Date with the Date Line

7:28am Today I’ve got a date with the International Date Line. I’m going to the other side of the planet, so far from home that I’ll be crossing into tomorrow before I get there.

I should be excited - and I am. I also have butterflies in my stomach.

Last year I walked on fire. This year - we’ll see.

It hasn’t become completely real to me yet. Maybe that’s because I still have much to do. Charge my camera batteries. Go to the bank. Get all the information to my accountant that he needs to complete my tax return while I’m away. Pack. Call my parents. Visit them.

Visit them? I won’t even have time for that today.

8:16am Correction - I won’t be traveling into tomorrow, I’ll be traveling into yesterday. My first stop over is Los Angeles which is three hours behind. When I cross the date line I’ll be going back a day. Either way I’ll be traveling through time.

8:52am I have some twenty hours of flying ahead of me. That should allow me to get a good start on the next installment of That Warrior Spirit.

9:14am Accounting! The numbers swim before my eyes. There are so many of them. Each number tells part of a story. But which part of the story is the one that my accountant needs? Giving him the wrong one could mean the difference of hundreds or thousands of dollars on my tax return.

I only hope that the story those numbers tell turn out to be a heroic epic rather than a tragedy - or rather than the comedy they speak of today.

11:03am Most of the numbers are in now. Not fully crunched yet, but partially chewed and somewhat compressed. It turns out that I won't owe on my tax return and that buys my accountant time to file my return.

11:30am That's all the attention I'm giving to my accounting today. The numbers are packed, now it's time to pack my suitcase.

Be Magnified

Lately I've been feeling a lot of discouragement with regard to my career and my business. Then on Thursday night, at worship team rehearsal, one of the songs we did was Be Magnified. The words spoke to me and I felt inspiration.

I felt prompted to record the service this morning, and this song is from that service.

Multi-camera editing

I'm running out of space on my Elephant drive.

I've had my Mac for almost a year now and the external media drive that I bought with it is almost full now. I analyzed the drive to find out what was taking up the most space. Last November we had a guest speaker, Claude Robold, at my church. I videotaped him - those files have been sitting on my drive since then taking up space. I had to delete the files or do something with them so that I could complete a project and archive the files in order to reclaim the space. I wasn't willing to delete the files yet, not without doing something with them first.

I ended up editing what was about a one-hour message down to 18 minutes.

Chuck had videotaped the speaker as well. Something I've wanted to do was a multi-camera edit, so I asked Chuck if I could get a copy of his video, which he let me.

I also had an audio track which did not come from either of the two cameras. I had recorded the audio off the soundboard, so it was not synchronized with the video. I was working with two non-synchronized video tracks and one non-synchronized audio track. By non-synchronized, I mean that the moment at which the speaker's mouth moved (in the video track) did not line up with the moment at which he uttered a sound (in the audio track). The first thing I did was manually synchronize the audio with each of the two video tracks separately. Once I did that, it meant that the two video tracks were also synchronized to each other.

At this point I had about an hour or so of content which I edited down to 18 minutes. The next thing to do is make an edit in which I select the points in time where I want to switch from one camera to the other.

One King video

I was at the Essential Skills Training event last week. My official role was Event Manager but I was also pressed into service as a trainer and as a videographer.

I had purchased new tapes to record the footage for the event but I forgot to check what was in the camcorder before I started recording. As a result I ended up taping over some of the footage that I shot at the Christmas Eve service. Fortunately I still had the footage of the song that we had learned, One King. After I watched that footage I felt motivated to produce a video out of it.

I shot that footage under low lighting conditions so I used the Night setting on the camcorder. The result is that the lighting and color looked low and dull. Furthermore, I had shot the entire sequence from a fixed location on a tripod with a fixed focal length. This means that there is little to no movement in the footage; it probably would make a dull video to watch as it was.

This called for experimentation with color correction and with some creative effects. I don't know if I've overdone the effects and made this look too cheesy but it looks much better than the raw footage.

Watch the video below.

Video journalling

I saw the movie Avatar a few weeks ago during the Christmas holidays. Saw it in 3D from the fourth row. Cool movie. The story was predictable, basically a science fiction remake of Dances With Wolves, but I thought it was told well. Awesome scenery and it all looked great in 3D. Even the subtitles appeared to float in the air in a space of their own. I don't know if I was supposed to return my glasses to the receptacles that they had by the exit, but I kept mine.

