Cranky at a Concert
Tonight, I
went to a concert with my friend Frog.
The State Theater
in New Brunswick featured Tommy Emmanuel.
You may not have ever heard of Tommy Emmanuel, but he an Australian who
is the BEST ACUSTIC GUITAR player in the world.
I can not even explain his unbelievable talents, but that is not the
real subject of this blog.
Yes, as
usual, this post is about my lovely wife…Mrs. Cranky.
Mrs. C for
want of better words, is a piece of work.
She
currently works part time at the State Theater in New Brunswick, NJ. And as such, she is an expert in all things State
Theater Concerts.
She did not
work this night; she is in Florida with a friend exploring Disney World for the
17th time…don’t even get me started.
Anyway, she
knew I would like to see Tommy E, and she got tickets for Frog and I months
ago.
Thank you so
much.
That was
great of you, but it seems that Mrs. C does not believe I am capable of
actually going to see a concert in the “Big City” (New Brunswick) by myself.
I guess she
thinks that even with Frog, who has a Doctorate in History (well almost…there
is still a thesis that needs to be submitted…is 55 years too late?) still
equals “by myself”.
Anyway.
Here is what
I get:
“Where are
you going to park? Don’t go to the lot that requires paying through a link from
a QR code, you’ll never figure that one out… (OK, she is right about that) go to the Morris Parking lot where
you just get a ticket and pay on the way out.
OK.
“And to
get to that lot you need to…blah blah blah…”
I’m not
listening to her directions, because I’m going to just plug the address into
the car GPS anyway, but here comes the coo de gras. (OK, I could look up the spelling of
that French term, but coo de gras will have to do).
Anyway.
She tells
me, “When you pay for the parking, your validated ticket will give you 15
minutes to leave. Sometimes there is a
delay from all the cars in the lot getting out, so you need to either get out
first, or delay and let the lot clear out so you can leave within the 15
minutes.”
Now that seemed
ridiculous to me. But if true and it
took more than 15 minutes to leave the lot, what would happen? Would I be stuck behind gates that would not
open and spend the night in New Brunswick?
As silly as
this seemes, thank you very much for sticking that thought in my head!
As much as I
enjoyed the concert, I had it in the back of my mind that we might not get out
of the lot within the 15-minute time frame.
THE
HORROR OF IT!!!
Stuck in a
parking lot, holding up other parkers, all because I didn’t either run like a
rabbit to beat the crowd, or delay long enough to let the lot clear out. OH, the shame if that would happen.
Thank you
very much for putting that catastrophe in my head!
What did
happen?
After the
concert there was a line in the lot to validate the parking ticket, then there
was a 5–10-minute delay to get to the gate.
From there, an attendant took the validated ticket, tore it up without
even looking at the validation time, and opened the gate.
There was
no issue.
The lot was
not worried about anyone cheating them out of 15 minutes or more of parking
time, they just wanted to keep the line moving.
The concert
was great. Tommy Emmanual does things
with a guitar that should not be possible.
I had a
great time…except for that fear worm of being stranded in a parking lot that
only Mrs. C could plant in my head.
And yet I
still love her.
Don't let Mrs. C read this! It is supporting evidence for her belief that you are not capable of going to a concert in the "Big City" by yourself! Even though you managed to escape the parking lot, she will have that "I told you so" moment. Even though she didn't actually "tell you so" in words, but only with her detailed preparations.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking those attendants would not have held you hostage if you didn't get out of the parking lot in 15 minutes. More likely, they would have charged you money. If you refused to pay, they MIGHT have kept you there until they decided you were more trouble than you were worth, and would have called Mrs. C to come get you. Kind of like "The Ransom of Red Chief," your captors desperate to be rid of you!
I've heard of Tommy Emmanuel, I don't think there's many in our generation who haven't, but there's a lot of young kids out there who wouldn't have a clue unless he popped up on their phone screens.
ReplyDeleteFormer Jersey Boy (now in SW Flawduh) here. Tommy is an amazing talent and one of a scant few that have been bestowed the title of C.G.P. on the planet. Saw him a number of years ago in Ft. Myers. Utterly brilliant.
ReplyDeleteAs to parking at ANY facility in NJ, BALLOCKS. I remember seeing the Stones at the Meadowlands quite a number of years ago... $500 for the tix... I arrive and gotta hork up another $20 to park the farking CAR?!?!?!??! And HIKE no less?
What a gem that woman of yours is! How thoughtful to get you a ticket for you and Frog! As for the parking I'm thinking that if the attendant had 5 minutes with you and Frog he would probably make sure you were not there with him for the night. Glad you had a great time!
ReplyDeleteAww Mrs. C just "wuves" you. It's nice to have someone on your side, looking out.
ReplyDeleteI'm embarrassed to say I have not heard of Tommy Emmanuel. I'll have to check him out.
I'm glad you enjoyed the concert, he is fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI'm also glad you still love her.
When there aren't events going on, it's possible the owners of the lot have trouble with people getting a ticket validated then leaving the car for hours to try to get free parking.
After a concert, they know what everyone is there for, and that you haven't tried to scam them. As you noted, at that point clearing the lot of the name of the game.
Sadly, we women have to keep a VERY close eye on our men, given their propensity to cock up even the most simple of tasks. Mrs C is a gem. Anyway, glad Tommy E. was good and that you are got home safely and are not still stuck in a car park somewhere waiting for your ticket to be validated.
ReplyDelete