Here is where I should tell you I have very mixed feelings about the whole circus thing (very similar to my mixed feelings about the whole zoo thing). At that moment, part of my brain was racing trying to remember reports I’d watched, and stories I’d read, about circus animal cruelty and how miserable the animals might possibly be. Another part of my brain was feeling warm, fuzzy, nostalgic thoughts about how fun and exciting I remembered going to the  circus was when I was a kid, and thinking that this circus must surely be full of nice animal trainers.

I know that in some parts of the U.S., the mere mention of a circus coming to town might result in an some sort of politically correct response like a community protest. I, however,  live in Spanish Fork, Utah. Our status symbols consist of how loud your diesel truck is and if you have a big rack (of deer antlers hanging in your garage, of course. What did you think I meant?) The highlight of our year is the sold-out rodeo held every July, which would also likely cause an animal rights protest in many parts of the country. The other high spot of our year is hunting season. We have so many hunters here that we hold a draw, similar to a lottery, to select which lucky few get the privilege of trying to take down some big game. Enough said? I somehow knew that the fine citizens in my community would have no problem welcoming the circus to town.

At this point my mental flip-flopping about the going to the circus was brought to a quick halt because my children had seen the circus coupons and were in full begging mode, which I have to admit easily tipped the scales to the warm fuzzy side.

I grabbed my camera and press pass headed off on the Gatti Circus Adventure. (Once again the NPPA press pass worked magnificently…even got me access to the INSIDE of the circus ring.)

We had a great time at this little family run circus. The performers and workers were a friendly and fun bunch. The typical delicious and unhealthy goodies were abundant. The animals seemed to be well taken care of (at least that’s what I’m telling myself). So here are some images from my adventure to the circus…

Leo the clown was by far my favorite part of the circus. He had great interaction with the crowd (and with me). His nuttiness seemed to come naturally, perhaps too naturally, the true sign of a great clown. The hair on his face...it's real.

Here's the star of the circus, Big Patti. When the light hits her just right like this, you can see how her youthful appearance is emphasized. Perhaps she'd like to share her skin care secrets with the Coffee Break readers?

Who doesn't love a good dogs-pushing-kids-cars-and-going-down-slides act? My 21 year old immediately came home and watched Bingo (the movie about dogs escaping from a cruel circus).I guess we all know where she stands on the circus cruelty issue.

Some of the fine rodeo loving, animal hunting, big truck driving, circus loving folk who attended the same performance as us.

And last, but certainly not least, our friend Big Patti, who obviously has some bladder control issues. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Look at the smile on the big girl's face.

Other Adventures

~Kate

Enjoy your coffee break.

* As always, just leave a comment on this post, or any other post for that matter, and be automatically entered in this week’s giveaway.

As concert time got closer, it seemed there was a continuous stream of Muse music flowing through speakers throughout the house and car. My daughter and her friends were getting so excited, and I was excited for them, but mostly I just really wanted to go to the concert, too. I kept telling myself, ‘I am the mom. I am too busy. I have so many other things I should be doing on a Monday night. Moms don’t go to Muse concerts, do they?’  And so I let it go.

Then I overheard my daughter on the phone talking to a friend about how someone who had bought a ticket wasn’t going to be able to go to the concert.They were discussing what to do with this extra ticket. In my head I was screaming, ‘Pick me! Pick me! I want to go!’, but I collected myself and oh so nonchalantly said, “Wow… that’s too bad. I suppose if all else fails, I could just buy the ticket from him and come along.”  To which I barely got a head nod in acknowledgment. By the next day, the ticket was re-sold.

So that was it. It seemed that fate had decided indeed, moms don’t go to Muse concerts. I had accepted that fact, and resigned myself to being happy with listening to the newest Muse CD, The Resistance. Fast forward to the day before the concert, and my family and I were at my parents for Sunday dinner, along with my brother and sister-in-law and their kids. Halfway through the meal, my sister-in-law casually asked if anyone in my family liked Muse. It seemed she had gotten two complementary tickets at her work and wouldn’t be able to go because of babysitter issues. “Would anyone in your family be able to use the tickets?” she asked.

What?!?! WHAT?!?! “Would anyone be able to use the Muse tickets?!?!?!”

“Well, I’m sure that between all of us we will be able to find someone to use the tickets,” I calmly replied.  Inside my head I was silently shouting, ‘ME. ME. I am going to use the Muse ticket! It’s for ME!” Fate decided that moms do indeed go to Muse concerts!

