Bad Day

As the title suggest, today was not good. We got up and went to church and I had to keep talking about being laid off. I was hoping to just skate through, but somehow everyone knew I had been let go and wanted to talk about it and give me encouragement. The only problem... I didn't want to talk about it, that's all I have done since Tuesday.

I know they just found out, but after the tenth person I was getting numb and more depressed, it didn't help that the message was about hope. Regretfully I'm the kind of person who just wants to hide when I'm depressed, but I can't I've got to continue on and when I do this I run into people I know.

Hopefully this interview on Monday will make things a little better. I need some good news so I can stop talking about the bastards that let me go.

Behind The Spoof

About a month ago the minister came up to me and had an idea for a video. At the time it sounded great, until it was time to do the thing. As a lot of things, time and resources became major issues and it started to make me regret telling the church I knew how to shoot and edit video.

After all the arguing and gnashing of teeth, three videos emerged and I think they are pretty good. There are a lot of issues for a editing and shooting aspect, but considering some of the stuff I've seen our church and others use, this is near Academy Awards-esque for them.

The video concept is simple it's a spoof on Behind the Music and the Jonas Brothers that ties in the story of Jonah. I wrote out a rough script the night before we shot the video and luckily the three characters are really good at ad libing and taking my outline and going crazy with it.

So far the reactions I have heard have been positive, but most are from people I know or people who know the guys in the videos. I enjoy these videos and to be honest, I am glad this project is over.

Almost a Story

I normally do not and won't blog at work, but I am attempting to load video off my laptop and it is taking an hour longer than it's suppose to, so I don't care right now. My story tonight was kind of a strange one. All The Serg would tell me is was about an attempted abduction. My reaction was this "You're tell me that we are doing a story on an almost crime?" I know abduction is a serious thing and the guy who nearly did the abduction has been harassing people for weeks. At the time I did not know that. It was just bizarre to me that we were going to do this almost story and for the rest of the night everything was about almost. Then, I kid you not, they almost arrested him. They spotted his car and pulled him over in a parking lot. Of course, he ran like the wind.

When we found out we were within a mile of the scene, the only problem was, the intersection had about 7 strip malls and countless parking lots and no one knew which lot and there were not any tell tale signs of the scene. It consisted of only one marked police car (lights off), an unmarked car and the suspects car with a vanity plate on the front saying "Fear This." After searching the area, I spotted another live truck parking and I head towards them and then I spot the front plate. I think the cop was laughing at me when I pointed and screamed "FEAR THIS!" It had to be funny; we were searching for over 20 minutes.

We do a live shot for the 7 and find out they want a shot for the 11 as well. After we ate lunch we went back to the location. As locations in Durham go this is not a great spot to be at late at night. Countless police cars circle the area, yet we are approached by three different homeless guys. I kept thinking about the South Park episode about the homeless asking for spare change. At times I don't mind giving a little when I have it, but when I am working I usually won't give them money, I will food if I have it. We are a giant walking billboard and everyone thinks we have money. I don't carry any money, The Wife doesn't allow it, and something about it's hers.

While all this is going on I get a call, regretfully my wish of an easier week at the church got worse. They are now doing a video this week. To make this work I need to go Thursday morning and get a little training at the Mac store on Final Cut Express. Friday morning set up the camera, leave and come back when the video is done being shot, finally edit it all day and hope it works. If it doesn't I have to go back Saturday and make it work. Sunday I'm probably going to have to shoot the opening of the new site as well. I am getting tired of this. We are doing the video this week because the main guy didn't want to burden another minister with a last minute sermon. Yet I guess it's OK to burden me. I know it will have to get better, if it doesn't I'm going to have to stop helping. I no longer enjoy helping.

Random Insomnia

As I sit here at 1:30 in the morning I am tired, yet I can not sleep. I've had a lot on my plate as of late and I'm starting to feel the effects. Work has been all over the place, my church has asked me to do a lot and I had a little family situation:

Work Front

I don't know what it is about Raleigh, but nothing interesting will happen for a long time and then all the sudden we have major news events every day. I blame Duke vs UNC for the start of my work stress. As I have mentioned I do not like Chapel Hill and yet JDOG-17 saw it fit to send be there to cover the possible riots if the Tarheels won the game. For the most part the night went smooth... except that I got hit by a car. I had a guy want to park next to the live truck and we put cones up so no one couldn't. Lets just say he started off on the wrong foot with me and I didn't make things easier. I started to move my cones and he guns it and swipes my arm. I am still not sure how he missed my foot. Luckily for me Shawn was there as well as two reporters and an intern. Come to find out later he was running late for a radio interview. That's ass, for nearly running me over so you can go to another media outlet.

After the brush fires, there was an explosion outside downtown Raleigh. Someone tried to take live mortar shells to a scrap yard and two went boom. As the night side crew Boston Stevie and I got to baby sit the scrap yard as the military decides what to do with the other 40 shells. Well the military gets the great idea to start blowing them up on site. Yeah that went over real well with all the locals who had to be evacuated or kept hearing explosions all night long.

One Church Two Locations Not Enough J Dog

I go to a church that meets in a movie theater, it's different, but The Wife and I like it. Since land is getting very expensive here, and we are out growing the current theater, we are opening in a second site. The new expansion is in Wake Forest, so now we only get to drive 10 minutes instead of 30. But there is a catch here, they are not increasing the ministry staff. How is that possible you may ask? That's where I come in, they are currently going to tape a sermon in advance, so I have been tapped to help. I have spent the majority of my off time at the church trying to help them figure out how to make this work. It's not that bad, except at times I feel like I'm trying to move a mountain. They want to save money, yet make it high end; use my skills, but use an editing system I've never touched; try lighting with 5 times the light needed, adjust it to make it work. I don't mind this extra work load, it's that my normal job has started to see a little bit of an effect from it. Hopefully after the opening this week everything will calm down.

Family

I was working Sunday and The Wife called and told me that my grandfather is not doing well. He is starting to have kidney failure. After talking to my mom, I guess it got to the point where she didn't think he was going to make to the end of the week. He's 94 and has led a full life, but he's my grandfather! He lived next door and I would go over every Monday and Friday and stay till my parents got home. When I was young and we moved around a lot. I would stay with them as the family packed. I still haven't gotten over the death of my grandmother and that was 6 years ago. I just can't imagine not having him here. Over the last few years I have taken him forgranted, I hate seeing him in a nursing home, it's just hard and makes me realize his mortality.

He did make it through and is getting better, no longer are we 100% worried (more like 50%) yet I am still shaken by this. I am actually wanting to get back home and currently there is no way to make that seven hour drive and not kill myself even more. With this news we were planning a trip to just Columbus in June and now we may have to include Ironton, just so I can visit.

Enough random ramblings for the night, hopefully I can get to sleep soon.