Uneasy Money

Tuesday October 13th, 2009 - Mt. Prospect, IL/Lake Villa, IL

Well, well - FINALLY a little something something showed up in my mailbox today. It took nearly six full weeks but let the record show that I did finally receive a check for the week I did at Giggles in Brookfield, WI August 13-15th of this year. Let that same record also show I did NOT receive my bounced check fees, even though they were promised.

Along with the cashier’s check (which was also $200 less than the original one that was rubber) I received another notice from my bank saying another check I wrote had bounced and that I was being charged a $22 fee for it. I had negotiated the other ones down to less.

I looked at the check in one hand and the fee notice in the other and I just laughed really hard. What else could I do? People at the post office were looking at me as if I was crazy and I guess I am but that’s how I felt. After all this ugliness and incompetence and weeks of going back and forth and having to fight for what’s mine I still ended up getting boned.

The owners of that rat hole are now dead to me. If I go back and try to get those fees my patience will wear out and I’ll commit a felony. Better to leave it alone and the only thing I wish upon them is that they get the exact same treatment they’re dishing out to comics.

So they have a special needs child. We have special needs too, like food and rent and it isn’t our fault we aren’t paid for our work at the end of the week as is customary at every comedy club in North America I’ve ever performed in over 20 years on the road. If it was a problem we could have worked it out but having it happen like it did was unacceptable.

I’m in a good space right now and focusing on positive energy and I made up my mind I wasn’t going to do anything stupid. The situation is bad enough and I want it to be OVER already. I would like to work for the booker in the future or at least not burn that bridge so I’ll let it pass that the club owner weaseled out on my bounced check fees. He’s a wanker.

If he thinks he’s beating me by not paying those fees he’s a small time wanker at that so why would I get down in the mental mud again right after I just crawled out? It would just bring me down and I don’t need that right now. He’ll get his, hopefully sooner than later.

That’s not my concern anymore. I can honestly say I’ll never darken the door of Giggles again and I predict it’ll permanently be dark in the not too distant future because of all the insanity coming out of there. I have to believe at some point the doors will close for good.

Whether they do or they don’t, I’m moving on. I got three weeks of Zanies bookings in Chicago today and I won’t have to worry about my checks bouncing. I also got a call from a guy looking to book some casino shows and they almost always pay well. I’ll survive.

I also went to see my tax accountant today. I filed an extension and I need to get that out of the way SOON. I put it off too long but at least I’m taking care of it now. That’s where most of that Giggles check is going to go unfortunately, but at least I did get some of it.