Running for the Sake of Sanity

Running is my zen. It gives me the time to be free of the computer, phone, and all forms of communication. It's my time for exercise and play with my dog. It's a chance to think through all that weighs on my mind, work through the problems, and reflect on the day--no matter whether it's coming or going. It keeps me in shape, helps me sleep better, and makes me a happier,  healthier person.

In short, I run for the sake of my sanity.

The heat was always coming, and I knew that. I was just in denial about it, hoping for a few more weeks of running in the sunshine with my dog. It's North Carolina. The South. It gets hot here, and we all know it. So, yeah, the heat was always on its way.

These past few days of 90+ degree weather have nearly driven me crazy, though. Not because of the heat. I love summer and the warmth it brings. But with it comes dehydration and heat stroke when trying to run several miles. Those are fairly serious problems to face, and I'd rather avoid them if I can.

So, I guess it's back to searching for a gym before I pass out while running. I'm trying to be optimistic about it, but I would rather be outside running any day than in a gym. Bleh. Oh well, maybe I can find one with a pool so I can swim laps. That'd be nice.

This clip from What Women Want has stuck with me, even though the movie isn't one of my favorites. It's a great commercial and the stuff he says really speaks to how I feel about running. It's quite nice. Enjoy: http://youtu.be/QyO6ayCb5rE. 

Stay safe, folks. It's hot out there, as you know. 

Memorial Day Weekend

My original Memorial Day weekend plan included visiting the lovely Annie Beth and her sweet family so that we could finalize music in Abandoned Allies. I was really excited about this because (1) I really enjoy spending time with them because they're so much fun, and (2) it meant that we were infinitely closer to being finished with the film as the music is one of the last things we'll tweak.

Ehhh, but that's not at all what happened.

While working on this film, I have learned that one must be flexible with this sort of project because things change on a regular basis. It's just part of the whole "building the plane while you're flying it" thing. It can be frustrating, sure, but I'm so grateful to work with people that are flexible and forgiving as we learn to work together.

Annie Beth was graceful enough to let me cancel the trip when I realized my schedule was off. In my haste to finish the film, I  left no time to tweak it based on feedback from some of our cast members. So my Memorial Day was now meant for tweaking the parts identified during the most recent screenings.

Yet, instead of either of those plans, I found myself adding B roll. (Remember the part about being flexible?) I spent numerous hours hunting through video Alena identified to find relevant footage, downloading it, and organizing it. Then I learned that the files I downloaded wouldn't work in Final Cut Pro (FCP). When I imported them, the audio disappeared. I tried to find the answers to this problem. I googled but I couldn't find what I needed, and pretty soon I was getting quite impatient.

So, much of Saturday was spent connecting with a number of people that know much more about this than I do. Let me just say that I am so lucky to have access to a group of men who kindly guide me through the techie stuff and take the time to kindly explain it to me in plain English. So lucky.

Without further ado, I owe a big shout out to Todd Tinkham, Jim McQuaid, Chris Moore, Patrick Jones, Zach Abrams, and Andy Poe (and Andy's editor, whom I've never even met!) for helping me over the weekend. I needed to figure out two different problems, and they all responded so quickly to my plea for help. They gave me the tools I needed to convert some files so that I could make progress in FCP. They really helped save my sanity over the weekend, and I owe them much more than just a shout out.

Sunday I spent time with family and friends--a welcomed relief from watching that scrolling progress bars at the computer as the sun taunted me through the window. Monday was spent doing more video editing, and I think I have finalized a certain segment of the film that was previously bothering me.

There's much more work to do, and many more blog posts to write. We're moving so quickly now that it's really tough to stop and write about it all but I don't want to miss documenting as much as I can.

Stay tuned, y'all. More to come.