It's All In The Timing (and in the attitude!)

Last week I noticed at jambase.com that String Cheese Incident was coming to town in October. Ovens Auditorium is an all seating venue usually hosting more formal and intimate events. It is literally 1 block from where I work. The cool thing is that you can buy your tickets at their box office and bypass the Ticket-Master-Rape-Me-Till-I-Bleed "convenience" charges. So this morning I walk over there just to ask what day tickets go on sale and how much they will be. The kindly old woman at the counter responds " In 12 minutes"! And that all tickets are reserved seating and $30, not general admission. I had no idea today was the day they went on sale! Pleasantly surprised by her answer, I look around. There is only 2 other people in the shadows of the lobby waiting for that 12 minutes to pass. How can this be? SCI sells out most shows within minutes. It must be the age of online buying that now makes actually getting off your ass and going to the theatre itself an advantage. I call Miguel and tell him the surprise situation and how it looks like were set to get some good tickets and is he in? He is. Good. For the next 12 minutes I let myself become encompassed in the depth and serenity that are the pale blue eyes of the oh-so-tasty hippie chick in front of me as we share stories of our common love for music. At the same time there has entered into our private little flirting bubble an annoyance of great proportions in the form of another ticket buyer in wait who is hell bent on annoying everyone in the room (me, blue eyed hippie chick, quite ticket buyer with kid in arms, kindly old lady, and second ticket seller lady at second window). He repeatedly, loudly and agressively asks each of us if he can give us cash so we can max out our purchase of tickets for him so he doesn't have to wait his turn (2nd in line in his window!!) Then proceedes to yell over our shoulders repeatedly to the ticket ladies if they can start printing out tickets now and just hold them for the remaining minutes. He must have asked this 4 times in that brief period and gave attitude every time the answer was 'no'. All of us are beginning to look at each other with rolling eyes. Finally the 12 minutes goes by. Hippie chick requests 2 tix and completes her transaction in record time. Apparently the kindly old lady at the helm knows EXACTLY what she is doing and appreciates just how much in competition she is with the onliners around the U.S. since all tix went on sale at the exact same time. Hippie chick looks at her tickets. 2nd row! She quickly winks at me and moves aside with all due promptness. I force my eyes away from hers and back to the business at hand. I tell her "2" and slide my debit card (one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century - hmmm, that gives me an idea for a 'tens list'). My tickets are printed out... Orchestra... Row 'C' Hmmmm... I jump into math mode A =1, B=2, C=3!! 3rd row!! I look at the seating chart on the wall. 3rd Row CENTER!!! Take that Ticket Master!!! In your face!! Annoying guy, who once more yells over me to both ticket ladies "Can you print out my tickets now?!", moves behind me because the quite guy with kid in arms who he was behind is purposefully counting out his cash quite slowly to start that negative karma repayment to annoying guy as quickly as possible (nice move quiet guy!!!). He ends up getting his tickets 45 seconds after me and got row 'DD'!! That would be row 30 for you non-math types! "Damnit! Row 30" he says with extreme agitation "Thanks for your help guys" he emits sarcastically as he turns around to head off. "Wow" I say to the ticket lady "They sold that many tickets That fast?" "Oh yeah" she responds looking at me with a wry smirk emerging from her kindly old lips "SOMEtimes they sell that fast" as she throws me a completely sinister wink! OH SWEET JUSTICE!!! Thank YOU kindly old lady who doesn't put up with annoying people's shit!! You HAVE the power!!! Take THAT irritating guy! Don't forget your binoculars!! Heh Heh Heh