Here we go

Every year our family writes a Christmas card that is then scattered across the United States via US Postal service.  Within the envelope is not only a picture {or many} from the year but also a note, an update.  It highlights the big accomplishments and the everyday activities.  No we don’t talk about what we eat or our brand of dish soap, but the soccer practices, volleyball games, and dance classes.  This year I felt as if I had nothing to write.  I felt as if I did nothing that could be considered noteworthy.

 

The truth…I did.  I did many things that in my warped view of thinking are not important.  In others views, they are exciting, growth, and things to celebrate.  But the thing about these activities is that each has a story attached to it.  We don’t do because we have too.  I mean, I guess we could, but hopefully we don’t add things to our lives because we have too.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t make sacrifices in doing things for others or that we don’t have activities that we do because it’s our responsibility and our duty.  I’m saying that life should not be lived as a string of responsibilities that flow into a single string of mundane.  Life should be lived with a proper sense of accomplishment, celebration, and joy.  Even in the sorrow and the darkness, there is cause for celebration and an unspeakable joy can be found.

Today was a day where I found delight and joy.  It wasn’t because things went my way, or I hung out with my friends all day.  I did fairly ordinary things for a 22 year old of normal US life.  I woke up later than I ever planned to, which usually makes me annoyed.   But today, I woke up and I was next to my dear friend with the Rose Parade making sounds from the living room TV.  In pajamas we went to the living room and had homemade cinnamon rolls and Momma made us lattes.  This is tradition, the parade on New Year’s morning, cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate.  I’ve graduated from hot chocolate, but it depends on the morning.

We lounged around, talking and laughing.  The parade led into the outdoor hockey game and we let it be.  There was more movement, clothes put on, faces washed, tidying of beds, and blankets.  My brother came home with a friend, and mine left.  But before she did we spent time talking about work and life, venting and talking as one topic transitioned into the next.  Before long the time had slipped away and we were still standing in the street.

There was searching for the football game and finally streaming it.  There was a spread of leftovers from the party last night.  In between all the activity errands were run, simple house chores were done, and the day crept on.  I’m not a football watcher, but for some reason I wanted to watch today.  It was enjoyable to me.

Before the game was done we headed off to the movies for our New Year’s tradition.  We watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  It was better than I expected and I think I sat on travel bugs because I got bit.

During the day we hadn’t prepped for the night, so dinner was take out burritos from our favorite place.  There was conversation around the table and a little interrogation of our guest.  It was followed by goodbyes, the clearing of plates, and curling up on the couch with a new book from Christmas. 

This day, it didn’t go as a planned.  But really, I couldn’t have planned the little details.  I was surprised, delighted, and yes there were even moments of annoyance.  It was a good day for a new year.  This New Year it’s like the ones before; fresh, crisp, ready.  So here we go.

Isolated {the film}

On Wednesday I went on a mini road trip down to Santa Barbara.  We {brother, cousin, roommate, and friend} zipped down, did dinner and a movie, hit up an after party and then zipped back.  My cousin Geoff is a movie producer and we went to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival to see his film, Isolated.  This film is one that he’s been working on for about 5 years.  It was so exciting to be able to watch the finished product and know how hard he had worked on it.

 

The premise of the movie is a surf documentary, but the pro surfers end up discovering that they have been placed in a position to share the story and voice of a people.  How thankful I am that we have the freedom of speech in the United States.  I am not going to debate or argue with someone who questions what having the freedom of speech entails.  I will say that I am incredible blessed to not live in fear of what I might say my put me to death.  It’s a hard thing to think about.

I don’t know what the next avenue for this film is, but if you get the chance I would highly recommend it.  Check out the website for more information about the film and to learn more about giving a voice to the people of West Papua. Please consider “taking action” and becoming an Ambassador for Peace.

 

