Noel 2007

Our Christmas 2007 was nice and quiet. I worked half the day on Dec 24th then headed home to get ready for dinner. Slipped out to the family mass down the street at St. Brigid's at 5:00pm then back to serve my delicious Leek and Potato soup with Black Truffles and Truffle Oil.

Our Christmas tree was lovely. We got it late (Dec 18) but it was the perfect shape and so soft to touch and hang decorations. We traditionally go to the man at the corner store nearby so he gave us a deal as returning customers ($60). Not as great a deal as at IKEA (free because the $20 you spend for the tree is really a $20 credit in store) but better than the $100 my Uncle Wes said fresh trees cost in California.

On Christmas Day we slept in, opened presents then had a visit from Mary. After a late lunch (mussels with frites - both excellent), we enjoyed Chicken Val d'Ostana for dinner. Later on Dori and her family stopped by and brought their Wii game. Lots of fun to play and watch. They even created a custom Wii persona for me.

Afterward we watched one of my Christmas presents: the animated movie Ratatouille - a rat who runs away and becomes a chef in Paris. Loved it!

Which reminds me, I need to post my Top Movies of the Year.

CTV Christmas Party

Now that Rich works for CTV, this is the first year he could bring a spouse to his Christmas party. I was excited to go on a wintery Thursday December 13th and the party was amazing!!


The theme was Zhivago - A Celebration of Life. Outside there were horse-drawn sleighs and inside there were four themed rooms, each with tons of different food and drinks. When we walked in they handed us a Black Russion (vodka and kahlua) and then we happened to stand just outside the prep room so servers would walk by us every minute, each with a different new plate of delectable hors d'oeuvres: tuna tartare, roast duck on cranberry toast, caviar in phyllo cones, chicken, beef, mushroom bites - all delish.

Next, there was a candy room where the chandeliers were made of lollipops and you could fill gift bags with candy to take home (my favourite were the pop-eye cigarettes). Then we moved into the largest room where there were hundreds of people and several food stations. There was live Russian entertainment onstage and with my new Sony 10x Optical Zoom camera (my fantastic advance Christmas present from my wonderful husband) I could get a clear picture of the performers from 30 feet away!

We even saw the CEO of CTV Ivan Fecan. All the food was delish: coriander tuna on potatoe fennel mash with red pepper relish; creamy beef stroganoff; salmon filet with veggies and caviar! We couldn't even get around to it all. Finally we retired to the quieter Russian Tea Room where we hung out on pillow-covered banquettes and enjoyed the end of our evening together with all our friends.

Truly a memorable and impressive affair. Thanks for inviting me Rich!


Zhivago party
Black Russians and seared tuna
Thank you CTV!

Enchanted

Last night November ended on a total high when we went to see Enchanted. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS MOVIE - GO SEE IT!!!! It starts with a few minutes of old-timey animation a la Bambi and Snow White, but be patient. Embrace the hokiness and revel in the singing because suddenly it transitions to live action in modern-day New York and it is 100% charming, irresistible and fun - a real post-feminist fairytale. Mothers take your daughters (age 5 and up because it gets scary later) and sing along. Amy Adams is the ultimate princess Giselle whose naivete and goodness are irrepressible and infectious. You too will be cheering for true love's kiss! Definitely one of my top 10 movies of 2007. And I'm saving another spot for Jerry Bruckheimer's National Treasure Book of Secrets. Who cares if its another Disney holiday money grab? I can't wait!!!

One of a Kind Show

There's lots to sample and buy at the One of a Kind Show and Sale this year. After taking the LRT from Union Station and getting off at Spadina, the connecting TTC shuttle bus takes you right to the front door. And the lights and chandelier at the Princes' Gate are gorgeous. Saw my friend Kelly, co-founder with Joelle of KanvasInk which creates paper and online designs and also ran into Janet who was sourcing artisans for her company orangefish. Bought a few gifts but mostly I bought specialty food items, including dips and cakes. Christmas is coming - Mmmmmmm... See you in December!

Marathon Recovery

People have been asking about my post-marathon recovery. This video from the London Marathon shows better than I can describe how people look and feel after running a marathon. SCROLL DOWN to see it (the music & video will automatically play)

Normally my recovery is pretty fast, because of the Gu gels I take on long runs and the process I follow afterward. We didn't have time for that after Washington because we were heading to our Celebration Dinner. And flying home on Monday, those bozos at Air Canada made us walk down stairs into a shed to disembark from the plane (hadn't they seen this video?)

After 2 days of general stiffness and walking funny, I finally did this:
Step 1: Draw a shallow ice cold bath and extend your legs in it for at least 5 minutes (wear a T-shirt on top to stay warm in the tub)
Step 2: Draw a full hot bath with Epsom salts and sit in it for at least 10 minutes (drink water to hydrate and stay in longer if you have time)
Step 3: Finish with the hottest possible shower with highest possible water pressure and be grateful that God created hot showers.

Then you're ready to face the day! This worked all summer after my Saturday long runs before heading out to weddings, parties, anything. And the morning of my return to work I was walking normally again, right into the lovely surprise reception my manager threw for me at the office. So SWEET! Her daughter even drew me a Congratulations! banner for my cubicle.

I also heard warnings about the post-marathon blues. I wasn't blue - I was just annoyed. With everything. The lineup at Starbucks, missing the subway, fumbling for my keys or the phone, the phone ringing in general, the lack of quality movie releases out there - whatever! I think most of the lingering effects from this have passed. I am also told that irritability is a symptom of dehydration. My frantic schedule at work and the prospect that Christmas is only 31 days away gives me other things to focus on.

One Minute Film Festival

I was hoping to go to this on Thursday but I now have other plans. The One Minute Film & Video Festival (www.minutefilmfest.com) started as a dare between lapsed filmmakers and is now an international event that has been happening since 2003. You can view the top 60-second films this Thursday November 22 at the Bloor Theatre. Maybe I can submit a film to next year's competition? The theme of secrets looks very interesting and some of the filmmaker bios are pretty funny.

Congratulations Frances!

Our JeansMarines running friend Frances posted an awesome finishing time of 4:23:42 at the Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, November 18th. There were 15,000 runners (many of whom registered after Chicago was cancelled mid-race) and it looks like a great day was had by all. Way to go Frances - you ROCK!

DOC SOUP - C'mon, step it up!

I signed up for Doc Soup, a monthly screening series through hotdocs. Our first film was No End In Sight a haunting doc about the Iraq War told through the stories of top government officials. Disturbing how their recommendations were continually overlooked by the administration.

My second film next Wednesday is Manda Bala (Send a Bullet)

I just wish they would stop showing films about war. At hotdocs in April, they already screened some documentary films in competition at Sundance 2007. I love hotdocs Director Sean Farnell and hope he will come back from Doc Leipzig or somewhere else far away with some fresh new screening titles because I won't be able to take war, war, war all season long...

If someone wants to see Manda Bala, add a comment and let me know.

WE DID IT IN WASHINGTON!

Running the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC on Sunday was an AWESOME experience! We had a perfect day to accomplish a mighty goal and we are both so proud!! THANK YOU to everyone for all your support before, during and after the race. We flew home on Monday with our shiny new medals and returned to work Tuesday.

Richard was a SUPAHSTAH and did the 26.2 miles in an impressive 4:45:11 (faster than Al Gore when he ran it a few years ago but slower than Oprah.) I was over 2 hours slower than Richard clocking a time of 6:48:37 but as everyone I tell says: WHO CARES, YOU FINISHED. Check MM's Finish Results here. Lynn and Hardish were just behind me. Congrats to all the JeansMarines who made it to the end!

