Rude People

Maybe rude is a bit harsh, but there are worse adjectives I could use. Last night, I finally went to see Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows with my roommate. Granted, it was a sold out show at the dollar theater in town, so I knew it was going to be crowded, but in some ways that makes these people seem more rude.

My roommate and I arrived plenty early to get good seats. But we were just a tad too early, so we had to wait in the line to get into the theater. After we've waited for a few minutes, nothing to get stirred up about, the theater opens and they start letting us through. Only there are two lines, side-by-side, so the ticket attendant is having a hard time telling the people in the first line to wait. So this family of six who just arrived gets to go before us. And they know it, too. I could see it in their faces.

Strike one.

This annoyance wasn't actually a problem, since we still got great seats in the middle of the theater, where we proceeded to wait for the start of the movie. Our row has nine seats in it, and we're sitting in seats three and four from the left. A couple comes in and sits in seven and eight, and the woman puts her coat on the sixth seat right next to her. It clearly looks like she's saving it for a friend.

But she wasn't! All through that opening promo movie and the previews, the Love Couple are playing on their smart phones and not interacting. At. All. And literally dozens of people are filling into the theater, and it's getting more and more crowded, and they are not moving in or moving their coats or even being asked if they are saving seats (presumably because they look "occupied" playing on their smart phones). Eventually the movie starts, and they are still on their phones for the five minute opening sequence. And they never shared their seats that they were so NOT saving for friends.

Strike two.

My roommate and I have moved into seats four and five by this time because a tall guy was sitting in front of her. Right before the movie starts, a lone man in his sixties comes and takes the open seat on my roommate's left. And three minutes in, he starts snoring. Loudly. Rhythmically. Nonstop. He sometimes would jolt awake and blow his nose even louder, offering a three to five minute reprieve. But basically for the whole movie, the old guy is snoring next to us.

Strike three.

So, when you ask me if I liked Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, I may not know how to answer. I had a hard time following it amid all the distractions.

What are the rules of movie theater etiquette? Why, it's elementary, my dear Watson.
1. Don't cut people in line.
2. Don't save seats for imaginary people. Not even if you are Wills and Kate, the only couple I could think of that might need a public buffer.
3. Don't use your phones to avoid being asked if you are saving those seats.
4. Don't use your phones during the actual movie.
5. Don't snore.

Race to the Finish Line

Just thought of the perfect idea for a graduation party. It will require my Michael Phelps 2008 Olympic highlights DVD. Also, that Michael Phelps calendar I have.

Because we're talking a "Race to the Finish Line" graduation party.

Games: Measure your wingspan against Michael's. Sip a Sonic drink faster than your opponent. Tag team relay races of some kind. Make your best super-stoked full-body expression. And the like.

Medals will be awarded. The best of the Phelps will be playing in the background.

Perhaps I could throw in some London-themed elements, too. A ticking Big Ben. Adele and the Beatles. Appearances by Wills and Kate (and Harry).

No, there will not be bongs.

Any other ideas?