Another nice change of pace was having a couple of different d.j.s. The first hour or so I was hearing music I hadn't heard before and some I hadn't heard in a long time. When you have every band and d.j. playing the same 60 songs four nights a week, any change is welcome.
Closing time! The crowd wasn't too bad, pretty well behaved. A few broken glasses but nobody died, so it was a good night. Productivity comes to a stand still as I have two new guys asking "what's next?", a manager who keeps letting people back in the bar and d.j.s who are dragging their feet. Eventually, everybody leaves, everything gets done and I am ready to take on the snow covered early morning.
My car gets great gas mileage but it's not designed for all weather. Saying that it doesn't do well in the snow is like saying that a dolphin doesn't do well on road march. It's just not built for it. Getting home was a small challenge. I could make it to my neighborhood but the hill right before my house deters all but four wheel drive. My roommate has a similar car and sent me a warning text confirming what I was expecting.
I could see his tire tracks but decided to try for it anyway. If I had any kind of competitive spirit, it was satiated in the fact that I made it five feet farther than he did, but that still didn't get me home. I parked at the bottom of the hill and walked the rest of the way. My determination to get to a different climate kept me warm.
The one good thing about the weather and the hour is that the streets are empty. I didn't start to see other cars until I was almost to the airport. Of course, these were the overly cautious, slow driving down the middle of the road drivers that plague the roads when you're trying to get somewhere. I park and get to the terminal, ready to handle the next phase of this gauntlet.
"What is your destination?"
"San Francisco"
"That flight is scheduled to leave in twenty minutes."
"Yes ma'am, I tried to get here sooner but this is the best i could do. The forces of nature have conspired against me."
"You are required to show up thirty minutes prior to flight time."
"I've been standing in line for a while, does that count?"
"That flight has been sealed, but let me call and see if they've closed the door yet. Do you have any baggage to check?"
"No ma'am, just this." I point at the pack on my back. "Just give me a gate number and call me O.J."
She hangs up the phone. "You've missed that flight."
"Well, what now?"
She checks the computer, "I can put you on the stand by list for the Denver flight leaving in thirty minutes."
Finding the gate number, I go to the desk and I stand by. I make sure to tell them that I am standing by and I notice my name on a very short list. If there's an empty seat or a cancellation or room in the luggage compartment, I'm taking it. Must accomplish the mission, must get out of town.
A woman travelling with her younger brothers asks if it's possible for one of them to trade seats so they can all sit together. The ticket agent checks the computer, changes the seat and prints off two boarding passes. She hands one to the woman and one to me. Apparently we've just filled the row. I'm going to Denver. I don't know if I'll make it out of Denver, but I'm that much closer to my destination.
All the connecting flights out of Denver seem to be 20-30 minutes after we land. The woman at the desk is living in denial as she tells everybody that they'll make their connection despite the fact that our flight was supposed to leave ten minutes ago and we haven't even boarded. Nobody's even scraped the windows yet. Apparently the pilot is using the force to get us out of K.C.
Once we do get boarded, we still have to wait in line for de-icing and then we have to wait to take off. The Stepford stewardess telling me that every little thing is gonna be alright doesn't fool me for a minute. I'm on stand by so my journey is a roll of the dice from here on out.
We eventually make it to Denver. Everybody is scrambling to figure out what to do since all connecting flights left an hour ago. I have managed to channel my inner Canadian and I'm one of the calmest people in the terminal. I'm a little concerned when I hear the ticket agent tell the two guys in front of me that the closest she can get them to Palm Springs is Las Vegas where, she suggests, they can rent a car. Get me to Vegas, I will walk. A hundred some odd mile hike through the desert is just a good stretch of the legs. Gary Cooper did it in Beau Geste with bandits shooting at him, at least I don't have bandits. It's snowing in Denver, I have to get out of here.
