Did I Say Thousand Island?

Moving Around

2008-06-05T16:29:00.007-05:00

Howdy from Oamaru!

I have left the farm as have the cows...all 1200 of them! I am now in the town by the sea named Oamaru. It has some absolutely incredibly beautiful buildings here all made from their famous stone. People use it all over New Zealand for carving and art work and so many of the buildings are made from it. I find it beautiful in it's texture and soft color.

Being in a hostel makes for such interesting people to meet! Yesterday I was sitting in a car with 2 girls from Germany, a guy from Canada and a girl from France! We have been hanging out together and having so many laughs! Traveling is such a wonderful way to get exposed to different cultures and not just the country you are in, but as you hear the stories and spend time with people from other countries you can learn great things about their countries as well.

I have less than 2 months left here in New Zealand and I know the time will fly by! I am looking to go to a place with Holsteiner Horses and am not sure what I will be doing, but I am looking forward to it because I will be out in the country again. I might be able to go and harvest olives and work on other ranches and who knows what. It's an adventure, and it keeps on going!

Ok, I am going to add a couple of photos of the buildings and see how that goes.... I will be back!

National Waiters and Waitresses Day May 21st !

2008-05-21T15:57:00.003-05:00

Greetings!

Today is the day set aside to remember and celebrate those wonderful people who work so hard to serve you food and drink and fun times, 365 day a year! They work on all the Holidays and for the majority, their vacations are not paid time off. Most of them really do like or love their job, and they try to do what it takes to make you happy. They are in the largest non-government industry in America. They are your waiters and waitresses! (I would include bartenders here as well!)

I wanted to have this here yesterday when it was May 21st where I am . but I wanted to make sure that our promotional special was here before I did this and it is! Click here to see the great deal on the movie! I was thinking about this special day a lot yesterday and when I get back I am going to look into seeing what it takes to make this a known day on a bigger scale. It seems like it might be impossible to do, but I really think that making a movie was almost impossible too, but I did it with what I believe was truly Divine intervention--after all, it wasn't my idea to make a movie! But I jumped in and there it is. I love the emails that I get that say the story of the movie has inspired them to do something that they had put off!! Yippee!

I seem to just jump into things in my life and that brings me to want to say again why I am here in New Zealand. You might think that I made a lot of money on the movie or someone is supporting me to travel all around... Nothing is farther from the truth! I will still have to work to hit broke, but as anyone who knows me will testify, I am the Queen and I mean the Queen of frugality--did you know that you can get over 10 meals from one chicken? But I digress... I saw that there were opportunities here and since I absolutely loved it when I was here for a month 10 years ago (flexible schedule... ), I jumped in. If not for my air miles that were going to expire, I would still be on the farm in Wisconsin in my camper. But I thought what the heck and I'm here. It really is amazing here with all the resources to do work in exchange for room and board. You can work on organic farms or in hostels or in so many other places, and be fed and have a roof over your head! It's great! I am going to be moving on from here and will miss these wonderful people and their farm. But I will keep in touch. Wwoofing and work exchange is the only way I am here-- as I said before prices are through the roof and many of the Kiwis are even having trouble making ends meet. It's pretty interesting how they handle things though and I love so much about this place.

I have no idea about where I am headed to next, but I know that it will be wonderful. With the beauty and scenery, how could it not be! Even as I sit on a rainy and cold day in fall, I know that something great will show up and I will have more fun adventures! Well, I hope that you are especially nice to your waiters and waitresses and bartenders today and what the heck, make it a habit! (And nice doesn't always mean just a bigger tip, be creative and do something special!) I think we might even put a place on the site where you can tell about those special people who mean somthing more than just a server to you! Well have a great day and remember the Golden Rule!

Kia Ora,

Free Download is here!

2008-05-10T07:19:00.003-05:00

Hello again!

Hope you enjoyed the last blog, and as promised I have such great news about the movie that I just had to blog about it on its own...

