Dealing With Headaches

Let’s get this point straight — I am a Peter Gabriel fan. Have been since I was 16 and now I’m….a lot older than 16. The man and his music plays an extremely important role in my life. Perhaps you have a favorite artist or idol that gets your neurons firing, too. So, when I learned that Peter Gabriel contributed original music and vocals to the “Swimming with Dinosaurs”-type movie, Sea Monsters, I was thrilled. Dinosaurs and Peter Gabriel — how can you go wrong? And, it was playing at The Franklin Institue, one of the best places to visit in Philadelphia.

And then I found out that Sea Monsters is only being shown in 3-D.

Ever open up a great present and then be told that it’s not for you and have it taken away?

The Problem With 3-D Movies

3-D movies can cause migraines, especially in those of us who have monocular vision. This means that I see out of one eye at a time, not both at once like “normal”. (I can’t even comprehend how you can see out of both eyes at once!) This not only means I can’t see ANYTHING 3-D about 3-D movies, but I see a series of strange blurs that really don’t make any sense. When the brain is confronted with visuals that do not make any sense, the brain does as best as it can to make sense of the senseless.

So, I get migraines (including vomiting, which would endear me to the other movie goers) in less than ten minutes of any 3-D film. Granted, 3-D technology has advanced considerably since my childhood, but not to the point where anyone with monocular vision is going to be able to see the movie.

Now, I haven’t had any kind of headache in about a week in a half — a record since the womb, I think — and I am really starting to like it. I really want to avoid purposefully inducing a migraine in Center City, Philadelphia, even if Peter Gabriel wrote some of the music (most of the music was written by his lead guitarist, David Rhodes.)

What Am I Going To Do?

My options are:

• Go to the movie loaded up on Excedrin and keep my eyes shut and my head down during the entire film.
• Not go and hope the film is released in good old 2-D
• Go see the film only if Peter Gabriel himself takes me out on a date to The Franklin Institute

Guess which option I’m taking? If you picked the third option, pat yourself on the back. And, if you can go see Sea Monsters, please don’t tell me about it.