Back in Salt Lake

Well, it's over.  I have to say that I was ready for it to be over.  I had a good time, it was definitely an experience, and I may go back next year, but I was ready to get moving onto something else. The festival inspired me and humbled me.  I am looking forward to editing my films that I did in my class.  I sure hope the film comes back okay.  I keep wondering what it would be like to be standing up there in front of an auditorium full of people after they just watched my movie.  I think it would be pretty cool, man.  It can happen and I believe it will happen for me, someday in the near future.  

The snow started falling this morning and it snowed all day.  My nephew, Connor, came and picked me up and the journey down the canyon was rather scary.  At one point a truck with a trailer started to slip.  I was so amazed at the skill of the driver.  He was blocking all 3 lanes at one point and he managed to straighten up and pull over to the side without hitting anyone.  He was the facing the wrong way, but he was out of our way.   Connor and I couldn't get over the lack of accidents and what could have happened if the driver would have panicked.  I did say a prayer when we started out.  I'm sure God had something to do with our safety.  When we got home, we made my tortilla soup and ate together.  It was nice to watch the snow fall outside while we are all warm and safe in the house.  I had a nice evening.  

Hillary is flying in tomorrow and we are going to go skiing.  I will finish off the blog when I get home, just to bring it all full circle.  Thanks for reading, my friends.  I cherish you.  

Almost done

Wow, can you believe I'm almost done? Tomorrow is my last day of working. Kinda happy, kinda sad. It's definately been quite the ride. Today I went to a movie called, Arlen Faber. It had Jeff Daniels in it. He was an arthur of a book called, "God and Me". No one had ever met him or seen him. He was an angry recluse of a man and then life intervenes. It was a good movie. Light hearted and sweet. It kept my interest, but there were some things that didn't pay off. I'd see it again and recommend it to my friends, but it wasn't the best filmmaking. I talked to a girl who is going to a theological school and she said she wished they would have gone deeper with the God questions. I was just happy anything decent about God was said at all. I guess it's where your expectations lie. (I don't expect much from Hollywood, obviously).

After work I went to the Awards After Party. It was fun. I just wished I had someone to dance with. I could have gone out there and danced alone, but it's so much more fun to dance with others. The girl I was with wouldn't go out there with me. It's situations like that, that make me feel so much older than the others. Part of me wished I would have just said, "screw it" and hauled my big ass out there to boogie with the rest. I would have done that in the old days. Maybe next time....ya think? Oh, and everyone of the movies that won an award, I didn't see. Isn't that just funny? Not one single movie. Oh well, I guess I'll be hanging out at the Camelview for the next couple months seeing movies I missed while I was up here.

Anyway, we actually got some snow tonight. It is so pretty. The thing I like the best about snow is the sound the world makes after it's fallen. Sounds are muted, quiet, almost reverent. Hope this finds you all doing well, whatever the weather where you are. XXOO

It's Friday

Well, today was a good day. I woke up to snow, but it didn't last very long. My brother's girlfriend, Anna, came up and took me to lunch. We went to this Mexican restaurant that everyone loves. I've gone there 3 times since I've been here. It's very unassuming. Kinda like Carolinas, for those who know what that is. Work was pretty uneventful except for a couple things, which I'm going to tell you about.

How the tickets work, here at Sundance, is that you can buy a hard ticket and go right into the theater or you can stand in a wait list line. We give out numbers to the wait list line until 15 minutes before the film starts. If there are seats left after the ticket holders arrive, then we start to sell tickets to the wait list. One of the films was VERY popular today, it was called "Adam". It's about an audistic boy who travels abroad, with his family, to find a cure. Well, the film started at 5:30 p.m. and this woman showed up at 5:40 and wanted to get in. I was told not to let anyone in the door, so I told her she couldn't go up. She started yelling and saying her daughter saved her a seat and that she had a good excuse. The funny thing about it was that it didn't matter. There was nowhere for her to sit. Any empty chairs were filled by waitlisters. She just wouldn't have it. She kept yelling, we had a couple supervisors talking to her and she kept trying to convince us to let her up. At one point she lied and said she wanted to go into the bathroom, but the supervisor called her on it and said, "no, because you'll just run up to the theater." Oh, she got really mad at that because she got caught. Anyway, it was tense but kinda entertaining.

