Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Twilight Trilogy . . .



NEVER make plans when it comes to someone else deciding your destiny...
Learn to GO WITH THE FLOW . . .
I say that because our group that was going to see the Twilight Trilogy got THROWN for a LOOP yesterday. We had a schedule, and everyone picked a time slot, and we thought we were going to all be able to help each other out and be able to sit together...
Thank you Sierra Vista Cinema 16 (boooooo, hissssss) for being TOTAL jerks and changing the rules on us. In past years you have been able to save spots for others in your group because lets face it, no one is going alone, and most people work. Also previously these movies have been during the school year so the tennie boppers have not been able to line up early and we appreciated that.
WELL, instead of allowing people to rotate holding a groups spot, the Management at Sierra Vista Cinema 16 (boooo, HISSSS)decided to NUMBER your ticket as you got in line. Now I don't have a job so you would think this would be simple for me... THINK AGAIN!! I am a mother for TWO a daughter who just turned three, and my little man who is 17 months. Do I REALLY want to have my kids out there if I don't HAVE to??
SO Matt drove by the Theater at 6:00 am on his way to work and said there were not many people out waiting. I drove by at 7:00 am and did not think we needed to get there for a little while. One of our group members decided she wanted to get there early and wait in line and showed up just after I drove past. She waited in line until her replacement came at 10:00, and then went home. At 10:30 the Management let the replacements know that they would be numbering and stamping your ticket when you got in line, and then checking them every hour to make sure the people were still there. So if you missed two consecutive check ins, then you were OUT OF LUCK and at the back of the line. The girls started calling everyone and letting us know this NEW RETARDED RULE. I got toys, lunch and the kids in the car and was there by 11:00. And it was ALREADY hot let me tell you!! We had two sun shades so we were covered, but there was only a nice breeze every hour or so... I got lucky number 40...
I ended up calling Matt at work at about 12:00 BEGGING him to please take the kids for me, and to take off work early if he could. My knight in shinning armour showed up at 1:00 and took the rosy~red faced children home. WHAT a relief! When the management came around to check the tickets, some people had to go home and feed the kids, or head back to work, so all the Midnight Eclipse Girls in a different line would help us out for check ins and be "the person holding the ticket" and we would help when their check happened as well. I had not showered nor had I grabbed my TEAM JACOB shirt (see post below) so I ran home after a check in to get ready, and was right back in line and only missed one check in, but had a "stand in person hold my ticket" for the check. SWEET!! It was nice to get home and get ready, it was then that I realized how excited I was about seeing the movie in the first place! :) Things got a little more stressful for us when the NEW Manager came out to check the tickets and would not allow "stand in's" you HAD to be there for the next check or you were OUT of luck and at the BACK of the line. It was close enough to when we had all planned on being there, so it was good for us that we all got our "places in line".
We got into the theater around 5:00 pm and the BEST thing they had done ALL day was number the seats with tape and a stamp then you would take that number and put it on the back of your ticket and that was your seat for ALL three movies... even SWEETER!
We all got seats together, and then went to eat dinner before Twilight started at 6:45. Panera Bread was right around the corner, so a few of us went there. The food there is SO good! I got a half sandwich and half salad. YUMMMM! We went back and saw all the Midnight Eclipse girls STILL waiting outside and I felt a little bad for them, but not too much! We watched Twilight, LOVED it, had a 15 minute intermission then watched New Moon. The Midnight Eclipse girls were just getting into their theater when New Moon ended. LOVED New Moon as well! We had an hour intermission so I went and got some snacks then went home to check in. I made it back just in time for some previews and the ECLIPSE movie! It was SO much better than the other two movies! They just keep getting better and better!! It was funny and sad, and emotional. It was GREAT! And today as I sit writing this post I think it was SO smart watching the other two movies before seeing the new one. Great way to catch up!
I would SO go and see the movie again, but I will NEVER go to Sierra Vista Cinema 16 (BOOOOOO, HISSSSSSS) EVER again! I plan a permenant boycott for all the "crap" they pulled. I will be writing a few letters and making a few phone calls today regarding the "Rules" they pulled out of no where. There were breastfeeding mothers having to go back and forth all day, and even a pregnant woman out in the heat... COME ON, a little human decency is ALL we ask!! If I get a free ticket who wants it?

4 comments:

Natalie said...

Melissa, you are awesome!

"I AM A MOTHER, HEAR ME ROAR!"

Write away, and tell us what they say.... And yes, you were very smart to have gone to the other movies first, no more waiting in line for you!

AngelaBeth said...

I guess I'm playing devil's advocate here but I think they have every right to do that. A lot of the times it is really unfair and people do not have excuses for other people holding their place in line, they just want to be lazy. Just think of all the people who could have gotten in front of you while you waiting if they didn't have that rule. Who is to say the woman in front of you wasn't holding a spot for 10 other women! I have never had problems with that theater, in fact they are really good to me and rush to whatever I need. Plus, it's just a movie and you had all already purchased tickets (I assume) so what does it matter where you sit or where you are in line? I know it's a fan thing but if you just want to be with your girlfriends you can go at another time - it's a choice to stand in the heat all day for a ticket or seat! Midnight showings and showings like this are where people want to be seen - like the Harry Potter ones where we all dress up, no offense (especially because this applies to me too since I'm not a teenager), but they are targeted at teenagers who have nothing better to do all day. A lot of people try to sneak, cheat, and lie at midnight showings - I've even see people duck out of their theater after head count and come to another theater to sit on the steps next to their friends in the midnight showing they wanted to see. So, you can think they, and I, are totally wrong... but they do have reasons behind it and at least they are taking the steps towards more security and organization rather than letting people go crazy. And you got in and you didn't even have to pay a babysitter (like I'm sure other moms did) so really what can you complain about?

Tiffany said...

Good idea to just watch the movies to refresh your memory. My hubby was disappointed when movie 2 came out and I had to re-read the series to refresh my memory...it also made me realize how much I hated the first Twilight movie and just how much of the book they have to cut out to make it fit into a movie...guess I should pull the books out again for another refresher (I can already hear my husband and kids groan).

Bird is the Word said...

Thanks Angela for playing Devil's Advocate, but my reason for not liking them is not that they had that rule, but that they CHANGED it from previous years without telling us when we purchased the tickets. When I boutht it, they said we could save spots, when we planned for that and got there, they said we could not. THEN the new manager came on and would not allow the previous managers rule inside the rule... It was like they had never done this before. We talked very nicely with the management and gave them ideas on what they could do in the future that would be fair like numbering the tickets when you purchased it... I think the Twilight Saga is JUST as much a MOTHER movie as it is for teenagers... a mother wrote it, and we all lover her for it. Like you said Harry Potter IS geared for "TEENS". Our line was actually FULL of MOTHERS, and the TEENS in the line were at the front because they were there at 4:00 am... I think they deserved to have themselves AND their friends who were switching out to get better seats because they were there earlier. I am an equal opprotuity kind of gal, but when they change the rules it just is not fair. Let me know what it will be like, and we can plan for it RIGHT?