Rambo!

Four of us planned on going to the first showing of Rambo (a.k.a. John Rambo) after it’s release.  Loew’s on the Boston Commons (no an AMC theatre I’m sure)  periodically shows movies that have Friday release dates on late Thursday evening after midnight.  We were so excited to see the film, we had to see at as soon as possible.  It’s cool seeing a film before most people get a chance too.  It feels like you’re at the premiere or having a secret screening.

I was working in the area that night, so I purchased the tickets early.  I purchased 3 (and later increased that number to 4) tickets.  The tickets said they were for the show at 12:20AM on Friday, 1/25/2008.  This to me and most people with a brain would indicate the showing is  late Thursday/early Friday morning.  Hence, AM. 

Apparently we were wrong.  After wasting more than an hour wandering in the city late at night,  the time arrived to go back to the theatre.  It was pretty quiet and there wasn’t much of anything open.  Most of the doors at the theatre were even locked. 

We walked upstairs and were greeted by the concession stand attendant.  “Can I help you with something,” he asked.

In unison we all looked down at our tickets.  “We’re here to see a show,” we exclaimed.  “Not tonight, there aren’t anymore,” he replied.

We all approached him and showed him our tickets.  He told us they were for tomorrow night, which makes no sense.  There also wasn’t anyone there that could refund our tickets or issue us vouchers or anything.  We determined that we were all free the next night at that time, so we just went then.

It was all very confusing.  I reminded the concession stand guy that 1220AM was in the morning.  He said, “I know.” 

Obviously they don’t know!

It was frustrating and the magic of seeing Rambo before most people was lost.

We went back the next night and enjoyed the film.  It was very gory.  I’ve never seen so many people get cut in half like they were grapefruits before.

Until next time.

EZ Seal

Today I learned…

…That you should be careful when sealing envelopes.

At work, we have this postage machine that has the ability to seal envelopes and print postage on envelopes and what not.

One letter went into the machine a little skewed.  It came out with postage on it but not really sealed. 

So, I decide to seal it.  I promptly licked the adhesive on the back flap of the envelope only to find out that the sealing solution they use doesn’t taste very good.

I shouldn’t have licked!  It tasted bad and now I’m a little dizzy and hungry, but that’s probably unrelated.

I start writing my screen play on Friday.  It’s going to be very time consuming.  Maybe, I’ll throw in a couple of excerpts from the script in here every once in a while.  I already have a pretty good idea for an opening scene.  It doesn’t really flow with the plot well, but it’s a comedy.  I’ll have plenty of time to relate my character to the plot after the opening scene.

I think I can do it.  20,000 words in 1 month.  Bring it on.

Now for something completely different,

Chaci:  Do you ever have those days where you just need a hug?

Danielle:  Yes, but I’m a girl, so it’s less faggey when I say it.

Can My Cell Phone Reach To Heaven

Last Week…

…I learned never to ask someone you haven’t talked to in 3 years how their significant other is doing. 

I made a series of mistakes.  I was hanging out with a good friend of mine.  We were watching a movie at his house when I realized I hadn’t talked to his younger sister in a while.  In an attempt to start conversation with her and see how she was doing I text messaged her, “Hey, I’m at your house.”

Her response, “Who is this?”

I thought to myself, jeez, it hasn’t been that long since we talked.  I was a bit shocked she had deleted my phone number.  I snapped back, “It’s Chaci, thanks for deleting my phone number.”

Quickly, I realized that I know two people with the uninque name of my friend’s sister.  Did I text the wrong one? 

Of course I did.

It had been several years since I last spoke to the girl I texted.  I always enjoyed her company and thought she was a great girl.  We just sort of drifted apart slowly.  That happens with college.  I’ve always kept her cell phone number in case I wanted to check in to see how she was doing.

I didn’t want to tell her, “Oh, sorry, wrong person.”  Instead I dug the hole deeper and pretended I had just casually driven by her house on my way to somewhere else.

It gets worse.

We continue to catch up via text messages into the next day.  I remembered her having this boyfriend I was never too fond of.  I don’t remember why, I’m sure he was a nice kid.  It was probably more playful banter then anything else.