The other thing is that I met the guy that was in "Burn After Reading". Well, I didn't really meet him, I should say I saw him. His name was David Rasche. I also saw some guy from "In Living Color" which I wouldn't have known if someone hadn't told me who he was. I'm going on main street tomorrow for a crew party, so maybe I'll catch some more. I'll let you know.

I didn't fall coming home tonight. I was SUPER careful. I'll be back tomorrow!

Owww

Hey all my loyal followers, those named and unnamed! I hope you are all doing well. I am doing much better tonight. Yesterday, I wasn't feeling really well and took the night off. It was the best thing I could have done. I slept about 11 hours and feel SO much better! Work was good. Nothing real special except that we had a "locals only" showing. It is a movie showing that is only for the residents of Summit County. (That's where Park City is). It was after my shift was over so I got to see the movie. It was called, "Amreeka". It was pretty good. The movie was about a Palestian woman and her son. They come to America right when the war with Iraq started. It just showed some of the prejudice toward them and how it was hard for her to get a job. They did it with humor, so it wasn't real deep or disturbing. It definately isn't something I would recommend to someone or that I would watch again, but it was entertaining. On the way home I caught the bus. It was So perfect because it was right outside my theater and it went all the way to my condo. That never happens. I always have to transfer. I get off the bus all happy. I'm talking on the phone with Lance and then I slip. Down on my knee. OWW! I lose Lance and a white van stops to see if I'm alright. I assure them I am and struggle to get up. I don't get to my door without falling an two more times. OWWW! The thing is, I was expecting the second two times, so they weren't as tramatic. I hope I'm able to get out of bed in the morning. Did I tell you it hurt? : )

Anyway, that's about it for me. My Hannah is not feeling well and that makes it very hard for me to be away from her. I thank God that I have such a great husband who is willing to take care of things while I'm away. I definitely have nothing to worry about. I just wish I could give her a big hug. Oh, as a side note, I was talking to her today and she said, "Oh, Mom, where are you anyway?" It took her a week to notice I was gone? (shaking my head) that kid.

More tomorrow!

Oh, P.S. the reason I was falling so much is because it rained today and then it froze over. I thought it was just wet, but no, no, no, it was ice! OWWW! : )

Cold Souls

I got up this morning and went to a movie called, "Cold Souls". It was about a new technology that can extract your soul so you don't have to "feel" anything. It was really an interesting premise and a good story. I'm sure there is a lot of symbolism that I missed out on. Maybe I can catch it the next time I see it, like when it comes out on DVD. I met a nice woman in line and we sat together. She was from Santa Barbara, I think, and has a second home up here in Park City. Wouldn't that be nice? I took the night off from work because I am not feeling very well. I I'm having a hard time breatheing just feel over all tired. I'm thinking the midnight shift is just not good for me. My body can't handle it. I start a 1pm to 8pm shift tomorrow. That should be much better for me. I am hoping I wake up feeling refreshed and anew.

Just something for you all to think about. In the Q & A after the Jim Carrey movie, "Phillip Morris, I love you!", Jim said something very profound. "Beware of the unloved". I didn't think anything about it at the time, but after talking to the lady today, I realized what a profound statement that is. The things people do to get noticed and to get love. Think about it a minute and see if anyone you know comes to mind. Someone actually jumped to my mind, immediately. Anyway, any thoughts? I'd love to hear them. Off to bed I go! Good night!

