4.16 (Saturday) - Arrived at the airport and was greeted by singer/songwriter/festiva l volunteer LisaBeth Weber. She took me to the festival's guest office to check in and pick up my badge, where I met Brian Fucking Wade (as printed on his kickass business card), who works for the Greater Philadelphia Film Office and is a screenwriter himself. I was then driven to the hotel, where I dropped my bags off in the room and headed towards Prince. I was due to meet the other three at the screening of "The Far Side of the Moon," after they're done with "Me & You and Everyone We Know." I was a little early so I waited in line while munching on a chocolate cookie. When "Me" ended, my first sight of the guys leaving the theatre gave me a brief but overwhelming sensation of comfort. It felt good to see them. Of course, I've seen these bastards as recently as a couple of days ago in Dallas, but seeing them then in another city far, far away felt incredibly reassuring, like slipping into my favorite pair of underwear. They told me how much they loved Miranda July's film (and excitedly recapped their evening before at a fancy party for Malcolm McDowell); it sure sounded like I missed a gem. Thankfully, "Far" was not a disappointment. Robert Lepage's triple duty directing and acting as twins (one straight, one gay) were quite remarkable, and Benoit Jutras' score was moving from the moment it played at the opening credits sequence. After the film, we stopped by a bar for drinks and supper then trotted back to our rooms for the night.

4.17 (Sunday) - Our first agenda of the day was the filmmakers' brunch. It was delightful to see Andy Preis and Billy Kline again. I've met both of them three years ago at the PIGLFF. James, David and I (strategically) approached TLA honcho Rich Wolff, said hello and chatted business*. I also finally had a chance to meet fellow bigwig Ray Murray, the man whom I'll always credit as the person who gave me my first recognition. I was told that they've successfully picked up "Far" and has grown tremendously as a distributor with an increasing slate of releases. We also had a chance to introduce ourselves to the lovely Ms. July, who seemed a little startled by all the attention surrounding her. Then, off to see "Astronauts" (good overall but loses its momentum with a prematurely abrupt ending; a great soundtrack though) and a stroll through the city with Nick (James and David were at "Evilenko") before our appearance at our first screening. The turnout was modest at best (fifteen) but the presence of Ti West all the way from Wilmington, Delaware made it all worthwhile. He's due to appear at the LAFF for "The Roost" and word is that they're in negotiations for a sale. Good luck! After our show, we hung out with Nick's friend, Cassie; first at a bar (where I smoked cigarettes for the very first time in my life; both rolled and filtered for the full experience) then at her mindblowing warehouse pad.

*James and David have signed on to be the producers of "Ciao" and I couldn't be happier. We're trying to secure funding now, with an approximate shoot date in spring of 2006.

4.18 (Monday) - Happy birthday James! Saw "Off Beat", which started out promising enough but slowly derailed when its emotional resonance were overshadowed by an increasingly grating alt/pop/rock soundtrack, becoming too hip for its own good. We stopped by TLA's office to get a tour from Andy but he wasn't around, thus an early appearance at the Steve Buscemi party, which was held at a swanky residential loft with a rooftop that has a spectacular view of the city. When Steve arrived, he was swamped with photo ops. The smile/snap routine went on for awhile, and I can only imagine how tedious it was for him to act like he enjoyed every second of it. Susan, another festival volunteer we befriended, made it a point to introduce us around, which was very considerate on her part. We did finally meet the man himself and he was a true gentleman (repeating your name after you tell him who you are). James and David managed to carry on a conversation with him, and it was kinda funny to see how quickly we got over our startstruckness. Soon, it was time to head over to our second screening. There was a bigger turnout (including another surprise appearance from fellow "Roost"er sound mixer Graham Reznick, whose cigarette lighter belt-buckle is one of the coolest fashion accessories I've ever seen) and I sat through the entire film this time around. The guys returned in time for the Q&A and David showed up shit-faced (he's a fantastic speaker when he's intoxicated though). Some of the audience members hung around in the lobby to speak to us further, which was very flattering and validating. And what better way to end the night than doing JD shots with Susan and gossiping about her sex life?

