if PJ and yours truly are any examples, we play games.

or more accurately, we invent games to play.

and then we take these games very seriously.

 

for example, this past week, when we have been going to a movie every day, we — or I guess, more accurately, I — designed a new game. the game was to estimate the number of people who would be in the movie theater watching the same movie we were watching.  the loser would have to pay for dinner the following evening.

you might ask why would someone design such a game.   a good question.

the answer is that in one of the first movies we saw this past week we were shocked that we were the only people in the theater.   there were over 100 seats in the theater, and the only people watching the film were PJ and myself.  yikes!

this rattled us, and was the stimulant to create our game.

now, back to our game which we will call the “how many people in a movie theater” game. maybe one of our readers of this blog can come up with an alternative name that is shorter, a little catchier, and has more pizzazz.

the game sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it?

well, as it turns out, it is not that simple. for example, when does one count the number of people watching the movie?   when the movie begins?  if not, how do you deal with people who leave the movie early?  do you count theater staff that are in the screening room?  do you count tickets sold or individuals seated in the theater?

there are even more issues. who gets to choose a number first?  who chooses second?  does the winner one day go first the next day?  or do you rotate who goes first?

I could go on. for example, who gets to choose the restaurant for the dinner?  the loser or the winner? are there any limits as to how much drink and food can be consumed by the winner at the expense of the loser.

what got this game off to a serious start was the first night of competition. remember now that the night before we had seen a movie and there was absolutely no one else in the theater.  with that as background, PJ went first and picked 12 for the next night.   in other words, he was guessing that in addition to the two of us, 10 other people would be watching the movie.

being a little bit competitive, yours truly selected 11. this drew the ire of PJ.   I am not quite sure why, but he was not happy.

so, picture this, we are sitting in our seats in the theater and instead of relaxing with our popcorn, lounging in our seats and watching the trailers for the movies coming in the next few weeks, we are both turned around watching intently as each person enters the theater.

I am thrilled to report that exactly 11 people, including ourselves, took their seats in the theater. I am ecstatic.  smiling from ear to ear.  yes, siree!!  wahoo!!!!

the movie begins and I am a happy camper.

five minutes into the movie we hear some rustling in the row behind us. PJ turns around and smiles and holds up his hand with two fingers shooting up in the air, like a big V.  two women had walked into the movie late and taken their seats behind us.   PJ is ecstatic.   a huge smile crosses his face.

for me, I am giving the sign for time out with my hands, one hand over the other in T formation, like they do in basketball games when the coach wants a time out. we can’t talk because the movie is playing.

no way, as I shake my head back and forth. no way in hell.

there were eleven in the theater when the movie started and that is what determines the winner. but no, PJ is just as adamant saying that it does not matter when the people get in the theater, it is the number of people who purchased tickets.

as you can appreciate, we have a major problem here.

what was the title of this blog? what do two mature men do to add a little fun into their lives?  the key word is “mature”.

some would argue that there may also be an IQ issue here.

for those of you who are interested in where the “how many people in a movie theater” game stands at this point in time, the series is tied 2 to 2. PJ has won twice (yes, I was magnanimous and let him win the first night detailed above) and yours truly has won twice.