New Website!

Water water water.....

It's very important to me and hopefully it's important to you. But I have come to realize a basic fact of life... again: "You can't expect people to feel the same way you do about anything. Period."  We all do that in some ways-- small and large: until we learn not to.

So... I decided that this movie still has to be remade-- just for the fun of it AND because it's growing so incredibly fast these days!! Yahoo! I looked the other day and there were 900!!! downloads that day. Now, I have already had the thrill of seeing that thousands of people have downloaded it before, but that was on a different site and somehow, seeing the one from Switzerland just makes my very happy!

If you have read anything from me before, you know that I am an x-waitress, now truck driver, always have some creative project going and usually having fun! But always caring about water. That will never change. ;-)

Am I sad about the change for the website? No. I am actually very excited. I was too burdened by hope and expectations, and now I'm free. I will use anything I get out of the movie for water, but that's all I can do. I was able to send a check (from my book sales) to have a well built in Cambodia and for that I am very very grateful! A dream come true.

Because the original intent for Did I Say Thousand Island?  was to get a message out to the general non-restaurant-working public to show how most of us live our wonderfully flexible and fun restaurant lives. Well....SUCCESS! Even The Oprah Winfrey Show hasn't been seen in as many countries as my wee no budget movie. AND all without any advertising, just word of mouth.

So I have faith that some day the right people will find this movie-- that has a huge niche market; see the possibilities and just remake the movie. No other reason. I will follow my path. You follow yours. It's all good.

What's the new site? Remake 4 Love. Corney enough? I thought so... why not?  Love of what? Restaurants. People. Movies. Fun. Money. Whatever you want. I just can't give up on this idea, which by the way was never MY idea. Anyone who has known me for any amount of time never ever ever heard me say: "I want to make a movie." NO WAY. Why on earth would I ever want to do that???

So in the meantime, watch the movie. Enjoy the story. Don't dwell on its faults: I was one person for crying out loud! ;-) Think about it being done by those who have the knowledge, money and people to remake it, and tell your friends. Go ahead... make my day! ;-)

Back from a break

Being burned out from being at the computer all day and night, everyday for years: it was time for me to pursue my original dream of driving a semi truck. So I did! For the past 2 years, on and off, I have been driving 2 different Peterbilts all over Canada and the north western States and loving it!

At first I was with a pal's brother in a brand spanking new 2014 beauty that we drove all over, in one of the worst winters in Canadian history! Talk about being thrown to the wolves! But thanks to my many years of mountain driving in Colorado, I did fine and avoided the ditches all winter long... and it was long! I took a break in the spring to go back to the flowers which I love and then started up with 18 wheelers again in the fall.

I hauled cattle mostly, but other things too: in a 1998 POS.  Wait, I mean POL---"poor old lady" and she was something. Barely meeting the safety requirements, and at the end I had to tie the seat belt around the passenger's seat to keep the door shut, but I was learning on my own, and it was a good experience to have for the future.

During this time, I thought about water usage many times—while cleaning out the cattle trailers and other vans after hauling fresh produce. As the water was gushing out of the fire hoses, I couldn’t help but think that almost a billion people around the world still lack fresh water. Even with all the hundreds of organizations that help--and that number continues to grow as people realize the magnitude of this problem—it’s still unbelievable that the modern world has this issue. Perfectly clean water was wasted on cleaning out cattle poop and it just rubbed me the wrong way.

There is still such an important message that HAS to get to the general public!!

The message? If we don’t change our behaviour about wasteful water usage, it’s not going to be only states like California and Texas who are severely suffering from water shortages, drought and conservation troubles. It’s not just a small issue anymore and hasn’t been for years, but people ignore the reality of water situations in their everyday life, and continue to be wasteful. They will change when they have to change, and it might be too late.

