Infinity Ward Put the MODERN in Call of Duty

This is probably the geekiest I have ever been and I am LOVING it!

Dan and I left last night around 10:45pm to stand in line at Best Buy for our copies of Modern Warfare 2: Call of Duty. Yes, copies. I got my Christmas present early, my very own XBOX 360.

Dan and are capable of sharing, but seriously, would we want to share this game? Hell no. I don't care if I get coal for Christmas, I am set. This is what I really wanted and Dan made fun of me hardcore about wanting my own XBOX but that's a part of who I am now and I like playing online with him at the same time along with our friends.

This was my first midnight release and I have been waiting over a year for it. I was buzzing all day since my alarm went off, sans coffee. I think I talked to almost everyone about the game.

At Best Buy, we met up with Dan's friend Peter who was way awesome and didn't mind how obnoxious off the wall I was being so he's cool. We were 15 in line and by the time Best Buy opened up, there were at least 200 people behind us.

We got posters, game covers (I don't know why they giving away game covers. Mine stay in the game case and are never touched.) and we got free monster energy shots. Pshh.. like I need them. Trust me, I've got enough adrenaline to stay awake. Well almost.

As soon as we pulled up the apartment, Dan was in the house before I could get out the car. He's fast.

So far, it's pretty awesome and way intense. There was a ton going on so I know I'll like getting to know all the ins and outs.

So far, I don't like how they didn't implement the awesome-ness from Activision's World At War like lobby leaderboards, the blue X button to skip maps, and leaving a lobby with your group. I have yet to play hardcore mode yet to see if you teamkill three times if you get kicked. I really hope so, because that shit ruined the first game.

I played a little bit of the campaign mode before heading into school and it's pretty fun so far. I got lost into the moment. In the beginning there's a scene where your the gunner on a tank and all of a sudden the militia starts attacking you from nowhere. You are on narrow streets and the tank is hauling ass and you don't know where to point your mounted gun but you're getting fired all around and RPG's (rocket propelled grenades) are exploding on you. Blood is all over the screen and you heartbeat is racing. Did I mention I was playing on recruit? This is my first time actually wanting to play campaign mode and so far, I really like it. It is absolutely beautiful and I can't wait for more!

Time to go to class. I skipped the first class so I guess I better go to at least one of them, right? :D

Dinner ideas?

Since I've been working evenings, I've been slacking on the dinner front. I'll usually make a sandwich or something quick to bring to work but usually I leave Dan to fend for himself. Well he's a little tired of eating ramen and mac-n-cheese. I guess it's time for me to help out a bit.

The problem is that I don't know what to buy him at the grocery store that he'll make for himself. I can buy him frozen pizzas like he requested but he can't eat them 5 days of the week. The other days when I am home, I don't feel like cooking, I'm tired. How in the world does the "modern women" do it all? I don't even have kids yet! How do you do it?

I just cleaned up my office and I am flipping through my recipes to inspire me. The problem is, I don't have TIME to cook so this means Dan will have to cook or I have to resort to buying pre-packaged, processed food that is ready to eat. All this week I work from 4-8. It's only 4 hours but talk about inconvenient timing!

So what do you do? Please help a girl out!

Review of Greek Tortellini Salad

For my first paper for Art History, we have to write a food review since our first section was about food. Our second paper will be critiquing a food related art piece.

One of our favorite meals we've recently discovered is Greek Tortellini Salad from relishrelish.com. It's already incorporated into our core of meals. Below is my paper and recipe. Enjoy!

I’m not a typical college student. In fact many of my peers graduated from elementary school when I graduated high school. Not only is my age a difference but I am married as well. I married at the age of 20 thinking marrying your love wasn’t going to change anything but it did. As the wife, I’ve taken on the more traditional role of providing meals for my family. Otherwise it would be nothing but Taco Bell, Easy Mac and pizza from my husband Dan.