Ho Hum

I'm writing you from the tent at the library where I work. This late night shift is really hard on me. I'm so glad I only have one more day of it. I went to a movie this morning at the Temple theater which is at the new Jewish Temple, here in Park City. It is a beautiful building. I met some people in line and we chatted about the documentary I'm doing. The guy was an R.N. and wanted to give me some info about military bases by his house. He was really interested in the subject of EMDR and wanted to help in any way he could. I thought that was cool. The movie was called, Dirt! the Movie. It was all about Dirt and how we are destroying it and how it affects the environment as well as our food and our water. It was really interesting. They used animation and some really great interviews. It was educational. They did the whole, we came from ooze thing, but, I overlooked that part. If you have a chance and are interested you can check out their website at Dirtthemovie.com. After the movie I caught the buses home, ate lunch and went to bed. The shift has been grueling. There are not a lot of people out seeing movies today and it's really boring. I can't wait until I'm all cozy in my bed. Well, I better sign off before I start complaining and not rejoicing about this great opportunity. Hope this finds all of you doing well.

Oh, boy, whatta day

Woke up this morning and went to a movie called, "Phillip Morris, I love you!" with my friend, Shelley. She had a ticket for me so I didn't have to stand in the volunteer line. We got a starbucks and went to the movie. It was really good, but probably not for most of you reading this blog. It's about 2 men who fall in love in prision. The great thing about the movie was the basic plot. The guy who falls in love with Phillip Morris, Jim Carrey, is a con artist. He does some amazing things in the movie and they are all true. In the Q and A after the film, yes, Jim Carrey was there and so was Ewan McGregor with the director, someone asked if they had to invent some of the crazy things that happened and they said, "no, the crazy things were true, we had to invent some of the mundane stuff to fills in the blanks." It's a true story and very entertaining. After the movie we went to lunch and then I went home. Victor and Blythe came up and took me to dinner before my shift. My hours changed to 7 pm to 2 am. Not my kind of shift. I'm very sleepy. Anyway, going to try and hit some movies tomorrow. I figure everyone will be watching the inauguration so I should be able to get into movies easily. They are setting T.V. screens up all over town. Even outside on Main street. Well, that's about it for today. Going nighty, night.

An ordinary day

Hi all my faithful readers! The cardinals won and are going to the Super Bowl! Yeaaaaaaaa! Go, Fight, Win! Very exciting! Yippee! Okay, now that I've gotten that out of my system. Today was pretty ordinary. The weather was cold, so I wore 4 layers including my coat. I had 2 outside shifts so I was glad I dressed warm. I went to one movie called, "The yes men". It was something else. I can't even explain it. Google it and read it for yourself. Very liberal, very left. I didn't know what to think about it. I tried to get into the Robin Williams movie called, "Good Dad" or something like that, but it was Crazy! Press and people were outside in droves. One guy had a paper bag on his head that said, "need ticket". I could have waited for 4 hours to get a volunteer ticket, but I wasn't willing to. Robin Williams was expected to be there. That's probably why everyone was going crazy. Besides that, nothing much interesting happened. I got myself a soda and rode the bus home. I got a DVD from the front office to watch. Ummmm, "Good Luck, Chuck". I'll probably regret it, but it was something I hadn't seen. I'm going to put on a fire and enjoy myself. I'm the only one here for now. Not sure when my room mates are coming home. Fine with me! I'll have more to say tomorrow. My brother and girlfriend are coming up and my friend Shelley and I are going to a movie in the morning. Until tomorrow. Peace out!

Finally caught a movie

Well, thank-you to all of you that have registered. It's nice to know that I have 7 friends. Your the bomb! Today was a really fun day. I met my first star that I actually knew who he was. I was handing out tickets in the tent when I bumped into some man. I looked up and him and instantly recognized him. At first I thought he was my daughters friend, but after a second I realized it was the guy from Criminal Minds. Dr. Reid, the genius, kind of nerdy guy. When he came around through the line I touched him on the arm and told him I thought he was awesome. He said, "Thank-you so much! I just love that scarf you are wearing!" I'll tell you, I have gotten more compliments on that scarf, it's so funny! I really enjoyed seeing him. He is my favorite person on the show and he was really nice to me. I was excited!

During one of the movies, we had a mob situation as the cast and crew were being led out of the theater. I wasn't there, but the chatter on the radio was CRAZY! I'm a little nervous for when I'm in the middle of it all, but I guess I'll handle it. It's just so weird to be in the middle of situations I've only seen on T.V.

