The one where I go to the gala.

Around 11am I get an invite from Couchsurfing Eric, to hit up one of the last screenings at the Seattle International Film Festival. He picks me up and we get there late, but the tickets are complimentary after he thinly pretenses about being staff. Volunteer driver.

With many European films, there was some suicide attempt and nudity. Appropriate the film's title, Nu means both "now" and "naked" in French and Dutch. Afterwards an audience member, with much class, approached the director/actor, "I just saw you naked." But that's when I broke out my Dogma Rules film kid comment. At least it wasn't mis en scene. And the old man who was gushing in the back, is now picking up on the filmmaker with promises of investor's money.

I guess Eric was supposed to pick these guys up at the airport last week. So we make use of our titles, and I sit in the back with the guy who would win Best New Director and ask if he's just traveling with Nu filmmaker, as he's holding his award. They offer us to come to the final party of the festival and exchange numbers after we drop them at the hotel. Later that night we show up and I get psyched out by the first door as it was too easy to get in. Just carded us. But then when we run into Matt, star of Nu who is an architect (that doesn't just play one on the screen), and he sends us to green door. But they want a matching green wristband.

We get up to the red carpet and the ecentric couch surfer explains who we're with, our names, and I’m standing back knowing that we may full well be turned away. A woman in a lanyard brushes passed my velvet blazer, "Are you just waiting to get in?"

"Yes."

"Are you with him (Eric)?"

"Yes." She pushes the two out of the way at the podium who are making this entry hard on Eric, and casually tells them, "They have wristbands." But they're orange. "They're fine."

I fall into free drinks and fine pork slices. We find the auteur and hang out for a while and people take our pictures, and once again we talk in a mixture of Dutch and English about how he was naked in the movie. And then transition to the body paint at the Fremont Parade that happened Saturday. Or maybe that's where we started. I don’t know.

We head upstairs to visit the other Eric, best-new-director-Eric. Passing wine, and private screening rooms, and then finding the patio. He’s with Mathew and Mathew’s with his date, a judge from the festival. They say, funny for me to arrive, because they had just got done talking about the name "Hank." A Dutch name. But then I say I’m actually German and Norwegian, and we all practice my last name adding way more syllables than there should ever be. I meet some ladies from Pacific Place. And I get them to convince me that the winters aren’t that bad and that moving here would be a good idea. And then convince the actor Mathew that "book" is the trendy term for "cool" nowadays. He had been saying "phat," as that's the latest in Holland.

A hipster staff member, the same one who comp'd my ticket steals the best new director and they flirt on the edge of the roof. The lights all come on and the booze all gone, and the coat check is packed. I catch myself in the reflection of the elevator doors. We then join Mitzy and hipster and director and Mathew out down the block to the underground, invite only, after party. The first point at which I pay all night, but at least there's a band and unlimited drink. I was apprehensive because at first you couldn't even tell that there was spill over of filmmakers and all the people that thrive on being around them, with their staff passes and noses north.

"Is this a Boys and Girls club?" I’m drunk. The bald guy humors me, "Actually a lot of people have been asking if this is a school or something."

There’s a pillow room, pasta salad, and, you say, "Some one's actually complaining about free Pabst? If I had change I’d tip you." The dance floor was slow and I was the second out there and that hipster staff girl who gave me my comp ticket had lost her director and so I danced along side her but she left as soon as she came. I have a gin and tonic because it's closer, and then suddenly there's bowls of popcorn everywhere. I find Mathew and his date and Mitzy and they are all having a lot of fun. We dance, after I splash my new beer here and there, I dance more. I go to the bathroom what feels like a hundred times, and the line's ridiculous so I talk more with Mathew’s date and find out that she actually is an U of A alum. And she keeps saying, “Remember to tell Michael Mulcahy that I said hi." So then I repeat her name every time, as to remind myself and almost for the reassurance from her that I’m right. Leah Guerra.

I cut out because I had work in the morning, fought a huge smile the whole walk home up hill. It just reminded me of how much I'm going to miss this last year.