I am here in New Zealand, but my wonderful buddy Jerry has been so busy in the States getting everything going so that you can now download the movie for free! Thank you Jerry! It's on the website and if you want to you can donate to the cause (for those of you who listened to the NPR interview, I really meant what I said about the finances! I am in New Zealand only because I had air miles ready to expire and I was thinking of moving here because I loved it 10 years ago and still do, but won't move here for a few reasons, one being how expensive it is! Gas and milk are both right at 8$ a gallon...it really is easier being poor elsewhere) or you can just download the movie and tell others so they get the messages! It's so exciting though because in less than a week, over 3000 people have downloaded it!!! I am thrilled to say the least. I even got a great email from a gal in Tasmania so I know it's being internationally downloaded. So very cool. Ok, that's it for now and I will return later on! I hope you enjoy the movie and as always love to hear what you have to say. Peace and smiles, Patti

Thank you NPR!

2008-05-10T06:37:00.004-05:00

Howdy from a dairy farm in Waimate NZ!

I am currently on a dairy farm where they milk 1200 cows twice a day! Pretty darn amazing to this girl who lives on a dairy farm in Wisconsin where anything over 100 is good. It's really different here tho and anyone in the field will tell ya. I am in the work exchange program at the moment and my job is really a tough one! ;-) I have to excercise 2 incredibly beautiful hunter jumper hunt horses everyday! I ride about 9 kilometers a day and seeing as I am a western rider, oh those other muscles that I don't usually use are getting a work out! So it's pretty great here!

The big news tho is that the NPR interview was replayed and have I ever recieved some wonderful emails! I have been so touched and moved by you out there that once again I reminded why I was called to do this movie! I want to share a bit from one of the emails. This is from a dad.

I was also affected by your honest wish to tell others about the honor of the food business and waitressing. That's especially important to me because, my daughter, graduating college this summer, wants to someday open a bakery. That initially made my wife and I very sad and disappointed for months; we had hoped she would... The food business kind of blindsided us at first. I am still getting used to the idea, as.... Anyway, your interview spoke volumes to me about the honor and goodness and validity in her becoming a baker and perhaps restauranteur...

Do you have any idea how wonderful that was to read!? That's why I made the movie!!!! I was so grateful to the gentleman who sent that to me for many reasons and not to mention his wonderful honesty. I know that there are more stories out there like this and I hope that if you know anyone experiencing this from either side, please share the interview and or the movie. (I am going to add another blog that talks about the availability of the movie...it's just so exciting that it deserves its own blog!) I just want to make a difference in how people see the industry! If you have a restaurant type website by all means link into us, and let me know so I can do the same.

Thank you for the comments on the last blog! I guess since I am not in the loop as I am traveling around--I was for a long time but not much was happening. Funny how I leave the country and things start happening! Thank goodness for the internet...so thanks so much!

Ok so the other day I was here watching TV (which is always very interesting when you are in a different country) and there was an American reality show with a celebrity chef going into another chef's kitchen to fix the problems. Man it was hard to watch-- partly because of the staging for the camera that was obvious to me, but also because once again the chefs get all the attention! Even when everything blew up and all the servers were being yelled at by customers and chefs as is always the case, meaning being the middle guy getting it from both sides, was there anything said about the ability of the servers to keep it together and smooze and calm people down? Nope it was all about the chefs! C'mon you waiters and waitresses out there, make a noise! Remember that it's our National Day coming up on May 21! Did you know that? Well you need to and let your bosses know it! Over 12 milion of us in the business (counting all jobs I know...) and it's not a known day! That's crazy. Instead of spending time on blogs complaining about the things that people do who have no idea about the business or how to act in public, maybe look into what it would take to get May 21st known! When I get back, I certainly will get back on that mission because I just can't get away from the industry. It really is in my blood! It's very different here and I posted a blurb about it on Paul Paz's www.waitersworld.com website so you can check that out too. They get minimum wage here...12$ an hour! How about that??

Ok, I have to get on to the next blog as mentioned, but thanks again to everyone who is supporting the movie and please spread the word! Cheers and drink milk!

NPR Radio

2008-05-03T15:18:00.002-05:00

Kia Ora!

