Ode to the Cinedome, Riverdale UT

When we first moved to Utah, I remember coming over the hill and hitting Riverdale road. Off to the right of the main road was a theater we instantly nicknamed the Dolly Parton theater. Cars were parked around its perimeter for a Sunday afternoon showing of Aladdin that November. Snow was visible on the mountains in the distance, and it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.


I was only 12 years old the first time I saw the Cinedome. I knew instantly that I would eventually see a movie there, and the following year Jurassic Park was released. We went as a family. It was the first time we had all seen a movie together in many years. I'll never forget seeing the teeth of T-Rex closing in around me on the curved screen. I jumped a little and grabbed my mothers arm as she sat next to me. I remember her smiling and almost chiding me a bit.


"Oh Honey, it's just a movie," she said. This came from the woman who knew Gremlins gave me nightmares for weeks when I was younger. I was tough for her though. I didn't let her know it scared me as much as it did. I tried to keep the incident with Frankenstein in mind whenever I was scared. I knew it was "just a movie" and kept my startled jumpiness to a minimum.


I always thought I would end up going to the Cinedome on a date, but sadly that never happened. My parents didn't like the idea of me dating really, and the only guy they ever approved of was 8 years older than me when I was 16 years old. To their credit, Eric had lied and told them he was only 5 years older than I was, the exact age difference between my Mom and Dad.

Eric wasn't much of a "going out" person. His idea of a good time was riding a bull named Yellow Dog and drinking Coors Light at home. Eric gave me my first full beer. It was horrible, but I drank it because I didn't want him to think I was just a little girl. I hated it.


There was a house over behind the Cinedome where a photographer lived. He used to do the portraits for all the High School seniors in the area. He had the most amazing lawn I think I had ever seen, but his view was of the back side of the Cinedome. I can't imagine he ever had any true love for the place.


Behind his house though was a hillside covered in lush trees that led down a sewage drain we all called "the creek" and straight to a park. I spent about 80% of my free time at the park, climbing the hill up behind the Cinedome and pretending to climb the bricks that jutted out from the joints of the building.


I remember once I had a couple of friends come over to 'hang out' with me, since we were getting to old to 'play' outside. I had been grounded for something; it seems like I rarely had any free time because I spent most of my time being grounded. Mom told them I couldn't come outside, but she said it was ok for me to tell them that myself. I went out and told them to meet me at the park, I would be there shortly.


"No," Trent said, "You'll get in trouble, won't you?"


"Who cares," was my response. "I'm always in trouble anyway. What does it matter anymore? I don't care. What else can they do to me at this point?"


"Are you sure," Doug asked.


"Yeah, I'm fine."


"Ok," they said in unison, sounding doubtful.


"See you later," I shouted loudly for my mother's benefit.


They headed straight for the park and I headed straight for the back door. They weren't 200 yards away when I caught up to them. We walked straight to the park.


We were sitting on a bench when I saw a familiar little blue Dodge car turn the corner. My mother had known instinctively where to look for me. I darted into the nearby woods and started to make my way up the creek. The boys were right behind me.


"Hey," my mother shouted. "Where's Manda?"


"I don't know," Trent said from the other side of the tree where I was hiding. "You said she couldn't come out."


"Don't you lie to me," she shouted back at him. He stood defiantly looking at her. I could feel the tension in the air. He knew we were in trouble. We had been found. Trent turned to look at Doug who stood a few feet away. Doug looked at Trent. Audible swallows of salivating mouths could be heard. They gulped in unison. Trent looked back at my mother. Finally, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with them, she pulled away and drove off around the corner.


The boys and I made a mad dash up the hill, running over the muddy bank as quickly as we could. We had planned on finding refuge inside the Cinedome. The boys both had money and were going to take me to a movie. I couldn't wait! We came over the top and burst through the foliage straight into my mothers waiting car. I knew I was in trouble.


I got into the passenger seat after facing her grinding teeth and icy glare. As we pulled away she let fly with one of her physical tantrums all over the top of my head. At one point she popped me in the nose and it began to spew blood profusely. She didn't even slow down. She just aimed at the top of my head and my stomach again. The boys, having seen this from the back view, called the cops as soon as they got home.


We got a visit from the cops that night. I had been grounded even more severely and was being forced to go to bed at 8:30 that night. I was dressed for bed and ready to hit the sack when the doorbell rang. My Dad answered the door and shouted down to me.

"Manda!" he called out. He sounded amused. "You have a visitor."

I walked the steps up to the front door, puzzled. Dad had NEVER let me have a visitor if I was in trouble before, and even if I wasn't in trouble I couldn't have visitors after dark - even at 16 years old. I peeked around the door and saw two uniformed Officers standing there.

"Young lady, are you ok?" One of them asked me. "You have a couple of concerned friends out there who were afraid you were in trouble."

"Tell them what you did," my Dad urged me.

"I snuck out of the house when I was grounded," I told them quietly.

"But you look ok."

"Yeah, I'm ok. But I'm even more grounded now."

"You'd be worse than that if you were my kid," he answered. My father gathered a deep-down belly laugh at that. They said good night and closed the door. Nothing more came of the incident.

I never did end up going to the Cinedome with Trent or Doug, or indeed anyone but my own family that one time to see Jurassic Park. I always wanted to have that chance, but collectively since I moved away at 18 years old, I've only been back for a total of 2.5 months in the past 13 years.

