Interview Dr. Shill
Dr. Shill
RC:
Why did you decide to come here to the Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Research Center?
DS:
A couple of reasons, one is I’m from here, so there’s some family loyalty there. And the other, major reason, is that I was interested in managing Parkinson’s and I thought they did a really quality job here.
RC:
What got you interested in Parkinson’s?
DS:
I think it was the aspects of movement disorders in general, that you could really lay your hands on it. You can see a tremor, you can feel rigidity in a limb, you can really get a sense of how the movement disorder affects the person just by looking at them, just by talking and interacting with them. That was really appealing to me to really get my hands around it and understand it.
RC:
So it’s a more tangible disease than some others?
DS:
Right. I think the physical manifestations of Parkinson’s are often very easy for people to see and I think that was appealing to me in helping me understand it better.
RC:
What are some of the common symptoms of Parkinson’s?
DS:
One of the first things people associate is shaky hands or a tremor. 75% of people with Parkinson’s Disease will have some degree of tremor. And that’s one of the first manifestations in quite a few folks. Some of the other symptoms associated with Parkinson’s are problems related to slowness of movement, small, cramped handwriting, a softening of the voice, maybe dragging a leg when you walk or shuffling your feet -- those types of symptoms.
RC:
Are there any symptoms that maybe people are less aware of that are also in the Parkinson’s camp, so to speak?
DS:
I think one thing that’s part of Parkinson’s that some people don’t understand is some of the cognitive issues; there’s a slowness of thinking, so sometimes it’s hard to get words out. People will have the impression that someone has a lessened IQ because of that and obviously that isn’t true. There’s an impression that maybe the person isn’t “all there” but really it’s just a slowness of thinking that is causing the physical symptoms or really what you see. Pain is a symptom of Parkinson’s in about 30% of people and I don’t think people appreciate that. Some of the stiffness in the arms and legs can lead to some discomfort.
RC:
I’ve heard some Parkinsonians talk about the problem that they are perceived as being drunk because of some of the loss of motor skill and such.
DS:
Right. I’ve certainly had some of my patients who were driving and were pulled over, maybe they’re swerving just a little bit. We actually give people cards that say “I am not intoxicated, I have Parkinson’s Disease.” And they carry that in their wallets.
RC:
That’s great -- can’t let too many people know about that, might be a scapegoat. How does the nervous system function normally -- in a person who’s not afflicted by any sort of brain disorder?
DS:
I’m not exactly sure what you’re getting at, but I’ll try to answer it. When you start to move, there’s a signal that goes from the brain to the muscles. Normally that happens very rapidly -- within 10 or 20 milliseconds. With Parkinson’s Disease, that impulse is slowed. You think about doing something but by the time it’s reached the muscles it’s slowed down. There’s a slowness in initiation of the movement and a slowness in completing it. That’s particularly true for very coordinated movements. Things like handwriting, speech, walking, things that require a coordinated muscle activity, those are the things that are preferentially affected by Parkinson’s Disease.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Boys of Summer Book - Entry #155
June 14, 2006 - Bob
Scottsdale, AZ Screening w/ Health South
Dad and I were fortunate enough to be invited back to Scottsdale, AZ by Karen Christiana of Health South again for two purposes:
A) To meet and interview the riders of a dynamic group, "Amputees Across America" (AAA). When I spoke Karen at the after party for "Boys of Summer", the cross-country bicycling trip I took came up. She mentioned that AAA was also a cross-country group. She immediately said I had to meet the riders from AAA.
She was right. What a great, enthusiastic, funny, inspirational and hardworking group with "IT" in their attitude. The core group is three riders who are amputees riding 30-35 miles a day across the country and sharing their story with Health South medical groups. They have tremendous support from the Health South staff and have gotten proclamations from Mayors in many of the cities they've gone to (including Scottsdale yesterday).
Big, big ups to AAA and we wish you much luck, health and love.
We got to show "Boys of Summer" a few hours later at the hospital and had a phenomenal response. This trip to Scottsdale has brought forth an astonishing number of ideas and opportunity.
