Adobe Encore DVD 2.0 arrived today!


Hartman is an Encore expert (of course) and has been giving me lessons. Nope, there isn't anything this kitty doesn't know. :)

On Notice!:
First up, The Sci-Fi Channel. You're on notice, mister! And no, not because of the never ending stream of brilliant *sarcasm* movies like "Mansquito" and "Swarmed"-- but for cancelling my favorite sci-fi show--the greatest show on earth-- Stargate SG-1. Change your mind, sci-fi, or you're dead to me.
Next, Spiders with red designs on their back. I'll never forget my encounter with you in that portapotty. You are permanantly on notice!
Publix Brand Yogurt, you too, are on notice. You KNOW the Cherry with Chocolate Pieces is infinitely better than the Strawberry with Chocolate Pieces-- yet you discontinue the cherry. Why, Publix? Why?
Planet Uranus, 7th planet from the sun, you are on notice. No matter which way your name is pronounced, it's a joke.
Heathcliff, definately 'on notice'! Why must you sit outside my room and meow all night long? And of course you get Hartman all wound up and she starts ramming the sliding glass door. At 3pm:funny. At 3am:on notice.
TIVO! You are sooo 'on notice'. How could you not keep 'The Daily Show' and our hero at 'The Colbert Report' in the recently deleted folder a little bit longer? And why did you delete them to record some reality cooking show? You know if I cook in reality my house would burn to the ground. Or is that your plan, TIVO? Hmm?
Death Cab For Cutie, I thought you would become one of my favorites when I heard "I Will Follow You Into The Dark". Then I heard "Soul Meets Body". Yeah. On notice.
And Finally, Canned Green Beans: Why do you taste so bad in a can, yet so delicious fresh? Change your ways canned green beans! 'On notice'!

I've been working on a little project for my family! In April, Dave and I recorded my fam's old 8mm films to mini-dv. I'm putting together a nice dvd with special features, audio commentary-- the works! I ordered Adobe Encore 2.0 the other day so I can get started on the dvd process. Here's a short music video I put together the other night:

Oh, goodness!

One of the funniest things Hartman does, though very rare, is what I call: "The Hop". Once in a blue moon something will frighten Hartman to the point where she is so stiff with fear she can't get her joints to work properly! She wants to run away--yet can't--which results in the oh-so-funny hop. She somehow manages to create lift without bending or moving her legs--and hops accross the room! Imagine the above photo bouncing across your livingroom! I have also witnessed the even rarer 'pop'. Instead of hopping with forward motion-- she instantly pops super high in the air and lands in the exact same spot in her exact same halloween pose. hehe.
After the deadline crunch I was under today, I probably should have looked like this picture, too! First, I was in-house today editing a feature I had shot yesterday. After finishing that up, there was that breaking news about Congressman Foley. I started dumping Foley file into final cut as well as some stuff I'd shot off the web. This was sometime during the 4 o'clock hour. I started editing around what I thought was 4:38. Truely, plenty of time for this relatively simple edit. Then, seven minutes into my edit I heard the announcement that it was 5 minutes till air. ?? "It's not 5 minutes to air, it's 15.", I said to the producer in the bay with me. "No, that's right. It is 5 minutes to air.". I checked my phone and sure enough it was 5 till! The clock on the final cut machine was 10 minutes off!! That's a lifetime in tv news! I was planning on spending 10 more minutes on the pkg-- somehow I had to get everthing done and exported to tape in 5 minutes. I smiled at the producer and said in my laid back tone "awe, don't worry, we're sooooo going to make it" (as I imported the pre-pro that had arrived, hoping that we were going to make it!). I slapped the rest of it together and patiently waited for the 1:40 piece to finish exporting to tape. At some point during the dump to tape, the EP comes in and says "we're a minute away". I wasn't sure how much longer there was for the dump, but it seemed like we were halfway through the pkg. "This will be tight". As soon as it finished I handed it off to the EP and she took off in what must have been a sprint ala Broadcast News. Or perhaps she 'hopped' stiffly all the way to master control! I walked out of the bay about a minute later and saw the pkg on the on-air monitor! It came down to a matter of seconds. Baaaaad final cut clock! Baaaaaaad! I will trust no clock but the one on my phone from now on! Phew!

The Frontenac girls took Tampa by storm!

This is a photo of my cousin Sara and me at Disney World in January of 2005. She lives in Tampa, yet I haven't seen her in nearly 2 years! I'm making the trek across Alligator Alley to see her today.



Look out, Tampa. Here we come!