Oooh, did I strike a nerve?

Wow. Where have all you people been? Just like in the newspaper business, you only get comments when you write something negative. Kind of funny, actually.

Anyway, let me start by thanking you all for reading and commenting. But let me follow up by saying it's very apparent that some of you have never worked behind a bar. After working four days in a row slinging beers, some of this stuff just couldn't go without saying. (Oh, and I actually forgot one: Say the liquor first when ordering a drink. It's captain and diet. Not diet coke and captain).

I think a lot of you got the wrong idea. I don't think I'm high and mighty. I'm a freakin bartender. My argument was that I'm a good one and it's annoying when people are either too dumb to realize they've received great service or too cheap to tip accordingly. I don't have to ask/beg for tips. I make plenty of money (a ton, actually) working my personality behind the bar. When I work dayshifts, I thrive on this. I love having my whole room going. I love when people say they were just coming in for one and then sit with me the entire day. I've even had groups of out-of-towners come back the next day to sit with me again. It's a great compliment and it's one of the main reasons I love bartending.

My previous post was directed at a select group. Those kids who have just turned legal and think beers should be as cheap as they are when they come in a case. I agree with you, but that's just not how it is. Our place raised prices on domestic bottles from $4 to $4.25, which I think is far too much for a Bud. All I'm saying is don't take it out on your bartender.

Those of you who had time to "smile and push through it" obviously didn't work in a high volume establishment. When I work upstairs in the club area, that's all you get. People hanging over the bar that want their drinks fast. That's what I do and I do it well. I'm lucky to work at a place in Boston where the staff is among the best I've ever seen. They are attentive and fast and fun, a rare combination. In a busy environment we provide good service if we remember what you're drinking, remember the name on your tab, etc. Patrons love this and thank us profusely and then proceed to leave $3 on a $30 tab. What the heck is that? It's just not right and it makes things frustrating.

We're there to make money, plain and simple. And verbal tips don't pay the rent.

Hey moron, read this please!

If you've ever been to a busy bar and tried to order a drink, please read this. I've actually been meaning to write this post for some time but just haven't gotten around to it until now. But after working four shifts in a row at the Bell this past weekend, I couldn't put it off any longer.

Consider this a free lesson on how to order a drink in a bar without pissing off the bartender. We'll call it Bar etiquette 101:

1) Don't whistle, frantically wave, or just blurt your order out if I'm in your area. Odds are I already see you, but until I acknowledge you, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!

2) When I do come over to you make sure you have your order ready. There's nothing I hate more than when I'm on the go, ask what you'd like, and then see the back of your head because your asking your friends what they want. Newsflash: I'm already gone when you do that.

3) Have your money ready. This is something you can be doing when I'm getting your order. You should have it ready for me when I return. Don't leave me standing there while you fish through every single $1 bill in your wallet. Hand me a $20 and be done with it!!

4) If you do give me a credit card OPEN A TAB!! I can't tell you how many times I've had to run a card for one $4 beer, "it's the last time, I swear." If we're running your card three times, we're not making money and that annoys bartenders. If you're getting more than one round of drinks, open a tab. We're not your personal ATM. If you don't want to leave your card, pay cash or get some from the real ATM and pay with that.

5) Don't call me sweatheart, baby, honey, sugar, doll, darlin, babe, dollface, beautiful or any other name besides my own. Those who I like enough to tell, I will. Otherwise just get my attention by standing patiently at the bar or having your money out if I'm busy. I'll spot you a lot better this way. I'll ignore you otherwise.

6) Tip according to service. If we're good, show us on the dotted line. I'm so sick of getting tips that stink just because you pay with a credit card and want it to be an even withdrawl. OR you don't like the prices and you take it out on us. Example: $18.75 for the order, you write $1.25 for the tip. Ridiculous. If the service was bad, you have every right not to tip. But don't blame us for the prices of the items. We don't make them and it's not fair to punish us. If you don't want to tick off your bartender, tip accordingly. Because trust me, we remember you and it will be pretty hard to get a drink from us again if you ain't showing the love with some paper!!

That's all I've got right now, but I'm sure there's more. Long story short, just be an adult. We're working hard and we'll get to you when we can. There's ways for us to get to you sooner and they're all listed above. Take these rules out for a little test spin this weekend and see how you do. Guarantee you'll get served ahead of everyone else.

Thank you and good night.

Falling just short.

So I didn't make it. But I was close.

