Sundance Film Festival 2010

Sundance Film Festival 2010 was an experience I will never forget. Even though 4 weeks have past, I still am struggling with how to document it.


I can do it chronologically. List the movies I saw, the celebrities I saw, the friends I met. So many choices.

Unfortunately I was unable to take many pictures since cameras were not allowed during work, when we had an audience and actors/directors/producers in the theater.

Let me start from the beginning. Many people have asked how I came to go to Sundance Film Festival. My long time friend Leslie, lives in Park City with her husband John and daughter Brooke.

She is a returning volunteer for the festival every year. This year, on Wednesday the week before the festival, She announced on facebook that she was unable to work her shifts due to a scheduling conflict. I immediately looked at plane tickets to Utah and booked my trip. Not only was I going to the festival, but I was going to get the opportunity to spend time with Leslie and meet her daughter Brooke for the first time.

Brooke is 100% little princess and we had a ball playing dress up and casting “magic spells” in her room to keep the nightmares away.

Friday evening was my first whirlwind night of work. Considering I had to wake up at 2:30 am to catch my flight. I knew working until 10pm would be a challenge.

Dressed in my volunteer uniform which was a Kenneth Cole Ski Parka, I was off to my first shift at work.

I Like to call this look "Storm Trooper Chic"

To make it more exciting we had two big premiers that evening at the theater I was working at. Including Adrian Grenier’s (star of Entourage) film, staring Paris Hilton.



Yes, Miss Hilton was in the audience. Her skin is orange and she smells like cigarettes. She also likes to smoke in public restrooms. Apparently she doesn’t want any Paparazzi to film her dirty little habits.
By the end of my first night the celebrity spotting was low, I blame it on my exhaustion.

Celebrities sighted:
Adrian Grenier
Paris Hilton

Movies watched:
Teenage Paparazzo
Douchebag

Saturday, after an amazing nights rest, Leslie and I snuck away for a pedicure while her husband John entertained Brooke before I went to work.

The movies I saw Saturday night:
Night Catches Us
Sympathy for Deliciouse
The Perfect Host

Celebrity sightings Saturday Night:
Jake Scott
Seth Rogan
Constatine Morales (from American Idol—I had no idea who he was until someone told me after I had a conversation with him about where he could find the concession stand)
Parker Posey (Love her!)
Orlando Bloom – (oh goodness what an extremely handsome man! I got the pleasure of escorting him to the restroom. Glamorous, I know)
Juliette Lewis –(Very nice!!! She also complimented my shoes. Another fan of the red patten leather danskos, lady has good taste.)
Ron Livingston (aka: Peter from Office Space –I also got to show him to the restroom in the back of the theater. I was getting good at this. Hot, attractive, famous men talking to me and I got to show them where the water closet was. This is not how it happens in my dreams.)
Mark Ruffilo

Sunday was much lighter in the celebrity sightings, but I did see the most powerful movie of the entire festival.
8 A Mormon Proposition. If/when this movie comes to a theater near you. I strongly recommend seeing it. Wow!
At times during the filming you could hear the audiences emotional reactions. It was very moving.
The mayor of San Francisco was in the audience along with some men from the Mormon Church who you could tell were NOT happy about this film.

Movies viewed Sunday:
12th and Delaware
8 A Mormon Proposition
Lovers of Hate
Three Backyards
Monday morning I got up bright and early and rushed downtown to try to catch a viewing of The Runaways. A festival favorite. Unfortunately I missed this movie but it gave me more time with Leslie and Brooke.
I have to include this photo of Brooke since I have the exact same skirt and top. I never thought of mixing the pink cotton top with the black tulle skirt, but since she can pull it off I am sure I can too, no?


At the airport later that day, I was chatting with a young lady, her mother and who I assumed was her aunt. Turns out she was one of the supporting actresses in The Runaways. Now I can’t wait ot see it in the theaters to see her again. She was a delightful girl.

It’s official, I am hooked on Sundance. I will certainly be there again next year!

Tour De Colorado Snowboard Festival

5 days, Three Mountains, a very exclusive list of participants.


Me.

Plus my trusty sidekick Sasha. (Someone needed to protect the car and/or condo while I was out riding.)

