Memory Lane - 1989

Here we go folks, another trip down Memory Lane. My memory lane to be exact.

For sometime now I have wanted to transfer all my old VHS tapes to a format that was more secure (not fade away with time) and easier to access. I have copied a few to CD's but that was very time consuming and dangerous. I've accidentally erased parts of my some of my old VHS tapes trying to figure out how to transfer them. I'll never get that recipe back again as Richard Harris said in "MacArthur Park."

I had considered paying a service to transfer my precious VHS tape memories but at $25 a pop, that was just more than I could afford.  Plus, I didn't want to send my tapes to India (and that's where they go folks) and take a chance on losing my original tapes, which I read happens.  No thank you sahib.

A few weeks ago I was searching Amazon.com for equipment that could more efficiently process my video tape transfers I came across a place called Lotus Media.  All their reviews were excellent and they only charged $10 a tape. Viola! I took a chance and send forty-three of my old VHS tapes in that large cassette format out to "Kirk" (the owner of the company) in a large box via UPS, sealed tightly. 

Last week I received those tapes back with a tiny flash drive containing all my VHS tapes.  I plugged the flash drive into my computer and viola!  (yes, another "viola!")  This is what I found, looking at myself on sometimes too long tapes but none the less interesting.  

I'll be the first to admit the tapes are boring because they are too long.  However I plan to cut and paste those tapes in my account at You Tube and make a lot of small vignette videos. I'm just not sure how to do that yet, I don't want to lose any more of my original tapes.  I hope I can take a portion of the taped recording out and create a new video with all the bells and whistles like a beginning and an end.  I want to send them to my relatives and friends.  Unfortunately the friend you hear on this tape died a couple of years ago.  He would have loved to seen this video.

Looking at these videos I am again reminded at how fast life goes by.  This video was taken in November of 1989, twenty-eight years ago!  Wow, where DID the time go?  One thing is for sure, I won't be here twenty-eight years from now. But another thing for sure, my memory of my life will be here for all to see in You Tube, if they're interested.

Enjoy!

Productive Morning

Well folks, I did it!  I ordered the new iPhone.  Yep, I sure did.  I'm not going to be left behind. 

Which one did I order?  The biggest . . . . of course. The cost? Don't ask.  I just extended my contract.  Yep, I'm on the hook for another two years.  Hope I'm around when that contract ends but I doubt it.  If I'm still alive I'll probably be wearing sweat pants, wearing a diaper, and drolling on some health care center.  Hopefully that won't be my fate but after seeing how my long time friend Bob M. has ended up.  Who knows?

A very productive morning this morning my faithful blog followers.  I also washed my buggy car.  Such a beautiful fall day how could I not wash it. I asked Bill to take a video with my now OLD iPhone (they'll call me when the new one comes in).  Bill still doesn't know how to use the iPhone to take pictures or videos.  It's all a learning process . . . . still.  But I'm a patient guy, sort of.

Und Gut!

Something fun to watch and listen to, Oktoberfest.

Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Coffee

Some may wonder how I come up with the subject matter for my almost daily blog. I say to them, EVERY DAY LIVING!

For instance, today's blog features me (who else?) at Zorba's Restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Once a week Bill and I go out for breakfast at Zorba's, a hole in the wall restaurant just outside of downtown Rehoboth Beach. This morning, while waiting for our friend Bob, I asked Bill to take a video of me (who else?) having a cup of coffee. I don't know about you, but I find this video fascinating. Perhaps because it is ABOUT ME!

I’ve often thought if I had a digital camera and this cool little Flip video camcorder, how many pictures and videos would I have of my everyday living? Perhaps it is just as well I discovered these wonderful technological marvels late in my life. I doubt if I would have a computer hard drive big enough to hold all of those files.

One thing that does give me comfort though is the fact that perhaps, sometime in the future our descendants will look at these picture and videos and wonder how we could live in such “primitive” conditions.

These moments of life that I have recorded are a small legacy I’m leaving behind before I blast off into the Great Void of the universe. If nothing else, short videos like this offer a clue to my personality more than any picture could. This is a lot more than I have of my ancestors.

I’ve often wished I could go back in time and visit my ancestors and to know what they were like. All I have are frozen images in photographs and names and dates. Occasionally there is something in writing about the person in our past. But unless we have known them personally, all we’re left with is that stoic, two dimensional pictures.


This morning, with this short video, I have left a three dimensional portrait of myself. My legacy.

ALERT!  I tried to upload the video to my blog posting but, unfortunately, with the latest so call upgrade to my Blogger I can no longer upload videos OR spell check.  You tell me, where's the upgrade? 

So, if anyone wants to see my video, you will have to go to my Facebook account.  I'll post some still shots from the video to this posting.  Frustrating to say the least.