Well, the year's Christmas shopping is almost done. I just need to pick up something for Tom and Maddie, my cousins/godchildren. I'll probably get them books, but I'm not sure. I give books as gifts an awful lot, and sometimes I wonder if the recipients think "Oh, boy. Nate bought me another stupid book. Joy." I hope not, though. Books are good gifts.

The new Real World/Road Rules challenge is on. I know, I know. It's lame. But I just can't help myself. Besides, take a look at some of the hotties on that show (e.g. Cameran and Kina) and tell me I'm not on to something. Some of these competitions they have are really stupid, though.

Also, Aneesa is nast. Seriously.

The weekend was pretty good. On Friday, Groove Puppet was playing at P.O. Pears, so Eric, Marc, Jeff, and I went to that. Ted and Kelly met up with us later on. It was a pretty good time. I did spend a little too long flirting with some girl who ended up disrespecting me. Propbably just as well because she was one of those "Nate, you can do so much better" types. It's funny how doing a few shots with Marc always makes some girls suddenly appealing. Even then, I hadn't really paid any attention to her, but she made a comment about my eyes so I figured I might as well have a conversation.

At Best Buy tonight, I saw the Aqua Teen Season 4 DVD. The front cover was Ignignokt's face, so of course I laughed when I saw it.



You see, Ignignokt here is the Mooninite Prince of Mayhem. I'd go so far as to say that he and his counterpart, Err, may be the greatest criminal genii on television, surpassing even Eric Cartman. I've dedicated a fair amount of study to the Mooninites, and eventually, I came up with the Mooninite Ten-Point Code of Conduct. Would you like to know more? Then check out my Myspace blog. :)

Daredevil is on now. It's coming up on the part where Bullseye kills Elektra. I can't say Jennifer Garner would've been my first choice to play her; even so, she looked most comely in the costume. Anyway, that scene was one of the few in that lamentable movie that I thought did justice to the comics. Hopefully the next Daredevil movie will be better.

On Saturday night, Eric and I decided to to check out the Opulence Ultra Club downtown. The place has potential, but I give it about five months before it tanks. Here's why:

1. They charge a $4 cover. I realize that a cover charge is standard practice in many clubs, but it just can't apply in downtown Lincoln. First of all, they're a solid two and a half blocks away from the strip of more established bars, none of which charge a cover. No one wants to pay a cover to be that far away from the action.

2. They're not targeting the college students who have money to spend. I don't care what your opinion is about frat guys or sorority girls; on the average, they're going to have more money to spend than other students. You have an assload of them a stone's throw away at the University, so you had better cater to them, as well as the young up-and-coming professionals. Their's is the money that will keep you in the black. So, the place to start is with an enforced dress code. That's right, I went there. A big part of successfully running such an establishment is understanding that popular is what sells, not what you individually perceive as cool. I know this may all sound a bit exclusionary; to me it's just common sense. If you want your establishment to be a haven for the financially challenged, get out of the club business and open a dive.

3. On a related note, your staff will at least need to maintain the illusion that they're as classy as you'd like your clientele to be. The bartenders at Opulence, to their credit, looked classy. The rest of the staff, including the manager, looked dumpy, unwashed, and in some cases, downright thuggish. The guy who directed me to the coat check, for instance, had a mouth full of metal. I don't think it's a bad idea to hire some tough looking brutes such as that guy as bouncers, but they still need to look respectable and discernible from the rest of the crowd. They can't look that way in shorts and a heavy metal or hip-hop t-shirt.

I wouldn't mind owning a club someday. If I do, I'll happily enforce a dress code and subvert what I think is cool if it means a bigger take at the end of the night. That's why businesses exist in a capitalist economy: to turn the highest profit possible. Booya!

Well, I suppose I'll call it a night. Must lift weights tomorrow before Nip/Tuck.