An Adventure in Magna

Last night I saw Seussical the Musical at the Empress Theatre. I have a two friends in it, and since I have missed most of both of their shows in the last 3 years, I decided to make the effort to go.

I left work at about 6pm and grabbed a sandwich at Subway (yum!). I then drove down to Magna and parked at Magna Park, which is just a few blocks away from the theatre, so I could eat and read and have a few moments of quiet before the play. All was well until 7:13pm when I went to turn my car on... and it wouldn't start. The lights came on, there was electronic beeping involved, but no revving, no catching, nothing. Ack! I'm not going to pretend I didn't see it coming -- my car died randomly last week at a traffic light, but managed to start up again after a minute and I haven't had the chance to have it checked out -- but, really? My car waits to die until I drive all the way out to Magna?

Well, I had three options: 1) I could call AAA right away and have them take a look; 2) I could call my dad and take a look; 3) I could go to the play and deal with my car later. I opted to see the play because -- as mentioned before -- I knew it would mean a lot to my friends, and I figured one of them could give me a ride to the park and maybe use jumper cables on it. I knew whatever I chose to do would be inconvenient because, well, are car problems ever convenient? Of course not. That's why they're called problems.

So, I walked to the theatre and ended up sitting next to a creepy and chatty guy who didn't get the hint that I just wanted to read the program and feel sorry for myself. I enjoyed the play very much! I don't think I stopped smiling during the entire first act. The actors were obviously having a great time, the music is wonderful, and the costumes were fun and inventive. It was delightful seeing my friend Aubrey play Miss Gertrude McFuzz. It's her ultimate dream role, and she was gorgeous and hilarious! My other favorite characters were the Sour Kangaroo and the Mayor. Cyndi has such a fantastic, strong voice, and her frown was straight out of a Seuss book. The actor playing the Mayor had a ton of personality and didn't hold anything back! I've seen Seussical a few times, and this was the first time I saw a Mayor I'd actually vote for.

I called home during Intermission to let my parents know what was going on. My dad guessed there might be something wrong with the starter (that was my guess too) and he told me to call him when the play was over so he could come and take a look. And then, when I sat down for Act II, I had a terrible thought: what if my car was stolen or vandalized?! I'd left my stereo and iPod in there. I was pretty sure they were in the glove compartment, but what if they weren't? If someone did break into my car, they could open the glove compartment easily enough anyway. What if I had to buy a new car or repair this one because it was stripped? I spent much of the second act trying to figure out if I can afford a new car. I considered leaving so I could check on it, but by that time it was dark and I really didn't feel safe walking around historic Magna by myself in the dark. I did a lot of praying instead. I managed to pay some attention to and even enjoy the second act. Aubrey completely stole the show because she was so adorable, and I was very impressed by the tap dance number performed in the dark with just black lights illuminating the white gloves the dancers wore.

When the show ended, I called Dad and asked him to pick me up at the theatre so we could drive over to the park together. By that time I was also worried that someone might have locked the park up and towed my car! (I know, I know. If it isn't one thing, it's another.) I got to talk with Aubrey and Nolan and tell them how much I enjoyed the show. Even with all my car issues, I was glad I'd stayed to watch. It had a lot of energy and a good message over all, though if you think about it, the show is a little contraversial. Bullying? Child abandonment? Drugs? Genocide? What are we trying to teach our kids?! Thank goodness it all ends well and everyone learns their lesson. In so many ways, I wish life were more like musical theatre.

Dad picked me up and -- hallejulah!-- we found my car untouched! It still wouldn't start, though. My dad checked a few things and we both realized neither of us had jumper cables. While I was calling Triple A, the park caretaker drove by and my dad explained what was going on. The caretaker left and came back about 10 minutes later with some jumper cables, so we gave that a try. Nothing doing. At that point, he needed to lock up the park, so I called Triple A back to cancel the appointment. The caretaker, Gail (I want to say his name is Gail Weathers, but I think that's only because I saw Scream a few weeks ago; that movie is SCARY!), promised us the car should be safe and he'd open the park again at 7am. Dad drove me home about 11pm.

I got up this morning at 6:30 and Dad picked me up about 7. We drove back to the park, I called Triple A, and then we grabbed breakfast at the drive thru at McDonalds. We arrived back at my car at the same time the tow truck did. It only took 20 minutes for the truck to come! That's got to be some kind of record! I was grateful. The truck took my car to a place my dad recommended in Murray, and Dad dropped me off at work, where I am now.

I'm more than a little nervous about what the problem with my car may be and how much it may cost to fix it, assuming it can be fixed. I really hope it can be! I don't want to have to buy a new car! I do have a little money saved, so I'm hoping at worst I have to put off buying the washer and dryer for my condo.

I guess I'll keep you all posted.