After about 4 or 5 times, it dawns on me. If you're going to vacate, vacate fully. (You can quote me on that - it sounds profound for about 5 seconds, then icky.) Mind erasure should be non-trivial, well-planned, and worth contemplating beforehand.
So in January I see this ad for the Rochester 360/365 International Film Festival. Rochester is the birthplace of film, you know Kodak and all, so what could be a more natural venue? And I love Rochester anyway. So I sign up for my all access pass, book a room at the Strathallan, and gear up. "Live. Breathe. Film." Yeah I can do that! Except the film part. I leave that to professionals.And there will be some professionals there! James Ivory for one, the director of The Remains of the Day and A Room With a View. (You know Merchant-Ivory, right?) A Room with a View was my friend Margot's favorite movie, and she insisted on going to Rome and recklessly falling in love with someone. These are the kind of things you dream about as a Vista volunteer, which we both were. The Remains of the Day, according to my wife Kathy is the quintessential "non-rom" flick - two people love each other and don't act on it. She accused me of liking non-rom's no matter whether they were good or not. Obviously if I bump into James Ivory, I'm going to talk with him about that. :-)
Thelma Schoonmaker, the oscar winning editor who has worked 40 years with Martin Scorsese, will be getting an award at the festival. The editor+director relationship can be pretty tight. My brother Jon is pals with Tim Squyres, the editor that works with Ang Lee, and fed me lots of back stories about this relationship. What you leave on the cutting room floor is as important as what you put in ... in other words, they're the Thelonious Monk of a film.
So I'm gonna schmooze and hobnob. I just bought a whole new hobnobbing ensemble, directed by my good friend Jessica and bankrolled by a low-interest mortgage
refinancing. Now you might be thinking, "Craig is not a schmoozer. Craig is not a hob-nobber. I don't know exactly what those mean, but he isn't either of those!" Well, here's the thing. I like people, and film buffs especially. I've got 5 days to meet them. If you have a better plan, I'd like to hear it.
Oh and speaking of vacating fully, I'm gonna eat a garbage plate. Later, y'all!
2 comments:
You know, I schooled in Rochester for 4 years and have never tried the garbage plate. Will have to add that to my to-do list for the next time I visit.
Along those same lines, I dated my wife for a year when she lived in Rochester, and I'VE never had a garbage plate either. (Can you believe it?) I HAVE been to the Highland Park Diner, Oscar's and James Brown's Place (not THAT James Brown)though, all of which should be on your list.
And if you should happen to venture a little North of the city, you can't miss Marge's Lakeside in Seabreeze (tell the bartender it's your first time there).
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