When I get to the gate, I verify that my flight is leaving from there and I am on the stand by list. I am taking no chances on missing this flight. I get a cup of coffee and a breakfast bagel, all the while keeping the gate in sight. I am number one on the list but I know there will be others. I'm starting to feel like that primate out of 2001: A Space Odyssey when he learns to defend his watering hole with a bone.
They delay boarding because the first officer has not arrived yet. Another victim of traffic. It feels like I'm in a Final Destination movie, Nature can't get to me so it's getting to those that effect me. Shrewd bitch.
The first officer finally shows up and they get everybody on board. There are a lot of people, this could get ugly. The boarding agent is making a final call and checking the naughty and nice lists to see how many seats are left when suddenly this guy comes running up. He's wearing a leather biker jacket covered with a dozen miscellaneous buttons, a baseball cap with a few more buttons and carrying a guitar. He looks like he should be playing in a bar somewhere, not waving a military i.d. and trying to convince the woman how badly he needs to get back to his base. My seat is about to get snaked by Stitch Jones.
"Sir, you're booked on that flight for Tuesday."
"Oh, that can't be right, I have to get back today."
"Let me see what I can do."
"I don't know how I wound up on the Tuesday flight."
Shit happens when you don't check your leave time and your flight info, huh jarhead? I'm surprised they let this guy off the base let alone out of the state.
They get him seated and there are four extra seats. The flight is already delayed and we haven't even de-iced yet. On the bright side, I'm on the plane and it's just a matter of time before I'm in a warmer climate.
There was a flight attendant that kept things interesting. Nice legs, great ass and a dynamite smile. Damn. Between lack of sleep and the cruising altitude, by the time she poured my third cup of coffee I was starting to have Out Of Bounds flashbacks. Some of you know what I'm talking about, others of you need to visit your local video store.
I find my mom at the entrance and it's really good to see her. It's been about a year since my last visit. We go back to her car and before I can open the door to put my pack in the back seat, she tells me to wait a second. She reaches in and pushes a button and the top retracts. I could get used to California's version of January. It's the middle of the afternoon and we drive off in search of food.
The Palm Canyon theater hides in plain sight if you're looking for a movie theater. It's a live theater that also has a movie screen. My first movie going experience here is a documentary called What Is Cinema?
I have about 50 minutes before my next movie. Mom had things to do so she dropped me off and will pick me up later. It's like junior high all over again. I was fortunate enough to get passes for the next three days so it really does pay to know people. The other theater is about a dozen blocks away so I start walking. Along the way, I find a coffee shop to quench my thirst.
As I arrived at the Palm Springs Regal 9, the first thing I noticed were the lines. The way the buildings are laid out makes it a very efficient system to line up two audiences at the same time as well as have a third line for those standing by in case of a no show ticket holder or if they open another theater.
By the time I finished my coffee, the line was moving. We were in and seated and still had time to use the bathroom or hit the concession stand. They made a couple of announcements and then introduced the director.
After the movie, director Gabriel Cowan, writer Adam Chanzit and three other people who's names I have forgotten came down and talked about the making of the film.These are usually my favorite parts of any film festival because you get to learn about the whole creative process that went on behind the scenes.
Luckily, my next movie was at the same theater because it started in five minutes. The advantage to sitting up close is that you can show up right before the lights go down and still get the seat you want.
The director, Max Currie, was there and informed us that because of last minute changes and processing procedures and shipping schedules (from New Zealand), we were the very first audience to see this film. The cast and crew had not even seen it yet. This is another cool thing that I enjoy about film festivals.
After the movie and the discussion, I meet back up with my mom and we made the obligatory stop at Del Taco.
We took the scenic route back to her house and even at night, Palm Springs is a pretty cool place. There isn't a lot of night life unless you know where to go, but I do night life for a living so I don't mind a break.
I get settled into the guest room and even though I've been up for over 24 hours now, I still can't sleep. I read a chapter of my book to help focus my mind and then figure out my schedule for tomorrow. So many movies, so little time. I set the alarm and crawl into bed. The first thing I'm doing when i wake up is go jogging...outside!
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