Sal Returns to the Film Festival and Meets Awesome People

It's a bit of a pain lugging Sal around at the Film Festival, so she doesn't get to go every day.  I did decide, however, to take her there on days when people are coming down to meet me for a film.  Yesterday my sister was coming, so Sal got to go, too.  Anne and I saw an absolutely wonderful film together --  Life Inside Out.  It was a story with much relevance to both of us -- for different reasons -- but we were both greatly moved by it.  In the movie, lives are transformed through the power of music, and Sal -- who is, of course, a musical instrument -- is part of my transformation.  I'm changing from "afraid to approach new people" librarian to "not-too-shy person who fearlessly approaches people with a silly request to pose with a tiny ukulele."  The resulting interactions are always interesting -- and sometimes quite wonderful.

Travels with Sal is just part of my transformation.  I don't want to spend my life working, cleaning the house, weeding the garden, and eventually dying of boredom.  I want my life to be fulfilling -- and to be a part of making the world a better place!  Of course there are times at work when I make a difference, and that's wonderful, but most of the time I don't feel like my contribution is very important to anyone.  And who cares if my house is clean?  Who cares if my laundry is folded?  Nobody!  

So I suppose picking up my first ukulele a couple of years ago was a bigger step than I thought it was at the time.  I just wanted an instrument to play in storytime, and I ended up falling in love with this amazing four-stringed life-changer.  I have done so many things I never would have considered doing before.  I'm not changing anybody's life but my own at this point, but I feel like I'm moving in a direction that could lead to helping others in the future.

Enough about my inner monologue!  Back to the Film Festival!   Anne and I were thrilled to hear that the stars of the film -- Maggie Baird and Finneas O'Connell -- were at the showing for an apres-film Q&A.  Of course I immediately thought of Sal!  Would they agree to pose for a photo with her?  After the Q&A I left Anne holding all of my stuff -- except for Sal and the camera -- and waited for Maggie and Finneas to finish speaking with other people who had enjoyed the film.  I asked my question, and they were very kind and agreed to have their picture taken with Sal. (I always wonder what I should call celebrities in the blog.  Should I call them Ms. and Mr., like the New York Times does?  Or should I use their first names, which seems overly familiar?  In this case, I'm going with first names, because of the friendly personalities of these multi-talented people.)

Mother and son in real life -- and on screen!

Something interesting happens whenever I hand Sal to musicians.  They start tuning her!  Unfortunately, Sal is devilishly hard to tune.  Her strings are so short that as soon as a string approaches being in tune, it's already past the in-tune spot.  Oh well, she's small and cute, so who cares if she sounds good?

Sal is hard to tune!

Or maybe impossible...

Anne and I ended up having a really great conversation with Maggie and Finneas.  What truly nice people they are!  A while later they performed at the fountain in the center of Tower City, but I could only stay for one song, as I had to rush off to my next film.  I left Anne there -- listening and enjoying the music. 

Later in the day, I was in line to see Ride With Larry -- a truly inspiring story about a man with Parkinson's who rides a bike across North Dakota.  One of the directors of the film came by and took a picture of all of us in the line, so I whipped out Sal and asked him to pose with her.

Ride with Larry director, Ricardo Villarreal.

I ended my Film Festival day with another wonderful film -- The Ballad of Shovels and Rope.  It was great seeing two fantastic music-themed movies in one day!

Just for Film Fest fans!  Here is what I posted on Facebook after each of the films I've seen since the last Travels with Sal post:

Paris or Perish = Enjoyable light comedy + a fun start to Sunday at the Film Fest.
The Missing Picture = Hated it + walked out.
It's Only Make Believe = Getting into a life of crime is a lot easier than getting out + tension-filled gripping story.
Le Weekend = Great acting + difficult to watch people inflicting emotional pain on those they love.
Life Inside Out = Touching film about life and music + beautiful songs that made me cry in a very good way! <3
The Rugby Player = OK doc.
Ride With Larry = Inspiring + I don't think I would have such courage and determination if I received such a diagnosis, but one can hope.
The Ballad of Shovels and Rope = An absolute delight! <3       

Sal Goes to the Cleveland International Film Festival

Yesterday was Day 4 of the Cleveland International Film Festival!  So far I've seen 14 films, and plan to watch about 40 more in the remaining eight days of the festival.  Seeing so many movies in a short time is quite exhilarating and exhausting -- and leaves one with a very fuzzy head -- but it's an amazing experience that I look forward to every year!  I brought Sal with me to the Festival yesterday and got some fun photos of her there.