Yes there are many people who know and care about issues like tap water vs. bottled water, water shortages, ecosystems that are shot because of water abuse, and lots of other problems, but they're the same people who watch documentaries about it and do things to help. They are NOT the everyday general population who really has to be informed because it will affect future generations to years to come!

What better way to get people to learn, than for this message to be inside a fun movie. People watch movies all the time! And I don't mean documentaries. But use it to teach and raise money to help... By the way, "Did I Say Thousand Island?"  has now been seen in 202 countries----there are only 196 recognized countries! Think about THAT! Somewhere on some remote island, in some remote sea, there are people who have seen this movie! Really unbelievable, but true.

This website “Remake 4 Water” has been up for a few years and although the format hasn’t changed too much, and I've kept current to some extent, I have now updated the old links and statistics that have changed. I will never give up on this.

People have to start becoming more responsible about water usage. Big troubles will happen sooner than most people know. Plain and simple.

"I Am" " Happy"

Notice the quotation marks.

These are the titles of 2 movies that, while not being brand new or block busters, should be seen by every person on the planet! Ok so I have a strong opinion about it, but really, they are great movies and the information is applicable to all of us, no matter where we live, how we live, or why we live. Actually they both address that last part in entertaining, honest and meaningful ways.

"I Am" is a doc by Tom Shadyac. Of course I had heard of Tom, who is a Hollywood heavy weight, through his big movies, but it was when I heard a few years ago that he sold all his stuff and completely changed his life that he got my attention. "I Am" is his documentary about the bike accident that changed everything. His entire view of life took a 180 and now he teaches others what he has learned, and what really is important in life and I just happen to agree with him in a big way. We need to be cooperative, help others and be a part of the solution, not the problem.

"Happy" is a doc created by Roco Belic and produced by Tom. It's a movie that states what I have been saying to people for years and is one of the underlying themes to my movie "Did I Say Thousand Island?". People who work in the restaurant industry ARE happy! My research showed that 95% of the people I talked to loved their jobs. The funny thing is that the impression formed (falsely it seems) by many people is just the opposite. Maybe those people need to watch Happy to readjust their way of thinking! Maybe they need to learn what in life actually and statistically makes us happy....

So I have this movie, that has been seen all over the world, and keeps being downloaded every day which thrills me to no end! After being told by so many people that I need to remake it, a couple of years ago, I decided to set out on a new mission to find the right people to remake it. I, I repeat, I, do not want to be a filmmaker, but there are people who do and are. I've been praying for many years that God leads me to the right people. Maybe, just maybe I am coming across them. They need to be the type of people who will keep whatever it is in the movie that makes people still download a no-star-no-professional-actors-no-budget-no-razzmatazz-just-a good-story movie after almost 8 years of its release. I think it might have something to do with our heart. A subject in both of Tom and Roko's movies.

Water has been my heart's passion for hmmm, let see... probably my entire life. I played with a spoon, a cup and a sink with a bit of water in it, when I was three (easily entertained but that's ok) and have always yelled at people when they waste water-- before it was fashionable to do so. What. It's not fashionable? Well maybe not yet, but if we continue as we are headed, it will become that way. Soooo I want to use my movie which focuses on restaurants--which can't run without water, to make people aware of our water situation. It's way past time. It's like the stoplight at an intersection. How many people have to be killed before they put in a light? How many towns, cities, states (can you say California or perhaps Texas or... or...) does it take to have major water problems, before we decide that we need to change our everyday behavior, on a big scale, in order to preserve and conserve water? And that's just one side of the water troubles in the world, but you already know about the millions of people who don't even HAVE fresh water to drink...but we'll save that for another day. It's the Christmas Season and we don't really want to think about all that. Do we?

So instead, let's be grateful that we live in countries that do have fresh water and try to not waste it. Peace out, as we say in Canada, but Peace on Earth is a better "see ya" for now!

WHAT'S UP with DOCs?

Documentaries I mean...

If you want people to get a message about something, it seems that docs are NOT the way to go. How can I say such a thing? Research.... They are sadly down in popularity.

