Spoiler Alert - This blog is about me going to see "Star Trek: Into Darkness", but there are no movie spoilers. You can read secure in the knowledge that, if you haven't already seen it, should you choose to go see the movie at the theater, you will be as clueless after you read this blog as you were before...about the movie, that is.
We went on Monday, Memorial Day, to see the new Star Trek movie "Into Darkness. I actually like this alternate reality Star Trek universe - I do. I wasn't quite sure I would when I first heard the rumors during production of the first "alt universe" Star Trek movie. But as a sci-fi buff, I find the premise quite plausible.
That being said, let me give you a little background. I am a Trekker. I wasn't quite four years old when the original series debuted in September of 1966, and I can't swear that I saw every episode when they originally aired, but I do remember my father telling me to sit down in front of the TV when I was about five years old and watch this show, because "this is what it's going to be like when you grow up."
Well, as we all know now, Dad was wrong. We've made it no farther than the moon, and only dropped by there a few times. We have the International Space Station, but our country doesn't even have a way to get there on our own now - we have to rely on other countries for a ride. Supposedly there is a Mars mission in planning...but with our current Congress, I'll believe it when I see it. I'm afraid that there's very little chance that humans will leave Earth's orbit again in my lifetime...and just the thought of that brings tears to my eyes. What a waste.
At any rate, I don't have a floating car, nor a phaser, although I did carry around something for a few years that looked suspiciously like a communicator from the original series. With the advent of 3D printers, we're a step closer to replicators, which supposedly makes the need for money obsolete in the society portrayed in the Star Trek franchises. We're somewhat closer to tolerance in some respects, and as far away as we ever were in others. And we have not ended war on our planet. Once again, unfortunately, I don't think I'll see that in my lifetime.
Yes, I'm a true Trekker. I've seen every episode of every show that had "Star Trek" in the name, including the cartoons. I've been to science fiction conventions and Star Trek conventions. I've held drunken discussions at two a.m. with other fans as to which is cooler...and the whiches ranged from Star Trek vs. Star Wars to TOS (The Original Series) vs TNG (The Next Generation ) vs DS9 (Deep Space 9) vs Voyager. Nobody debated Enterprise. I haven't found anyone yet who didn't want to drag the writers of that show out and beat them with a rolled up copy of Star Log.
I've read most, if not all of the Star Trek books. I own every book written by the original cast. I've actually sat on the lap of Jimmy Doohan (Scotty) and drank scotch, and chatted with George Takei (Sulu) - before he became known for the funniest stuff on Facebook. I've exchanged tweets with both Brent Spiner (Data) and Levar Burton (Geordi Laforge). I accidentally insulted Marina Sirtis, and embarassed Michael Dorn. I refused to pay $30 to spend two minutes with William Shatner, something I've never regretted. I've never owned a Star Trek uniform, but I have written fan fiction (not published and never will be). I have a good number of action figures (some signed) and other memorabilia, which I jokingly call my "retirement plan". I think calling myself a Trekker is a pretty fair assessment.
And last, but certainly not least, I've seen every Star Trek movie, most within the first week of release, and certainly all during their first run in the movie theater (as well as owning them on VHS, DVD or both). But ST: Into Darkness is probably not only the last Star Trek movie I'll see in the theater, unless someone gives me free passes it's probably the last movie I'll see in the theater period.
We probably haven't been to a movie in well over a year. I'm trying to remember the last one I saw, and I'm thinking it was either the last Transformers movie, the second Iron Man movie, or The Avengers. I know it was an action flick - when you mostly watch movies with two guys, you get outvoted a lot. It has to be something REALLY special for me to get to see one that I want to and they don't in the theater. The only time either of them has seen either of the "Sex In The City" movies was when I put the DVD in after John fell asleep on the couch one night, and he woke up halfway through. I snuck "The Lake House" in on them by telling them it was about time travel, like Penny did with Sheldon on Big Bang Theory. I guess great minds think alike. At any rate, the last movie we saw in a theater was in 3D and Imax, so we went to Simpsonville to watch it. We knew going in that it was going to be about $15 a ticket, so we saved up for a couple of weeks to go. But like I said, that was over a year ago, and...oh wait, it was the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Anyway, we saved up, it was a special night out, in the "big city" of Greenville, we had dinner afterward, you know the drill. But it isn't something we could afford every night, or every weekend, or even once a month.
