My lucky break

About a week ago I was driving downtown to pick up Cassie from City College and I was reaching down to pick up my phone when I rammed into the back of the car in front of me! I thought more cars were going to make it through the next signal and apparently they did not. Of course the real problem was me reaching for my phone. I motioned for the driver to pull on to the shoulder so we could safely check out the damage.
I jumped out of the car and asked the young woman if she was okay. She said she was shaken, but okay and asked me how I was. The next thing I know we are hugging right there across from the Shell Station on 10th! Then we turned to look at the cars. My license plate was bent back about half way down but that was the extent of it. Her bumper looked fine! It had a couple of small scratches off to the side but she said she was sure they had been there all ready! I couldn’t believe my luck! I hit her pretty hard. I offered a few times to give her my info in case her neck or back started hurting, but she assured me she was fine. I think I might have hugged her again mostly relieved that she was okay but so grateful that she was so reasonable and sweet about it. I couldn’t wait to tell Cassie! As I drove off I couldn’t help but wonder what the people at the Shell station thought when they saw me hit the car then saw us hugging!
Cassie and went to get some lunch, then went to a “random act of kindness” put on by my favorite radio station. Guess who won tickets to Street Scene? That’s right, me.
A few days later Carly had a similar experience. She rolled into a car at the signal by her home and scratched the cars bumper. The driver and his wife were not so nice. The next day the man told her that their “necks were not hurting so they weren’t going to go THAT route”. Carly is still waiting the outcome of the dealerships findings on the car.
Not everyone can be so lucky.

Cinevegas 08

Cinevegas
I worked the Cinevegas Film festival this year! After meeting Goudge at Sundance this year, I knew I wanted to work other festivals like he does, and Cinevegas was a good one to start with! I talked my sister Joanie, Director of Durango Independent film fest, into working it also and we survived the 10 day festival pretty well! We got to see a few good movies and got into a bunch of parties at cool places as well. I saw a few docs that I really liked and a few good features and we even caught one of the shorts programs.

My pick for best of the fest would have to be Explicit Ills, directed/written by Mark Webber. I fell for this movie hook, line and sinker even though I didnt want to! It stared Rosario Dawson and Lou Taylor Pucci (the kid in Thumbsucker) and other great actors, especially the 8year old kid who played Rosarios son...anyway I loved it, even though it had moments of total predictability. The opening night film was also really good, The Rocker, starring Rainn Wilson, (aka Dwight- from the Office) This movie has distribution and so go see it! It's hilarious...Rainn totally rocks! He was so funny and came in costume to introduce the film, which showed in 3 theatres and he went into each one to welcome everyone and introduce the movie. Later that night he came to the opening party at Moon, on the 53rd floor of the Palms and danced with everyone and was totally cool talking to people and even rubbed up against my sister Joanie on the dance floor!! I hi-fived him once but kept my distance!
Other noteworthy movies were the docs. Hi My Name is Ryan was great, about a cherub of a teenager who decides to accept his life situation and make the most of it, no matter who he offends in the process. He decides to make everyday awesome, which is something we can all choose to do. He just goes about with different performance bands and acts.
Women in Boxes was interesting doc about the women assistants of magicians. Mostly about the older magicians but I found it very entertaining and a great Vegas pick!
The doc about the making of the Cirque show "Beatles Love", called All Together Now, was really good. I loved this "making of" movie because it chronicled the whole story from George and Cirque de Soleil's creater who were friends who first thought of the idea of a Beatles Cirque, to the opening night. Great peeks into what looks to be a true Love story of a show! Now I just have to go see it!
One of the special events was an outdoor drive in movie on Freemont St with a screening of the 1954 movie THEM! You remember this one, giant ants in New mexico due to all the nuclear testing....? I really liked it!
Other docs, Lost in the Fog, The End, Chelsea on the Rocks....we saw a few other narrative features but nothing worth mentioning...except for the one Happy Birthday, Harris Malden, by the cute Sweaty Robot guys. These 5 were adorable and sooo nice! The older ladies were all over them! especially Juan!
I did see Viggo Mortensen, up close and he kindof smiled at me and gave me a nod! Ian said I was grinning and blushing for about 10 minutes after, but I cant be sure. Yes, Aragorn gave me a nod! Sam Rockwell did a panel aslo, Joanie ushered that and I guess he's as spacey as he looks. I saw his movie Choke at Sundance and hated it, so didnt really care about seeing it or him actually. Anjelica Houston who plays his mother in Choke also did a panel. She looks fabulous and is well guarded. She really looks great.