Ok, so I haven't been blogging or doing much on the computer about R4W in over a year, even though I always tell people about it. I was just totally burned out with computers and research on water and all, and decided to do what I have wanted to do for a living since university, so I have and I am. But suddenly I am on a break and have been steered back to water.

Coincidentally (nothing with God is a coincidence), a Calgary based production company, Nomadic Pictures is shooting here in High River, so I went down there to see whom I could talk to about R4W. I ended up meeting a cool guy named Zoltan Barabas--(cool name too eh?) who understood my reality about "Did I Say Thousand Island?" and how I am not a filmmaker...nor do I want to be. I told him my story, gave him the movie and he said he would pass it on.

From some of the things Zoltan said, I was totally re-energized again. It had already started with some promptings and whispers (great book by Bill Hybels incidentally), so I was getting back to my project anyway. When I went to update my website, I learned these things: documentaries are way down from the year before--which puts them far far into the basement of popularity, more celebrities are joining in the cause of water, and people still want to be entertained way more than they want to be educated...at least by movies.

In 2012, there were 696 movies made and docs were 9th on the list with 144 made. So docs were roughly 21% of the total movies made but brought in only 1.21% of the revenue. But in 2013, there were 735 movies made, 161 of them were docs, but they ended up 2nd from the bottom (only multiple genres were lower) with only .47% of the revenue! Did you get that? Not even a half of a percent! Very sad. Here's the website if you want to see for yourself: The Numbers

So, that brings me again to the point I have been saying all along. There's a message that has to get out to people, and no matter how many great and wonderful documentaries there are (and there are many about water and how it's crucial that we change our relationship with it), people don't hear the message! But if we incorporate it with a fun movie and make it entertaining, they will start to hear. But why "Did I Say Thousand Island?" ? Because restaurants can't operate without water, everyone goes out to eat and the movie has already been seen all over the world, which is amazing for a "no-budget-no-name-non-marketed" movie!

Well (a deep subject that 3rd world countries need more of), I better sign off for now and get back to truckin'--my new career. Oh and by the way, I'll let you in on one of the cool Whispers I heard... So I was reaching for an album--you know, LP's... they spin on a turntable...and I have over 600 of them...anyway, I picked Kansas, but an unfamiliar one, put it back as I wanted one I knew better, but ended up getting this one: "Masque", which is also not the most played, but I took it anyway.

While listening, I was curious about the cover art and looked at the back. What do you think the title is? Hard to guess by appearances...

"Water" by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, courtesy of Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.    ;-)

California or bust!

Yeah... Lets go to California where the grass is green all year long, the sun is always shinning and life is great!

Well, maybe things aren't so great there at the moment. Matter of fact they're terrible. The worst drought since records have been in existence... I have read in some articles.

Been a long time since I have blogged, but I still care very much about the state of water affairs in our world today and frankly, it stinks! I went to a meeting back in October that featured Maude Barlow, who chairs the Council of Canadians. I was shocked to see that the number in attendance was sadly small considering the importance of the topic. She recently launched her latest book: Blue Future, and she talked about the water situation in Canada as well as the rest of the world. It's worse than I even thought and I have done a considerable amount of research on the subject ever since starting my Remake 4 Water project.

When are people going to realize that we need to DO something and on a big scale!? Hopefully before it's too late to fix the damage. What about the kids in the next generation? Like the 2 little girls in this photo, Gina (8) and Sydney (9). (Photo credit  goes to Rich Pedroncelli/ AP) What's going to happen when they are older and raising families? Is there going to be clean water for them? California or elsewhere....?

They are walking on rocks that are usually at the waters edge.

People have to learn to conserve water now and get used to saving water everyday. It's much easier to modify behaviors on a smaller scale when they need to, and avoid such drastic measures when droughts hit. Public awareness is sadly lacking despite all the warnings. I still believe that a movie that is relatable to everyone (we all go out to eat), and about a subject that is closely related to water (restaurants), would be a great way to get the message out that we need to change our relationship with water, and sooner rather than later!