Seneca's Cinema 8 used to suck badly. I mean, the place was right out of the 80's and hadn't been upgraded since then. Uncomfortable seats, bad lighting, ugly carpet, bad sound...but it was cheap - usually at least $2 cheaper per ticket than Anderson or Greenville. Still, it was bad enough that we usually went to Anderson to see movies. Apparently in the last couple of years they've really upgraded the place. Seeing Star Trek: Into Darkness, we helped pay the loan payment on that upgrade.
They're now all digital, which is nice, and they show 3D movies, which was super-cool for Star Trek. Still, by the time the night was over, I had decided that this was probably my last movie in a theater. It just isn't worth it.
Tickets for the 3 of us were $32. That's a meal for three with baklava at the Pita House in Greenville. A bag of popcorn and two 32 oz. drinks were another $16. No, that's not a typo. Sixteen dollars for something I could make at home for a dollar and liquid I could buy for another $2. We judiciously stopped by Dollar Tree and for less than what we would have paid for one box of movie theater candy we bought three boxes that traveled to the theater in my purse. I felt somewhat guilty about that going into the building. I didn't coming out.
The three of us plus other assorted friends used to be Saturday night regulars at the discount theater in Clemson before it shut down. Talk about in bad shape - that theater made the one in Seneca look like it was brand new BEFORE it was renovated. The Clemson Astro II hadn't been upgraded since the '70's, and they would turn the heat off in the theaters during the last showing on winter nights. I usually took a blanket with me whenever we went there, and I wasn't the only one. But for $11 you could get two movie tickets, two drinks and a bag of popcorn. THAT was a deal, and we learned with experience which seats were broken and avoided them. We also learned to take a flashlight and look at the seats and the floor before sitting in them. But once again, for that price, we were willing to do it.
The new upgrades at the Seneca theater are nice, I'll give them that. The wider aisles and reclining seats make the viewing experience much nicer, and the digital screen and sound system were right up there with anything we've seen in Anderson and Greenville. But before the night was over, we spent $50, with nothing to show for it. Maybe $50 isn't a lot of money to you, but to us, it is.
I learned when the Clemson theater shut down that your full ticket price doesn't go to the theater, it goes to whomever owns the movie, a warped idea in my mind, but apparently that's how it is. How the theater makes their money is in the concessions. Many theaters have begun to offer everything from a Starbucks in the lobby to a full-service restaurant, replacing the video parlors tucked into one corner in the '80's and '90's. Nachos, hot dogs, pretzels and other stuff that you used to only find at the ball park are now staples at most theaters. One theater we went to had a "make your own popcorn" bar, where you controlled the addition of butter, salt and flavorings. Ice cream, Icees...your selection of movie munching is much nicer than it used to be. I don't have an issue with that, with any of it really...except that the pricing is anywhere from three to ten times that of what you would find outside of the theater. That, I do have a problem with.
With the advent of bigger and bigger screened TV's (I think we're up to 80" now?), movies on command via internet, Redbox, Netflix, surround sound, you can't help but do the numbers....let's say that a 42" plasma TV is now $500. That's ten movie nights. Ten. And let's be totally honest here...you don't even have to pay for the movies with a little skill in maneuvering ads destined to find a way to get to your money or computer. But let's say you do have an $8 subscription to Netflix online. For less than one visit to a movie theater, you can watch all the movies you want, online, anytime you want to, and make your own damned popcorn...or ice cream...or vodka martini.
When TV came into popular use, many predicted that it would signal the end of the movie theaters....and while TV did make a dent, people still went to the movie theaters to sit in the dark in front of that big screen and munch popcorn with tons of butter-flavored oil on it and live the experience. When VHS movies and DVD's became reality, the same things were said and the same things happened. But it was because a night at the movies for a family of four was still CHEAP.
I marvel at families with children in this economy - we struggle and there's just the two of us and the cats. I don't know what we'd do if we had kids at home. I know one thing though - it would be a VERY rare event for us to go to the movie theater. I love Star Trek so much that hearing Leonard Nimoy recite the mantra "Space...the final frontier..." brings tears to my eyes. Fortunately or unfortunately, however, I don't believe the next time I hear that, it will be in a dark, cold theater, with a soggy wax cup in one hand and a greasy paw reaching into a paper bag full of popcorn with the other. After half a century, I guess all good things have to come to an end.
