Nerds around the world united yesterday for one great cause: the viewing of all three Lord of the Rings movies. It was a geekfest extravaganza that started with the purchase of the tickets a month ago. Then yesterday my friends and I skipped out of work and were at the theatre for 12:15pm (the movies started at 2pm). Hopped up on sugar and free Coke refills, it was a true test of our bladders, our love of the movies, and of our attention span. (for a reporter's blow-by-blow description check out his report here)

Like many others I had packed my own food.....you simply HAD to if you expected to survive nearly twelve hours in the movie theatre. I took a quick stop to Wal-Mart before meeting up with my friends, stocking up on the beef jerky, water, Crispy Minis (mini cheesy rice cakes. so good!!), and wet naps. This was added to my bag of Doritos, and Halloween candy that I was bringing from home. I figured that if caffeine won't carry us, perhaps sugar highs will.

In the end it wasn't nearly as difficult to sit through all three movies as I thought it would be. Admittedly, it was getting tough in the final hour or so, but that's to be expected. I really enjoyed the extra footage included in the first two, that previously could only be found on the dvd; the footage really added to the movie. In terms of stamina through the movie, we all had our ways of dealing with sitting in one place for extended periods of time; some of us were fidgety, some stretched, and others actually got up and walked around at the back of the theatre. Some stood through portions of the film. Hey, ya did what ya had to....it was a looong day.

Of course if you know anything about these films, you know that they are about 3 - 3.5 hours long (with the added footage). This begs the question...just how many times DOES one have to break for the washroom given that Coke refills are free (and most of us bought a jumbo cup)? Well, for me (a "frequent pee-er") it meant a well timed washroom break about an hour before the end of the film, in the first two movies. I had seen the first two before, so I was fairly confident I could time my exit so that I would not miss too much (and I can get to the bathroom and back in record time, what with having so much practice and all). This timing was important because it would mean that when the movie ends I would not be in the super long line up desperate to relieve myself of my wares. We were alloted 25 minutes of break time between movies, so there wasn't a whole lot of time to go to the washroom and then grab some food. So. By making that trip an hour before, I avoided the lineups in the bathroom right after the movie ends (always a nightmare for we women) and then just before the start of the next movie I would go visit the little girl's room *again* (it's been an hour and a half now since my last trip) and had the joy of avoiding the lineups because everyone had already gone there first. Genius? I think so.

The fans were great, as we were all brought together for the same geeky reason. We laughed, we talked, we had a great time. We applauded, we cheered, and we booed. It's always great to see a film like this with like-minded people.
And we were rewarded for our efforts and dedication with a Lord of the Rings collectible. The theatre handed out a gift consisting of a strip of film, one cell from each movie. It's in this sort of...frame, I guess you'd call it. You can have a look at it here. Pretty cool hunh? Maybe I'll sell it on eBay like everyone else. Or maybe if one of you can give me a *really* good reason why I should give it to you, I will. Tis the season! Drop me an e-mail if you like.

Overall, it was yet another awesome day out with my friends. I love them, they are the bestest, and there isn't anyone else I'd rather be with for 12 hours of movie fun! mwah!! :-*

(and a Mazal Tov goes out to my geek friend Will....he told us yesterday that he and his wife are expecting their first child. hurray!!)