The day was filled with many beautiful memories...

Finding my running partner Hardish at the start line amidst 20,000 people... Running up and down the hilly terrain in Virginia for the first hour before going through the trees of Rock Creek Park and crossing Key Bridge over to the mansions of Georgetown... The energetic high school bands that kept us entertained along the way... Digging in to get to the bridge at mile 19 before it closed... Seeing Hardish's sister Baily and my dear filmfest friends Les Boys: Shawn, Joe & Chris along the route, along with THOUSANDS of supporters with their cowbells and banners... Seeing the funny slogans on the posters: Your feet hurt cuz you're KICKING A** and Pain is temporary - Pride is FOREVER! We even composed a few haiku enroute (will post once I remember them all!)... Seeing people running for fallen comrades or children, many with photos on the backs of their shirts... Running past family homes and then all the glorious buildings and monuments on the Mall (AND stopping to take photos along the way (Rich can't believe I was doing that even with the threat of the bridge)... Getting through the last 6 miles slowly because a) we were bored and b) we knew the medal was within our grasp... Sprinting to the finish because I heard a marine say: "Go and get it" and I DID!... Wearing my medal with pride on the plane ride home and every day to work because I know how many months it took to earn it... Smiling and nearly crying when my manager organized a SURPRISE welcome back reception for me at the office, complete with balloons and a banner across my cubicle illustrated by her daughter --Thanks Jenny and everybody on the L&D team, it was SO NICE of you - I was truly touched!!!

The online race tracking features are truly amazing. Sorry for the hundreds of emails the system sent you if you signed up for tracking (it should only have been 7 with updates for mile 5, 10, half (13.1), 15, 18, 22, and the Finish. You can still see me move through the course (press Play on this Map Track link and watch my dot move along with the elevation). Both our families were able to follow us along the route as if they were there and see where we were when the winners crossed the finish line. Rich's mom sent us printouts at various stages - thanks! - a lovely souvenir for the scrapbook... PLUS the continuous text messages let my local friends know exactly where I'd be on the route so they could be there to cheer me on. My emails will stay in my gmail account for posterity as well as the link to my finisher's website.

Can't believe it's all over... a bit anti-climactic, really. I'm looking for things to do on Tuesdays and Thursdays now. Before the race I never thought I'd run another marathon but now I think I might, not sure how soon. Next year I'm already planning the Big Sur Half Marathon in November 2008 so Wes and Marcella reserve your guestroom now! So maybe this time next year you'll be reading about our exploits on the west coast?

Check back later this week for more post-race posts and official race photos from haikugirl...

Congratulations!
Richard ran the marathon
faster than Al Gore

(this link connects you to videos of the finish line from the Washington Post - find the 4:45 block and look for Richard in a white shirt and cap, raising his hands as he crosses the finish)

THANK YOU for your support!

The calls and emails are pouring in and I feel like Bartles & James (those old guys from the wine cooler ads in the late 80s): "We thank you for your support!"

THANK YOU, thank you to our wonderful family and friends for all your warm wishes and cheers - we can't believe that race weekend is actually upon us. After 39 weeks of training (nearly 9 months for me - over a year for Rich) we're flying south to run our butts off at the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 28th. Rich (a.k.a. "the star") expects to complete the 42K (26.2 miles) in under 5 hours. MMP (a.k.a. "haikugirl", a.k.a. "the tortoise") plans to cross the finish line in about 6 and a half hours. That's right, almost a workday of running with lunch and bathroom breaks slotted in. Sounds ridiculous to some of you (especially those who've done a marathon in under 4 hours - Keith & Riz you are SUPAHSTARS!) but that's my pace and I'm sticking to it. Then hopefully I will make the bridge and get my medal and a hug from a marine (see photo below!!). Mostly because I said I would and won't take no for an answer from anyone at this point. (You should have seen me run after the bus yesterday - he finally opened his door and let me on: VICTORY!)

BIG HUGS to all the JeansMarines who are heading down to DC to run or walk this race. Apparently there will be over 50 of us. I want to send SPECIAL ENCOURAGEMENT to my running partner Hardish and our running inspiration Mary H who are nursing injuries and fighting on, determined to race: YOU GO GIRLS! Remember the marine motto: Semper Fidelis (always faithful) and the unnoficial one: no one gets left behind. (Did you know there are no female marines - only marines? ;-)

Want to feel part of the marathon action? Sign up for remote runner tracking and receive live split times and finish results via pager, text message or email. Or, you can check our bib numbers after the race on the RESULTS page of the Marine Corps Marathon website marinemarathon.com. My bib number is: 30410, Richard's is 30409.

You can also send an e-greeting card from the Marine Corps Marathon to encourage a runner or congratulate a finisher. Use my gmail address at haikugirl.com) - see post below for samples.

LOVE TO ALL - TALK SOON - haikugirl

P.S. I posted some marathon haiku on the MCM discussion board. Check it out!

haiku on the road
takes us to the finish line
one step at a time

MCM Greetings

You can send runners Congratulations/Encouragement E-Cards from
the 2007 MARINE CORPS MARATHON !!!

Here are two AWESOME graphics (and awesome haiku):

haikugirl: it's time
weeks of training culminate
in a strong finish



visualize the prize:
you will get your MEDAL and
HUG from a MARINE!

YouTube: Project Direct

You Tube has a filmmaking project and I have a new mission in life:
Direct a unique 2-7 minute film which includes these 3 elements:

1. A character facing a situation above his/her maturity level.

2. The line of dialogue:
"I demand an explanation for these shenanigans. What do you have to say?"

3. The passing of a photograph.

Watch the video with Jason Reitman for more info.

Submissions are due November 9th. (Just in time for my trip to Winnipeg!)

"If you win, you're going to a major international film festival where you'll attend surprise industry events, meet with executives from Fox Searchlight Pictures, and show your film at a private event. You'll also see your winning short broadcast on the home page of YouTube in countries all over the world, and you'll win a $5000 debit card." (YAY debit!)

Visit Project: Direct on YouTube for details.

2500 years of herioc running....

So good old Pheidippides ran the distance from Marathon, Greece to Athens back in 490 BC then collapsed and died from exhaustion after announcing the Greeks' victory over the Persians (conflicting stories about exactly what he said: "Niki" (victory) or "Rejoice we conquer"). The modern marathon is even longer than he had to go (he did 40K, the modern distance is 42K or 26.2 miles)

Here are more links with marathon stories and marathon history

FYI: The route for this weekend's Chicago Marathon was closed at the halfway point due to the heat - I hope the weather is kind to us on October 28 in DC. One of our JeansMarines completed the full marathon in 5:12 despite the heat - way to go Frances (bib 21471)! At 56 you beat my former classmate Dan from Calgary, who did 5:40 at age 43 (bib 22077). Check the website to search for their race results.

How to annoy runners...

Yes runners can be annoyed. Now that I am a runner (or as Frances likes to say "a long distance athlete") I thought I'd share this comic. Especially since my friend Ted Fisher commented on a previous post "if bears wearing track shoes were chasing me" he could maybe make it 3 miles. Ted they're stealing ideas from your head (or my blog).

Before Hardish and I feel too smug, we have our last big training run this Saturday. 35 kilometres - over 21 miles. It's the farthest we've ever run. It should take us about 5 and a half hours. Hard to imagine doing any activity for that long. Pray it's a good weather day...

WE DID IT IN TORONTO!

