Going to the Movies Essay

Outside the main entrance to the mall was a large canopy, high up. Broken, aged concrete lined the building. Straddling the doors were two square bases, where statues once stood. They made a great playground for two rambunctious boys; platforms for adventure. Faded, peeling green paint along the base, trees growing on top. They added to the air of disarray and neglect shared by the whole building.
Pushing aside the glass doors we would enter a vast foyer. The ceiling seemed to reach for the heights, belying the impression from outside. The hall was vacant, void of life. The only sound was the swish of the doors closing behind us, the echo of our voices and footsteps. The tile floor reflected a ghostly image of me staring up at me. He seemed just as excited as I was, and as alone.
Ahead of us, like the bow of a ship rising out of the waves, was a water fountain. It was oblong shaped, the walls on the lengthwise sections starting low then raising until reaching its apex at the points on the end. Cylinders with sprayers on the ends rose out of the water at differing heights. The water itself glistened under the lights, reflections of discarded change along the bottom. Directly above us was a mirror image of the fountain hanging down from the ceiling. There was always a haunting feeling around the fountain, of something perhaps forgotten.
The fountain sat in the middle of a T-intersection of the halls. To the left, the hall seemed to go on forever. Lining its edges were vacant storefronts, remnants from a more profitable past. Dingy, yellow colored glass lined a couple of storefronts. Others stores were barred by rusty chain drop gates. One, once a pet store, featured a fish tank built into the floor that customers would cross upon entering. It too was empty, inhabited only by creatures of our imaginations.
To the right of the fountain, along another hall, were usually the only other signs of life. Sometimes it was a couple heading for the same destination. Other times there was a line already formed at the door. Ignoring the urge to run and skip became even more difficult, even more so than when faced with the statue bases or the water fountain. Here the excitement of our intended visit only grew. Above the glass front in stark black and white were always two choices, the same as the number of screens the theater itself had. To the right the line terminated at a small desk, where a clerk would take our mother’s money and issue us our tickets.
Inside was semi-dark, the foyer illumination barely maintained by the lights overhead. The brightest lights were behind the candy counter, where the smell of butter and the dry roast of popcorn came from. The pattern on the worn and tattered floor would beckon me forward toward the next rooms. There was the soft murmur of conversation, the bleeps and bloops of the arcade machines set apparently at random through the room. Mom would buy us our popcorn and sodas and, snacks in tow, lead us toward our destination.
Rounding a corner on either end of the foyer was a short hallway, punctuated by a set of double doors at the end of it. Sometimes if we were running late to the show there would be the sounds of advertisements and previews drifting through the space in the middle where the doors didn’t quite meet. Walking through those doors led into the theater itself, a slanted room filled on either side of the aisle with row upon row of folding seats for the patrons and dominated at one end by a large, rectangular screen. Along the lengths of the sides of the room were floor to ceiling curtains, and it always occurred to my young mind to wonder if anyone would bother hiding behind a set of them.
The room sloped downward, the aisle being the only thing still carpeted, though the carpet was torn in places and sticky in others. The concrete floor where the seats were was not in any better shape, old gum and soda spills inhabited that space. The seats themselves when folded down might reveal a jagged tear or some loose bits of popcorn from a previous show. I did not much care about the shape of the building or the contents, after a few moments of waiting that seemed interminable the projector I could make out in that little square of light above and behind would start spooling up; the lights would dim; and I would be transported to a world far away from abandoned malls and dirty carpets. I loved that place.

In Memoriam?

I don't understand the recent fad of putting "In Memory of.." stickers or decals on cars and car windows.

So your attempt at honoring a loved one is plastering their name all over your P.O.S. car? How much is that memory going to be worth when you decide it's time to buy a new vehicle and sell that one? How honored to you really think that person is to be remembered in that way, with an entirely temporary device?

This follows in line with all the roadside memorials you see where someone had an accident and lost their life. Yes, the loss of life is terrible, but do you really want to remember where someone died? Or the fact of their death?

For me personally I'd rather remember how someone lived, and treasure the memories that I have shared with that person. A marker on the side of the road, or a cheesy sticker on a windshield, would simply cheapen those memories and remind me more of how they died, rather then how they lived.

You want to remember me? Then remember me dammit! Don't insult me with some temporary decal that's going to be scraped off later, or a marker of where I died. How I die is of little importance to me, how I choose to live makes all the difference.

Hotel Etiquette

Some people seriously just don't know how to act at all, or they believe for some reason that they are special and don't have to be polite.It's just very aggravating, so I thought I might come up with a list of rules on how to act in a hotel, but I'm fairly sure these can be applied to most places that deal with the public.

1) Respect is a two-way street. Coming at the clerk with an attitude is only going to get that attitude reflected back at you. Yes, we understand there is a problem with the room, give us a chance to correct the problem before you decide that we did it to you on purpose. Most hotel clerks don't get paid much, so their patience in dealing with people that think they're rock stars is pretty thin.

2) Unless you are paying for a 4 star hotel, don't expect 4 star services. Seriously, the level of service is defined by how much YOU pay, not how much you think you deserve. Got in on a coupon rate, don't expect the hotel staff to be bending over backward. We'll help you, just don't go making ridiculous demands of our time or patience. Also understand that most hotels don't keep a full staff on hand 24 hrs a day, the clerk you think should come handle your problem RIGHT NOW could very likely be the only person working, and it's likely that they might have other issues to deal with, be patient.

3) Free services are just that, free. If you're not getting them why in the world would you expect a discount? YOU'RE NOT PAYING FOR THE DAMN THING IN THE FIRST PLACE! Also, if there is something you just absolutely have to have, make sure the hotel provides it before checking in. Waiting until you've already taken a shower, etc, to call down to the desk is not doing you any favors. And chances are you'll be stuck with paying for the room at that point regardless.

4) When you've made a reservation, double check it to make sure it's what you want and review the cancellation policy. If you book a room then see a lower priced on on your way to that hotel you may be out of luck if their cancellation policy doesn't allow for same day cancellation.

5) When negotiating room rate, DO try to bring up any discounts before agreeing to the rate and getting the clerk started on booking you. I've had plenty of people, after I've gotten them into the system and they're good to go, suddenly remember their AAA or other discount. Also keep in mind that the clerk might actually be giving you a better discount than what you might have gotten online or otherwise.

6) HAVE YOUR I.D. READY. And make sure it's valid, and matches the credit card you intend to pay with, if that's your chosen method of payment. We have to have the information off the ID to book you into a room, and for credit cards we HAVE to make sure it's yours. Trying to use someone else's credit card isn't going to get you into the room. Most hotels REQUIRE prior authorization for it, and no a voice on a phone is not proof enough. Stop getting mad about it, we are protecting your sorry ass. You really should be thankful that we do check IDs, because I'll bet you'd be pretty angry if someone stole it and we didn't.

7) Towels in the room are NOT for washing your vehicle. Period.

8) If you can't afford the pet charge, leave the little critter at home. I don't care if it only weighs five pounds, I still have to charge you for it. And don't lie about it, if I catch you it's only going to make me less inclined to be nice.

Seriously, I don't care what your deal is, if you're nice to me I'm much more likely to be nice to you.