There are Film Festival graphics all over Tower City, giving it a festive international look. 

This picture shows part of a group of windows that are covered with Film Festival designs. 

If there is enough time between films I often walk laps around Tower City.  Sitting down all day is a pain in the butt (literally), and it's best to keep moving anyway.  As I was walking around the top level I thought it would be cool to get a shot of Sal on the railing -- showing the Film Festival banners framing the stairs on the other side and some of the other Film Festival graphics decorating Tower City, too.  Since I didn't have an assistant with me, I had to hold Sal with one hand while holding the camera with the other.  Obviously this limited what I could do.  I took many shots -- most of which were not sharp because of camera movement or Sal movement or a combination of the two.  This is the one I picked to share.  (The blurry edges are intentional, but I wish there was better depth of field so the Film Festival banners would be sharper.)

I've always wanted to go up to the observation deck of the Terminal Tower, but it just never worked out before.  When I read that the deck would be open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the Film Festival, I was thrilled.  Today Sal and I took the elevators up and saw some great views of the city.  Unfortunately, there were the usual problems that occur when I put Sal in a window and try to take a properly exposed photo of her.  A person would need lots more equipment and much more photographic skill than I possess to get good shots in this sort of situation, but that's not what this is about.  It's just me and Sal -- and a small camera to capture our experiences.  Also, there was a railing across each window, so I couldn't just balance Sal on the sill and take photos.  A helper and/or an extra hand or two would have been useful, but these situations force one to be creative, which is a good thing.

I cropped this photo, but didn't do anything else to it. I'm grateful it was a cloudy day so the outside light wasn't as bright as it could have been.

I cropped this picture and adjusted the exposure to show Sal's grain.  I also used the antique effect and edge blur.  Doing all this made an unusable photo into something I think looks pretty darn cool.

To get to the observation deck, you take two elevators.  One stops at the 32nd floor, and the other takes you up to the observation deck.  On the way back down, I stopped and took this from a window on the 32nd floor with the Retro Camera app on my phone.  It's supposed to look like a Polaroid.  I also took a bunch of shots with my real camera.  Interestingly enough, I like this one the best.

Just for film lovers: the mini Facebook reviews I posted after seeing each film:

Not Another Happy Ending = Light rom-com, not great, not terrible, just okay.
Waltz for Monica = Wonderful jazz + based on a real Swedish singer's life. Very good film!
Shorts Program 2 = Most were pretty good, 1 was shocking.
A Birder's Guide to Everything = Delightful coming-of-age road movie. <3
Continental = Too long and repetitive + not enough Barry.
Kidnapped for Christ = Excellent film + infuriating + very disturbing.
A Thousand Times Goodnight = Compelling + disturbing + excellent + want to discuss with somebody!
The Verdict = Amazingly powerful indictment of the legal system in Belgium + gripping story.
As the Palaces Burn = Metal guys can be good guys, but I still don't want to listen to their music.
Code Black = Amazing film + several hankies required + how about fixing our broken medical system!?
82 Days in April = Very slow, but eventually quite lovely + now I know what Turkey looks like (the country, not the bird.)
Ivory Tower = Good overview of the problems of higher education + must discuss.
Antarctica: A Year on the Ice = Magnificent time-lapse photography + now I know what it's like year-round there (flippin' cold and windy...)
That Burning Feeling = a super-enjoyable romcom!      

More to come!!!  Sal and I love Film Fest!!!     


   

Sal Attends a Fantastic Show -- Pink Martini and the Von Trapps!