It was a great feeling to finish the half marathon (21K) on Sunday. Richard did it in 2:16:22 (chip time) and Hardish and I held hands and crossed the finish line together at 3:08:59. Check it all out at SportStats.ca or scroll through the half marathon results and find our names (at 3810 for Rich and 5139th place for me out of 5364). I was actually 435 out of 461 for my age group which means 25 more people my age finished behind me. So there.

The winner John Kelai of Kenya ran the fastest marathon ever on Canadian soil: 2:09:30 WOW! The full marathon in less time than we did the half. We watched the elite runners pass by us on their way home (we were still heading out) and it was nice to share the course with them even for a few seconds...

Richard and I are wearing our finishers medals at work today. Thanks to Pavlina for her photos!!!

Now focus shifts to our full marathon (42K) in DC less than a month away. Just found out they changed the course for 2007 so the first half is very hilly. We will do some hill training here, and then WE WILL DO IT IN WASHINGTON!!

Sunday's Half Marathon Race

Tomorrow is race day! Here is the course map and directions for the half marathon course (21K). We start at 7:00am and Richard estimates his half marathon finishing time to be about 2:30 - Hardish and I expect to finish within 3:15 (so we should be crossing the finish line at 9:30am and 10:15am respectively). We have to meet our fellow JeansMarines at 6:00am near their offices across from Roy Thomson Hall and we'll head over to the start at Metro Hall together. Then after 3 hours we'll get our finishers medals and find breakfast somewhere.

We'll have to miss tonight's Nuit Blanche - Toronto's annual all-night arts party - but the plus is we may be able to take the subway to the race as it's supposed to be running all night long (normally the subway closes at 2:00am Saturday and doesn't start running again until 9:00am Sunday).

You should be able to check my time using my bib number: 7959 on the Race Results page of the torontowaterfrontmarathon.com site.

If you're looking for inspiration, check out stories of the Groundpounders - 5 retired marines who've run every Marine Corps Marathon since the inaugural in 1976.

Race Expo: Yarms & Dreaming of Rome & Big Sur

Friday I met Rich at the Race Expo at MTCC. Massive lineup but it was a bunch of high school students waiting to check out the Universities Fair. We bypassed them and headed upstairs where we saw Frances - a JeansMarines alum who is running Chicago next weekend. We sailed through bib pick-up and chip activation and then saw John "The Penguin" Bingham and Coach Jenny Hadfield co-authors of the book Marathoning for Mortals which JeansMarines issued to us when we joined. I asked John a question about the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington and he gave us some great race tips. They cheerfully signed my book (John's running 5K Sunday and Jenny's doing the half) then Rich scored a Fuel Belt and I got accessories from The Runners Shop where I had recently bought my new runners. Rich had to go and I lingered to pick up a cool runnning jersey and yarm by Robena. The pattern I chose isn't on the website but the maker was wearing it - it's bright red and orange with flowers and white stripes, kind of a cross between flame'n and white flowers on red. It is really bright and cheery. I was considering buying the jazz jersey instead but I already have a lot of blue running shirts. And you can tuck the yarm in the pockets on the back of the jersey so it will be great to put on when I'm out after a run!

This morning it was blissful to sleep in till 9:30 (normally we would have been running for over two hours already) and I've been sifting through the race flyers I picked up at the expo. Dreaming of running the Maratona di Roma or the Big Sur International Marathon next Spring (the cut off is an agressive 6 hours so I might not be able to complete that anyway). The Loch Ness Marathon sounds interesting - too bad it's next weekend - another year maybe? So many marathons... so little time.

Be impressed. Be very impressed.

I just got home after running 32K!!! My biggest distance ever! Hardish and Amee and I - WE ALL DID IT! And we were only supposed to do 31K and managed to do that in under 5 hours (4:55 to be exact). So those of you who've been following my progress may recognize that:
a) 31K is 19.37 miles
b) the bridge in the Washington marathon is at mile 19 and
c) they close the bridge after 5 hours
which means that WE WILL MAKE THE BRIDGE!!!! Because we've already done it!

And my recoveries are getting faster (i.e. I can still walk upright today without cringing). I could also choose to walk the remaining 11K (6 miles) left in the marathon after the bridge because I will still finish the race and get my medal. Which is a very heartening concept after 34 weeks of training. Only 5 more weeks to go!

Also, next weekend we fall back to 21K which is actually our half marathon race (13 miles) on Sunday Sept 30. And I did that distance today in 3:08, fulfilling my anticipated goal of 3:15 for the half next Sunday. I think this calls for a haiku:

Go haikugirl go!
run a great half marathon
8 days from today

I'm back

My dear friends and blogwatchers. Humble apologies from haikugirl. September has been crazy in life and work, and blogging fell lower in the priority list than sleep. Now it's 3:30am and I thought I'd catch you up on what's been happening...

RUNNING: During the filmfest I did run my 80K in 10 days. Last Saturday was 27K and tomorrow we run 31K so our half marathon (21K) next Sunday, September 30 is actually a fallback run. I never thought I'd read that in print so you may be as stunned as I. The 27 took about as much time as the 24 the previous week because we were more disciplined and stuck to more consistent speed (close to 8K an hour). Based on our time last Saturday, we are more confident about making the bridge at mile 19 in Washington so there was much to celebrate. Last night (Thursday) we were out at the newbie BBQ for JeansMarines. It was a wonderful event and heartwarming to meet everyone's partners. Definitely put us in the spirit for our upcoming races.

TIFF: Saw a total of 9 movies at TIFF this year (had to work screening times around my agressive running schedule). Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg won the Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. I didn't see it because he drives me crazy - even though as a former Winnipegger I am supposed to like him (I gave last year's Brand Upon the Brain 1 out of 5 (but 5 for foley). Perhaps I will see My Winnipeg eventually as an hommage to my old home town. I also plan to see David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises, which won the Cadillac People's Choice Award and is already out in theatres. I also want to see Run Fat Boy Run which is coming soon as a laugh before my upcoming races. I have added new posts with the rest of my TIFF movie reviews so please scroll down.

WORK: My runs take so long that it's like another part-time job (12 hours/week with travel and prep time) and the pace at work has picked up dramatically in September. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and hope my Dad can visit us in Toronto.

haikugirl is back!
running and blogging take time
Thanks for your patience...

Chacun son Cinema

Chacun son cinema was the perfect way to end the fest! Went at 5:00 to the Elgin after a long week's work and got into the VISA Lounge (downstairs), had a Stella, got my favourite seat upstairs, and saw this wonderful hommage to Cannes' 60th Anniversary to wrap up my TIFF festival experience. Like Paris, je t'aime last year, I enjoy these compilations of short films. This one included 33 short films by 33 wonderful directors, some of whom are my all-time faves (and no Guy Maddin!) People have been talking about David Cronenberg's short (the title alone says it all At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World) and I thought it was okay but my favourite was Walter Salles' film 8944 km from Cannes featuring 2 Brazilian rappers outside an abandoned theatre talking about the Cannes Film Festival. It was hilarious!! Thank God for the English subtitles for the Portuguese. I also liked the one by the Coen Brothers with Josh Brolin ("What is lay reggles du jou about?"), Nanni Moretti (Diary of a Moviegoer), and Elia Suleiman (He was so deadpan and looked like an older Robert Downey Jr. I was recounting the exploits to a friend and that made me laugh even more!) Many were recognizable by the director's style (Amos Gitai, Wong Kar-wai, Atom Egoyan). I would love to have this on DVD so I could just go to the ones I really liked and watch them over and over. A perfect way to end the week and gear up for my 27K run on Saturday morning. MMMM

Married Life

This was the weakest film I saw at TIFF this year. Rachel McAdams seemed out of her depth (and plucked from the wrong generation) to star in this film. Chris Cooper was good and Patricia Clarkson is always fantastic. Pierce Brosnan was his usual dreamy self. Someone said his hair was not from the era and it might have looked too Remington Steele. Other than that, it was kind of like A Simple Plan meets Match Point (and fans of haikugirl know that A Simple Plan is her most despised movie of all time, which is more objectionable than simply being a bad movie, which is just a bit of a failure.) A Simple Plan was insulting and baseless. Unlike my married life, this one and its characters just seemed tired and going through the motions. The set designer was the true hero of the picture. But it was nice to see all the stars. Wait for the video. Mm

The good thing about this screening was seeing our friends Mike and Suzanne from New Jersey. They have been coming for several years and we met them in our seats at The Elgin (they like the right side near the front too!) I will post photos soon but it was lovely to reconnect with them. See you next year!

