Jobs # 2 (The Palace)

Around 2000 or 2001, I got my second job. I’d become completely dejected from the grocery store experience, fully investing in ‘doing my own thing.’ Only problem was, I had no compass. I knew what I liked. I liked playing music, making new friends, trying to talk to girls and pretty much just trying to have a good time. I don’t remember being that angry at fifteen. I cared about things and was much more positive than I became later. If there was a veil, it had not yet been lifted.

I’m pretty sure my friend Chris got me the job. It was a concessions position at a movie theater located in a bougie shopping district called The Plaza. He seemed to get many of our friends jobs too. He sort of ran the place like a crazed mayor, having earned so much respect through hard work that people just turned their heads plenty of times for harmless juvenile behavior. He was always a blast to work with, of course.

What I remember the most about being a concession worker is that it was my destiny. A lot of grade schools in Kansas City have been visiting a place called Exchange City for decades. This was a place where you were sent to try out working and existing as an adult. The only thing was that you were in sixth grade. When my school went, I was deemed manager of the concession stand. As a sixth grader, I happily dolled out popcorn to my friends who were going to real jobs like "lawyer” or “cop”. There was a DJ too. He didn’t do too bad. I only had to fire one person. She was asking for it though. Too many personal dips in the PC.

The Palace was a recently built movie theater on the second floor of a building that used to house several department stores. It was very popular for it’s central location. I would hone my popcorn chops to the best of my ability every Thursday through Sunday. Always being pushed to “upsell” gigantic sodas and candy by the management.

I remember all the sticky floors, the drunken customers asking for empty cups of ice, strange sightings of people I hadn’t seen in years, and the time I met Joe Perry of Aerosmith. He was pretty unfriendly and going to see Behind Enemy Lines with his big bodyguard. Steven Tyler had fallen off the stage the night before and they had to cancel their show for the night. I’m glad he was able to be rude to me!

The best memories of this job were the breaks in hidden rooms, making crazy nachos with jalapeno juice, sneaking into movies we wanted to watch when we should have been working, and learning to do my own thing.