Yeti

Last Updated:
Sep 27, 2008

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Gender: Male
Status: Married
Age: 37
Sign: Gemini

City: North East
State: Ohio
Country: US

Signup Date: 12/09/06

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Friday, August 22, 2008

Pancakes anyone?
Current mood: fabulous
Category: Food and Restaurants

OK, so I think everyone knows that my overtime got cut at work. First they cut our OT, then last week they cut us back to 32hrs. I told my boss that I would not be able to survive like that and would start looking for a new job if it lasted to long. Low and behold we were back to 40 hrs. this week. Apparently I was not the only one expressing these same concerns.

So, with my weekends free things have been quite nice around here, yeah we are broke (even worse than before), but it has been nice to be able to spend more time with Kat and the kids. I even resurected what we termed "Daddy Breakfast". Usually during the week I get home and one of us will make cereal or toast. Sometimes we might have poptarts. You know, the quick easy breakfasts.
But Daddy Breakfast is something that got started a while back. It was basically an all out big ass breakfast. Pancakes, sausage or bacon sometimes some fruit. 

So while at the store last week Spencer asked for some pancakes. I was off friday, saturday and sunday and we went through an entire box of pancakes. 

Pouring the batter on the griddle

I had said something to my parents about wanting a electric griddle to make pancakes on. It is a pain to whip up a batch when using only pans. Then one day they showed up with one they picked up for me. And since then making pancakes has been awesome. I can crank out 8 at a time on this thing.

Fresh batter on the griddle.....

The kids can hardly contain themselves, filled with anticipation......

Almost done, fresh flipped side two browning up. It looks like this batch I may have left on the first side a tad to long....or the lighting is bad....

Spencer wanted his picture taken with the pancakes...

We dont do the ALL OUT daddy breakfast anymore. All that food was just to much. We have been trying, succesfully I might add, to cut back on portions in the Brown house. But I will whip out a batch of pancakes anytime. If I have the stuff that is.

When it all started I was using bisquick, adding the eggs and all the other ingredients. I started trying different recipes, adding stuff. The kids favorite is chocolate chips. I tried blueberries and that was a disaster. I think I added lime juice one time becuase Bisquick suggested it, I tasted no difference.

 Then I got kinda lazy and started buying the "complete" pancake mix. Just add water, mix and you are ready to go. They taste ok and I havent had any complaints yet. Usually there is a little bit left at the end of the bowl and I make a few little tiny pancakes. Bite size so to speak......

Here, have a pawprint.....

So, anyone got a good pancake recipe? I am always willing to try new things.
How about you, any special rituals in your home?

 

And as always.....Drive fast and take chances!

Currently reading :
Curious George Makes Pancakes
By Margaret Rey

7:08 PM - 43 Comments - 36 Kudos - Add Comment

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Little of this, little of that.....
Category: Life

I want to start off by thanking everyone for all the heartfelt condolences. It has been rough. I still, at times, have a hard time believing that he is gone. There are times the finality of it hits home. Looking off into the future and realizing that he wont be here. But, I am working through it. One good thing to come of it is it has made me and my brothers closer. Lets hope it stays that way.
Things are starting to return to normal around here. I'm back to work doing my normal schedule. It seems that I have lost a bit of my drive though. I'm sure it will come back with time.

****************************

While I was up at my parents place so much I spent alot of time just staring out at Lake Erie. It brought back some memories of when 3 summers I went to a summer camp on Kelly's Island. While going to camp there I got to do alot of really awesome activities. Water skiing, hiking, swimming and some sailing on some of these....


 

Sunfish sailboats are fun little things. They fit 2 people. And they are a freaken BLAST! You get out in some nice 3' waves and just get tossed. What a rush. Well there was one day while looking out at the lake it was perfect. A really nice breaze, the lake was not to choppy. All I could think of was wishing I had one of those little boats right then.