With the extra day on either side of the event (on Tuesday), we contacted our other PD friendlies in the area.
The first is Jim Reed, a lawyer who we met at the Phoenix Film Festival. Jim is an incredibly bright and passionate man who specializes in health/disability related issues. He has worked with several presidential campaigns and is getting more involved in films. He is very interested in "Boys of Summer" becoming "THE" PD film. In meeting with him on Monday, he suggested we needed to make some changes to the film in order to make that happen. Dad and I had discussed that before and are very open to that as we'd like nothing more than for "Boys" to become "THE" PD film.
So what does that mean? It means we need to up the PD content for one. So we began to strike out in that direction and doors have flown open quickly. We have an interview with neurologist Holly Shill at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson's Research Center today. Jim has helped with the questions and Dr. Shill is a very pertinent expert in the field. The other nice thing, content-wise, is that Phoenix is the first stop on the "Boys" trip (when we came to see the D'Backs). That means I'll be able to put her interview right up front in the movie to up the PD stakes/information from the get go.
We also (completely unrelated) got a call from the New York Post yesterday (through Alicia Marks, PR rep with NPF) and they want to do a Father's Day story on us! That's great pub that, again, will hopefully give us the eyes we’re looking for to find a buyer.
Yesterday, after our screening with Health South, Karen, Melinda and Barbara (staff, Therapy Experts and Wonderful ladies) sat down with us and discussed the possibilities for how they could help get the film out in a wider distribution. It was a very encouraging conversation, details of which need to stay on the low-low for now.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Boys of Summer Book - Entry #154
April 30, 2006 - Bob
Walnut Creek, CA
The day mom and dad got back, mom said “I’m just going to lie down for a moment”. It seems like a natural enough thing to say unless you understand my mom. She has code words/phrases/actions that indicate she’s feeling depressed. The weird thing is she says or does them and doesn’t see the connection. Annamaria and I knew right away what this meant: she’s probably going down for a while.
May 1, 2006 - Mom
Walnut Creek, CA
Overall, I did enjoy Florida very much. The Keys were beautiful. It was hard when dad was in such pain with his hip and back.
When we got back Esther (our neighbor of 31 years and very close friend) was scheduled surgery. I am very scared about that. She’s like an older sister to me.
Bob asked me about my lying down in bed during the day. He said he was concerned I may be going into depression. I’ve made an agreement not to sleep in my bed during the day as that’s been an indication of my depression in the past. I honestly just felt tired.
June 1, 2006 - Mom
Walnut Creek, CA
Esther and Suzanne (neighbors) were talking to me a lot -- doing some praying. They are very concerned for me. (My sister) Denise’s e-mail scared me. I feel like I am frustrating everyone. I’m scared I may lose everyone. I don’t know what to do. I definitely don’t want to go back to Kaiser.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Boys of Summer Book - Entry #153
Walnut Creek, CA
Mom and Dad took our doc to the Palm Beach Film Festival. Due to financial and job constraints, I am unable to attend. I hate not being there for it, but I can't just chase something with no money (I've done that long enough!). This "getting married" thing is happening in about five months and it's causing me to get my financial house in order. That's a good thing and it's a sacrifice -- my freedom to just come and go as I please. I feel a bit like I'm saying g'bye to Peter Pan.
April 20, 2006 - Mom
Palm Beach, FL
When we arrived we had a hard time finding anyone involved with the festival. We finally got some information then went to the opening night gala. We saw everybody involved with the festival there. We saw the screening and how everyone was handing out the cards. I was listening to everybody. I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to be doing.
April 22, 2006 - Mom
Palm Beach, FL
The big problem was that our movie was shown at a bad time. My heart was broken because not very many people showed up. I saw other films that were good, but they weren’t better than ours.