And let me tell you it was amazing beyond words. Amazing beyond pictures.

Who is Muse? Take a look.

Of course I took some pics of the concert. Hope you enjoy.

Here’s a YouTube video compilation of some concert highlights from the 4/5/2010 performance at the E Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Hope you enjoyed this adventure. Now go out and have you own adventure!

Kate’s other Adventures!

~Kate

*As always, just leave a comment on this story, or any other story for that matter, and be automatically entered in this week’s giveaway.

If you missed yesterday’s story, take a look HERE. Or for last week’s story about the meaning and origins of the Holi Festival of Colors, take a look HERE. Also check out the site for the Sri Sri Radha  Krishna Temple.

Hope you enjoy the photos from my adventure!

~Kate

Did you go, or want to go? Leave a comment!

Also   Check out Kate’s other Adventures

You may want to pay special attention to this one at 1:31 and 1:58 – 2:08! That would be the back of me in the gray standing at the scaffolding shooting pics!

And here is another awesome video of the throwing of the colors at the festival. Enjoy!

Join Kate as she goes on an adventure to the Holi Festival of Colors at the Hare Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, UT.

This past Saturday I got to usher in spring in rainbow style at the Holi Festival of Colors. It’s one of my very favorite things to do, and I look forward with anticipation to the big day every year. And what an exciting and amazing day it was, with not one, but two color throwing celebrations.

Krishna leader Caru Das shared the message of peace and love and VARIETY with the crowd, as he explained the meaning of the Holi Festival.

According to the  Sri Sri Radha  Krishna Temple website…

Holi announces the arrival of spring and the passing of winter. The festival breathes an atmosphere of social merriment. People bury their hatchets with a warm embrace and throw their worries to the wind. Every nook and corner presents a colorful sight. Young and old alike are covered with colors.

And a big happy thinks to Caru Das  for the shout out to Kate at the festival on Saturday. It seems Caru Das is a fan of Coffee Break with Liz and Kate (or at least the story we ran last week on the upcoming festival.) When he was explaining the best way to throw the colors, he shared the story of Kate and her purple q tips. ( In case you missed that story last week, I told about how last year I got hit in my right ear with an entire bag of purple powder and it took 3 1/2 months of purple q tips before I got it all out.)

I decided the best way for me to share my adventure with you is through my photographs of the festival, so I hope you enjoy!

Come back tomorrow for more photos of this year’s festival.

~Kate

Check out Kate’s other Adventures

m

Back in the day, in a former life, in a galaxy far, far away…I was  college graduate heading out into the world, hoping to  land a job  as a photojournalist.  I had just spent 4 years honing my craft, learning from brilliant teachers and peers alike, and smelling way too many chemicals in amber colored  darkrooms.

m

m

mHumor me as I take a little trip down memory lane…

My major: photojournalism

My part-time job: photo lab manager.

This is me trying to keep all the college

students in line in the photo lab.

Don’t I look oh so very intimidating

and scary?

m

m

My goal: to land a cool job taking awesome pictures.

This is me bothering  some nice old

man just minding his own business

getting some sun in the park.

m

m

m

My most prized possession: my Nikon FE and stylishly rugged Domke camera bag.

Here’s the trusty old Domke bag (30 years old now)

and various paraphernalia from the olden days

of photography: contact sheets, negatives, good

old black and white prints, and my Western Kentucky

folder.

m

m

After I graduated from college, I moved from Kentucky to sunny California to find my fame and fortune as a photojournalist. As often happens to the best laid plans, life had something else in mind for me. Before I even got a good start looking for a job, I met my future husband, got married, and before I knew it I had 7 kids.

Fast forward  30 years to the present. The majority of my photography has been in the form of snap shots of my kids. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been fun documenting my family’s life in pictures, however I’ve been feeling the itch to get back to my photojournalistic roots.

I finally gave up my old relic film Nikon, and replaced it with a digital SLR Nikon. I replaced my old rugged Domke bag with a more stylish and modern black camera bag.

The clincher in choosing this bag…the super cute pink and green stripes inside! As soon as I opened it up, I knew I had to have this bag.

Next came some advice from my friend at Reuters about how to get press access when I don’t actually work for an official paper or magazine. It seems that Coffee Break with Liz and Kate isn’t quite official enough to gain me press access into some places, thus my NPPA (National Press Photographer’s Association) Press Pass.