That's the official greeting here in New Zealand. It's Sunday morning and before I head to church in beautiful Wanaka I thought I would update the blog. It's absolutely beautiful here and matter of fact reminds me very much of Summit County Colorado--where the movie was shot. I am headed to Queenstown where a lot of filming goes on and also where there are some 5 star restaurants that I am going to check out. The industry is so very different here and with all the talk on Waitersworld about tipping and pooling and minimum wage in most states but not all, I am curious to learn more about what it is here. I will post my findings later.

This weekend and into the week depending on the market, my NPR interview is being replayed. I am excited as last year when it was played, some really neat things happened from it. I am glad that I was able to inspire some people to also follow their hearts and persue their dreams! Not to mention the fact that people heard about the movie and shared it with others who might not understand our world. I think one of the best comments I heard was: "I am going to make my dad watch it because he is so mean to waitresses!" Music to my ears as that was why I made the movie--to show people who we reallly are, and not the crap that Hollywood wants you to believe we are.

Also new is the fact that you can download the movie onto your computer for free or a donation if you like. I just want people to see the movie and get the messages so we decided to do that. It still is available for purchase (and at a discount for a bit) so you can share it with friends not in the business. Well I have to get going but just wanted to say howdy. I will post again after talking to the 5 star people, and until then I will stay on the left side of the road! I love driving here, it's really fun! Have a great day and remember that life really is a gift, even on those days when you are discouraged. Make yourself laugh in the morning and it will be a better day!

From Here To Awesome Page is Up!

2008-04-14T00:47:00.003-05:00

Hello all!

It's here! The page is up and running and we are thrilled about it! We have been getting people looking at the site and hopefully people are getting a message about the movie. We hope that when we get the download available, people will take advantage of it and watch the movie. Here is the link to the clip in case you got here someother way...

I had another screening here in New Zealand and people really enjoyed the film and its messages. It is always so interesting what people see in the movie that I didn't think people they would after seeing it only one time. When you see it a couple of times, you even catch more of the message and the fun! There were even some people who have worked with Peter Jackson, so that was pretty cool!

I am staying here with a friend whom I know from Colorado and we are enjoying the West Coast of beautiful New Zealand. She has been here for 14 years has a pub/restaurant and is playing in a band so it's fun to be here visiting! I am going to be going down to the southern parts where the stations--what the call ranches here-- so maybe I will run into people with horses there and I can be around them for a bit.

Weel that's about it for now and hopefully I will have some more fun news soon! It's great to be here and even though I miss my family, I am happy here at the moment! Take care of your waitresses and waiters and bartenders! You wouldn't have the fun without them!

Peace,

New Zealand

2008-04-05T04:38:00.004-06:00

Hello or should I say Kia Ora,

That's the greeting here in New Zealand which is where I am at the moment. It's very beautiful here and the people are still as wonderful and nice as they were when I was here 10 years ago.

I am going to be here for a little bit and will keep a post going here on the blog. The big things happening are that the radio interview that was on NPR a year ago is going to be played again on KAWL--a staion in San Francisco. They are using the movie as a thank you for people who pledge to the station! I think that's really great! Still getting the message out. Also I am in the From Here to Awesome Film Festival on line and you can check out the video here. I have recently discovered that the review has disappeared and I am working on that. I apologize for this and will post when that is fixed.

I showed the film here for a group of people and they really liked it. One young man even told his dad when they were going home that he would like to be a waiter someday! I didn't ever really expect that response but was very happy to get it. Another guy came up to me the next day saying how much he enjoyed the movie and that he thought the actors did a great job. Always like hearing that!

I did a video for a group event here as a trade out for being able to live in a tee pee for a couple of weeks and showering outside. I loved it and recommend the outdoor life. Just watch out for the sand flies here! They are absolutely incredibly vicious and I have the scars to prove it on my hands and feet. Well nothing like a good scratching session.

It's getting late and I must go. I will let you know when the FH2A site is up and working with my special page. Hope you are having a wonderful day!

David Malsch Review

2008-03-04T20:50:00.003-06:00

Howdy again!