Along the way I did however run into some of my fan club.

Like this guy, rumored to be one of the top ski instructors in the state.


Or these little clowns. Watch out 2022 Olympics. They may very well be on the ski team.


This is all I see of them is their backs, because they are THAT fast.

Doctor's Orders

Are for me to try to relax. My legs have recovered from last weekends half marathon and now it is time for some R&R.

Oh, you didn't know I ran a half marathon last weekend? Oh I did, in Pueblo, in 30 degree weater.

I have neglected this blog since my 'funployment' started. I promise to be better about that.

This weekend I will be heading into the high country, hanging out with an old girlfriend, drinking wine, hitting some hot springs and making some turns in some fresh snow.

YIP YIP YIPEEE!!!

I have been waiting nine months for this weekend to arrive.

The weekend where I kiss away my Fall Funk and head into my Winter Euphoric mood. Hello Ski season.

Women Build Day

This past weekend I was able to participate and volunteer on a Habitat for Humanity
house in connection with “Women Build Day” with a few of my mates; Jessica, Stacee,and Jules.



My alter ego for the day was “Construction Barbie”. Complete with barbie belt, pink shoes, pink glasses and pink water bottle.

It was a successful day and we got the house completely wrapped in blueboard insulation. Jules and I did the back wall of the house. We didn’t realize when we picked this wall it would be the toughest with the angled eves. Being the daughter of an architect that loves strange angles, I welcomed the challenge. I had to dig deep into my high school geometry lessons, but the end product came out good and all were impressed.


At the end of it all, we had to sign our work.


As a public servant Jules took the opportunity for a little campaigning.

What Happens Doesn’t Always Stay…

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Lenocker
And I can’t forget two of my favorite little rockstars; Avery and Scarlet
The Wedding was absolutely beautiful and magical.
The weekend in Las Vegas was truly an endurance event that consisted of many adventures and non shall be written about on line.
Here is the old gang, minus Steve (who got stuck being sent to West Virginia for work) and Bridget (Bridget was taking this photo)
The wedding cake topper
After a crash the girls came to alert the adults something happened to the cake.
(They really had nothing to do with it, the cake topper just jumped to it’s death)
The headless wedding cake topper. Erin declared even decapitated, it will be displayed proudly in their chine hutch.

7X’s and a Why?

On Labor Day I ran in my first Marathon Relay.

I was the last person to go and I had the shortest distance to run (4.2 miles).

My team consisted of my friends Sonal, Mark, Jamie—three woman and a man. Get it? 7x’s and a Y (Why?)…


If you don’t get it, talk to your high school biology teacher and ask them about genetics…

All the proceeds from the relay went directly to the charity Pennies for Nioll. Where as the money from the marathon and half marathon went towards administrative costs and prize money.

I was hesitant to join the team considering the relay was happening 2 days after my big triathlon, but once I learned I had the shortest leg I agreed. Although, I did not take into consideration I would be running at the height of heat during the day. I am not used to running in the middle of the day. Most of my runs are at 5:30 am or 7 pm, before the sun comes up, or while it is making its exit.

It was tough. But as a team we did great and had an absolute blast. It also helped there was beer from Bristol Brewery at the finish line. Which btw was totally NOT well marked and the last 2/10th’s of a mile sucked b/c I kept expecting the next turn in America The Beautiful park to be it…but it wasn’t until I ran around the entire park.

I know by know all my readers are thinking “what next?”

What self torture do I plan next?

Well I’ll tell you this much, it is also an endurance event, consists of very little sleep and over a span of multiple days, and of course multiple shoe changes…

Oh yeah, in a desert.

Tune in next week to know what that adventure is…

Tenderfoot Mountain Triathlon Race Report

The trip to Salida started Friday afternoon with my parents rolling into town around 1:30 and me skipping out of work with no one noticing after my last meeting at 1pm.

We grabbed lunch at Paninos and headed onto Salida for the awaiting 'Adventure in Pain' for myself and the 'Adventure of Support' for my parents. As a support crew they were troopers I tell ya. Not many parents would give up their entire holiday weekend for their crazy, adult daughter’s goal to torture herself for hours on end, and they get to clap and cheer along the way.

