Not intuitive at all.
(I have been advised by several friends to tell you right now that when you get to the video, put your tea down and swallow before you play it. Sorry, I knew ahead of time how funny it was 
Perhaps tomorrow we can discuss how to get Diet Coke out of laptop keyboards.)
OK, so tell me. Who here has NOT taught their toddlers:
Green means GO.
Red means STOP.
I thought so. We all have. It’s just how life works.
Yesterday was Sam’s violin recital, he was playing a big concerto downtown (right in the middle of the Thunder Road Marathon, which was a real problem, but that’s another story…) Because of the issues with transportation and the marathon and parking and all, I was the only one who got to go. So I borrowed Emily’s video camera so that Dixon and everybody could see it later. Plus, he’s practiced this concerto so much, for so long, I just wanted it to be recorded for safe keeping, KWIM?
I had a great seat, the camera was fully charged, and there was room for 39 minutes of high resolution video. I was all set.
Push the big ON / OFF button. Little red light goes on. Moving pictures appear in the screen. Push a different button. Light turns green (you know, GREEN as in GO!) and moving pictures continue on that little screen. Push that same button again, light turns red.
OK, I’ve got this. And I had a plan. Turn the power on right about when the musician ahead of Sam was finishing, just so that I wouldn’t even miss a moment. He had practiced really hard for this recital, and it was his first with his new teacher, since Miss Jessica moved…. and it was kind of a big deal to be performing downtown at Spirit Square and all…. Good thing I brought the camera.
Sam did a beautiful job. My gosh, he’s getting tall, though. You could actually see a tiny bit of his hand knitted green tweedy socks because his pants, which fit him last week, I know they did, are already getting too short. He played the concerto from memory, and he said he messed up a bit at the beginning, but what his teacher and I noticed more was that he was playing really fast. Maybe he was nervous.
Here’s the video. Emily uploaded it for me, the whole thing, uncut and unedited.
Oh well. Laughter is perhaps even more valuable music than violin concertos!
Oh Elizabeth — I’m sorry. I did this very same thing, although not with nearly as important an event. My kids and dh were doing a zipline thing on vacation, and I was down on the bottom with my littlest. I “videotaped” my middle child going down the line, only to find out that I was on STOP while he was going, and I GO-ED while he was stopping. You should have him do a little performace at home, maybe! I think of you and pray for you often — you are part of my St. Andrew Christmas novena!
Oh, you are not alone. I have done this, and my husband has done this, too! So sorry.
Still praying, praying, praying. You are amazing.
Well, if it makes you feel better, my family doesn’t even trust me with the camera…of course I have given them plenty of reasons over the years!
Love and prayers!
OK, so I got this spiffy new Flip Camera as an early Christmas present. There are things I *need* to record, donchaknow. So this past Saturday (12/11) was first Penance for the Darlin’s. Each of the children read part of the Gospel reading about the lost sheep from Luke. My Felicity was the first: “A Reading from Luke. Tax collectors and sinners gathered around Jesus.” She handed the microphone to Ben who read and handed the microphone to Lily who read and handed the microphone to …… You get the picture. All the way to Kate who read “The Word of the Lord.” Darling. Totally darling. I had the camera at the ready. I started it. I watched the reading through the camera screen so that I could make sure to keep the camera focused on the child who was reading. Etc. By the time it got to Kate I realized that the light was still GREEN and that the timer which shows remaining video time had not decremented. At all. Not one second.
Sigh.
I must have pressed the START button twice by accident. You know: Start and then immediately STOP.
The fact that the COLORS are wrong does NOT help the matter!
I feel for you.
All well. Despite technology we find ourselves in the same situation as our predecessors: memories living only in our minds instead of digitally recorded.
Mind you — of my four, this is the first one where the whole family wasn’t present. Greg had the other three kids elsewhere. Just the way things go. (I must admit, there is little to see at First Penance. It just doesn’t have the pageantry and heraldry of Communion and Confirmation.)
One more story… As I held Felicity’s hand as she waited outside the door for her turn I asked her if she had her whole list of sins. She said yes. I queried, “All three hundred?” She Medusa-looked her mama and said “It’s not three HUNDRED.” I returned, “Oh, that’s right. There were three hundred twelve.” She giggled. Another mama overheard and found the exchange quite entertaining.
Have a good Monday, diapers and splints and all.
I couldn’t help but think of you as I lectored yesterday’s 10 AM Mass. “Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” Heck, most of them got their body parts LOBBED off! I’ll take my pedestrian aches and pains and religious liberties and freedom of speech any day. I’ll endeavor to avoid complaining.
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/james/james5.htm#v7
Much love, Esther
When my husband and I were dating I went to his brothers wedding. His family asked me to videotape the pictures afterward, (Oh thank heaven nothing as important as the wedding!!) You would think, based on the footage, I am in the habit of twirling constantly because that’s all you see, the floor, walls and ceiling in a constant twirling…and you keep hearing me say, “No, it’s off…yes! it’s off…I know how to run this thing…it is not on, I’m sure.”
Lurked here, don’t ever comment but ray lots. justbwanted tom say, I did the EXACT same thing last Sunday. First piano recital for my oldest two children. our videos look very similar.
Yes. My older son’s ordination ceremony. What was he thinking, trusting that to me? Lucky for me, I’ve heard Sam play Seitz.
Hi Elizabeth!
I’ve quietly visited your blog once or twice before without leaving so much as a “hi, how are you”. Please forgive. God has put you in my thoughts in recent days and I just thought I ought to let you know that. I think it’s the Lord’s way of letting you know that he sees and loves you so very much.
Thanks for the laugh. It really is good medicine.
Blessings,
Patricia
Oh, Elizabeth….I so understand your pain…..I had borrowed a video camera to record one of my son John’s high school football games. Ummm, the flying tackle with his whole body parallel to the ground and about 3 feet off the ground, with 3 seconds left in the game to save his team’s win……..was not recorded by his mother, but I thought I did……sigh….. I can still see it however, and the whole team running to him, and the coaches reactions…..sigh…..
Why don’t you have Sam play his piece with Emily recording it and share it with us? I promise to clap really loud!
Ok, knowing that Sam drove up to Faith Formation on Sunday, I assumed that the title of your entry would have something to do with Sam’s driving adventures…by the way, I noticed that Danny and Emily decided to WALK home after class instead of driving home with brother! I was viewing the clip and started laughing. Tom heard me and asked what was so funny and I told him I was viewing your blog. He had also seen it. I commented that you had pulled a “me” (can’t tell you how many times I have done that!) My loving and observant husband agreed that great minds do/think alike.
That is FANTASTIC.
I know that is so frustrating, it is very funny though
I would have loved to see it and I’m sure he did a beautiful job. I’m proud of him for doing it memorized too. I hope he is enjoying taking with Angela. I heard that Danny did a beautiful job in his recital a few weeks ago. I sure miss those kids!
Ah yes, electronics. My vacuum head beaters wouldnt beat. Major crisis since I have two hairy dogs and 2 cats as well as all my adult children visitng. I spent an afternoon taking it apart (gross!) cleaning dust out etc. Stilll didn’t work. Took it apart, reassambled it for one last try and suddenly on the long wand leading to the head saw a button labelled “ON/Off” Is that sneaky or what!
I think it was Mitch Hedberg that was complaining about the same thing with regard to bananas… “Green means ‘stop’, yellow means ‘go’, and red means, ‘where the heck did you get that banana?’”