The hospice center had a computer in the common area for family members to use. Allthough it would not let me on MySpace or any other similar sites, I was able to to search out sail boats. It started out innocent enough, browsing through the little boats you can toss on the roof of your car. But then it kinda grew, I started thinking to myself "I'm gonna need a bigger boat to be able to sail with both kids." So I started looking at the bigger daysailers that would hold 3 of us.

But then something happened.....I started thinking to myself "It would be really nice if I had a boat big enough for all 4 of us, with a couple of berths (beds) a little area to cook, a private head (bathroom)" So I started looking bigger. Through my searches of all sail boats I kept coming accross different makes of Hunter Sailboats. As luck would have it there was a Hunter dealer not far from where we were at in Lorain. So my brothers and I had some downtime and needed a break from what we were doing and headed over there.

That is when it happened. I fell in love with the Hunter 25. Have a look see...



...it's not a really big boat, about as big as you can get and still haul on a trailer. Kat is totally into the idea. The marina I looked at them at has 3 levels of sailing classes that they give for free if you buy a boat from them. This is not something that is going to happen tomorow. I am hoping by the time the kids are early teens we can make it happen. Here is the website if ya wanna check out some more of what Hunter has to offer.   http://www.huntermarine.com/indexUS.html

**********************************

Rumors have been flying about Katrina quiting comedy. There have been other issues before as well, with people talking shit behind her back. It is quite annoying to be honest. If one of her buddies has a good set, or gets offered a good gig, she gets exited for them. Everyone she deals with. So I just dont get how  some people run thier mouths when something good happens to her. Or run off of the mouth cuz she canceled some gigs because of my dad. Honestly I think people need to shut their yaps lest I shut it for them!  Nuff said.  Next....

*********************************

I was supposed to go to Sears yesterday and get a bad tire replaced on the Durango. I opted instead for a little of this.....

I think I had more fun swimming with the kids then sitting in sears while they fumbled through swapping out a tire.

Well, thats gonna be it for this one I think. Have a nice day. And don't forget to
drive fast and take chances!

 

 

5:13 AM - 39 Comments - 40 Kudos - Add Comment

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Tribute---update with funeral website

William Eugene Brown
"Gene"
June 25, 1939 - July 8, 2008


Vietnam Veteran

Devoted Husband, Father, and Grandfather....

 

After a two year battle with cancer, my Dad passed away this evening at the New Life Hospice Home Care Center in Lorain, Ohio. In the end there was no pain and he died quietly. He held on for one week after going there for better care than we could provide at home. My brother Doug and I held vigil up there last night and could hardly believe he survived the night. The Dr. said it could be 2 hours or 2 days. After that we decided that us being there was not helping or hurting anything.

We decided to head home back to our families and our jobs untill we got word that he had passed. As I walked in the door Kat called me over to her and I could read it on her face that he was gone. My dad is in a better place now, in Heaven with his brother, his father and his mother.

He will be remembered for his generous spirit, his faith, his devotion to his family and friends.  Strength, honor, courage, compassion and grace are part of the legacy he leaves to those who were lucky enough to be a part of his life.

******Update******

 

For those of  you who wanted information, heres the link to my dads services.

Busch Funeral Home Website

Click the "Obituary" link on the left, and find Gene Brown

 

********Update   7-11-08********
I just wanted to thank everyone for their heartfelt condolences. I never thought that I would get this kind of support from MySpace. It is much appreciated. I dont have it in me to reply to all the comments, its been like a roller coaster of emotions. So please accept my thanks to all the comments.

Pat

 

 

 

7:54 PM - 45 Comments - 90 Kudos - Add Comment

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Another *sigh* update

First off, I want to thank everyone for  your thoughts and prayers. The people I have gotton to know here have been a valuable source of support. From the botom of my heart, Thank You.

My dads oncologist is back from vacation. He requested that the family be present at his appointment yesterday. I got home from work, straight to bed and awoke around 12:30 or so and was on the road by 1:00. Appointment was at 3:00 so I had time to spare. Which I needed because The Cleveland Clinic is undergoing ALOT of construction.