Yup, I just can't seem to get used to these modern day ways of keeping in touch. You would think with all the snow and cold weather I have been living in, I would be happy to sit inside and type along on the computer. But no, I actually always find a way to get outside and enjoy the cold.

Well, the great news is that I have had my first actual review by an experienced film critic. David Malsch is a critic who lives in Arizona who used to have The Blackpoint Film Festival here in Lake Geneva, and after I contacted him and sent a movie, he was able to squeeze me in and gave a fantastic review of the movie. He was very honest in saying that it's a low budget indie movie which it is, but he saw through the imperfections and found the heart of the movie. For that I am so grateful as he was able to see the movie and enjoy it for what it is. His review can be found here. I hope you take a moment to read it!

I am working on a new adventure and will put it down here when time allows as I will be very busy here for the next while. It will be revealed in good time...

In the mean time, be kind to your servers and let them know you appreciate their hard work!

Happy New Year

2008-01-23T14:44:00.001-06:00

Now that the Holidays are well over, it's time to be thinking about goals for the new year. Everyone you talk to about goals who is an accomplished goal maker will tell you that the best way to acheive goals is to write them down. I don't know about you, but I do find that writing things down does help. Think in your head about what you want, picture it and then write it down. I will tell you that when I was writing the movie and learning how to write a movie, I was picturing the movie up on a big screen. Well, if you have been around the website, you will know that it happened.

To say it wasn't easy will be a huge understatement, but I persisted even with 7 hard drive crashes (didn't know that did ya?) and rebuilding files that yes were backed up, but you can only back up huge files so much. Of course now with external drives with 1 million gigabytes (yes I exaggerate) that is not a problem, but you get the idea. Those were only the rough things that happened after everything else in this crazy adventure, so for those of you who want to be a filmmaker, remember that you must keep on going no matter what happens! Persistance in achieving your goals is key.

I am going to be changing the website again in a few ways and they will be in line with my goals that have gone back to the real reason I wrote and made the movie. I want people to see the movie and get the messages that are in the movie. By the way, after asking various folks about what they get from it, I am not getting a standard answer. That makes me happy to think that there are more messages to be seen than the obvious ones.

I will blog when I can and have things to say. Actually I have things to say everyday, just am not in the habit of doing this blogging thing. I am not of this generation who blogs.....guess I better get with it eh? Ok, see you on myspace or youtube or facebook. Oh yes the movie is on those too......

Have a great day and write down your goals!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-29T10:34:00.000-06:00

Holiday Greetings!

I hope Thanksgiving was a wonderful feast for everyone, and that they didn't eat too much! That certainly is hard to do at this time of year. At least those of us in cold climates can hide underneath sweaters!

No real news here except that orders continue to trickle in for the movie. I even had a call from someone who had ordered it in the spring, had a problem with Paypal, and is now wanting to re-order. (Paypal is working fine by the way) So that is encouraging to me! I have been told that the movie would make a great stocking stuffer or present for people in the restaurant business. One viewer even made a comment about the fact that since it isn't a snazzy and polished Hollywood production, it is more genuine and real. I was happy to hear that! It defineately is relateable and an honest look into our world, good and bad...

I have applied to speak at the National Restaurant Association Food Show in Chicago in May, so I am keeping my fingers crossed! I will post the result here when I get it. Well keep warm or cool and I will write again soon!

Peace,

In the Paper Again

2007-11-06T11:02:00.000-06:00

Back again...

Just a quick note to link to the latest article in the paper. There was a write up about the movie in the local paper here in southeastern Wisconsin. I was on the cover of The Week with a great article inside. I was very happy with the article written by Donna and hope you take a moment to look at it! Have a great day and be happy and safe.
Click here for link.

Chain Leader

2007-11-06T10:40:00.000-06:00

Hello!

Wow what a great conference! It was so fabulous to meet such wonderful people at the helms of so many restaurants. Everyone was very friendly and they made it easier for me to get up and speak to such an elite group of restaurateurs. I just pretended that they were one big table... ;)

I showed the trailer for the film, then used various clips to help me tell the story about the making of the movie as well as telling them about the movie itself. I asked for help in getting the messages in the movie out there. I ended with telling them that if they have a dream in their hearts, no matter how crazy or impossible it seems, do it! Jump off that cliff because if you believe the net will be there, it will be. I know.

