It's that time of year again, and just our luck — it's on a Friday! That might explain why it seems crazier than years past. I am back at the old haunt, but didn't decorate it for the first time... save a few candles in the kitchen as we kept all of the lights off! Hey it's good for the planet. I was feeling unmotivated to carve a jack-o-lantern and had a battered one to deal with, so I thought, why don't I make it a piece of art and that way I'll enjoy it. And it was TOUGH. I need to invest in some pumpkin carving tools.

This afternoon I saw my second* feature-length film at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis (Welcome to the Sticks), directed by Dany Boon, who also plays one of the main characters.

In a desperate attempt to appease his unhappy wife with a transfer to the French Riviera, Philippe Abrams (played by the very charming Kad Merad) instead gets sent to the middle of nowhere. The town of Bergues to be exact, in a remote corner of northern France called the Pas de Calais. Here the locals have their own way of doing things, and saying things. The townspeople speak a dialect called Ch'ti, which to Philippe's ears is little more than gibberish. At first, Philippe has trouble understanding what anyone has to say, let alone being able to make any friends. But as the rural eccentrics gradually worm their way into his affections, he comes to appreciate the gentle pace of life in his new home. — From The Guardian, via VIFF.org