So I was all set with my new camera, my new camera bag, and my press pass. Now all I had to do was figure out where to go test out my new stuff.  My daughter’s boyfriend was headed to a huge wrestling tournament at a local college that weekend, so I decided to go there for my first “official” press pass shoot.

Perhaps here is where I should tell you I am not a big fan of wrestling. Just watching my 8 year old son wrestle for one season was enough for me to know that I did not like watching boys beat up on other boys….even on a wrestling mat with referees controlling the whole thing. When he got elbowed in the nose during his very first match, it was almost unbearably difficult for me to stay in my seat and refrain from rushing out to the mat to fix his boo boo.

Nevertheless (what a strange word), I headed off to the wrestling match to venture back into the world of photojournalism. I put the pass around my neck, my camera bag on my shoulder, and with my camera in hand, walked right up to the press entrance. I stood tall (well, as tall as someone who is 5′1″ can stand) and confident, and walked right through the press entrance as if I knew exactly where I was going, and exactly what I was doing. Inwardly, I was ridiculously nervous that they would take one look at me and say, “What’s this woman doing here? She doesn’t belong down here with the real press photographers.”

But no one said a word. No one even gave me a second glance. I waltzed right down to the mats, and plopped myself within feet of the wrestlers.

I began to shoot, timidly at first, a shot here, a shot there. And then I discovered the most amazing thing…shooting pictures is just like riding a bike. No matter how long it had been since I”d been on a real photo shoot, it all came rushing back to me, as if I had been doing it all along. I was having a blast, even though I didn’t have two or three cameras strung around my neck like the other sports photographers, and I didn’t have a nice long fast shooting lens. I didn’t care, because I was having fun.

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

Somewhere along the way I noticed something odd starting to happen as I was shooting the  pictures.  Perhaps it was because I was the only woman down there on the floor shooting. Perhaps it was because I reminded these boys of their moms. Perhaps it was a mere coincidence, but I don’t think so. The boys started giving me “the Look” as I was shooting them in action. Though I’m sure none of them would ever admit it, to me “the Look” was a pleading  look of  “Save me MOMMY!” It tugged at my heart strings. I wanted to drop ( I mean gently place) my camera to the ground, and fix their boo boos.

Take a look at “the Look” these boys are giving me. I don’t think it’s just my imagination.

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

mm

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

mm

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

And as a mom I wanted nothing more than to run right out to the center of the mat and tell the big bullies to stop beating each other up. As a photojournalist, however, I squared my shoulders and pretended like it was all in a days work.

The End…heehee

Read Kate’s Other Adventures!

Join Kate as she plays paparazzi at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT.

So, dear readers, as you may know, I made my first ever trip to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT., this past Saturday. (If you’d like to take a look at part 1 of this story, just click here. You won’t believe who I snagged a pic of!!!)

After finding a much coveted parking spot, my ultra organized, spread-sheet making, brother and I hitched a ride on a very full bus…so full that the metal bar which opens and shuts the door was pressed squarely into my backside.  I don’t want to complain, though, because Park City runs a free bus system during the festival, which is truthfully the only realistic way to get around.

First stop… the Eccles Theater, and the premier of Get Low, starring a favorite actor of mine…Bill Murray. I was hoping to to get a glance, and better yet, a picture of the big guy himself. We positioned ourselves in the slushy roadway where we thought perhaps the SUV limos would pull up.

After waiting for about 10 minutes…jackpot… up pulled an SUV. Some assistant type fellows opened up the back and pulled out some crutches, and out popped Mr. Bill Murray, smiling, laughing, and waving to the crowd that was waiting in line to see his movie.

I could see that I wasn’t going to get a close-up of Bill, as he was quickly being swarmed by the masses. Being the ever quick thinking paparazzi that I am…heehee…I climbed over (but sometimes through) a three foot snow bank along the side of the walkway, and waited for him to make his move. Note to self: wear snow boots next year!

And viola…Bill Murray

Also seen at the Get Low premier…America’s Funniest Home Video star, Bob Saget. (In our family, we prefer to remember him as the Full House dad.)

Then off we headed, via bus again, to Park City’s Main Street to see what other paparazzi moments we might find. I’ve got to tell you that the celebs were few and far between this past Saturday, because the SAG Awards were held the same night in L.A. We did find out that Ben Affleck and Tommy Lee Jones were inside a swag lounge and waited for them to come out to their SUV limos, but nope, they decided to trick us, and slipped out the back into the alleyway.

