After hearing rave reviews for Venus in Fur playing way off-Broadway (13th Street in NYC), my daughters and I got tickets for yesterday’s matinee performance, the last one of the run. I got there early to pick up the tickets my older daughter had ordered.
The box office attendant looked through the “will call” names, then asked me to spell ours. He went on the computer, found our order and said, “Your tickets were for Sunday, February 28, not today, Sunday, March 28.”
There is only one time each year where Sundays line up in that way–February and March. When we hadn’t shown up last month, those seats were re-distributed. He offered to put us on a rather long waiting list. I agreed, but wasn’t pleased.
We stood there while everyone happily entered with their tickets in hand. Then, like being on stand-by for a much desired flight, we waited hopefully. One by one they called the people ahead of us on the list. It was now past 2pm–showtime. A couple came rushing in for their “will call” tickets. A guy on a cell phone in the lobby was anxiously awaiting his date who was delayed on an inter-borough bridge. At 2:05 he handed his tickets back in for a refund. At 2:07 the manager said, “Let’s those three women into the last three seats.” which they did. We were separated, but it didn’t matter at all.
The show was riveting, hilarious and doubly appreciated because we had almost missed the opportunity. The lesson? Double-check anything you book in February and March for the date. Arrive early enough to make the list. Let go of the results. And be nice to the person at the box office.
A much smaller disappointment (without the thrilling alternative) came in the mail. I had signed up for an Investment Planning for Women course offered through Continuing Education in Norwalk, CT. I’m on a mission to become crystal clear on finances. My check was returned along with a form letter that said, “Due to a lack of enrollment, the class you registered for has been canceled.”
Really? In this time of economic crisis? I thought is would fill in the blink of an eye. I think I’ll check what shows have tickets for those nights…
3 comments
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March 30, 2010 at 7:04 am
Linda
Sounds like all ups to me!
March 30, 2010 at 10:05 am
janepollak
@Linda
Well, yeah, you’re right. I was trying to do the right thing, but can find more fun things to do on those nights now…
March 31, 2010 at 9:11 am
Barbara Arelt
Jane, Regarding your personal finances: Check out the website Mint.com. This site enables you to link your checking account expenses to their site so that you can track your spending. Provides you with alerts when you go over budget in a category that you’re trying to keep under control for example. The service is free. When I meet with new clients it is always a good start to review their cash flow (what’s coming in versus what’s going out and what’s leftover for achieving those life goals). Do that for yourself. You don’t need to take a class. The rest is asset allocation. At your age you should just be saving in a SEP IRA as much as you can afford and are eligible to contribute. Invest it and leave it alone! When you near retirement that’s when you’ll need an advisor to help you with a distribution strategy. Anyway, just my 2cents.
Kind regards. Barb Arelt (Deep River CT)