Whose the Daddy of 'Em all?

PUBLIUS#19 - Today is Cheyenne Frontier Days Eve. There is no white-bearded Madison Avenue creation waiting to deliver goodies and gifts (well, there is a guy who looks a lot like the nameless marketing character, but not the same guy, and certainly not the same gifts - someone thinking Coors Light, too?), but there is a whole lot going on that could never fit under a Christmas Tree, even the one in Times Square.

Where to begin, where to begin?

CFD dominates a lot of my time, and my WBC marketing teammates time, but I love it.

We are charged with working with the media during the big show, and I love the pace of the work. We are orchestrating interviews and getting people to places, putting names to faces, and even ordering a few parking spaces. (Here's looking at you Teddy Geisel).

It's a lot like juggling your mom's favorite vase, her bifocals and her patience: it's applauded when you keep it airbound, and it's damned when all three drop into one ugly pile of lenses, crystal and tears.

Being aware of everything would be a helpful skill with this assignment, but that would just be vanilla. CFD is fueled with good times, good people and cheap beer. Hard work is definately in the equation as well, but volunteers by nature seem to be hardchargers. Why else would you do something for free if it wasn't fun and done in the company of fun people.

I wish i could see everything, at least for this week. I have a tea pot my adorbale preance won in a raffle, and it looks a lot like a Genie's bottle, so i make give that a rub for this particular wish.

If it doesn't pan out, i'll continue juggling, and at the end of the day, I'm just fine with that.

PUBLIUS#18-Pumping Blood and Sucking Air...

CHEYENNE-My girlfriend has been sick the past few days and I think I've taken over where she left off. She is on the mend and I'm on the fall. My chest feels like it will explode if I cough one more time and my head feels like a medicine ball.

I think it's a combination of being run down from vacation and not sleeping enough due to the coughing all night long.
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PUBLIUS#17-Motivation, Lost

CHEYENNE-I'm trying to locate the elusive motivation that lives somewhere inside me. I have a lot of tasks to handle before leaving to Las Vegas in 36 hours. I have things to do at home and things to do at work. I finally wrapped up my first video project and I'm indifferent to the result.
It's mediocre, but I'm so pressed for time that I have to put it to bed.
Throughout the process I learned a lot, though.
I learned what I need to do to shoot better video on location, and I need to figure out a more balanced method for handling audio. I ran into a few volume issues that I didn't understand, but I was able to make it a little better in post production.

I hope the quality is OK for a first effort. Considering I have only been at for a couple months, I don't think it's horrible, but I always want to make my projects tighter, crisper and better.

I'm sure my skill level will improve because I always work hard at learning new things. I do not have the luxory of resting on my laurels...I have to get better at everything I do, but that keeps it interesting and I can live with that.

I was motivated enough to post this, so I better keep the little momentum I currently have going for the rest of my chores.

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PUBLIUS#16-Getting Blogged Down...

CHEYENNE/DOWNTOWN/UPSTAIRS/MY LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD-I found some very cool Web sites and new blogs today.

If I can say one thing I truly appreciate about new media, it's the massive amount of information, from likely and unlikely sources, available in three or less clicks.

Since the Rocky Mountain News put its last paper to bed last week, it's reporters, copy editors, new media journalists and what seems like everyone else who had paycheck signed by E.W. Scripps Co., is anything but tired.

These idle reporters keep reporting, and keep meeting deadlines, and keep readers interested.

I Want My Rocky (http://www.iwantmyrocky.com/) is one of the coolest Web sites I've come across lately because it is one of true purpose. It was created a little before the RMN closed its doors and shut off its presses in order to save the paper.

It has morphed into RMN's second life, online.

It is designed great and offers links to so many blogs from so many people - mostly former RMN writers - that it is now one of my top Web sites to browse.

I like to see people create prosperity from defeat, and I like to see one newspaper's staff stand sturdy against the winds of change.


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PUBLIUS#15-Busy is Good.

CHEYENNE-So good, in fact, I can't finish...this...

STOP

PUBLIUS#14-Cars Going in Circles

CHEYENNE-We went to Old Chicago yesterday to watch the Wyoming V. Air Force game. It was a good game for UW. Brandon Ewing is a great gaurd.

Marge and I got there early and started our own "Beer Tour." I have "Hall of Foam" aspirations.

Her sister Michelle and my friend Steve showed up at hanf time and we played some trivia and ate some pizza. All in all it was a good time.

I like the mix of people at a bar on a Saturday afternoon. I think Toby Keith wrote a song about it.

My favorite niche group is the Nascar fans, the people who vote republican and drink domestic. I can appreciate that, but I don't get the excitement of watching cars go in circles. I am OK with the fandom, and I'm OK with the sport, but I'm confused about the start-to-finish rebel-rousing and cheering for a car on Lap 7 that's main goal is to hold position to the last few laps.

There was this woman cheering every lap like her next beer was in the passenger seat and the faster the driver went the quicker she could get her next PBR.

She was the worst out of a table of eight or so, and the rest weren't so tame.