We did catch Paris Hilton though! (I know I ran this picture on Tuesday, but give a girl a break here…It’s a fine paparazzi moment for me.) If you want to read about how I reached a new low in life and chased Paris Hilton down a side street, click here...heehee.

m

m

m

m

m

m

Here are some other images from the Sundance Adventure

The famous Egyptian Theater on Main Street, Park City, UT.

(Read Other Adventures)

Everybody's a celebrity at Sundance, even the Healing Yogi Shaman being interviewed by The Green Carpet

The Healing Yogi Shaman being interviewed by The Green Carpet. Nice jacket, Yogi!

Lucas Grabeel from High School Musical. He plays Ryan Evans. (You know, Sharpay's brother.)

And here is Lucas Grabeel, orange jacket behind the sign, looking dejected because no one recognized him.

Some very scary and awesome looking bodyguards blocking the doorway to a restaurant. I don't know who was inside, but I think they meant business. (Yes that huge frizzy mass is his hair.)

Crazy people who apparently don't care if they get run over for a 5 cent Mardi Gras necklace.

The head in the background is Ryan Reynolds. I shouldn't be running this photo, which was shot through a window. I know it's not paparazzi quality, however, my daughters LOVE him, so this one is for them.

The absolutely beautiful and amazing view from the top of the Main Street hill.

Join Kate as she plays paparazzi at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT.

Guess who’s in this pic?!?!?!

I have lived in Utah for the past 10 years and have never made it to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City. I’ve always wanted to, but somehow life always gets in the way of what a mom “wants” to do and what she gets to “do”. Thanks to a new camera (I finally got a Nikon digital SLR) and a persistent younger brother, who is also a photography buff, I finally made it to the premier independent film event of the year.

If you’re not familiar with the Sundance Film Festival, here’s the gist of how it works. Independent filmmakers make low budget, innovative, and often quirky movies, without the backing of big studios. They premier these flicks  in the beautiful ski resort town of Park City, UT.(one of the all time coolest places I’ve ever been), in hopes of getting their film picked up by a major studio. (Recent Sundance flicks…Precious, Napoleon Dynamite, Little Miss Sunshine, Reservoir Dogs, and Blair Witch Project).

That’s the “official” purpose of the film festival. The reality of it, though, is that it’s a place for filmmakers, film lovers, celebs,  studio execs, the media, trendy ski types, fans, and the paparazzi to meet up in one tiny little ski town for 11 days…to see and be seen.

My goal for my adventure to the film festival was to “play” at being a paparazzi for a day. Plain and simple, I wanted to get some great celeb shots. Thanks to my ultra organized brother, we were armed with a spread sheet containing the the swag spots, the staged media locales, and the venues, times and who’s who of each movie. We then used our best guesses to determine where to position ourselves for optimal celebrity sightings.

I have also learned, however, never to underestimate the value of sheer luck when taking photos.  “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than to be good,” says my good friend, Drew, who is a Mr. Big Wig in the photo business. (He is the editor-in-charge at the Global Pictures desk for a company which I can’t name, but it rhymes with loiters and starts with an “R”. Hee hee…this is due to an unfortunate incident where his bosses didn’t much like the fact that he wrote a pro-American guest rant or two for us once upon a time, which apparently was a no no.)

Anyway, the photo that I teased you with at the beginning of this story is a direct product of the sheer luck of being in the right place at the right time. My brother and I were stopped on the sidewalk across the street from one of the swag/media spots, regrouping and trying to determine where to go next. All of the fans and paparazzi were across the street from us, hoping to catch a celebrity going into the building.  Just then, one of the limo SUV’s pulled up right in front of us, and as luck would have it, the driver let the mystery celebrity out on OUR side of the street. And here she is…

m

m

…Miss Paris Hilton!

Did you guess it? I am pretty sure my brother and I got the only non-official photos of Paris, as she spent the rest of the day dashing  quickly from building to building using back doors and alleyways.

I have to admit that I got totally sucked into the paparazzi mentality trying to follow Paris around to get another shot of her. I am embarrassed to say that I stooped to a new lifetime low…

I chased down a side street after Paris Hilton!

As in I was actually running through the snow and slush to catch her before she went into a restaurunt for dinner. I mean, I don’t even like the girl. Geez.

Anyway, if you’ll allow me to pat myself on the back for a moment, here’s the shot of Paris that ran in my local paper, the Daily Herald.