Saturday was a great day!  It was just what Sal and I needed!  We spent the whole afternoon with the Cleveland Jumping Fleas -- rehearsing for our next Singalong performance from 1:00-3:00, and having our usual Tunes in Tremont jam from 3:00-4:30.  Both the rehearsal and the jam were tremendous fun!

After that I met my friend Heidi and we had a delicious dinner at Aladdin's, then went over to the Cleveland Museum of Art. We had tickets to see Pink Martini and the Von Trapps.  Heidi had seen Pink Martini perform before, and was sure I would enjoy the show -- and she was absolutely right!  The show was fantastic!

Pink Martini is hard to describe, so I stole this from the internet:  Describing itself as a "little orchestra," its music crosses genres such as classical, latin, jazz and classic pop.  Their show was a delicious mishmash of music.  They sang in several languages, and their infectious rhythms made it impossible to resist dancing in my seat.  There was lots of wonderful piano, upright bass, violin, trumpet, and trombone playing, and gobs of amazing percussion.  Completely delightful!

The highlights of Pink Martini's performance were many, but I will mention just one.  One of the percussionists - Derek Rieth -- played an instrument which looked like a giant gourd with beads on it.  You wouldn't think that such an instrument could make such a variety of sounds, but it was really cool!  And then I noticed that Mr. Rieth bears a striking resemblance to the actor who plays Mr. Bates in Downton Abbey, which made it even better!  (Downton fans know that Mr. Bates is a man of sterling qualities -- loyalty, integrity, faithfulness, etc. -- and he's a bit dreamy, too..)

Before the show I asked an usher if I could put Sal on the edge of the stage and take a picture.  I was told that I could not do it then, but that after the show I could quickly do so.  When I saw that the cool gourd instrument was conveniently placed near the edge of the stage, I decided this was where Sal should pose.  Too bad that ugly black bag was there... 

Enough about Mr. Bates!  Back to the concert!

You would be skeptical if I used all the superlatives that would be necessary to describe the performance of the Von Trapps, so I'll just write what I said to Heidi after many of their songs - WOW!  Lovers of The Sound of Music will be happy to know that these young people are from "the family Von Trapp" -- as famously introduced in the concert scene from that iconic film.  They are four great-grandchildren of the Captain and Maria -- Sofi (25), Melanie (23), Amanda (22), and August (19).  Their grandfather was the "incorrigible" young man called Kurt in the film. After the Von Trapps finished singing their first song, I turned to Heidi and said, "My mind is officially blown."  Their voices were so lovely and their harmonies so tight.  I honestly could not believe what I was hearing.  It was other-worldly.

My enjoyment was complete when August came out to sing a solo number -- accompanying himself on a ukulele!  I had to slip my camera out of my purse and take a couple of shots.  When introducing this song, which August wrote, Thomas Lauderdale, the pianist -- and founder of Pink Martini -- said that this song sounds like it's coming from the child of Simon and Garfunkel.  Of course this would be biologically impossible, but he was right!  The song was very Simon and Garfunkel-esque -- which is a great compliment!

August VonTrapp singing and doing some nice fingerpicking on his uke.  He sang this song alone at the show but here is a video of him singing it with his sister.

Then the other VonTrapps came out and they all sang Dream a Little Dream while August strummed.  Hearing them perform the song so beautifully made me smile.  It's a lovely song -- and we Fleas had played the same tune at our jam that afternoon!  Our Flea rendition obviously could not compare -- but we had a great time singing and playing it, which is the most important thing.

Dream a Little Dream... Here's a video from another show on this tour.

After the show, Pink Martini and the Von Trapps sat at a table to sign CDs, etc.  I had purchased a CD before the show, so I got in line.  When I reached the front of the queue, I placed my CD on the table to be signed by China Forbes, the lead singer of Pink Martini.  She was talking to someone else and I didn't want to interrupt her, so I began speaking to August Von Trapp, who was sitting next to her.  I told him about Sal, and asked him to pose with her.  I also gave him one of our Cleveland Jumping Flea cards, so maybe next time he's in Cleveland he can attend a jam.  ;)  Derek Rieth, the percussionist I think of as Mr. Bates, was sitting next to him. 