This role of providing for my family is one I take pride in. I try to incorporate “healthy” foods and let some junk slide in every once in awhile. It’s a precarious balance because too much hippie food and my husband will go on a destructive binge at the nearest fast food “restaurant”.

One of my favorite discoveries was a recipe called “Greek Tortellini Salad” which I found from relishrelish.com for which the recipe is attached.

Tuesday night I prepared Greek Tortellini Salad. Later that evening my husband had to be dropped at school so he could drive 3 hours to take an exam to rank up for the Navy. Dinner had to be quick so we could spend some time together before he had to leave for his overnight adventure.

While packing his overnight bag, I boiled the eggs on the stove. I had to thumb through my Better Homes and Gardening cook book to remember how long to boil the eggs: 15 minutes. Being rushed for time, I only boiled them for about 10 minutes. Using my mom’s trick of bathing the boiled eggs in cold water, the shells peeled easily and I moved on to boiling the tortellini.

While that was going, I turned the oven to broil, I took out my whole grain pita bread, drizzled it olive oil (always too much, I have yet to master the art of the drizzle) and slapped some bottled chopped garlic across along with a dash of dried oregano.

A few minutes later, everything was done and slapped together on dinner plates. It’s a big strange eating salad off of a dinner plate but so is eating a “salad” for dinner instead of as a side.

I didn’t have time to make Greek dressing so I used some bottled Italian that I had already. It would have to do. When I brought the plates out, Dan perked right up since this is one of his favorites.

Looking at the salad, it’s not very pretty. I could have arranged the egg slices more symmetrically like in fancy restaurants instead of being haphazardly placed on the bed of spinach. The feta is broken up into nice little chunks like stars in a sky. While also not visually appealing, it is guaranteed to get feta in every bite.

The recipe calls for red onion slices but red onion is too strong for my taste beds just yet and I’m not a fan of eating raw onions so no substitutions were made or missed.

The egg and feta balance each other out nicely without trying to compete with each other. The sharpness of the feta complements the otherwise bland hardboiled egg. The yellow of the egg isn’t as firm and crumbly as it could be but it is cooked enough to prevent illness so I don’t mind too much. The tortellini offers a balance of texture that the feta and cheese can’t do justice.

Raw spinach on its own is too much to handle for me. Within this meal however the spinach is the heart of the salad. It is the basis, without it, the meal loses its leg. It stays nice and crisp except for a few pieces the tortellinis manage to wilt. The tortellini is supposed to be chilled after heating but of course being pressed for time, I threw it immediately on the salad.

When I remember that I am eating a salad I turn to my slice of pita bread. It is warm and the fragrance of garlic makes me close my eyes savor the moment. It is crusty on top but yet still chewy in the middle. Parts of the top are a little too crusty but my oven isn’t perfect so I don’t mind at all. After my slice of pita bread, I go back to my salad, refreshed and wanting more again.

The tortellini is a refrigerated pre-made bought from the grocery store kind. I have never made my own pasta so for now; this is good enough for me. It is tri-colored cheese tortellini vs. plain colored. Despite the color difference, I don’t notice a flavor difference but I’m sure there is a health difference.

Before I’m done with my plate, I look over to Dan and he’s already gobbled the salad down and is finishing his pita bread. I am purely amazed. He used to be such a picky eater and here he is eating and enjoying foods he previously hated. Before trying this meal, he stayed away from everything spinach and only ate American cheese which isn’t even a real cheese. It’s a processed cheese like product.

I ask him how dinner was and he gives me a caveman sound like of approval. I guess that means it was good. Despite the flaws I saw after the finished product, it was still a success. We ate a relatively healthy meal that wasn’t too processed that was cheap, easy to make and quick to prepare. My hope for our family future is that our children will love eating and preparing nutritious foods in a way I didn’t get to experience growing up.

