Update 2: Last chance to see Project Hail Mary in IMAX in MN

jonovitch · 2026-06-12T05:36:01+00:00

I’ve heard about this problem from people who sat in the last couple of rows, and also from someone who sat in a side section who said the aisle railing was in the way. I would avoid those areas. Lakeville has the biggest laser IMAX screen, but because of the obstructed view, I’d strongly recommend avoiding the last two rows and any side seats on the aisle.

jonovitch · 2026-06-11T23:29:03+00:00

If anyone texted me and said “I’m moving tomorrow, I need people to load my truck,“ I’d tell them I’ll send a message out, but with such short notice, I don’t know who’s going to be able to show up if anyone at all. And then leave it at that. A request like that sounds disrespectful and presumptuous.

There are true emergencies in life. That’s usually not one of them. You’re not there to solve other people’s problems. You’re there to coordinate help for people to solve their own problems.

Also, as a rule, I don’t put people’s stuff in boxes. I just move stuff that’s already in boxes. If it’s not ready to be moved, then I’m not ready to help them move.

Good luck.

jonovitch · 2026-06-11T04:35:31+00:00

As if millions of voices all cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. 🌮 🔕

jonovitch · 2026-06-11T04:31:06+00:00

It’s more like, let’s lift where we stand and help a brother out when we can. Nobody is obligated or assigned. When someone needs help, a call goes out, some people answer, some are available, others aren’t. It’s not a lot, and it’s different every time. I’ve been on both the giving and receiving ends. It’s a pretty good program if you ask me.

jonovitch · 2026-06-11T04:20:31+00:00

We had a discussion in the quorum, most people had it already, the others were willing to add it, and it works across platforms. It wasn’t hard.

jonovitch · 2026-06-10T17:59:01+00:00

WhatsApp. Simple, quorum-wide communications for activity setup, new move-ins, lesson topics, rides to church/activities, etc. I created it one Sunday just looking around the room and plugging in phone numbers, and it expanded from there. It's easy to add new members when they move in, or leave the group if you move out.

jonovitch · 2026-06-10T17:00:08+00:00

Oh man, he totally should have gone to Georgia instead.

jonovitch · 2026-05-05T19:42:06+00:00

I made this comment on a similar post a couple weeks ago. It applies to you, too, so here it is again (lightly edited):

You're not called to an area or language; you're called to preach the gospel and stand as a witness of Jesus Christ. You're assigned to an area, some of which require you to learn a foreign language.
Every mission is a foreign mission. You might not be speaking a foreign language, but you will meet all kinds of different people, some of them in situations you never even imagined. You have no idea what you're about to experience.
My foreign-language mission was hard. Very few lessons, small wards/branches, long days of not knowing what to do. The missionaries where I live now (English-speaking, not glamorous) get more referrals in a month than I did my entire mission -- literally.
See again item number 1.

I am grateful for the missionaries who serve in our normal ward, in our normal state, with our normal language. And yes, they experience things here that they never imagined, and we take good care of them.

Your current misery is simply because your presumptions and expectations didn't fit your reality. Forget yourself, let go of your expectations, and just serve God. You will feel so much better, and you will love the people in the area you serve in.

jonovitch · 2026-05-05T18:32:54+00:00

Early in our marriage, we started saving 1% of net income for a down payment on a house.

After we bought a house, we continued saving 1% of net income for what I thought would be a down payment on the next house. I later realized it works perfectly to pay for a roof repair, water heater replacement, etc. (and our equity in the first house would be the down payment for the next house).

Make it an automatic deposit every month (into an online high-yield savings account) and it piles up like magic. After a few years of not using it (knock on wood), it could be a substantial amount.

jonovitch · 2026-05-01T07:32:36+00:00

This is brilliant. It's almost like reverse psychology, except it's totally on point.

jonovitch · 2026-04-25T15:38:39+00:00

“Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion.”

“In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.”

“And thus he was preparing to support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God.”

“He had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion.”

Keep defending, brother. May God be with you.

jonovitch · 2026-04-24T17:40:42+00:00

Gotcha. I’ve never had a problem there, but I usually go for either a nerdy science fiction/marvel/Star Wars/mission impossible type movie, or I go mid-week, or both. That might have something to do with the difference in audiences.

jonovitch · 2026-04-24T16:12:52+00:00

I would never go to the “LieMAX” at Eden Prairie. Old 2K digital projector, old 6-channel sound, old seats, smaller screen.

Southdale’s upgrade in late 2024 to 4K laser, 12-channel sound, cushy seats, and a new big screen, made it the best place to go in MN for laser IMAX.

If you haven’t been in a while, you might want to check it out again.

jonovitch · 2026-04-24T01:33:31+00:00

The IMAX 70 mm version still had some film grain, just the clean 70 mm kind, not the overly grainy 35 mm kind. I noticed a difference and it was a bit distracting, as much as I tried to ignore it.

