No More "Topless Delivery"

On Tuesday, 26 November 2013, an era has come to an end. The "Topless Delivery Vehicle" has been officially retired after over 4 years of faithful service. I traded in my 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS Spyder for a black 2013 Dodge Dart SXT at South Oak Dodge in Matteson, Illinois. The Dart is the first hardtop I have driven since May 2007 and has already proven to be a wise investment. The only thing missing from the Dart's UConnect system is the GPS navigation, which I already have on my Blackberry Z10.

Trading in the Eclipse was emotionally like breaking up with a long-time girlfriend. I was somewhat sad to see her go it is but I knew it was the right decision to make in the long run. I am already seeing some positive results from the purchase. For example, the fuel economy in the Dart is much better, at 7.0 L/100 km (about 34 mpg) going to and from work, and 5.6 L/100 km (about 42 mpg) on the highway at 100 km/h (about 62 mph). The Dart's 2.0 L "Tiger Shark" inline-4 engine uses regular unleaded gasoline, unlike the Eclipse's 3.0 L V-6 engine, which requires premium unleaded gasoline. It's also nice to not have to shift gears for once.

Please note that as a General Manager, I rarely ever get to take deliveries anymore. Driving even 1000 km (621 miles) per month would now be considered a stretch. Therefore, the Dart will last far longer than has any other car I have previously owned.

Horry County Ordinance 29-13 (The End of the Strip Club Culture in Myrtle Beach?)

Horry County, where Myrtle Beach is located in South Carolina, has Ordinance 29-13 before the County Council, which will establish tougher zoning restrictions for adult-oriented businesses such as strip clubs and adult video stores, a mandatory midnight closing time for all such businesses, and a requirement that dancers maintain a 6 foot (1.83 m) distance from their customers.  The ordinance will become law once it passes its Third Reading at the Horry County Council meeting on 3 September 2013, and will probably be the end the "Strip Club Culture" in Myrtle Beach as we know it.  The following is an email I sent to the Horry County Council regarding the proposed ordinance.

Members of the Horry County Council:

As a former Myrtle Beach resident, I have recently read about the proposed Ordinance 29-13, regulating adult entertainment venues in the county.  If I may be so bold, I would like to offer a few amendments to the ordinance.  I propose that all private viewing booths be removed from adult book and video stores, requiring all viewing of adult materials to take place in full view of store employees.  I also propose that the conduct regulations in gentlemen's clubs be amended to strictly prohibit all touching anywhere on the premises and that the dancers be required to keep their bikini tops or lingerie on at all times while outside the dressing room.  Simply put, "If you can't wear it on the beach, you can't wear it in the club."  I also propose that everyone who applies for an Adult Entertainment License be required to pass a criminal background check (and possibly, random drug testing at the host establishment's expense) before receiving a license.

I see two challenges to the ordinance as it stands now.  First, every adult entertainment venue in the county would be in violation of the zoning ordinance.  I can predict that every establishment would close its doors within weeks of the ordinance taking effect, putting hundreds of local residents (dancers, waitresses, bouncers, DJs, bartenders, kitchen staff, etc.) out of work.  We must find a way to replace the jobs that would be lost.  Second, it would stand to reason that such closures would cost Horry County millions of dollars in lost liquor and entertainment tax revenues each year.  Once these challenges are properly addressed, you will have my full support of Ordinance 29-13.

Knowing from the experiences of some of my friends and acquaintances, visiting an adult entertainment venue can be just as addictive as can visiting a casino.  The Illinois Gaming Board, the state agency that regulates casinos, racetracks, off-track betting parlors, and the Illinois Lottery, has a "Self-Exclusion Program' where individuals with a gambling problem can voluntarily sign up to be permanently barred from all gambling establishments in Illinois.  I propose that a similar program be established for the adult entertainment industry, to be created and administered by an "Horry County Adult Entertainment Commission" (known hereafter in this proposal as the "Commission").  The Commission would be charged with issuing the aforementioned licenses, enforcing relevant laws, and administering the "Self-Exclusion Program" that I propose in the following paragraph.

