YOUTUNA

Sunday night started  loading of the "old" family videos for editing and upload to my Youtube site.. I wasn't sure how much would fit, nor how they would look or will turn out.. The transfer from tape to dvd might have taken a lot out of them and now the transfer from dvd to the computer and then the editing process that will ultimately lead to them being changed from the format they are in to get here to the file format they will take after editing to the third to be easily uploaded to youtube..  Why edit them at all?? Well they are all in long form VTS (VOB)  files format  right off the disc, and they are run together, rather than quick clips which is how most of the discs are set up.. I would rather they come off the way they are on but what can you do about it.. I clipped Donald and Lucy's wedding (rehearsal) video in half for the upload, I think one video is five seconds over the fifteen minute maximum upload time on youtube allows.. For this there are videos of over an hour, so I have to clip, plus there are some that I want some of but not all of the videos.. A lot of video of dad, that is a must.. I didn't shoot much of dad, and I don't know why.. I guess I never thought how badly I would miss him if he ever died..   Most of what I am after is the good old days, show what the house was like and yard.. Some of the earlier trips to Silt and grandmas house.. The very first and last get together of the White-Caine clan in over thirty years.. So far that video eludes my capture, I know which disc it is on but can't find it in the VTS VOB   files.. I have one more idea to try and see if it works.. That trip was really special, when we got there Toad was already so frail looking, hard to believe she was as bad as she was health wise after all the times I had seen her she was more than a little on the "kick ass" side of things..

I so badly wanted to go out Sunday night and see if the northern lights were active.. But I had hit the wall from the night before and Sunday was a heat fest and by midnight my vision was blurry at best and after I got the last of the videos loaded from disc I set the converter to convert the rest of the night and hit the hay.. Woke up Monday morning, saw the computer was in sleep mode and thought the impossible had happened, it converted all the videos to avi.. But what in fact did happen was the computer yawned and went to sleep as well.. Alrighty then..  Three and nine percent of a forth video were done.. Not the forty I thought, oh well.. I'll do it a different way, I just thought it might be easier  working with an avi file rather than a VTS (VOB) .. Guess we'll see..

Well after spending the afternoon Monday trying to get all those videos edited I ran into troubles with the program (Windows Live Movie Maker)  it turns out that converting to another file form from the dvd (VTS VOB) is what they suggest you do.. I had in fact done three (as mentioned above) but there was and remain  a bit of a jittery motion on the video so that might be more than a little tricky to watch..

There was a video of dad playing croquet that I  so badly wanted and after looking all afternoon I found it late last night, got it edited and now am uploading it.. It was the last time we all played croquet together, the last time dad played as the next year he would start dialysis and that changed his life completely.. He was less confident in his ability to walk in the yard, and didn't anymore.. Lucy was there and this was the summer before they got married..  Shadow was there.. Yikes..

On the other site I explained a bit about this site having issues, and while there were issues it was my undertaking, I wanted this site to be closer to what it is now.. I won't venture into being like the other site at all.. All the stuff I used to write there is now going to be here exclusively..  . I wanted to have  a site that became what PNOP has become, I've explained this somewhere else.. And then when I started this site a few weeks ago, I wanted it to be almost exactly like the family site was with the exception of the story ideas that I am working on.. When the urge to write some sort of story hits me, I want it left as a draft and not preread by anyone.. Kinda like my private Myspace site where some of the ideas are lurking.. I thought for a while about going back to the family site but it just didn't feel right, so I started the "CHIZ" site.. The other that this is piggybacked on is called "Infinite Improbability" and yes I did an entry there but did NOT push publish.. It's still a draft and will remain that way I think.. Unless PNOP goes toes up I can't see starting "I.I." but you never know, I might have a third splinter suddenly happen..  Imagine a third separate idea needing a blog all it's own??  I can't.. er can't imagine but you .. never know..   

This picture is from Freda's FB and although I feel the same about weddings as I do funerals (one in the same) I always thought that this would be the perfect type of wedding.. I always thought the perfect place for a wedding is up by the shrine at Silverton.. Although the weather is extremely unpredictable up there from June through   ...  well pretty much all year when you think of it..

Badge (don't forget the bug spray) Henry

(P.S.  Here's an explanation about the Feb. 15 video:  The video I wanted so bad to be included because of the subject matter and when you see it you will understand why I went through the lengths I did to get it even though it is by no stretch of the imagination perfect.. Or the way I wanted to get it.. There were times where I turned the camera on and let it go regardless of what might be getting shot.. That or I thought I was in pause mode and wasn't.. I tend to think it was recording on purpose because I just thought it would be a good idea.. And now it is a statement of fact, what the video description says.. The last ride, the last hurrah if you will.. And it marks the final video of the series.. I think..  To be put on Youtube of this kind... I think it is a good set of videos.. Family type anyway..)

