Hello, blog!
Yes, I’m aware that’s a strange way to address one’s blog. But is it really any more bizarre than Good Morning America? And does anyone remember that old McLean Stevenson sit-com called Hello, Larry?
Not the catchiest TV jingle, but hey — at least they HAD a jingle. I’d love to have a jingle. But I digress…
Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. For the past few weeks, I’ve been submerged in my home studio (aka “the man cave”) working on a special project. Yes, at long last, we’re putting ALL of our website video content on DVD. Everything but the kitchen sink, which is probably for the best since kitchen sinks are little more than bacterial havens.
But wait — ALL is not all! In addition to the blog videos you’ve come to know and love, we’re adding ADDITIONAL never-before-seen (or heard) content. Not only will you get the contents of our blog in full DVD glory, but we’re including new audio commentary soundtracks that are loaded with new information. We’re also adding fresh video where appropriate.
Overall, the DVD series will offer the best way to see all of our videos in one place. We hope that you not only find them entertaining, but also informative. The commentary soundtracks are a lot of fun, and deliver a fresh new perspective on our travels. It’s also quite stisfying to once and for all not be forced to DOWNLOAD anything. Just press “play” and the video plays. Ahhhhhhhh, that’s nice.
We’ll blog more about the DVD project as the launch date draws near. But for now, I just wanted to reassure you that (1) I’m not dead, and (2) we WILL be back on the road soon, visiting the remainder of the lower 48 states, cameras in hand.
Until next time… happy camping!
OK so. First off, you made me feel a little better about not writing a blog entry every single day. Sometimes days can go by, and I “got nothin’….” to put it in the “caretaking vernacular”, but then you go and spoil it all by producing a DVD!
Geez Louise!
But hey! I can be a big guy about it. So…Congratulations!
Really.
Now, on a slightly different note, I just want to make an observation, perhaps leaning precariously in the direction of a complaint. But a minor one.
We in the “western English speaking world”, and by that I’d like to lump the Canadians in with the Americans (please, no flames from the Canucks) have come up with some utterly amazing English turns of phrase, such as “he’s a ‘has been’….”, I could go on and site other examples, but suffice to say, to some German speaking individuals who dabble in the English language as a source of study and amusement, these kinds of things are fascinating, since in most cases a direct translation to German is impossible.
Trust me.
Now, here’s my slight gripe, and maybe this has to do with the evolution of the English language, but I hope not.
I hear from time to time, people using the reflexive “myself”, improperly. Just a pet peeve of mine. You can look at “yourself”, shave “yourself”, be annoyed with “yourself” but it’s OK to us the good old fashioned word “me”, such as, “please give it to me”. By substituting “myself”, the level of speech is not being elevated in any way, shape or form.
So here’s the part where you’re going to get upset with me…..
Go to 1:07 or thereabouts. Should be “commentary tracks from ME….”
…
Dead simple….just say “me”. It’s OK, really. …and quite correct.
Now you can blast me if you’d like. I can take it.
Thankfully this isn’t the first time I’ve made a comment, or you’d think I was some kind of troll, or whatever.
Keep smiling.
Best to you.
and again, ‘way cool’. Congratulations. (oh, and that was another one….doesn’t translate)
Bob.
Hi Bob,
It’s always great to hear from you.
With regard to the English issue, I appreciate your point more than you know. My mother is a retired English teacher and I am usually rather “uptight” about matters of English.
My pet peeves in the online world usually involve words like lose & loose, bias & biased, it’s and its, their and they’re, and… you get the picture.
With that said, I give more leeway with regards to spoken English. How many of us truly speak proper English, without sentence fragments, slang, and dangling participles? The challenge is ratcheted up a notch when someone points a camera at you.
Of course, there are certain English errors that hit my ears like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard — I’m thinking of double negatives and the like.
ANYWAY, are you SURE I misspoke? With all due respect, I encourage you to check the video again. I think I got it right. 😀
Cheers,
Sean
Oh, and more on the DVD project to come — it’s gonna be really cool!
Since I’m at that point in life when self doubt has a way of creeping into the back of my mind, (did I lock the car? Do I have my keys? Did I do up my trousers?) … you suckered me into taking another look.
I mean, I really began to think I might have heard wrong.
Really.
But then…
You sly dog you!
You can’t fix the lips! The lips don’t lie!
Nice try though. Commendable. Keep at it.
🙂
B.
More on the DVDs soon. It’s a ridiculously complex project. We have over 100 videos, and we’ve cut 2 soundtracks for just about every video. Then there are the menus, a zillion links, and multiple pieces of original artwork. It’s several hundred components all of which must smoothly mesh together. I will be pleased when this project is wrapped up — which will be soon! Then we are back on the road… 🙂