Let's Go to the Movies!

Hi there. I chose to start this post off with this picture because even though we took it weeks ago when it wasn't even spring yet, I feel it best represents the general weather patterns around here.


Brrrr.

I tweeted on the day that it SNOWED here a week or two ago that the person responsible for organizing spring in Montréal should be fired. Yeah. We haven't had a lot more snow, (Some on Mother's Day. Not even kidding.) but do we even have to talk about this in the month of MAY? Seriously.

Dear "spring": BITE ME.

Anyway, I took these photos on the very last day of shooting our movie (The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom) last Saturday.

Wanna see how it all works?

This is the location, about a half hour outside of Montréal. A little family-run diner.


The windows are actually too big for the 1970s but no prob, we fixed them. Looks great from the inside.



Dear clients, sorry but we have been taken over by aliens with big lights. Watch for us on the big screen!

That's my boss Barbara chatting with Ann-Louise, master hair stylist. I also took this picture so I could get myself in it. Yep, I take my cues from Hitchcock.


So here is the inside.

This image represents 85% of what happens on a film set. Standing around, discussing.

Sometimes standing on a ladder and discussing.

That lovely lady is Claudine Sauvé, director of photography. She's in charge of the image. The lights, the camera, the film stock, everything. A female DP is pretty rare. But this show is all about girl power.


Speaking of which...

It's the holy movie trinity (from left): Tara (writer/director), Francine (1st Assistant Director) and Barbara (Producer). This film would not exist if not for Tara and the script she wrote, but Barbara is a close second. I literally don't have enough words to describe what producers do. In a word: EVERYTHING.

Look! It's me again! With Barbara and a delicious looking lemon meringue pie, no?

Now that the script is written (although changes are often made as we shoot so she's not completely off the hook), Tara is in director mode.

I would say that directing is almost as hard to describe as producing but think of her as the (sorry for the cliché) conductor of the symphony. The one who makes every single creative decision. I'm tired just typing that.

The 1st AD takes the script and then decides how the heck we're going to get it on film in as many days as the budget will allow. She makes things happen. It's amazing to watch.


Speaking of amazing, what about that HAIR? That's Pierre, sound mixer.


This is Virginie, the production manager. I love this picture because a lot of her job causes her to make faces like this. She is in charge of the crew, of making sure no one spends too much money, of 1001 tiny details. Now that the Montréal part of the shoot is done, she's not making those faces anymore.


Oh yeah, and there is the small matter of the people in FRONT of the camera.


This is Julia Stone and her Mom, Sue.

Julia is the star of this movie so keep your eye on her. This is her first feature film and she is already a total pro. Plus look how cute she is! AND they are from Vancouver!


Sue is responsible for the wicked updates on the film's Facebook page. She is not only the coolest stage parent I have ever met, but she's a big-time internet smarty pants.


These are Julia's boots. I think they speak for themselves.

Macha Grenon plays the mother, Marion. She is a big time star, she is gorgeous, she is the bomb. It doesn't get better than this my friends:



I think that just about concludes our tour of an indie Canadian movie set. Let me tell you that I haven't shown you a FRACTION of the people that work on a set, not to mention everyone who works in the production office. But you get the idea.

Any questions?

65

I have a passel of photos in my camera that just will not download so I'm taking that as a sign to keep this post short and sweet. Why does short go with sweet? Why not LONG and sweet? That's even better! See? I've already rambled off. Clever segue in 3..2..1...

So, speaking of long (and sweet)... I am dedicating my last few Sunday night brain cells to writing about these two:


Ruth and Rolf. R & R. Grandma and Grandpa. Mör and Fär. Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. My grandparents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last week. SIXTY-FIVE. Years. Of marriage. Pause for a moment and imagine it. (If you shudder involuntarily, don't be too hard on yourself. Or your spouse.)

Sixty five years and they still LIKE EACH OTHER.

Swinging is their secret! (Ha ha, not LIKE THAT.)


They have four children, seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren (mainly thanks to my sister the Baby Guru.) I make sure to tell them that I love them every time I phone.

They have set the bar very, very high in every way. I love you guys.