Vote for MMP or NO MMP: You Decide!

Got an email from a colleague who was walking down Yonge Street this morning and saw a sign on a lamp post that says "Vote for MMP" in big bold letters. "Hey," she said to herself, "I know MMP, but what's she running for???"

Had to email her back to confirm that the only running I'm doing is my marathon training. (Survived 24K last Saturday btw). Here's the scoop on THE OTHER MMP:

MMP stands for Mixed Member Proportional, the voting system we have to vote on in the upcoming Referendum on October 10th, the same date as our Ontario provincial election. There are buttons that say Vote for MMP and there are buttons that say NO MMP. Naturally, I need to collect both buttons! And so my fellow Ontarians, get informed and get out there and VOTE on October 10th for MMP or NOT!

Lars and the Real Girl

This film was a delight and the press conference was even funnier. Ryan Gosling plays Lars who "meets a woman on the Internet" - she's a blow up doll but he treats her like she's real and the whole town plays right along because they want Lars to be happy. It is charming to see this film and in the press conference the cast talks about the reverence everyone had when Biance was on set. The earnestness and playfulness are inspiring. I loved seeing the director and cast at the screening at Ryerson. MMMM

This was the night we had arranged to meet Les Boys for dinner at The Keg York St. It was a real reunion since they had not seen Keith in years. Great martinis and wine, great steaks and great company. Next year is our 10 year anniversary and Joe and Shawn are starting to plan already! Vive Les Boys!

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth was gorgeous and gripping and great. Cate Blanchett embodied the role and the character is so strong (GIRLPOWER!), it was a delight to watch. Director Shekhar Kapur was there for Q&A and warmly shared lots of stories about writing and filming this epic and some of the creative licenses he took. (i.e. some historical events were out of sequence, England's defeat of the Spanish Armada took 3 months, not overnight as it seemed in the movie) "but then, I would have used up all my budget... and we'd all be speaking Spanish".

Shekhar wants to make a third film but only if Cate is willing. She had to be convinced to do this one. In one movie magazine it says: "Clive Owen is doing it, and Geoffrey (Rush) is coming back again so I thought, I'm just being churlish if I say no to this." This summer I learned about the word churlish from my UK running partner Hardish so I knew exactly what Cate meant. I think Elizabeth is probably my favourite film at this year's fest for its sheer spectacle and the inspiration of this enduring character. MMMM

The Assassination of Jesse James

Saw this movie at 11:00am Monday at the Elgin and liked it. It's more of a psychological drama than a western (read: a lot of talking) and Brad Pitt is perfect in the role. Possible nomination. I think Casey Affleck also does a good job and really the story is about him and how he wants fame and recognition. The director was asked lots of comments in Q&A about what the film says about celebrity then and now. There are interesting parallels. The film was shot in Alberta and Winnipeg and I was scanning crowd scenes looking for my brother Steve who was an extra. I thought I saw him but he'll have to see it to know for sure. The train robbery at night was dreamily shot. MMMm

Le Deuxieme Souffle

This is a 2 and a half hour French gangsta epic shot beautifully with perfect casting. The director Alain Corneau was on hand for questions and was so sweet. It was like a film noir class in 10 minutes. Saw the press conference on Bell Expressvu (channel 307) and Monica Bellucci looked beautiful as always. In the film - set in the 60s - she was blonde and looked alot like Sharon Stone in Casino (but more curvy, confident and resolved). Very violent with a lot of fast-paced, dense dialogue. See this if you'd always wanted to see a film like Godfather II, but in French. MMm

Then She Found Me

Director Helen Hunt was on hand for the second screening of Then She Found Me at the "beautiful and historic Elgin Theatre". This film was funny and touching: Helen Hunt as the baby-obsessed schoolteacher, and Colin Firth as the wacky single father of one of her students are delightful together. Bette Midler's turn as April's birth mother is note perfect and Matthew Broderick is the despicable ex you love to hate. She said she has interest in North American distribution from ThinkFilms so you should be able to see this funny film sometime this winter. Enjoy it - especially the cameo. How many women can say "Salman Rushdie is my OB GYN."?? MMMm

Then She Found Me is
delightful and charming
just like its characters

In Bloom

Saturday night's film was my favourite so far. In Bloom by Vadim Perelmen was beautifully shot, brilliantly constructed and the premiere was replete with stars: Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood, Eva Amurri, plus the Director, Screenwriter and Production Designer. From the opening frame, the DOP and Director created this amazing, surreal world for the characters to inhabit and the performances they delivered were outstanding. The audience was almost in shock after the ending and - like Mulholland Drive - it's the kind of movie that begs for a second viewing so you can go back and piece together all the director's thoughtful choices and echos.

As of Saturday night, there was no North American release date for In Bloom and we were the very first audience to see it EVER. The Director and cast were gracious during Q&A (Uma couldn't stay but Evan's friend Marilyn Manson was also in the audience to support her and Evan answered my question.) See this when it comes out - I'll be seeing it again! MMMMM

The women In Bloom
are gorgeous and the film is
utterly brilliant

Ed. Note: This film was renamed The Life Before Her Eyes and only released the following year.

Disengagement

Went with Mary and Pavlina to see this Amos Gitai film. They are veterans but this was my first of his. Juliette Binoche and the director were both there. I appreciated the film despite its slow pacing and enjoyed the sparseness of it. Her adopted brother joins her in Avignon for their father's funeral (she is quite provocative in some sexually charged scenes with him in the flat) then she follows him to Israel where she goes into the occupied territory to meet the daughter she abandoned at birth. Meanwhile her brother is leading the army to remove the settlers. Very emotionally charged. MM

Then we went to dinner at Vaticano in Yorkville. Got to run 24K Saturday morning.

The Plan: Movies + Cocktails

Even after thorough consultations with my TIFF buddy, we didn’t end up with a single movie together...Quel dommage! I am boycotting The Stone Angel (forced to read this Can con classic in high school - never want to hear from Margaret Laurence again) so I'll be at Married Life instead. Gotta find a hip and convenient place to meet for drinx that will put us somewhere in between Scotiabank and Ryerson for our screenings later on Monday: missed out on Run Fat Boy Run to see Lars and the Real Girl (which NOW magazine says should be the sleeper hit of the festival)

Note: Run Fat Boy Run is off sale for my 10-pack of tickets but tix are still available through the online box office. What's up with that???

Tomorrow the madness starts! Can’t wait!!!

The night before TIFF
Martini glasses chillin'
Stars will rock the house!

TIFF Final Picks

Got the results of my TIFF submissions and I'm very excited. Looks like I scored the GIRLPOWER Opening Weekend: from Juliette Binoche to Uma to Helen Hunt to Monica Bellucci to Cate Blanchett... then Ryan Gosling on Monday (after dinner with our TIFF reunion gang) and Rachel McAdams and Pierce Brosnan on Wednesday. It's gonna ROCK!

haikugirl is stoked!
got most of my first choices
GIRLPOWER rocks TIFF!

