No photos, but there is a little video...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Sliding Doors: Banff 2009
Door #1
A short trip to Banff. The sun was shining, the mountains were majestic, and the road was clear and dry. There was a little snow spray coming off the top of one peak from the breeze. Beautiful! We ate lunch in the car as we drove to our one day vacation. When we got to our hotel, the boys were so excited. "Is this where we live?" they asked, as they checked out the bedroom, kitchen and loft. I'm sure they would have been happy to spend the entire time in the hotel, which may have had something to do with the fact that they were allowed to play their DS after several days without it.
We spent half an hour relaxing, letting the baby get used to his new surroundings, and allowing the older boys to play video games. Then we headed to the Banff Museum, where we discovered a ridiculous number of stuffed birds and animals from 120 years ago. Fascinating! Following that was a delicious dinner at the Keg, I had an amazing chicken and mushroom with balsamic sauce, and a mango daiquiri. Mmmmmmm. Back at the hotel for cupcakes, and then a family movie with popcorn and Twizzlers.
We woke up in the morning to a baby deer standing outside our window. A relaxing morning, breakfast in the hotel room, then Starbucks and a walk by the river. We picked up some fudge (of course!) and then ended the trip with a soak at the Hot Springs.
Door #2
A short trip to Banff. A week ago I decided to book a hotel, and plan a little vacation to celebrate Spring Break and my husband's birthday. I tried to plan everything so we would have a nice, relaxing time. You know what they say about the best laid plans.
I think it all started to go wrong when we got to the hotel. I should have put the baby down for a quick nap before we did anything else. That way he would have been refreshed for the afternoon, and he would have had a short sleeping experience in this strange place before we expected him to go down for the night. What actually happened is we did not let him nap, so by the time we got to the restaurant for dinner, he was sooooooo cranky I had to walk him around almost the entire time, and ate my food so fast I could barely taste it. Then I sat in the car with him while the rest of the family finished their dinner in peace.
We headed straight back to the hotel, during which drive the baby slept, which was bad timing. We had birthday cupcakes, after whispering "Happy Birthday to You" so as not to wake him. We watched a movie, in between his screaming fits. We had to watch it on the tiny portable DVD screen, because I forgot to pack the TV connector. I also forgot the remote, so when someone pressed stop instead of pause, during one of the screams, we had to watch the movie from the beginning again.
The baby did not sleep all night. I mean, he would pass out from sheer exhaustion, but then wake up screaming 20 minutes later. After hours of trying everything we could think of, including taking him for a drive around silent Banff at 1:30am, I decided I would just stay awake and calm him quickly when he stirred, so my husband could sleep a few hours. The next day, after one kid complained about having to walk too far, and the other insisted on getting a candy apple, which (of course!) he didn't eat, the baby slept in the stroller (thank god!). We finally had a relaxing moment in the Hot Springs, and headed home. We picked up McDonald's when we got into the city, which neither of the older boys ate, because they were too carsick.
Both of these description apply to the same 27 hour period. I will try, try, try to file the first one into my memory, and forget the second. But we all know that the negative tends to stand out in our minds, and in the end, it will make a more entertaining story. (Some day, when I have caught up on my sleep.)
By the way, there are no pictures for this post. I forgot to charge the camera battery before we went.
A short trip to Banff. The sun was shining, the mountains were majestic, and the road was clear and dry. There was a little snow spray coming off the top of one peak from the breeze. Beautiful! We ate lunch in the car as we drove to our one day vacation. When we got to our hotel, the boys were so excited. "Is this where we live?" they asked, as they checked out the bedroom, kitchen and loft. I'm sure they would have been happy to spend the entire time in the hotel, which may have had something to do with the fact that they were allowed to play their DS after several days without it.
We spent half an hour relaxing, letting the baby get used to his new surroundings, and allowing the older boys to play video games. Then we headed to the Banff Museum, where we discovered a ridiculous number of stuffed birds and animals from 120 years ago. Fascinating! Following that was a delicious dinner at the Keg, I had an amazing chicken and mushroom with balsamic sauce, and a mango daiquiri. Mmmmmmm. Back at the hotel for cupcakes, and then a family movie with popcorn and Twizzlers.
