Oh, god, I had so much fun last night! The benefit was a rousing success - tons of people showed up and the shows were great, especially the naked opera. I had a fantastic time doing my striptease and got tons of compliments. It was so much fun to dance for the fun of it (and for a good cause) instead of just having another night at work. I love putting on a show! I am definitely incorporating a burlesque flavor into the next bachelor party I do.
There's someting about seeing civilians get their freak on and do a striptease that I absolutely love. I think it's fabulous for women that don't necessarily fit the mold of a stripper to try it out and have fun - you can really tell that they are enjoying themselves in this play-acting role, getting to be seductresses for a night. And the guys were pretty good, too. A couple actually turned me on (though not the dork in the dressing room that kept asking people "Do you like my cock?") with their sets. There were three acts, with people auctions during the intermissions, and afterwards the booths opened up. I helped (wo)man the lapdance couch with Miss Scarlet and we had them lined up! The first couple of takers were guys that were really looking for a lapdance, then the girls and couples started getting into it and I loved dancing for all of the ladies - nothing like being able to slink all over pretty, fun-loving girls in the middle of a club. I think I pulled in a hundred bucks for the cause in the 40 minutes I was dancing there. It was so hot in the club, and I was wiped after everything, or I would have stayed longer and tried to do more.
Lots of the female attendees bought pasties and promptly put them on, so there was a lot of flesh on display - it was such a blast. I get so used to there being this definite distinction between the performer and the audience that it's refreshing to be somewhere where everyone is in the show. What a blast. I have to thank Audrey Maker for setting this up - what an amazing job, and what a great thing she pulled off. I'm still kind of shocked that everything went as well as it did.
There was a fashion show after the performances by Faeryn's Grove, a clothier here in Austin that makes corsets and gothy, clubby outfits. I think the woman that runs this business is just the person I have been looking for to make some of the lingerie I have been dreaming of.

Thursday night

Black and white checkered dress, bright yellow halter

Peaches, the Strokes, LL Cool J

Second night at XTC and found that one of the former SP DJs was working there - he was never one of my favorites to work with, but is a decent DJ. However, I did kind of like the idea of working with new ones. His girlfriend is dancing there too, and she's really sweet, so that's nice. I ran into a couple of SP customers again, and met a pair of guys looking to book a party for the beginning of March. They were really cool so I hope that party comes through. One of them was from Ohio and when I mentioned that my sister had graduated from Antioch, he actually knew what I was talking about - "the hippie school." He asked me if my sister was a hippie, to which I replied that a Texas girl could only go hippie to a certain degree as our taste for barbeque, country music and flashy clothing is pretty well ingrained.
Thursdays at XTC (god, it's such an awful club name!) are two-for-one dances, so yet again I'm wondering how good the money is on an actual full-price dance night. I'll find out on Saturday - I imagine it'll be pretty great, actually, and am looking forward to it. Even though the club leaves something to be desired aesthetically, the dances there are absolutely perfect for me - I really like the way the lap dances are done there, well within my comfort level and suited to my talents. And the stages are pretty fun, too, the main stage is large - no stage-side seating, which is too bad, but plenty of access for the tippers. I made decent stage tips and was called over to several tables which is always nice. When I'm asked for a dance on stage it's like free money to me since I didn't even have to ask.
So, if there are any former SP customers looking for the girls, here's some that are at XTC: Cherry (now Becky), Vivian, Kat, Alize, Adrienne, Michelle, and myself. Some of the former SP girls that have been there for a while are Deanne, Holly and Nikki (now Sonya). I hear that Madisin, Leah and Lexi have been at the Landing Strip but I would not be surprised to see them at the Yellow soon, where Sabrina is. Oh, Velvet is also at the Landing. I believe that Heidi is back over at Sugar's. That's all the news I can remember for now, but I will try to find out more.
I met some guys last night that are setting up a website called Texas Titties - they just want pictures of Texas gals topless! Great name and great concept - I am all over doing a shoot for them and can't wait to get a Texas Titties T-shirt. I think they should hit the tailgate circuit next fall for promotion.
The Burlesque for Peace show is tonight - I am really really excited and am going to go work on my bumps and grinds!

Well, I had another call last week telling me that the Show Palace would go ahead and remain closed for the duration of their remodeling. It's going to reopen under a new name at some point in the future. I'll keep the updates coming as I get them.