Speaking of the movie, on one site alone--and it's downloadable on many sites, but on Mininova which tracks countries, it's been seen in 195 countries. Considering that there are 196 countries recognized by the UN, not too shabby for a no budget indie effort! Yahoo, only 1 to go!

Ok, that's about it for now. I will never quit in my search for the right person to remake my "still growing after 7 years" movie, but I have been very busy with my new career, so back to it. What am I doing rather than wasting time blogging? What I have wanted to do for many years but it wasn't time yet.....till now........driving the big rigs! Yup! 18 wheels a turnin'! So catch ya on the flip side....We gone ba bye!

Colorado Drought

Not only was I able to see the incredible drought in the Midwest this year,  now, unfortunately, I've seen it in my beloved Colorado. I lived there for about 15 years and saw variation in water levels of Dillon Reservoir, but this year was especially a down year. Why is this important? Because it's part of Denver's water source. Actually it's about 40% of it, and many people in Summit County and Denver know this.

But not everyone knows their water source, and from this article by The Nature Conservancy it appears that most people don't. What does that translate to? Public Awareness. Oh yeah... that! Again. 

If you know what my mission is, you are not surprised by this information, if you don't know what my mission is, here you go: To remake a movie that has already been seen all over the world, and use it to bring funds and AWARENESS to the Global Water Crisis. Simple idea really, and a very timely one with all the drought situations in the world.


"Denver Water invests millions of dollars into conservation programs to encourage customers to reduce their use." Found this line when making sure I had the right info about Denver water. It's all about learning, then being aware, then changing behavior. Just like smoking (see below) is a behavior, so is water conservation. And if it becomes an addiction, wow, what a great addiction that is! I've had it for years and it's served me well. My record for water use when I lived in my cabin on the side of a mountain in Colorado was 68 gallons of water for 6 1/2 weeks, including 25 plants and a thirsty dog. (not including showers which I took short ones elsewhere).

When I was just there visiting, I had a few "water police" moments with 3 different people. Two of them know about the water project so I was quite surprised! One didn't remember so he was forgiven... actually I hope he forgave me when I reached over and turned off the water that was running while he wiped around the counter top! And when I was doing the dishes at another place, I put a bit of water in a pan, added soap, and this is what happened:

"What are you doing? my friend asked.
"I'm doing the dishes."
"Why are you using the pan?"
"Because I don't fill up the sink, I just use a pan or bowl."
"But it's a dirty pan."
"No it's rinsed. Why, how do you do dishes?"
"I just do them under the running water."
"You let the water run?!?!"
"...Ah...yeah..."

IN Denver! Where there is a drought!! So it's just not just a matter of awareness, but finding a way to make people change their behavior. But can "Hollywood" do this? Do people actually pay attention to celebrities? Ummm let's see...

We all know that humans are influenced by famous people and especially by "Hollywood"--good or bad. Remember the old movies when everyone smoked? Well, it was cool to smoke back then because the actors in all the movies did it, and... hey wait a minute! I just looked up smoking in the movies and was shocked to see that it still goes on! (ironically I actually don't watch many movies) But look at this site, and if you search: "smoking in the movies facts" you'll find a bunch.

People magazine pretty much is all about celebrities right? And Time magazine is about serious news. Even though many printed magazine numbers are declining somewhat, here are statistics from the Audit Bureau of Circulations:  by June 30, 2012 People was at 3,563,035, and Time was at 3,276,822 -- not a lot of difference, but while People increased .2%, since 2011, Time decreased 2.9%. AND, for the Top 25 U.S. Consumer Magazines by Single-Copy Sales, Time didn't even make the list! People was at #4 with Cosmopolitan, Woman's World and First For Women on top. (Newsweek wasn't on any lists at all.)

