The American public's warm greetings to one another will never cease to amaze me. Being brought up travelling on British public transport, I know that it's seldom the case that a fellow passenger will make a speical effort in saying "Good day to you sir; how's your day going?" but that kind of gesture is made all across America every day, and it happened to me by an elderly gentleman today. Drawing myself from my own thoughts, I returned the greeting and asked how he was. "I'm a day older, put it that way" was his reply. With this response in mind, I got off the bus shortly after, and proceeded to the Morris Thompson Cultural Visitor Center. This film called 23 feet was being shown and from the blurb, it looked quite fitting.
This would actually be my last local film to see, before I go south. Since September, I've often wandered in and out the center to see what was playing, and have always come out enriched; feeling I had learned something new everytime I exit the theatre. 23 feet was no exception. It's a documentary film written, produced and directed by Allie Bombach; a lady who invites a couple of her closest friends on a journey west across America. They eat, sleep and travel in an Airstream trailer; all 23 feet of it, hence the name of the documentary. On her travels, she meets fellow travellers who have made the outdoors their home. From the man who has lived out of a disused school bus in the Colorado desert for 20 years, to the individuals who have camped in the forest, and the people who don't live anywhere but just travel, Allie comes out the experience with a positive outlook on outdoor life.
"Living simply questions the values needed to survive. It ultimately makes you consider what it means to be a human. An outdoors lifestyle makes you consider what you do have, not what you don't have, and it forces you to ask yourself: how can I make tomorrow better? If you have a passion for something, follow it. A bad day on the river after all is much better than a good day in the office."
I left the theatre, converted. I grew up being outside amongst the "green and pleasant land" of the British Countryside, but when I return next year, I will make a dedicated effort to spend longer out there, for as the kind gentleman on the bus reminded me, the days do pass so quickly. It's ironic, therefore, that I then spent the next half an hour inside Fred Meyers, a local supermarket. Well, I had to buy the essentials and then I waited away the remaining minutes for the bus, in the upstairs cafe. This is something that Sarah and Bill used to do; it used to be quite a thrilling experience for them, from what they told me when they were here. I have to admit, the cafe overlooks the whole store, and I find other people's shopping antics extremely entertaining. (Doesn't take much to amuse me!) One couple spent about ten minutes choosing which flavour of herbal tea to buy, a young boy whizzed down the aisles standing on a trolley nearly bumping into the freshly baked produce aisle, and one lady had put her baby in the basket and was carrying her round in that fashion.
The last thing on my list today was to attend one of my last scheduled lectures held at the university. Every Wednesday I have tried to attend the 'Research Showcase' and whilst it's not always 'Geography' related, the talks are always very interesting, This week featured Mareca Guthrie, a curator for the Musuem of the North and the Art Department, who spoke about the artistic process. If you're next drinking a hot beverage, think about the long hours and the dedication that went into shaping the mug; each individual groove was thoroughly thought about, and intricately placed on.
I returned to the hostel, and I must say the Christmas decorations are coming along. Won't be long before I'll be able to play my longly awaited Christmas Classics on my ipod.
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