the unwanted theater experience

http://myhaven.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/movie-theater.jpg

I finally broke down and went to see Avatar last weekend with my friend Gigi.
We decided to splurge and go to the IMAX.

I figured by now there wouldn't be too many people in the theater.
Boy, was I wrong!

Gigi and I got there early and listened to one of the guys who worked at the theater talk about the best place to sit in order to get the "best IMAX experience".

We picked our seats and all was well.
Then the theater started to fill....and fill....and fill.

Just as the theater lights were dimming a man and his wife scooted in front of us sat down next to me.

And I immediately noticed a horrible smell.

It was a combination of strong cigarette smoke and really horrible body odor. I thought to myself, "It will be okay. I can take it". That thought lasted about 30 seconds before I realized I couldn't do it.

So I scanned the theater to look for a new seat. It was packed. There were no seats anywhere.

I decided to try and put on some of my Bath and Body Works lotion to try and alleviate the stench. I nonchalantly applied it under my nose and around my mouth. It didn't helped much.

Then he started to cough a smokers cough of a magnitude that affirmed his habit. I'd estimate about 3 1/2 packs a day hacking.

Yeah. all with out covering his mouth.

Luckily, he only did this a few times but then there was the constant wheezing that accompanied each breath. By the time the previews were over, I had diagnosed him with emphysema.

I was praying under my breath that the movie would be really loud, otherwise I would never get my ADD mind to focus with all these other sensory distractions going on.

I'm pretty sure I sound intolerant, I don't mean to be.
Maybe it because of my ADD mind and having a hard time with distractions but this explains why I don't go to movies very often. I hate paying for the "theater experience" ($14/ticket) and getting more "theater experience" than I want.

You know,
~cell phones ringing, or the light of cell phones flashing while people text (which btw, according to some teens I've talked to recently, is perfectly acceptable to do in theaters because "it's not ringing!")
~people talking through the whole movie
~babies crying (never could figure out why people do that-bring a baby to a movie)
~people kicking you in the head when they rest their feet on your seat
~and now something I had never thought of before or experienced--hacking smelly wheezy people sitting right next to me coughing on me. YUCK!

I did finally get absorbed enough in the movie to forget the guy next to me but it took awhile. I'm going to say that it was worth it this time.
There are some movies you just have to see on the big screen.

things like this make me angry....

I was doing a little blog reading this am and Pam over at Pam's Perspective was talking about the crazy news this week.

Now I'm a little riled up.

One of the things she talked about is the story about the weather balloon fiasco yesterday. Click on her site if you live under a rock and have no idea what I'm talking about.

IF this was a hoax, I'd like to ask the parents a couple questions......

IF this was a hoax, did you think about the danger that hundreds of people were put in because of it?

IF this was a hoax, did they think about the pilots of the helicopters who were asked to fly to help rescue the boy? Did you think about what you say to the families of the pilots if one of those helicopters crashed?

IF this was a hoax, did they think about Denver International Airport and the hundreds of people who were on aircraft that day that could have been in danger of running into that balloon? Or did you plan on a nice sunny day just in case? How would you have face thousands of family members if a plane had crashed because of this?

IF this was a hoax, would they have allowed the crazy rescue ideas to be put into action, putting even more people in danger? Or would you have said enough is enough?

But there are even more issues that are of course less important...

~the cost of these rescue operations

~the cost of closing down Denver International (or rerouting traffic)

~the inconvenience of thousands of people who were delayed

I'm sure there are many more issues we know nothing about.

I'm hoping that when they investigate this, they do a thorough job. This guy seems like he is a pretty good actor.

selfish drivers

This morning I was driving Tony to school.

I pulled out onto the main road out of neighborhood. There was a small SUV probably a mile or so down the road behind me.

That SUV caught up with me real quick. I also noticed that it was swerving quite a bit.

It would cross over the center lane and jerk back. Stay in between the lines for a couple seconds and then drift over again. It's drifted over to the shoulder of the road a couple times too.

I thought 'Wow is this guy drunk? It's only 8 am!'.

Then we got up to the stop light and I saw that it was a woman and she was applying her make up!

I turned right and she did too. She was obviously in a hurry (duh! she didn't have time to put her make up on at home!) because she drove right on my butt. So close that I was able to watch her apply her concealer (dot, dot, dot around the eyes-- now blend) and she was still drifting all over the road. Then I could see her start on her foundation. She had to slam on her brakes a couple of times because I was breaking. But of course she continued to drive as close to me as possible.

When we lived in Kalamazoo, there was a woman that we drove in front of probably 1 or 2 days a week who, EVERY time we saw her, she would be doing a part of her morning beauty routine. We called her the "Mascara Lady" We witnessed her applying foundation and another time powder. But mascara was probably what we saw her put on most. One day she had one of those cordless curling irons and was actually curling her hair while driving!

Selfishness! That's what it boils down to. Dangerous drivers are only thinking about themselves. Whether it's texting, talking on the phone, putting on make up. They don't care that they are wielding a 2 ton weapon. It's all about what "I" need to do.

Back to my experience this morning. I had to make another turn onto a busy street which the school is on. The speed limit is 45 for about 200 feet then goes down to 20 in the school zone. Because of all the traffic I turned left and was just slowing down to the 20 mph area before she was able to make her turn. I watched her come barreling down that road while applying her mascara, never once slowing down in the school zone. And said to Tony "Oh my gosh she gonna hit the crossing guard and those kids!" I could see her leaned over looking in her rear view mirror with her mascara brush. She slammed on her brakes at the last minute. Maybe she saw them the whole time and drives this way to work everyday.

I don't know but she scared the daylights out of me!

I will be on the look out for her again and will be chasing her down next time. I wish I had done it today!

Those mama bear claws are coming out again!