I found the parking deck I needed and drove to very top. For some reason I always like to park on the very top of a parking deck. All the other levels just seem so confining. I like the open air of the top deck.

I called Doug and found out that they were just around the corner. I got to the front door of the cancer center and quickly met my mom. Doug and Dad showed up and Greg showed up as well.

We got registered and was taken back to the room rather quickly. The nurse took vitals and left. On a side note, I have never been so impressed with a medical staff. The Cleveland Clinic must drug thier staff (joking) because across the board in all my dealings with the them everyone, and I mean EVERYONE has been top notch.
For those of you who have only heard of the Cleveland Clinic, the place is HUGE! It is almost like its own city. Departments have buildings, not just a floor or an wing, but an entire building. Just to give you an idea on how big the place is.

So the new Dr. comes in. A very nice guy. Easy to talk to....and , personable. Alot of times Drs in extreme fields are so focused on what they are doing that they dont relate to the patient. We talked. He answered all our questions. He was compassionate. Understanding. A very nice guy. We wont be seeing him anymore.

This is the point that unless you really care, you might want to stop reading.

The tumor is big! It found a small crack, or a hole in the skull and some of the cells migrated to the outside of the skull and the tumor has started growing there. There is no treatment left that will bring him back. Chemo is not working and therefore not worth all the side effects. It has been suspended. Radiation might help, but wont increase longevity. I asked about surgery, it worked before, why not now? He replied that surgery could be performed but would not have any favorable outcome. It would not bring back any lost faculties or increase longevity. After it was all said and done the decision was made, with the Drs support  to sign up with hospice care.

The question was asked, "what is the prognosis" it was a question that I honestly did not want asked. I did not want to know the answer. And, I wish it had at the very least been asked when my dad was in the bathroom. I dont think he needed to know. Of course the Dr was hesitant to answer, he just gave a time frame.  3-8 weeks. I had my hand on my dads back, just rubbing. I felt him slightly shudder at that.

The tears started flowing from everyone. It was hard. The Dr was patient and did not rush off. He was there offering emotional support to us all. We got out of there eventually. Greg called the hospice care center and a nurse was going to meet us at my parents home. I made the hour drive west to my parents and the nurse was waiting.

We got my dad in the house and started the process of paperwork for the hospice care. Again I was thoroughly impressed. The nurse was right on top of everything. I had to leave at nine to make it home and to work on time. But before I left the medical equipment company was setting up the bed and had brought everything else we needed. Wheel chair, one of those bed tables on wheels and other items we requested.

I made it home. Made it to work. There have been a handfull of other things going on. I am on vacation for the next 5 days and will probably spend at least one night up there helping out. I wish I could spend more time up there. But I cant ignore my own household. I will have to finetune the art of juggleing several things at once. Things, I fear, are going to get kind of hairy around here. I have a few things on the front burners that need my attention.

Thank god that I have Kat here. She is a pillar of strength for me. She loves my family and is hurting as well. But she is here for me.

 

I am going to turn off kudos and comments. I mainly just wanted to give an update to things. There are a handfull of people that I wanted to tell personally but I dont have it in me to relate all this more than once. I hope you (and you  know who you are) understand. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.

God Bless.

5:53 PM - 12 Comments - 24 Kudos - Add Comment

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Quick update...***Updated-6/13/08***

An update on things around here, more specifically my dad.

My brother Doug called yesterday afternoon around 2:30. He had been with my parents all day and wanted to give me an update. He lives in Columbus and called my parents in the morning and when he found out how things were going he dropped everything and drove the 2.5 hours to be with my parents.

My dad was supposed to have some treatments yesterday that fell through for some reason, still not sure what the heck happened. Either way they ended up in the ER because my dad has been falling alot lately and has been what seems to be a downward spiral.

The Oncologist that he has been under the care of moved to St. Louis. His new Doc is on vacation. So he is under the care of the Oncology Dept at the Cleveland Clinic.

