Done Deal

After weeks of preparation, I hosted a public hearing for regulations today. I didn't think I was at all anxious about it but last night I had anxiety dream after anxiety dream, and just for the occasion in the past few days I grew a lovely & humongous pimple on my chin.

This morning, apart from myself and staff, no one, not a single public entity attended the hearing I sweated over for so long.

YIPPY SKIPPY! *Claire performs several virtual cartwheels*

And still the computer drama continues. Got home last night and couldn't wait to copy some High 8 vacation tapes. The new program does a great job of pulling the video onto the computer, then step two is editing. So, I edited a bit, noting the new program (Dazzle 10) doesn't edit very well, but so what - to be on the safe side did a save of my project. Edited some more and hit save and my computer crashed. No biggie. Got the computer back up and opened the program, hit save - crash! Tried again - CRASH!

So I was again at the spit blood and murder Poindexter mode. Then it dawned on me I still had Studio 150 (which I returned for my $ back) on my hard drive, having not gotten around to erasing it. Hang on... I opened Studio 150 - it and Dazzle use the same video directory... hey what if... I SCORED! Studio 150 couldn't transfer video without hours of coaxing & arse kissing but it can edit like Spielberg.

So now I am using a Frankenstein-combo-program - I capture video with Dazzle 10, then edit and print video with Studio 150. Why? Because it takes the 2 $#%$& programs to get the damned job done.

Unbelievably, because apparently I CRAVE punishment, I am toying with the idea of purchasing Studio 150 one more time to see if it was only the hardware malfunctioning in the set I bought that caused all the trouble. If I buy Studio 150 again and the new set can suck in video, then I can return the Dazzle 10 and have the joy of one program that actually works - it is a wild-arse dream, but what am I if not a dreamer?

Yeah! I have already started transforming home videos on VHS and High 8 tape, into really spiffy DVDs, with opening chapters so one can go to exactly to the bits you want to see. First up I copied my Riverside tapes. A friend at work got incredible photographs of a little vixen on the coast a week ago and that made me want to see my Riverside fox VHS tapes. The foxes looked pretty cool, like little races horses but I was like a quarter mile away when filming them so they were itsy bitsy little thingies in the view.

Right now I'm transfering my last trip to Yellowstone & Little Big Horn/ purdy, purdy movies.

Frames lifted from a trip to Yellowstone in 2001 - I always like the animal shots best like this coyote, of which I got lovely pictures of the creature making 'weee' & worse.

while my friend Barbara likes best, the scenic beauty of the park.

A terrace in the Mammoth area at the north of Yellowstone