Pickles and movies.

This morning the Oscar nominations were announced.  I use to love this time of year.  When Alberto and I started dating we always had seen all the movies nominated, could talk at length about the best performances, we could even supply some basic commentary on Best Score or Original Song.  Fast forward to two kids later, and we usually have a comment that is something along the lines of, "we didn't see one of the best animated movies."  "Really?  It must have come out during dance season or soccer season or (insert whatever season the kids are involved in here).  You can imagine my shock this morning when I had seen not one of the Best Picture Nominations, but four the nominations and only three of the five in the Best Animation category!  True, percentage wise, I still saw more in the animation category, but I chose to manipulate the data to show that I got to see more grown up films then kid films this year.  After all, I work in academia and that is what we do, manipulate research.

Some of my fondest memories of the time when Alberto and I did see movies, is that we could get a pickle at the movie theater, and by we, I mean me.  I moved to west Texas in 1995 and found many things I did not like.  I don't like dust storms, I don't like temperatures above 100 degrees for several days in a row, I don't like fried okra, I don't like barbecue, I don't like flat landscape...you get the picture.  I did find I liked that you could buy a pickle at the movies.  I also understand you can probably do this other places too, but when I was growing up in Idaho Falls, ID, we did not have this option.  The pickles were big, juicy and very fragrant, which probably annoys others in the theater who do not have love for the gherkin as I do.  Those people have issues anyway.  I can remember one of those pickles was big enough to be a meal.  Maybe, in retrospect, we saw so many movies because pickles were an option.  I am apparently not the only one who misses this though:





Pickles and movies go together like Fred and Ginger, Peanut Butter and Jelly or even Harold and Kumar.  You can be assured when the Oscars air on February 26th, I will have plenty of my favorite salty snack!