Live long and prosper.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
A Chinese Curse
You know the Chinese curse that says "May you live in interesting times"? Please help me track down the fucker that said that so I can stomp his bones into dust. Because apparently I crossed his list at some point, and it has made for some craziness the likes of which defy the imagination.
Let's see - #1: We get a call the first of February from our Landlord. The home we live in and property we live on is part of an estate, and we pay our rent to the heirs of the estate. However, the heirs would like to get a better return so they asked us to move in 30 days from that date so that they could renovate the home before putting the property up for sale.
This was a very devastating blow to us. Truthfully, we really hadn't recovered from the traumatic move out of Easley a year and a half ago - there's still a lot of stuff in boxes in the basement. Maybe that's not such a bad thing though - saves me having to pack it back up.
The thing is, it's not that simple to move this household. We can't just open the paper, find a property in our price range that has the required amount of square footage and number of bedrooms, put down the deposit and first month's rent, and move in. We have a fair amount of furry baggage by anyone's standards that comes with us.
Call any house for rent, in any price range in your local market, and say the words "Fifty cats" somewhere in the conversation. I dare you. If you get another fifteen seconds on the phone with that person, I'll personally give you a $5 bill.
Owner financing is a better option, but we don't have the money for a down payment, and even then, most people who would do owner financing aren't going to agree to allow an animal rescue to set up either.
What you have to look for is the unique property, the one no one else is looking at....it's most likely non-traditional in some way...maybe an old farmhouse that has been built onto three or four times so that it almost appears to be a series of sheds. Or the storefront building sitting at an intersection in the middle of nowhere that has been empty for five years. Or an old wooden church or school building off the main highway. An old Victorian with Federation columns that has pretensions to a southern mansion that someone started a renovation on years ago and sits still in an unfinished state. The only requirement to any of these properties is that they have some space that can be converted into a rescue cattery. Since that conversion mainly means installing some extra heavy-duty breakers and outlets, installing some additional lighting, laying down linoleum tile and having a nearby water source, you can use anything from an enclosed carport to a metal shed with a concrete floor to an old barn. But finding these properties is tough. I've been at it for well over a month now, so I know. We actually did find a place that would have worked perfectly for our needs, a soon-defunct day care center, but unfortunately it was far out of our price range.
So the search continues, in Oconee, Anderson, and now Greenville counties. We will not return to Pickens County. Our experiences there continue to haunt all of us and I for one refuse to live in fear of jackbooted thugs with badges and guns coming to my door again. The nightmares have stopped, I have no intention of allowing them a way in again.
That being said, I'm willing to look at things outside of that area, but only as a last resort. I'm even willing, for the right property, to give up high speed internet for now. Anyone who knows me knows it will be like a junkie going cold-turkey - my methodone will be my smart phone, but just like a junkie, it won't be the same. But I'll do it for the cats, and pray for U-verse in the meanwhile.
#2 - My search for a full-time job has so far turned up nothing, and cell phone repair has not progressed to the point where I have a steady income from it. It's picking up as people hear about me, but not enough. Our income is now upside down, and if something doesn't happen soon I don't know what we are going to do.
#3: My father is sick again. See a few blogs back about how I feel about that. I'm still working on those feelings, trust me, but it's not going to change anything.
#4: Food Trip To Washington: The last two weeks of February I fundraised like mad to raise $300 to cover gas to and from the DC area to pick up a HUGE load of cat and dog food. Finally, on Friday, March 1st, we had $200 of it raised and I just decided screw it, I'm going anyway. Surely people won't leave me stranded on the side of the road. If I have to I'll go in a truckstop and pass the hat for money. But that wasn't necessary - a few hours later we had what we thought was more than enough for the trip (Denise didn't take into account the heavier load causing a severe reduction in MPG on the return trip) and the next morning I left bright and early for DC. It was an uneventful trip with the exception that I ran into traffic in Richmand, VA. I got there early enough that Chris Haslam with Commonwealth Humane Society and his lovely wife Linda were able to buy me dinner (a luscious bacon cheddar cheeseburger - definitely NOT on my diet!)