I was so sad that there were like 8 people for our screening. We didn't hand out enough cards or talk to enough people. What more could I have done? I had never been to one of these -- so I didn’t know what else to do. Dad’s shy about talking to people. I really got to see the difficulty of marketing first hand and it’s very frustrating. How do you convince someone you have a good product? You can’t drag them in.
Right before our movie was a movie about India and they had TONS of family, relatives and it was a huge group. I wished we were at Seattle or somewhere where we’d have support like that. But then you had 500+ in AZ. All in all, the whole festival seemed very disorganized, poorly put together. There was no support. It was spread so wide. We went to two other screenings and there was hardly anyone in them either.
I did get to meet Mary Ann Sprinkle at the screening. I was so happy to meet her. She’s a wonderful lady and has done so much for Bob and Dan.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Boys of Summer Book - Entry #152
Below are a few of the reviews from the film festival by viewers. There are many more posted at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770724/reviews.
April 3, 2006
Robert,
I saw your documentary in Phoenix and it blew me away. Like you, my best connection with my Father (and Brother) came through baseball. My Dad started playing catch with me and taking me to baseball games when I was 8 yrs. old. And, he died when I was 11 and my brother was 5. I passed along a love of baseball to my brother which we share to this day. I'm 56 and my little brother is 50. Thank you for another thing baseball we can share!
Best Wishes,
Hank
Reviews from imdb.com:
A Father and Son Odyssey to Baseball Parks, raising awareness of Parkinson Disease.
March 31, 2006
Author: boyerpk from Phoenix, AZ
This film touched my heart and brought back memories of sharing good times with my parents. As a film patron, I look forward to the general release of this film, as the story is entertaining as well as educational. The wide release would not only raise knowledge about Parkinson Disease but would raise funds for Parkinson research. The every day trials were fun to watch, the sense of humor of both men was priceless. There is much to be learned from these fellows and the way they handled disappointment and triumphs. The public embraced them and that was heartwarming. It is America at its finest -baseball- as our national pastime. And being able to share it with someone you love is priceless. My wish for all would be for everyone to experience one day with a parent and enjoy the day. This film celebrates the America in all of us.
*********
Baseball, Apple Pie, Fathers & Sons
April 1, 2006
Author: jzatarski from Phoenix, Arizona
Boys of Summer, a Father & his Son - Who wouldn't want the opportunity to tour all of the Major League baseball parks? Yes, as baseball fans it sounds like the ultimate road trip. But what if the reason for going is not the reason you expect.
Some of us have been to many of the big league stadiums. We may have gone to our favorite park as youngsters with our Dads, we may have gone to the ball game while on an out-of-town business trip - or better yet on vacation.
Yet the road trip this son and his father took was unique. Unique in the way they met the challenge of the father's medical condition and the son's quest to make the trip financially feasible. The cause they were on as they skipped across the USA and into Canada one ideal summer.
While watching the Boys of Summer, I thought back to the time my father was alive and wish that something like this would have been possible for us to do. But like the song, the time is never there when you need it so that the commitment that was made was an impossible dream.
You will really find yourself involved in this journey of a son and his father. Even my non-sports wife found the opportunity to share their adventure - a dream in the making. You wondered if they would ever be able to make all the professional ball parks and not run out of money.
But those key observations made along the way - the interviews with the fans and the new friends made along the way - will make seeing this movie a perfect opportunity for all of us to share in the wonderful game, the families that enjoy it, and a father & son who know that the road traveled together is the best world to be in.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Boys of Summer Book - Entry #151
100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation.
Sometimes you are just to close to the process to see the whole picture. Chris LaMont, the executive director of the Phoenix Film Festival set the tone. He is a bundle of energy and enthusiasm.
The first sign was when we checked into the hotel provided by the Phoenix Film Festival, the Valley Ho in Scottsdale. On our Boys of Summer(BOS) tour we got used to camping, private homes and inexpensive motels. The Valley Ho was an extra special surprise.
The second sign was the Boys of Summer selection as the closing film of the festival. I didn't realize that that was such a special honor.