I texted, “Still got that boyfriend of yours?”

She replied, “He died.”

And no, that is not a terrible joke on her part.  He really did, 3 months prior.  I don’t remember the last time I felt so bad.

Horrible timing, but how was I supposed to know?  Can you really blame me?

In other news, I’m doing this.. ScriptFrenzy.  It should be fun and it’ll give me some more practice writing and hopefully force me to come up with some good ideas.

Speaking of good ideas, me and Danielle are working on a proposal.  A proposal to MTV or VH1, or maybe even BET. 

Let me ask you this, do you really relate to ‘Laguna Beach’?  Or ‘The Hills’?

Of course you don’t.  But couldn’t you relate to a reality show called “Wicked Pissah” starring myself and Danielle?

Cameras would follow our daily adventures.  With our working-middle class backgrounds and her success and my career failures.  It would be a must see.

The conversations/arguments would be hard to pull away from.  Some of them almost end in blood.

Nic: I just had a little buzz, almost

Nic: but then my mom just came in and gave me a 10 minute monologue about cabinets

Nic: buzz killed

Walking Alone

Today I learned….

What not to say.

Nicole: So, you’re saying I’m NOT less likely to be sexually assaulted/raped/kidnapped/killed when I’m with you.

me: No.. that’s not what I’m saying

I’m just saying, I’m less likely to be killed if I’m not with you

and sitting on my couch eating chips

Funspot Hits the Spot

Yesterday I learned…

… that Funspot is the largest arcade in the world.

This little slice of heaven takes up 60,000 square feet.  It’s a 3 floor arcade full of classic games, newer games, bumper cars, bowling, miniature golf, bingo, skee-ball and even go-karts across the street.

Funspot is located in Weirs Beach, NH.  A short drive away from my cottage up there.  I’ve been going there for 23 years and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, no matter how old I was.

The smell of the jester-clad tokens touched by millions of grubby hands everyday is a small prize to pay for THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE! 

Bob Lawton, founder and owner of Funspot, should be proud of his achievement.  He’s the poor man’s Walt Disney.

The  complex of fun now has a tavern to go along with it’s Braggin’ Dragon restaurant.  If you’re lucky, you’ll even get to see they lovable-huggable Topsnuf (Funspot spelt backwards) running around.  Topsnuf is a friendly, 6 foot dragon that insures a good time.

It’s a bigger Goodtimes with less likelihood of getting shot.

I’ve always felt like there was something more that Funspot was offering that I was missing out on…and then I found it.  Funspot Afterhours. 

Granted it’s not the “Afterhours” type of deal I’m used to, but it’s the personification of a good time. 

 Listen to this deal… for $1,200 you get 6,000 tokens (which is worth $1,500 right there, you’re already getting more than you paid for), unlimited bowling and the place to yourself for 3 hours.  You get the largest arcade in the world all to yourself.  Funspot Afterhours happens an hour after closing.  So, if they close at 11pm you get the complex to yourself from 12am-3am.  This is an amazing deal, maybe even the deal of the century.

This is what I suggest, a Funspot-a-palooza.  I’m going to try to get some people together (the goal is 50), chip in and rent this bad Larry out. 

Here are some concerns and possible solutions.

How would we all get there?

                    Well Weirs is about 2 hours away from Boston. That’s not THAT far.  There are options of getting there:  everyone could just be in charge of their own way of getting there, we could rent a bus, we could set up a carpool system.  There is even a bus route that goes from Boston to Molutonborough, NH which is pretty close to the complex.  It is my assumption that a carpool system would infact work the best.  If we get enough cars, gas can be distributed evenly and it wont cost that much money for anybody.

Are we spending the night?

                     That’s up to you.  I do have a place up there, I wouldn’t be able to fit more than 10 people in it, but there are all sorts of other options.  I know some other people have places nearby that might be willing to share it with us.  There are cheap hotels and motels around the area that would probably end up costing about $20-30 a person for the night if you share rooms.

Isn’t the cost high?

