And the winner is ...

But every time I open my purse to pay, inside I’m thinking ... “I am clearly in the wrong business!” When the change back from my $10 bill — if there is an change — is less than a dollar, I find myself reeling — and I don’t mean the reel-to-reel movies of yesteryear either.

Did I mention the concession stand prices? The teenagers behind the counter scooping up popcorn and filling up giant soda glasses must be the brunt of so many complaints, that I almost feel sorry for them. They look at me wide-eyed, wondering if I’m going to complain about spending a $20 bill on a snack that I’ll never finish — no kidding, who can eat all that popcorn, and if I did drink all that soda, I’d spend the majority of the movie in the restroom instead of in front of the screen. Eating at the theater is like eating at the airport ... surprising what they’ll charge a captive audience.

But then I walk down that aisle, and I make my way into the darkened room, find the perfect seat and pray nobody taller than me will sit in front of me — at my height, you know the chances of that are slim. Soon, the lights are dimmed, and I settle into one of those rocking theater chairs — wishing they would turn the heat up a bit because it’s always cold.

While I miss the cartoons from years ago, I do love the previews. While I know I will never remember the names of the movies they’ve previewed that I want to see, I still watch in the anticipation of what film I’ll be waiting for next. I always think I should take a piece of paper with me to jot down those titles, so when I check out what’s playing in a few weeks/months ... I can physically match my list to what’s at the movie. I never do it, so I rely on my friends and colleagues to tell me what movie they think I’ll like.