Box Office Success

Kevin and I had a date night last night.  We were overdue; having not done it in a while and he just returned from a five-day trip. It was nice, but weird to do it on a Tuesday evening.

We went to the movies, which I normally do not do.  I don't enjoy movie theatres, it's one of the places that spin me out a little. I know, I'm super fun. But months ago, I told him that I would try. And he remembered.

I read about people like me and coping skills for those kind of settings. Of course I did.  Hi! I'm a nerd.

These were the suggestions:
Earplugs, or in my case earbuds.  It helps dull the movie noise (it's so loud, jeez) and the background noise. (people talking or so much worse: eating)

Sit where it's not so crowded, like on the aisle or down low or high.  I like to sit with people behind me, not in front of me.  We chose the handicapped section, where there are no rows directly ahead of us and most people were behind. There wasn't any one else sitting there and unfortunately, yes I can sit there.

Make sure your needs are met beforehand. This means don't go there hungry or go to the bathroom if you have to.  We had dinner early then popcorn and soda in the theatre. This seems like a no-brainer but it's not.

Go to the matinee.  We've gone twice to the early showing on a weekday and the theatre is not full at all.

Consider what kind of movie to see.  We watched Ford vs. Ferrari and it was really, really good.  But an action, superhero, horror movie would never work for me in that setting.

Here's three things I discovered about myself:  I rely on subtitles a lot, I like being able to rewind when I didn't catch something, and not having my phone to look up things was not fun for me.  I HAD QUESTIONS.

The other thought I had, because it was just discussed in my life, is safety.  Pay attention to people moving about during the movie, make sure you know where the exits are, and that you have a fairly clear pathway. Have a plan.

And how much does it piss me off that it's a THING.

We've figured it out a little, so that's happy.  There were a few previews that even made me consider going again.   And, maybe, hopefully, one of these suggestions will help someone else.