Snookums xo


PS - they had an open house celebration on Saturday that went very well from what I hear - can't wait to see those photos!

PPS - TOTAL CHANGE OF SUBJECT: I badly want these for my birthday this year. Badly:



PPPS - work insanity calming down, I think I am breathing again. Hello world, what have y'all been up to while I was in Dolly land? May or may not have a cold sore on my lip. Ugh.

OK, last note - potty training still good. I think we're clear. Well, let's not tempt fate, shall we? I'll say clear-ish. It's working out.

Lost Weekend (and oh hai! long tiem no seez!)

OK so guess where I was last weekend:


HINT: this little monkey was NOT with me...


Tokyo? Perhaps Washington, D.C.?


Nah. Beautiful B.C.! I went home for 48 hours for the sole purpose of being at my best friend's wedding.

Hi Jube!

We've been friends for, I' not kidding, 33 years. We were THREE when we met, okay?

We have way too many photos of each other in our, er, formative (and by formative I mean style-challenged and by style-challenged I mean EWWW) years.

ANYWAY - when I got a text sometime in March that the wedding plans changed, of COURSE I jumped on a plane.


Years of friendship aside, can you see why? Are they not the most ridiculously adorable couple EVER?


Plus they got married under a big tree in Stanley frickin' Park. The photo ops alone were worth the trip:




Plus there was lots of smooching. It was that kind of ceremony.



The best wedding I have ever been to, not even kidding. See how happy she looks?



It was small, it was simple, it was perfect. And SO THEM. You know what I mean?








Congratulations lovebirds. One of the best days of my life - so glad I could be there.

Between the ceremony and the reception, I got to hang out with this girl. Hi Jaime!

Can you believe we're related? Uh huh! Sisters no less. I may be a bazillion years older than she is, but she still likes to spend time with me. Especially when I buy lunch.

Even more so when I forgo my beloved White Spot for high tea at the Secret Garden...





Yes, delish. Not triple-O, but it was worth it.

Not pictured: after lunch I took her out driving in my best rental car EVER - a Kia Soul. It was the most fun I've ever had behind the wheel, so naturally I had to share that with my sister. We found an empty parking lot at UBC and she tooled around for the very first time. OK, tooled might be an exaggeration - I think she hit 30 km/hr when she was really flying. Anyway, we survived and she even had fun.

Also not pictured: the amazing manicure/pedicure/eyebrow wax/bonding time with my Mom on Friday night. Also hanging with my Dad on Saturday and big family lunch on Sunday before I flew back. So great to see my grandparents and wish them a happy 65th wedding anniversary in person. Also so great to see my other sister (the one who used to blog that I keep pestering to please blog HERE) not to mention her passel of young'uns who each made me an awesome card. Original artwork! Except Xavier who made my day when he solemnly explained that he didn't make a card for me because he was with is other grandparents and I got a big hug instead. He's 8 years old! Love it.

So... what's up with you?

In other news, our child is pretty much potty trained. I say that with a wince because it all feels so tenuous. We started Easter weekend (a.k.a. WORST WEEKEND EVER) and they continued at daycare and it feels pretty on track now.

You know what I didn't know about potty training? It's HARD. I mean, you know it's going to be a project, but you don't realize the psychological consequences of what you're trying to do. It's hard to be patient with your child who can't seem to grasp what seems like such a simple concept. It's hard not to stress out about cleaning up poop. About not going out anywhere because you might have to clean up poop from someone else's carpet.

It's also hard to be having a bunch of other stuff going on at the same time which I think is why it was such a chore. Stéphane was in interview hell for his new job (hooray! he starts tomorrow!) and if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know that I've been up to my ears in work for the last few weeks but Easter weekend was smack in the middle of the worst time ever.

So all this to say, it's done. My advice to anyone planning to potty train is to relax. Take of the diapers and let it all hang out. Literally. Be committed and get it over with. Buy some good wine because it'll take the edge off, plus you deserve it. Voilà.

