Movies And Another (Sort Of) Job

I swear.

We'll start with the movies. I was invited to go see Star Trek with some Gay-A friends and decided that it would be wise to keep trying to make some connections, friendships, what-have-you. My impulse in the face of feeling fed up with the Gay-A's is to just write them all off and walk away, but giving in to my impulses made the last 20 of my first 40 years not very enjoyable at all, so I am trying to not necessarily do whatever my reflex reactions compel me to.

The theater was all the way down in Battery Park City, right next to the former World Trade Center (maddeningly, still just a giant hole in the ground 8 years later). The retail complex the theater is located in is also under construction so there is no visible signage from the street, And even when you do find it the entrance to the theater is two unmarked floors above where you buy the tickets. In short, it's next to impossible to find. I literally needed someone to guide me by phone right up to the front door of the building. Madness, I tell you!

Star Trek was much better than Wolverine. That's my capsule review. Specifically the special FX were better, the acting was superior and the story was way more involved. Almost too convoluted. Also, for the Star Trek purists, they totally fucked with some major continuity threads in the Trek canon. Nothing that can't be resolved in a (sure to be) coming sequel or three but I'm sure there will be many arguments over cans of Red Bull in between World of Warcraft sessions for weeks to come. Oh, and the new Captain Kirk is one sexy motherfuckin' meat stick.

So I got sort of hired as a manager at a new bar that is scheduled to open in time for the Memorial Day weekend. As in a week and a half from now. Although it's not built (under a tent) yet. And the staff hasn't been hired. But that's not the interesting part.

I showed up at 8 AM this morning in New Jersey( again!) for a computer training session, only to be pulled aside and informed that one of my former employers, that I absolutely left on great terms (resigned not fired, two weeks notice, fulfilled all my obligations, didn't swipe random booze or steaks on my way out the door), didn't give me a good recommendation and in fact advised my prospective new employers not to hire me.

What. The. Fuck? I actually have a written letter of recommendation from the GM of that job saying just the opposite. That I was the greatest thing since mold on sliced bread, and what a fantastic manager/employee/good egg I was. The only reason I didn't give them that written letter was because I wasn't sure they even wanted to check references and also at least one other time when that job was contacted for a reference by phone, I was told that they couldn't have been more effusive about my abilities.

So why the turn around? And who is bad-mouthing little old me six years after the fact? And more importantly, how long has this been going on? Could this be the reason I've been getting first and second interviews all over town these last few months, only to have offers withdrawn or phone calls to stop? Is somebody sabotaging my job prospects?

As the alcoholics are fond of saying, "more will be revealed". As for the new job, I should find out if they are willing to "take a chance" on me, within the next day or two.