2008 ImageOut Film Festival · 15 years ago

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Since February of this year, I’ve been watching, voting on, and reviewing film submissions for the ImageOut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. I’m a member of the Programming and Outreach volunteer committees. Hundreds of films are submitted each year for consideration for the festival, and they all need to be screened by the Programming group. Needless to say, I didn’t watch a lot of mainstream movies or read any books during that time! This was my first year as a volunteer for the festival. It has been very interesting to see the amount of work that goes into programming and coordinating the festival, and it has given me a greater appreciation for it.

The festival runs from October 10th through the 19th this year and includes 48 films or shorts programs. The lineup has finally been announced and the programs printed and posted online! Anyone interested in seeing the lineup, reading the film synopses and reviews, or just getting more information on the festival can go here.

The Programming committee members share the responsibility for doing the film write-ups that you’ll see online and in the program booklet. This year, I did the write-ups for Were The World Mine, Be Like Others, Tru Loved, and In Sickness And In Health. I would describe each of those films here, but with all the time I spent writing them up for the program, you can just follow the links and read them there. I encourage you to read the reviews of all of the movies and programs in the festival, not just mine; they’re all great!

There will be a Festival Fair at the Rochester Museum & Science Center on Monday, September 15th. Two films will be shown and this will be the first opportunity for people to purchase tickets for the festival. Programming committee members will be on hand to answer questions about any films.

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Self Checkout Lanes Are Not For Everyone · 15 years ago

I’ve really gotten to like self checkout lanes. I’ll checkout using those lanes at any store where I shop that has them. I really wish more stores had them. It seems to be a better experience all around: I get to pack my purchases how I want, and it’s usually the path of least resistance. Usually…

So, I went to get a few groceries tonight after the gym. I picked up 3 items for dinner and headed to the self checkout. I recognized the scene immediately: 4 self checkout lanes, three of them occupied with people getting a week’s worth of groceries for their entire family, a line of people waiting to check out that backs up into another isle of the store, a solitary regular checkout lane open with a line at it just as long as at the self checkout, and 3 other store employees milling around doing seemingly nothing despite all of this. Would it have killed them to open a couple more regular checkout lines? Had I not needed the food in my basket for dinner, I would have said screw it, put it all back, and left the store.

There really needs to be some training for people wishing to use the self checkout lanes, and some rules posted. The first thing they should tell people is that the scanner reads the barcode on the item, so don’t just wave it around willy-nilly and wonder why you’re not hearing the magic beeps. Second, the long table after the scanner is for your scanned items, and it’s keeping track of how much they all weigh, so don’t put your kids, your purse, or things you haven’t scanned yet on it and wonder why you can’t scan anything else and the machine keeps yelling at you. The third thing is that if you have a week’s worth of groceries, you’re probably nowhere near as efficient as the cashiers are, so go to a regular lane and stop holding up the rest of us who have a handful of items that just want to check out quickly and go home. Fourth, if the attendant has to come over and help you more than once in a single shopping trip or every time you do self checkout, or if they roll their eyes when they see you coming because of their past experiences with you, self checkout is not your thing – STOP TRYING. I’m not even going to get into the chaos and confusion that unmarked produce causes…

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Trance Around The World Podcasts · 15 years ago

I really enjoy the weekly dance music shows that XM radio has on one of their dance channels, The System. Some are aired at inconvenient times, however. I just learned that last week one of my favorite shows has become available via podcast, so I can download it and listen to it any time I want! Trance Around The World is a 2 hour show recorded weekly by Above & Beyond, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys dance music, especially trance music. These guys are among the leaders in global trance music. I was so excited, I almost screamed like a little girl in the middle of the office when I heard the news…almost.

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