When life hands you lemons...

... throw them at someone!

Ok everyone. Pop quiz. What happens when you mix digital video with analog audio? I usually think of myself as a decently curious person, but I'll be honest with you... I had never even given that idea the remotest thought.

I recently had a video editing job fall to me that on the surface seemed quite simple: take three video angles and a main audio track, and combine them into a nice video. Nothing I hadn't done before, though there was a catch this time. The "audio track" was a cassette tape. I recorded the cassette tape onto my computer, dropped the recording into the project with the three video files, lined up the start of the audio with the start of the video, and figured I was half way done. Ha.

I checked a later sequence in the video and the audio was way out of sync. In fact, it wasn't even close. I figured that the cassette didn't playback at the exact same speed it was recorded at, so I then proceeded to spend the next couple hours adjusting the speed that the audio track played. I would adjust the speed, sync up the start and check a later time in the video to make sure it matched up there. I finally got it to match up perfectly at those two points with the audio at a speed of about 98.73%. Thinking I had just solved the problem, I did my celebration.

Watch any programmer for awhile and you'll realize they all have something in common. A celebration! It'll usually be a fist pump after they have solved a problem after countless hours.

After my celebration, I then proceeded to check a different spot in the video. Oops. Out of sync. Not only was the audio a different speed, it changed speeds throughout! Let me just say here and now... there aren't very many things more depressing than finding out your problem isn't even close to fixed after you have done your celebration. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Ok, maybe I would, but that is beside the point. ;) I won't give you the gory details of the next part, but I bascally had to cut up the audio a jillion times and give all the sections seperate speeds.

Moral of the story: don't ever edit a video... it never ends up as easy as you think it will be. Oh and also... go ahead and destroy any cassette tape within sight.

You know, I hope that didn't make it look like my life has been depressing. It has been anything but depressing around here! They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but this one is worth 2 thousand! ;)


Isn't life cheerful?! Ok yeah, I'll admit it... we've got an infirmary over here. Most of the time you quarantine the sick people, right? Well I guess if the majority of the people are sick you quarantine the well people. Philip and I have been holding out in the garage/playroom this week trying to stay well. We've been successful so far, but sometimes I wonder if it is worth it. ;) Philip has gotten so bored I've seen him play himself in Risk a couple of times.


Rebecca is another survivor, though she has been cooking and keeping the house running instead of using the isolation tactic. Hmm. I think she may be making me look bad. ehm... moving on...


If you ever need an antidepressant, just look at cute pictures of my nephew or nieces. I realize that may only work for select people, but it is worth a shot. ;)


Here Julie is entertaining me. Quite honestly she could have entertained herself just fine without me, so I'm going to have to say she was entertaining me. ;)


Grandpa and Grandma with Ruthie.


Paul and Timmy working hard in the front yard.


Meanwhile I'm working "hard" on the computer. ;) I hope I wasn't straining anything. Might pull a finger or something... you have to watch out.


We did a wide variety of filming for our movie in February. Lots of fun locations. :)


Kevin's wedding required a lot prep work, and here is proof that Brian and I did our share. ;)


After the work day we did a little bit more of filming. You know, I think we must be pretty devoted. We were filming almost every time we guys got together in February.


Andrew setting up a shot, with a bored looking crew.


I'm ready to pronounce Johnny as: Best. Photographer. Ever. He completely ignored the advice from my last post about the soft glow and the watermark, but with a picture like this, who cares? Anyone can take a picture of a flower with a shallow depth of field or a waterfall with a long exposure, but you have to really have a photographer's eye to get something like this. ;)


After a couple of canceled desert trips, we finally got a day when we could all film out there. It got tiring, but it was still fun... especially when you are riding on top of a jeep. ;)


Filming a scene. Good caption, eh?

We did of course take time to shoot some skeet right before we left.


Next day was Kevin and Darleen's wedding reception. Andrew O had gotten us guys some Ireland shirts to wear at it, but I'm afraid this is one of the best pictures I can come up with at the moment.


Ok, that was a pretty cute idea. ;) Wish I thought of it myself.


I stole this picture and the next one, but they were too good to pass up. ;) We had a little party at the beach on the Monday after the wedding as there were a number of out of state guests. We all had a lot of fun, and I always laugh whenever I remember what was going on in this picture. Stephen and I were demonstrating the songs we did with the kids in Alaska, and we had everyone do them with us.


... it made for a very charismatic time around the fire. :D


Here I am winning a game of Rummikub on Rachel's birthday. I can assure you it was all skill. No luck whatsoever in that game.


You know, I think we've played Missionary Conquest enough so the actual game isn't as fun anymore, but we still always play it and manage to have fun.


Rachel turned 18, which was good and bad. Bad because we are all getting older. Good, well...


... pie does taste good. Don't you think?