The Missing Things

You know how sometimes you don't realize that something is missing in your life until you find it back in your life after a long absence? You know, that restaurant that kicks ass, but you forget all about it until a buddy takes you back? The friend that got lost in the last move and you run into him/her randomly and that friendship comes alive again?

Well, I found part of me that I have been missing for years this weekend. My friends' kids. Yup...the rugrats! Back in the day, many of my friends had kids and if I wanted to continue to be in my friends' lives (which as we all know I do!), I had to become child-friendly. Not that this was hard for me 'cause I really do love kids...but I made that transition to "Aunt Michelle" back in the day. When I left Salt Lake back in 2001, I bawled when saying goodbye to "my" kids 'cause I just couldn't imagine life without their moments of pure joy and love and all the other stuff. I moved to Cincy and then to DC and my friends in both locations really were childless. I forgot what that kid time gave to my life.

This weekend I went back to the land of Salt and rediscovered the pure joy. Oh, yes, there is crying and tantrums and all that drama, but the hug and kiss of a child is the rarest of joys...even though it happens all the time when you are around them. They love so easily. They share so freely. I am so grateful for my friends who allow me to have these moments with their children...I truly do cherish them. And if my readers haven't spent time with a child recently, get thee to one! It reaffirms life on a level that is inexplicable.

On a totally unrelated note (other than this thought hit me this weekend on my trip as well)...I love nature! The drive between my house and Salt Lake City is pretty much uninhabited land...desert, mountains, cliffs, rivers, streams, etc. I thought the drive would be mundane and boring (didn't think the Utah desert held much excitement!). Not so. The vistas are amazing. The wonders of nature unfold before you with every turn or ascent. I drove through canyons, mountains, deserts, valleys... I now remember why I love road trips....they are beautiful.

I am amazed at how philosophical I am tonight, but I really did find joy this weekend and I haven't had that in a bit. Thank you to all of my Salt Lake friends (and children) that gave me this respite from the real world. (y'all will get to "meet" some of "my" kids once I get a few pics from my friends...adorable!)

Vail (not Sundance) Film Festival

This was posted on my other blog last week...sorry I am behind on "reposting" to this blog. Here is it...albeit late!

Everyone has heard of the Sundance Film Festival or the Cannes Film Festival. And movie buffs and entertainment news followers have heard of Toronto and TriBeCa film festivals. But who in their right minds has heard of the Vail Film Festival. Yeah, no one, I know. But us locals...well, that's what we've got, so we go. Actually, I do feel fortunate to have a film festival in such a small community, so I plunked down my $50 and bought a pass.

Here are some of the movies I saw (the movie titles are links to webpages about the films)...

Snow Cake: Sigourney Weaver does an amazing job as an autistic mother. Quirky film, but worth a watch. Some moments were just laugh-out-loud funny. My favorite line is

Linda Freeman: Have you ever had an orgasm, Alex?
Alex Hughes: It has been known.
Linda Freeman: It sounds like an inferior version of what I feel when I have a mouthful of snow.
[Shoves some into her mouth]

West Bank Story: Oscar winning live action short...great mix of spoofing of West Side Story and the political situation in the Middle East.

Eramos Pocos: cute short that has the last minute plot twist...worth seeing. This was up for the Oscar. The above link is to YouTube, but it isn't subtitled, so if you know Spanish, watch it!

When Adnan Comes Home: gut wrenching to watch, but very good subject matter. It really makes you think about how humans judge each other based on our own values and social mores...never seeing what the other's values and mores are. I was able to see another's life and situation...one so very foreign to my own. That is one of biggest reasons I watch movies...to be in someone else's shoes and see life from another perspective.

I really had a great time spending my weekend in a movie theatre...even if some of the movies I saw were utter crap...that's what I love about festivals...you can see crap and amazing film all in one day...and you can see stuff you never would think to see in a mainstream theater or on DVD. I will be going back to Mecca next year...aka Sundance. I LOVE IT, so I am committing to the 6 hour drive to spend a few days around the other film festival rats! And of course, the Vail Film Festival will be an annual event for me, regardless of the less than stellar mix of films...