Home Office Nook

For about 10 months, I've been contemplating getting a new computer. After a number of weddings who have booked this fall and photography bookings...I've decided it's time. I got some input from other wedding videographers who are using iMac's. They all said upgrade everything on the 27 inch and you will be satisfied with the performance. So, that's what I did.

Have you ever lost track of time on Pinterest? Well, do a search for "office closet." That's what I'm doing with my home office.

I've always been in love with small nooks. Trey uses our official office nook for work. The photo below is from several years ago.
We thought about moving Trey's office to the spare bedroom, but he has really gotten comfortable here, so that's where he's staying.

Soooo, this is my space. I was already using it for work, but now I'm really maximizing the real estate. Trey is going to extend the desktop surface, so it's a deeper work area. Y'all, I love it already!!!! It also doubles as a standing workstation. What do you think?

This is how I was using the space before...I love how I can close the door and tuck everything away, when I don't want to even think about editing. :)

Day 3: Create & Organize Christmas Cards

I knew I was shooting for the moon thinking I'd be able to mail out Christmas Cards today. However, we picked out a nice template. I'll get the cards ordered in the next few days and have the girls help me mail them.

I Have My Lab Results 
Remember all the stomach pain I was complaining about? Good news, my lab results came back A-OK. This is good, right??? Butttttttt it bothers me, that the doctor has no idea why I was in so much pain. Just go with it??? Well, that's what I did this morning. I ran on the treadmill for the first time in EIGHT days. I broke 6 miles up in two segments. 4 miles at 11 am and then 2 miles at 2 pm.

The Perfect Fathers Day Gift

This year, I got off the hook, I didn't have to buy Trey a fathers day gift because I gave birth to his daughter. Which is the best gift of all...don't you think? His only fathers day request was that I make him Hamburger Helper. I stopped making that mush, like 4 or 5 years ago, but every now and then Trey will either ask me to make it for him or he'll make it himself. A little here, a little there, never hurt anybody.

So, a huge happy fathers day to Trey.
He used a weeks worth of vacation time to stay at home with me this week. He's been so helpful and he's a pro at changing diapers.

This morning, while I was working on lunch, Trey and Cheyenne went grocery shopping. Cheyenne really likes the double seater cart. Here before too long Dakota will be big enough to ride beside her.

This afternoon, while Dakota was napping, I got out of the house and went shopping at Sam's Club. It felt great to be driving and walking around. It's hard to believe the last time I was out and about by myself other than today, was last week, when I walked to Wal-Mart to get pineapple.

Do you guys FaceTime? We do. Here's is Dakota's first FaceTime chat. All she had to say was hiccup.

Cheyenne is thinking: This is like looking in a mirror...

I'm not complaining at all, but this baby girl sleeps and sleeps and when she's not sleeping, she's yawning.
Last night, was a fantastic. This was her feeding/changing schedule:
9:50 pm
12:00 am
5:05 am
9:00 am
Dakota, I'm totally loving your schedule. Keep it up! 

My History with Apple. RIP Jobs. iSad.

As you've all heard by now, Steve Job's passed away. I read the news on my iPhone via Twitter. I'm sure many heard the news from an Apple device: iPad, iPhone, MacBook, iMac...The news, of his death is so sad. I knew he was sick, but he just retired and this is right after the iPhone 4S announcement. So sad.

My History with Apple

I was 16 when I decided I wanted to purse filmmaking. A high school friend blessed me with a used Sony  Hi-8 camcorder. I attempted to edit my short films on windows PC. I used and abused that machine, trying to make it my editing hub. After a few months, the PC had enough and wanted out, so it EXPLODED -- literally. I was editing short film featuring my little sister and the machine made a loud popping noise and a cloud of smoke erupted from the CPU. So, it was like a mini-explosion, but I prefer to say it EXPLODED because it sounds more dramatic.

My Senior year of high school, while attending Upward Bound. The director let me check out the programs iBook (claim shell). I was assigned to head-up the end of the year program video. One of my first video assignments! I was up for the challenge. I learned the in and outs of working on a Mac that summer.

Freshmen year of college, I knew I wanted to major in Electronic Media. I was not wishy-washy, I knew what I wanted and I stuck with it. That year, I made the biggest purchase, up to that point, in my life. I dropped one G on an Apple iBook G3 and everything changed. Ever since then, I've been an Apple fan girl.

I use apple products everyday. During pre-production, video production, post-production.

Oh, and I also use Apple products outside the office---EVERYDAY. EVERY HOUR.

So, does my family.

Apple products make my life easier and make me look like a video editing prodigy No? Just a few awards, that's all.

I've received amazing customer service from Apple. Here is a previous post from 2006!!! Serious, College Flashback! http://domandtrey.blogspot.com/2006/03/god-bless-apple.html

Thanks, Steve Jobs for being so innovative. RIP. You were the leonardo da vinci of our time!

On Tonight's Agenda, Working From Home

I brought work home with me tonight. It was unavoidable. Apparently, students are counting on this DVD Video Lecture and I got to get it done. It's nothing I procrastinated on, it was a technical problem with our DVD Hard Drive. So, now I'm sitting in the kitchen with the laptop encoding this DVD in the background.

