The Oriental Theater is very possibly my favorite spot in all of Milwaukee.  What’s not to adore?  Lush, exotic décor.  Artsy, indie film offerings.  Brewer’s yeast at the concession stand.  That aroma that’s distinctly The Oriental.

And because I’m woefully enamored, I’ll ultimately overlook The Oriental’s customer service transgressions … but I shouldn’t.

One Friday night last spring, I went to see a first-run movie.  The sound was crap.  I told myself it wasn’t so bad.  That I would get used to it.  (See?!  I’m an oh-so-in-love enabler.)  But I couldn’t keep lying to myself.  I could barely decipher what the actors were saying.  I went to talk with a manager.  He admitted the sound was in disrepair.  He gave me an “admit one,” make-good pass for future use.

Future use … but not on a Friday night.  Or a Saturday night.  Nor for any “no pass” engagement.  Yet the manager had just admitted I was receiving an inferior product on a Friday night … during a “no pass” screening.  Shouldn’t the make-good be of greater – at least equal value?

So, here I am – several months later – with a pass that’s about to expire because when I go to the Oriental, it’s almost always on a Friday or Saturday night to see a first-run movie.

Thanks for nothing, Oriental.  You do this to me because you know you can, don’t you?  You know I’ll keep crawling back – to get an eyeball full of elephant sculptures, a mouthful of brewer’s yeast and a nostril full of that distinctly Oriental aroma.