TFF {Torino Film Festival}

I feel like a broken record when I talk about Torino, cars, movies…oh and coffee. Yep, that is what this city seems to be built on. Well I guess that’s not true as it was built on Roman ruins, but you know what I mean, right?
So this week is the Torino film festival. I spent Sunday watching 4 films. In a row. Yeah, it was kind of a lot. I am a saver, so I wanted to get my money’s worth and the best way to do that was to get a day pass and watch a lot of films in one day.
The first was an American film but one that I probably wouldn’t watch at home and it was entertaining. It also helped that it was 9 am and I didn’t have to read subtitles. Sorry Italian viewers {otherwise known as everyone else in the audience}. So after watching Win Win, I was one for 4.
The next film was the one that I planned my day around. It was intriguing to me. It is called 17 girls (17 filles) and is about the pact that a group of girls made in 2008 to get pregnant at the same time. I spent a whole school year doing a report in 2007 on unplanned pregnancy and I have a huge heart for adoption, single moms and most of all babies. There is a lot of controversy surrounding these events that took place, and there was some strong opinions voiced when the French film makers announced their project. The film did a good job of telling the story and showing the different viewpoints of the people involved without saying if there was a correct path or view point. I was now 2 for 4. {I did a little bit of research and found some news articles about the actual events. Authorities could not actually state that there was an official “pact”, as was portrayed in the movie.}
After this we {I went with my friend Megan, who had to go to the festival for class} watched two short films that were paired together. The first, I’m going to be honest was not my favorite. It was a documentary that seemed to stray from a plot or storyline. It seemed like the director didn’t have enough material so the scenes were long. From an artistic standpoint it was done beautifully. From an entertainment standpoint there are many things that they could have done better. The inspiration behind the film was from the stories that the producer heard from his Italian grandfather. The grandson wanted to preserve these memories and lives in NY {which I could tell from how he spoke Italian}. The director and the producer were both in the audience which was neat. I would have to say I was 2 for 4 still.
The director was also in the audience for the last film which was a documentary. It was done in an interesting way, but told the story well. The plot and the end goal of the movie were not apparent until the middle of the film. It was the story of the immigrants to Italy from Libya. This is a story that does not get told often, and it was fascinating. There was every view represented, the compassionate, the hardened hearted, the people caught between wanting to help and not being able to and the immigrants themselves. It stirred my passion for people. 3 for 4.

That seems like a good record to me, for not knowing what I was getting myself into! It made me want to be lazy for the rest of the day, but I was good and got some work done.
The festival goes the rest of this week until next Sunday. School has picked up, so I don’t think I will be able to go to another showing. Have you seen any good ‘films’ lately?

Round 2

There were so many things going through my head today that I thought about writing. I’ve decided on the request of my dear momma that I will try my best to explain some of the displays in the cinema museum. You are going to have to work with me here. So turn on your imagination. {Imaginations are one of my favorite things that God created.} And don’t get upset if you see this in person some day and my words and your imagination led you astray!

...
When you walk into the museum you walk through a red velvet curtain. The first displays had low lighting for a) effect, because darkness makes things more dramatic b) to preserve all the old equipment and prints/artifacts c) light is the basis of film and projecting images. After getting to the end of these displays you watch one of the first moving pictures and then walk through more red curtains to a glass elevator. {All the elevators are glass which is weird and cool because it’s willie-wonka-charlie-&-the-chocolate-factory-isk}
We went up two floors and there are the displays with clips of movie set with that type of scene. The first was focused on Offices and had a big desk set 1950’s style with phone, pens and Kelly green ascents. The walls were covered in black and white framed photos of movie sets and casts. The screen is in the back.
The next cubby had movie theater red bucket seats reflecting of mirrors and the screen is on the ground projecting scenes from movies in movie theaters. Next we come to boxes from movie crews and random props and there are clips about the importance of location of a movie. The last scenes are of famous actresses, the oldies. It has a giant pair of high heels, giant champagne bottle and glasses. There is a giant hairbrush and boas cover the area.
Walking around the corner there is multiple clips from a made up scene that show how editing works and sounds and special effects like flying. After this you have to walk back through the special effects hall to get to the stair so go down a level. These stairs lead to the center of the entire building which is a really large movie theater. Do a 360 with me…
Look up and see a winding staircase around the entire room. It slowly elevates you up into the column of the building. Along the trail are movie posters and stills from scenes of Robert Altman movies. In the middle of the room you see cables hanging from the ceiling, this carries one of those glass elevators up to the top of the mole. {clarification: the building is called the mole pronounced mole-a. the building houses the cinema museum}
Go down the staircase and look straight into what looks like a living room playing scenes from movies that are family/inspirational movies. Look right and see a door that if you walk through and look right you will be standing in an old western bar watching the good ol’ western clips. Keep walking and you will end up in a mirrored room that shows clips from “self reflection speeches”, you know those inspirational pep talks they do in movies where the character says a monologue to themselves in the mirror in 3rd person. Keep going and you will see some sci fi clips and clouds and toilets as seats. You will think it’s really odd and want to get out of there as soon as possible. You realize the way you exit is through a giant refrigerator door with all kinds of odd food sitting in the door compartment. {I am not making this up! Told you that you had to think ridiculous}
You decided to venture in the door to the right of the rather large refrigerator and find the land of cartoons. The world of Mickey Mouse, Looney Tunes and Disney princesses. Walk back out and look across the room at the bar in Torino showing scenes that were filmed in Torino. To the right of that is a huge statue that seems like it is from Egypt and came out of Indiana Jones. These clips are of foreign films. To the right is the horror films {If you are like me you skip this room} and the last room is love and death {I know great combination}. It boasts a large tomato red bed with a red and deep purple canopy and plush pillows. It plays clips from classic love stories with death scenes {it was little creepy because to watch the clips you have to lie on the bed…no thanks}.
You have now been around the entire cinema museum.

Thanks for taking the tour with your imagination! Let me know if you need clarification, I’m going off memory here!