April 7th (Wednesday)

Woke up twice during the night when someone tried my door handle.  Could’ve been someone at the wrong room, Robbie (Rosie’s husband) making sure I’d locked my door, or someone trying to break in.  The whole population knows there’s a white woman here with a film crew and expensive film equipment.  I prefer to think it was a repeat of the 5 year old boy who tried to get in on a dare from his brother.  I’d heard him earlier I the evening, whispering to an almost identical little boy, then whoosh, he raced up the hall, tried the door knob and raced away.  I’m glad I keep it locked.

The power was off in the kitchen last night.  So we had cheese whiz on tortillas, homemade beef jerky & cold cheese for supper.  Got up this morning, power’s off again.  Shit!  No coffee!

Power’s on!  As soon as we finish some exteriors and the shot of Irkar in the  room, we can make coffee!!

Power’s off again.  Rats!!!  We’re going to have to be careful about timing!

Afternoon & Evening

Coffee at the Northern Store 2 coffee, 1 tea and 1 Coke = $13.  ½ case of bottled water = $25.  2 Sobe iced tea = $13.   I am rapidly going broke!

And my back is killing me!  Maybe walking that ½ mile through the mostly frozen swamp for that perfect shot by the frozen lake, wasn’t the brightest idea after all.

 But man, it looked great!

We interviewed Bob & Wes at the airport, that is one amazing little kid.  He’s smart, he’s poised, and he’s totally unafraid of the camera.  His mom, however….  Beautiful woman, flatly refused to be on camera, or within 15 feet of it.

Angela arrived, as did Irkar’s lost backpack.  Good thing because he was freaking without his chocolate stash.  And Laszlo got his boom pole.  My box of food arrived, right on time!  But without the maple suckers I bought for the kids.  Shit! 

I’ll have to mail them up when I send Rosie’s lace and stuff.

Speaking of which, Rosie has a dance class on Friday, we’re hoping to get to film a couple of the kids.

Angela is being brought up to date watching the footage so far.

We have several leads on interviews, and will do the first one tomorrow morning.  Mike Koostachin, who’ll be running for chief this summer, wants to talk. So do Helen Kataquapit, Paul Mattinas and Elder Dominic Nakogee.  And Jackie Hookimaw wants to be re-interviewed.

Irkar just poked his head in to tell me that today’s footage is ‘awesome”, even “brilliant”.  Good, maybe it’s worth the backache and incipient migraine.  The caribou hide mittens Angela bought are reeking of cigarette smoke; they’re going to kill me.

Night:

Angela, Laz & Clarence went out to Mike’s tepee last night for a fire & stories.  She had a great time, arriving in our room at 1:11am.  I know because she woke me and I looked at my cell phone.  Didn’t matter, people walking, talking and (in one case) singing in the hall had woken me a dozen times already.