34th Street, Macy's Day Parade and Thanksgiving

On Monday at work, I finished the binder. Well, up until episode 210....and made a to-do list for the rest..and a table of contents. It made Alex so happy she shrieked with joy to see it (basically, that means it was totally worth it.) We also had our last pre-production meeting. I guess they started their first episode while sipping milkshakes at the the diner on 34th and to fulfill the tradition we all went to the diner on 34th to discuss episode 212. I have seen a lot of the small diner, which I don't think is particularly popular but is in a sublime location. It was much more than a production meeting, we all discussed what we're doing afterwards (which is pretty all around nothing since Frenemies ends at such an awkward time) and options of what to do from here. I cannot believe how wonderful it is to work with people who value your strengths. I know I have a lot to learn when it comes to filmmaking but working with a crew that recognizes the importance of hard work and helps me learn where I fall short will be hard to leave and start again. 

Tuesday we arrived in Oneonta (did you see my "Macys Day Parade" picture? I was there....just a lot earlier than the rest of the parade.) It's a good thing we decided to leave a little earlier for Oneonta because apparently the weather was going to be absolutely nasty Wednesday and Thursday. We had quite the snow storm but I didn't find it nasty, rather, I felt the weather was welcoming the holiday season. Kim practiced her aerobic routine with me, I think it was odd for her because we do aerobics a lot together but we never are facing each other. I am well aware that I am an awkward mover. 

During this visit, Lucy figured out how to say "Dave" and everything became "Dave." The car keys were "Dave," my phone (has a picture of him on it) was "Dave," any bearded man in the mall was "Dave," the picture of Jesus in the hallway was "Dave" and we both preferred this over last time we went to Oneonta (she literally cried everytime he came near her.) She was also very concerned that dave wasn't included in whatever was happening. If Mary and I were giving soft tickles to one another, Lucy would command us to soft tickle him. If she had to take a nap and everyone was giving her kisses, she would then say "Dave?" My name was occassionally "Dave" as well because I guess "Lizi" is harder for an 18-month old. 

Wednesday I was informed that my exam had been graded and I promised Dave I wouldn't check my score until after the Thanksgiving break....well, I peeked. I got the exact score I needed to graduate, what a miracle! I became a little sad because I didn't really end college on a strong point but then I remembered how wonderful it was that I'm where I am and that the next day is Thanksgiving I got over it quickly (Thank you btw for those of you who sent me kind words about my last blog post, I didn't intend to be depressing but thank you for being so nice to me.) 

Thanksgiving Day 2013 we spent in a cottage-like home, toasty on the inside and enough snow to play in on the outside. Kim is the best cook in the world. Buddy and Mary fight over who will be "willed" Kim's cookbook, Buddy apparently thinks it would sell on Ebay for 14 million dollars. I also missed my dear Grandma Pace today, I always think of her around Thanksgiving. The holiday smell alone reminds me of the great Thanksgiving's I've spent near my Grandmother. My mother was so kind and roped Erika into setting up skype so we could see the family. Not only were Grandma and Grandpa there but I got to see CLAIRE JARVIS. I totally understand that 2-year old and miss her often. I love it when Katie calls because I will often get to speak to Claire as well (I like speaking to Katie too.) Near the evening, we welcomed in the holiday season with some desserts and games. I'm pretty sure I win every game of zilch that I play....right Dave?

Friday We got to see Catching Fire. I know, everybody loves the movie. I admit it was done very well. I won't lie, it makes me so anxious but the book did too so at least it's consistent! Living in conditions so bleak as the setting of the Hunger Games really scares me. Kim and I exercised everyday while I was in Oneonta too but that's because we both find exercise therapeutic.

Saturday, we loved being in Oneonta but it began to set in that our stay was coming to the end...and that we don't know when we will be able to see the Noorlander's again. I tried really hard not to focus on that fact, I hate goodbye's and I say goodbye's too often. We set up Christmas decorations and Danny is a great decorator. I also can only go so many days without taking pictures or filming something and I couldn't handle that it had been a while so I spent the evening filming Lucy dancing in front of the christmas tree.