I'm also working on my desktop computer, from home, even though my desktop is technically at work---all the way in Arlington. I set-up my laptop to where I can be anywhere and have remote desktop/screen sharing to my desktop/work computer and also directly connect to it. This evening was the first time I had a chance to really put it to use and I have to say it makes my job a little easier, since I technically have two computers working simultaneously. Double Duty.

So, I'm encoding on my laptop and encoding on my desktop. Every hour I log in to check on the status and so far it seems to be making progress. I just don't want to wake up tomorrow morning and have to re-encode.

A New Mac

My MacBook Pro is finally here. About a year ago, I was suppose to get a new work laptop, but that never happened. Now that my due date is approaching, management saw the need for me to get a portable work station.

Most likely, I will be working from home towards the end of my pregnancy and a little during my maternity leave. But honestly, I really want to be at work until the very end.

This mac is so much faster than my little G3 iBook. Trey hates my iBook, he will insist on using the Mac desktop over the iBook any day. Since he hates it so much, I brought the new one home, to show him how fast it is and he's not even here. He has to work through the night....poor guy.

I don't complain too much about the G3. I mean come on, it was purchased six years ago and it got me through college. I can't believe the thing is still working. That book has been used to the max and then some.

No Wires Attached and Crabgrass

I finally upgraded to a wireless router. This wireless router thing, has been long overdue. But the iPod Touch was my main motivator that made me bite the bullet.

Currently, I'm in the guest bedroom blogging away and earlier I sat on the front porch surfing my little heart out. Why did I wait so long to do this?

So, other than going online, I'm trying to recoup after a very busy weekend. In yesterday's post, I failed to mention that Trey and I woke up early to do 2 hours of yard work. Apparently, this lot we're on has weeds galore. The landscaper who installed the sod gave us a little sod and a lot of weed.

Honestly, I didn't know we had weeds, because it was growing in nicely. It wasn't until Trey informed me that we don't have grass we have Crabgrass. A few weekends ago, we started to pull some of them, but barely made a dent, so yesterday all we the energy to do was mow it flat. And yes, even mowing the front and backyard took two hours with both of us working.

Jailbreaking the iPod Touch

The last few days, I've been attempting to jailbreak my iPod. Since I have the latest version of this product, I have not been able to do this successfully. I'm guessing that I will have to wait about a month before an updated version will be made available.

The advantage of jailbreaking the iPod is having access to tons of 3rd party applications and really using the product to its full potential. Even though I haven't cracked the code of the touch, I can still enjoy it.

Lately, I've been downloading a lot of video podcast and I watch them while Trey is watching re-runs of football games on TV. Last night he watched a Dallas Cowboys game, while I caught up on world news.

Laptop for Work

My laptop needs are the following:
Primarily a portable graphic station and the option for light video editing.

Originally, I jumped all over the idea of getting a MacBook Air, but then I picked my brain off the floor and did my research.

On the MacBook Air, I quickly realized it's a businessman's laptop. I didn't plan on editing video on the Air, but it would be nice to have that option. In my opinion, Air is not designed to do any type of professional video editing. Two main things made me run in the opposite direction; no firewire and only 2 GB upgrade option of memory.

Ultimately, I order the MacBook Pro. Maybe when Apple can make a MBP as thin as the MBA I'll upgrade, until then I'm satisfied with my choice.

Its Not Like I'm Working...

This morning I got a head start editing a video project. So, there I was, a video editing machine. The hours were flying by, that's when the entire building lost electrical power. Down goes my computer. NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Without thinking I yelled out, "IT"S NOT LIKE I'M WORKING OR ANYTHING!"

I should've been pissed, but can you believe it - the one day I saved my work after every project change, the electricity goes out. Finally, an OCD pays off. Besides, even if I hadn't saved my work, I'm sure or at least believing, Leporad would do some magic.

Honestly, I'm thankful for the hour long power outage. I don't know what that yelling outburst was about. I'm guessing a natural reaction.

The outage gave me a chance to get away and take a break. Because once I get to editing, it's all tunnel vision from there.

Cell Phone Screams: Kill Me

I've had my cell phone for 2 and a half years. I've never replaced the battery and these last few weeks it's been dying rapidly. Even though I could buy a new battery I would rather upgrade to another phone. I'm with AT&T, but you won't hear anytime soon (by that I mean years) about me getting the iPhone. As much as I love Apple products, this is one product I will pass. I'm hoping the next iPhone that comes out will have turn by turn GPS. That is something I would like to invest in.

No iPhone for me. I have my eyes on another cell and it's fairly inexpensive. The only problem about it, is that it's currently out of stock everywhere in the DFW area. I'm suppose to look online and try to purchase it. I may wait, as my current cell dies a slow and painful death. Every time it beeps, it screams, "Kill Me!"