AN EXPERIMENT GONE HORRIBLY WRONG..

Doing some video works as I am starting to evolve from still shots to video.. Here is my latest, or actually first video edited using Windows Live Video..  Forty whole seconds but it is the start of which direction I am going in..

About the video; What can I say, I was in the park minding my own business when something caught my eye and I looked and saw a strange sight.. Some guy riding this contraption and so I got the camera  out to hope I couple get video.. This was the third video and yes it is quite short.. I wanted more and I wanted a different video to be my first ever produced via the program but..  This will do..

Badge Henry

IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE

I was watching that new show "NY MED" and it got me thinking with tonights episode was about a guy who got  a liver transplant, and I watched as the family hugged him as he went to the OR to get the new liver and it reminded me of when dad had his bypass surgery.. That I will never forget how scared I was that something might go wrong.. Back then bypass was still or seemed relatively new.  However it seemed like everyone around here was getting one but even with how well everyone did afterwards it still was quite scary to me when they wheeled him away that day.. I think of all the procedures he had done that the bypass was the worst.. I remember seeing him right after the surgery in the ICU and he had all these tubes coming out of him.. All these machines monitoring everything.. And how every time we went to see him over the next three days he had the tubes out and by the third day I think they had him up and walking.. Now I think it is close to outpatient status or very nearly.. When he had his stents put in, I was nearly not worried at all..  However when he had pnemonia the first time, that was bad and the start of the downward slide..  yes very gradual until the very last 18 months of his life..   I think of all those times and doctors & hospitals and everything and I think to mom it was overwhelming and not the best of times.. To me they were memorable.. I was glad to be able to help towards the end, I was glad to be available.. In the early days, and I remember it quite well, when Bob had to do something in the hospital around the time  he got married I remember trying to find out what was going on and having a hell of a time and giving attitude to mom.. That was a mistake and truth is I didn't have a clue how slow.. Let me put it another way.. how   s            l        o    w      .. Wait that was too fast..   S                                                      L                                                 O                           W          (still too fast but you get the picture) the hospital worked then and still do to this day.. So develop patience first order and when dad went through his ordeal(s) I think I have changed.. Patience,    never thought I would have any but I guess      Things change a bit over time...



Badge Henry

SPENT REPORT

I watched the movie Chalk earlier and even though I knew it was listed as   a  "Mocumentery" I took it as more than that.. Because there was a certain amount of truth to it..    They had one teacher who it was his first year ever as a teacher and the first scene it was his first hour to be in front of a class.. That scared the shit out of me and I could feel his anxiety coming through loud and clear..  I can't imagine what it must be like to be a teacher in this day & age and during that movie they had the issue of cell phones.. Every student now would almost have to have a cell phone.. Or worse..    The lack of music in the schools is being addressed now and it is about time.. Truth is if kids don't learn a musical instrument that soon the shit that they are playing on computers will be all that you will hear.. Sadly...   There was a part of the disc that asked the cast who was their favorite teacher, what teacher helped to shape you as the person you are today.. For me, music was very important to me and for that reason Neil was the teacher I would choose..  Although he never taught me in school, Neil brought the marching band by the house when I was growing up, he knew how much I loved the drums and the drum major and I knew all the whistle commands by heart.. However when I did learn the drums I never wanted to be the drum major, never even tried even though I think the teacher at the time would have liked to see me tryout for it.. I wanted to be a drummer and that was my main goal.. I became a drummer and got first chair from my sophomore year and stayed there through my graduation and was never challenged for it.. Don't know what would have happened if I would have been, I suppose I would have practiced (yikes)..

To me English and History were my two least liked classes..  I think English would be extremely hard to teach, because everyone knows how to speak it.. And history was hard because I didn't care for it then.. I do wish I had spent more time learning about history, could come in handy when we played some of the games we used to play..

Math was just plain tough all the time, although early basic algebra seemed easy..  They discouraged me from being in the algebra class and so that year we had what was called living math which is what it sounds like, an every day type of math.. Learning the basics of economics and all the important things therein.. My junior year I had two choices of journalism or welding and I took welding.. Beyond my imagination, welding was THE class when I was a junior.. I think there were a few kids that wanted to take the class but weren't allowed to and why I was kept, I don't know.. I had never welded before in my life, but I found it extremely easy to lean and before I knew it I was building things I needed, like a piece on my drum set, which is still on it to this day..