The third sign was the enthusiasm of our supporters Mike O'Leary, Linda Cooper and Rhaye Mosley.
The fourth sign was the response form the students at the physical therapy class at Arizona State University. We were invited to tell our story and the students seemed surprisingly interested.
The fifth sign was the coverage by the local TV stations which was the result of the efforts of our PR person, Erica Sico. All of the reporters seemed genuinely interested and were very through in their approach.
The sixth sign was that half the seats were sold the day before our screening. The theater holds 585 people.
The seventh sign was the news that over 400 tickets were sold ninety minutes before our screening time.
The eighth sign was that over 500 tickets were finally sold for the screening. After a very humbling introduction the screening began and before too long there were some heart stopping technical problems. The excellent technical staff was able to correct the problem.
As our story unfolded on the giant screen the audience response was the ninth sign. I was finally getting it. I should have known.
The tenth and final sign was the outpouring of appreciation from so many people for what the BOS meant to each of them. For many it was the trip itself. For some it was the relationship between Bob and myself. For some it was the individual Parkinsonians' stories and struggles. Many asked how Paulette was doing. Some loved the humor.
The film is a great one. I should have known.
Mar. 26, 2006 - Dan
Phoenix, AZ
Sometimes you are just to close to the process to see the whole picture. Chris LaMont, the executive director of the Phoenix Film Festival set the tone. He is a bundle of energy and enthusiasm.
The first sign was when we checked into the hotel provided by the Phoenix Film Festival, the Valley Ho in Scottsdale. On our Boys of Summer(BOS) tour we got used to camping, private homes and inexpensive motels. The Valley Ho was an extra special surprise.
The second sign was the Boys of Summer selection as the closing film of the festival. I didn't realize that that was such a special honor.
The third sign was the enthusiasm of our supporters Mike O'Leary, Linda Cooper and Rhaye Mosley.
The fourth sign was the response form the students at the physical therapy class at Arizona State University. We were invited to tell our story and the students seemed surprisingly interested.
The fifth sign was the coverage by the local TV stations which was the result of the efforts of our PR person, Erica Sico. All of the reporters seemed genuinely interested and were very through in their approach.
The sixth sign was that half the seats were sold the day before our screening. The theater holds 585 people.
The seventh sign was the news that over 400 tickets were sold ninety minutes before our screening time.
The eighth sign was that over 500 tickets were finally sold for the screening. After a very humbling introduction the screening began and before too long there were some heart stopping technical problems. The excellent technical staff was able to correct the problem.
As our story unfolded on the giant screen the audience response was the ninth sign. I was finally getting it. I should have known.
The tenth and final sign was the outpouring of appreciation from so many people for what the BOS meant to each of them. For many it was the trip itself. For some it was the relationship between Bob and myself. For some it was the individual Parkinsonians' stories and struggles. Many asked how Paulette was doing. Some loved the humor.
The film is a great one. I should have known.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Boys of Summer Book - Entry #150
Mar. 30, 2006 - Bob
The screening at Phoenix Film Festival (cont'd)
The movie rolled, the audience was with us. Thunderous applause at the end. Dad took the first part of the Q&A. I got up to join him a few minutes in. The questions we're great. One man stood up without a question just to say he wasn't all that thrilled to come to the movie -- just something to do -- but he was incredibly moved and thanked us for making it.
Inspirational. Loving. Powerful. Moving. Important. THANK YOU.
Over and over again we heard these things and more. Better than I could have imagined.
We head over to the after party across the parking lot. It was like a wedding reception. We couldn't even get a drink or food for about 90 minutes as so many people approached us. How wonderful. So touching. Personal stories. Tears. Laughter. Questions. Thanks. People inspired to go volunteer with their local PD agencies because of the screening. People demanding we come back and do another screening -- if not a run.
The Harkins group (who owns the theater) will get a glowing report of the 500 (that's the final count) people who came out to see "Boys of Summer" and how much they enjoyed it.
We finally settle in and have a sip of beer and a bite of food in between conversation. A ton of love and listening.