After I talked to my brother I decided that I had to be there! There was no question. It was where I needed to be. I worked out the details with Kat and I was on the road about an hour later.

The drive up was very surreal. The temp was in the 90's. I had both windows down and the hot air was just whipping around. I could not tell if it was the wind whipping the smoke from my (several) cigarettes into my eyes causing them to burn and tear up or if it was the reason I was driving north on I-77 at 4 in the afternoon on a hot ass day.

I got to the ER at the Cleveland Clinic and ran into Doug. We grabbed a quick smoke before going in. He updated me and where things were. I walked in and my dad was sitting up in a wheel chair and smiled when he saw me. Part of me was afraid that he would not be happy that I drove up. He is the type of person that he just does not want people to make a fuss over him.

We all hung out, basically just waiting for a room on the oncology floor. My mom left before it got dark, she does not drive well in the dark. I left around 8:30 and drove through some of the worst rain storms I have ever had to drive through. Once my dad got to a room and settled Doug went to stay with my mom.

So here is the rundown---
The tumor is growing causing more pressure and swelling around the tumor site. This is causing the host of problems he has been dealing with. Loss of balance. Some minor confusion/memory loss-he cant tell us what year it is.

He has been taking 4mg of some kind of steroid a day. Up untill now that was really helping. They bumped it up to 10 mg every 6 hours. I talked to Doug and he was telling me that it is helping, he is getting up and moving around some.

My other brother Greg was in Philadelphia on business, unable to catch a flight home he rented a car and drove home. Got home a little after midnight and went up to the hospital this morning. Doug and Greg went to my parents and cleared out the dining room and a hospital bed is going in there. This will be easier for my dad, he wont have to take the stairs anymore and there is a bathroom just around the corner.

The chemo is apparently not doing the trick anymore. So it is my understanding that the chemo will be suspended. From talking to Doug this evening he told me that the Drs want to change course of treatment. Instead of treating the ailment, they want to treat the symptoms. That kinda tells me that they just want to make him comfortable.

Surgery to remove the tumor(again) was brought up about 3 or 4 weeks ago and he declined. Doug and I are going to talk to both my parents and try to persuade him to rethink it. The last surgery helped alot and he almost fully recovered. But no one has a crystal ball and there is no telling what would happen. He, at this point may not make it through another surgery. So we are just playing the "what now?" game.

We are all planning on being up there this weekend for birthdays and fathers day. I am sure that it will be discussed more then. He is scheduled to come home from the hospital Thursday. Greg is taking a day off to go up and help them with that. We will know more each day. I am sure I will be making trips up there.

I want to thank everyone for your nice words and thoughts and prayers. Here, let me introduce you to the Brown boys. Yes, apparently we just dont know how to make girls.  LOL  (its ok to laugh)


Max, Me, Spencer, Doug, Cameron, Dad, Seth, Greg

 

Thanks for all of your support.
God Bless you all.

****6-13-08 Update****

My dad got home from the hospital yesterday. The steriods are working and he is able to get up and move around some. We are having a birthday party for him (6-25) and my mom (5-28) tomorow. We are all gonna be there and Doug got ahold of the people from their church and theres a bunch of people from there that are going to there as well. It looks like it is going to be a good day. :-)

6:16 PM - 65 Comments - 58 Kudos - Add Comment

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Playing that memory game...
Current mood: calm
Category: Life

Jumping on the bandwagon here, playing the memories game. Jeff started it and it took off like a snowball down a mountian.

 

"Hey, I talked to your parents and they said its ok, we are leaving for Nashville right now."

Going up the steps on all fours, I thought it was someone else behind me that caught the well placed heel.

Seeing those blue silk jammies made my heart skip about 10 beats.

"She left me for an albatross"

*SMACK* "Did you feel that?" "No" *SMACK* "How about that?" "No"

Then the top of the half pipe caved in and I went with it.

I dropped that backpack out of the second story window and acted like I was taking the garbage out, vowing never to return.

Damn! That kiss outdid any kiss before it.

Don't Think!