Oh wait a minute, ummmm…Paris isn’t actually in the shot, but the caption does say that this person was looking through the window trying to get a glimpse of her. Hee hee…

Make sure to come back on Thursday to see which other celebs I got pics of, in Part 2 of my Adventure to the Sundance Film Festival.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Robert Redford: Indie cinema isn’t dead yet (cnn.com)
• Sundance: Stars, Swag, Soirees, Screenings (abcnews.go.com)
• Sundance aims indie films beyond festival confines (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Tag along with Kate as she makes an attempt at being cool, hip and trendy.

Oxygen bars are all the rage these days among the young trendy yuppie types. While I’ll be the first to admit that I am neither young or trendy, I do occasionally try to be hip. My latest attempt at “hipness” involved putting pink plastic tubes up my nose and breathing  the scent of an orange grove, all while trying to relax and not look ridiculous.

Now in case you are reading this and thinking, “What in the sam hill is an oxygen bar?” here’s the Wiki definition:

“An oxygen bar is an establishment, or part of one, that sells oxygen for recreational use. Individual flavored scents may be added to enhance the experience. The flavors in an oxygen bar come from bubbling oxygen through bottles containing aromatic solutions before it reaches the nostrils.” ~Wikipedia

So my thinking is, ‘Why would someone pay good money to breath in scented oxygen?’ I mean, I can plug in an air freshener and breath all the scented air I want…for free. But never one  to be a party pooper, I tagged along with my daughter, her boyfriend and my husband. We made the trip because the boyfriend got injured in a wrestling match  and was having some trouble with his lungs. My husband (who always tries to be among the hip and trendy) heard about the injury and went straight into Dr. mode, telling boyfriend that the oxygen bar would help him heal more quickly.

We went to a salon called Solace. (You can typically find oxygen bars in salons, health clubs,tanning salons,resorts and on practically every corner in Las Vegas.)

First up at the oxygen bar, my daughter and her bf.

My daughter is looking at me with her “I can’t believe you are about to take a picture of me with plastic tubes up my nose” look, while the boyfriend is looking at me with his “Look how cool and trendy I am” look.

While they got their fill of oxygen, my husband and I got 15 wonderful, luxurious minutes in high tech full body massage chairs, each placed in a darkened quiet room. It was 15 minutes of pure heaven. In fact, I”m sincerely hoping that in heaven we each get our own personal full body massage chairs.

My 15 minutes were up much too quickly, as they pulled back my curtain and I was jolted out of my reverie. I mean really, you can’t put a busy mom of 7 kids in a dark quiet room for 15 minutes and think she’s going to leave willingly.

So off to the oxygen bar I headed. I sat on a stool and put the pastel pink oxygen tubes up my nostrils. They felt hard and plastic-y. Thinking I must have them in upside down, I took them out, turned them over and tried it again. Even more hard and plastic-y. Then as instructed, I put the tubes around my ears to hold it in place.  The right side, however kept slipping off. I now am thinking maybe my ears are lopsided?!

Anyway, I decided to push forward and attempt to relax and enjoy, first with the scent of lavender.  Not bad. A quick re-adjustment of  the tubes which were digging into my nasal passages and then on to the eucalyptus. Too medicine-y and hospital-like for my taste. ( With the twist of a switch we were able to control the scent of our oxygen.) Next scent, and my favorite by far, the orange groves.

I tried to relax, breath deeply and feel the oxygen flowing into my body, truly I did.  But I just could not get past the hard plastic up my nose enough to relax. However, my husband seemed to have no trouble in that department, as he appeared to be practically asleep on his stool. In fact, I thought he might just doze off and fall to the floor.

Here are the claimed benefits of breathing oxygen at an oxygen bar:

-Heightens concentration, alertness and memory

-Oxygen gives you energy!

-Oxygen is vital to your immune system, memory, thinking and sight

-Promotes healing and counters aging

-Strengthens your heart, reducing the risk of heart attacks

-Calms your mind and stabilizes your nervous system

-Speeds up the body’s recovery after physical exertion

-Provides a natural remedy for headaches, migraines and hangovers

-Relieves temporary altitude discomfort

-Improves digestion and cell metabolism

-Relieves muscle stiffness, support pre-athletic performance

-Lessens chronic fatigue syndrome and gives you better sleep patterns

Our verdicts:

The boyfriend: loved it. Thought the oxygen made it much easier to breath for the rest of the day.