So many thanks to be passed out, and I will do so as I can remember.
Briefly:
The Phoenix Film Festival
Mike O'Leary and Linda
Rhayelin
Erica
The Valley Ho Hotel
All the news stations that gave us coverage
The local APDA
So many more. I'm tired -- didn't sleep much last night and we have the long drive home today. But that's okay. As dad says, "Ain't no mountain for a couple of climbers.”
Inspirational. Loving. Powerful. Moving. Important. THANK YOU.
Over and over again we heard these things and more. Better than I could have imagined.
We head over to the after party across the parking lot. It was like a wedding reception. We couldn't even get a drink or food for about 90 minutes as so many people approached us. How wonderful. So touching. Personal stories. Tears. Laughter. Questions. Thanks. People inspired to go volunteer with their local PD agencies because of the screening. People demanding we come back and do another screening -- if not a run.
The Harkins group (who owns the theater) will get a glowing report of the 500 (that's the final count) people who came out to see "Boys of Summer" and how much they enjoyed it.
We finally settle in and have a sip of beer and a bite of food in between conversation. A ton of love and listening.
So many thanks to be passed out, and I will do so as I can remember.
Briefly:
The Phoenix Film Festival
Mike O'Leary and Linda
Rhayelin
Erica
The Valley Ho Hotel
All the news stations that gave us coverage
The local APDA
So many more. I'm tired -- didn't sleep much last night and we have the long drive home today. But that's okay. As dad says, "Ain't no mountain for a couple of climbers.”
Monday, January 23, 2012
Boys of Summer Book - Entry #149
Mar. 30, 2006 - Bob
The screening at Phoenix Film Festival (cont'd)
Back at the hotel, it's still early afternoon and we have some time to kick back. I read a bit, but can't really sleep. I'm feeling dead in the water an hour or so before I want to get going so I hit the gym. That was the ticket. Got the blood pumping, now I'm rolling.
We head off to the screening. Dad drives and misses our turn. Whoops! No big deal as we're leaving (intentionally) quite early, but I'm a bit nervous about the reported awful traffic in Phoenix -- which we've hit a bit of here and there this week. Turns out to not really be a factor and we get to the theater around 6 PM -- T-Minus 90 minutes to show time.
A Phoenix Film Festival tells us where the line is to get in for the screening of tonight's movie -- unless we're the filmmakers, of course. We smile -- we got dibbs. No line for us!
I go to grab a copy of the film on DVD for them as they don't have it yet -- odd? I don't know. Whatever. I have a few copies. I also owe them a music CD I've asked to be played in the leadup to the film. Suddenly it doesn't seem so important -- all my grand ideas about the pre-show just don't seem so important. But I go to Circuit City anyway and conduct a frantic search of the CD department before settling on Jock Itch Jams (or something) with a few good songs and a few not so good ones. It's $5.99. It'll do. So it goes.
Back to theater. We go in for the picture/sound check. It looks and sounds great. I notice a few people filtering in. I hustle outside and see the line. It's good -- not great but good. Okay. Maybe we're talking about 150 people or so. It's not what I'd been told, but that's still a pretty good number. I look around after the last person goes in and notice...what's that? Another line!
"Is that for us?" I ask.
The festival staff member smiles and nods.
"Cool," I say and head outside to film this mob -- easily another 150, probably more! Wow -- this is getting pretty good. I'm told we're actually at over 400 tickets sold. Oh baby.
I get a call from Annamaria and she tells me that we have a line around the corner waiting to see the film at the Parkway. We’re killing them in two cities at once! This is too much.
Dad and I go inside and things are settling in. I'm trying to reconcile the crowd in my mind - it's tough. I never imagined a screening this large in a venue like this for our little film. For all the dreams I've had, this is a bit overwhelming.
The festival staff introduces our film. I shoot from various angles, running around the theater to work the nervous energy as much as anything. Then the lights go down. We're on. I sit on one of the steps and watch as the Bro n 'Stine logo comes up. I start to cry. This really is too much.