Thurs Sept 6 - RUN 10K
Fri Sept 7 - Disengagement with Juliette Binoche
Sat Sept 8 - RUN 24K then In Bloom with Uma
Sun Sept 9 - Then She Found Me (cuz Alison scored tickets online - YAY!) then Le Deuxième Souffle with Monica Bellucci & Daniel Auteuil
Mon Sept 10 - Elizabeth: The Golden Age with Cate Blanchett then Lars and the Real Girl with Ryan Gosling
Tues Sept 11 - RUN 6K
Wed Sept 12 - Married Life with Rachel McAdams & Pierce Brosnan
Thurs Sept 13 - E-Learning Forum at the MaRS in the day then RUN 13K in the evening
Fri Sept 14 - Chacun son cinéma - 30 directors pay hommage to Cannes' 60th Anniversary with 3 minute shorts
Sat Sept 15 - RUN 27K

Box 66 and Superbad

Box 66 wins
29 is halfway through
We'll see what we get

Saw Superbad last night and kept laughing out loud right from the opening credits Enter the Site and view the Intro to check out the vibe. The young leads (Jonah Hill as Seth and Michael Cera as Evan) are terrific but I think Christopher Mintz-Plasse steals the show as McLovin. Seth Rogan (Knocked Up) and Evan Goldberg (of SNL fame) co-wrote it and star as cops. It takes you back to all the painful, outrageous and touching moments of high school. Jules - Seth's love interest played by Emma Stone - is like a real-life version of Violet from The Incredibles (one of my favourite animated features), her long dark hair falling over a single blue eye. Hilarious, clever - see it! Note: It did get an R rating "for pervasive crude and sexual content, strong language, drinking, some drug use and a fantasy/comic violent image - all involving teens." So it's no High School Musical but that's its charm.

Heading out to run 13K (a fallback week) which should take me over 2 hours.

Superbad is good
Trying to use Nike plus
isn't that easy

TIFF selections

Gave my picks for TIFF
Will box 29 bring luck?
Check back Labour Day

The excitement and whirlwind of the festival has begun! On Tuesday morning I picked up my TIFF Programme book and envelopes for Ivana and I to submit our picks. She emailed her list and I conferred with my TIFF peeps (Keith, who's in town working on a project, Pavlina, and DC Joe). Can't wait for our mini-reunion during the fest!!

Dropped the envelopes off Thursday after work. We are in box 29. Hopefully they won't pick box 30 or we'll be the very last. Here are my final picks. (Note: I had to severely cut back the number of films due to my marathon training schedule)

Thurs Sept 6 - RUN 10K
Fri Sept 7 - Disengagement
Sat Sept 8 - RUN 24K then The Assassination of Jesse James (1st choice) or In Bloom (2nd)
Sun Sept 9 - Then She Found Me (cuz Alison scored tickets online - YAY!) then Le Deuxième Souffle (1st) or Operation Filmmaker (2nd)
Mon Sept 10 - Elizabeth: The Golden Age (1st) or Man from Plains (2nd) then Run Fat Boy, Run (1st) or Lars and the Real Girl (2nd)
Tues Sept 11 - RUN 6K
Wed Sept 12 - Married Life (1st) or La Fille coupée en deux (2nd)
Thurs Sept 13 - E-Learning Forum at the MaRS in the day then RUN 13K in the evening
Fri Sept 14 - Chacun son cinéma (1st) or Chaotica Ana (2nd)
Sat Sept 15 - RUN 27K

That means during the 10 days of TIFF I will be running a total of 67K and seeing 8 movies and working full time. Incroyable...

Friday after 1:00 they email everyone about how many boxes there are. On Sunday, they email us with our list of successful matches for our picks and on the holiday Monday we pick the tickets up at the box office (right downstairs where I work at College Park).

Schoolhouse ROCKS! and TUFF

Last weekend I was up at Mary's schoolhouse near Hanover. Very relaxing and the food and company were amazing!!! (thank you Mary & Manuela!!). We dined on salmon, steak, gazpacho, cinnabons and cheddar Sun Chips. (mmmmm)

On Saturday morning I managed to run 16K on my own along concession roads. Saw a surprising amount of roadkill along the shoulder, even an ex-porcupine. Conditions were perfect: cool, overcast. Everything seemed greener up there - it was almost a spiritual experience.

While up north I had to edit my 60-second piece for TUFF (Toronto Urban Film Festival). I got a lot of editing done on my sexy MacBook Pro but it still needed more work on Monday before the submission deadline. I tried for 2 nights to upload it and was finally successful. If I make it into the finals, I'll be asking you all to vote for haikugirl!

TIFF

17 more days
TIFF Special Presentations
predict lots of stars

Bet many of these will be VISA screenings so lots of starpower is likely. Tomorrow they announce the complete film lineup. Check back again after 12 noon... ;-)

1 week away

TIFF is coming soon
just 22 days from now
watch the stars come out!


TIFF has been slowly releasing the list of films at this year's festival but in less than 1 week (Aug 21 at 12 noon) they announce the complete list of films for 2007. CAN'T WAIT! No need to speculate anymore about Across the Universe - it's already confirmed as a Gala Presentation on the TIFF website - click through the photos to see more. The Assassination of Jesse James shows up as a Special Presentation (which likely means it's VISA). The latter was partially shot in Winnipeg so I will be looking for local personalities and locations whenever I get a chance to see it.

Still thinking about how to juggle running and movies for an intense 10 days next month - stay tuned!

TIFF prediction #2 & 3: American Gangster & Across the Universe

Saw a lot of violent trailers when we went to see Bourne Ultimatum. Everything was REVENGE (Kevin Bacon doing revenge (Death Sentence) Jodi Foster doing revenge (The Brave One). By the time the movie started we were almost nauseous. Anyway, both of those are released later this summer and I WON'T be seeing them (until they come to TV or video). However, we saw another violent trailer: American Gangster starring Denzel, Russell and directed by Ridley Scott (whose film A Good Year at the 2006 TIFF was GALA but lame. Well the locations i.e. London, Provence, Russell driving a Smart car - were great. Just the end result was somewhat lame.) Now that Robert Altman can no longer come, Scott is like the elder statesman of these festivals (regardless of the quality of his product) so they'll show whatever he brings. With this level of Oscar-winning directing and star power (and a convenient November release) American Gangster is sure to be a RTH GALA (that's Roy Thomson Hall, not VISA). The Google results seemed to show Antoine Fuqua directing this project with Benicio del Toro but looks like the big guns took it over.(literally)

But wait, there's more.

The other cool trailer we saw was a musical... of Beatles songs... featuring fresh faced kids. NO it wasn't Grease VI or Hairspray II but Across the Universe. I was totally mesmerized. It's from Director Julie Taymor (who did The Lion King stage spectacle) so expect nothing less than a cirque du soleil level joy ride with a must-have soundtrack. I think this will go VISA (but could be RTH GALA instead).

Looks like it may be a good year for galas - too bad we didn't splurge on tickets. (We'll have to see what box we get in - selection is only 3 weeks away!!!)

Bourne Ultimatum

Saw Bourne Ultimatum on Friday to kick off my long weekend. AWESOME! Totally action-packed, great international locations - the perfect summer blockbuster. Matt Damon does an amazing job in the third installment of this franchise. Between Bourne and the Oceans movies, he's done well since winning his Oscar. Can't really say the same about Ben Affleck.