I had made reservations in the swanky Circle R Motel weeks in advance to make sure we all had a place to lay our weary heads.

After much deliberation for dinner we decided to go with an old stand by, consistently good, very vegetarian friendly Twisted Cork. I had introduced my father to this gem of a restaurant this past ski season and he was anxious to take his wife; my step-mother Betty, there. She is a Vegan and me being a Vegetarian, and my father a full on Carnivore, we all were able to find delicious grub for our dinner. We all had a busy day planned for the next day. We needed to get to bed early.

I slept alright considering I had a gazillion butterflies breeding in my stomach. My bike was propped next to my bed, I had images of oversleeping and my alarms not going off (note I said alarms—I set three-just in case). The alarms were set for 4 am in order for me to wake up, eat, ride my bike to the aquatic center, set up my transition area, go to the bathroom—three times, and be ready for my estimated start time of 7:55am.

The plan was my dad and Betty would arrive at the pool around 7:35 am and I would hand my watch to my dad to time my swim and he would hand it back on my way to transition.

I was disappointed and concerned that we were not allowed to warm up in the pool before the initial start. Going in with cold muscles did not make my nerves settle one bit. I was used to the distance of swim (1000 meters), I do it 5 times a week, but never in a hot springs pool (~85 degrees), and I knew the lack of warm up, regardless of my morning bike ride would bite me in the end. And it did.

A lot of people must have had issues getting up or making it to the swim start because my estimated start time was bumped up to 7:20, because so many people were late or no shows. This was only 5 minutes after I ate my Gu, which I calculated to eat 15 minutes prior. Luckily, my parents came in as I was heading to the water so I was able to pass my watch off to my dad ready to start the clock.

Side note: I have a thing for needing data. It’s weird. My friends and family have come to accept it about me. I need to have my times as I am doing things. It is what I do. The watch is a MAJOR thing for me.

I started out with a great set of lane mates, I was the fastest so in the first couple laps I passed to the front and we all kept at an even tempo, then by lap 14 I hit a wall, I had to let them pass and the distance between us grew with every lap. By lap 14 I was ¼ of a lap behind the other two in my lane. Not bad, but I could feel the fatigue.

I was happy to get out of the pool and head to my bike.

As I was running out of the pool I heard my friend Tina yelling and cheering with my Dad and Betty.

As I was drying off and prepping for my bike ride my support team was there to talk to me and calm me down. My dad learned in my first triathlon, I don’t mind being talked to, it was nice that the transition area was open and the idle chit chat helped calm my nerves as I raced to get my cycling shorts, jersey, number and shoes on.

Off I went…

The 25 mile bike ride was a two mile loop that we did twice, it had one large climb, one great decent followed by a sharp right hand turn, and a smaller climb towards the end.

It was during the bike ride I realized what an amazing set of athletes compete in this triathlon. Never have I seen so many encouraging people on a course. Everyone was cheering everyone else on. Later I learned this is one of the harder olympic distance triathlons in the state and the camaraderie was amazing out on course.

I am thankful I didn’t know the difficulty of the course when I signed up, I may have chickened out.

Considering there were only 103 participants, there were many times you would go for a mile or 4 without seeing another rider.

It was a neat surprise to find my parents along the route cheering me on. Almost like “Where’s Waldo?” I didn’t know where they would pop out next. Later I learned that they had seen me on the long climb but did not let me know they were watching me from behind, because it was long, hard and brutal, but I did it, in a sick way liked it, and enjoyed the decent in which I earned.
(my dad at the end of the decent pointing me towards my turn)

As I came in from my last lap on the bike I saw my friend Chery standing near the transition area.
Another cheerleader!
She told me later she had JUST arrived and was afraid she missed me.

