Today required more significant planning, ensuring that personal finances were in place for thefine Buffalo cuisine and vast amounts of alcohol I expect to consume over the weekend. That and, a novel concept, keeping the electricity running at the Gleason homestead. Panicstruck, I realized I had not shopped for birthday cards for my sister or sis-in-law, so I made that a priority and got those in the mail. Sought some fashion consulting with my tux, packed for staying with friends in Buffalo for 2 days, and finally got out of the house at 1:10 p.m.

I made it in time to see a short film by my new West Coast filmmaker friend, Rusty Trevino, “The High Tower”. Much of the dialogue was in Asian with subtitles, which made it difficult to follow in my state of advance sleep deprivation. Wasn't expecting that. While the plot may have been good, it lacked vibrancy, energy and action. The film wasn't bad, but not one I'd rate a must-see. If Rusty injects his future films with his own personality, he'll do well.

The ladies who produced “DWI” sat in front of me with their parents, and it was a trip watching them and hearing their comments through their 15-minute short. “Wig” was a rather humorous short about a man who decided to wear his recently deceased mother's wig as a tribute, and if not for every gay life cliché, it could have been a special. I still find open-mouth kisses between two men disturbing to watch.

I watched documentaties about 93-year-old Sylvia Hyman, a sculptor who creates unique porcelain Americana art and she is just plain outstanding. That was followed by a documentary about a Buffalo icon who has created a Vivaldi revival that was interesting, but not riveting.

I was advised to catch the Film panel about Animation and Special Effects, and the panel itself was world-class. I had to leave before it finished, but I enjoyed learning that experts in that craft share my concerns about the integrity and overuse of computer generated images in film.

I left early, got whacked for $10 parking and found that my trunk latch was broken. I'll be looking to fix that real soon. Met up with my good friend, Dave and 2 of his kids, following to their home in a gorgeous neighborhood off Elmwood, where I'll be staying the next few days. While Dave helped his son with homework, I ventured to Casa di Pizza for a steak sandwich, some Irish stout and a chance to watch my Bruins blow game 3 to the 'Canes.