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PUBLIUS#13-Luminosity Graphics Returns!

http://luminositygraphics.org/default.aspx

PUBLIUS#12-LM&D Returns! Improvements Pending.

CHEYENNE-It's back: http://tinyurl.com/cbq8nz

PUBLIUS#12-Morning Routine

CHEYENNE-My morning's start out pretty similar: too abrubt.
I'm going to get ready and head to Laramie for an interview with a gentleman who is very elusive. I really need him on tape, so I'm very pleased today is the day.

I'm excited to get into the real nuts and bolts of putting my video together, finally. He's the last source for my release, too.

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PUBLIUS#11-Mid-Morning Strangers

CHEYENNE-Coming back from an errand this morning I witnessed the hijinks of three obviously misguided kids. I appreciate random comedy from unlikely sources, but being a moron is being a moron, in private or public. I guess being a teenager is basically holding a passport to stupidity, and I had my passport stamped with every foriegn misadventure possible, but I don't think I ever delayed traffic at a stoplight by crawling across the street. Yeah, three kids were dragging knuckles at the corner of Lincolnway and Carey no more than 10 minutes ago. They looked at me for a reaction. I took another drink of coffee.
I think I dissapointed them.

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PUBLIUS#10-"Flash'n" Double Digits

CHEYENNE-First, welcome to my 10th post. It's been a fun nine posts, but I'm happy to now belong to the Bloggers 10/10 Club: 10 posts and 10 of something else.? (10 mind-numbing glimpses into my world, maybe?) I need to work on that, but I like the idea, so I will fill in the blanks later.

On another and more pressing note, I'm seeing some real progress into my adventures into extended multimedia, e.g., video (Premiere) and animation (Flash).

I've been suffering severe technology overload lately, and it's not letting up. But, I'm glad to report, wins are coming at a reasonable pace. I've figured out basic video editing, including transitions, including titles, and frame-speed manipulation, so I'm where I need to be right now. I can accomplish what I need to accomplish. I would be fibbing if I said I could compete for a cinematography award, unless it was against those in my video night class. I'd have a real shot there.

I'm also happy about my progress in Flash. My advice is to never try learning new technology on a Friday. I was having a horrible time with the program at the end of last week, and it was frustrating. Today it all came together. Friday's are for thinking about Saturdays, just as Sunday's are for dreading Mondays. It's a push-pull sorta dynamic.

End of Encryption.

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PUBLIUS#9-Bukowski would love this stuff!

CHEYENNE-Dispatch must be short. I'm very hungry.

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PUBLIUS#8-Chatter for everyone

DENVER-So I'm filing from the road...at a Twitter conference...at Beef "O" Brady's...I'm excited and hungry.

PUBLIUS#7-Green or Red?

CHEYENNE-Last night I stood in line for a bowl of chili.

PUBLIUS#6-Stop Bath

CHEYENNE-This thing is a shotgun now, scattering ideas about any topic all over the place. I'll see a pattern develop and then I;ll know what my goal is with this thing.

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PUBLIUS#5-Cutting Room Floor

CHEYENNE-I'm now cutting my teeth on video work. Every time I try something new closely related to media, design, photography and art, I find myself liking each medium more than the last. Writing is the lowest common denominator of communication, and it requires the most skill. Because of the challenge good writing demands, it is by far the most satisfying. Design work is much more fun, and because of that it feels like cheating. Gold standards have never been set through enjoyable exercises, right? It's the tough jobs that yield the most respect.
Video, like each progressive step deeper into developing skills of wide appeal, is design work in motion. It's a print ad, or a brochure, or a poster, with legs. And, like static advertising and design, it's a blast. I love learning new things, and as I listen and watch and absorb the obvious direction my field is moving, it's absolutely critical I learn these things to stay competitive.
The most beautiful part of it all is it's prospect of independence. It's a skill set - writing, web, design, photography and video - that if one becomes good enough in, can be completely self-sustaining, and possibly quite lucrative. It's not like being an accountant where freelancing season is targeted to slackers a few months before April 15. I can always have work, even when I have no clients.

A hired geek is never unemployed, just broke.

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Publius#4-Blog, then twitter, then twhirl???!!!

CHEYENNE-So, I have no idea what I'm doing, why, or why it is important, but I'm doing it, and still don't know why. That's what waiting for Adobe tech. support will do to someone.

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Publius#3-External DVD drive was the answer!

CHEYENNE-Who knew my DVD player wasn't really a DVD player? I need more material for this thing.

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Publius#2 - Wish Adobe's tech service was as fast as Photoshop!

CHEYENNE-So, I've been on hold for 45 minutes with the tech. asst. call center and I've circled the elevator music playlist three times.

I'm making up words to the tune now. I'm not doing that anymore.

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Publius #1-Deep End

CHEYENNE-Tip-toeing into new media is impossible. It's an exercise that requires the skills of a cliff diver. There is no shallow end, only the high-watermark left by those virtual pioneers who jumped before us.

*SPLASH*

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