Eric Scheur - Two Ways to Travel

 

If you are a Christian, you want to get to heaven. If you're animator, you want to get to Pixar. I was taking an animation class with my friend Robert and he approached me one day and he said, “Hey, I heard about this gathering of people that's happening at Pixar down in California. You want to go with me?” For those of you who don't know, Pixar is the animation studio that kind of like redefined what the modern animated movie can be. They did Toy Story and Bug's Life, Cars, Monsters, Inc, Finding Nemo, like the Incredibles. They are an amazing studio. And if you're animator, that's just where you want to go. So, I said to Robert, “Of course I want to go there.” 

Which was a little strange for me because I'd never really traveled with anybody before, you know, other than my family when I was a kid. But I've never traveled with a friend. I've always traveled alone. And I like going alone because I know how to prepare myself. I know how to get places on time. I know how to get places way early. And working with somebody else, traveling with somebody else I knew could throw everything off. But I really wanted to go to Pixar, so Robert said he had this plan. He got the tickets and we would fly down to Sacramento and stay with a friend. And then the next morning we would drive into San Francisco and go to Pixar. 

 

Now, the plane that Robert had booked took off at, I think like 07:30 in the morning. And that was fine for me. I'm fine waking up early. As far as I knew, Robert had never been up before ten, eleven, so I really didn't know how he was going to get up for this thing, but I trusted him. We were going to take his car. I didn't have a car at the time. 

 

So, the morning of the flight came around. I know we had to get up at like 05:30 just to be ready to get up and make the traffic, get to the airport, get through security and get to the gate and everything. I'm up, I have my suitcase, I'm dressed. I knock on Robert's door. It's about quarter to six. And I knock on Robert's door again and he comes to the door groggy and sort of half asleep. He said, “Yeah.” I said, “Are you ready to go?” 

And he said, “Oh, yeah, let me throw some stuff in a suitcase.” Let you throw some stuff in a suitcase? We're going to Pixar and you're not ready. He's like, “No, it'll be fine. I'll be there in a second.” So already my heart is racing. And he finally gets ready, brushes his teeth and says goodbye to his dog and gets a suitcase. 

 

We make our way down to his car, which he forgot where he parked, so we walked the wrong direction first. And the entire-- This clock is ticking down in my head. Are we going to make it? Are we going to make it? We do make it to the airport at about quarter to seven. We're there for 45 minutes early. We get through security pretty quickly because it's pretty early, which is nice. And I am ready to walk down to the gate because, you know, like the plane takes off at 07:30, which means that they're going to board early and then you're going to sit on the Runway for a while. So, we have to be there early. We have to be there early. 

 

We get through security and Robert heads to the coffee bar and says, “I'm going to get some coffee.” And I say, “Robert, we don't have time.” Robert says, “No, we're going to be fine.” And I'm like, no, I don't think we are, but I don't want to argue with him. I'm not big on confrontation. [audience laughter] 

 

So, Robert goes over to the coffee bar, he waits for his coffee and then he says, “You know, I think I'm going to get a bagel too.” And I say, “A bagel?” And he says, “Yeah, just hold on.” And the person at the counter says, “Would you like it toasted?” And Robert says, “Yeah, toast it, why not?” [audience laughter] I said, “I'll tell you why not, because you're the [00:28:07].” 

 

So, we wait for Robert's toasted bagel. And this entire time I'm standing there, I'm tapping my foot. And Robert gets his toasted bagel and his coffee, walks over to the station where there's cream cheese and butter. He puts cream cheese and butter on it. And then he sits down at a table. [audience laughter] I'm like, “Why are you sitting down at a table?” He says, “Would you calm down, we're fine.” I'm like, “No, we're not fine.” Like it's getting dangerously close to 07:20. And the plane takes off at 07:30. And the gate-- Like we still have to go to the gate, which is far away. 

 

I don't know if you know this part of the Portland airport, but it's like down a weird hall and then down an escalator and then there's a turn. You know what I'm talking about? [audience laughter] And so I decide that whether Robert is ready or not, I am going. I say, “You can have your bagel. You join me later. I'm going to the gate.” And he says, “Fine.” 

 

And so, I go down to the gate, like just power walking as fast as I can with my little rolling suitcase. I get to the gate and there is nobody there except for one person working for the airline. She's holding a clipboard. And she looks at me, clearly, it's the roster of the flight people. And she says, “Are you Eric or are you Robert?” [audience laughter] I said, “I'm Eric.” She said, “Where's Robert?” [audience laughter] I said, “He's having a bagel.”[audience laughter] She said, “Well, you have to get on the plane right now. We're about ready to take off.” I'm like, “Can we wait just cause he's-- We're going.” And she's like, “No, right now.” And at that moment, I look down that long hallway and I see Robert kind of ambling down the escalator. And I look and I see his face and he's just having a gay old time, just full of coffee and bagel. And I say, “Robert.” And he says, “What?” And I say, “Run.” And so, he kind of runs down to the gate and this nice lady, she lets us onto the plane. And we get there. 

 

We have to walk like up the stairs to the plane, like on the Runway. And then our seats are in the back, so we have to walk past every single person on the plane who's been waiting for us. [audience laughter] I am so fuming mad by the time that we sit down. Robert looks peaceful and happy as a clan. I can hardly speak to him. I am seething with anger. And Robert looks at me. He can tell that something is a little twitchy in my eye. And he said, “What's wrong?” And I say, “We almost missed the plane.” And Robert looks at me and he says, “We're on the plane.” And I could not argue with that. [audience laughter] And I am proud of being a person who gets to places early and plans and travels well by myself and stresses a little bit about when things aren't going entirely according to the clock. But every once in a while, I envy Robert's position because he can look at things and say, “It's all going to work out,” and it usually does. Thanks.