A movie, and short traffic lights
Last night, my boyfriend and I went to the movies to go see "Cars." Yeah, it's a Disney/Pixar movie, but it's fun to go see those kinds of movies once in a while. It gives us a break from every day life, from the stresses of work and school, and lets us have fun.
It was a pretty good movie. Disney/Pixar films usually amuse me, and, save for a few cheesy parts, I was sufficiently amused throughout this one.
Someone remind me, however, that I need to NOT choose the seats immediately behind the parents with the 3-year-old. Although I don't think he was as bad as the girl towards the back who was about 5.... Sometimes, when I'm in a day-care situation or something, I seem to have endless patience for kids at those ages. But when I'm trying to relax and enjoy a movie, my patience isn't what it should be. I'm working on it, I swear! Someday, I'll be a parent, and I'll want to take my kids to see a movie (at that point it will probably cost me $20 each, at the rate movie theater prices have gone)... but when I realize my kid is starting to get whiney, noisy, or generally disruptive to those around me, I'll be the first one to take them out of the theater. (Besides, in my completely un-professional opinion, I think a two-hour movie that starts at 7:20--7:40 after previews--is a little long and late for a 2-year-old.)
I say all of this now... watch me be the one in the theater with the kid who won't be quiet 10 years from now....
As for the other part of the subject, on our way to the theater (in Hooksett, mind you, because my other half doesn't like the old theater in Concord and refuses to go there), we encountered a short green traffic light. I don't remember where it was, but it reminded me that I had meant to blog about a THREE SECOND GREEN LIGHT that I have been dealing with for a few days now.... When I leave work/school, I take Commercial Street (by the Courtyard by Marriott/Grappone Conference Center) to get to 393W and 93S. Well, the traffic light at the top of Commercial Street on the 393W side is WAY too short. It's only been this short for about a week, and I can't figure it out. I was stuck in a line of cars that wound all the way down the "ramp" and out to the Marriott. Only two or three cars could get onto 393 at a time while the light was green. I counted "one-one-thousand"s and right when I was partway through "three-one-thousand" it turned yellow! I don't understand this light, and right now it is something that is driving me absolutely bonkers, because it wasn't like this before!
I'll shut up now, though, or else I'll really rant about things that bother me when I'm driving.... Besides, I want to go watch the Sox game.
Later! :)
Ah...I remember those days!
Remember Jurassic Park? Remember all the media hype that went along with it? My three kids got so sucked into it that we HAD to go and see it. I think the kids were 8, 6 and 4. The youngest was completely traumatized by the dinosaurs, and we ended up out in the lobby for a good portion of the movie.
Hate to say it, but alot of these films are so incredibly hyped up to kids, that the kids end up pressuring the parents to take them to see the movie. And then there is the pre-concieved notion that a cartoon is for 'kids,' and I've seen some cartoons which were clearly NOT intended for viewing by children.
As for taking kids to movies that begin at 7:20PM...I've got no answer on that one. Down here in GA, that would be OK, as the kids here have been out of school since just before Memorial Day, so kids can sleep in in the morning. Personally, my kids had set bedtimes, which got progressivly later as they got older.
I've known a few parents who
I've known a few parents who just put their kids to bed when they get tired... that thought just baffles me. My kids are going to have a set bedtime, and it will slowly get later as they get older. That's how it was for me!
And yes, I am with you when it comes to age-appropriate movies for little kids. This goes along with taking an obviously immature 10 year old to a movie that is rated PG-13 or even R. I've seen it.... And if you ask my mom, she'll tell you that PG-13 is almost the equivalent of what used to be R...
Crazy.
I can't stand seeing parents
I can't stand seeing parents be manipulated by their own kids like that. Is it really that difficult to put your foot down and say "no"?! It seems that parents are more concerned with saving face and not being embarrassed when their kid throws a temper tantrum when they say no, so they just let them dictate.
And yeah, it would be one thing to take kids to a later movie if school isn't in session... but in the 2-5 year old age range, it still seems a little late to me once the whole thing is over.
My bedtime was the same way, set bedtimes that got later as I got older... that's how it's gonna be when I have kids.
I don't really get the parents that insisting on taking their young child to a movie that starts at 7:20 PM either... Do people not put their kids to bed at 8 PM anymore?
I was maybe 8 or 9 before my parents took me to the theater... and even then, that was only one time. I didn't go to the theater with any frequency till I was older than 16... and I find it to be a rather overrated experience... You pay a ton of money to not be able to pause the movie to go to the bathroom.
What really bugs me is the parents who take their young children to see a movie that is completely not age appropriate and then get angry with their child for being terrified.
As for the abnormally short light cycle... You might want to report that to the city... I can't remember off hand who you need to call to report it to though.