So, It is Saturday morning, and I am writing this little missive from the bed, after waking up from being out so late. Yes, I did not drag in until 4:00ish this morning, and for whatever reason, my body has decided that I only needed 4.5 hours of sleep......I will pay for this later, I am sure.
So, I arrived in ABQ (because I don't want to type out Albuquerque!) before noon, because I was able to catch the early flight out. I did not think when I booked the tickets that would be possible, but, I made the plane. So, because I knew that I could not pick up the rent car until noon, I hung out in the airport, caught up on tweets, and sent a few. I saw that Prinzzess had arrived from her road trip from the Grand Canyon, but after the conversation with the co-worker last week, I had decided that I wasn't going to make an announcement as such, and just show up for the shows.
I found out that she was actually featuring in two clubs while here in ABQ, the first one was TD's Gold Cup, and the other was at Fantasy World. The second club was late night, no alcohol served in the club, at all, and the Gold Cup was/is a "normal" club with alcohol, and actual food.
Because after making calls to both places, I did not have a good handle on the schedule, so, I posted a message asking for clarification, and she basically said "why" in return, to which I said that I would like to come and see her...... :) SO the cat was out of the bag.
So, what I found out was that she was supposed to be appearing at the first place at 10:00 or 10:30, depending on who you asked at the club, and 12:30 and 2:30 at the other.
So, I arrived at the first place, and got processed in, had to go through a metal-detecting-wand, and they took my picture, as well as copied my license........ This place is different that all the other (I know, 4 different clubs, ever), in that they had no chairs at the bar, and you were forced to sit at one of the little tables......This meant that I had to be visited by every dancer in the place looking for dances. I politely told them "not right now" and they moved off.
I have found that telling them not right now, is a shorter conversation than "I am here to drink", because I realize that the girls believe that when I come there to just drink that I am taking advantage of the fact that the "scenery" is better there, than in say a Hooters, or any sports bar..... To put in in the parlance of the cam-girl world, I was/am the guy sitting in the room, not tipping, hoping that someone else will, and that I will get to enjoy the proceeds of his tipping......
Anyway, I guess now that I have written all that out, I _AM_ that guy. But, really I came to see the feature dancer, and drink over-priced alcohol. I want to give my money to HER, not, some of the others. Now, I do tip the girls that are bringing me my drinks....... But I have never taken any of the dancers up for a dance/VIP Room visit/etc.
Okay, so, back to when I came into the club, there was a large sign, with large letters that outlined the rules. You are not allowed to have cameras, camera-phones, no pictures of any kind, and oh, yeah, no weapons. (like you could get a weapon through the metal detector.....All of that was okay, because I wasn't planning on taking any pictures anyway.
So, I had been there about 45 minutes, (and perhaps 2 drinks!), when I saw Prinzzess walking across the club, in my general direction. I of course, tweeted that. She was however on her way to the DJ booth, and did not see me. I tried to get her attention when she was walking back, but, she was busy, and did not hear me. I watched where she went back to, and saw one of the sisters sitting at the table, along with some others.
Because I had wanted to be "low key" and not stalkery as my co-worker accused me of this week, I just sat there and watched people, and drank my drinks.
At some point later, I guess either the sister or Prinzzess herself saw me and Prinzzess came over to invite to sit with them. I am always amazed at how nice she is to me, since I am mostly a stranger.....I re-acquainted myself with the folks at the table, and settled in. They were having food delivered to the table, and I got to eat with them again. I am smiling while I type that, because, I did not expect any of that, at all.
We traded stories about some of the twitters that were going around, concerning my visit to ABQ, and responding back and forth with them. It's funny how people that you don't know can be jealous of you because I took the day off, got on a plane, flew to a different city, and met a performer that I am a fan of.....I mean, what's to stop them? :) Oh, right, I would be jealous if the shoe was on the other foot!
One of the sisters was under the weather, and so wasn't there, but we had a good time, nevertheless.
When it came time for Prinzzess' dance, she appeared in her little school girl uniform, with the requisite glasses, and tall socks. I had seen this outfit the first time that I saw her dance in Carenco, back in December. This time, I was not so star-struck as I was back then, and really enjoyed the show. I know that she (and all the dancers), are supposed to look at you like you are the total focus of their actions, and unfortunately, I am a guy, and I took it hook line and sinker.....
Atomic Fire Hot, is how I once (and firstly) described her, and she still is.
I even got to do the spray bottle of water on her bottom. I had to keep thinking to myself that I need not grab her....because, unfortunately, by now, all the blood had drained from my main brain, except for critical body functions, and had relocated to the other brain, that one is a total hound dog. There might have been some boob rubbing on my face.....And, there might have been giggling. (oh, crap, that giggling was probably me.......). She had put me on her VIP list, so I didn't have to pay the cover charge. She told me that the money I saved on that, I could spend on her, buying a magazine or a DVD. Somewhere in the 3 song set, they did the "A $20.00 tip will get you a DVD" part of the feature, and so, I did my thing, and got a movie...... When I walked up, she went to hand me one, then pulled it back and asked "toys or no toys?' I didn't understand, so she had to repeat it, and I chose No Toys. As I type this, I do not know what I got.....it's locked in the trunk of the rental.