By the way this goes along with what my friend said about escapism in the movies: "We are in the longest period since Vietnam." Yup, that is why people don't go to see documentaries as much as the "Hollywood" narrative movies. People don't want to get depressed and serious, they want to be entertained!

Bottom line? Same as I have been saying all along. Why not use the platform that is already established to do something good! Messages can be very effective if placed in movies...we know that. People pay attention to celebrities. We know that too...Wouldn't it be great if "Hollywood" had a campaign where instead of being cool by collecting all the __________ from the _________series, (which end up in a landfill anyway) you could be cool by helping people get water and learning how you can help yourself? How? By being entertained and going to see the "Did I Say Thousand Island?" series. Wouldn't that be cool?

What Colour is Your Washing?

Green or pink? Are you confused? Well, this has to do with social responsibility, social awareness and giving: which is what my mission is all about.

These are from Wikipedia:

Greenwashing:  Marketing is deceptively used to promote the perception that an organization's aims and policies are environmentally friendly.

Pinkwashing: The promotion of consumer goods and services using the pink ribbon that represents support for breast cancer-related charities.

Why am I bringing these rather negative terms up? Recently by chance, I saw a great documentary about 'buying to help others', named "Philanthropy Inc."  The tag line: How the new world of strategic marketing has turned charity into a profit center. It was very informative and educational and is one to watch for sure. So I am discussing this because it shows how the idea of R4W will work.

I have 4 pages of notes from the film but I'll just touch on what is pertinent to my mission. First, this is a new wave. The whole "shared value" idea has certainly taken hold, so the time for a benefit movie is perfect. They mention the power of marrying brands to raise awareness and making positive changes, so having a movie that serves as a tool for raising funds and awareness fits right into this new formula.

As much as many people don't like Walmart for some of it's practices, when Katrina hit, Walmart beat the government in getting aid to the people, and regardless of how cynical some people reacted to that, the bottom line is that help was where it needed to be. Walmart went from a dragon, to a rescuer, which exemplified the power of corporate philanthropy.

Water was a huge issue when the documentary mentioned the partnership of the WWF and Coca Cola and unfortunately not much was positive. The water wars in India and China are especially a concern and although this film was made in 2009, there are still issues going on. So awareness about partnerships is very important.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation is the breast cancer awareness leader and has its pink ribbon on many products, but there was quite a story about Yoplait yogurt and the rBGH hormones that was in the milk used in its production. A controversy grew. A foundation that supports cancer research was partnering with a product that contained an ingredient that actually caused cancer? Think Before You Pink fought this and won. rBGH is no longer in Yoplait. It was very inspirational that people can make a difference when they believe in something.

The filmmakers showed both sides. Corporate philanthropy was criticized in the film, more than once. It's just marketing. Are they really altruistic?  They're just benefiting from good press.

So. What about Remake 4 Water? What about a movie that would raise awareness and funds for the Global Water Crisis. Is it going to be green, pink or even brainwashing? NONE of the above!

1. Hollywood already has the market on movies. There isn't any competition.
2. People already go to see movies. There isn't any controversy.
3. It would look good for Hollywood. (Not a bad idea.)
4. People already go to see movies. They aren't changing behaviour.
5. Water and restaurants have a natural relationship. No hormones needed. (Just seeing if you're awake!)

Water is an extremely important issue that needs to be addressed. Hollywood is seen as a single entity. Not many people on the outside speak in specifics like studios or publicity companies. It's all lumped together. So this Hollywood "corporation" wouldn't be criticized because it's Celebs Doing Good and people would know they are helping by going to watch a movie. We all like to be part of a good thing.

You know that march on Walstreet? I have been saying for a long time that it will eventually happen to the entertainment world like, sports and Hollywood. So how about if we beat the "Holiday Rush" and have some good things come out sooner rather than later? Sounds good to me. C'mon. Let's Do It!