As I looked down at my arm it was kinda odd, how it looked like the shape of an hourglass, then I almost fainted.

"You would like Coca Cola, water.....beer?" He asked with the heavy Italian accent. "Beer, please" And it was the best damn tasting beer ever.

And there, about 8 feet from the botom of the ladder was the biggest baracuda I had ever come face to face with.

I came up over the edge of the sunken ship to find a small school of  amberjack.

 ....And the South Park hat went sailing accross the room....

That cry, a little wisp of a cry, and he was here.

"DUCK......ROCK!"

"I love you, you know"

"Would you please look at her knee? She wont let me near her."

My ankles were on fire from traversing accross the entire mountian.

"I want an Andy Worhal wig"

And as we all stood there under the small tent listening to the pastor a lone skater rode by. Almost like he was paying tribute.

"Beat your face"

"Totally ate the f*** up"

I had to laugh at this hardcore wannabe. Talking trash cuz he had his wings. "Whats your MOS?"  "71L"  "oooooh chairborn ranger, huh?" He was nothing but a 5 jump chump.

"YOU are a ROCKSTAR!"

I woke up the next morning on the hard floor of the woodshop "Your mom has breakfast on"

 

 

 

Well, I think that is going to be it for now. I am starting to draw blanks and fish for memories. They just arent coming right now. Now as soon as I hit POST I will get buried in random memories.

6:30 PM - 14 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

What is up with our Justice System?
Current mood: vexed
Category: News and Politics

While reading the paper yesterday the front page story was about the state of Ohio banning a plant called Salvia Divinorum. I have never even heard of this plant and the effects from ingesting it. It is part of the mint family and it produces hallucinogenic effects. It can be smoked, chewed or drank as a tea.
You can read the entire story here.
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=412008&Category=9&fromSearch=yes&subCategoryID=0

This all came about because one 12 yr old shot another 12 yr old in the neck with a 20 ga. shot gun while they were both on this drug. Apparently there are a ton of YouTube vids out there with kids tripping out on this stuff.

I dont want to repeat the whole story, it took up 2 full pages just about in the paper. Here is what bothers me about this entire story. The mother of the shooter bought the gun for the boy and let him keep it loaded in his bedroom. Also she is the one who apparently supplied the drug to the boys.

I have a nephew who is about the same age. He has a shotgun similar to the one used. But I know that he is not permitted to have it loaded in the house. I also know that it stays locked up in the gun safe with all his dads guns. That is just the way it is! (Jodi, if you could weigh in on this I would like your opinion on this one.)

In the end the mother recieved a net of 4 months in jail for her involvement. 4 MONTHS. A child is dead and she gets 4 months. 120 days! What the heck is wrong here.

So I continue with reading the paper and come accross another story, one of those little ones they put on the side. It is about a father getting 180 days in jail for not staying on top of his daughters education. You can find that story here
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=411935&Category=13&fromSearch=yes&subCategoryID=0

I am sure that there is more the the story than what was said in the article. There was I am sure more history. They dont just throw people in jail for thier kids not graduating. I mean they should but you dont see it very often. 

So I am looking at these two stories. A woman supplies her son with drugs and loaded guns and the result is another child dead. A life wasted. She gets 120 days in jail.
A man does not stay on top of his daughters education, who apparently was not even living with him at the time, and he gets 180 days in jail.

Am I the only one that sees this as a tad bit screwey?

6:35 PM - 49 Comments - 44 Kudos - Add Comment

Saturday, May 10, 2008

I'm a Hyper-Hypo
Category: Romance and Relationships

Check out this video: Philip the Hyper Hypo

..

Add to My Profile | More Videos

OK, so recently I put a short bit from the above video on one of Kats blogs. It drew a bit of fun from some, for it is a really funny loop. I thought that I would share a little of the back story about it and the special meaning it has for me and Kat.

Early on in our relationship we were sitting around one afternoon watching old SNL reruns when we saw this skit from when Nicole Kidman hosted. Well one of the lines from it kind of stuck with us and we still go back to it on pretty much a daily basis.