So after not working since that bachelor party on the 1st, I finally headed out last night to work at XTC - I had planned to go to Penthouse, but Joy runs $5 dances on Tuesday and I imagined that this would put a dent in business across the highway. I think I may have been right. XTC wasn't a cash cow, but I didn't do too badly, either. They ran $10 dances on Tuesdays and two-for-ones on Thursdays, so it will be Saturday before I really see some money there, I imagine. I saw some familiar faces there - two girls from the Show Palace, one of whom used to be Cherry and is now Becky, and whom I think is a really terrific dancer - very personable and nice and with a great work ethic. I also saw some familiar customers as well. Not surprising.
I was so excited - right after I got off stage at one point, the girl on stage began dancing to "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," a song I never thought I'd hear anyone but me dance to! I ran over to the nearest guy that had tipped me and promised him a great dance to that song, and proceeded to deliver. I love getting to do table dances to songs I actually dance around to in my living room but that happens almost never - the only time I hear those songs are when I'm on stage and I know I'll hear them. To have the White Stripes come on unexpectedly at work is a great treat for me, and that alone raised this club's stock in my eyes a great deal. Also, the management and other employees were very friendly and easygoing.
The club itself isn't any great shakes - it's kind of in an industrial area with a charmless exterior and the interior could use work too. The VIP room is pretty nice, though, quiet and relaxing - and cheap. It costs $20 for the customer and dances are the same price back there, but I think that if I meet other customers that want to go back there I'm going to have to request a minimum amount of dances, just because I don't want to spend the time getting back there without being assured of being kept busy. I think I'll ask 5 dances an hour. Let y'all know how that works.

Don't forget about the Burlesque for Peace show Friday!

Well, I just had a call from Charlene, one of the door girls from the Show Palace, telling me that the club is going to go ahead and reopen as a liquor-serving topless bar this Friday at 4pm. That's quite the turnaround from hearing "We'll be closed for three months" on Monday. So I'll get to find out how booze and g-strings change the place with no remodeling lapse.

Hey, look, there's a racehorse named River City Kitty! I found it on this site

Race: 6 Win Place Show
1st 2 RIVER CITY KITTY 3.80 4.00 2.80
2nd 6 RAMEY'S FAME 3.40 2.80
3rd 1 JETTA 3.20

I was going to go in to Penthouse last night, but was under the weather. I think I'll hit Joy during the day today - I'm restless and need to work (I have to get naked twice a week). Tonight there's a meeting for a burlesque show that's being put on on Valentine's Day and I'm trying to narrow down my ideas for a show. I'm thinking I will just do a classic burlesque, but I'm going to find out what the other performers are doing first.

The show is going to be a benefit, so I urge all of you in Austin to attend. Proceeds will go to Adopt-a-Landmine. The show is next Friday, February 14th, at Elysium (705 Red River, 512-478-2979) with acts beginning at 9 pm. It's cheap, $5 for singles, $8 for couples. There will be all manner of acts, kising booths, and dancing after the show. It's organized by Audrey, a classmate from last semester - we talked about stripping for peace, and she just ran with the idea!

On Saturday, I did a bachelor party out in Lakeway at this guy's ridiculously fancy house - Lakeway, you know - and had as a dressing room a bathroom the size of some hotel rooms I've stayed in. The bachelor had never even been to a strip club before, so I was honored to be his very first striptease dancer. He was so great, not too drunk, not too shy, and a total blast. Plus he was really cute. They were a pretty young, fun bunch of guys and I had a blast. They really prepared well - I had picked up a dropcloth on my way over, but they'd already spread out a huge tarp in front of the fireplace - a good thing to do since the stuff I do is so messy. It's difficult to dance on plastic in heels, though.

This particular parrty requested a schoolteacher theme, since the bachelor is marrying a teacher, so I got to pull out the suit, ruler, etc. I also got very embarrassed when I went to Cheapo to load up on Van Halen cds, so I slipped a Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 disc in there that I'd lost, hoping that the clerk wouldn't laugh at me too much. Which begs the question, how am I going to find a record that's cool enough to balance out the Whitesnake that I need to get? Such a thing does not exist. I would have to buy an AMM collection.

Back to this house - there was a beautiful piano alcove off of the living room, and I fantasized about dancing on top of the piano while one of the guys played some Cole Porter tunes. There were a couple of guests playing, which meant that for the first time ever, I did a lap dance to "Heart and Soul". I did several private dances for the guests, staying pretty late, but it was worthwhile.

I am so sad, Scott, one of the managers at the Show Palace just called to tell me that the club's liquor license has been granted and that it will no longer be open - it's closed starting tonight until the reopening as a topless bar. I am so sad! My home club is gone and now I've got to get all reestablished at another place. I had such great times at that club for so many years and learned so much; I'm just glad that I had the chance to work there, especially in the beginning, when it was the greatest club I'd ever worked in.

It's a shame that they didn't have enough time to have a send-off for the club before we had to put our panties back on for good. I will really miss that club.

So here's the deal: they now have their liquor license and plans are to do a remodel, then reopen topless in three months. I am automatically doubling that time in my head, since we know how those things go, and I am also skeptical of the wisdom in the decision to own three topless clubs so close together (Expose is less than a mile from the Show Palace and the Landing Strip is just a few miles away) so I wonder what will ultimately happen. I am kind of bummed at the idea of having to establish a new home club, but I suppose my search will renew itself on Tuesday night, when I plan to check out Penthouse. I will keep you posted.