One thing about the story that I found inspiring was the idea of keeping a video log. I've done a lot of journalling through handwriting and on my Palm PDA, on various PC's, and I even kept a voice journal for a brief period. After seeing Avatar I got excited about the idea of keeping a video log. When i got home I did some googling and discovered an application called MacJournal. I downloaded and installed the 15-day trial version and started using it. I like using it, it's got that whole "Captain's Log" feeling, right out of Star Trek.

The 15-day trial period went by quickly. Did I really want to fork out the forty-something dollars to buy a registered copy? Well, three or four days after the trial period ended I was missing it. i had gotten into an almost daily ritual of recording into my video log and I missed it. Oh my gosh, it was like having withdrawal symptoms.

I bought it. Paid for it, got a license key, and resumed my video journalling. I got my fix.

Split Personality Disorder

Here is a statistic you should know about. Watch the video below to learn more.

Book is ready

It is done!

After a year and a half I've finished That Warrior Spirit Book I. It's now available on Lulu.

I'm taking a deep breath here. Is it relief or anticipation? Have I really done the best I could or have I allowed my impatience to get the best of me?

Whatever. It is now out there.

Essential Skills Training

Being the captain of a men's team has proven to be challenging, so I've gone and made my life even more challenging by accepting a role as Event Manager for an upcoming weekend workshop called Essential Skills Training.

I've had a taste of the Essential Skills Training workshop through a couple of conference calls that I've been on. I have found them to be powerful and inspiring, and I've come away with some new tools. With a new year coming around the corner I've started setting goals in place for 2010 using what I've learned so far.

I've identified my top three areas of improvement and have started setting goals in those areas. Some times all these challenges I am taking on feel daunting. But - this is the best time of my life to be taking on these challenges; this is the time of my life to be totally reinventing myself.

Third speech

The Toastmasters chapter that I belong to has a club goal for all members to give at least three speeches. I and one other new member both gave our third speeches tonight.

One feedback I got after giving my second speech last week was to print my notes on a one-pager instead of on multiple index cards. Doing so would free up my hands so I could better express myself and would prevent the danger of dropping my cards and having them all go out of order.

I followed that advice tonight. I still created the index cards to help me memorize my speech and then I typed in my notes from the index cards into a one page document in my word processor. Although I had my one page notes with me at the lectern I did not refer to them. At one point I had to pause to remember where I was supposed to go next but I didn't have to look at my notes. That's a good thing because one of the objectives of Speech #3 is to give it without refering to notes.

My speech #3 is now done and delivered before the end of the year as per the goal I set myself last week. Tonight was our last meeting of the year. Next week we have a Christmas get-together and then we resume our regular meetings in January. My goal for 2010 is to complete the Competent Communicator maual and the Competent Leadership manual. That means giving seven more speeches.

Holiday Showcase

I did my first trade show this weekend at the TBDC Holiday Showcase. I met quite a few people there, mostly the other vendors. I'm growing my network.

Being at the trade show was a lot of stimulation and I sure needed my time after to recover. I don't know if the trade show thing is for me; breakfast networking events such as BNI work better for me despite the early morning start.

I won't write off doing more trade shows just from the one experience, but I'm not going to rush out to do another one too soon either.

Season begins

One of the signs that the Christmas season has started is when I start listening to Trans Siberian Orchestra music. That happened last week when I pulled my Christmas Eve and Other Stories CD off the shelf and started listening to it in my car.

Another sign is when we start rehearsing a new song for the Christmas Eve service. That happened tonight at rehearsal. We started learning a new song (new for us that is), called One King. It's a complex song with key signature changes and time signature changes, and it has a really nice melody. We listened to a CD recording of the song a couple of times to familiarize ourselves with it. If we get can get the show lights and a children's choir, we could do this song like Trans Siberian Orchestra.

My second speech

I gave my second speech at Toastmasters tonight. The title was "This Will Put Fur On Your Chest". Three guesses what that was about and the first and third guesses don't count.