4.19 (Tuesday) - I'm certainly surprised I didn't wake up with a hangover. Nick had to leave in the morning so his presence was definitely missed. David and I went to catch a noon screening of "Story Undone"  (unexpectedly humoro us yet ultimately tragic) before joining James for Mr. Buscemi's "Lonesome Jim" (much better than I thought but still suffers from a lack of originality). We then split up when the guys decided to watch the late Theo Van Gogh's "Cool" and I was more in the mood for slick Hollywood-esque cinema in the form of the Tom Tykwer-produced "Lautlos" (enjoyable enough for what it is; nothing more and nothing less). Our last film of the day was Miike's "Izo," which became so trippy it was almost unwatchable after the first hour.

4.20 (Wednesday) - the highlight of the day was obviously our extended visit at the TLA office. Andy showed us around and we met almost every important person there, saying hello again to Ray and Rich. We definitely didn't walk out feeling like we were unwelcomed. The closing night film was "Music from the Inside Out" and the party that followed soon became an incentive for everyone (especially ones who were involved with the festival) to get totally smashed. My second drink was mixed so strong I couldn't walk straight for half an hour and had to stuff my face with cheese and crackers to sober up. When we got back to the hotel, James wanted to smoke his free cigar at the bar so the three of us sat around and discussed/debated potential endings for "Ciao." David vowed that he will not let me settle with anything just to satisfy audience expectations. Oh Lord, may I thank You again for granting me with such blessed company? David and I watched the last ten minutes of some skin-flick on Cinemax before going to bed. It was atrocious, but as I remarked before turning the lights out, "it was still shot on film!"

4.21 (Thursday) - Boarded the (scary) express bus in Chinatown (note to future passengers: never ever sit near the toilet; unless you enjoy the wonderful whiff of barf and urine everytime somebody entered/exit) and was thankfully in NYC in no time. Went to Jessica's photo studio and picked up the keys to her apartment. Climbed four flight of stairs to her place, left our bags and took off to Central Park and the Met (James and I couldn't get in without paying for admission tickets; David managed to sneak in however). Fatigue soon caught up (having less than three hours of sleep the night before) and James and I went back to Jessica's where I took an afternoon nap. We all went out to dinner that night and it was as pricey as a five-star hooker (excellent meal nonetheless). Took a walk around the city later and enjoyed the comfortably chilly breeze, dreading the thought of summer heat in Texas. In other news, Bryan quit his dayjob. A big congrats! Here's hoping the new project will bring him lots more in the future.

4.22 (Friday) - I had to prepare dinner for the party, so in true New York fashion, David and I ventured into Chinatown and bought everything there. I think I was ripped off a couple of times but who's counting? Definitely not me who's bad at math despite what the stereotype of my ethnicity promises. Came back to the apartment by two and I was cooking until people showed up after eight. One of the most amazing dishes I fixed on the fly was the chardonnay potato curry (the wine was mixed in last minute as an "experiment"). Absolutely heavenly. And who knew fixing Tom Kha soup in a crock pot for three hours would make the world of a difference? Guests who arrived included Jason Schafer, Shannon Kelley, and our favorite new pal Laura McDonald from Carmichael Films. Jessica and Geoffroy also invited some of their friends, and like David's description, the evening was a highly memorable international rendezvous. I don't recall having one single boring conversation with anyone, and that's saying a lot. I suddenly realized why I enjoyed cooking this much. It's a lot like filmmaking really. I felt in touch with humanity.

4.23 (Saturday) - The party ended at around 3AM. I had to catch a bus back to Philly in a couple of hours, so I decided to stay up. David walked me to the bus station at dawn (speaking of, my ass would be so lost in the city without him) and I unwillingly boarded with an emotional high still lingering from the night before. Back in Dallas by 4PM and had to lie down for an hour or so before dinner. I didn't wake up until Sunday morning at 9AM.