             No, it’s really not.  If the target goal of 50 people is reached it’ll only cost each person $24.  Also, I’m sure I’d be willing to put some extra money in  to bring it to less than $20 a person.  That’s a pretty good deal for 3 hours of arcade play.  The 6,000 tokens works out to be 120 tokens each (that’s $30 worth of tokens!), that will surely last you throughout the 3 hour night.  They also have other deals that cost more money, but give you more time and tokens.  I do think that this is the best deal for any group under 50 people.

Okay, so obviously this is still a work in progress and no matter how bad of an idea people think it is, I’m determined to make it happen.

Ciano Hotel

Yesterday I learned…

…that it is possible to feel like a guest in your own home.  Now that sounds depressing, but I don’t mean in the “I feel like I don’t belong” sense.

In order to make room for my new bed in my room, my brother and I moved my current bed and frame into his old room (which I guess is officially a guest room).  My sheets also ripped…for undisclosed reasons… so I put some sheets on the bed I wasn’t used to.  I watched The Godfather with my brother and Leah after we moved the bed.  It was late by the time I was ready for bed.  I dragged myself into the new bedroom and plugged in my cell phone charger.  I set my alarm on my cell phone for 6:30am and laid in bed.

I had trouble sleeping at first.  I sat up in bed awake, looking around the room.  In the 22 years that I have lived in the house, I’ve never slept in that room.  At least that I can recall. 

The room started off as my sister’s bedroom.  She moved out shortly after she graduated from college and my parents quickly turned the room over into a den.

After they finished an addition to our home they had no need for that den and used some of the furniture to put in the new room.

Chris moved into that room and we each had our own separate rooms.  Now that Chris has moved out and the bedroom is full of nothing but echoes it will be changed into the guest room. 

I never slept in that room during any of those transitions, last night was a whole new experience for me.

We moved my bed in that room so early, because I figured I’d use Chris’ hand while he was over and I can just sleep in the guest room until Friday, when my bed arrives.

So, as I sat up in bed the surroundings seemed so unfamiliar.  I thought I was spending the night in a hotel.

I finally fell asleep 4 or 5 hours before my alarm clock starteled and woke me up.  I jumped up and for a solid 30 seconds had no idea where I was.

I later realized that I was, in fact, in my home.

Oh right.  I DID have perfect attendance in Natural Disasters class, mostly because Andrea always dragged my ass there.  I ended up doing fairly well in the class. I don’t recall the exact grade but it was somewhere between a B and an A-.

Weekend Wonder

This weekend I learned…

what the electric pulley contraption does at the Intermission Tavern (IT).

The IT is a bar with pretty good food (particularly the homemade potato chips) on Tremont Street in the Theater (or Theatre, I know the difference… but I’m just not sure which one they use…) District.

Nicole’s 24th birthday was celebrated there on Saturday.  Her friends noticed the electric pulley contraption (for now on referred to as EPC).  The EPC is towards the front of the bar with nothing really around it and no visible signs of what it was used for.  They asked me what the EPC was for.  Not knowing much about anything, to be honest I made something up.  “It lifts the kegs up.”  They didn’t really buy it. 

I figured it must be somewhat accurate.  Kegs are heavy, bars have kegs, makes sense right?  My friend Michele works at the IT so we asked her what the EPC was for.  Sure enough, I was right.  There’s a well-hidden door under the EPC that goes into the basement.    The EPC lifts kegs and lowers them into the basement of the abyss, which ever one is actually there.  Michele further explained that they don’t even actually use it because it takes 10 min to lower one keg.  They just use a dolly and the stairs.  It’s just for looks I guess or prestige.  So they can say “Yeah, we have an EPC that takes care of that!”

Anyway, Saturday = fun.  I’m sure the EPC wasn’t the highlight of the night, but it’s what I learned!  Victoria was there, it made me happy.

Sunday I worked, but then went to see ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ at the Opera House…for free!  I might not have health insurance or paid vacation, but I do get something out of working.

I’m really in the mood for a steak or a cheesburger, which ever is more available and costs less.  That means it’ll be the cheeseburger.

 I didn’t make lunch today, so I’m sure I’ll just end up at Umberto’s because I have a small (very small) check to cash.  I’m going to move some of the money from my checking account to my savings account.  I never do that, it’s awful.  I haven’t touched my savings account since the summer before my senior year of college.  You might say, “That’s not a bad thing, at least you haven’t taken any out.”  Well see here readers, that’s because I cleaned it out the summer before my senior year.