I'm sure I have a million more things to share, but this post is already LOOONNNGG (and possibly boring?) so to sum up: we're good, Stéphane got a new job, the wedding was amazing, so great to get away (thank you husband for encouraging my lost weekend!) and man I'm glad spring is here.

Lili in the Sky

To change the subject from the serious lack of REM sleep happening in this house, let's talk about something else. Something not related to the cranky-making bits of parenting.

Stéphane just joined Vimeo and started a really cool filmmaking/editing project. Check it out.

He also posted this nifty little 60 second slice of happiness:

1 minute: Lili in the sky from Stéphane Arbour on Vimeo.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about.

Sucky Sugar Baby

It's Sunday night, 9:20 PM. Normally we'd be fretting about hearing Liliane chatter away to herself still awake at this hour. Normally we'd have already heard every kind of request from socks on/off to scratching itchy feet/legs/fingers to soothing sore teeth. By now we would have surely already threatened to close her bedroom door, then actually closed her bedroom door and timed the minutes of yowling protest.

You see bedtime is much more complicated than it used to be. We're going on five months of this anti-sleep routine (although worse currently due to teething I HOPE) but there is a little voice in my head suggesting that this is perhaps just a phase. That my shoulders will one day stop aching in anticipation of the dreaded toddler bedtime. That I will stop hearing YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG in every post-8PM wail.

But tonight, I don't know what happened. She didn't nap today (weird) but we had her bathed and cuddled and storied by 8 and she was asleep by 8:30. We got lots of fresh air yesterday and she slept through the entire night. Of course that was the night that I stayed out until 1AM but hello! Of COURSE that's how it works! She got out a little this morning for church but due to the major inconvenience of having mucky wet snow falling this afternoon, we didn't go out again. Fresh air theory, dashed.

I don't know why I try and figure these things out. Kids are a mystery. End of story.

ANYWAY, I think I took these sometime in January but it could have been today because this is the outfit Liliane wears constantly. She loves it. It's the blue flowered shirt and stripey leggings phase. (My new favourite word!)


She has come full circle from being terrified of the vacuum to embracing its mysterious (and loud) power.

Stéphane showed her the ropes and she was a natural.



I am so not afraid that this vacuum is going to eat my foot! Really!


I save all my best dance moves for you, vacuum!


So speaking of being out late, I was at a Cabane à sucre (Sugar Shack) last night where I almost died from gastronomical amazingness. For my west coast readers, the Sugar Shack is a big-time tradition out here in maple syrup land. It's basically a drive out to the country when the sap is running to sit at a big wooden table and indulge in a feast wherein everything has to do with maple syrup. And I mean everything. Now the cabane I went to is run by Martin Picard, celebrated chef of Au Pied du cochon. Last year he opened a sugar shack and it went so well that all the spots for this year were reserved in advance. All of them. I just so happen to be friendly with someone who had the foresight (and room on his credit card) to book a 10-person table.

I forgot to bring my camera, but I think that's just as well. Seriously don't think I could handle looking at the scene of the crime... I poached these pictures from FB:


That's Brigitte, my partner in navigation and without whom I would surely be STILL trying to find the place. Beside her is my pal Puelo (a.k.a Gregory), the smarty pants who booked the whole thing last year, then me, then Jean and Albert who are on a plane to Paris as I type this. After Paris? Barcelona. But I was nice to them anyway.

There were five more people of whom I don't have any photos but trust me, they too were adorable.


My cleavage and I cut the maple mille feuille.


In the foreground, maple tire (pronounced teer, nothing to do with cars I promise) which is like super sticky maple syrup poured on snow (cracked ice in our case) then you take your popsicle stick, roll it on there, put it in your mouth and die from delight. In the background? That would be a banana split with maple cotton candy and homemade marshmallows.