The daughter: liked it, but not as much as the boyfriend. She was concerned about looking silly. But she said it made her feel good.

The husband: swears by it. Says he would go every week if he could. He says it helps him when he over-exerts himself.

Kate: ummm…maybe I’m just not cut out to be cool, hip and trendy.

Want to learn more about oxygen bars? Check out All About Oxygen.

I also found this…

“Scientific data says that purified oxygen does very little, as our blood is already saturated with 99% oxygen. Any effect that may occur would dissipate within a few minutes, as the blood re-circulates.

Although oxygen bars offer a respite from the many air pollutants found in large cities, many believe that it’s the same as stepping into any building or car with an air filtration system.

To quote an expert, “If your lungs are healthy, and you have no breathing difficulties, your body has all the oxygen it needs,” says George Boyer, MD, chief of pulmonary and critical care at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. “Taking in more is like going to the gas station and trying to fill a tank that’s already filled.”

The Truth About Oxygen Bars

Check out Kate’s other Adventures…

Kate Goes on an Adventure: with New Moon’s Laurent and Caius

Kate Goes on an Adventure: The Quest for a New Moon Mall Tour Wristband

Kate Goes on an Adventure: Demolition Derby

Kate Goes on an Adventure: Hot Air Ballooning

Kate Goes on an Adventure: Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Week

with New Moon’s Laurent and Caius

This past Saturday (Nov. 14) Kate went on an adventure to the Fashion Place Mall in Salt Lake City, UT. to meet New Moon actors   Edi Gathegi (bad vampire Laurent) Jamie  Campbell Bower(Volturi vampire Caius). This was stop #14, of the 15 city New Moon Mall Tour.

Before you read any further you should probably know this…

Two weeks ago, I survived an entire the night on the cold, hard floor of Fashion Place mall just outside  the Nordstrom store, to be one of the lucky 75 people to get a pass to meet  New Moon actors Edi Gathegi and Jamie  Campbell Bower.

m

Edi Gathegi - Laurent

Jamie Campbell Bower - Caius

(See Kate Goes on an Adventure: The Quest for a New Moon Mall Tour Wristband.) I know to some of you this might seem to  be on the borderline of teetering over to crazy train, but let me assure you than I am a Twilight amateur compared to the majority of  people in the line that night…and besides, I blame it all on peer pressure from my much younger, crazy and pregnant friend, Whitney.

So fast forward to this past Saturday…

With our Mall Tour passes securely around our necks, two of my daughters and I lined up with 72 other guests to wait for our chance to meet the New Moon vampires.  To say security was tight would be a gross understatement. We were checked, double-checked, briefed, recorded and numbered.  We were then relieved of our coats, purses, cameras and cell phones. I’m surprised we weren’t patted down and fingerprinted,  just to be safe.

It was at this point that I had a decision to make…ask permission for my Kate cutout to go in with me to be in the photograph and risk being told no, or sneak her in under the jean jacket I was wearing.  I chose forgiveness over permission.

We were taken one by one into a black curtained makeshift room to meet the guys and be photographed with them.  I was escorted in and we said our hello’s and shook hands (Yes, they were really cute and yes, I’ve washed!)  Anxious to not appear to be a freak, but also determined to get Kate into that photo, I cautiously pulled Kate out from underneath my jacket. I told them this was Kate and asked if she could be in the picture with us. Jamie (Caius) took Kate from me and in the thickest and most endearing British accent I’ve ever heard,  gave her the once over, laughed and animatedly said, “Kate! What’s a Kate?”  I told them about my Coffee Break website and Kate and her adventures, a great moment for me, and then  Edi (Laurent) put his arm around my shoulders and held Kate for the photo  (I know, girls, I know.) Unfortunately, you’ll have to take my word for it until next week when I can pick up the evidence.

m

m

Next came a concert  by Anya Marina, singer of Satellite Heart from the New Moon soundtrack.

Her indie style performance was soulful, breathy and moving.

m

m

m

m

And then a lively, animated Q & A session with the vampires.

Jamie Campbell Bower is a 20 year old English actor with a background in theater and singing. He is best known for his role as Anthony Hope in Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd.  He is set to appear as Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I & II.