Bourne Ultimatum
non-stop action, intrigue, stunts
Matt Damon's AWESOME!

Washington bound

On August 2nd I dropped off my registration form for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC so I'm now officially running this race in October. I also dropped off Richard's form so he's going to be running with JeansMarines too! It is very exciting (daunting?) for both of us and our training is well underway. I ran 16K last Saturday (10 miles) and my running partner and I are running 3 times a week for an average total of 30K per week!

Yesterday in the 31 degree heat and humidity Hardish and I still ran along the lakeshore - we even made a genius haiku with my inspirational running slogan for the marathon:

GO HAIKUGIRL GO!
Run Marine Corps Marathon
Beat the F***ing BRIDGE!

Those of you who know the Washington course know the bridge is the internal deadline for the marathon - if you don't make the bridge at mile 19 within 6 hours, you don't finish. So there is added pressure but we are working hard in training to build our speed so we can beat the bridge.

Enjoy your long weekend folks!

TIFF prediction #1: Sweeney Todd

As you know, Tim Burton has often brought his films to the festival - we saw Corpse Bride in 2005 and you can see my silly pic with Johnny Depp on the homepage of haikugirl.com.

This year I predict TIFF will screen Tim's latest production Sweeney Todd reuniting Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter and I will be DYING to see it. Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen are also on board so there will be plenty of star power. I bet it will be at the VISA Screening room (or possibly GALA) but unfortunately now we will have to vie for tickets with the riffraff since we declined to buy the VISA series this year (as we have done for the past 3 years) because they jacked up the price from $185 to $325 for 8 movies!!! If it does end up at TIFF, it will definitely be one of my picks.

ABCs of Cancer Prevention & Star Lake Pilgrims

My dad kindly sends me links to interesting articles. This one from the Life Extension foundation highlights practical ways we can all reduce our cancer risk.

Also, on Bastille Day (July 14) my parents visited a friend's cottage at Star Lake in Manitoba for an afternoon BBQ. Here is a photo of all the party revellers. Everybody looks GREAT!

Ted Fisher Film School (TFFS)

Didn't sign up for last weekend's 48 hour film Toronto Film Challenge since I decided I would rather sit on a patio and drink beer. However, I am planning to do some shooting in the next 2 weeks so I thought I'd sign up for my summer course at the Ted Fisher Film School (TFFS). Thanks Ted for the amazing filmmaking tips and for laying them out so beautifully on your blog!

Now, this is a distance learning program with field work (i.e. you have to read Ted's blog Actualities then go out and apply your new learning). However, now that I've printed out and reviewed his key blog entries, I feel I am ready to plan, POINT, SHOOT and CUT (all with purpose, not prejudice, course).

A Few Notes on One-Person Documentary Production
Ted's Ten Ideas on Editing
Cutting (to the) Chase

Ted - do you issue certificates? ;-) Seriously, this is awesome, man. Way to go! And after such a busy weekend in New Hampshire too. YOU TOTALLY ROCK!!!

And visit Ted's Other blog for more photos and film links...

Ted Fisher's Film School
Follow Ted's tips to shoot and
cut your next great film!

Toronto is festival capital

Just read a review on blogTO about the Titanic Exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre. Sounds fascinating and I definitely plan to go - thank goodness it's on till January 2008 which gives me enough time to get up there. The summer has been frantic and we haven't even planned our vacation yet. Plus as a native Toronto blogger I think I need to get something posted on blogTO - n'est-ce pas?

According to the ReelheART festival, Toronto is festival capital and it's tough to get your film festival known. Maybe that's why I just found out about the Toronto Film Challenge Summer 2007 which is a 48-hour film challenge taking place in town next weekend. The filmmakers FAQ gives you an idea of the competition rules and it's all happening this weekend: July 13th to 15th. For 48 hours of madness, I'm willing to pay the $250 entry fee (for a Producer/Director credit, naturally) - so who wants to be on my team of 10??? Post your comments today - there isn't much time. Shout out to Tamara. Ted and Jan - can't you fly in? Call me - mmp/haikugirl

48 hours:
a crappy feature but a
great short film contest

10K on Canada Day!

I did all 4 of my speed laps at last Tuesday's tempo training - YAY! But more importantly, I have been sporting my ultra-cool HBC 10K Run for Canada AWESOME MEDAL (it weighs a ton and looks very professional) - Double YAY! Had a backyard BBQ to celebrate and it was a glorious day.

With my 10K run tomorrow I will have put in the requisite runs/miles for this week. Getting closer and closer to committing to the full marathon in DC on October 28th.

Tonight is an exciting reunion with some dear former co-workers - should be delightful. Tomorrow is another 10K run starting at 7am (tough after martinis on Friday night but we will manage...)

Getting Serious

My marathon training is starting to get serious. I am officially running 3x a week and the Tuesday night run actually involves intensity training, called tempo training. That means we run faster than our easy talking pace (which we do on our long runs Saturday morning) but not too fast that we can't talk at all. Don't worry if this isn't clear because I'm still trying to make sense of it myself (and DO it!)

For tempo training, we run around Queen's Park (a beautiful shady park behind our provincial legislature). This is the same place where my running partner and I do our weekly runs together. We have to run a total of 8 laps around Queen's Park and each lap is .8km. We do the first 2 laps an an easy pace, then the next 4 laps at the faster tempo pace (with a short recovery walk in between each lap) then 2 more laps at the slower running pace to cool down. The first night I could only do 3 of the 4 fast laps. Then I just did my cool down (total of 7 laps). Next week I will do better but I didn't get home till after 9 which makes for a long day on a work night.

Yesterday (Saturday) I ran 11K for the first time - YAY! And at the end I ran all the way up the hill in High Park for the first time without stopping - DOUBLE YAY! I was pretty tired and a fellow runner kindly gave me a lift all the way home. Thanks Karen!! I also got a lot of great visualization tips from Lynn - the Marine Corps route will be up on my wall for inspiration starting this week. Plus, I really miss my running partner - Hardish I can't wait to see you on Sunday!

Last night we saw Pirates of the Caribbean At World's End. It was fun but long. I think 1 lap around Queen's Park is longer than Keith Richards was in the entire movie. Even with my 2 hour nap in the afternoon I couldn't wait to hit my pillow at 11.

Ocean's Thirteen

Danny Ocean's gang
not as strong as the first two
George and Brad are hot

Saw Ocean's Thirteen Saturday night at the Varsity with my film club and my parents joined us as honorary members. Some good lines and great shots of Vegas and the boys looked good but I have to say I didn't like it as much as Eleven or even Twelve for that matter (don't know why everyone's slagging it). Richard thought Thirteen was ludicrous (especially the part with the chunnel digger). Today I did buy Ocean's Eleven and Twelve for only $5.99 each at HMV to add to my DVD collection. For some bizarre reason I can watch them both over and over and I just get sucked in every time. Same thing happens with (don't laugh) Just Like Heaven with Reese Witherspoon. One of these phenomena I can't explain.

NOTE: AVOID VARSITY (massive construction - the escalators are completely torn out - you have to take the stairs everywhere.) We'll have to find our next film club picks at Cumberland or the Beaches since it is not fun to be in a construction zone.

