Our long weekend is all over now, thank goodness, and the dishes from Sunday are finally all done (6 dishwasher loads, ugh).
Ted is going to drive Nick out as far as Calgary, leaving probably this Thursday or Friday and fly back to Ottawa for a Wednesday meeting next week. Nick will complete the journey to Vancouver on his own with a stop off in Jasper along the way. I can't quite wrap my head around his leaving AGAIN.
It's election day here, a federal one. Michael Moore's been up here interviewing door to door and the conservative party made a bit of a stink about it, lol. They hope to be reelected this term, but we're not so sure about that. We shall see tonight.
I am trying to find a good costume still for Jolene. I had originally thought princess and will probably go back to it. But I want something a little more original then that. I found a cute Pluto costume but the size only went up to 3t and that just won't work for my now 4 year old. And I just realized that we will have to get our Christmas photo's done super early this year because Vinnie goes to sea the first week of November and won't be back until long after Christmas. And I just can't do family Christmas cards without him, it would be weird. Just called Vinnie to ask about it, he was completely useless in the idea. Maybe we will have cards without him after all.
Kae I am sorry to hear that Nick is already leaving. It does seem like he just got back. And too funny about all the dishes. I am glad to know I am not the only one who loads the dishwasher and doesn't just wash what is left. I hate that.
BTW, I am extremely frustrated with this board today...Very slow
I spent most of yesterday afternoon trying to figure out how I could provide you guys with two videos from Jim's trip. The videos show the most harrowing portions of the Apache Trail; Jim drove while our daughter took the videos. Honestly, there were parts of the video that made me hold my breath, but it is SO beautiful! Shelly, I thought that you would especially like to see this part of Arizona since you haven't been on that trail before.
The two clips that I wanted you guys to see are massive files, so they obviously couldn't be posted here. I searched the web for a location that would take them after Jim said that there's supposed to be a place where you can upload up to 1 gig, with no limitation on the size of any single video.
I finally found a place called motionbox (I don't think that's the one he mentioned, though, and he couldn't remember the name of the one that was recommended to him), and I signed up for the yearly membership (I have two weeks to cancel it). I tried uploading the two videos, but it turns out that we didn't have the right format. So Jim converted the two, and we tried it again. Part 2 uploaded without any problem, but Part 1, which is very large, didn't upload properly, and then motionbox closed its site for maintenance! I was SO frustrated.
In the meantime, our son came over for dinner (sat out on the deck, and it was a gorgeous night), and told me that I ought to just post the videos on YouTube. I asked him if there was a privacy setting (yes), and if I could post any size video (pretty much). I also wanted everyone to be able to watch this experience in full screen!
So this morning, I went to YouTube, and created an account. It turns out that Part 1, the main part of the trail, is within the limitations where megabites are concerned, but is too long time-wise. The limit is ten minutes, and Part 1 is thirteen. Therefore, YouTube did me no good either.
I went back to motionbox (now up again), and fiddled with it to see how to get the thing into full screen. It's confusing too when you're trying to play the video because the screen is black, and I sat there waiting for some arrow to appear, indicating that the video had loaded, and it never did. After clicking onto the black screen a few times, it finally came up. BUT, the quality of the video was really bad, with green lines running through it, and the full screen was jerky.
I may have to mail CDs to everyone, if you're interested in watching, unless someone knows of another location that will take large videos of any size. ARGH...!!! I still need to send KaeEll a CD from Jim's NC trip anyway.
KaeEll, I know that you must be so disappointed in having to say goodbye to Nick again. It's not an easy thing! He really does have the spirit of adventure in him, and that's hard on you, but fun for him...
Shelly, Jolene is really growing fast! Can you believe how much she's changed in just four short years? Enjoy every minute because your children's childhoods will race by at an astonishing speed...
I have some chores to do, and want to bake a quick loaf of pumpkin bread for my doll club meeting tomorrow. Of course, Harris Teeter is OUT of canned pumpkin, and don't know when they'll get more in (???) so I'm going to have to go to another store.
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Yeah, what's up with the board anyway? I'm almost afraid to type in anything because half the time it gets purged in a mis-connection with the server. Argh.
Bran, should the board be emptied of old stuff, see if that helps at all?
Shelly, can you take a picture of the three of you on your own? It would make scheduling it easier for Vinnie's sake. How are you feeling today? Any nausea?
Moore, we must have been posting at the same time as I just caught your morning post here. Yeah!!! Definitely want to see those two videos - the Apache trail and Jim's old movie thing.
The Nick latest adventure is HARD and I have actually been in tears for 4 days. Having Ted drive most of the way with him helps a little, but still, I wish he's just stay put for a while longer. I think the worst hit was his announcement that he planned on getting BC licence plates for his car so he wouldn't "pretend that he still lives here, in Ontario". That had me blubbering myself to sleep.
I thought about just doing pictures of us. But we haven't done pictures of Jolene since last Christmas. A lot of people with really young kids get pictures done a couple times a year and we barely manage to get the one. I may just end up doing Jolene and sending it out. Most people only want to see her anyways.
Yes, nausea is still in full swing. Contemplating going ahead and getting sick at this very moment. Really rather stinks. I am afraid its going to last all 9 months like it did last time.
Moore I am curious about your videos. Maybe our resident computer guru has some suggestions....Brandon that's your cue...
KaeEll, I feel your pain. I truly do... I know what you mean about having it help a bit that Ted is driving with Nick for the first part of this new adventure (it extends the parental connection), and also about the license. That's EXACTLY the way I felt when AD got her AZ plates. And, she's SO proud of them, but it just about killed me! What's so silly is that she's out there in Arizona whether she's got the plates or not, but it was the idea of it. I'm so sorry that you've been so blue, but I do understand it.
Shelly -- see what you have to look forward to!!
I'm still working on solutions for the video issue. I'd seen a site called Vimeo yesterday, but didn't visit it. A little while ago, our son suggested it, so maybe that will work. I'll play... Apparently I earn space by the week, and I'm not sure that it will accommodate both videos right now, but MAYBE I can get good quality from the first one.
We'll see...
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Thanks, Moore. I know you understand. The sympathy helps. These darn kids! We give up SO much for them and what do they do but break our hearts over and over again, not intentionally, but by being the independent and adventurous souls we raised them to be. Damned if we do, damned if we don't. I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that they all come back eventually - Tony lived in Boston for a few years, Mike, well, Mike's been all over the place, and now my Nickie.
I need to get myself out to the polls. I have to hold my nose and vote for the incumbent here, get rid of that darn Harper as PM. The Tory candidate in my riding is so much better qualified but we can't afford another term of them in office. The horrible shame is that the leader of the Liberal party here has a very limited command of English and flubbed an interview last week when he had to have it restarted three times because he had trouble with the temporal aspect of the question. It was a stupid hypothetical question anyway, but he took a serious hit amongst those who are not biilingual. (Keeping my fingers crossed for Stephane Dion.)
Yes, I voted!! I held my nose and made my X for the party of my choice, certainly not the candidate for my riding. I wish there were a better system so we could vote directly for the leader, but in order to do so, one has to officially join a party and become a delegate. I washed my hands of that 12 years ago, so I'm not in a position to complain, but I do anyway, lol.
It's such a gorgeous day here today!! I'm going to chuck that turkey carcass in the bin and bbq tonight, pork chops, I think. So beautiful outside!!
Shelly, did you ask Bran if deleting all of our gabbing would speed up the board? It does seem a little better now, though.
OMG guys what a crazy day! Worked some overtime this week. Today we were doing maintenance to dvr and digital boxes in our town .. so i stayed late to help with the insane call volume that it generated.