August Von Trapp and Derek Rieth with Sal. Notice Sal's card -- and the Cleveland Jumping Fleas card -- on the table.  :)

 I moved farther down the table and got the following shot of the Von Trapp sisters with Sal.

Did these young ladies think I was a nut?  Perhaps... but they were very nice anyway.  :)

Whenever I meet famous people I'm always a bit flustered.  As I worked my way down the table introducing these wonderful musicians to Sal, my CD completely slipped my mind.  As I reached the end, however, I realized that I had not seen the disc since I put it down on the table to be signed.  I went back to look for it and it was gone.  Somebody else probably picked it up -- perhaps as discombobulated as I was in the show's afterglow.  I looked in my purse to make sure I hadn't stuck it in there.  No CD.  There was a lull in the autograph line, so I said something about my CD being gone, and somebody said that CDs were passed down the table to be signed by everyone.  I looked on the table again and saw several different discs -- but not the one I had purchased.  As you can imagine, I was a bit bummed.  That was 20 bucks down the tubes.  I had to wait for Heidi -- who had been in a different line to buy some merch -- so I was hanging around in front of the table debating whether to buy another copy of the CD or not.  Perhaps it appeared that I was still looking for the disc -- even though I'd given up hope by then -- because Derek Rieth asked me if I'd found it.  When I said no, he came to the rescue -- just as one might expect from the hero of Downton Abbey!  He asked someone to give me another CD, and soon I had one!  If you need evidence that there are nice people in the world -- look no further! I now possess the CD -- and a very nice memory.

That's the end of the concert portion of the story, but if you have a couple more minutes to spare, perhaps you'd like to read on for a pre-concert tale of "so close and yet so far."  Heidi and I arrived at the show very early, hoping to spend some time enjoying the museum's collection before the music began.  Heidi particularly wanted to see the Ai WeiWei Zodiac animal heads that were on display in the atrium, and which were scheduled to be at the museum only through Sunday.  She had looked at the museum's hours online, and read that it would be open until 9:00.  Unfortunately, Heidi had a terrible cold for several days, which caused a severe case of fuzzy head.  The museum is open on Fridays until 9:00, and the concert was on Saturday!   Oh well... The museum was closed when we arrived, so we spent a long time in the lobby -- along with many other people who may have had the same idea of combining the concert with some art appreciation.  We got a tantalizing look at the Zodiac heads in the distance through a grate dividing the lobby from the atrium.  Yep, so close and yet so far...  The good news, though, is that Heidi's favorite piece of art is in a case in the hall leading to the parking garage, so she and Sal posed for a photo next to it.

Heidi and Sal next to the super-cool

If you ever have the opportunity to see Pink Martini and/or the Von Trapps, go!!!  They are all amazing! 

Sal Attends the Second Saturday of the Best Picture Showcase

Yesterday Sal and I attended Part Two of the Best Picture Showcase.  Almost all of the Chatty Showcase Regulars were able to attend this week.  Hooray!  We met at Bob Evans for breakfast and then drove to the AMC Ridge Park Square Theater for another day of movie watching and discussion/debate.  (If you don't know about the Showcase -- or about the Chatty Showcase Regulars -- please read this post from last week for all the information you need.)  Of course Sal was excited about seeing the last five Best Picture nominees, and happy to pose for pictures with the -- you guessed it -- Chatty Showcase Regulars!

Chatty Showcase Regulars with our favorite theater manager!  From left to right:  Heidi, with tuxedo-clad Paul behind her; Diane; me; Raenell with Sal; Christopher; and Colin.  At this point we have already seen three movies, so we can be forgiven if we look a bit dazed.

Our last movie, Gravity, was shown in 3-D, so I had to get a shot of everyone with their 3-D glasses on.  Sal is the only one not wearing hers in this photo.

As I did last week, I will share my Facebook mini-reviews:

Nebraska = 2 thoughts.
1. There is so much more to a parent's life than the children know (sometimes a good thing...)
2. I hope my kids are as kind to me as David was to his exasperating father.

Captain Philips = Intense x 100!

Her = This year's Tree of Life... Tedious + weird.  (The only good thing was the appearance of a ukulele!)