Badge Henry (tutor me)

FLAT OUT

This idea was in the back of my mind for the past... however long these pictures were on FB.. These pictures are the twins of Tabitha Davis and they have, as you can clearly see, developed an attitude  or 'tude for the more square of us out there.. Is this  the reesult of the medication being given to them to develop??  Could be.. They look like they are going to be the life of the party ..  "Where are the guys?"..  Ooh boy...


Went into the local promart the other day and bought something out of ..  just wanted to try to eat these.. Pumpkin seeds.. I haven't had sunflower seeds in nearly two years, turns out they aren't as good for you as originally imagined.. I think they changed the formula for making them.. I wish I could find some unprepared seeds, and then try to soak them in a barbque sauce and dry them out.. I always thought that would be better than salt driven flavored seeds.. Anyway I ate a few pumpkin seeds yesterday, try to do moderation on them, it's a tough sell.. Plus pumpkin seeds are good for you.. No really they are..  Moderation.. Right..

Badge Henry    henrip

DAMN THAT WAS CLOSE..

I had a holy shit moment just a bit ago.. Opened the browser to the homepage setting (speed dial) and it had a message on it stating there was a sync update and I went on ahead and did it figuring that there might be a dial added because I thought I added one yesterday while elsewhere and it did the resync and added one dial.. And that is all I had was one dial!!!    Say it with me :  W  T  F !!       That was ...  I tried several things including the custumary turning blue and saying certain things that won't be repeated here.. Just what the hell.. Then I tried a few things including shutting the browser down and starting again and it started and I pushed sync again and it updated and all I could think was whew.. But at the end of the sync this time I now had seven.. I guess that is better.. Then I shut down the browser and started Firefox (proper) and it was synced to the Aurora, no surprise they are one in the same almost.. Then I got the laptop out and crossed my fingers that this would be alright there and it was as it was yesterday.. I got the flashdrive, exported the .sd file and then reset the program here on the desk top computer.. Freak out averted.. I then setup a file to two separate backups with a third to be done later.. I figure if I add any more dials that unless they are "can't live without them" type that the ones I have now are very important (?) and at least they will get reloaded in the case of something like this happening again and it probably will...

I mowed and today I reversed the order I did it in, going front to back rather than back to front.. Towards the end of the mowing sortie I was mowing by this bird feeder light thing that is hanging on the clothes line and I kept bumping into it and splattering water on me.. Not even paying attention to it when I got done I noticed a bunch of wasps swarming around it.. Not that I am Mr. Tough guy or anything but I tend to tune out when I am mowing and I just didn't see them swarming around this thing.. I paid closed attention to it when I did the weed eater.. I didn't get stung at all and I don't know why not.. Just lucky I guess.. Pure plain dumb luck..

Amazing how a week ago it rained and gave us what I figure is the best rating on the lawn over all.. I think I would give it close to a seven, however there are massive patches of weeds everywhere.. I scalped some of the areas and planted some grass seed there.. I think I might try to turn some of the ground over and seed it.. After Donald got married I did that and the grass really grew well even though it was hot then (the end of July)..  Speaking of which, his anniversary is coming up shortly.. Anniversaries and weddings and baby births.. The next six weeks could be interesting..

Badge Henry

SECTION TITLE RESOUND

There was an entry on Bob's facebook shared from Hazels pumpkin patch that made me wonder just  what the..  It said if you can look closely you can see the first pumpkin of the season.. I then went out and looked at my "pumpkin" patch.. Pumpkin in quotations because this year, just like last year, I have something growing in the pumpkin patch that DON'T resemble pumpkins.. They might be only sunflowers, which if they grow proportionate to the size they are growing right now...  OH BABY WATCH OUT  thems could in fact be giant   alas  mammoth as the package says.. Or I might be coveting yet another crop of weeds just like last year.. I was so proud of the crop last year, growing perfectly along the water line set out by the smaller soaker hose, the crop was perfect except for one thing, they were weeds.. And this year might be the same thing.. Started the pumpkins from seed a week into May, directly into the ground.. They came up and the picture on the back of the package showed that is in fact what we were getting.. So how do they turn from pumpkin to sunflowers??  Or quite possibly weeds.. One thing for sure, they are extremely healthy looking whatever they are..






Badge Henry