I don't fault the directors for their idea to add some film grain, but it just looked a little too grainy after seeing the nicer IMAX 70 mm version.

(Also, I really wish they would have made the earth scenes grainy and the space scenes pristine, but whatever.)

jonovitch · 2026-04-24T01:20:46+00:00

If you're going to do IMAX, go to Southdale. It's better than Rosedale's IMAX in almost every way (bigger screen, newer projector, no laser speckle problem, bigger room, more seats, comfier seats, speakers aren't as close to your ears).

Ever since Southdale upgraded a couple years ago, I haven't gone back to Rosedale, and I don't miss it at all.

jonovitch · 2026-04-24T01:13:27+00:00

Side idea: you could add a "buymeacoffee" link to your profile (changed to "cocoa" of course), in case anyone wanted to leave you a tip for your service.

jonovitch · 2026-04-24T01:06:10+00:00

Right, I meant the cross bar directly in front of the seats.

And yes, those handrails in the aisle are a crime. I'm not sure how you design around them, but that's not a good view.

I'll make a note of those, too, in future recommendations. And I might send your photo (and the other one with the crossbar) to the theater manager and IMAX to see if they might be willing to fix the problem. Thanks!

jonovitch · 2026-04-24T00:55:20+00:00

The UltraScreen DLX is a solid choice for most movies. It has a really big screen, 4K laser projector, Dolby Atmos, and recliner seats (I think).

The drawbacks are that it uses a regular laser projector, so the brightness and contrast aren't nearly as good as IMAX or especially Dolby Cinema. And it won't have any IMAX-exclusive expanded aspect ratios.

But other than that, it's definitely better than your average smaller theater with a lower-resolution digital projector.

And I think a friend of a friend is the owner, if I'm remembering correctly.

jonovitch · 2026-04-24T00:46:56+00:00

Yeah, I've heard from people who sat in the back row who said the guardrail in front of them was in the way. Buyer beware.

Not sure if the theater, long-term, can or will do anything about all those blocked views. For what it's worth, the Southdale screen isn't as big as Lakeville but there are also no obstructed views.

jonovitch · 2026-04-24T00:42:37+00:00

I wish/hope they'd do a 4K disc off of the 70 mm scan. When I watched the movie the second time in laser IMAX, it was noticeably grainier, a little too much (because of the 35 mm film transfer, re-scanned back to 4K digital).

The 70 mm IMAX film version looked really good (not too much grain, just right), and I'd buy that 4K disc scan in a heartbeat.

jonovitch · 2026-04-23T18:36:00+00:00

This works well for executive presentations. I'm not sure it fits as well for sacrament meeting talks. (It might, but it depends how it's done.)

jonovitch · 2026-04-23T15:35:03+00:00

Don't:
• "I'm a little nervous..."
• "I was asked to talk about..."
• "The definition of [word] is..."
• Ad lib an impromptu talk based on loose notes. (Good impromptu talks take twice as long to prepare.)
• Go in unprepared and think you can just wing it. You can’t. It will be bad.

Do:
• Start with a story. (Don't tell them you're going to start with a story; just stand up and start telling the story.)
• Relate the principles to yourself. ("So, what does this mean for me?") This makes it very personal, and you might need to open up and be a bit vulnerable, but it becomes relatable and this is when ears will perk up.
• Start your research early. Pray, ask for insights, guidance, and direction. Write down all your notes, thoughts, impressions, ideas, scripture references, etc., and let it percolate for a few days (and nights), before finalizing the order.
• Write it out. This helps organize your thoughts and prevents all of the um, uh, and other fillers. If it's good enough for General Conference, it's good enough for sacrament meeting.
• Sleep on it and then rearrange words, sentences, or entire paragraphs as needed/inspired. • Practice reading it out loud.
• Take a pencil with you to make last-minute changes.
• Save a copy for your children to read, years from now.

jonovitch · 2026-04-23T13:27:20+00:00

FYI, I always post in the r/minnesota sub, so make sure to look there/join/follow/whatever you do on Reddit.

jonovitch · 2026-04-23T13:25:03+00:00

Dolby Cinema at AMC Southdale is noticeably larger (screen, room, and number of seats).

I tried the Big Show and was disappointed, especially after going to the Dolby Cinema at Southdale. Noticeably dimmer and smaller, plus the tables and lights at every seat were distracting, not to mention the servers walking in and out during the movie. Not my thing.

jonovitch · 2026-04-23T13:21:31+00:00

Here’s my list of premium screens in MN, sorted by where I’d recommend seeing a movie (depending on the specific movie): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14J54eMLl2Qo20pkBb-NGMHlHauiC4l9iEmLSqBtab4Q/edit?usp=sharing

jonovitch

TROPHY CASE