One of the facts I mentioned is that there is a National Waiters and Waitresses Day. Did you know that? Yup. It's May 21st, and not many people know about it. I myself who had been in the restaurant business for almost 30 years just recently found out!!! How crazy is that?? Heck, I knew about International Speak Like A Pirate Day! (September 19th) and there are a lot more people in the restaurant business than there are pirates--in this country anyway! Why don't we know about it?

I don't know what will happen from the conference, but it seems that they enjoyed my story. I was applauded twice! That was really cool to experience. I might get a different line of work from this... I do know that when I get started on the whole reason why I made the movie, I really get going and everyone seems to want to keep me away from coffee! I have been exposed to many articles and discussions about why servers aren't respected and what we can do about that. I guess I thought that making a positive movie was what I was called to do. Now I just have to figure out how to get it in front of the masses. On that note, I better get back to it. Hope all are well and jump off that cliff. It's not always smooth going but it's worth it.

The Morning Blend

2007-10-16T19:39:00.000-05:00

Greetings from back in Wisconsin!

The travels are over for a bit and it is great to be home again. My trip to Colorado was of course fun because I was able to be around that bunch of silly friends, and the golden leaves of the aspens as they fluttered in the wind was very familiar and great to see again.

After The Motivation Show in Chicago, where coincidentally I was able to connect with some restaurant people, I headed to New Jersey to help a friend move some furniture. We were like real truckers being almost as high as the semi's! Man it was a fun adventure. I always wanted to be a trucker and I think I still do!

Back home to prepare for my first television appearance for the movie. (I was on Hee Haw when I lived in Nashville oh-so-long ago, sittin' on a hay bale justa clappin' and a grinnin'!) But anyway, it was really fun to talk with Allison and Molly about the movie. They were very nice ladies and I think they had fun too! You can check out the segment for the next 30 days here! It was a great experience for me to be there and the staff was very friendly and helpful! I hope that this will be a start so I can be on other shows to really get the message out. One lady ordered the movie and she had never even been a waitress, she said it looked good, so she bought it!

Well. gotta go, but I will be back soon with news about other happenings that are in the works! Have a great day and be true to yourself.

Colorado

2007-09-18T14:13:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the beautiful state of Colorado!

It's been a fun time here visiting with friends and meeting new ones. I am getting advice on the upcoming TV appearance as well as the conference in California, which is great. Being here reminds me of the time making the movie and what a fun experience it really was. There is a lot to be thankful for yes indeed. Well I am on vacation so to speak, so back to work! People to see things to get done!

2007-09-04T11:25:00.000-05:00

Howdy!

The summer is officially over now that Labor Day has come and gone. I hope the grills were busy and the fun was flowing for all. I learned something about a small resort area in Illinois yesterday. They missed out on business!! My friend and I met at a small restaurant bar to enjoy lunch and old times working together at Silverheels in Colorado, and they were closed! As we were sweating in the parking lot (I was hot from my leathers as I was on my motorcycle--yes I took off the jacket...) deciding where to go, about five other parties came by and also were very disappointed. This was in a span of less than 5 minutes. So we went to the nearby community of Geneva and on the main street where many of the restaurants are, none were open! We just couldn't figure it out. We had never had a Labor Day off in our resort community and there really were many people walking around. Yes I know it's a bbq day and all, and I think that formal restaurants might not be so busy, but burger and beer spots that are appealing to many (and there also were many many bikes out on the road...) people would be busy. Ah well such is the way and we ended up enjoying an outdoor place where an incredible guitarist was serenading the customers.

I am heading to Colorado in a few days to attempt a vacation but know that won't happen. A lot of running around for the movie, but I love it. I'm just happy to be able to spend time in the mountains and be with my friends! I am excited about the things that are happening and now-- I'm slated to be on The Morning Blend, a TV show out of Milwaukee, so I am thrilled about that! I will get this word out one way or another! Well, gotta get to work!