Happy Anniversary and the ROM

... to MM and Rich. Five years... WOW! We had a wonderful dinner with MM's parents at reds and Rich enjoyed his birthday gifts (80G iPod, case, Nike running shirt and Lee Iacocca's memoir)

Mom, Dad & I went to the ROM to see the naked Daniel Liebeskind crystal (it's only open for a week and then closed for another 6 months to install the exhibits and bring in the dinosaurs.) It's officially called the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal and was very impressive and engaging. However, the views on Bloor are nothing to write home about (McDonalds, Pizza Hut) and the angles get tiresome after Level 4 so I'm looking forward to seeing the curves of the Frank Gehry project at the AGO whenever they're ready. At the ROM we also saw lots of wonderful exhibits in the old building including treasures from ancient Peru and the perennial kids favourite: the Bat cave (plus a stuffed version of the raccoon who's taking over my garbage.)

Tomorrow I run 11K starting at 7am. I'll let you know if I make it (a chest cold is settling in, after 2 winters of being cold-free.) Ciao bellas... MM/haikugirl

Once

Richard took me to see Once - a beautiful little movie featuring Glen Hansard, lead singer of Richard's favourite band The Frames. The movie is lovely and romantic. Two unlikely people connect in Dublin and experience a real electricity and then decide to return to the regular paths of their lives. Touching and sentimental, this is a perfect date movie. Or at least a perfect soundtrack. I think R has already bought his download at e-music. Two enthusiastic thumbs up from Roeper and guest AND from us. Here's another interactive Once website. The songs are a revelation.

IDC at Dokufest

Good news - we just heard the IDC Finalists Showcase of 12 films that screened at hot docs has been accepted into Dokufest, a documentary film festival in Kosovo. The festival takes place this August. I won't be planning a summer visit but it's nice to know.

Also - all 84 films submitted to the competition are currently being reviewed by several broadcasters and distributors. Keep your fingers crossed!

Festival de Cannes & Sarah Polley

Well it really is Sarah Polley's year. Accomplished, award-winning actress turned director with a critically acclaimed movie in theatres AND she's on the 2007 Cannes Festival Jury with President Stephen Frears. Unbelievable.

And she's only 28 years old. WOW!

Back to Cannes. Such a scene - wish I were there again (I was actually a passholder at the 1984 Cannes Film Fest while I was taking a summer course. It was colder than I expected in May but definitely exciting). Lots of great shots on the website.

http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en

Memory lane

Got this shot of our old apartment on a walk home from work one day. "This is where we used to live" as the Bare Naked Ladies would sing. The balconies were just redone which looks good but not as good as the AMAZING work Richard has done on our place during his recent 2-week vacation. Hard to believe we've been at our home almost 5 years now.

My resident super trouper spent his entire 2-week vacation fixing up our place. Week 1 he installed 19 halogen pot lights in the basement (holy ambient light batman) and week 2 he painted our main floor living room/dining room (bringing Deacon's Bench to our corner of the world). Stay tuned for shots of the new paint colour...

New School Doc Premieres

My friends at the New School Documentary Certificate Program in New York are screening their end of year 30-minute documentary projects in June. I wish I could go down and support them but my parents will be visiting TO from Winnipeg for a very important occasion: my Dad's 80th Birthday!

To everyone on Team Blind Faith - Congratulations on completing your docs! Wish I could be there but we'll have to catch up at your next screening - no doubt at an international festival in some exotic location! WAY TO GO FILMMAKERS!!

P.S. There is a beautiful photo on Ted's blog of 3 of the New School Doc grads. Great shot Laura!

My Friend Ted is an Internet TV SUPAHSTAH

My friend Ted Fisher (one of our fellow competitors in the New School Doc Certificate team at IDC) appeared on an ABC News Nightline segment about digital technology's effect on the family album. Ted is interviewed by Kate Snow for Sign of the Times and shows her how to digitally alter some of her old family photographs.

It's a short piece (less than 4 minutes) but it annoys me that I have to watch a Slimfast commercial first and can't fast forward to get to the segment. Also interesting that the web anchor is Martin Bashir who did the in-depth Michael Jackson interview a while back. Guess this is his new gig.

Ted - Congratulations on the piece! I think you look and sound terrific. I also think you remind me of Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies (but with darker hair). Read more on Ted's blog at (http://actualities.blogspot.com/ or find the direct link in my Links menu to the right.

Seven Wonders of Canada

You are invited to vote on the short list of 52 nominees for the Seven Wonders of Canada! It's so cool to see the list of what was nominated and think of how many you know or have seen. I smiled to see the Montreal Bagel and Grand Beach, Lake Winnipeg on the list. Of course I'm voting for the Rockies and the Manitoba Legislative Building since I was a tour guide there in the summer of '83 (hard to believe it was that long ago...) Yay Golden Boy!

Check the list and start planning your summer vacations!!! I want to know your picks...

The only footnote is: I wish we could vote on 7 man-made AND 7 natural or ancient wonders of Canada - and have more winners! (like the beautiful mosaics in the lobby of the Empire State Building - check the virtual tour)

Spiritual Cinema Circle

A friend at work put me in touch with this website. Spiritual Cinema Circle is a non-profit foundation created by two Hollywood producers who - after a flash of inspiration during meditation - came up with the following idea:

"There are wonderful, inspiring movies being made by creative filmmakers all over the world, but hardly anybody is getting to see them because Hollywood isn't distributing them... Why don't we scout the film festivals, find the great spiritual-themed movies Hollywood is ignoring, and bring them to people at home on DVD?"

Why don't they indeed! Check out their website - http://spiritualcinemacircle.com
I think we should send them a copy of Marathon Women

Sante Wine Festival

Sante Wine Festival
Awesome Pangea food with
Le Sommelier wines

Enjoyed a delicious dinner at Pangea Restaurant on Saturday night as part of the Sante Wine Festival. Exquisite food by chef Martin Kouprie and delicious wine pairings from 3 wineries available through Le Sommelier: Diemersdal from South Africa, Nichols from Paso Robles, California and our perennial favourite Dog Ridge Vineyards from McLaren Vale, Australia. Had lots of fun at the table talking with visitors Richard and Patrick from Ohio. See you all again next year!

Facebook

Last week my employer made the news for banning the use of Facebook at work. I'm still chuckling. Read what Don Tapscott - author of Wikinomics - has to say.

And I now have 20 friends on Facebook, so there.

We Will Rock You & Avant-premiere

Took this shot of Sam & Steve in Dundas Square before we headed out for dinner at the Savoy (formerly the Senator) on Victoria St and on to We Will Rock You at the Canon Theatre. I really liked the show: fantastic music by Queen, amazing staging and fun little quips between songs. My cohorts were less impressed and somewhat disgruntled about the lack of plot.


What do you expect? It was way better than Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express which I saw in London in the 80s. Plus, I'm sure I enjoyed it more than I would have enjoyed Blue Man Group. Somehow, I'd rather listen to 3 hours of amazing Queen music & lyrics and see exciting staging than watch 2 hours of drumming by 3 guys who refuse to talk. Maybe it's just me.

Ran 6K this morning - felt great. Tonight is the world premiere of Marathon Women at hot docs. Will update after the screening.

Hot Docs Day & Facebook

Today I took a day off work to hang out at hot docs. What a terrific day! Met Jonathan from current.tv who wants to work with new filmmakers and have them contribute video to their 24hr global news station (and internet site) which is funded by Al Gore. Very cool! I'd love to get involved.


We even met one third (Dana and Laura) of the New School team that created the short doc Blind Faith as part of the same International Documentary Challenge that Tamara and I entered. They're GRRREAAAAAAAT!! Can't wait to meet the rest of Team Blind Faith!

Saw 4 Elements - an interesting experimental doc about Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Very quiet, intriguing and stylistic. The film was quite poetic and took 4 years to make, in Siberia, Alaska, Kazakstan and Germany.