Greek Tortellini Salad with Eggs and Feta V* LC* (From relishrelish.com)
Prep and cook time: 20 minutes Chill time: 30 minutes

1 9-ounce package fresh cheese tortellini
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
5 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 red onion , chopped
4 large eggs , hardboiled, peeled and quartered
per serving: 382 calories; 12 grams protein; 22 grams total fat; 2 grams fiber; 7 grams saturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 43 mgs cholesterol; 457 mgs sodium

[1] In a large pot of boiling water, cook tortellini, stirring occasionally, until tender to bite, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain.

[2] Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper. Add cooked tortellini and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes.

[3] Add spinach, feta cheese, and onion to tortellini and mix gently. Serve salad mounded on a platter, surrounded with egg quarters.

*The V and LC stands for Vegetarian and Low Calorie.

2009-10-06: Sinfest

2009-10-06: Sinfest: "

Sinfest
Tatsuya Ishida

"

This is so my cat.

Why I love my husband!

Before leaving the house he filled the crockpot with spaghetti sauce and meatballs! So ingenious! We have mini hoagies I bought for sandwiches so that'll be perfect! Yum! I'm hungry just thinking about it.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Test post from iphone

Hello!!

I'm using this app from my iPhone. I just wanted to see if it works.

Kbye!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

First Week of School

It's almost the end of my first week at PSU (No one reads on Friday).

First off I underestimated the amount of people here. My neighbor's daughter who works in Career Services said there are about 43,000 students. I'm sure that is just undergraduates too.

Sometimes I sit in the HUB between classes and for almost an hour straight, it's a constant stream of people coming in. I may have to do a time lapse video for you all. I've never seen so many people in my life. Or maybe I've just forgotten what it's like to be surrounded by people.

Despite the enormous amount of people, I am finding that most people just keep to themselves or to people they already know. That's a bit disappointing but as Frances Mayes says in "Under the Tuscan Sun"; "It's only natural that making friends takes a while." Or something like that. *Sorry for the butchered punctuation.

I am super excited about all my classes. I am taking Early Jewish and Christian Studies. It's basically an unbiased examination of the bible and the context of the history from that time period. I've never read the bible and going to Church left me with a taste of bias instead of the truth. In order to run, you have to learn to walk. So this is the walk to my spiritual future. Plus I think it's really important to understand the Bible in order to understand the present. Everything I know about the Middle East is muddled. I can't form an opinion by listening to the news.

Next up is Intro to Art History. I originally thought it was history of art through the ages but it turns out the class teaches the aesthetics of art, why we learn it and how art affects our lives. It's a great primer and I'm super glad I took this one first. The teacher is AMAZING. I love her already. Even though the class is held in a semi-auditorium she effectively engaged the class in discussions ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL no less! She was amazing in her use of PowerPoint and multimedia to teach her lesson. She made us listen to two songs, one by the Indigo Girls called Galileo to honor his birthday which I never heard and thoroughly enjoyed. Later she played a Lauren Hill song which I also never heard. It was amazing! I only ever heard her in the Fugees and I am definitely going to check out her album.

The best part was that my teacher is going to provide any reading material online. She doesn't believe in propagating the cycle of ripping off students via an expensive book that is only good for one semester. She got a round of applause for that one.

Next is Linguistics. I'm sure this class filled a humanities requirement or something but I would have taken it as an elective anyways. I'm such word nerd. I love learning the origin or words and history and why they came to be and all that. This class is about the study of language and I love it already! On our second day we watched an episode of Star Trek. Talk about geeking out! I think my teacher is a grad student but he's pretty decent at teaching so I don't mind too much. He actually looks like I would be friends with him in real life.

Which brings me to my next point. I feel old. Seriously. I'm not old. I'm 24 but in college years, I am practically 30! Everyone around me are still teeny boppers and I literally want to bop them! But then I remember that this is their first time out in the real world and I'm sure I was just as annoying. It's hard to tell because I've always been more mature and reserved than my peers.

My last class is Microeconomics. This one I also electively took although I'm sure it fills some requirement. The only way I understand economics is through the Planet Money podcast. I want to take my education in my own hands so hopefully this class will help me understand money and society a little better. This teacher has like 600 students and she does pretty well. My only beef is that I can't remember where I sat the previous class so I'm having a hard time remembering who I met and making a class buddy.