We woke up in the morning to a baby deer standing outside our window. A relaxing morning, breakfast in the hotel room, then Starbucks and a walk by the river. We picked up some fudge (of course!) and then ended the trip with a soak at the Hot Springs.
Door #2
A short trip to Banff. A week ago I decided to book a hotel, and plan a little vacation to celebrate Spring Break and my husband's birthday. I tried to plan everything so we would have a nice, relaxing time. You know what they say about the best laid plans.
I think it all started to go wrong when we got to the hotel. I should have put the baby down for a quick nap before we did anything else. That way he would have been refreshed for the afternoon, and he would have had a short sleeping experience in this strange place before we expected him to go down for the night. What actually happened is we did not let him nap, so by the time we got to the restaurant for dinner, he was sooooooo cranky I had to walk him around almost the entire time, and ate my food so fast I could barely taste it. Then I sat in the car with him while the rest of the family finished their dinner in peace.
We headed straight back to the hotel, during which drive the baby slept, which was bad timing. We had birthday cupcakes, after whispering "Happy Birthday to You" so as not to wake him. We watched a movie, in between his screaming fits. We had to watch it on the tiny portable DVD screen, because I forgot to pack the TV connector. I also forgot the remote, so when someone pressed stop instead of pause, during one of the screams, we had to watch the movie from the beginning again.
The baby did not sleep all night. I mean, he would pass out from sheer exhaustion, but then wake up screaming 20 minutes later. After hours of trying everything we could think of, including taking him for a drive around silent Banff at 1:30am, I decided I would just stay awake and calm him quickly when he stirred, so my husband could sleep a few hours. The next day, after one kid complained about having to walk too far, and the other insisted on getting a candy apple, which (of course!) he didn't eat, the baby slept in the stroller (thank god!). We finally had a relaxing moment in the Hot Springs, and headed home. We picked up McDonald's when we got into the city, which neither of the older boys ate, because they were too carsick.
Both of these description apply to the same 27 hour period. I will try, try, try to file the first one into my memory, and forget the second. But we all know that the negative tends to stand out in our minds, and in the end, it will make a more entertaining story. (Some day, when I have caught up on my sleep.)
By the way, there are no pictures for this post. I forgot to charge the camera battery before we went.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Movie Monday
Last week was all about painting, and this week is Spring Break, so I have not had time to create a new movie. In lieu of actual content, here is a before and after so far. (I apologize for the unedited nature of the video.)
Here is what the living room looked like before.
First time in truck cart, shopping for paint.
And the after.
Have a great week!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Foto Friday
In this age of Digital SLR and crystal clear HD video that almost looks better than real life, these are the photos that appealed to me this morning.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
A Light List
Here is a little list of lighting tips for shooting video inside and out. (Thanks to AdvanceHD.com for the help with this one.)
1. Inside-Make sure there are no huge windows behind the subject when you are shooting. Natural light from windows is great, but make sure they are behind you, not the person or people you are shooting.
2. Inside-Even when you have light from the windows, turn on the lights in the room. The more light the better. What may seem like too much light for you eyes will be perfect for the camera.
3. Inside-Now you're thinking you are going shopping for a light that mounts on top of your video camera (in TV we call them "sun guns"). Its probably not necessary, you would have to spend a lot of money to get one that actually threw enough light to make a difference.
4. Inside-If you are planning on creating a masterpiece movie of you're family's annual talent contest, you may consider purchasing a small light kit, for a few hundred dollars. With a little practice you, too, could have Oscar worthy lighting.
5. Outside Daytime-The biggest light source in movie making is up in the sky, take advantage of it. Just like windows, you would prefer not to have the sun behind your subject. And just like still photography, you want to avoid having it directly in their eyes.
6. Outside Nighttime-Its dark! Its going to be difficult to find enough light to make a good shot. Look for the brightest place to shoot, and do your best. Think of this as an artistic opportunity.
7. Some cameras have a "nightshot" switch, which gives you a funky, military looking shot that reminds me of CNN footage during the Gulf War. It can work for certain circumstances, like getting a cool shot of your kids sleeping without waking them up with bright light.
