Lines/Waiting
First off, yeah, I’m still alive. It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything here. Quite some time in fact. I’ve had a lot going on – personally, family and business wise – and unfortunately any sort of writing – even blog writing – had to go. I’ve discovered I’ve really missed writing and really should begin doing more of it again. I guess that’s why I sat down today to write.
I’ve found as I get older I can’t stand waiting in lines. I don’t know if it’s my lack of patience growing as I get older or the slow loss of available time I have as life and work creep into my “copious” free time. Not sure what it is, but I find more and more that I avoid lines at all costs.
For example – going to the movies. I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I just can’t stand getting to a movie theater 60-90 minutes early just to get a decent seat in the theater. That standing around in line with a bunch of people you don’t know just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. When I was younger, I could have loads of fun waiting in line for them to let us into the theater. It kind of built up anticipation for the film. All that waiting and then a big payoff! I waited in line for “Oceans 13″ last month for an hour and while I was there with a handful of friends and enjoyed their company, I would have much rather enjoyed their company at a bar, sitting in a comfortable chair consuming a fine beverage over interesting conversation. Instead I found myself sitting on the ground of a mall waiting for the usher to finally let us in to the theater. No growing anticipation or excitement – just resentment that here at 35 years old I’m sitting on a mall floor next do 18 year old kids doing the same thing. The experience isn’t the same for me anymore.
Thankfully in Los Angeles there is a theater, the Arclight in Hollywood, where you can buy your tickets and choose your seat in advance. You can literally walk up to the theater five minutes before curtain time and take your seat without having to wait in a long line, then fight that mad rush to the theater in the vain hope you’ll actually get a good seat. I’ve recently sworn off going to the movies unless it’s either to the Arclight or one of the legendary movie houses in Los Angeles like Grauman’s Chinese or the Village in Westwood. Good news for me is the Pacific’s Galleria in Sherman Oaks is being converted into an Arclight, so I’ll have more choices soon.
But it’s not just limited to movie houses. If I’m going to get take out food, I always make sure to order ahead rather than wait in line, order my food, then wait further as they prepare the food. Baja Fresh is a good example of this. There’s usually a line to order there, so now when I do get food from there I always order ahead.
I think this is also what’s kept me away from theme parks for a while now. The worst line in the world to stand in is a two hour line for a ride that lasts 2.5 minutes that will most likely upset your stomach (I used to have such a great constitution for roller coasters, but not anymore). The last theme park I went to was Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005, but that was doable since the park hadn’t officially opened yet and only some 5,000 – 6,000 people were actually in attendance. Disneyland does have those fast passes now, so maybe I could find a way to enjoy the park, but I dunno.
Oh, and don’t get me started on the grocery store lines. It’s not that they’re so long and my patience is so bad, it’s far more I hate the tabloid invasion into my brain. It’s unavoidable. When you’re standing there, you can’t help but read the retarded headlines, focusing on which celebrity got fatter or fucked over in the past week. Maybe it’s why I primarily go to Trader Joe’s these days for my groceries – no tabloids at check out means I don’t feel quite as dumb when I leave.
I don’t know what it is, but lines … lines just kill me these days.