American Hustle = <3 this movie for so many reasons!

Gravity = Implausible plus! Meh. (I know I am in the minority on this.)   

Sal and I are excited to watch the Oscars tonight to see if our favorite movies and performers will win... and we're already looking forward to next year's Showcase! 


 

Sal's Emergency Trip to Ikea! (We Will Miss You, Expedit...)

My son Christopher has vinyl fever.  Like many other similarly afflicted individuals, he uses Ikea Expedit shelving to house his record collection.  Imagine the chagrin felt by Christopher -- and many others in the vinyl community -- when they heard that Ikea is discontinuing the Expedit line!  This news spurred Christopher to make an emergency trip to Ikea to purchase some Expedit shelves before they are all gone.  I was invited to go, too.  (I would like to think it was because Christopher enjoys my company, but let's face it, it was probably mostly because my car is bigger than his -- haha!)  The drive went well, and we had lots of fun talking as we traveled.  I am happy to report that we were able to get Christopher's shelves -- and the picture frames and other small items I wanted to purchase.  Sal went along for the ride, as the pictures below show. 

So sad to see the "last chance" tag on Expedit...  Sal fits so well into the album-sized cubbies.

Apparently a mother never loses the ability to embarrass her child.  I asked Christopher to hold Sal and stand by the Expedit shelving with a sad look on his face -- indicating his feelings about the end of this line of shelving.  He was willing to do so, but we had to wait until all other customers were out of the area.  To me his expression indicates more "I've gotta humor Mom here, but I feel very silly about it," than "I'm gonna miss Expedit."

 I always take a picture of my Swedish meatballs when I visit Ikea.  (Gotta have traditions!)  Usually I just take a photo with my cellphone camera and post it on Facebook.  This time Sal got to be a part of the dinner festivities.  (Actually, I included a similar picture in a previous Travels With Sal post.  Here it is:  http://travelswithsal.blogspot.com/2013/11/sal-goes-to-workshop-and-ikea.html)

Sal Goes to the Best Picture Showcase

I am a huge movie nut, and so is my son, Christopher.  For several years we have been going with some friends to the AMC Best Picture Showcase -- an event that appeals only to the truly obsessed.  The premise is to watch all of the Best Picture nominees one after the other -- 10-12 hours of movies in one sitting!

We started going when there were just five nominees, which meant that we saw all of the films on one Saturday.  There was no Showcase in Cleveland, so we drove 2+ hours each way to attend the Showcase in Columbus.  It was a fun adventure, despite being a very long day. 

When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in its infinite wisdom, decided to increase the number of nominees to 9-10, we had to drive to Columbus two Saturdays in a row.  Blech. Some of us have a hard time getting two Saturdays off, and driving there twice is not as much fun as doing it once.  Therefore, we were very happy when our local AMC started having the Showcase.  The theater manager made a great occasion of the event -- even rolling out a red carpet!  We had a wonderful time!

Cut to last year. AMC Ridge Park Square was not on the list of theaters having the Showcase!  Calls to the theater and posts on the AMC Facebook page brought reassurance that the Showcase would return to Cleveland this year.  We thought all was well until AMC announced the Showcase theaters -- and Ridge Park Square was not on the list! 

My son sprang into action -- irritating people at all levels of the AMC organization -- and eventually received an e-mail telling him that Ridge Park Square would be having the Showcase after all!  Triumph!  (I'm not saying that Christopher was personally responsible for getting the Showcase to return to Cleveland, but he can be quite persistent!)

Unfortunately, AMC did not add Ridge Park Square to the list of Showcase theaters on their website until just a couple of weeks ago, and did not add a link to purchase tickets until even later than that.  Therefore, the theater was almost empty on the first Saturday of the Showcase.  We hope that more people will show up for the second week, and that AMC will realize that it wasn't a lack of demand that caused the low ticket sales.  Next year, guys, please get your act together and the theater will be full of crazy Oscar fans like ourselves!

Regular readers of Travels With Sal are probably wondering when I'm going to bring that lovely little uke into the narrative.  The wait is over! The backstory is finished, so the time is now!  Of course I brought Sal to the Showcase. 