The chapter I belong to has a club goal for every member to give three speeches. I am now two thirds of the way towards that goal. Next week will be our last meeting for the year so if I get my third speech ready for next week then I will have reached that goal.

Some of the feedback I received was:
-good use of humour
-interesting how I personified my cats
-nice conversational style and great storytelling

Instead of reading from my speech like I did for my Icebreaker I had prepared index cards. I made a point on an index card for each paragraph in my speech. The process helped me to memorize my speech. The only time I had to refer to my index cards, the only time that I wasn't sure where I was going next and had to refer to the cards was at the end. I didn't know where I was supposed to go next because I was finished and all I had to do was close it!

The feedback I got about my use of index cards was to write out my points on a single sheet of paper and leave it on the lectern. That would free up my hands so that I express myself better.

I think that I didn't spend any more time preparing for this speech than I did on my Icebreaker, but I did use my prep time differently. Maybe prepping for a speech doesn't have to take as much time as I think it will.

Manuscript sent to proof-reader

I've sent my manuscript to my proof-reader. So, I'm getting closer to the completion of this stage of the book.

In the grand scheme of things, her quote for proof-reading it is not that big, but it's still an out-of-pocket cost that I will incur up front. Do I really, really need to have it proof-read? There can't be that many mistakes in it, can there?

Of course, when I sell my millionth copy the amount will be negligible.

On a different but related topic, I'm realizing that I miss my Palm TX. The Palm m515 that I bought to cover for it works but won't run applications I use such as NoteStudio, DayNotez, and Bonsai. I am missing having NoteStudio on a device that fits in my pocket. I used NoteStudio when I developed the outline for That Warrior Spirit and I found it great for capturing those ideas that occur in the moment and for organizing them.

I've heard about a guy named Chris Short who fixes Palm devices and he has a good reputation so I'm getting in touch with him to find out if he will fix my Palm TX and how much it will cost me to do so. Ouch. Another out of pocket expense?

Re-calibrating my writing plans

I miss writing for my novel, That Warrior Spirit. I worked at it diligently in August and in September and made lots of progress. By the end of September I felt like I needed to re-calibrate my priorities though, and put more focus on my business Pictures That Move. Consequently I didn't reach the target I had hoped to reach in October.

I haven't given up though. I've re-calibrated again. I'm so close to getting that first edition out the door that I can't just leave it hanging where it is and not do something about it. My new target is end of November. I've completed all the manuscript changes that I'm going to make, and I'm going to send it out to my proof-reader this week. All that's left for me to do is write the afterword, design the back cover and get it out to lulu.

My plan is to resume my writing schedule in January to start writing what would have been Chapter 5 in my original outline. Meanwhile I've felt some ideas floating around in my head for another book series to start. I guess it can't hurt to start an outline for that series.

A dog eat biscuit world

That episode last month with the cat food left a bad taste in my mouth for a while (see Roasted almonds). I told Jan that I wouldn't eat cat food anymore. So today she makes a batch of dog biscuits.

She's going to put them in bone-shaped tin containers and sell them.

I decide that I am going to refrain from sampling them. Stay away!

I succeeded. Mostly. Right up until Jan took one and right in front of me she bit into it and ate it. Then she told me how good it was and offered me one. So with some hesitation I finally tried it. She was right! It really was yummy. It's made of sesame and flour and other normal ingredients that one would find in a cookie made for human consumption. Except for chocolate of course.

I ate two before she cut me off.

At dinner, something got caught in her throat and she started coughing and gagging, trying to dislodge it and make it come out. "What's the matter Jan, do you have a hairball?"

Red Rock Nevada video montage

A road trip to Red Rock and a tour of The Strip in Las Vegas are featured in this video montage that my company, Pictures That Move, produced for Men's Divisions International (MDI). The footage was filmed by men attending the MDI Internationals convention in October.

Grand challenges

My men's team, Grand Central, and its parent team South Central have been facing some difficult challenges. Grand Central and our brother team Sub Central have been alternating between meeting as separate teams and meeting as one large team throughout the summer. How has that worked for us?

Apparently not too well. I think that we became too insular, too inwardly focused. I'll be frank - I think we'd been operating at a shitty level. Shitty to the point that coming into the fourth and final quarter of the year we decided to meet jointly as one large team regularly through to the end of the year so that we could build the teams up again, rekindle that old South Central team spirit.

