filmmaking group had made it to the final day of the 100-hour contest, and we were in for a whirlwind of an editing process.

I could therefore only imagine the sights and sounds that I was missing out on, over at the Delta Centre-Ville, instead subjected to power naps and hours staring into the harsh light of a laptop monitor.

Following the rushed submission of our film, I popped into the hotel around 11 p.m. with hopes of catching a wrap-up of the festival’s third day. With it being the weekend and all, I thought surely that I might catch a glimpse of something – or someone – uncanny.

Though as I began to wander around the premises of the lobby, all that my visit amounted to was a conversation with a possibly homeless man. After securing the fact that I spoke French, the man requested nothing more than some change for a phone call. It would compliment the two nickels and two dimes that he presented to me in his palm. He asked me for a quarter; then, he asked me for one more.

I took the elevator up to the fifth floor, and wandered around. Nothing but festival flyers and locked doors, though I chugged a few glasses of water and hit the washroom. Back downstairs to the basement, dimly lit and eerily peaceful with its empty tables and chairs and the soft sounds of hotel elevator music piping through the room. I ought to have considered waiting there for tomorrow morning’s opening…

In fact, tomorrow I’ve got an interview with author Saleema Nawaz, who recently wrote the acclaimed Mother Superior; unfortunately, I haven’t read it, so my questions will consist of the humourous, the improv, and the creative variety. I did read a piece that mentioned her in The Gazette yesterday; a quote full of praises for the multicultural dynamic of Mile End, the current residence of this Ottawa native. I find it much more interesting, especially with Canadian authors, to touch on issues of the country’s culture, society, and politics, and tomorrow will be no exception.

Tonight also gave me a chance to reflect on my “progress” with this blog and the expectations of the ones reading it. What do people want to hear about the festival’s goings-on? Isthere any nitty-gritty to uncover? What does the editor think of my ranting prose?

Why am I talking to myself?

Alas, this weekend holds the most in terms of big names and thus, the potential for some excitement. I’ll also have more free time and thus the liberty to wander in and out of the hotel throughout the day.

I’ll have my camera in tow and the plan is to pop in and out of the best of the best. Perhaps I’ll be brazen enough to make my presence as obvious and obtrusive as possible. Or I’ll stop by the author’s room and just sit awkwardly in the corner (doing what paparazzi do best?)

In the meantime, check out my Flickr page of photos.

Yeeep… busy, busy, indeed.

Time for another power nap.