I’m sitting in the now-empty, soon-to-be-full press room (view from the window at right) at this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest, which begins officially opens tonight with Thriller in Manilla. It is a long journey from Austin, Texas to Sheffield, England but as usual, I had my share of adventures that I can muse on later. Of course, I was sad to be leaving the States on the cusp of such an important election, but I was able to vote early so I could leave knowing I had done my part. Jet lag worked in my favor because I kept waking up in the middle of the night to check the results. I must have been feeling the American vibe because I woke up at about 4:30 AM just in time to see the speeches. I’ve been tearing up all morning with the enormity of it, but Obama’s win is such a major relief! Now I can sit back and enjoy the festival.

I haven’t figured out my schedule yet, but I have a list of films to check out and Q&As to moderate, so I’ll be busy. I’ll post when I can.