Utopian Day 2
It’s another beautiful day today. It is a little bit warmer than yesterday, but still not bad. I have a lot on my plate today. I have to present for the Central Illinois Bookstore Owners Group at the Clintonia and I have plans to see the movie at the Clintonia tonight as well.
The Clintonia is an old movie theater that collapsed in the late 80s. The building was torn down and until this year, never saw the light of day. The town could not really support a new movie theater by itself so through an ingenious twist, the chamber of commerce came up with the new format theater.
This theater makes money during the day as well as the night. During the day, since the Magill house does not have conference facilities, it is used to host conferences for the small forums. You see, this is not your standard theater with stadium seating and Dolby Surround Sound.
This theater has half moon tables and chairs on the main floor level and the balcony is all stadium seating. The half moon tables make it so the wait staff can provide meals during the movie or conference. This is a dinner movie theater. Just last week, the theater ran Ice Age 12 for the kids and served the standard hot dogs, popcorn, chicken tenders, mac and cheese. For the Bookstore Owners though, we are having a choice of prime rib, rosemary chicken, and some vegetarian option that interest me in the very least.
I am actually presenting on new technology for bookstore owners to include the DVD sampling software we created for Spurgeons. After the store opened there was a lot of interest for purchasing the software and using it in other stores.
I enter the theater to get the presentation software in the theater manager’s hand. I also brought the interactive model on my laptop that I can tie into the projector. After going through the front doors, I can’t help but notice the snack bar is not there. There is a snack bar on the upper level by the balcony area, but not the main level. There are only a couple doors to enter the main theater area. The ceiling is high and the stamped tin reflected in all of the buildings throughout Clinton is gorgeous.
Going through the main doors, the balcony looms over my head. The burgundy color of the walls is only interrupted by the candle style lighting sconces on the walls. The black marble-top tables are spaced evenly around the room except for the back couple of rows which are long bar-style seating.
The presentation went well. The bookstore owners had a large interest in the new technology and the service and maintenance agreements. I have a good feeling the news of the technology will spread and this may end up being a spin-off business.
I head back to the store to check to make sure everything is in order before heading home. Tonight, the Queen and I have plans to come back to the theater for “roll-back” night. Roll-back night is a playing of an older movie where the people attending have to dress the part. Tonight however, we will be attending as more of a participant than just dressing up and watching the movie.
When I get home I have to remember to get a paper bag and throw in toilet paper, the spray bottle, glowstick, newspaper, rubber gloves, party supplies and a deck of cards. Oh, and my I.D. The theater will be serving alcohol tonight so I need to make sure they understand I am over 21 (hey, it is MY Utopia).
I arrive home and run upstairs to begin dressing in my attire. The Queen is already ready to go and her Mom has Avery for the night. The temperature has dropped to around 55, so I grab my jacket and we head out the door. It is a five block walk, so to prevent the possibility of drunk driving, we take a leisurely walk.
The people are assembling in front of the theater in their best garb. The amount of people who are attending tonight’s roll-back is as high as when Grease played last month. Up on the neon light marquee are the magic words creating such a cast of characters for a town of only 6500 people “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” It has been years since I last participated in a Rocky Horror and to have the opportunity again is a real treat.
For those of you who have never attended a Rocky Horror Picture Show in the 21 years it has been playing in theaters across the nation, this is not your ordinary movie. There are transvestites, aliens, Transylvanians and Meat Loaf. The movie is mostly interactive even though it didn’t really start that way. There are queues when to say something and the articles in my bag are for parts of the props. This movie, you are encouraged to throw things, talk and just cut loose.
This is especially a treat for me because this is the Queen’s virgin voyage to Transylvania. I truly enjoy it when she gets to experience something new, and this is definitely an experience.
After we are seated, the waiter comes to the table with his handheld wireless order-taking thingy, and I order the steak sandwich platter and a long island iced tea. The Queen orders the Rueben and a cape codder. Within a few minutes, the order is being brought to the table and the lights dim.
As we are leaving the theater that evening, I have to wonder how much work it will be to clean up that mess. Granted, the floor is all tables and chairs, but with all of that toilet paper, that is a lot of work. The owner thanks us for coming as we leave and wishes us a happy evening.
The temperature has dropped a couple more degrees making it necessary for me to walk arm in arm with the Queen for warmth. She is all smiles and the moonlight against her hair is mesmerizing.