I felt great!!! Although there was a bathroom issue brewing in my belly that I didn’t know how to deal with. (sorry, TMI)

Once again I came into transition and I am now feeling all the work I have been putting out, I also needed a potty. (again, To Much Information, I apologize)

I got my running gear on and headed back out on course, Chery gave me a hug as I ducked under the tape for the Porta-potty. Yeah, not gonna happen…time to run. (here my dad is again, cheering me along)

Although my legs were having an issue getting into it. So I trotted the first half mile until I came upon a concrete path that would lead me to the boat ramp in town, then up a mountain.
That concrete path was my nemesis and in the end it won.
I could not run on it without extreme pain in my shins and ankles, knowing I had another race two days later and not wanting to get injured, I gave in and fast walked the first and last 2 miles. I did my best to run up the mountain and back to the concrete path, in which I fast walked again. (we ran around the right side and backside of this mountain, to the top and back down via service road)

There was a water station at the boat ramp that sounded like a good idea until I took a small sip (cold water) and almost immediately barfed. Bad idea

Instead I kept going, and going.
Meanwhile, my support team was napping.

Finally, I came off the concrete path and it was 4-6 short blocks to the finish line. I pushed and gave it all I had, which wasn’t much at this point.

But I gave it, like a junkie handing over their last dollars they earned donating plasma.
I handed over all energy to that finish line.

(If you look closely, I am the little runner wearing the purple swim suit and black skirt)

Which I crossed.

Strong

Still running

(sort of)

Then was greeted by my family and friends.

At this point I was Done, Finit, Spent.

And I cried

Final time: 3:59:19

Betty then said to me “well now you have done it, you never have to do it again”

I replied: “well not until next year at least”


(My Cheering Section)
(Do dead people laugh and smile? I think I will be smiling when I die, I smile all the time while I am alive, why not?

Lessons Learned:

This past weekend while competing in my first Olympic length triathlon followed up by a marathon relay race two days later I learned some very good lessons when it comes to completion, personal fitness and performance.

1) When I think I am hydrated, drink more water
2) Carb loading really doesn’t need to begin 72 hours prior, 24 hours would have been fine. Eating too much the day before a race can be as bad as not eating enough. Next time, do not eat a large lunch and dinner the day before the race
3) The glass of red wine the night before was perfectly acceptable, as learned a few weeks before, the vodka martini is not.
4) Breakfast 3 hours before my start time was key.
5) Be at the pool and ready to go 45 minutes before my start time. Many people missed their starts, pushing up start times
6) Swimming with cold muscles in a very warm pool is HARD
7) I need to get my body used to running on concrete in the middle of the day.
8) Running at noon is a completely different story than running at 5 am or 7 pm
9) Next year I will go out the evening before and stash, non-cold water.
10) I have amazingly supportive friends and parents.
11) The Circle R motel in Salida is a great little place to rest ones weary head. The owners Pam and Lee are some of the nicest folks that you will meet.
12) I need new gear: A new bike and Tri suit to be exact if I am going to continue down this crazy path.
13) Triathletes are some of the nicest, coolest people out there. We’re all nuts!

I still have my heart set on doing a triathlon with two of my best friends, Amy and April. That’s right girls, I have my eyes on YOU!
April, there is a fun Iron Girl sprint in las Vegas that I think would be a blast, plus easy for us each to get too. I think it is in the spring time.
Amy, next year, you + me + Salida = FUN!!!

CRAPS!

In July Colorado gaming introduced higher stake limits which now allows for casinos here to have my all time favorite game, Craps!

It started innocently enough, meeting up with my RAGBRAI team members for FAC cocktails on Friday afternoon. Some where in the conversation I mentioned I was heading to Las Vegas in the near future for a friends wedding and my buddy said how much he enjoyed Craps, I replied “me too!”

After a few drinks we left the bar, hopped on the Ramblin Express and headed to Cripple Creek to test out the new higher stakes gaming laws, and test the craps dealer’s skillz.

It was obvious we were not in Vegas when the dealers seemed shocked to cash in $100 for chips and we started playing with $5 chips and not the $1, also when I was on a 30 minute roll, I noticed I had the pit boss, the casino manager and other big men watching every single roll of my dice. For the night we each walked out with a few hundred dollars than we came in with and apparently the casino bosses were not too pleased, at the same time there was nothing they could say or do, I was legit and I wasn’t making that much money.

Looking forward to my trip to Las Vegas where a hot roll on the tables gets you food and lodging comps, not dirty looks by old greasy men, and watered down cocktails.

When the Cats Away

The hands will play!

Puffy hands needed a little girl time this weekend.

Started with a fun car ride

Some shopping:













Cocktails

Dinner

Finally to top the weekend off with a ride