The movie works from the get-go. The crowd is into it. There's laughter, palpable recognition and sweetness in the air. We've got them. I'm so excited, I can--
film glitch
What do I mean by that? Ever had a DVD freeze up on you? It's start to pixelate and act..."funny?" It's not so funny at a film festival premiere with several hundred people. I run to find someone to get a voice up to the projection team to try another DVD -- try anything. Stop this one, at least! It goes on for about five minutes before we get to the position where we at least have the pixelated version shut down. I grab a mic and go into showman mode. I don't know what I was talking about -- I just know I was talking and getting laughs. We sung "Take me out to the ball game". After a few minutes the projectionists were ready to try it again.
It came up...for about a minute. Same place, same problems. Damn.
I grab the mic again. Now it's part two of my variety show. A poor-taste Sonny & Cher joke I pull out of my arse grabs a healthy laugh/"ooooh" from the audience. They're still with me. Whew!
Another five minutes roll by. We're ready to go again. Let's do it. Let's roll. So we do...and it works...and it works...oh, boy...it actually works!
And so it goes.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Boys of Summer Book - Entry #148
Mar. 29, 2006 - BOB
Scottsdale, AZ
T-Minus 27 hours...and counting. I'm seeing that theater in my dreams. It's a huge space. I have huge hopes and huge fears.
We had a great interview on local Ch. 3 this afternoon. It'll run tonight at 8:00 PM. We also have an interview tomorrow morning at 6:30 (cock-a-doodle-whoooooooooo that's early).
We also had a great time at Arizona State University with Mike O'Leary and his girlfriend, Linda (both Parkinsonians). We spoke to a group of students studying to be physical therapists. Dad and I got to share our story along with Linda and Mike. They asked a lot of great questions and showed a lot of interest in coming to the screening tomorrow -- we'll see...
Had an awesome lunch today, too, at the Streets of New York Brewery. Annamaria's good friend, Kristy is the GM there and it was great to see her.
We actually have a little downtime right now and we're laying low before taking in a movie at 7:00. Ahhhhh, downtime...:)
Mar. 30, 2006 -- screening day
We get up at 5 AM and I didn't sleep well -- too much on the head. Among other things, I had misplaced a $100 battery for my video camera -- maybe at ASU yesterday? -- and I was just feeling a kind of buzzing irritation.
Why 5 AM? We have a live TV spot in downtown Phoenix to plug the screening. That's cool. We drive down there and just as we're a block a way, Erica (our AWESOME PR Rep) calls and says there's been breaking news and we're being bumped back an hour.
Oh...
So we find a parking lot, grab some pillows and a blanket, recline the seats and catch a few minutes of shuteye...or at least relaxation. Erica finds us and we go hang out at a McDonalds 'til the shoot. As one who is not "lovin' it" I didn't eat anything, but enjoyed using the bathroom in between a couple of homeless men -- bless their hearts.
The interview went very well. Live interviews are a bit more pressure-packed than the taped deals as the interviewer encourages you to be brief and actually make sense. Thankfully we know the subject matter well.
We go back to the hotel and get back into bed. Ahhhh...
Erica calls at about 9:00 and asks if we would mind doing another interview at noon. Would we mind? Are you kidding me? This is the stuff we dream of! We beg for coverage. Noon in our hotel lobby we're at it again. This time it's to be an edited piece so it's all gravy.
I hope we can get copies of these pieces.
We take a walk to get lunch in old town Scottsdale -- quite a charming place. It's nice to walk, too, as we've been driving a bit. We eat on the patio at the Salty Senorita -- delicious -- then have the famous (well-earned notoriety, too) "Pizzookie" at Oregano's next door.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Boys of Summer Book - Entry #147
March 28, 2006 - Bob
Scottsdale, AZ
and the beat goes on...
My head is spinning a bit -- just to catch up with itself. I got up this morning and went to the excellent gym here at the Valley Ho (which I just can't say enough good things about -- the place rocks). I get a great workout in and, as I'm feeling the adrenaline rush and blood flow, the ideas come with.
