Day 8 - yes I missed Day 7

Oh Day 7 - didn't go exactly according to plan. I woke up super tired and must admit that my first thought was "hmmm, wonder how upset my sister would be if I called and cancelled for tonight". I had only gotten about 3 1/2 hours of sleep and was pretty much dead to the world. It also turned out to be a horrible day at work - 3 of my day staff called in sick, plus I had orientation for 3 new staff, plus we were light on managers and on cash, plus it was crazy busy as it was the day after the new Dan Brown "The Lost Symbol" book release - not fun at all. I didn't even have time to grab lunch, just a cookie from StarBucks, so by the time I got home I was starting to get a killer headache. I was going to suck it up though and still go - I was just starting to get ready when my sister called. Turns out she's swamped at work and really tired too and would I be terribly upset if she cancelled? Ha! I was actually relieved and told her so, so we both ended up having quiet evenings at home.

I really wasn't disappointed at all - I was only hearing bad press reviews about "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits" and had also found out that the tickets you get for premieres at Roy Thompson Hall are for balcony seating only. We would have been really far back, and part of me thought it just wouldn't be worth it. So I guess this year my Toronto International Film Festival experience will be limited to the "Invention of Lying" premiere experience, which is fine by me as it was a fun night out on the town and one I won't soon forget.

It turns out it's a really good thing we didn't go last night - my killer headache decided to morphe into a killer migraine and I pretty much spent the night curled up on the couch feeling nauseous and almost crying as my head just wouldn't stop pounding. Chris ended up giving me one of his percocets, which did help and I finally got some sleep. It was still here when I woke up today though, but it seems to have subsided quite a bit now, so I'm feeling like I can continue with my day (now that it's already 2:30 in the afternoon).

So . . . as I contemplate what do to with the rest of my day, I'll wrap up this post for now by saying "Cheers" to the Toronto Film Festival. My first year attending "TIFF" proved to me that as the world's largest film festival (I have heard and read this from many people so I'll assume it's true), it is very well run and I love how it opens it's doors to the public and we're all able to attend world premieres and screenings of films that we may never have seen otherwise. I love how it reminded me that we're all human and that celebrities are only "stars" 'cause that's what we make them. Labelling someone as something doesn't actually make them that. It doesn't make them any better than you or I or the neighbour next door. They're just people - people living their lives with hopes and dreams and good days and bad days. I am still inspired by some actors & singers as they're people who have followed their dreams and turned them into reality, but we're all equal and can all learn from each other and look up to one another.

I will definitely be attending TIFF next year - I may even go all out and book some time off that week so I can really experience the festival and all it has to offer. It truly is a great thing for Toronto and for Canada and I feel proud to have been a "tiny" part of it. Hopefully one day I will be going to see a screening of a film that I'm in!

'till next time . . .