re: my trip to Boone

exactly what I needed to get my head in the game for the end of the semester.

You can see my photos from Grandfather Mountain on flickr. Here's one that shows how windy it was up on the mile-high swinging bridge :) I didn't have a ton of time there due to poor planning, but getting there at 5pm actually worked out because I was the only one there. I saw one other couple the entire time. It might be sort of miserable in the summer with a bunch of other people around, but it was lovely last weekend. When I moved south, I knew I would miss skiing, but I never would've guessed how much I'd miss the mountains themselves.

The Banff Fest was also incredible as usual. My favorite was 20 Seconds of Joy (by Jens Hoffman), a film on Norwegian skier and BASE jumper Karina Hollekim. It had lots of lots of genre-standard adventure and scenery shots and whatnot, but was primarily about the psyche of extreme athletes and dealing with their investment in a basically unsustainable lifestyle. As a librarian-type, I'm really annoyed that I can't link to the film to share it but maybe in a year or so. I guess they have to make some money first. For now I'll link to Balancing Point (by Sensei Studios), one of my favorites from Banff 2005, for your viewing pleasure.

Another cool thing that happened at the film festival was that I randomly, in a sold out auditorium of more than 1000 people, sat next to a librarian who works for the State Library of North Carolina's Master Trainers program. She offered to come give a library instruction workshop at SILS, so we're planning something for fall! Of all the gin joints in all the world...

I also caught a bluegrass radio show in Boone called "Goin Across the Mountain" on WNCW out of Isothermal Community College in Spindale, NC (which I tracked down thanks to App State Library's chat reference service). If you're ever in the western part of the state on a Saturday, definitely check it out. And listen to Dehlia Low. Seriously.