You wanna hear something funny about my cell? I dropped it while back, while riding on my scooter. I was driving at about 38-40 MPH and it slipped out of my pocket. The battery fell off and I just put it back together. The old Razor and I have been through some hard times, but it's time to say goodbye.

No More Clothes in Different Area Codes

It’s official; we’ve successfully moved all our belongings out of storage. One of the first things I wanted to roll out was our big area rug because as of a few days ago, it sounded like we were living in a bathroom. Hopefully, with the rug in place we’ve fixed that problem.

We had some good help making the move from Abilene to home. My mom, Natasha, Brandon and his friend Billy helped us. The extra hands helped especially when I had to unpack the kitchen. I had to wash every piece of silver wear, dish, pot, and pan. I can thank my mom for helping me with that big chore.

Oh, and I almost forgot, Natasha celebrated her 14th birthday and Trey and I wanted to get her something special. My grandma heard about what we wanted to give her and contributed too. You should’ve seen her face when she saw we bought her an iPod. She was ecstatic. She’s a good kid and stays out of trouble and it was nice to be able to get her something she’s been asking for…for a long time.

Finally

Apple finally announced that Leopard will arrive October 26th.

Mac Pro Arrives Early

Late this afternoon, my co-worker came around the corner and made some random remark about the mail...I looked down to see what he was talking about and there it was...the mac pro. I wasn't expecting it to arrive this early and was really hoping it would take a few more weeks. Why? Because apple announced Leopard's release date sometime in October. So sneaky. I decided to order the computer because typically it takes a few weeks for them to process an order, especially if it's custom. I figured by the time they build it, it would be mid October and by then Leopard would be out. Nope. The buzz is they'll have some kind of big release so it may be a few more weeks before the world will say "hello to tomorrow."

Well, even though Leopard is not installed I think I can manage and manage I will. This afternoon I didn't get a chance to play, but I have several projects that are dying to just sit near the new mac. I have high expectations to utilize this tool to the max. The bar has been raised high and I feel the pressure to live up to it.

New iPod..Like We Didn't See it Coming

Last night Trey and I were just talking about how the minute Apple introduces something "we" go out and buy it and then they turn around and release something better and cooler.

Gee whiz... I have nothing to say, but I'm excited about getting my new Mac Pro. Oh and have you heard of the new operating system, Leopard? Okay enough about apple. Like I always say I have a love hate relationship with them. Love umm one day hate them the next. Oh, but you have to love apple.

Mac Account Expired

My mac account expired and I didn't feel like dishing out the money to renew it.

So, for now I no longer have a host to hold my personal website. Just thought I'd let you know. Bye-Bye website.

I Still Love My Mac

My Mac is being stubborn.

The other day I was restarting it and it threw a fit. My three year warranty expired some time ago and the extended-extended warranty expired about a year ago. So, I had no choice, but to troubleshoot the computer myself.

I didn't panic and worry about my computer never working again, like I normally do when this thing occurs. Instead, I stayed calmed and focused on fixing the problem. About 20 minutes later, I resolved the error and continued on with my life as if the computer never stopped working.

I know one day I will have to say goodbye to my little Mac. When it eventually dies I know it will be bitter sweet, until then I'm going to enjoy the longevity of this old computer.

A Love-Hate Relationship

No, I'm not talking about my husband, mom, or sisters...instead I'm referring to a company...Apple.

Recently, Apple made an announcement and the world stopped to listen. Isn't it a sad world when more people tune in to hear what Steve Jobs has to say and few make an effort to tune in to the President's recent address? I haven't decided if I'm going to support the iPhone considering my history with Apple products. Only time will tell, but how can I resist the sleek technology that will depreciate my quality of life. Oh, the dilemma.

God Bless Apple!

Thank God my laptop is back. I would like to take this oppurtunity to thank the apple co. They were so generous they added 8 more GB to my hardrive and upgraded my operating system free of charge. God Bless Apple!I think their trying to make things better. So, far they're doing a good job. I'm glad it came back so soon because I have a video photo album I have to turn in tomorrow to ACU's HR department. Other than apple stuff I've been enjoying my week. Last night Trey wanted to stay home and watch Lost and I'm not a big fan so I went to the gym. I took my comm law book and huge neon yellow highlighter with me. Yes, I'm that girl at the gym that you see doing her homework. I thought it would be a waste of time taking my reading with me, but I really got a lot done, even more so if I would've stayed home. So, tonight I'm returning to the gym to get my studying on. This weekend will be sort of busy...I have a wedding to tape with Amanda. Yeah, these people contacted me last week and said hey we need a videographer. Crazy. Everyone always forgets about the videographer, but that's alright.

IT'S A LEMON!

No big suprise, my laptop is freaking out again. My 3-year warranty has expired, therefore it will cost an arm and a leg to have it repaired. I really need my arms if I plan on shooting footage this weekend, so I'm not cutting anything off of my body. I consulted several people and they believe I have a lemon computer because I've honestly sent it in to be repaired at least 5-6 times. I'm so gonna raise hell when i call apple! I apologize in advance to the lucky apple rep who has to deal with me on the phone. It's nothing personal.