island of sanity

This weekend has been the Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Film Festival. Actually, it began on Thursday, with several films and a question-and-answer session at the Jepson.
Of course I've been there for it.
It's free, it's fun, and it's informative.
I look forward to it every year and have attended annually since 2007.
This time, it was my island of sanity.
I've kept my eye on it, steadily, as I tread dark waters lately.
You know how very hard life has been recently.
I needed desperately to have a respite from all of that sadness and stress.

As I was saying, the first day was Thursday and I had listed the events here. I sat in the front row, to allow complete immersion in the films. "Oceans at the Tipping Point: Ocean Health Index" was informative and hopeful and narrated by Harrison Ford. (I had thought it was here that I had waxed rhapsodic about Harrison Ford, but it must have been on facebook.) The film acknowledged that many factors must be considered, included differences in marine law and the value of economic impact for all countries on this planet. Every American should see this. We are not the only country in the world. For more information, go here.
A serious piece, it was follwed by a whimsical short, titled "The Majestic Plastic Bag". The deep voice of Jeremy Irons, with a serious tone, opined about the fates of plastic bags as they struggle to make their way to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the sky...I mean, in the ocean. Nice bit of levity!
Then the feature film began. "Plastic Paradise: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch" naturally segued from the short. The filmmaker (an erstwhile news reporter) was there, too, to answer questions about her work. And quite a few questions there were! This film was designed to encourage us to take our cumulative small steps (i.e., reach for the cloth tote, buy fewer goods in plastic packages, reuse, recycle) to collectively make a change for the good of these blue seas that surround and support us. The little theatre was SRO (standing room only), so at least a lot of folks heard the call. I can only hope those folks weren't already choir members.
Friday, I was at the Lucas Theatre, eagerly anticipating the new penguin film. "A Penguin's Life" focused on the lives of the young ones, those less than a year old when time came for the migration. There was to be a Q&A at the end with filmmaker Greg Marshall of crittercam fame.
Instead, a flash storm resulted in a power outtage just prior to the evenings line-up. Those of us who had braved the rain had gamely waited for almost two hours for the power to be restored. The theatre finally had lights...but not the power for the projectors or sound system. Instead, Greg agreed to go ahead with the Q&A session - and quite graciously, and charmingly, did so for the next hour, answering questions from kids and grown-ups. Wow! And he agreed to do so again for the rescheduled showing of the film on Saturday (yesterday). Incredible!
More on that when I return... I promise!
For now, I'm running late for today's films. Bye!