When we started attending the Showcase at Ridge Park Square, this gentleman was the manager of the theater.  He was a wonderful host!  Since then he has transferred to another AMC theater, but we were happy to see him back to welcome everyone to this year's Showcase.  Here he is with the lovely Sal.

Not all of the usual suspects could attend this week, but the five of us who could had a great time in the snazzy new reclining seats.  Christopher, Colin with Sal, Diane, and me (not pictured).  What an awesome "group of chatty Showcase regulars!"*

We had a fabulous time doing all the traditional Showcase things:  watching movies, munching on tons of popcorn, eating Malley's chocolate-covered pretzels (purchased by Christopher and smuggled in by moi), vehemently debating the merits -- or lack thereof -- of the various films, etc.  I kept up my usual practice of writing capsule reviews on Facebook after each movie.  Here is what I posted about the films we saw: 
Philomena = Why anybody could remain a Catholic after seeing this mystifies me. Fantastic movie about a very disturbing topic. 
Dallas Buyers Club = Not sure how to sum it up. Depressing, amazing acting, another story where authority figures were baddies. 
Wolf of Wall Street = Exhausted from the debauchery. Some funny moments, but why was this nominated? 
12 Years a Slave = Powerful, yet painful to watch. Of today's movies this should win the best picture Oscar. All four in our group agree on this.  


 All of us -- including Sal -- are looking forward to the second day of the Showcase!


*A few years ago a Plain Dealer reporter came to the Showcase and interviewed some of the people in attendance.  Of course she talked to us.  We would have been hard to miss as we vociferously discussed and debated about the movies.  When the paper came out we were disappointed to see that we had not been given many inches of space in the article, but we will forever refer to ourselves as the writer did -- as a "group of chatty Showcase regulars!"  

Sal Goes to an Amazing Show!

Last night Sal and I had the great pleasure of attending an extremely enjoyable show at NightTown!   We were accompanied by our friend, Heidi, who always finds out about the cool things to do.  My life would be much more boring if I didn't hang out with her.  :)

The performer we drove across town to see was April Verch, an amazing fiddler/dancer/singer-songwriter.  This lady plays her violin like it is a part of her and her dancing is mind-boggling.  I watched and listened in awe.  She was accompanied by two very talented gentlemen:  Cody Walters on upright bass and banjo (not at the same time, of course), and Hayes Griffin on guitar and mandolin (one instrument at a time).

Between sets I purchased a cd and a fiddling instruction book coauthored by Ms. Verch.  (Apparently I'm an eternal optimist.  I actually hope to someday be able to play some of the tunes in the book!)  I got pictures of Sal with Hayes Griffin and Cody Walters.  April Verch was sitting and resting because she wasn't feeling well, but very kindly posed for a picture with Sal anyway.  She was very nice, even though she was probably wishing I would just go away. 

The second set was just as amazing as the first, and ended with a finale during which April Verch played her fiddle and danced at the same time.  It was incredible enough when she did these things one at time, but when she did both simultaneously... WOW!   Since it is impossible for me to describe how entertaining this show was, you can get a little taste of the awesome by watching this video of a live show or  this video of a song from their new cd.  Or better yet, watch both!  I will for sure be going to see April Verch again the next time she travels this way -- and I highly recommend that you do, too!

Cody Walters with Sal.  The corner of the room where the band was hanging out was not well lit, so I had to do some messing around with the pictures on iPhoto.  I used the antique and edge blur effects to get the pictures of the guys to look old -- and I think I like the results.

Hayes Griffin with Sal.  I used the antique and edge blur effects on this photo, too.

I can't believe I was able to salvage this photo.  When I took it I thought it was going to be okay, but when I transferred the pictures to the computer, my heart sank.  Both shots of April Verch were almost completely black.  I lost track of the iPhoto tricks I used, because I had to use so many to get this very flawed result.  Compared with the original, however, this is a fantastic photo!  ;) 

The band in action.  I took a whole bunch of shots, but most of them were blurry because Ms. Verch's bowing arm and feet were in constant amazing motion!