I met a woman on Sunday who turned 100 last month. I also was called the "calm" one in my family although we asked Dave if that's true and he disagrees that I'm calm. Kim made the best pretzels on earth and I have been craving them lately so it was perfect to be able to eat eight soft pretzels to help my craving. The family let us skype in on Advent in the evening and it was a perfect ending...for now. 

Today at work I talked to four strangers about their lives. I guess people are more talkative right after Thanksgiving. OR I'm a more social person after I've spent nearly a week with Kim. That makes more sense. We also went into what I picture Bakery Heaven would look like. Dave refuses to eat our advent calendar chocolates though, he is too afraid they will taste like cardboard. I do not have a fear of eating chocolate.

I believe in the Holidays.

Presentations on Cellphones

I'm sad that I missed quite the convincing presentation by: Maja Williams. But I think I got the idea of it, look at the front page:

The first paragraph begins:

 "Today I chose to focus on LOL. A term used when we are texting. This phrase means laugh out loud. It apparently is used a lot but I don't know that because I don't text because my mom won't get me a stinking phone."

Her Majesty

Her Majesty from Pigtail Productions on Vimeo.

I get inspired by so many films. Check it out on Vimeo, you'll really like it.

Famous People

Hey!

I just posted on my website some of the people I've been working with. Check it out.

There are many more people but ask me individually if you're interested. I'd like to protect the privacy of some and promote those that are hoping for more recognition.

Final Cut-That's a wrap!

Final Cut Film Festival. 

For those of you who came, THANK YOU. For those of you who helped, THANK YOU. For the local professionals who came to the networking reception before the Saturday showings, THANK YOU.

Two years ago, this festival was a game-changer for me. I got two films in and then was blown away by how professional all of the films were. Last year, I was my first year working with the Student Film Association (they showcase the festival) and I adored all of it, despite my responsibility at the time. This year, the week I got back from Africa the Final Cut Film Festival was on the back burner so they asked me to be the Coordinator/Manager/Queen. It opened my eyes to how talented the members of the SFA are and though, most everyone had little to no time to help out on stuff, they still sacrificed enough to help out with advertising, programs, booths, social media, commercials...etc. That's how I feel most endings should be (if only for a year:) celebrations.

I believe in talent.

Pat Fiso

Pat Fiso from Fesler Films on Vimeo.

Pat Fiso passed away last week and I had a great opportunity to visit her with my camera a couple of months ago. I love her sweet soul and I think it is evident in this film what she holds as her highest priority.

I believe in the after-life.

Film/Photography Ideas

FILM: I'd love to make a dance video, similar to the "Pusher love girl" video above. I also really want to make a video about an elephant (possibly at the hogle zoo or in India.) On the horizon: a music video for Jason and The Astronaut, Lifestyle videos with some lovely elderly women in SLC and anyone who wants a wedding video.

MUSIC: I want to find more music that is unique. Recent Gems:  "Hi" from Psapp, "Araceli" from Nathaly Dawn or "Matilda" by Alt J.

PHOTOGRAPHY: I'm looking for long and bright green grass to take pictures of. Let me know if you know of any.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Involvement?

Pet Names

Do I come up with good pet names or what?
My parents probably told me that I do because they don't want me naming any humans my creative names.

Check it out:

I want a small dog (like a scottish terrier.) Name: Mr. Bojangles (don't steal my name or I'll hunt you down.)

I want a big dog (like a great dane.) Name: Digby

I want two tiny turtles. Names: Barnaby and Chiffonade.

I want a fish. Name: Moby Dick.

 Names for my past animals have been: Mouse: Anthony Guinea Pigs: Hazel and Sylvia Dogs: Miles, Bandit, Rico Suave Hermit Crabs: Bert, Ernie and Oscar.

Not bad, right? My hidden talents.

