TIFF 2009

(These photos are of waiting last year...doesn't quite give the full idea. But, we don't usually take photos of the waiting! ha ha.)

One weekend a year, I suspend reality and enter the world of the Toronto International Film Festival. No, not to watch acclaimed films from around the world...but to wait at the red carpet to catch a glimpse of some A-list celebrities and possibly even an autograph!

It all started in August of 2000. My friend Lisa had returned from her trip to LA during the Oscars where she stood outside Elton John's party and collected a multitude of autographs! She had momentum and wanted me to join her at Toronto International Film Festival (henceforth known as TIFF) I thought she was crazy. Why would I want to go and see Canadian celebrities? Then she filled me in that it is the second biggest film festival after Cannes! What was I thinking?? Ha ha ha. It was start of an annual trek to Toronto.



Over the years we have seen A LOT of top celebrities and it's been a lot of fun. This year was no different. We started off by seeing GEORGE CLOONEY! Wow, that was a good start to the weekend. A few of the others included Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner...oh the list grows!

The TIFF weekend is exhausting! There is A LOT of waiting. Waiting on the sidewalk, sitting, standing, breathing in a lot of unidentified fowl smelling odours, and talking to many crazy people. Oh, the people! Some have normal lives like us and treat this as a once a year event. Others are a little more intense and chase celebrities year round! It's kind of funny...Lisa & I have nick names for the "usual crowd". We thought we were really clever, but after a couple of years, realized they are really just descriptors; the sisters, old man, the Americans. Ha ha ha.

And so concludes another TIFF weekend. Until next year...