Things are picking up for the large team, South Central, and men have stepped up to lead various projects that will shift us back to being more outward focused. By outward focused I mean we take on things that reach out to the communities around us.

We've also started a 21 Day Challenge program. This program is based on the premise that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. Most of the men have identified a habit that they would like to break and a habit that they would like to replace it with. We're using each other as a support and accountability framework to set ourselves up for success. The habit that I'm working on is tidying up my room. I have piles of clutter in my room and every time I take on the project of tidying it up I get so far and stall. I hope that at the end of this 21 Day Challenge I am really proud of what I've done with my room.

A hard day's night

Many self development and motivational workshops that I've attended over the years teach about the importance of having a purpose or a mission, as something that will motivate me to get out of bed each morning. Well, the thing that motivates me to get out of bed most mornings is my bladder.

When I got up this morning, William the cat was in his usual position by the front door, waiting to be let out. I let him out and then went and did my morning routine in the bathroom, stuff like shower and get dressed. When I went into the kitchen for breakfast, I saw William come in with his let me out body language. Huh? Didn't I already let him out? What was he doing back inside?

I sometimes wonder what he does all day when he goes out. I imagine him going to the office, carrying a briefcase in his mouth. Goodbye William, have a good day at the office. Don't forget your Metropass.

Then I think about the fact that he was named after William Wallace, the character from Braveheart. I get a different image then of what he does when he's out all day. Goodbye William, have fun storming the castle.

What We Learned

One of the pieces of feedback I got when I gave my Ice Breaker speech last week was that my public speaking is already at an advanced level. I attribute that to a combination of experience, of doing two-minute presentations at Twenty First Century Leadership, my community theatre experience, and my experience in MDI presenting the What We Learned segment at the end of Division meetings.

I have been doing What We Learned for about two years as part of my role on the core team as Chief of Staff. This spring I completed as Chief of Staff and stepped down from the core team in order to take on a new role as Team Captain.

By request from the current core team I reprised my performance at last night's Division meeting. The core team had prepared a great meeting and the men who were present gave me a lot of good material to work with for my presentation. I really felt on top of form as I delivered last night.

Yesterday was also my birthday. For anyone who is keeping track, I'm now 45. I've decided to count backwards from now on, so I'm looking forward to turning 44 next year.

At the end of the meeting all the men spontaneously sang Happy Birthday to me. Wow. And they were all in the same key. They sounded like a men's choir. I scanned around the circle to see how many men were present and I counted 44, though there may have been 45.

I like the thought of 45 men singing Happy Birthday to me on my 45th birthday.

Roasted almonds

Was at another Legacy Discovery weekend couple of days ago. How many have I now been part of? Enough to have lost track.

Got home from the event early in the evening on Sunday. Felt like I had missed church, found out about a cell group meeting being held that night at Vern's house, and still had enough energy to get myself out of the house and on my way there.

Grabbed some snacks on the way out. A bowl on the kitchen table, a large round ceramic bowl, full of weird shaped roasted almonds. Or so I thought. My housemates must have gone grocery shopping while I was away. I grabbed a handful and popped them into my mouth as I headed for the door. Munch munch, chew chew, swallow swallow.

It didn't take long to realize that these were not nuts. Nuts have a kind of salty flavor, these did not. They crunched differently than nuts do. They tasted kind of fishy.

Decided to go back into the kitchen for a glass of water to wash down the taste. Then it hit me what these snacks really were. I confirmed my suspicion back in the kitchen when I noticed that the area on the floor were there are normally two bowls was vacant. The two bowls that the cat eats out of. Looked at the kitchen table. Saw two bowls there. One had the dry food to which I had just helped myself. The other was the little bowl with the picture of a cat on it, and contained his wet food. Why these two bowls were on the kitchen table I do not know.

The glass of water didn't help wash away the taste. I got to Vern's house and he offered me a crisp which I accepted. He also offered me ice cream. I declined, he offered again, I accepted. Ate the crisp, ate the ice cream. It helped kill the taste of the cat food. Not for long though. By the time I was on my way home I could feel the after taste again.

I came home and told Jan that those dry roasted almonds on the table had gotten stale.