So the only weird observation of the night, that did not involve Prinzzess at all, was that while I was sitting, before I joined Prinzzess and her bunch at her table, I was sitting at a table by myself, and all the girls in the club would come up on me from behind, and starting at the base of my skull, rub my head going up towards my forehead. Now, I am not used to having people touch me at all, and so every single time it happened, I jumped like a loon. I do not know why being touched is so foreign, but, last night at least, it was.
I will have to cogitate on that for a bit, and perhaps write more about it at another time.
I've said it before, and I will say it again. Prinzzess is super-talented, and you can tell that she works at her craft. It is one of the many things that I admire about her.
So, time passed, and she came back out for the meet-and-greet part of her appearance. I sat still for a few minutes to be sure that no one else would come up, and to not monopolize her time. After all, I am just one of Prinzzess' legion of fans..... So, I got it autographed. :)
After a while, she said that she needed to get to the other club, and asked me if I was going, and I told her I had rented a car, and was going. She left through the special "stars only" back door, and I went through the front.
I found out this weekend that my phone, which I have had for more than a year and a half, gives turn by turn navigation instructions, so, I punched in where I wanted to go, and got there in 10-13 minutes. After I parked, I was walking to the front door, and a car pulled up behind me, and I heard my name being called, apparently I beat her there by a minute, and she walked me into the front of the place, through security and everything, with a little wave of her hand, and the words "he's with me". I felt like a rock star groupie for real. She disappeared into the dressing room, and I continued on into the club. This one had a store where they sold "clothes". I have to wonder, do people go to the club to go shopping?
So, this place is an all-nude, which like my home state of Texas means, no alcohol, and only expensive water, gatorade, red bull and the like. This place was dark, like can hardly make out details of the folks around you dark.....there were a lot of people here, and all the chairs lining the main stage were filled with people, and all ages, and genders. I now have the answer to the question I have always wondered, do lesbian couples go to strip clubs? Yes. Do they buy each other dances? Yes. And Finally, do they go into the VIP? Again the answer, at least at this club on this night, was Yes.
Moving on, remember back earlier when I told you that I kept having my head rubbed? Well this place had a padded bench that sat against a wall, and I immediately got a place, so that I could see the people coming, and avoid having my head touched. Which is/was a win-win for me.
After about 20 minutes (or, telling 20 different dancers that I didn't want a dance) (yes, even the one that stuck her boob with hard nipple into my cheek!) the DJ started talking about Prinzzess dance, and getting the crowd hyped up. I did not see any of the folks form the previous club, including the sister, so, I wasn't sure if they were there.
Then, the DJ said "three more songs until your feature", and one of the folks that had been at the other club appeared, and as that happened, two chairs, right on the edge of the main stage opened up and we moved.
So, Time for the dance! Here comes your main event! Prinzzess and her sister both come out wearing what I like to call the "naughty pirate wenches" outfits, and proceeded to blow all of our minds.....Yes, there was sponges, and kiddie pools, and where we rubbed in the lotion, and "papered" her in dollar bills..... Awesome.
So, afterwards I moved back to the padded bench seats, and soon after, the sister came out in street clothes, and her and the other person from the other club left. It was like 1:00 AM or so at this point, and Prinzzess had one more dance to do at 2:00.
So, I got invited to sit with her, Again, (sorry, channeled a little Forrest Gump there!), and as much of a conversation that you can have with a person in a loud club, we talked the longest ever. And not about silly things, real life stuff. I admire her, and I told her that. But, I normally admire people that seem to have a plan, and are working towards their goals.
After we talked, she had to go and get ready for her next. and last show of the night. It was then that I realized that we had spoken, in conversation for 30 minutes. Maybe that doesn't seem like a lot to you, but, honestly, to me it seems significant.
The last dance, she was in her biker outfit, and the dancing was really great. She has this smile when she is doing the dancing that makes it seem like she really likes what she does. Trust me when I tell you, no one that lined the main stage went away unsatisfied.
When she went in to change, I figured that the club would be closing, and nearly left, when the DJ, instead of announcing ".....you can't stay here...." announced that she was going to be doing one more meet and greet, and so, I decided to stay, so that I could properly say goodbye, and thank her for everything.
When she came out, there were a few people that wanted pictures, and autographs, and the like, and they, like me, had that same stupid grin....It was fun watching her interact with them. After she finished up, she saw me sitting in my spot, and waved me over. This time, I could tell that she was tired. I didn't want to delay her getting to the hotel, so, didn't start any lengthy conversations. I was given a magazine that she signed.......
So, I come to the end of my diary entry for the might of 4/20/2012. I have put new memories into the memory banks. Something that I will never forget. And when I do, I will come back here, and re-read this entry, as I am oft to do, and I know that I will be able t close my eyes, and be right back there in the club.
Peace to You All. Namaste, My friends.
See You On The Other Side.