I have less than one week to finish packing for a movie marathon! The Children’s Leukemia Foundation’s 24-Hour Movie-Thon in Novi, Michigan is about two hours from where I live, so I need to think carefully about what I bring. There’s no going back once I’m there. Thankfully, years of hard-earned movie marathon experience have given me the grim determination needed to prepare for this moment. Plus, I already had a pretty good idea what to pack since I’ve written about creating a movie marathon survival kit before. Also, I’m going to movie theater, not the Klondike. I think I’ll survive somehow.
Check out what I’m packing:
- Backpack – I love this trusty backpack. It is designed to carry a laptop and computer accessories. That means it has a ton of pockets, which is perfect for carrying around a weird assortment of movie marathon gear.
- Floss – Could you imagine anything more devastating than getting a popcorn kernel stuck in your teeth in the first hour of the movie marathon? The next 23 hours would drive you mad!
- Disposable toothbrush – Yup. One-time-use toothbrushes exist. No need to carry around a tube of toothpaste, or a little plastic bag to put your wet toothbrush in. PRO TIP: Your dentist may give you one of these for free. Just ask!
- Deodorant – I hope this is self-explanatory. But you never know with film nerds.
- Moist towelettes – You could describe my skin as “oily”. Maybe even “pimply”. Or perhaps “just plain gross.”. A couple wet wipes should help me achieve that just-out-of-the-shower feeling. Assuming the shower consisted of a damp napkin.
- Mints – Life savers Wint-O-Green is a wonderful economy source of fresh breath. They are cheap and plentiful and you can get a near lifetime supply from Costco.
- Antacids – Can you think of a single food or drink at a movie theater that doesn’t generate bucketloads of stomach acid? Even if you can, is it really worth eating? That’s a rhetorical question. The answer is “No”.
- Medicine – I take a small pharmacy’s worth of drugs every day. Even 24-hour hour movie marathons doesn’t give me a free pass to skip these.
- Battery pack, power block, charging cable – How did we ever live without our smart phones? I have no idea, and I plan to keep mine powered throughout the marathon!
- Notepad and pens – I like writing notes during my movie marathons to share my thoughts on this weblog. Pen and paper do not require power and don’t annoy fellow movie goers.
- Portable soda – No, I’m not bringing this into the theater. This is for the drive home!
- Sleeping bag and pillow – I used to think that bringing a blanket, pillow or sleeping bag was just pre-giving up on staying awake during the marathon. I’m seeing things a little differently now. I’m not worried about staying awake during the movie marathon, but what about the two-hour drive home? I have a minivan, so I’m going to bring sleep gear in case I need to sleep in the van right after the marathon. Is it illegal to sleep in the back of a vehicle in a movie theater lot? I guess I’ll find out.
What do you think? Did I forget anything?
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