I tend to get motion sickness. Well, perhaps “tend” is not the correct way to explain. The sentence needs no auxiliary verb; I get motion sickness. I mean, a person who cannot play “Rainbow Road” on Mario Kart 64 without getting nauseous does not just “tend” to motion sickness.

The first time I became aware of my weakness was on a sixth grade trip to the Science Museum’s Omnitheatre. Before you get all excited and start imagining embarrassing stories in the grain of “I vomited on the cutest boy in school” or “people called me ‘Upchuck’ until senior year,” I am going to stop you. I did not throw up that day because I learned a very important trick: close your eyes tightly, hang onto the arm rests and the waves of nausea will pass. This trick is imperative for me because during that somewhat uncomfortable day, I also learned that I love movies at the Omnitheatre.

There is just something about being completely surrounded by the action of the movie that enthralls me, in addition to upsetting my stomach. The 60-ton, 9-story tall, 89-foot wide screen captivates me. There is definitely a struggle when I need to pull my eyes away to save my stomach.

As much as I love movies at the Omnitheatre, I do not think I could bring myself to sit through five films in row. My powers of stomach-control would probably be undermined by the sheer grandness of five Omnitheatre films.

But if your biological composition is tougher than mine, you should check out Omnifest, the film festival running from March 6 to April 12 at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul.

Usually the Science Museum shows only one movie at a time, but during Omnifest five films will be shown in daily rotation. The first costs $7.50 for adults and $6.50 for children and seniors. If you go to a second, third, fourth or fifth that same day, the tickets will be 15 percent less.

During the weeks of the festival, the museum will be open extended hours: Monday-Friday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Exhibits will also be open during these times.

Perhaps I’ll venture to one or two. Maybe I could even handle three if I give myself time to recover in between. The opportunity is too good to pass up, even for the weak of stomach.

The movies being shown are as follows:
Super Speedway: Featuring footage shot by Mario Andretti, this film transports viewers to the cockpit of racecar traveling at 230 mph.

Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West: Join Merriweather Lewis, William Clark and their crew as they travel across the untamed west.

Adventures in Wild California: This film explores all the natural wonders California has to offer, from the tallest mountain to the deepest valley to the world’s biggest kelp forest.

Mysteries of the Great Lakes: Viewers will get to know the great lakes of the United States through this film, which explores the lakes’ beautiful views, unique wildlife and shipwrecks.

Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk. In this film, viewers will be taken white water rafting down the Colorado River.