My Irrational Love for Valentines Day

I have always ADORED Valentines Day, it never mattered whether I had a significant other in my life or not. In one way, I can partially blame this irrational obsession on my good friend Jessica Payton because this is her favorite holiday by far and she always had extravagant plans to celebrate. Since she is in Cape Verde this year, Sonia and I will honor her next week by re-instating Annual Skirt Week (you'll find out about it, don't worry.) To honor Sonia, I'm wearing the huge heart ring she gave me yesterday on a cupcake. And to honor this day, I dyed my hair red and after doing so I tried for a long time to get the perfect self timer picture and I failed hard core.

As for today today, I need to brag about my husband. It wasn't even noon and he already spoiled me with flowers, chocolate frogs, balloons and a stuffed animal. Who knows what's next!  We were both a little sad we would have to work today but it has turned out quite lovely, I get to deliver a ton of flowers and have gotten a lot of free food and treats. Dave's on surprise duty tonight and I'm sure that he'll do a perfect job. He is my happy ending.

Mary and sisters

Mary has been on my mind since we've returned which is odd since she didn't know any English and that barrier seemed to make her feel too uncomfortable to stay in the same room as us. She, Mirelle, Val and Alvine (the only one I haven't met) are all sisters and I may happen to enjoy the presence of bonded sisters who are also independent. Who knows why.

Here is a snippet of what I wrote about Mary while we were in Cameroon:

"We bought cloth for traditional clothes today. Mary (Val and Mirelle's sister) is hand sewing it for me and the design is amazing.

Mary's hair is incredible. She has a zipper in it and it's intertwined with orange and purple. As a matter of fact it's very common for women to dye their hair purple here. I love it. I am just waiting for someone to offer and then I'm going to join the club. I really would. I've wanted purple hair ever since that elderly woman in my home ward pulled it off so classy. The fact that Mary has purple hair and is sewing me a dress is enough for me to wish she could understand a small portion how happy I am about that."

I believe in zippers.

Word from the Les Miserables (2012) Director: Tom Hooper

"I did wonder whether the form of musical would give me permission to loosen some of the sometimes-rigid constraints of being a realist; yet, at the same time, I felt very much that the key to making a musical work is to ground it in the real world. That tension between the desire to make it feel compellingly real and the desire to be more of an expressionist in some choices was a key dynamic that I navigated with Danny in shooting."
                                                                    -Tom Hooper

Instead of recording music tracks before the shoot and having the actors lip sync their songs during the shoot, Hooper had the actors record their numbers live on set hoping to get more emotion from a live performance. 

I believe in realism.

How We Fell in Love with NOLA

I made this film a while back. I'm not sure why, other than I wanted a behind the scenes film accompanied to our trip to New Orleans. We had a lot more shots that we loved than what we could put in the Kiva piece so this was the result. I didn't feel like sharing it until today. 

Maybe one reason is because one of our crew members, Jason Brown is not featured which is embarrassing but probably attached to 1) my feminism, 2) the fact he isn't my husband and 3) my forgetfulness. So don't be offended? It was a blunder.

Enjoy How We Fell in Love with NOLA.

Something called Perfection!

Christmas has been perfect, in every way possible. I'm amazed by how much has happened the last couple of days. Dave and I stayed up Christmas Eve and I could hardly sleep. He could barely stand waiting to open presents until the morning. We woke up to our upstairs neighbors screaming in delight over something (probably shocking.) Spent all day at my parents with all of my siblings. Waffles and the most scrumptious dinner. For my presents to my sisters I printed big versions of a picture for each family. It went very well; mom and dad both cried. Katie and I also gave out a CD of songs that I my dad sings, as well as a few extra favorites from our family. Erika is pregnant. The timing was great, the chaos was great, and the company was sublim.

 

Everything else? I'll just talk in pictures. These are how the days went.

 

I believe in Santa.

