It Must Be Love

My hair is blonde.  I came out of the womb that way.  But since birth, or some fifteen years thereafter, I would occasionally have to take the necessary steps to maintain my goldie-locks.  The process is expensive and time consuming, which is why I only do it a couple times a year.  

It was a chilly morning in the fall, some six or seven years ago, and I had arrived to work with freshly highlighted hues of gold throughout my long, blonde hair.  I was happy to be at work that day, despite spilling an energy drink all over myself in the car on the way there.  It will be okay, I will change my clothes when I get to work.  Shortly after I arrived, I was called into the office.  "There's a problem with her hair, she was supposed to be a brunette, but I think we can fix it."  

Fix it?? But I just had it fixed yesterday?? Then came out the spray paint.  Though it wasn't spray paint exactly, it did have that sort of effect.  I sat in my chair, and watched in horror as clouds of brown dye engulfed my head.  "Good enough."  I was worried to say the least.  But time is money and I had work to do.  I stepped onto the set, and the rest of the day was a blur.  

A week later, I called the agency to report that the brown dye still hadn't come out of my hair.  They felt terrible for the mix up and offered a handful of solutions. Whatever. No biggie... It wasn't a glamorous day in Hollywood, but it was a small step in the direction I wanted to go. 

A few weeks later, I had stumbled upon a different opportunity to play nameless nurse on the show Scrubs.  Each day I would show up and go straight to wardrobe.  I would decide between plain scrubs or ones with crazy patterns on them.  Oh, and lets not forget my stethoscope.  

Then I would go find my spot on a couch with the other extras and we would silently wait.  Five hours and five cream sodas later, it was time.  Time to walk down the hallway for 15 seconds.  Time to mime a conversation in the cafeteria.  Time to shine... if only in the background.  

Yesterday, as I held my place in the standby line to a sold-out screening of Austenland, I thought back to those 12 hour days on set.  I recalled how happy I was, just to be there.  And although, I never did utter a single word aloud on any of those shows back then,  the feeling I had experienced of sitting there waiting, was similar to that of falling in love with a boy who hasn't really noticed you yet... I was anxious and hopeful. 

I somehow managed to score three tickets to Austenland, so it was time to move to yet another long line.  The ticket holder line, that stretched for three blocks.  I walked to the very end and waited.  All the while, wearing a dopey grin on my face like I had a serious schoolyard crush.  Some people paced, sighed, fanned themselves and frequently glanced at their watches.  But all I could feel, were butterflies. 

This is how you know you're madly in love.  When all of the things that turn others away, are the very same things that bring happy tears to my eyes: the smell of popcorn from morning until midnight, the crowded theaters and standby lines to sold-out shows, wearing the same film festival t-shirt for three days in a row...

I've had a crush for a very long time, but after seeing three films yesterday that truly enriched my life, bonding with strangers over which films to see, erupting in applause as the credits roll and eating an oversized tub of popcorn, I can honestly say that I think it's starting to get really serious.  I'm ready to take the next step.  It must be love.  

Today: 

Mojito

1 oz light rum

muddle two lime wedges, 

three to four fresh mint leaves and

a splash of simple syrup

Add rum and shake. 

Splash of soda 

TCFF Q&A with Austenland DirectorJJ Fields 

and TCFF founder Michael Moore

One of the best films I have ever seen.

 

August Odds

Just a few days ago, I heard that a friend of a friend went to the local casino and struck it big.  He had gone by himself and played the penny slots no less.  Can you imagine? It would be a pretty insane feeling, to throw a few pennies in the slot and suddenly have the machine shake back and forth, declaring you the winner.  And although I am sure he had hoped for it, he probably never imagined that he would actually hit the jackpot that night.  What are the odds?

I pondered this as I walked down the street to the little French café in town.  It was my day off yesterday and I was excited to be able to spend time with my mom. 

Suddenly, when I emerged from the back alley to the main street, I found myself surrounded by a pretty serious crowd. I was in complete shock.  Like a school of fish, they flowed seamlessly around me and continued on their way. But who were all of these people? Where were they going?

Then, I looked over to the opposite side of the street and noticed a line of people that stretched over three blocks. I pointed myself in the direction that they faced and saw the Old State Theater surrounded by orange cones and over a dozen volunteers.   Were all these people going to the movies?  The sight of all these people supporting the Traverse City Film Festival actually brought tears to my eyes.

I’ve known about the Traverse City Film Festival for many years.  But since I am not a resident of Michigan and always come to visit around the fourth of July, I tend to miss the film fest that usually takes place toward the very end of July and the first week of August. 

I crossed the street to the French café where I was able to score a table outside on the patio, right next door to the State Theater.  While I was waiting for my mom to arrive, I noticed a T-shirt hanging for sale on the Film Festival’s merchandise stand: it was waving back and forth in the breeze like a flag at half mass.  When it settled down and lay flat against the others, I noticed something truly amazing.

The T-shirt had an image of an Airstream trailer on the front with the letters TCFF on the side.  And it was like the hand of God reached down from heaven and beckoned me to the Film Festival.  There is something you have to know about me in order to fully grasp the significance of this.  I am OBSESSED with two things: vintage Airstream trailers and Film.  And somehow, the film festival had designed a T-shirt that incorporated the two things I love so much.  Coincidence maybe?  I sat there in complete amazement.  And the pull I felt to join my people was stronger than it has ever been in my life.

Then things got really strange. 

I was flipping through the film festival program, when I noticed the image on the front had referenced The Wizard of Oz.  And then, a moment later, a shuttle bus pulled in front of the theater and I saw all the characters from Oz decaled on the side.

All the stars were aligning perfectly.  You see, last week I wrote about supporting young filmmakers in a post titled Walk of Fame/Walk of Shame.  And in that little essay, I would often reference the Wizard of Oz.  Even more of an odd coincidence, I referred to Traverse City as “a little gem” which happens to be the meaning behind the name of the brand new movie theater that was created in a restored building here in town, just near the bay. 

Now tell me, what are the odds of that? Was it subliminal? Or is this the universe telling me that the odds are actually stacking in my favor?  I may not have hit the jackpot yet, but something tells me that a penny and a wish have more possibility than ever before. 

I can’t be sure of what to make out of all these… signs. However there is one thing that I do know for certain: there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there is no place like home.  And oddly enough, I know I am almost home… I can just feel it. 

 

Today:

Cosmopolitan

2 oz Vodka

1/2 oz Cointreau

Splash of Cranberry

Splash of lime juice

shake and strain into a martini glass