World Water Day Tomorrow

It's really always been about restaurants and my love of the industry.

I was looking at old emails the other day and got inspired all over again. Even though I don't get comments on my blogs. I don't have many views on YouTube for either the movie or the trailer, and took my movie off of facebook because I don't have many likes, I still can't seem to give up on getting the movie remade.

Maybe it's because people like it. I know for a fact that hundreds of thousands of people have watched it and then tell their friends to watch it. How else would it have spread all over the world without a stick of advertising or campaigning? Why else would someone put "HOT NEW MOVIE" on a torrent site when it's 5 years old?

Maybe it's because when I do sit and watch it with new friends, we sit around talking about our own restaurant experiences and we relate to the movie on interesting levels and in fun ways.

Maybe because it wasn't my idea in the first place. I know in my heart and will always know that God called me to make it and this is the path of my life. How else could a feature-length movie with over 80 speaking parts, and 26 locations with multiple sets within those locations, ever get made in 25 days by basically one person? It wouldn't. But God provided everything: so it did.

I am currently working in commercials in Vancouver and am amazed at how many people it takes to make a commercial. Granted, the production value is extremely high---not like my movie as the reviews say. But they also say that my movie is sincere and honest and a gem of a story. I believe that is why it's been seen in every country of the world and then some.

So that's why I won't give up. Honestly, sometimes I really want to. My life would make more sense and be less frustrating and difficult. But, when was following your heart and doing what you believe is God's will for your life easy?

Remake 4 Water may no longer be a website, but I will never stop my passion for helping others get water. I am up to 11 wells in Cambodia now and will keep on going until I'm ashes. So although World Water Day STILL isn't on any calendars that I have seen, I will honour it and keep trying to help. 

10 Years later and still growing

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the premier of "Did I Say Thousand Island?" in Breckenridge Colorado. It's a fun movie set in the resort community of Summit County and shows what life is like in  when you work in the restaurant industry.

Movie synopsis:

Have you ever lived in a resort town? Cathy and Meagan do, and they're always having fun in the mountains of Colorado. Rodeos, skiing, sheet pan surfing, camping, horseback riding... you name it. How can they always have so much fun? They work in the restaurant business! But it's not always fun and games. This is real life: people die in avalanche chutes, parents get sick and you move home, and sometimes you darn near slice off a finger cutting peppers for the nice and quiet lady on table 15. But not everyone at table 15 is nice or quiet.

Sometimes you want to smack 'em. Sometimes you bust a button laughing with them. That's the business. Both waitresses are single, in their thirties and have college degrees. But they differ in their views of their chosen careers as well as their life situations. While Maegan's trying to catch life's curve balls, Cathy's enjoying a smooth romance with the handsome newcomer, but she gets nervous as things progress. Can this really work? We'll see. From iced tea to Opus, we re-discover the true meaning of friendships while celebrating the lives of restaurant people.

I have been on a mission to get the movie remade to use it for water awareness, but realize that I just can't make people care about water. Either they do or don't. So I am back to my original passion and that's the restaurant world.  Restaurants, especially in any resort community are a great way to spend your time working and anyone who has done it for any length of time will agree.

After hearing time and time again that I need to remake the movie so more people can see it, I am back on the road to find the right people to remake it. Seeing as it's already been seen all over the world, it has an audience, and that would grow after people see the movie. How do I know this? Because if people are still telling their friends to watch it 10 years later, and it's a no-budget guerrilla shot film, then there must be something about it. These are some of the many comments I get in emails:

"It goes even further than restaurants: not living up to someone else's expectations for your life. It's about doing what you want to do and finding your own happiness."

"Thank you for an enjoyable evening last night and the warm, friendly feeling that lingers when I think about the film."

"... I think your movie is really about finding ways to love your life...finding the heart of whatever you are in, and getting it."


"James Cameron aside, Hollywood seems so afraid of risk these days, always looking to do something that has already proven itself and so we get Home Alone 4. At the same time we see the big stars producing their own films for greater control. I could see your movie being remade by producer / star Sandra Bullock with only a few million of her own dollars invested and being a box office success. If not Sandra Bullock, then one of about 30 other celebrity / actresses." 

So I am back at the beginning again. It was impossible for one person to make a movie like this, but it happened. It's going to take a miracle to make it happen again. But... I have a great relationship with the One who makes miracles happen and I am never going to give up.

For the Love of Restaurants

Years ago in Florida, I was talking to the bartender about our jobs and he said, "Of course, we do it for the money." Gosh, I thought I did it for the fun! Grant it, bartenders can make more than servers in places, but still.

Maybe I am weird (as I have been told), but I loved working in all the restaurants over the years for many reasons. Regardless of what other people thought and think, the restaurant industry is a blast. It offers a fun and flexible life style--allowing you to spend time with family and friends, or activities that are important to you, and decent money at the right places--even great money. And, you can live in a place, while other people save money all year long, just for the chance to spend just 2 weeks in your home town. Pretty great!

When I was changing my Remake 4 Water website, I thought maybe...Remake 4 Money. Seems that money is what makes the world go round, as they say, but I didn't like the sound of that. Especially as money has never been my motivation. (My family and friends can verify that wee fact.)

So I decided while out walking in the cold clear Alberta night, I know!!! Remake 4 Love! Yeah... then people can think whatever they want. Love of what? You fill it in. Restaurants. People. Fun. Movies. Stories. Beautiful scenery. Horses. Romance. Money (for who ever remakes the movie-- that has been seen in every single country in the entire world and many territories and continues to be downloaded hundreds of times a day; it will happen) Whatever the love-- that was it. Love. Because I believe LOVE makes the world go 'round. Money is just a tool.

"It's not just a job, it's a lifestyle". That was the tagline for the movie years ago. It's a fact. Restaurant life is more than a job. Ask your friends or family who work in it and like it. Actually, when I was doing research before doing the movie, 95% of the people I spoke with really liked their jobs. It's such a fallacy that restaurant people hate their jobs and can't wait to find something else-- as all the movies, media and people outside of the biz will happily tell you. Boneheads.

So, because I still believe that the movie is a fun and entertaining coupla hours, as do thousands and thousands of people who must agree with me, seeing that they keep telling their pals about the movie, I will never give up that the right people will find it and remake it for the masses. It's just a fun movie that you will relate to in some way. So why not? Tell your second cousin on your mother's great uncle's daughter's brother's side of the family tree, that a fun movie awaits their talents, resources and savvy to remake a restaurant movie with heart.

Ok, gotta go truckin'! We gone. Bye bye...;-)