A Story That Ends In Documentary

There are officially cats and dogs being pelted down upon my rooftop.

I took myself out for coffee this morning: coffee, a sketchbook marathon and an accidental-on-purpose-stop into my favorite vintage shop.

I'm about to skip into the studio, but I wanted to share with you a story and a recommendation for your weekend documentary watching needs.
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Back when BC and I were in our mid- and late-20's, we reached a pivotal point in our lives.  We were working three to four jobs between the two of us, finishing college, never sleeping and hardly ever even seeing each other.  It was the good old American rat race.  We decided to save up, quit our jobs and move... somewhere.
That somewhere ended up being Seattle; we loved the city, knew a few friends, and were just youthfully foolish enough to jump.  We set a date, sold off most of what we owed, and determined to see what would happen outside the constrains of a 9 to 5.  I took just about any odd art job I could find, from designing party invites to drawing tattoo designs to decorating weddings on a shoestring.  BC on the other hand, met one of the most interesting entrepreneurial individuals we'd ever known and was offered a job.
As a professional blackjack player.

This is real people.

For three years we lived off of his earnings as a card counter, a member of a large and well-funded blackjack team.  He flew nearly every where within the States that the game of blackjack is legal, played like a high roller, and made A LOT of money for the team and their investors.  We've stayed in some of the swankest suites casinos can offer, gluttonized in steakhouses, received watches, TVs, clothes and other swag, even spent a weekend snowboarding Tahoe with the owner of a major Reno casino.  And the best part of it all, was that we got to see each other again, and remember that we are each other's best friends.

I never breathed a word of this online, as it was important to keep Brad's profession on the serious down-low (yes.  counting cards in absolutely, 100% legal  but I tell you what, casinos DO NOT like you when they find out).  In fact, very few people knew at all outside our family and closest friends.  I think they all thought we were homeless.

Until now.
For several years, a film maker followed members of the team as they played big, won huge, lost devastatingly (counting gives you the edge, but it is not the end all) and lived their lives true to their beliefs.  That footage became a documentary which premiered at the Seattle Film Festival last summer, and since then has been gaining accolades and fame about as fast as fast can be.  Just last week, the film was released and it has positively blown up across the country.

SO.
I don't know what your plans are, but may I recommend adding a documentary to your weekend fun?

Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians - Trailer from Connell Creations on Vimeo.

Here's your links!
Holly Rollers The Movie
(it is available on demand through loads of carriers; ITunes and XBOX Live being two of the easiest)
This past weekend's article in the New York Times.
This past weekend's article on CNN.com (this one is awesome!).
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So make some pop corn, crack open a bottle of something tasty and GO WATCH IT!
We're nearly bursting with excitement over here!