After work, a co-worker and I caught the bus and went to a premier movie called, "The Greatest". It starred Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandan and a bunch of others. The writer/director was a woman and this was her first film. It was a good film. I bet we hear more about it after the festival. I cried and laughed. The music was good too. Anyway, after the movie, they all came up for a Q and A. Yes, Pierce, Susan, all the other actors, the director, the composor. It was fun, fun, fun!

After the movie, I caught the wrong bus and ended up riding all over the city without finding my stop. I ended up where I started, got back on the right bus and finally got home. All my room mates were gone so I have the house to myself. I was kinda glad because I wanted to eat my dinner and go to bed.

The temperature hasn't been bad the last couple days, but tonight I could feel it dropping. It's still not snowing, so I am grateful. Thanks for reading my adventures. It's fun having people to share this experience with. More tomorrow!

First day on the job

Hi all! Well, I'm sitting here in the middle of Main Street, Park City, writing in my blog. I had an eventful day, today. I started my job at 7:00 a.m. I was worried about walking so far, but it wasn't that bad. I was talking to Hillary on the phone, so it took my mind off the burning in my legs. I figure I'll be in great shape by the time I get home. All these hills and all this walking. I was stationed outside for my first shift and it was really fun! I got to meet and direct everyone to where they should go. I met a bunch of filmmakers, directors, producers, etc. I didn't know anyone, but it was fun to talk to people who are suceeding in something I'm so interested in. I congratulated one of the directors and she hugged me. It was really cute. I talked to some other people from Chicago, Massachuttes (?), and a bunch of other places. The second shift was inside the "Wait List" tent. It was such my thing. Making announcements, organizing people, calming people down. I think that's my favorite place. Everything went well and I even got off early. One of the volunteers asked me if I met some guy named Randall Simmons. I said, "Richard Simmons?" and he said, "No! Randall Simmons! Don't you know Randall Simmons?" No, I don't know who he is. I guess he's some rapper guy and very wealthy. His wife has a reality T.V. show and they are some big deal. I spoke to him, but didn't know who he was. My brother told me that would happen. He said I would be the best person to escort the entourage to their seats because I wouldn't know who I was escorting. I guess he was right!

I thought I would be going to some movies after work, but I got a call from my nephew and he was in Park City doing interviews with filmmakers for his radio station. (he is interning for a radio station). I caught the bus and walked up yet another hill, and hung out with him at the Harley Davidson store where they were doing their interviewing. I got to sit in on the interviews and talk to the filmmakers. It was really fun! I got to sit in with the radio personalities as they interviewed them. During one of the breaks, I looked out the window to watch the people walking on the street. There was a guy with a great big camera filming some lady. He finished with her and saw me sticking my head out the third floor window. I am wearing my purple shirt with my fuzzy purple scarf, I guess I was kinda hard to miss. He pointed his big camera my way and started filming. He waved at me, so I started waving and smiling at him. He just kept filming. I was getting embarrassed after a minute and I gave him the "hang loose" sign. A bunch of people on the street were looking up at me and laughing. It was fun. A little embarrassing, but fun. Connor and I walked down to the local coffee place and got a coffee. The streets were really starting to fill up. I tried to cross an alleyway and nearly got hit by a van, a truck and some tall people who were apparently looking over my head and didn't see me. Pretty funny! I tried to get into a movie, but I didn't make it in time. All the volunteer tickets were taken, so I thought I'd try the wait list. I don't think I'm going to get in, so I'll try again tomorrow.

This is a fun place! I'm so excited to be here. Lots of creative energy and lots of global thinking. Sitting in those interviews were very enlightening. I realized that I am very small in this great, big world. I just hope that maybe I can make a difference in my little corner of it. Love to all!

The calm before the storm

Hey! why is everyone saying they are reading my blog but I only have 1 follower listed. I would love to see who is all visiting my blog. If you have a minute, could you please add yourself? I feel so LOONELY!