Under my proposal, every licensed adult entertainment venue in Horry County would be required to subscribe to a special database and to purchase a special card reader.  When a doorman at a gentleman's club checks an ID, he would run it through the card reader or enter the information manually into the computer to check the person against the database of those who have been barred from all adult entertainment venues.  If a match turns up in the system, then the doorman would be required by law to deny admission and to notify the police for arrest on criminal trespassing charges.  While most people in this database would be those who sign up voluntarily, there would be two ways that someone could be barred involuntarily.  First, if an establishment bars someone, be it a customer or an entertainer, for misconduct, then the owner or manager could report the incident to the Commission and have that person barred from all other establishments.  Second, those who have ever been convicted, or currently facing charges, of any sexual offense would also be barred from all adult entertainment venues.  Adjudication procedures would be established to appeal such involuntary bans. Everyone who works, or applies for employment, at an adult entertainment venue would be checked against the database during the license application process.  Those who are in the database would also be prohibited from seeking employment in any adult entertainment venue in Horry County.  This would also include any convenience store that sells adult magazines or DVDs.  

It is my sincere hope that my proposals will improve the quality of life for all Horry County residents and tourists.  I appreciate your opinions regarding my proposals.  Thank you for your time and consideration in these matters.

Sincerely,

William Lawless, MBA

No More Social Networking.

I have discovered, much to my great horror, that social networking websites are totally addictive and a serious threat to my personal privacy and security.  I found that I was on Facebook several hours a day, wasting time that should have been spent doing more important work.  Except for my immediate family, nearly all of my Facebook "friends" were people I have not seen or heard from since high school.  I was wasting my time reading about everyone else's drama.  Granted, only with a random visit to a friend's Facebook page did I find out about her untimely death, several weeks later.  I had known earlier that she was diagnosed with cancer and that her (third) husband had recently passed away.  During my last phone conversation with her, she told me that she was leaving for Michigan to visit her family.  I suspected that she was going there to spend her final days with her family, and my suspicion proved to be accurate.  The worst of it was that I never had a chance to say a proper goodbye to her.  I must also concede that I found out about my 30-year Class Reunion through Facebook.  I also realized that while social networking has its benefits for many people, it is no longer for me.

Despite the fact that I had set my security and privacy on Facebook and Google+ to the maximum security levels and that I have usually been very careful about what I posted on these sites, I have come to the realization that what I had intended as innocuous remarks had been taken out of their intended context by people for whom those remarks were not intended, possibly endangering my life and those of people who I hold very dear.  Furthermore, I believe that neither the Government nor private companies have any business snooping about my private affairs.

Therefore, after many months of agonizing contemplation and several discussions with my attorney, I have finally acted on my decision to permanently delete my Facebook and Google+ accounts.  For professional reasons, I am maintaining my LinkedIn account for the short term.  It is far better to have a small number of real close friends than it is to have hundreds of fake friends. 

You can still contact me via my personal website, BillLawless.me , or via this blog.  The official websites for my novels, toplessdelivery.com and foreverautumn.us, are still active and have some new features.  Please be sure to check them out.

Location Guides

I have recently added a Location Guide to the website for each of my novels. To make the story more believable, I listed the actual locations of many of the real (and fictional) businesses in the Location Guide, along with links to the websites of many of these businesses.  I would like to thank the owners and managers of these fine establishments for the opportunity to mention them in my books.  While I have taken a great amount of care in researching the actual locations for accuracy, any corrections would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you for visiting.

A New Calling

I think I may have found my true calling.  After creating three websites in as many weeks, my personal website and one for each of my two novels, I would love to pursue a new career in website design or somewhere in the field of information technology (IT).

My personal website

My novels' websites are:

"Topless Delivery - The Myrtle Beach Experience"

"Forever Autumn - The Myrtle Beach Experience Continues"

Website design and development would be an ideal career for someone who is creative but uncomfortable dealing with the public all the time.  I would like to take some courses in cybersecurity as well as HTML, XML, and Java programming before I make it a career.

Dancing To The National Anthem

This blog post shares one of the scenes in "Topless Delivery" that I had originally edited out of the book.  After months of careful deliberation, I decided to add the scene to the updated versions of the book.  The scene takes place on the oceanfront patio at Chad and Heather's wedding reception.  David had recorded the mini-concert by Pure Ecstasy and had just received permission from Michelle, the band's manager, to upload the video to his YouTube account.

