Mr. Winkle

For the past two weeks, I've been dragging myself from one day to the next--nothing serious, just a bad, lingering cold. (I'm going to the doctor on Monday, Mom.) Still, it has curtailed Riley's extracurricular activities. Today, he and I went to the RedCat International Children's Film Festival. It was the festival's third year and our second year attending. Riley was definitely more interested in watching the films this year than he was last year.

No more pictures, Mama!

We saw the "Best Friends Forever" program, a series of seven short films, culminating in a screening of Mr. Winkle's Circus. Here is a picture of Mr. Winkle:


Mr. Winkle was rescued from the street as a puppy; his exact parentage is unknown. That tongue never does go all the way inside his mouth--he's too little and the tongue is too long. Press for the festival states that he is now retired and living in Altadena. We're practically neighbors!

Mr. Winkle is very cute (and we did get a free 2008 calendar after the show), but his film was a bit too long. Riley enjoyed Rindin the Puffer (narrated by Wallace Shawn?) and The Little Shooting Star (a German film) more.


Personally, I thought Rindin borrowed too much from Finding Nemo, but I liked Pound, which was a silly look at greetings between male friends on the street. It may also have been the shortest of the seven films. Perhaps that's why I liked it?

When my parents were visiting, I mentioned that I strive to find activities around town that will entertain Riley for less than $20. (Yeah, I'm an attorney, but I've got a government salary, not one of those nice private practice compensation packages.) Anyway, the film festival met the bill. Tickets were $5 each, parking was $8. If you subtract the calendar we received (a $13.95 value), net cost for the event was $4.05.