The one night at the hotel on Saturday really made me want to move out of my house.  It’s so much easier to get around when you live in the city.  I just parked my car in a garage and I didn’t need it all weekend.  I hung out with friends, ate and even went to work without any trouble.  Well except waking up in the morning, but that’s an entirely different story. 

Yesterday I learned…

… you can’t beat the parking garage guy.  On Saturday I parked my car in the Boston Common parking lot.  It’s $10 a day on the weekends.  Not a bad deal since I planned on keeping it there for two full days.  $20 for overnight parking?  I’ll take it.

While I was in garage I thought of a plan.  The sign on the door says “lost ticket pays from 6am.”  Well, if I use my ticket I’ll have to pay $20 for the two days, but if I lost my ticket I pay from 6am that morning.  I should just pretend I lost my ticket.

We drive up to the garage attendant. 

Me:  “Sorry Man, I lost my ticket.”

Garage guy:  “What time did you get here?”

Me:  “Around noon.”

GG:  “Are you sure you didn’t come in yesterday?”

How did he know?!!

Me:  “Oh right, it was yesterday at around noon.”

GG:  “Was it Friday?”

Me:  “No, it wasn’t Friday.”  – that was the only truthful thing I said throughout the whole ordeal.

GG:  “Well, we’ll have to charge you for the two days, so that’s $20.  Our system is down so we don’t accept cards, you’ll have to pay in cash.

I didn’t have enough cash on me.  I told him I’d have to run to the ATM and get it.  He told me to leave my license and then come back with the money for parking.  I offered to “leave the girl”.  He took the license. 

So, my jackass move cost me the same amount of money it would have if I had just gave him the ticket.  It ended up just being a waste of time, when I was already tired and needed my bed.  I drove to the first Citizen’s Bank ATM.  I got out my car and ran to the door.  There was sign on the door that read “Door is broken please use another ATM.”  Even more time was wasted while I went to find another ATM.  As I did this, I realized something.  This was a scam.  No way “the system is down”.  That’s always bull.  He’s going to pocket the money I give him for parking, that’s why he needs it in cash.  Also, I realized he probably always just asks people who lose their parking ticket if they came in on Friday.  I’m sure someone’s tried to scam them before.  But now, I’m the one being scammed.  It felt really appropriate right after I saw ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’.

I was right.  I finally arrived back at the garage.  They directed me to the office where the guy had my license.  I took my license, he smiled and took my $20.  Nothing on paper.  No receipt.  Nothing input into the computer system.

 I lose.

I Love the Smell of Gasoline

Yesterday I learned…

…to never fall asleep in train.

My nose and throat were becoming increasingly congested. Blood appeared in my flem and I decided it was best for me to go home. I left work in time to make the 1:20 train from North Station. I was supposed to get out at Wakefield, but sleep overcame my body. I woke up in Reading, which is only one stop away. Too far of a walk though. “That’sok ,” I thought. “I’ll just wait for the next train going inbound.” The next train wasn’t coming for a little over an hour.

Luckily my friend Danielle was home and offered to pick me up from Reading and drive me to my car in Wakefield. Excellent. It was nice.

I got to my car and noticed the gas tank was empty. I didn’t think there would be too much trouble making it to the gas station. But, I couldn’t go to the closest gas station because I didn’t have enough cash on me. “Just use your card,” one would say. Alas, my debit card has been misplaced and I hadn’t gotten it back yet at that point yesterday. I drove on fumes to Stop and Shop that had a Citizen’s bank branch inside. I didn’t quite make it. My car putted to a stop down the street from the bank. I placed my head on the steering wheel in defeat. I packed up my wallet and walked to the bank. I cashed my check and went over to gas station. I bought a gallon of gasoline, borrowed a canister and walked back to put some gas in my car. I drove back to the gas station and put a little more gas in my car.

I got home, two hours later than I had left work. I slept until 7:00 so leaving work was still worth it. When I woke up I looked through my mail and my debit card has arrived.

All is right with the world.