No Palm Springs

"Camilla" did not get in to the Palm Springs Film Festival. I found out this morning, not from an email like Sundance sent out, but just by looking at their site which finally, finally posted their slate, two weeks before their first day.

We knew it was a long shot. It's just being tough around here this holiday. Aunt Jocey, Mom's beloved sister, died Nov. 18, and that is a huge blow. And yesterday Kit Gifford, Janet's Mom, died with Janet at her side in Hawaii. Kit was known as my "O.M." (Other Mother), very dear to my heart. Bless Janet...

Mom's health is in Maintenance Mode, we are waiting to hear more in a month, but for now she feels great.

I have been having Further Health Challenges. Nothing defined yet, just general yuck. Edema (new symptom), plus my usual huge fatigue and brain fog, with high pain levels. Looking more into that in the New Year.

Tallis is home for Christmas (huzzah!) but tragically, quite allergic to our cats. He wasn't when he lived here, but cumulatively has been getting worse and worse each visit home. He has been hiding out in his bedroom since getting here Saturday, and not coming in to the main part of the house much. Which hurts; we miss him so much and have not seen him since August. So discussions are in order for us to either: move, to a house where the cats could be contained, or (and this grieves me much to consider) either give the cats away or give most of them away.

It is very hard for me, when they are the only beings who are reliably cuddly in our house *grin*. I am used to writing with my beloved Smee on my lap. But Tallis cannot suffer like this. We want him to LIKE coming home, and to do it frequently and with good, healthy air quality. I am trying to imagine what it would be like going to my Mom's house if she had dogs...*shudder*. Slurp City.

Anyway, I am fighting the glums this holiday, which is probably mostly physical.

Many more people have many worse troubles than we do. I am just going through one of those phases where I cry a lot. It happens.

In the "good news" side of things, Ben and Larry and I finished the Final Festival Cut of the film Wednesday, cutting it from 119 minutes to 117. Losing two minutes at this stage is painful, but very good for the flow of the movie. This cut took us three test screenings, much tweaking of special effects, and a lot of discussion to achieve, but we are proud of it. In early January we finish the sound edit, then we can send out a truly finished version, rather than the "only mostly finished" one we have been sending out.

So. May we all celebrate the birth of Joy this season, and may peace come to our hearts and minds and bodies. I am praying for patience, and to embrace the timing God has for this film, rather than my own agenda. It took a long year to do post-production on this project, with very little else on my plate, and maybe that is a good thing.

God bless us, every one.