Just for fun, this was the menu:

Arugula with ham and walnuts and oreilles de crisse (Christ's ears, huh?) which is deep fried pork jowls. That was the SALAD.
Chicken feet in BBQ sauce (I had to abstain. They really look like feet.)
Tourtière with homemade ketchup
Omelet with smoked mackerel and brisket
Gravlax with homemade creton and buckwheat pancakes (the most amazing combination EVER - who knew? Besides Martin Picard?)
Pea soup with foie gras
AND THEN IT WAS THE MAIN COURSE. No, seriously.
Cabbage leaves stuffed with lobster, foie gras and pork on lentils.
Duck and veal tongue on I don't remember. I was a little woozy at this point.
Big break until dessert (thankfully) which was the banana split and the tire and the mille feuille pictured above but it was also crepes in maple syrup AND maple donuts, both fried in duck fat.

You see why I have issues today?

Also, note to the members of my family who are dying to know how I handled my maple syrup phobia:
1. Yes, the utensils got sticky almost immediately. I had issues.
2. I did not spill maple syrup on the table and have to wipe it up with napkins, nor did anyone in my immediate vicinity.
3. This visit confirmed that I will NEVER EVER bring Liliane to a sugar shack. Maybe when she's 18. She went on Friday with daycare and that's A-OK by me.

In movie news: Prep week two starts tomorrow. Best way to start the weekend? Confirming Gil Bellows!



Oh yes. I did squealing jumpy claps in the office. I admit it. He's dreamy. C'mon people, he's BILLY for crying out loud. Billy from Ally McBeal! Plus he happens to be not only talented, but Canadian! An all-around cool guy who likes the project and wants to come and be a part of it. Plus he has an 11-year old daughter. Stop it, I'm dying.

Anyway, that's about it. Fingers crossed for an actual full night of sleep. Will keep you posted.

Chicks Rule!

Hello from Princess Land!


We've been pretty busy around here.


Working on our twirly skirt dance moves.


Learning how to use our new magic wand.



Organizing our royal accessories.


And generally being ADORABLE. Is that part of the princess deal? Apparently.


This ultra girly moment has been brought to you by our dear friends Eric and Tina. They brought the princess gear over when they visited back in January. Now instead of being a plain and simple li'l dictator, she's a mostly benevolent, satin-clad dictator. With a crown.

Truth be told, Liliane's true love these days is this character:



Not your Mama's Tinkerbell! Modern Tinkerbell is articulate and HANDY. She's a TINKER! She DOES THINGS! I only remember the original Tinkerbell sort of stomping her feet angrily whenever Peter Pan was ignoring her. Not anymore. We have been watching the Tinkerbell movie pretty much everyday for the last few weeks and I have to say that it's pretty cute. Plus there are fat fairies in Neverland. Curvy fairies who are beautiful! And smart! And successful! Bravo Disney, bravo.

Speaking of bravo, what about that Kathryn Bigelow!? The first ever Best Director Oscar was awarded to a woman in 2010. Hard to belive. And what a well-deserved win. The Hurt Locker is an excellent, excellent movie. Can't wait to see what she'll do next.

Speaking of movies (ooh, what clever segues, NOT) I've been just a little busy at work lately. You see, the preparation for shooting a film is as stressful as the shoot itself in many ways. And the only thing bigger than the prep and the shoot is the FINANCING. Which is what we're locking up right now.

But you might say: "hey! you're fully financed! what's the problem?" It's the crushing, neverending load of PAPERWORK that comes with all those blithe and cheery committment letters. Hey, we love your project, we'd love to give you some money! But before you see a nickel, please provide us with all the items on this 18 page list. No, it's not a scavenger hunt, it's a SERIOUS DOCUMENT to be taken SERIOUSLY. If we ask you the size of your underwear, we expect you to hand over that information. On an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper in 12 point font. Times New Roman. DO NOT USE ARIAL. WE ARE SERIOUS.

I kid.

Sort of. But think about it for a minute. Big chunks of Canadian film financing come from the government. So imagine doing your taxes... times about a bazillion.

No, really. It just SEEMS random and ridiculous because there's just so much of it, but it's all coming together. Official prep starts on Monday and the tidal wave of documents should start to recede in the next few weeks. It's actually really exciting once you get to this point. And it's the first film I've done since having a baby so it's been fun to flex those muscles again.

OK, time to end random babbling and rest up for another day of glitz and glamour at the photocopier. As Liliane would say "Et... voilà! Terminé!"