There is a deaf or hard of hearing guy in class and in front of him is a lady translating with sign language. How awesome is it to have her job? It's like she gets to experience college again.

Dan and I have been riding the bus more often. We don't want to bother each other if we have other obligations on campus so sometimes one of us will take the car home and the other will ride the bus.

This morning I took the bus to school since I have an 8am class. This way it gave Dan some time to relax and drink his coffee. It makes me feel good. I feel like my small sacrifice of giving up my car is helping the environment. When we move again though I'll need my own car again. Charleston is just too sprawled out without an efficient public transit system.

I still have sleeping problems. I'm talking to my doctor in a week or so to talk about the results of my sleep study so I'm crossing my fingers that we can come up with a solution other than taking medicine at night.

I signed up for a few clubs on campus. I really want to join an athletic club to get fit again but I am so scared that I'll just drag the team down. Then I'm worried about time commitments. Will I be able to commit because I'm looking for a job too.

My first real stress was getting out of the library. I seriously could not find the exit, even after studying the maps for several minutes. At one point I thought I needed GPS but my phone hardly works in the library. As it turns out, the library has become my favorite spot to study and just get away. The carrels are dispersed within the stacks with an occasional computer and it's pretty quiet. I can take a quick call without bothering anyone. I'm sure I could get away with eating too but I like to eat my lunch in the HUB or outside in the sun.

One last thing. This University is filled with beautiful people! Most everyone is fit and tanned with perfect hair and makeup. Dan attributes it to the high cost of tuition so the rich come here. Makes sense. Luckily there are normal people here to make me feel less hideous.

If you read all of that, I hope you weren't expecting a cookie :P

I've Arrived... in Pennsylvania

This week has been crazy! First I said goodbye to everyone in Charleston. Then Courtney and I were hanging out trying not to cry when all of sudden Dan walks in through the door. What?! His grandmother was flying into town the day after so why was he here when his lieutenant said he couldn't travel with me?

I didn't recognize him at first and then I was confused and I then I realized it was actually him and I was being surprised. Then I jumped into his arms and started bawling my eyes out. All my restraint of keeping my emotions in, went out the window.

Dan and I started driving Wednesday morning and we drove through instead of stopping in Virginia like we originally planned. Jack was a good kitty and barely meowed. As soon as we got to our place, we dropped Jack in his litter box and he was off exploring his new house with me. We poked around in every closet and in every room, satisfying our curiosity while reveling being with our possessions again.

Yesterday Dan and I found a delicious diner and drove through town. It was gorgeous here! All sun and no humidity. I can't believe I live in the mountains. Downtown State College is awesome. I can't believe I'm going to live in such an awesome place. While driving around I missed my friend Jessie a lot. She just moved away from here so we just missed each other :(

So even though Dan and I are here together, it doesn't feel real that we get to live here. It feels like I am on vacation. Our house is nearly unpacked thanks to Dan. I have yet to start organizing but I know I'll start before the weekend is up.

Today is the Farmer's Market so we're going into town again! Yay! It's another gorgeous day so I'll take the camera out. Peace!

Moving update

The movers are here and my house is nearly packed up! Im so freakin stoked! This makes moving so less stressful.

I am currently dying for some sleep. I napped around 6:30am before the movers arrived so I am so ready for some hardcore sleep. I hope tonight my insomnia will go away.

Since the router and modem are all packed, I have no internet or xbox live. Luckily my phone has internet but its crappy internet explorer. I can't wait to buy an iphone and macbook for myself.

Tomorrow the movers will move the boxes and furniture and it will be just six more days until I am in dan's arms. Then I return to finish classes and exams and then Jack and I start the drive up north to live with Dan.

Right now, I just hope to god I sleep tonight.

Top 7 Things I am looking forward to

Top 7 Things I am looking forward to:

1) Dan's Graduation next week - Two months does not seem like long but it feels like it.

