Why must they do this?

I took my toddler daughter to her first cinema experience yesterday. I would say it was quiet successful. Georgie was excited, but not as excited as her brothers and I were for her.

We started off at McDonald's for a little pre-cine nutrition. Although, not surprisingly, there was infinitely more interest in the toy than the food. Perhaps that is a good thing. Then we navigated away from the Disneyland E-ride worthy line and picked up our telephone bought tickets at will call. Paid less than $1.75US for a barrel of popcorn. (one of the many bargains that can be found here). Sat in the mostly empty theatre and watched the universal slide show that tests your movie trivia skills. "Which actor did Richard Gere defend in the movie Primal Fear .. Answer: Edward Norton. Funny how my 5 and 8 year old didn't know that. I waited until we were sitting in our seats and happily munching on our popcorn to forewarn Georgie that the previews would probably be loud but that once the Winnie the Pooh movie started it would not be so loud.

Well sure enough, the instant the previews started the entire audience practically jumped out of their seats let alone their skins. The audience, with a median age of 4, was forced to watch a French Connection-like chase scene telling us the evils of pirating movies. Georgie was definitely concerned but I talked her off the ledge and we managed to wince through 3 or 4 cellular phone commercial for the same company. Which funny enough, I cant remember the name of, not effective advertising. Five minutes into Georgie's first movie experience we finally get to movie previews. Mercifully, the first one is a very funny and cute trailer for Chicken Little. All the kids are giggling. Next is a short but dark Harry Potter trailer that is borderline. Georgie starts squeezing me when some huge dragon like monster appears to incinerate a group of children. Believe it not the worst is yet to come...And this is why I ask, why must they do this? Why put a scary, aggressive and violent preview with a Winnie the Pooh movie? Kungfusion, while might be entertaining for adults, is not appropriate for my 2 year-old daughter. She especially didn't like the scene where some guy gets stabbed with a knife in his arm, and then another guy takes the knife out and puts it back in, stabbing him a second time. I am not sure what was more disturbing, the fact my Barney-fed daughter saw this or that it is played as a joke. Fortunately, the joke was lost on the kids.

Fortunately, we were able to put his all behind us and enjoyed a sweet, peaceful Winnie the Pooh movie that had no stealing or stabbing or Matrix-like plot turns. Or least I assumed it didn't. Thankfully, they turned down the volume for Pooh and I had a nice nap.

A vacation, of sorts

I suppose some people would call it a vacation. The kids are out of school, there are airplanes involved and I have too much luggage. Missing from the equation is the part where it is relaxing and rejuvinating or at least the pace of life slows. Didnt happen. While 10 flights in three weeks with a two-year old Damien from the movie the "Omen" may sound glamorous and fabulous, it wasnt. I organized this trip for myself so I am somewhat responsible. However I hold all the A-type friends and family that scheduled me and my volitile child to the point of extinction also responsible. I slept for days upon my return from my "Vacation".

This was my first visit back to my hometown in over a year and a half. I have been visited by or seen the friends (girls weekend in Miami) that mean the most to me. So this was not some dramatic homecoming. I was going to drop my oldest there to attend camp and spend time with his grandmother and get a good does of american-preteen culture. We dont want him returning to the states after two or three years of Latin America a total dork. I also want to see our home that was in between renters. So although I would be staying there as it was without furniture, I wanted to see it, check up on it, make sure it was OK, and use the pool.