I had thought, months ago, that adding some theatricality to the presentation could be in order. Specifically, I thought about adding vendors before the movie and having some baseball stadium themed music playing as people arrived. After seeing the space last night another thought came to mind that I really love -- let's have someone sing the Star Spangled Banner before the show. BAM! The massive curtains open, the Bro n 'Stine logo comes up and away we go.
I pitched it to some of the people involved here and got wonderful responses. The screening continues to grow. We've moved from the apathetic Buffalo Wild Wings to the classy-but-fun Abuelo's across the parking lot from the theater.
I walked into the theater tonight and saw big lines getting ready to go see the movies and I just about burst with excitement. I ran back and got my camera to shoot some of the pre-film buzz. I began to imagine what it will be like for Boys of Summer of Thursday. I get goose bumps even typing it.
We've been told 200 tickets have been sold (as of last night). We had a great day at the A's game today -- A's wiped out the Rangers 8-3. We got to sit up in the press booth in the box next to Ken Macha. Dad and I both met him and he was very nice. We also met an hysterical man who was the father of the groundskeeper at Phoenix Municipal. He had great stories and I was very happy to pass along a copy of the movie to him.
We met with the PR rep for the Phoenix Film Festival, Erica. She is lining up several interviews for us, including a TV spot tomorrow. She's working on the Sports Radio guys. We'll keep the phone on in case we get an early morning producer ready to give us some minutes.
We saw a great documentary at the fest tonight -- the Day After Tomorrow. It was a piece about the original cast kids from Annie and how they had dealt with post-star life. Funny, sad and a lot of great memories as Annie was the first musical I saw as an 8-year-old. How lucky to get to see Broadway at that age -- many thanks to my mom and dad.
We're back at the Valley Ho now -- I'm going to take a quick dip in the hot tub and wait to hear from Annamaria and Mom as to how the screening in Oakland went tonight.
More to come...
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Boys of Summer Book - Entry #146
Scottsdale, AZ
Get up and get to the gym -- their gym here is spectacular by the way; no broom closet with a belt-driven bike by Jack LaLanne and two mismatched dumb bells -- no siree, me.
We head off to the A's game in Tucson.
And...then...we...hit...trrrrrrrr.....aaaaaa......ffff.....iii....cccccc.....
No joke. After about 15 minutes of it, I say to dad how 'bout we scrap it and go catch a game up in Phoenix? He's cool with it, so across the median we roll and northbound we are. I have a pee-panic moment -- you ever get that where you have to urinate INCREDIBLY BADLY and you're driving and there should be a McDonalds or a Starbucks but there isn't and...thankfully there's construction all over Phoenix and that means port-a-potties (Or KIBO's for you Iowans)?
So anywho, we get to the game and our ol' pal from Houston, Rudy Wrabel, is here. It was a pleasure to see him and his brother, Stephen. We also met Rudy's friend Scott, with whom he'll be making his own 30-ballpark trip this summer. Very cool.
The game is fun but ends in a 4-4 tie after the Cubbies rallied from a 4-2 defecit in the bottom of the 9th. After the big rally the umps left the field. I guess that's pretty much that. The Cubs fans declared since they scored the last runs they won. The White Sox fans begged to differ. Good stuff.
We went up to Frasher's Steakhouse in Scottsdale after the game which was kind enough to let us pin up a couple of posters for the screening. I had an awesome veggie burger -- I know that sounds odd to you meat-eaters but it really was delicious.
Then it was off to the film festival. They were thrilled to see us -- took pictures, got us our passes and all that. Dad and I went into an independent film from Puerto Rico. It was pretty good -- Dad's first experience in a film festival (not including Boys of Summer).
The festival director took me into the theater we're going to screen in on Thursday -- whoa. Talk about goose pimples. 580 seats. Biggest screen in all of Arizona. We work out some party details for Thursday -- it looks great.
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