Now the curtain closes for the Cinedome for the last time. They plan to tear it down soon. I know that I don't have as many memories there as so many other people, but the fact that it was one of the few constants in my life durring my time in Utah has always stood out like a beacon, reminding me that some things are solid enough to stick around forever.

It's unfortunate that it won't be around forever though. Then again, nothing really is.

Cinedome, you will be missed.

Florida Nightmare Part 1

This blog has been removed.

If you're interested in reading the original first hand account of the kidnapping, please check out the published book.  All proceeds from the book go toward helping to fight human trafficking.

Find the book here:
Detailed Pieces of a Shattered Dream

Thank you.

Gas Station Attack

Some people would openly argue that the Second Amendment to the Constitution (the right to keep and bare arms) is a throwback to the Revolutionary War days and no longer applies in modern day society. Many people, especially those in the Security field, would adamantly argue otherwise. Last night something happened to one of my people that not only alarmed us as a team and a family, but opened my eyes to the ever pressing need for alertness and personal protection.

Brian left work at about Midnight when his girlfriend came to pick him up at the end of his shift. He had no gas in his truck, so they swung by a gas station in Lomita in order to fill up. As Brian stood there holding the pump and filling the tank, a large, black SUV came flying into the station, bouncing off the curb and catching a little air with the front tires. It skidded to a halt after about 4 feet and a man in his late 30's jumped out screaming.

"You a cop, Homie? You a cop?" He screamed at Brian.

Normal practice is to cover the uniform or to remove it completely and change out before leaving the post at the end of the night. Brian learned last night why that is one of the rules put in place for Officer safety. The guy came charging at Brian, still screaming. He appeared to not be completely lucid, and Brian suspected him of being on some sort of drug like methamphetamine from his actions and jerky movements. Since Brian had been a Torrance Police Department Explorer before coming to my Security team, he had training in how to handle this sort of a situation.

When the guy lunged at Brian, he grabbed the guys wrist and snapped it down. Then he used his foot on the guys stomach to shove him away. His girlfriend was frightened and jumped back into the truck when Brian urged her to. As the guy was faltering backwards, Brian opened up the drivers side back door of his truck and reached for a small handgun he had taken to the range just the day before. The clip, as according to Law, had been removed, but he reached for that at the same time. He shoved the clip into place, racked a round in the chamber, pulled back the hammer and screamed back at the guy. His first and only thought was to protect his girlfriend.

"Get on the ground" he screamed at the assailant. "Get on the ground, I'm not f*@#ing with you, get on the ground! Face down!"

The guy complied, and Brian placed his knees in the guys back. He held one arm behind the mans back as he holstered his weapon. Then he took his handcuffs out of his back pocket and attached it to the mans wrists. He patted him down for weapons, then his girlfriend, who had called 911, handed him the phone as he approached his vehicle. His girlfriend had already given the license plate and vehicle description to the Police. They said they were on the way. Brian told them that he would remain in place for a moment, but would get back into his vehicle and move to a safe distance as soon as he heard the sirens.

It wasn't another 30 seconds before he heard the wail of the sirens in the distance. He pulled the clip from the handgun, ejected the round from the chamber and stored all the pieces of the gun back the way the Law states they should be transported in a vehicle. Then he got into the truck and drove down the block.

As soon as the police had the assailant in the back of their car, Brian went back to the scene and explained what happened.

"I held him at gun point," Brian stated openly. "He was attacking me because he thought I was a cop. I just wanted to make sure my girlfriend was safe."

"You did the right thing," the Lomita Sheriff's Officer said, "but we may need to take your gun."

"Why?" he asked. "It's my Second Amendment right to have a gun as long as it's not concealed. I only used it in self defense."

Admitting that he was correct, the Officers only asked to see the weapon. They asked why he had it with him in the first place and he pulled out the business card of the gun range he had been to the previous day. He explained that he had been an avid target shooter since childhood and had several awards for marksmanship from his time in the Explorers program.

"So," the Officers said, "Do you want to be a Cop?"

"Yes, I always have wanted to."

"Good."

So the fact that Brian had a gun with him may or may not have saved his life. Maybe he could have taken down this guy twice his size with nothing but sheer strength. Maybe it would have worked just fine. Or, maybe the guy would have overpowered him and raped his girlfriend right there in the gas station parking lot. We've had a Serial Rapist on the loose in the area lately - who knows if this was the guy. The fact remains, Brian acted fast and never had to fire a round. His having a weapon of self defense saved a few broken bones and blood stains on his uniform, be the blood from him or the assailant. It skipped right through the long battle that surely would have ensued had he not acted fast and pulled it out, ready to go.

I don't tell people if I do or do not have a gun. As far as I see it, it's none of their business. When people find out I'm in Security, often I get asked (mainly because I'm a thin and attractive female) where I carry my gun. I never tell them if I do or do not carry one, simply that I carry mine where I'm supposed to.

Brian is a 19 year old kid. Last night he may have possibly saved the lives of his 18 year old girlfriend, himself and the gas station attendant.

I'm very proud of my Officer for thinking fast in the situation he was forced to face head on. He never thought even for a second that "it's not fair" or "why me" or "this doesn't happen". Instead he jumped into action and proved himself, even at such a young age, to be a man worthy of note.

I want him by my side when the Zombie's attack. =o)


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