Category Archives: Blog

The Perils of Video Editing

Undoubtedly, you’ve read enough “technology is wonderful until it stops working” articles and blogs to keep you reading from now until we land on Mars. Well, I’ve decided to throw one of my own out there. I promise it’ll be honest and entertaining.

I assume many of you True Believers have watched the latest episode of my vlog, “But I Digress….” While it’s normally instructional with some entertainment elements for seasoning, this episode was pure entertainment. I did a “sequel” to a series of Batman videos I made with a college buddy. This one was a spoof of the newest Batman film, the Dark Knight Rises. I’m very proud of it. I worked long and hard making it. It turned out great, in my opinion–except for one little thing.

The credits.

And it bugged me.

A lot.

Yes, my perfectionistic side reared its ugly head over the part of a movie that people ignore, skip, or wait through for a stinger (watch any Marvel Comic movie). While putting out the best product I can for everyone to see is important to me, what bugs me most about this is there were important people who helped make this video possible, most of whom served in multiple roles, and I wanted to make sure they were acknowledged for it. That’s the point of credits, isn’t it? Mentioning the unsung heroes of a film production.

But Windows Movie Maker keeps giving me problems. Whether I make the credits in the video or by themselves, at least the last third of them won’t be displayed. The music still plays and the background is still there, but the text is gone. Or it has this ugly line smeared down the screen where text should be. My only guess is the program keeps corrupting the files for whatever reason. It didn’t do this before. Maybe it was because I was using a different computer.

Some have told me I should use something better than Windows Movie Maker. I have tried. I first used Adobe Final Cut Pro (I think), but it was so extensive and complicated, I couldn’t figure out how to use it quickly. I’m not a viral filmmaker like James Rolfe (aka The Angry Video Game Nerd) or Doug Walker (aka The Nostalgia Critic). These videos are intended to be supplements to my writing; another means of building an audience. I will admit that sometimes I do get more ambitious and want to do more with my videos, but I then realize I have to real myself in and keep my priorities straight. Perhaps in the future, I’ll upgrade–or at least find a computer that won’t screw it up.

Anyway, I posted new credits. You can watch them here.

What I’m Thankful For (2012)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Today is Thanksgiving, and traditionally people reflect on the blessings in their life and express gratitude for them. Admittedly, it’s been a very difficult year for me (I will spare you the details), and so it’s hard for me to be thankful today when I think I could be doing better than I am.

Regardless, I was reminded of how I tried to list as many of God’s blessings in my life earlier this year. I had heard a sermon about a woman who managed to list 1,001 for herself. I only made it to 80 before I quit. I probably could’ve listed more.

What follows is a condensed version of that list:

  1. God the Father (Abba)
  2. Jesus Christ, God made flesh
  3. The Holy Spirit, my counselor
  4. My salvation
  5. The Bible
  6. My wonderful family (Mom, Dad, Josiah, Jarod, and Sarah)
  7. Grandma Ruth, who’s still with us at age 90
  8. That I’m an American
  9. That I’m a published author
  10. God’s providence
  11. My talents

12. My spiritual gifts

13. My college degree

14. That I’m a TUFW alum

15. I’m intelligent

16. Running water

17.  I can read

18.  My car, which still runs with 200,000+ miles

19.  My church

20. My iPhone

  1. 21.  My many friends (you know who you are)

22. My pastors

23. My creativity

24. My jobs

25. My freelance writing gigs

26. That I almost never get sick

27. Our pets

28. That I’m a nerd

29. My movie, book, and video game collections

30. Our house

31.  Electricity

32. The seasons

33. That I live in Indiana

34. My driver’s license

35. That I volunteer with RemedyLive

What are you thankful for this year?

I Love Election Day

I don’t usually get political on my blog. It’s not that I’m apathetic. I have very strong political beliefs, which you can probably decipher from my writings. If you haven’t figured it out, I’m a conservative. I guess I get nervous about talking politics because it’s such a hot-button issue. Perhaps I should be bolder in the future.

But I digress.

My point in writing this is to say that I love Election Day, especially during presidential elections. I have ever since I was a kid and started learning about how politics works. Yes, I get sick of the unrelenting mudslinging, propagandizing, and political ads, but once the polls close and that all stops, I get to see the political process in action.

I honestly think the United States has the most brilliant presidential electoral system in the world. If we relied simply on majority vote, it’d be nothing but mob rule. Dissident voices would be drowned out. Candidates would just campaign in a handful of large cities and states and be done (which I know some exasperated people would prefer, but again, I digress). The Electoral College gives smaller states a greater say in who becomes president. It makes candidates take their votes seriously. If it wasn’t for that, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama wouldn’t be campaigning in “battleground states” at the last minute. It helps guarantee that your voice will be heard.

The fact that U.S. citizens are able to vote is a privilege (not a right) and duty not to be taken lightly. Don’t listen to those who say your vote doesn’t count. If enough people think that, our country would fall under the tyranny of the majority in some capacity. So, if you haven’t voted yet, go do so!

That’s why Election Day is exciting for me. It makes me proud to be an American, no matter who wins.