Slainte!
Patti

Oh yeah, Irish Fest was great! Although even the Irish folks were complaining about the rain so that goes to show what a deluge it really was!

2007-08-16T14:06:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Been a while since I have blogged, I seem to be so busy this summer that it's flying by. The horse carriage job will be winding down soon and I can get back to concentrating on the movie!

Have I not blogged since USA Today!? Well, besides that, there was an article in Nation's Restaurant News on July 16, (http://www.nrn.com/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2farticle.aspx%3fid%3d343038&id=343038) and I was also in the National Restaurant Association's newsletter that went out on July 16! (http://www.restaurant.org/pdfs/washingtonreport/2007/wreport_2007_07_16.pdf) So things are happening and the word is slowly getting around. I have shipped movies to Hawaii as well as Alaska and almost every state on the mainland. Now I have shipped to Canada as well! I am officially international. (Well I kinda was before as some friends in Ireland have seen and liked the movie.)

One restaurateur even bought multiple copies to give to his FOH staff as a token of appreciation for a summer well done. If anyone else in interested in this type of fun reward, contact me as I gave him a bulk discount.

I hope you are enjoying a fun and profitable summer. I will strive to be a better blogger...

Slainte,
Patti (it's Irish Fest this weekend!)

USA Today!

2007-06-12T16:11:00.000-05:00

HEY!!!

It's here! The article in

USA Today

appeared today, June 12th and what an article! I had no idea that it was going to be that big! Thank you Craig Wilson!

It talks mostly about what it's like to be a waitress and what our lives are like which mirrors the movie in that regard. As those of you who have seen the movie know how it is a slice of life look at the lives of servers. Craig and I talked of many things and the general idea is certainly there. Restaurant workers deserve respect and it

a hard job! Reading some of the comments people have added makes me think though that they didn't quite understand certain things. For instance my comment about the "hanky panky in the kitchen" was not saying that it doesn't happen. It does--hooking up of cooks and servers, or bartenders whatever. What was meant was that it doesn't happen in the

actual

kitchen in the middle of a shift (or bathrooms all the time as other films have portrayed), but it might happen upstairs. All righty then... we are in the paper!!!

Check out the article here

We would love to hear your comments!

USA Today

2007-05-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

After returning from the NRA Show, and not even upacking my motorcycle, I had the wonderful experience of meeting Craig Wilson from USA Today. We spent the afternoon together at a few restaurants, talking with managers and staff about some of the unique issues of restaurant work in a resort community as opposed to restaurant work in "the real world". We had a delicious meal at Gilbert's in Lake Geneva, where I had previously worked, and chatted about my movie and also about the new movie "Waitress" which was recently released. It really strikes me how very different the movies are in some ways, yet there are very similar threads that run through each one. The timing is also amazing to me, and I hope it helps us to be discovered by someone who can help get the word out. We will see! As I said in the other note, better get back to work! Cheers!

NRA Show

2007-05-24T11:51:00.000-05:00

WOW!
It was absolutely an amazing experience to be at the show in McCormick Place. The place is massive and there were thousands of booths and millions of people! Well maybe not that many but it sure seemed like it! I was up and down every isle and enjoyed meeting loads of great people. I knew it would be fun...restaurant people can't help but be fun! I did manage to eat some delicious food and try a bit of wine, but I really was busy yapping happily about the film. Now it's time to sort it all out and contact everyone. It will take a while--but it will get done! Ok, back to work!

NRA Show

2007-05-17T09:18:00.000-05:00

Hey!

Patti here and I am going to go to the National Restaurant Association Food Show in Chicago this weekend! (May 19th-22nd) I am excited as I will be around really cool people again...the restaurant crowd. I have been holed up working on the movie and all the behind the scene type things that go on, so it will be fun to get out again! I am going to do research, learn new things and eat a bunch! Better wear my big pants for this! Will be back with any news. Slainte! Patti... (Oh yeah, that's cheers in Gaelic)