Of his movie career, Jamie said,

“I’m going to cry until I get another job. I want to do more movies. I feel like it’s a totally different skill set than there is to theater. It’s much more internal. I’m an extrovert, I like to gesticulate and talk loud and stuff, and the theater is easy for me. I can go up there and spread my legs and go, ‘Here I am’. Oh, don’t get that wrong. Whereas in cinema you have to be much more thoughtful, and I find that a lot more challenging.”

m

m

Edi Gathegi is a 30 year old Kenyan-born actor who grew up in California.  He also has a theatrical background, appearing in Cyrano de Bergerac and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  He switched over to movies with roles in the 2006 film, Crank, and the 2007 film, Gone Baby Gone, this year’s My Bloody Valentine, and on the TV drama, House.

On whether New Moon the movie follows New Moon the book, Edi said,

“That’s the whole point of having Stephenie Meyer as a consultant for all the books, because you know she has final approval and final say and they’re not going to do anything to upset the fan base,” he told the audience. “You guys are the driving force behind this entire thing.”

Check out Kate’s other Adventures…

Kate Goes on an Adventure: The Quest for a New Moon Mall Tour Wristband

Kate Goes on an Adventure: Demolition Derby

Kate Goes on an Adventure: Hot Air Ballooning

Kate Goes on an Adventure: Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Week

And as always, just leave a comment on this, or any other post, to be automatically entered in this week’s giveaway.

Enjoy your Coffee Break ` Kate

Kate Goes on a Quest for a New Moon Mall Tour VIP Wristband

It seems that Summit Entertainment has decided to stir the New Moon frenzy with a 15 city New Moon Mall Tour, complete with cast members, bands from the New Moon Soundtrack, and Q & A  sessions. When my friend Whitney  told me  that The Fashion Place Mall in Salt Lake City was stop # 14 on the tour,  I decided as a true Twilight Saga lover, this event was a must.

Of course, there was a catch, and it involved spending the night at the mall on the cold, hard, tile floor (I am much too old for such nonsense)

(New Moon fans sleeping at 4am in the Fashion Place Mall)

AND shopping at Nordstrom (definitely not too old for this nonsense).

(Kate's purchases...$75 doesn't get you all that much at Nordstrom)

In order to be one of the lucky few (only 75 to be exact)  to get a VIP wristband to attend the New Moon Mall Tour, we had to be at the mall at 11:30 pm on Halloween Eve, survive the night, and then at 8 am the next morning we would receive a shopping pass allowing us into Nordstrom to spend $75. We then had to show the receipt to a customer service rep who then handed us our New Moon Tour VIP passes.

As you can see, we were lucky enough to get our VIP passes, and now we wait for Nov. 14 to roll around for the big event… which includes:

• An hour long meet and greet for the 75 VIP Guests with…Edi Gathegi and Jamie Campbell Bower.

Edi Gathegi as Laurent

Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius

• Professional photos taken of the guests (that’s me) with the celebs

• A concert by Anya Marina who sings Satellite Heart from the New Moon Soundtrack

Anya Marina – Satellite Heart

• A VIP pass to a pre-release showing of New Moon for the night before the official release

• A Q & A session with the celebs

Here’s a list of the New Moon Mall Tour locations.

• November 6 – Hollywood & Highland Center (Los Angeles, CA)
• November 8 – Park Meadows (Denver, CO)
• November 9 – Natick Collection (Boston, MA)
• November 9 -Mall Location TBD (Chicago, IL)
• November 9 – Fair Oaks Mall (Washington, DC)
• November 10 – Houston Galleria (Houston, TX)
• November 11 – Mall of America (Minneapolis, MN)
• November 11 – Cherry Hill Mall (Philadelphia, PA)
• November 11 – Stonestown Galleria (San Francisco, CA)
• November 12 – Mall of Georgia (Atlanta, GA)
• November 12 – Westfield Southcenter (Seattle, WA)
• November 13 – Dadeland Mall (Miami, FL)
• November 13 – Scottsdale Fashion Square (Phoenix, AZ)
• November 14 – Fashion Place (Salt Lake City, UT)
• November 19 – Times Square (New York, NY)

So stay tuned for Kate’s real adventure, The New Moon Mall Tour, on Nov. 14!

Check out Kate’s other Adventures:

Kate Goes on an Adventure: Demolition Derby

Kate Goes on an Adventure: Hot Air Ballooning

Kate Goes on an Adventure: Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Week

~Kate

Enjoy your Coffee Break!

*Enter a comment at the bottom of this or any other post, and be automatically entered in this week’s giveaway!