Plus, I have 14 friends on Facebook. So there.

Kathrine Switzer - WOW

Last night we met the the first woman to run the Boston Marathon 40 years ago: Kathrine Switzer. What an amazing woman! She gave an inspirational talk and took the time to really visit with everyone who came to have her sign her new book Marathon Woman - fitting our short doc is Marathon Women. She was absolutely lovely and an incredible role model for creating opportunities for women in sport. It was truly an emotional and motivational evening for me and my fellow runners.

After being with all these AMAZING women I met my WONDERFUL Uncle Wes for dinner at his hotel. He is in town for a couple days so we look forward to seeing him on Wednesday too. Merci Oncle Wes!

Boston Kudos

My friend and JeansMarines coach 61 year-old Jan Conway ran the Boston Marathon last weekend for the second time. She braved the bad weather and did very well. Search her bib number 19464 to view her race results.

Jan, we're so proud of you. You are a real inspiration. Congratulations!

JeansMarines and Marathons

As many readers know, I started running with JeansMarines in February. JM is a women's running group that trains women slowly, safely and sensibly for the ultimate goal of running a marathon. I'm not saying I'm doing a marathon YET (Honolulu is still in the back of my mind from Reunion 2006) but I did complete my first race - Harry's Spring Runoff 5K - in High Park on Easter weekend and I'm signed up for the Sporting Life 10K running downhill on Yonge St on May 6 (who else is in?) and then the Scotiabank half-marathon on Sept 30.

JeansMarines are really training to run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC on October 28 but I'm not sure I can do that yet. I just keep saying I'm running the next event. I really like training with these amazing women - they are so warm and generous and the run is a wonderful way to start the weekends early on a Saturday morning.

Next week we will be meeting with the first woman to run the Boston Marathon Kathrine Switzer - here's a link to a recent interview with Kathrine on CBC.ca.

Breast Darn Show Period

I am going with my friend Dori to the Breast Darn Show period on Thurs May 17 at the Distillery.

It's a a great cause and sounds like an exciting event - pink carpet and boobinis and everything!

Check it out and join us!
http://www.breastdarnshowperiod.com

This is a follow-up to the highly successful Breast Friends Forever fundraiser in May 2005.

Marathon Women update & Gmail - SORRY

After painstakingly loading all my friends' contact info into my new Gmail account, I sent a newsy blast to the gang only to realize I hadn't bcc'd people. Profuse apologies folks - but then gmail is supposed to prevent spam anyway, no? (didn't see the bcc in the email window - it's really different from Outlook and again I'm sorry!)

With the world premiere of Marathon Women as part of the International Documentary Challenge (IDC) at hotdocs I can now officially call myself a filmmaker. The screening is Sat. April 28 at 9:45pm - details are on the Productions page of my new website (featuring my photo with Johnny Depp) http://haikugirl.com

We also have a myspace page
http://www.myspace.com/marathonwomendoc

Even my brothers are coming to Toronto for the screening - one from Winnipeg, the other from Calgary. We are also seeing We Will Rock You the new Queen rock musical. Looks awesome!

Hot docs starts Thursday with an exclusive opening night screening and party at the DX. For once I am getting invites to all these parties - very exciting!!

Blackout haiku

Our blackout late Sunday night inspired these haiku:

suddenly its dark
no lights in any houses
dim glow bathes the 'hood

fumble for a match
brush teeth and light a candle
bedtime anyway

11:40
50 minutes of darkness
How long will this last?

6K and new websites

What a sweet Saturday. Ran 6K this morning with JeansMarines, then came home to design my new website haikugirl.com - after several hours of edits and reuploads I'm finally happy.

We also need to create a website for our short doc marathon women that's premiering at hotdocs in 2 wqeeks. Unfortunately, someone named Brittany already took myspace.com/marathonwomen so we will use www.myspace.com/marathonwomendoc

Web editing never ends! (but it's so fun ;-)

Genius haiku

Richard and our friend Chris had a haiku dialogue that I HAVE to include on my blog:

Chris started:
work Easter Monday
i have things i should do now
the bunny says not.

Rich replied:
You Haiku master
You are a Haiku Master
I will use "now" now

Chris highlighted the egg hunt scheduled in Goderich for Easter Saturday, then expounded:
eggs under fresh snow
will not be found until May
they do not stink, now

no more work today
soon, Jackie heads to the Grave
Chris travels there, now

FYI dear readers, the Grave is not death, but rather the Hargrave, our local pub (also featured in a cheesy movie with Gerard Depardieu, Renaud and Harvey Keitel which we saw in St. Martin)

And to that brilliant haiku, Rich replied:
have a pint for me
if i walk i will see you
soon may, but not now

Then Chris commented on Rich's new haircut and encouraged his pint at the Grave:
Your short wind blown hair
Yearn for summer breeze caress
It won't happen, now

Guinness is yummy
A reward for ill weather
Very well earned, now

Finally Rich weighed in with final comments about a patron of the Grave:
Crazy chick is gone
Don't leave me alone with her
No one's biking now

And that, my friends, is the document of the haiku exchange at the Hargrave Exchange

The Race Results Are In!

I was #793 out of a total of 961 runners for the 5K in Harry's Spring Run-off on Saturday. Here is the list of 5K results. My final time was 43 minutes, 47 seconds or an average pace of 8:46 per kilometre. I was #414 out of a total of 535 women running and 55th out of 60 in my age group of Women 40 - 44. A very satisfactory showing for my first race with my wonderful running partners Hardish and Jean right along side me.

I also had a wonderful cheering section at the finish line. Richard was there snapping photos and Alison and her daughter Emily were also on hand to cheer me on! THANK YOU LES AMIS!

Next race: the Sporting Life 10K on Sunday May 6!

Mexican directors - No longer confused

Okay, I just need to write down the key works of the three HOT Mexican directors to cement them in my head (I'm a visual learner, what can I say?):

1. Alfonso Cuaron directed
Children of Men
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Y tu mama tambien
He also did the short "Parc Monceau" as part of Paris, je t'aime

2. Guillermo del Toro directed
Pan's Labyrinth
Hellboy

3. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directed
Babel
21 Grams
Amores perros

Now that I've got it all straight, if only I could figure out how to insert the accents on my Mac...

Long Weekend Movie Fest

I rented a bunch of movies for the long Easter weekend. This afternoon we saw Children of Men with Clive Owen, based on a book by P.D. James. Very intense but very good - amazing cinematography. We almost needed a recovery time afterward to let the knot in our stomachs release. (Haven't felt that sustained tension since Cronenberg's A History of Violence).

More relaxing is A Good Year - Russell Crowe inherits his Uncle Henry's chateau and vineyard in Provence. People have said this isn't great but who cares because it's Provence. It's so beautiful it totally made me want to go back to France. The soundtrack was also great - lovely vintage French numbers. In the DVD extras there are even music videos with Russell Crowe singing with Great Big Sea only they're not called Great Big Sea they're called The Ordinary Fear of God. Those lucky musicians got to travel to Europe to record the video and hang out. Who knew Russell Crowe could sing? (he's actually not bad - and the Great Big Sea people are much more mellow when they're The Ordinary Fear of God - guess hanging out in rural France and Spain will do that to you). The movie was directed by Ridley Scott (huh?!) and based on a book by Peter Mayle (my friend's brother always wanted to write a book whose opening line was "I went to Provence to kill Peter Mayle." - brilliant!)

Saturday night we plan to view The Departed. Looking forward to it after it won at The Oscars. I also bought Jesus Christ Superstar in the spirit of the season (directed, of course, by the inimitable Norman Jewison).