Cannes 2017 Day 1: the art of arriving early

Every time I write Cannes tips, I start with this one, and I’m gonna do it again: Tip #1: arrive early. I know, it can be difficult to book the time off, or to afford the extra night’s stay in an already expensive place, but if you’re traveling to a film fest or market across […]

Prepping for Cannes 2017

Hey y’all, it’s been a while. Last time I posted on this blog, it was February of 2016 and I was one hundred years pregnant and getting ready to take a year’s maternity leave. Our lil potato was born in April, and I spent the better part of the past year struggling to actually  be […]

why I liked and also didn’t like The Witch

When I saw The Witch several months ago at TIFF 2015, I was already pretty hyped up after having  read the reviews out of Sundance several months earlier.  The experience didn’t disappoint. The film delivered on its promise of a truly rich and creepy atmosphere, lush visuals, a viscerally affecting score, an impressive level of […]

on not drinking …

While on our ‘babymoon’ in Quebec City I’ve been really amused by how often a visibly pregnant woman (me) gets offered alcohol in restaurants. When Colin ordered a half-litre (for himself) at dinner the other night, they automatically brought and poured two glasses. Two nights ago, we got complimentary cranberry-infused vodka shots with the meal […]

my top 10 books of 2015

In 2015, I joined Goodreads and set myself a very ambitious goal of reading 50 books over the course of the year.  I managed approximately 30, and I feel very good about that. It’s definitely a higher number of books than I had read the year before, or for a few years previous. For 2016, […]

movies & mushrooms

This fall and winter have been soooooooooo overstuffed with work and travel and life changes that it has felt a bit like the turducken of seasons. Once again, I turn to cooking when I am stressed out. I made this mushroom lasagna from Plenty a few weeks ago when I was overwhelmed by the task of […]

TIFF Diary: Day 9

By Friday, that  sore throat has turned into a tired, woozy but thankfully not feverish feeling and a stubborn cough. At least the throat’s not sore anymore. It might be a sign that I’m going to cycle through all the symptoms quickly and feel right as rain in two days. Could happen, right? Friday starts […]

TIFF 2015: Day 8

Back to movies! On Thursday I managed to  see three films and have a nice dinner and make it to bed early. I woke up a bit tired and unwilling to invest too much emotional or intellectual energy into anything I was seeing, because I was already feeling drained and in need of some feel […]

TIFF Diary: Day 7

Another one-film day full of non-TIFF responsibilities.  Another hard-to-reschedule-and-inconveniently-timed appointment,  another screening of an even more new & improved  version of Birdland, and in between an extravagant lunch at the CN Tower’s rotating 360 restaurant with a big crew of Midnight Madness directors. The food was delicious, the company was lovely, I got a chance […]

TIFF Diary: Day 6

Tuesday was the first of two “reminder: you aren’t out of town, you actually live here and have responsibilities” days in a row. In the morning I had a doctor’s appointment (don’t worry, I’m fine, it was just one of those things I booked ages ago and would have a hard time  rescheduling, so …), […]