So! things are going good. The party was really nice. It was HUGE! They had all kinds of food set up all over the place. It was 2 levels and lots of people. It's was really crowded. The music was loud and there was an open bar. I walked up with my roomates and we ate and drank. I lost everyone about an hour into the party and went outside to call my family. I guess I'm just not one for crowded parties with loud music. I hate not being able to talk to people and hear what they are saying without screaming their brains out. I decided to walk back to the condo by myself but then I forgot where I lived. Yeah, I know, shut-up. Anyway, the volunteers at the party were very helpful. They found out where I lived and then one of them walked me to the parking lot and pointed me in the right direction. It was a nice walk. It's really not that cold, I hope it stays that way throughout my visit.

Today, is the 14th, and we went shopping for food, came home, ate pizza and made a fire. I make a bitchin' fire, if I may say so myself. Tonight I am going to a movie. It's called, "Prom Night in Mississippi". I'll let you know what I think of it. Tomorrow, I start my first shift at 7:00 a.m. I'm very excited, although a little nervous. Thanks for reading my blog and being interested. I'm thinking things should start getting more interesting now that the movies are starting. stay tuned!

Checkin' into my Condo

I'm sitting here in a beautiful condo at the base of Park City Mountain. I can see the snow boarders doing their flips from the front of the building. It's so beautiful!

I did some more training and found my way to my condo. I have 4 roomates. Mara, Lex, Marie France and Victoria. I share my room with Marie France, we have the loft. It's so cozy and warm up there. Marie France is from Montreal, Canada and Mara is from England. I met someone on the bus who is from Argentina. She is living in Park City to learn English so she can go home and teach English as a second language. Lots of cool people, I'm so excited to meet more of them.

I am on my way to the volunteer party across the way. The other girls are almost ready, so I gotta go, I will write more tomorrow. I start watching movies tomorrow night. Woohoo!

p.s. we are watching American Idol. Funny, we are at Sundance Film Festival watching American Idol on T.V. : )

My first day in Utah

Hi!  Well, I'm here and it's COLD!  Everyone here said it was a nice day, but my blood is Arizona thin and my body said it is COLD!  The mountains are beautiful as usual and the people in Park City are wonderful.  I don't know why I even thought about what I'd wear, everyone here is so laid back and rustic.  I SO belong here.  Anyway, to my day.  

My friend, Marilee, picked me up from the airport and we spent the morning together, talking, talking and talking.  (I know, hard to believe)  Then my brother took me on a dangerous and thrilling ride up the mountain pass to Park City.  (If any of you think I'm scary to ride, stay away from my brother's car).  We made it safe and sound, thank God, and I proceeded with the check-in.  I got my coat and my materials and then we went to a fun Mexican restaurant for dinner before my first training.  Victor was kind enough to hang out with me and he got educated with me.  My venue is in an old Library.  It's old and beautiful.  The theater is big and a good size.  The training went well except for the time my brother raised his hand and asked if we could have fun, spy sounding names when we use our walkie talkies.  (He didn't actually get the chance to ask because I stopped him before they noticed his hand was raised) whew.  All the people seem nice and fun to work with.  I check into my housing tonight, then I'm off to the volunteer kick-off party and volunteer screenings.  I'm going to be seeing ALOT of movies in the next 2 weeks, so I'll let you know what's good and what's not.  Hope this finds everyone doing well.  More later!   

The night before I leave

Hi all! Thanks for checking out my Sundance Blog. I've never blogged before, so this is going to be an experience, just like going to Sundance. I will try and write everyday, if not a couple times a day. Depends on when I find computers and when I have the time. I will tell you all the celebrities I meet and see. Unfortunatley, I'm not real good with names. I may be saying things likes, "the cute lady in The Dark Knight" or "the silly guy in Step Brothers". I'll try my best to get names, but I'm warning you, I probably won't know most of them. I'll keep you posted on the parties and events I get to go to and I'll let you know where I'm staying. I don't actually start doing my job until Friday. I start at 7:00 A.M. Woohoo! Please let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you, all. Thanks for being interested in my adventure and I'll keep you posted! Michelle.