Work Days

Carmike is taking over my life this weekend, so the only pictures I can put up are ones I took when I was weepingly bored in the slow, slow hours between films. Enjoy.

Does everyone realize that Friday was HOT? Like, 90+ hot? And muggy? And we don't have air conditioning? What theater doesn't have AC? It's like a law. We had at least a dozen patrons walk out because it was too much to bear, sitting in a cushy chair in a dark auditorium for three hours. They would come up to the box, ask me "is it this hot in the theater?!?" "Yes," I would say. Then they'd leave. I wish that would happen more often. Imagine how sweaty I got making the popcorn.


Now you can! Look at this loveliness. Golden, crunchy perfection. I've now worked at a movie theater for four years, help, and I am the Popcorn Master. It's a beautiful sight.




I can't take all the credit, though - it's quality, state-of-the-art poppers like these that allow me to practice my craft. They really lure people to my delicious popcorn. Ew. See that filmy brown line at the bottom? That's caked on grease, my friends. About three decades' worth. Mmm.


Thank god I am not required to wheel around a little pushy cart of popcorn or I'd go on a rampage and slam into customers and their children. Then the world would be deprived of tasty goodness when I was fired.



Wow, could you imagine a less attractive box office? That's Mason in the back, not working because we usually have a grand total of about one or two people in each theater at any given time. Our main amusement is the the charity coin race-y thing that doesn't have a name.






This is how I prepare for work. I went to the HUB beforehand and picked up every kind of newspaper I had at my disposal. I think I made it through Voices, the Center Daily Times, the Weekender, USA Today, and I had the NY Times but I detest the font for some reason and I don't like to read it. I gave that one away. Also featured is The Portrait of a Lady and Needful Things.


Does this look like a fun machine? No! This was our old cash register in concession. It was called the IQ Zero which was startlingly accurate and I hated its lameness. It would make these horrid squeals when it didn't like you and they were very hard to turn off. Plus, they were really ugly.


You can kind of see the new register here, the IQ 2000. Wow! I have to say, it is prettier and more up-to-date, but the technology that is less up-to-date than the IQ Zero has already decomposed. The one thing I dislike is that it automatically shuts off after ten minutes, so I'll be punching in an order and look down and go, oh crap, argh, and then furiously punch in my ID number.




Early on in the day we had these two army guys come in and set up this whole complicated display set, after which they left. After awhile they came back, hung out for a few minutes. I gave them free pop since I am generous when bored. I then asked coquettishly if I could keep one of the chairs, since they folded up and had cupholders on both sides of the armrests. He winked and told me I could take one home that night. SCORE. I'm amassing quite the collection in my tiny dorm room. At least it's collapsible.


Sometimes on Fridays we receive shipments of promotional materials, which of course the employees ravage first if there's anything good. This week was a colorforms-like window sticker that said "YIPPEE KI YAY M-", apparently a toned-down reference to Die Hard which I've never seen. The consensus was that they were pretty lame by themselves but hilarious when you could stick them on the charity posters we had posted in the windows.



After all that fun, there was really nothing left to do except stick things into the various fans we had scattered around the lobby.






Mason from the side. This is too fun for words.











Not for the straw, I suppose. This thing was mangled.








So I managed somehow to make my way through seven hours of crushing boredom, having to wade home through the mug, and what awaits me when I get home?

Two brand-new mattresses, baby! It was like Christmas and my birthday all rolled together. These things are firm! My old one was so saggy and old, it was pathetic. And they gave me two! I don't have to explain why I have an extra one in my room anymore! This put a wonderful spin on the afternoon.




What's on the agenda for this afternoon? Oh, going to see Ocean's 13 at the Carmike. And this evening? More Carmike work. And tomorrow? More Carmike work. I'll be dancing a happy dance come payday.