The 2nd Annual Milwaukee Film Festival Day 3

Got up today and everything seems slightly "off" - I hope this isn't going to be indicative of my whole day. I got out of the house late because I kept dropping things, or couldn't find anything; a t-shirt that is the exact same size and style of every other shirt in the closet is fitting weird and making me look like the Michelin Man, and I'm struggling to pack and close my messenger bag which houses no more or less than it did yesterday. Ugh. Not the way I wanted to start a long day at the festival. At the very least I'll be here for more than 8 hours and 3 movies.

To top it off, there are a million kids running around the theater lobby because of the children's film festival. Great idea, and I'm glad that they're doing it, but the local kid traffic and noise is horrifying.

Tonight is also the screening of Jack Goes Boating in the Ultrascreen theater, which apparently is sold out. This unfortunately kills my fantasy of having a jump seat, space to write and a place to put my messenger bag because a woman came late and wanted to sit with her husband, so the woman in the two-seater in front of me offered to sit next to me so they could. Nice gesture, but then the late woman spent the next ten minutes thanking the woman while I rearranged my stuff and gingerly put my nice leather bag on the kind of sticky floor. Bah. I realize that the empty seat had to be filled, but listening to them congratulate each other over their solution until the movie started wasn't part of the deal.

While I'm being a curmudgeon, what's up with all of these people coming in to a theater 5 minutes before the movie starts or later and then complaining loudly that there are no good seats left? I scooted into the theater a half hour early and was relieved to get a mediocre seat because it was already filling up. Meanwhile, the MFF needs to figure out how to have their volunteers explain the whole "reserved seats" thing because once again, every conversation around me centers around "why are some seats reserved? It says $10 all seats on the web site!" Maybe I'm just hungry, tired and jonesing for some fresh air and a cigarette after being in the theater for 7 hours, but people are getting on my nerves more than usual today. I saw a couple of great movies though, so ultimately, it's all good.