It was Friday the 13th and I was bound to have bad luck. Ok, maybe that’s not true, perhaps just a bit of disappointment, though even that word seems a little wrong or harsh to use. However, it’s the first one that comes to mind.

I awoke this “holiday” not even aware that it was one of the infamous Fridays this year. In between multiple cycles of “snoozing” my alarm, I had heard the obnoxious buzz of my phone vibrating against the hard wood of my nightstand, around 7:30am, just 20 mins before I had to get out of bed for good. I figured it was probably my boss, so I chose to ignore it. But then my sleepy subconscious quickly deduced that one other person also texts early in the morning, so I might want to check it. 

Sure enough it was a text from the pretty girl I’ve hopelessly attempting to court for the last few months. Once again she was rejecting my efforts at making a date, this time citing this cursed day itself as the roadblock to our romance. While her beauty alone is simply breath-taking, I find her neurosis & quirkiness far more compelling & oddly attractive, so this excuse was not much of a surprise. I tried to take it as a positive. At least she was thinking of me early in the morning. 

I try to not to really get caught up in superstitions, I think they only have power if you let them, that being said, they are still fun to play with. And so, for the most part, I usually enjoy the Friday the 13th & have fun and/or good luck, adversely of how it may work for others. So I try to embrace it. I leave the house in a giddy mood of the possibilities that still may lay ahead for this day & weekend. As I exit the house in my Dickies work shorts & white t-shirt, I see what looks to be a brigade of bulging grey clouds off in the distance. I check my phone; thunderstorms 100% certain today. I’m in luck after all, rainy days mean less work for me and I get done early. I race back inside and change into pants, long-sleeves, sweatshirt & jacket. Bring it on, rain. Soon. Please. 

But it didn’t come. Well, at least not at first. As I progressed through the first few hours of my day, I eagerly awaited for the cavalry of clouds to strike with all it’s might, but was only greeted with mere sprinkles in the parts of town I was in. The pretty girl from earlier once again texted me to inform me of the status of the storm as it unleashed its fury upon Escondido. Thunder, lightning, 40mph winds, rain, & hail quickly engulfed the county, soon drenching me too as I invoked the classic “Splash & Dash” protocol and finished my last few stops. What am I going to do now? I’m off early, have no date, and it’s Friday the 13th. I’M GOING TO THE MOVIES ALONE.

All I knew about this movie going in was the less you know, the better. One of my favorite comedians & podcasters about movies, Doug Benson, had raved about it and kept re-iterating not to know anything when you see it. The mystery seemed compelling and compounded with the fact that it was getting a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, my interest was more than piqued. It was a must-see. 

After having done quick errand shopping after work, I braved the rain and traveled to the Kirkorian theater in Vista. I hadn’t been there in years, but always remembered it being nice. I needed to eat and was hoping for a slice of pizza, but had no such luck. The parking lot was packed every where. I decided to eat at 5 Guys even though I had already had a burger for lunch. I was nervous it might take a while to get my food and I was racing against the clock now. I got my burger and quickly scarffed it down. After lamenting the fact I didn’t have someone with me to make purchasing their delicious fries worth it and having to miss out on those treats, I embraced my loneliness and left, got centered, then entered the theater. 

One of my newest pet-peeves (besides all these fast-casual burger-places making giant orders of fries that are impossible & expensive to eat alone), is the service at concessions at the movies. HOLY SHIT!!!! They are so fuckin’ slow! I was hoping it would be different here at a different theater than I’m normally use to going to, but it wasn’t. I chose the line with only 2 people in front of me and it took 15+ mins to get through. By the time I got in, I had missed a few previews. Luckily I made it in just in time to experience something new, I’ve never seen or heard before at the movies. 

You know how every theater has an opening “Turn off your phone, don’t talk, enjoy the show” type video & song? Well they are no different here, but this song is so catchy and up-tempo that apparently if you’re a regular visitor here, you MUST clap along at certain key points in the song. There must have been lots of regulars in the crowd, because the theater erupted in unanimous claps here and there. Something to the effect of, “Dun-dun-dun-dun; CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!; dun-dun-dun-dun; CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!” Very entertaining and engaging, caught me off guard, though since I was sitting only three rows from the front and this enormous explosion of claps was coming from behind me before the movie even started. 

Now its so hard to review this movie without giving anything away. Telling you whether I liked it or not, or comparing it to other movies will shed too much light on it and taint some of the mystery or intrigue. I’m not saying if its good, and I’m not saying if its bad. I’ll just say it’s a modern, unique take on an old slasher-story and has elements of lots of movies in it. It was funnier than I expected and I was entertained throughout, but it wasn’t as mind-blowing as I thought it was going to be. Perhaps I set my expectations too high, as I often do in my life.  

As I left the theater, I realized it was still somewhat early and the storm was now only intermittently doing its damage. I considered pressing my luck and trying again to see if the neurotic object of my affection had re-considered leaving her fortress of safety, but thought better of it. Instead, the thought of a few drinks and doing some writing began calling my name, so I headed home to begin work on this here blog, typing away as I listened to the sounds of wind & rain release the rest of their fury to finish of this Freaky Friday.