I Love You, You Know.

Of course sometimes there is more to our banter...

You're the devil......I love you again.

It even prompted Kat to have this made for me....
Photobucket

I used to use it from time to time. But then the thought of how special this gift was from her, I did not want to risk it breaking. So now it pretty much resides in the back of the cabinet.

So the "I love you, you know" kind of became our anthem.

One day while she was at work, shortly after I became familiar with what I like to refer as MYSPAZ, I looked frantically for just a picture of Phillip the hyper-hypo to put in her comments. I had no luck. So I called up Michelle and asked her if she could help. She is pretty savvy when it comes to finding pictures. She could not find a picture but did find that loop.

I put it in her comments and waited for her to see it. You could hear the laughter throughout the house.

I had so much enjoyment from hearing that laughter. I was happy to have been able to do something to make her so happy.

I think with all couples there are always inside jokes/comments/sayings etc that only they fully understand. And it usually leaves any bystanders scratching their heads.

This is one of ours. Sitting here right now, it is the only one I can think of. It is most definitely the first one.

So, let's hear em. Anyone want to share their inside jokes and the history behind them?

6:37 PM - 26 Comments - 26 Kudos - Add Comment

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

The Big Red And Yeti Show: Chapter 4
Category: Sports

OK, I know that I said I was taking a break and all.  But Kat has a show tonight and I had some free time to myself and I felt compelled to write the next chapter in my book. If you are new to this project, please feel free to read the first 3 chapters.


Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three

 


The Big Red And Yeti Show:
Chapter 4-Wedding Bells


 


After our engagement we set out to plan our wedding. We started working on bridesmaids/groomsman. Catering, Reception hall. All that stuff. We talked about how big. How small. What kind of cake. The date. All the things that I am sure most engaged couples discuss while planning "The Big Day".


After working weddings the entire summer before we both decided that we just did not want that. We just did not want all that craziness. We picked a holiday weekend so that way we would have a better chance of getting away and getting time off of work on our anniversary. We also, since we were paying for it ourselves, opted to go low budget with a touch of class.


We picked a Sunday to get married because the owner of the DJ service we worked for offered to DJ our wedding as a wedding gift. We chose the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.


Next we decided, on her sisters offering, to get married in her neighbors garden. They had a really nice flower garden with walking paths and an arch. We thought it would be nice to get married under the rose covered arch. She also offered to have the reception at her house.


So with the date and location all figured out next was the guest list. We wanted to keep it mainly to family and close friends. We kept the list small and bought blank card stock and printed our own invitations. We wanted to keep the nuptials to just our parents and the pastor and then just have big party for everyone to come to. I paid a caterer to just drop the food off and we would take care of it from there. We took a big styrofoam sail boat and filled it with ice and a wide variety of beverages.


Ahhh yes, the Pastor. Byron was his name. He worked with Katrina and was an ordained Lutheran minister. A really nice guy who was called home to God a few years ago. I was sad when I had heard the news.


As the night before our wedding came I went and stayed at my brothers house. We went out with Ken, Tamis hubby for a few drinks. My bachelor party. Kat went out with a friend of hers (who was married) and watched her hook up with some guy (who was not her husband). I always thought that was such a classless thing to do. The night before her friend is to get married she takes her out and shows her what married life is all about by cheating on her husband. OK, I am getting off topic here....where was I....Oh yes....


Well Sunday, May 28th, 2000 came and it turned out our plans were going to be changed up a bit. As with all outdoor weddings you run that risk. Yep, you guessed it. It was raining. So the sun-tent that Kats cousin went to the trouble of setting up did not get used. Our vows were said in her sisters living room and the reception was moved to the garage. And of all the weddings we worked the summer before I never saw a group of people have as good a time as our guests did. For not being rednecks, we sure did have one hell of a redneck reception. lol.  We had Karoake, thats right, we had karaoke.