8. One more thing. The less light you have, the more stable your shot needs to be. If you must shoot in low light, hold the camera steady, refrain from zooming and choose to slowly walk in to get a closer shot. The fewer camera moves the better in dark conditions.
Now go out there and find the light, people.
1. Inside-Make sure there are no huge windows behind the subject when you are shooting. Natural light from windows is great, but make sure they are behind you, not the person or people you are shooting.
2. Inside-Even when you have light from the windows, turn on the lights in the room. The more light the better. What may seem like too much light for you eyes will be perfect for the camera.
3. Inside-Now you're thinking you are going shopping for a light that mounts on top of your video camera (in TV we call them "sun guns"). Its probably not necessary, you would have to spend a lot of money to get one that actually threw enough light to make a difference.
4. Inside-If you are planning on creating a masterpiece movie of you're family's annual talent contest, you may consider purchasing a small light kit, for a few hundred dollars. With a little practice you, too, could have Oscar worthy lighting.
5. Outside Daytime-The biggest light source in movie making is up in the sky, take advantage of it. Just like windows, you would prefer not to have the sun behind your subject. And just like still photography, you want to avoid having it directly in their eyes.
6. Outside Nighttime-Its dark! Its going to be difficult to find enough light to make a good shot. Look for the brightest place to shoot, and do your best. Think of this as an artistic opportunity.
7. Some cameras have a "nightshot" switch, which gives you a funky, military looking shot that reminds me of CNN footage during the Gulf War. It can work for certain circumstances, like getting a cool shot of your kids sleeping without waking them up with bright light.
8. One more thing. The less light you have, the more stable your shot needs to be. If you must shoot in low light, hold the camera steady, refrain from zooming and choose to slowly walk in to get a closer shot. The fewer camera moves the better in dark conditions.
Now go out there and find the light, people.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Movie Monday
Okay, let me set this one up for you. My husband and I have been watching an HBO mini-series from 1998 called "From the Earth to the Moon". (Its pretty good. Executive produced and narrated by Tom Hanks. Look it up.) Anyway, most of the drama takes place at Kennedy Space Center, which brought to mind all the times we have been there. Most recently, just over a year ago, we finally had the good fortune to witness a shuttle launch.
We flew to Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, February 6th. By the time we picked up our rental car, found our rental condo, and set up the rental pack 'n' play, it was after midnight. We got up at 4:30am, put three tired kids in the car, picked up breakfast (and coffee!) at McDonald's and drove 2.5 hours to Cape Kennedy.
Here's what happened next...
We flew to Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, February 6th. By the time we picked up our rental car, found our rental condo, and set up the rental pack 'n' play, it was after midnight. We got up at 4:30am, put three tired kids in the car, picked up breakfast (and coffee!) at McDonald's and drove 2.5 hours to Cape Kennedy.
Here's what happened next...
We were exhausted, it was 30 degrees Celsius and up until the last minute, we weren't even sure they were going to launch. After hours of waiting, and watching from far away, was it worth it? Absolutely!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
An Electric List
Our power just went out for about 10 minutes. It was truly disturbing.
Here is a list of things you cannot do when you have no electricity.
Here is a list of things you cannot do when you have no electricity.
- cook dinner (although I was considering digging out the camp stove to cook the spaghetti)
- play Wii (WHAT???)
- listen to the radio (for news about why the power is out...duh)
- use the phone (if the only phones in your house are cordless, ironically, they need to be plugged in)
- use a bathroom that does not have a window in it (hard to hold the flashlight)
- laundry or dishes or vacuum, or any sort of cleaning, really (who needs an excuse?)
- open the fridge (my Mom always said...)
- blog, or go on facebook, or check your email, or online shop....AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!
Fortunately for my children, who were completely baffled by the lack of power, you can still play a fully charged Nintendo DS. Disaster averted.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Movie Monday
"Exploring The Glass Floor"
Starring: The Toth Brothers and The Calgary Tower
Exterior Camera: Paul Toth
Interior Camera: Shawna Toth
Music: The Polyjesters
Editing: Small Wonder
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