They also got me a hotel room donated at a Hyatt in the DC area. The room was very comfortable - my only complaint is that high speed internet cost extra, or you could lug your computer down to the lobby and use it there for free. I didn't think the Hyatt's patrons would appreciate my Pink Floyd oversized tee and men's blue boxers, and I didn't feel like getting dressed, so I watched TV instead. It was hard but I had my phone.
The next morning dawned cloudy and cold, and after a wonderful breakfast we spent the next five hours packing and loading the truck and the trailer. By the time we were done the hitch was about 10" off the ground. I wondered at the time if I were going to leave the transmission someplace on I-95, but that 2000 GMC Sierra performed like a trooper and the trip home, with the exception of some traffic in a couple of different places and a short visit at Sacha Furr's house in Mebane (a fellow rescuer who works with cats and kittens with neurological and genetic disabilities primarily) to drop off cat food, treats and pee pads, get kisses from my Beenie Baby, a handicapped cat I helped transport and fell madly in love with, and take a short nap, was pretty uneventful. I'm still distributing the dog food, treats, toys and bedding to local dog rescues.
#5: Found out that we will most likely be losing the loaned rescue vehicle we have been using for the past two years. The person who has kindly allowed us to use their vehicle, as well as paying the insurance and taxes while we used it, is now in need of the vehicle back themselves, and will continue to help us as they can but we need a full-time vehicle for the rescue. If you're reading this and you know of anything, please let me know. We can't afford to buy but if we can find one donated we are a 501-c3 charity so it would be tax deductable. Email me at dotsplaceanimalhaven@gmail.com if you know of anything.
#6: Made a new friend - the one bright spot in all of this is that I have gotten to know a really nice person in the last two weeks and it has made a huge difference in my life, just having that new connection. I've known this person for a while but finally got the chance to have some interesting dialogue and realized what a great individual this is and how lucky I am to have found this out. I look forward to many more spirited discussions in the future and I think that even with all of that above, I may have, for at least two weeks, come out on the positive side for once.
I don't know what the future holds but I can pray for peace, which I do. I don't like all this upheaval. I want my life to be smooth, orderly, even predictable and boring. I would welcome boring for just a little while. But that damn Chinese philosopher keeps raising his ugly head....
Let's see - #1: We get a call the first of February from our Landlord. The home we live in and property we live on is part of an estate, and we pay our rent to the heirs of the estate. However, the heirs would like to get a better return so they asked us to move in 30 days from that date so that they could renovate the home before putting the property up for sale.
This was a very devastating blow to us. Truthfully, we really hadn't recovered from the traumatic move out of Easley a year and a half ago - there's still a lot of stuff in boxes in the basement. Maybe that's not such a bad thing though - saves me having to pack it back up.
The thing is, it's not that simple to move this household. We can't just open the paper, find a property in our price range that has the required amount of square footage and number of bedrooms, put down the deposit and first month's rent, and move in. We have a fair amount of furry baggage by anyone's standards that comes with us.
Call any house for rent, in any price range in your local market, and say the words "Fifty cats" somewhere in the conversation. I dare you. If you get another fifteen seconds on the phone with that person, I'll personally give you a $5 bill.
Owner financing is a better option, but we don't have the money for a down payment, and even then, most people who would do owner financing aren't going to agree to allow an animal rescue to set up either.
What you have to look for is the unique property, the one no one else is looking at....it's most likely non-traditional in some way...maybe an old farmhouse that has been built onto three or four times so that it almost appears to be a series of sheds. Or the storefront building sitting at an intersection in the middle of nowhere that has been empty for five years. Or an old wooden church or school building off the main highway. An old Victorian with Federation columns that has pretensions to a southern mansion that someone started a renovation on years ago and sits still in an unfinished state. The only requirement to any of these properties is that they have some space that can be converted into a rescue cattery. Since that conversion mainly means installing some extra heavy-duty breakers and outlets, installing some additional lighting, laying down linoleum tile and having a nearby water source, you can use anything from an enclosed carport to a metal shed with a concrete floor to an old barn. But finding these properties is tough. I've been at it for well over a month now, so I know. We actually did find a place that would have worked perfectly for our needs, a soon-defunct day care center, but unfortunately it was far out of our price range.