I bring out my trusty laptop computer and set it up on a small round table on the oceanfront patio.  Once the setup is complete, I take the memory card from the video camera out of my pocket and insert it into the card reader on the side of my computer.  There is a strong wireless internet connection here.  Now that I've obtained Michelle's consent on behalf of the band, it's time to upload the Pure Ecstasy concert video to my YouTube.  Two minutes later, I see that the upload is successful.  Let's see how the video turned out.  

Ashley emerges from the Grand Ballroom and says, "Hi, sweetie.  Michelle told me that I'd find you out here uploading our performance onto YouTube.  I can hardly wait to see it myself."  

Because YouTube videos are limited to 10 minutes in length, I have to upload six different segments onto my account.  The first segment features my performance of "Dance Across the Sky," the song I had written for my future First Dance with Ashley.  Chad and Heather asked me to play it live for theirs.  Now, it's our turn to give it a spin.  

I click on the link and ask her, "Ashley, may I have this dance?" 

She touches my cheek and sweetly replies, "David, I'd be honored."  

It is not until we start dancing real slow and real close do I realize that I accidentally clicked on the link to my rendition of "O Canada", which I played in a slow string setting.  Weirdly enough, she doesn't seem to notice my little technical glitch, until she notices a tear in my eye.  

 Ashley wipes the tear from my face and sweetly asks, "Sentant un peu la nostalgie, sommes-nous?" Feeling a little homesick, are we?  

I softly reply, "Oui, un peu," as she wraps her arms even more tightly around me and kisses me.  Yes, a little.  

After a hot, deep kiss that causes her knees to buckle a little bit, she asks, "David, à quand remonte la dernière fois que vous avez visité Toronto?"  David, when was the last time you visited Toronto?  

I reply, "Ashley, il ya eu au moins dix ans despuis que je suis là."  It's been at least ten years since I've been there.   

She says, "Toronto est une ville magnifique.  J'adorerais y aller avec vous."  Toronto is such a beautiful city.  I'd love to go there with you.  

I kiss her and say, "J`ai hàte de vous montrer les endroits où j`ai grandi.  Peut-ètre que nous pouvons mème prendre un jeu des Blue Jays au Rogers Centre."  I look forward to showing you the places where I grew up.  Perhaps we can catch a Blue Jays game at Rogers Centre.

Reaching the laptop a few seconds later, I check my YouTube playlist and make sure that the segments of Pure Ecstasy's concerts were loaded in the correct order...and they were.  I click on the first segment, which features my song, "Dance Across the Sky." 

Upon hearing my piano intro, I gently take Ashley's hand and softly ask, "Ashley, Puis-je avoir cette danse?"  Ashley, may I have this dance?

 Her deep sapphire eyes light up as she sweetly, yet excitedly, replies, "Absolument!"  Absolutely!

 As we dance slowly and gracefully out here on the patio, we gaze into each other's eyes and lose all sense of time and space.  We don't notice that several other couples join us in what we thought was a very private dance.  We conclude this dance with a hot, deep kiss that leaves us both tripping.  Only when we hear them cheering are we aware of their presence.

Ashley laughs and says in a state of total disbelief , "I can't believe that we just danced to the national anthem of your former homeland."

Laughing as Ashley and I embrace tightly, I reply, "Oops! I clicked the wrong link...or could it just be a Freudian slip?"

Ashley says,  "Honey, I've yet to find a danceable rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'.  Now that would be the ultimate power rock ballad!"

I pause for a moment and reply,  "I can imagine hearing it now, performed by Metallica on a CD titled, 'O Say Can You Rock, 'Till the Dawn's Early Light.'  It just wouldn't sound right without that James Hetfield growl.  However, I did hear a recording of 'O Canada' by Rush that sounded really cool."

You will notice a few parallels here in this scene.  Keep in mind that while David was born in Chicago, he was raised in Toronto and often thinks more like a Canadian than like an American.  As the National Anthem is performed before the start of a ball game, it is appropriate here because David and Ashley are starting a new phase in their relationship with David moving in with Ashley the following day.  It is known that  Ashley and David are both bilingual.  This is their first conversation with each other in French, although she has conversed in French with David's mother, who was born and raised in Montreal.   I like to refer to this scene as David's "Rosebud Moment".  If you have ever watched "Citizen Kane", you will know what I mean.

The idea for this scene came from a remark that the daughter of a lady I once dated had made to me about a song that her mother really liked.  I responded by saying, "That would be like dancing to the National Anthem", as that song held a special meaning in my own life as well.