50 for 50: 34 - Jump Off the Stratosphere with Heatherlynn

As I've gone along with the "50 for 50" project, I've made some modifications to the list on the fly.  I've eliminated some things that have been really problematic to book (I'm looking at you, Pan Am Experience) and added some things which I hadn't previously included because I'd figured there was lack of interest.  Which brings me around to Jumping Off the Stratosphere with Heatherlynn.  I was super excited to add this one to the list, both because of Jumping Off the Stratosphere and because of Heatherlynn.

It's hard to make friends as a grown-up.  I mean, it's easy when they're work colleagues, but it's kind of challenging when you just run across someone and think, "You're cool; I'd like to hang out with you."

I first met Heatherlynn when I was (co-)producing the LA Drama Critics Circle Awards Show one year.  We were having trouble finding someone to join our All Volunteer Crew as a stage manager (can't imagine why), and someone suggested we contact Heatherlynn.  Heatherlynn was a godsend (or a goddess-send).  I mean, just envision us desperate for someone to stage manage this show for free, and to contact Heatherlynn and have her not ONLY agree, but ask if we need an ASM, too.  She also had a spot operator.  And knew a bartender.  We felt like we hit the bloody jackpot.

But this was nothing compared to what happened day of show when shit went wrong.  (Because it's a show.  Shit goes wrong.)  As per usual, I'd planned a schedule of everything I had to do, and I was running behind schedule and people weren't doing what they needed to do to help and I was kind of overwhelmed by the sheer size of everything that wasn't getting done and very close to being paralyzed by not knowing what damn thing to do first and Heatherlynn -- whom I must have known in person for all of ten minutes -- just took control and said we're going to set up THESE TABLES over HERE and then we're going to unpack THOSE BAGS and THESE PEOPLE are going to PUT THE AUCTION on the tables and then YOU AND I are going to go over HERE and do this OTHER THING.  And I felt myself being managed and I felt myself LET THIS PERSON MANAGE ME.  And around this time she mentioned that she's also a court reporter and I took comfort in the fact that she knows lawyers and knows theatre and is intentionally oozing COMPETENCE because that is the one fucking thing that I will respond to.

Heatherlynn pretty much had my number within the first ten minutes of meeting me; and I like to think I'm pretty complicated and that this particular act of understanding is pretty  extraordinary.

And over the years since then, I've worked with her on a few more Awards shows, and seen her at others, and run into her at a social event, and every time it seems we've had more common interests and similar war stories; and she and her wife came to my Girly Holiday Tea, but it's still not like we grab dinner or actually Do Shit Together because, really, when you're of an age that you can't just ask if Heatherlynn can come out and play, starting friendship is hard.

And around this time, I'm commenting that, as much as I'd LIKE to jump of the Stratosphere, none of my friends or family want to jump off the Stratosphere with me.  And Heatherlynn comments that she's done it THREE DAMN TIMES already, and is willing to do a fourth, and I say that we should totally do that together, and she says yeah, and I'm thinking this is probably one of those things you just say but don't really do; but I'm all "fuck it, I really want to do this," so we start throwing around dates and pricing flights and next thing you know Heatherlynn and I are flying to Vegas for a quick weekend just to jump off the Stratosphere.  I'm kind of bouncy about the whole thing.

We meet at the airport after work on Friday and this is extremely easy because we somehow independently make it through security simultaneously, so she's standing on the escalator right in front of me on the way to the gates.  We got in to Vegas pretty late, checked in our hotel, and grabbed a late dinner.  It's all about Saturday.

Saturday morning, we grab a quick breakfast and head out to the Stratosphere for jumping off purposes.  Here's a picture of me, with the nice Jump Assisty Person, standing on the Jump Platform.

Now, Heatherlynn had done this plenty of times before, so she went first.  There's no picture of us together on the Jump Platform because they're VERY PARTICULAR about one customer at a time.  (And they're SUPER PARTICULAR about safety.  And if there's anything they're more particular about than your safety, it's that you have nothing loose on you which might -- unintentionally or otherwise -- separate from your person and ride gravity all the way down.  So it's one at a time out there and your cell phone is back in the locker and we need to check your shoeloaces again.)  So I'm outside the glass-walled booth and I watch Heatherlynn do the security checks and I throw her a thumbs-up and she's flying off the building, and I know she's landed because I see the cable slow and none of the Jump Assisty People are freaking out or calling 911 or saying, "clean-up on the bullseye" or anything, so I'm pretty sure it's all good.

And then it's my turn and I jump off the Stratosphere.

And they gave me a certificate to prove it, but I left it at lunch so you'll just have to believe me.

Ha ha, kidding.  Heatherlynn made me buy the video.

And THEN we visited a friend of hers who has a theatre out there.  And THEN we went to the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Festival (because it's FUN) and went in the vendor room and I tried on a bunch of cute clothes and ended up buying a skirt from the bargain bin and some super cute shoes from the Not At All A Bargain bin.  And Heatherlynn bought a cute outfit and a really sweet purse.  So, the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Festival did pretty good by us.

And then we went back to the hotel and changed for dinner, which was at a REALLY nice steakhouse in the Hard Rock.  So after jumping off a building like we were 12, we then sat down to a lovely dinner like we're grown-ups or something, and had spectacularly tasty steaks, with creamy mushroom grits, and good drinks, and TWO desserts (because we wanted the creme brulee, but the manager talked us into ordering the chocolate cake, so we ordered the chocolate cake, and he brought us the creme brulee, too, gratis -- and he was right, because the creme brulee was tasty, but OMG, THE CHOCOLATE CAKE WAS TOUCHED BY HEAVEN).  Seriously, man, Heatherlynn said she could envision herself driving out to Vegas some day JUST for the chocolate cake, and I couldn't entirely disagree.  Was pretty glad I wore the larger of my two dresses, because Holy Fuck, That Cake.

And we must have sat there for two hours just enjoying the eats and the conversation and really getting to know each other.  And I felt all validated that my suspicions that Heatherlynn is a genuinely cool individual were confirmed.