is expensive so once a week is all I’m allowing myself.  It does kind of suck the next day in a way because I end up sleeping entirely way too much, but then again people tell me how refreshed I look so it must be kind of good for me.

I always have had problems sleeping and recently I’ve just come to the conclusion that as much as I’d like to get a good nights sleep EVERY night, that it just can’t happen that way.  So some times I’ll be able to sleep well, and some I won’t as much.

Everyone has vices.  It’s how we handle those vices that determine whether or not something becomes an addiction or “owns” us.  I know someone who pops xany every am and pm.  When they try and stop, they shake and break out into cold sweats.  Lately in giving up my fave vice-booze-at least for the time being and to give my little liver a rest, I’ve transferred my “vice” to something else.

At first it was shopping…going to Old Navy and purchasing random items I didn’t really need.  Thankfully, keeping the reciepts and returning almost everything the following day.  Maybe I just wanted a shopping spree.  Why I chose Old Navy of all places I do not know.  My latest vice is going to the gym every day and eating very little and extremely healthy if possible.  This may also have to do with the fact that I’m going to Vegas in less than a month and I need to look good at the topless pool.

I know someone who gave up ALL of their vices. Drinking, drugs, sex, video games.  When you have no vice…what do you do?

“That’s the thing…” a friend said, “Giving up all of your vices, becomes your vice.  The obsession of maintaining your abstinence becomes your new vice.” Well…that certainly doesn’t sound like much fun.

I’m on twitter…you can follow me “wallstreetstrip”-I think that you can see my “twits” on the bottom of this page.  Similar to my blog, you will probably find them boring and mundane at times.  Lately my twitter account has been somewhat of a food diary that resembles someone with an eating disorder…but I assure you…I do not have one.

I Think it’s Finally Happening!

Lately I’ve noticed that I can no longer stomach certain reality television programs.

When I lived in Los Angeles, a favorite pastime of mine and a group of friends, was getting drunk and watching “Intervention”-such a contradiction.  Now the majority of us who did that don’t drink anymore, so I guess the program helped us in some weird way.

It’s no longer easy for me to watch “Daisy of Love” or “The Real World”.  When I watch these shows I feel like I’m back in college watching my drunk group of girlfriends complain about stuff.  I’ve tried to get into “The Real World Cancun” this season, but every episode is like the next.  Someone getting wasted and trying to hook up with a tourist in Mexico-having guilt about a significant other-and there’s always the token dramatic person who almost gets kicked out of the house.

My ex boyfriend is like the biggest loser…and not in the reality show sense…haha…I just had to throw that in there. (bad joke..I know!)

I recently finished watching this season of “The Bachelorette”.  I’ve decided that I prefer watching “The Bachelor” over “The Bachelorette”.  There’s something unsettling about watching a group of men cry and fight over the same woman…yet it’s so very entertaining watching women cry and fight over the same guy.  Am I making fun of them?  Maybe I am…but I’ve been a crying, fighting woman myself…so I can do that.