We arrive home. I escort her upstairs and finish the night off perfectly. I hope we didn’t wake the neighbors.
The Clintonia is an old movie theater that collapsed in the late 80s. The building was torn down and until this year, never saw the light of day. The town could not really support a new movie theater by itself so through an ingenious twist, the chamber of commerce came up with the new format theater.This theater makes money during the day as well as the night. During the day, since the Magill house does not have conference facilities, it is used to host conferences for the small forums. You see, this is not your standard theater with stadium seating and Dolby Surround Sound.
This theater has half moon tables and chairs on the main floor level and the balcony is all stadium seating. The half moon tables make it so the wait staff can provide meals during the movie or conference. This is a dinner movie theater. Just last week, the theater ran Ice Age 12 for the kids and served the standard hot dogs, popcorn, chicken tenders, mac and cheese. For the Bookstore Owners though, we are having a choice of prime rib, rosemary chicken, and some vegetarian option that interest me in the very least.
I am actually presenting on new technology for bookstore owners to include the DVD sampling software we created for Spurgeons. After the store opened there was a lot of interest for purchasing the software and using it in other stores.
I enter the theater to get the presentation software in the theater manager’s hand. I also brought the interactive model on my laptop that I can tie into the projector. After going through the front doors, I can’t help but notice the snack bar is not there. There is a snack bar on the upper level by the balcony area, but not the main level. There are only a couple doors to enter the main theater area. The ceiling is high and the stamped tin reflected in all of the buildings throughout Clinton is gorgeous.
Going through the main doors, the balcony looms over my head. The burgundy color of the walls is only interrupted by the candle style lighting sconces on the walls. The black marble-top tables are spaced evenly around the room except for the back couple of rows which are long bar-style seating.
The presentation went well. The bookstore owners had a large interest in the new technology and the service and maintenance agreements. I have a good feeling the news of the technology will spread and this may end up being a spin-off business.
I head back to the store to check to make sure everything is in order before heading home. Tonight, the Queen and I have plans to come back to the theater for “roll-back” night. Roll-back night is a playing of an older movie where the people attending have to dress the part. Tonight however, we will be attending as more of a participant than just dressing up and watching the movie.
When I get home I have to remember to get a paper bag and throw in toilet paper, the spray bottle, glowstick, newspaper, rubber gloves, party supplies and a deck of cards. Oh, and my I.D. The theater will be serving alcohol tonight so I need to make sure they understand I am over 21 (hey, it is MY Utopia).
I arrive home and run upstairs to begin dressing in my attire. The Queen is already ready to go and her Mom has Avery for the night. The temperature has dropped to around 55, so I grab my jacket and we head out the door. It is a five block walk, so to prevent the possibility of drunk driving, we take a leisurely walk.
The people are assembling in front of the theater in their best garb. The amount of people who are attending tonight’s roll-back is as high as when Grease played last month. Up on the neon light marquee are the magic words creating such a cast of characters for a town of only 6500 people “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” It has been years since I last participated in a Rocky Horror and to have the opportunity again is a real treat.
For those of you who have never attended a Rocky Horror Picture Show in the 21 years it has been playing in theaters across the nation, this is not your ordinary movie. There are transvestites, aliens, Transylvanians and Meat Loaf. The movie is mostly interactive even though it didn’t really start that way. There are queues when to say something and the articles in my bag are for parts of the props. This movie, you are encouraged to throw things, talk and just cut loose.
This is especially a treat for me because this is the Queen’s virgin voyage to Transylvania. I truly enjoy it when she gets to experience something new, and this is definitely an experience.
After we are seated, the waiter comes to the table with his handheld wireless order-taking thingy, and I order the steak sandwich platter and a long island iced tea. The Queen orders the Rueben and a cape codder. Within a few minutes, the order is being brought to the table and the lights dim.
As we are leaving the theater that evening, I have to wonder how much work it will be to clean up that mess. Granted, the floor is all tables and chairs, but with all of that toilet paper, that is a lot of work. The owner thanks us for coming as we leave and wishes us a happy evening.
The temperature has dropped a couple more degrees making it necessary for me to walk arm in arm with the Queen for warmth. She is all smiles and the moonlight against her hair is mesmerizing.
We arrive home. I escort her upstairs and finish the night off perfectly. I hope we didn’t wake the neighbors.
Comments