Kat got up and sang me a really sweet song, She is probably going to kick my butt for not remembering what song. I do remember it bringing tears to my eyes. I do however recall the song her cousin John sang his wife after Kat sang to me. I’m sure you all know it. I dont even know the title but the lyrics go something like "...lets get drunk and screw". It was really touching, to say the least. Not a dry eye in the house...errrr garage.


The party went late into the night, people left little by little and we eventually went to our honeymoon suite at the Econolodge. It was a day to remember. I will never forget it. I have no regrets on the big wedding. The party does not make the couple. The couple make the party. And our party is still going strong as we approach our 8th anniversary.

8:23 PM - 32 Comments - 28 Kudos - Add Comment

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Heading to the big time.
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Allrighty then.......So I tried to post this blog last night. Apparently Tom must have thought that it was not good enough to post and he ate it. That bastard!

Anyhoo. So I havent been spending a whole bunch of time on here lately because I am venturing into undiscovered territory. I am on my way to becoming a big time DVD producer. Thats right, BIG TIME! And where else to start off than with "Big Red" as she once went by. I’m talking about Kat.

So when we had the pc in to get upgrade I knocked the dust off the box that the DVD burner we purchases 3 years ago came in and sent it along with the tower.

I decided to start off simple and just grab 2 of Kats favorite gigs we have on tape. Keep the editing to a minimum and basically teach myself how to work the software.

Up untill now I have been using Windows Movie Maker to upload, edit, title etc all of Kats videos. I caught on pretty quick and was able to make it work to produce her clips and save as .wmv files. Since I uploaded at lower bit rates than I would prefer for dvd format I decided to re-upload using the software that came with the burner. Arcsoft showbiz something or other.
This software is a bit more difficult to navigate than the Windows software. I havent gotten into splicing anything yet, as far as pulling certian bits and blending together with the Arcsoft software. I also was unable to figure out how to add a title at the beginning of the clip. I could only overlay the title onto the movie. Not what I want. I was able however to create the title in movie maker then import to arcsoft as a video then splice in with the video and add a really cool transition. It worked out well.

So I layout the dvd with the menu and the background etc. Set it to burn and then took it upstairs and popped it into the player and waaalaaaaa....

 it worked.....yippeeeeee. I was elated to say the least. (I wish I could say the same for photobucket. It apparently does NOT want to work! I had to resize the pixels on the pc then upload, photobucket done changed shit up. I think they are in it with Tom.)

Now onto the label. Our burner is lightscribe capable. I layed out a quick label and started the burn, took about 25 mins. And now we have a finished copy.

I was pretty happy with my first attempt at this. But I do see alot of room for improvement. Some issues I have...

1-The video quality totally sucks! We have a Sony Digital 8mm camera, when we plug the camera into the tv and watch tapes the quality is not to bad. Somewhere along the way, either during upload or conversion to dvd format I lost video quality. When uploading with movie maker it gives you options for bit rate. Arcsoft did not give me that option, not that I saw anyhow.

2-I need to figure out how to do more editing and get more comfortable with the Arcsoft program. So far I dont like editing feature. I much prefer the movie maker for editing.

The rest will come in time. I will learn how to create my own themes, back ground etc. instead of using preset formats, which are nice and there are several to choose from.

Some points to ponder.
-I wonder if I could upload the video in movie maker, do all my editing etc then import the finished product to arcsoft for the dvd making capabilities. Well I know I can, but my question is what will the results be? better quality or worse?

So......anyone out there have any suggestions or recomendations? I want to be able to get the best quality I can out of our camera and pc. I have plans (wishes) to purchase a high def/hard disc drive camera down the road. I found a nice JVC I liked that has audio inputs (to jack right into the clubs soundboard) and a manual focus ring which would be nice so when someone in the crowd stands up it wont effect the focus area.

So short of buying anything at the moment, I am looking for advice on improving the video quality. Anyone have any ideas? All feed back will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading and  have a nice day. 

4:31 PM - 18 Comments - 16 Kudos - Add Comment


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