Parties? Oh yes, there are lots of them. Being a non-drinker I am not all over the parties, but...they were at some pretty cool clubs! Tao, Moon, Rain, The Palazzo, The pool at Palms Place, Revolution Lounge...we even saw Brittany at the Palms Place party! That was also one of the few with food! All the returning volunteers said last year the food was better! The party at the club Rain made me feel like i was at Disneyland..and R rated Disneyland....I have never seen so many big boobs, and dancing girls in bikinis, or beautiful people whos job it is to just stand around in a bathing suit! Is that really a job? All of the parties had beautiful girls, and some guys, standing around in bathing suits> We even saw a couple girls with these huge angels wings and they were stuck up on the wall and one beautiful girl in a huge champange glass with pasties on and she was just blowing kisses and smiling...she was adorable....it was very surreal.

The volunteers were great also! I made friends with a bunch of older ladies who kept me laughing....they were crazy fun! Joanie and I did our share of dancing at these parties! Yes, we danced, mostly with fellow volunteer Rodney who knew all the songs...we did some shopping, and had a good time meeting people and she knew a bunch of industry people! One guy she knew was there with a friend and I thought his friend looked familiar, then later I read his badge and he was Beastie Boy, Adam. I think he was hoping not to be recognized, because later, when I read his name, I realized who he was and said "I know you!", he just kindof shrugged it off. He had a film at Sundance a couple years ago...thats how I knew him. ANyway, Mr. Mitchell had a film that only screened once call The Black List, that I really wanted to see but was working. Elvis (Mr. Mitchell) seems nice and he moderated some of the panels as well. SO...it was a fun week and I really liked all the people I got to work with! Everyone was so nice and really liked the theatre manager Stephanie. She is great. Joanie and I would rather have not had "volunteer" badges, we got kicked out of a couple of happy hours...maybe next year we can have badges that say "Industry", or at least Joanie.

Kabobs Mom

Not only am I lucky enough to be a mom of 3 great kids, I am also Kabobs mom! Kabob is our 10 year old yellow lab retired guide dog who we raised as a puppy and got him back last June. We weren't told why he was being retired or really anything about his life as a guide dog, just that he was going to be retired as a working dog and we had first crack at getting him back. We had gotton back another one of the guides that we had raised, Gunnison, and he died last January and so we jumped at the chance to have Kabob. We also had 11 year old Joelle who was never a working guide dog, who helped "raise" kabob so we knew she would love to have him back. Joelle has shoulder problems, not major problems but enough to get her "Career Changed" so she spent her life in luxury on two big pillows in our house. She was the softest dog and also passed last August. It was a sweet reunion when we brought Kabob home and Joelle and him sniffed each other out and then jumped around on each other, well kabob jumped on her! We used to say that kabob was such a good puppy because Joelle helped raise him! Anyway, now we are left alone with Kabob...even the kids are either on their own (Carly) or in Idaho at school (Cassie & Nick). Clint and I would be really lonely with out kabob to trip over at night because he moves off his comfy pillow bed to lay right next to our bed 6 feet closerto us. He is not without his quirks....he doesn't know how to chew on a dog bone/rawhide or anything that would help clean his teeth. it's like he has never been given a chew toy. He simply doesn't know what to do with it! He also absolutely hates being outside. Now I know this is common amongst house dogs. But Kabob will try to go behind me at the door to make sure that I will go out with him, so he has a better chance of getting back in if I go out! One of these days he's gonna push me out the back door! He also has replaced me as his blind person. He makes sure that I can go to the laundry room, garage, bathroom, anytime I get up and move around the house he is there by my side, or under my feet to make sure I find it okay. I am getting used to it and sometimes when I tell him I'll be right back, or to stay, he trusts me and waits for me....kindof. Mostly he is just a constant, loving, adoring, dozing presense in our life. Now if we could just get him to brush his own teeth.