So the search continues, in Oconee, Anderson, and now Greenville counties. We will not return to Pickens County. Our experiences there continue to haunt all of us and I for one refuse to live in fear of jackbooted thugs with badges and guns coming to my door again. The nightmares have stopped, I have no intention of allowing them a way in again.
That being said, I'm willing to look at things outside of that area, but only as a last resort. I'm even willing, for the right property, to give up high speed internet for now. Anyone who knows me knows it will be like a junkie going cold-turkey - my methodone will be my smart phone, but just like a junkie, it won't be the same. But I'll do it for the cats, and pray for U-verse in the meanwhile.
#2 - My search for a full-time job has so far turned up nothing, and cell phone repair has not progressed to the point where I have a steady income from it. It's picking up as people hear about me, but not enough. Our income is now upside down, and if something doesn't happen soon I don't know what we are going to do.
#3: My father is sick again. See a few blogs back about how I feel about that. I'm still working on those feelings, trust me, but it's not going to change anything.
#4: Food Trip To Washington: The last two weeks of February I fundraised like mad to raise $300 to cover gas to and from the DC area to pick up a HUGE load of cat and dog food. Finally, on Friday, March 1st, we had $200 of it raised and I just decided screw it, I'm going anyway. Surely people won't leave me stranded on the side of the road. If I have to I'll go in a truckstop and pass the hat for money. But that wasn't necessary - a few hours later we had what we thought was more than enough for the trip (Denise didn't take into account the heavier load causing a severe reduction in MPG on the return trip) and the next morning I left bright and early for DC. It was an uneventful trip with the exception that I ran into traffic in Richmand, VA. I got there early enough that Chris Haslam with Commonwealth Humane Society and his lovely wife Linda were able to buy me dinner (a luscious bacon cheddar cheeseburger - definitely NOT on my diet!)
They also got me a hotel room donated at a Hyatt in the DC area. The room was very comfortable - my only complaint is that high speed internet cost extra, or you could lug your computer down to the lobby and use it there for free. I didn't think the Hyatt's patrons would appreciate my Pink Floyd oversized tee and men's blue boxers, and I didn't feel like getting dressed, so I watched TV instead. It was hard but I had my phone.
The next morning dawned cloudy and cold, and after a wonderful breakfast we spent the next five hours packing and loading the truck and the trailer. By the time we were done the hitch was about 10" off the ground. I wondered at the time if I were going to leave the transmission someplace on I-95, but that 2000 GMC Sierra performed like a trooper and the trip home, with the exception of some traffic in a couple of different places and a short visit at Sacha Furr's house in Mebane (a fellow rescuer who works with cats and kittens with neurological and genetic disabilities primarily) to drop off cat food, treats and pee pads, get kisses from my Beenie Baby, a handicapped cat I helped transport and fell madly in love with, and take a short nap, was pretty uneventful. I'm still distributing the dog food, treats, toys and bedding to local dog rescues.
 |
| Check out where the hitch is! |
#5: Found out that we will most likely be losing the loaned rescue vehicle we have been using for the past two years. The person who has kindly allowed us to use their vehicle, as well as paying the insurance and taxes while we used it, is now in need of the vehicle back themselves, and will continue to help us as they can but we need a full-time vehicle for the rescue. If you're reading this and you know of anything, please let me know. We can't afford to buy but if we can find one donated we are a 501-c3 charity so it would be tax deductable. Email me at dotsplaceanimalhaven@gmail.com if you know of anything.
#6: Made a new friend - the one bright spot in all of this is that I have gotten to know a really nice person in the last two weeks and it has made a huge difference in my life, just having that new connection. I've known this person for a while but finally got the chance to have some interesting dialogue and realized what a great individual this is and how lucky I am to have found this out. I look forward to many more spirited discussions in the future and I think that even with all of that above, I may have, for at least two weeks, come out on the positive side for once.
I don't know what the future holds but I can pray for peace, which I do. I don't like all this upheaval. I want my life to be smooth, orderly, even predictable and boring. I would welcome boring for just a little while. But that damn Chinese philosopher keeps raising his ugly head....
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