Awesomes and Awkwards

Awkward:
-a girl broke her wrist on the "new and improved" zipline
-Sadie (my 2 year old niece) sat on the floor and would yell "stop bugging me" even though I was at the table in the other room.
-I smelled weird this week. I hate that.
-We were an hour late to Ben Petersen's premiere...and it was over when we got there.
-We caught the mouse in a trap :( but it was taking a long time to die so Dave teared up as he killed it and after that, I realized how easy it would for him to hit my head with a  rock...

Awesome:
-I got accepted to go to China....but need to figure out if I should go
-We won our tournament games!
-My new camera came in the mail! (Strong smell of cigarette smoke though. I'll figure it out with kitty litter or somethin.)
-I had a lot of candy to give out on the last day of class to strangers!
-I got dad to sit down long enough to watch The Artist and I knew he would love it! (PS I've been really into watching the cheesy yet magical Christmas movies....oh the horror)
-Sonia came over during her dinner break at her dream job. I've missed her so.
-During volleyball, everybody joined in as we clapped after each play. We were imitating fancy tennis matches.
-The Noorlanders are coming for Christmas! I can hardly wait.
-The Nicholaus didn't deliver to the wrong door this year! But he was robbed, so the amount of candy took a hit.

I believe in (and am slightly addicted to) Christmas parties!

Last Day

Though we've had a chance to glimpse at each other's lives, we're all still half strangers.
They stood there and said, "I guess I might never see you guys again."
Alyssa hugged all the guys as I stood there awkwardly trying not to cross any boundaries.
Then, we all wished each other good lives, turned away and walked forward.

That's how I want to remember saying goodbye to college.

If you can't tell...

This is our Halloween costume. People don't understand my costume until they see Dave's but as soon as I say it, at least film students know who she is!

The runner up was this:

Happy Halloween!!!

Elephant Polo

Elephant Polo The King’s Cup from stefan heinrichs on Vimeo.

This film is simple yet surreal. Plus, I now want to try elephant polo.

I believe in lucky charms.

Snippets from the Wedding Tonight

 I love this shot of her dad and her dancing specifically because the band had finished so her father sang to her.

I believe in soup.

Sweaty Pit

This day stood out of the ordinary, thus worthy of sharing.

I prepared and taught my first film class yesterday. My adrenaline was pumpin, I dressed up so I didn't look 12 years old and right after class I went to the bathroom to wash my hands of that finding something new as I looked at myself in the mirror....

SWEATY PITS. Not just like a dainty glisten, the sweat started from my armpits and went down to my belly button.

I was afraid that I donated my favorite shirt, Dave's best winter coat and the textbook that I will be teaching from this semester to DI so I had to bike there to see. I couldn't find any of them so let's pray I didn't accidentally donate them. I did, however, find amazing deals on a few movies and books I've wanted for a while. Jackpot!

After buying those gems, I forgot I biked and had the hardest uphill 10 movie plus schoolbook bike ride to my home. Where everybody was crowding around for the football game.

The Mungia's and us hit up Common at the Twilight Concert Series. It's still hard to believe that I went to that because I had a dream last night where we did something very VERY ordinary. Popped in a movie, chilled with friends and then I think of what really happened. All of the lights, the booming sound, the collaboration of sweat, the crowd of people unintentionally swaying and rocking into each other, the rain starting to pour at the most magical moment and that smoke-still stuck in my lungs. The combination of it all made it seem quite surreal.

After our drive back from Salt Lake, we ran over to the stadium (in our backyard, remember?) to watch the last minute of the game. The side we ran up to closed it off and right as the game finished but we got to high five all of the football players as they ran to their locker room. One gave his game glove to this adorable little boy right in front of me, he was SO happy to hold the sweaty glove of a hardworking football player.

That, my friends, proves once again why Thursdays are my favorite.

Michael and Ashley

What a great response on this wedding video!

I was thrilled to be asked to do a wedding professionally and when it turned into one of the classiest events I have been to in a long time I absolutely fell in love all over again.

Congrats to the gorgeous couple!