At last Thursday's Shamrock Idol contest I finished 10th out of 35 singers and I think that's pretty dang good. It was upsetting to come so close to advancing (they take the top 8 to the second round) but I still am pretty proud of myself. I had a great turnout with friends and family all showing up to lend their support and I never could've gotten through it without them!!

The contest was very much like you see on TV's American Idol. There were three judges, seated at a table directly in front of the stage. Each of them commented on my performance immediately after. I got all positive feedback, which was great, but I got the impression they wanted a little more range from me. I sang Brass in Pocket, which they all said was a perfect song choice for my voice. One judge credited me for really understanding my vocal range and wished he could say the same for everyone else. He was like the Simon Cowell of the three, so it was good feedback. This was the same judge who approached me after the results and suggested I come back and try again this week. I politely declined, saying I thought I did it right this time.

All in all, it was a great experience and I'm so glad I did it. I definitely had the biggest entourage and was a crowd favorite. All I really wanted to do was perform well and have fun doing it. And that I did.

Back to karaoke for Lady J!!

Lady J sings.

WhatToSing
Originally uploaded by LadyJ117

So tonight begins my venture into the Shamrock Idol contest. This is a local singing competition that I entered last week and Round 1 starts tonight in Quincy at Bad Abbotts.

I'm pretty excited about it, but also a little nervous. I mean, I've been singing karaoke fairly regularly for more than a year and a half. But, this particular competition will be a little different. Here's why:
1) Band backup, no karaoke machine.
2) No monitor with words, so I gotta know them all.
3) Much bigger crowd than I'm used to.
4) Panel of three judges.

I've never sung with a band before so I'm a little worried about that. Plus, I don't know how well they'll know my songs. I want to sing "Brass in Pocket" because it's safe and I can rock it out. Hopefully, they'll know it.

I know all the words to the songs I sing, but having that monitor is like a little safety net. It will be strange not to be able to just peek over if I need a little reminder.

What will really help me is the crew that's coming out to support Lady J. I plan on just focusing on them and belt out my tune!!

Hopefully I'll have some video of my performance for y'all next week. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for Lady J and let's hope I make the second round!!

A great success.

So, how was everyone's 4th of July? Mine was truly great. Brian and I drove down to my Mom's in Rockland after work July 3rd to stay the night. We were slammed at the bar and the money was great. Got up around 9ish and reintroduced Brian to my Mom and he met my stepdad Charles. We took off for the Cape just after 10 a.m., checked into the hotel in Falmouth and then made our way over to my aunt and uncle's place in New Seabury.

Brian was a big hit here. After about an hour I was getting pulled aside everywhere by my aunts/uncles/cousins telling me how great he was and how lucky I was to have him. I could do nothing else but agree. I knew he was truly accepted when I talked to my Gramps, though. He put his arm around me and said, "You done good, kid." Again, I agreed!!

We grabbed a late bite to eat back in Falmouth and watched the fireworks from the dock at the Flying Bridge restaurant. Good times despite the rain. The next day we slept in a bit, and grabbed a nice brunch at Country Fair. We did some shopping in downtown Falmouth and then ventured up North to play mini-golf. Got rained on there, but not too bad.

From there it was back to the hotel to freshen up and have a nice dinner at Roo Bar, my fave place downtown. Then it was back up North for karaoke at Parrot Bar. I sang four songs that night and was a big hit. Funny because it was a mostly country-crowd. Heck, even the karaoke guy (Scott) was dressed like Tim McGraw!! His partner was certainly no Faith Hill, though.

Good times!! Had to drive back up on Friday afternoon because I had to work at the bar. Boooooooo!! All in all it was a great couple of days!! Can't wait for our next mini-break!!

Happy 4th of July!

Hello all. So, I'm about an hour and a half away from leaving the office for the remainder of the week. That would be completely fabulous if I didn't have to work at the bar tonight. But alas, such is my life.

Anyway, after tonight, it's a little mini-vaca time with Brian and my family. My aunt and uncle have a great house down on the Cape and we're visiting with them tomorrow. Brian and I got a hotel in Falmouth and will spend an extra day down there together. It's going to be a great couple of days. Tomorrow's going to be rough because we'll be so tired but oh well.

He's meeting the extended family for the first time so I'm pretty excited about that. Haven't really felt like bringing anyone home over the last few years so it's nice to have someone I feel is worth introducing to my family. Good times.

Well, have fun whatever you are all doing this 4th of July!! Enjoy!!