i was in the right place

Tonight, I watched the 1978 Science Fiction Film Awards, hosted by William Shatner and Karen Black.
No, that's not a typographical error.
1978.
The Psychotronic Film Society brought that in, copied to dvd from a scratchy VHS cassette, from some guy in England, for the lucky few at the Sentient Bean for the weekly Wednesday night offering.
I am so glad I was there, instead of fleeing from the cold after school to my nice warm house.
I have to thank my friend the librarian for that.
You see, her birthday will be tomorrow, but she has had birthday celebrations all week. I had attended the brunch on Monday, at The Original Pancake House, a favorite of hers. The good folks there had marked her table with a Hello Kitty birthday balloon - very nice! She decided Jim Reed, master film wrangler for the PFS of Savannah, should receive the balloon, as he is known for being a fan of the Japanese feline. As she knew she would not be attending the Wednesday screening, she had tasked me with taking the balloon to him.
But today was brutally cold. If I could have canceled class, I would have. I had almost left the balloon at home, as I was thinking I would not be going to the Bean, but I finally relented and put it into the trunk, "just in case I went downtown."
Good thing I did.
As luck would have it, Jim was in the parking lot at the same time I was, so I immediately transferred possession of the balloon to his hands.
Mission accomplished!
And I was already downtown, so I might as well stay, right?
Good thing I did!
Not only was I treated to William Shatner's amazing spoken-word performance of "Rocket Man" - performed with himself as three characters, but I saw him receive the applause he wanted, from an audience of science and fantasy nerds who totally "got" his performance. In the middle is the reflective older man, smoking a cigarette as he sits and ponders at the start of the song. Then enter the rightmost character, a younger man, looking toward the future as he stands. The guy on the left, though, is a goofy party guy who dances and emphasizes that he is the "rock it, man". Very cool!
Like I said, good thing I was there for that - right place at the rght time!
Being at the coffeehouse for this night's PFS offering was the right place at the right time, too. Sure the "Eat Your Grrens" soup was fabulous - tasty and colorful with its wide array of vegetables. Sure, I saw some friends there that I don't see very often (except on fb these days).
But I realized what a fortunate life I have had, being born when I was.
In 1977, when the films honored in this awards show were first screened, I was 19 years old.
19.
A very impressionable age, when the world is wide open, change is in the wind, and life is an adventure.
The films which hit the big screen in that enchanted year are, of course, some of my very favorites, curiosity-driven science and fantasy girl-fan that I was (and pretty much still am). I'm talking about "Star Wars", which I saw that summer, sitting in the front row at the cinema, at the end of its first week, with a guy who had already seen it seven times. The tale of good versus evil, with Han Solo falling somewhere in that gray area, caught my imagination and was imprinted on my psyche.
Then there was "Wizards", Ralph Bakshi's animated tale of fairy folk tyring to quell the evil propanganda machines driven by war. Good versus evil, fantasy style. Being an avid reader of all things Tolkien at the time, of course this film became an instant favorite, singing my song as it did.
While we're talking fantasy, 1977 also brought to life "Pete's Dragon", a film that blended live action with animation for a tale that appealed to the kid in me and the woman I was becoming. Sure, it was a Disney movie, but I loved those, and still do! Plus, it starred Helen Reddy, the woman whose song "I Am Woman" came out the same year I turned 14. Oh, yes, hear me RAWWRRRR!!! That song, and my strong mother, helped me become who I am. So, of course I saw the movie!
Then there was Richard Dreyfuss. Nerdy guy with great sense of humor - of course I had a crush on him. I had seen him a few years earlier in "American Graffiti", with Wolfman Jack and Ron Howard. Now, here he was again, in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", emphasizing that we are not alone. That type of science fiction is, to me, hopeful about what lies beyond Earth's atmosphere. Hopeful always works for me.
That ties right in with "Oh, God!" Featuring George Burns, a wizened little guy with a fabulous sense of humor, in the title role, what's not to like? Having John Denver, too, another singer who soundtracked my middle and high school years, was just icing on the cake.
And let's not forget about "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger"! I had already seen the first two films, so this end of the trilogy brought the fantasy tale to a fitting close. Growing up in a seaport, as I did in this lovely hostess city, I naturally followed the adventures of sea-faring men. Fantasy sailors are even better, starring in tales in which evil creatures are conquered and right restored!
So, thank you, Jim Reed, for reminding me tonight of the blessed youth I had, living in the right time, at the right time.
And thanks for the fabulous memories brought to mind tonight!