2) Settling into our apartment in PA - I love the feeling of a newly unpacked house. It feels so invigorating and exciting.

3) Moving Day - The movers are coming this week and I could not be more excited! It will make this move feel more real and it is one step closer to getting to PA.

4) Leaving before summer - I will not miss the summers in the swampy south. When I was in PA last July for Meredith's wedding I couldn't believe how gorgeous it was.

5) Experiencing Seasons - Since living in Florida for most of my life, I have a skewed version of seasons.

6) My biology exam - I know, sounds weird but I hate this class so much I can't wait for the exam so I can be done with it! UGH.

7) Saturday mornings with Dan - These are the best! This is our day of no stress. I sleep in. We cook each other breakfast or go out for breakfast and then snuggle on the couch playing video games together or catch up on movies and TV.

I survived the storm!!!!!

After this week, THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY!

My torture finally seized and I survived. Yeah, it's been a series of bad luck and lots of money out out the hoo-ha, but somehow I managed not to pull my hair out and I am still here. This was a test and I passed. I just wish it hadn't been a pop-test, a little studying might have helped.

Yesterday I did a little shopping, even in the rain. After the torrents of yesterday, today is beautiful!!! It finally feels spring-ish and I am so stoked to be wearing my cute spring outfits.

Today I am a social butterfly! After class I'm hanging out with Court, then dinner with Hillary and then some birthday cake for Ian! Tomorrow I am hanging out with the library crew. It'll be nice to spend some last moments with friends before leaving.

Speaking of which, I need to see if I can take one of my exams early so I can be with Dan sooner. I miss that husband of mine SO MUCH. It's amazing how he balances me. I am truly blessed to have him in my life. Thank you for being the calm in my tornado of life! :D The cat would be the flying witch cackling.

Liz with Lady Luck

If I seem bitter lately, I am. This past month has been quite the adventure. I found a buyer for my car but I can't find the title. Of course. So I print out the forms and head to the DMV. While there I realize the car is in Dan's name and I need the POA (power of attorney) which is at home. I go home and grab and return except now the line is way too long and I'll be late to class.

So today I return and as soon as I get the DMV, I realize I do not have my purse with me. Great. So I head back home and grab it.

Then I get to the counter and I need a lien release so I have to call the bank and wait for that. Well they didn't date it or sign it so I had to call them again.

But I finally got the title and I am ready to sell my car!

BUT it gets better. Last night I noticed all sorts of black specks all over the carpet. I was about to murder a cat since I vacuumed the day before. But I look closer and it is not stuffing from a toy, they are bugs. I call my terminator blubbering (because it's after 6pm and my brain turns off at night). Somehow he understands me and tells me it's probably termites because of the shape and it's swarming season. Great. There goes my the rest of the sale from my car.

In the big scheme of things, these are small. I've handled worse but it just seems that I can't catch a breather inbetween. I want to play the lottery because I can't possibly have this much bad luck without something good but I know better than to play with chance.

So next week the movers are coming and then just a few more weeks until I visit Dan and then just a few more weeks until exams are over and I move in with Dan in PA. I'm so excited to be with him but I am seriously going to miss the people I've met here.

Join me!

I'm trying 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. Read more about it here. It starts April 6th and I realize this month will be tough for me since I have exams and I am moving but I'm going to try hard! Try with me!

-Liz

During Dan's Deployment

Okay, he's not really deployed. But I like alliteration and couldn't think of a better word.

It's been awhile since I've updated. What has even happened since? Well, what HASN'T?!

Dan left for Rhode Island for two months and I opted to stay here and finish school instead of moving to PA and being bored while waiting for Dan. Besides, two months isn't too long, I am a strong independent woman right?

HA! I fell to putty. I had no idea how dependent and attached I was to Dan until he left. This absence has made me realize how much I took him for granted.

Since then I got my first speeding ticket. I was going 57 because I thought it was 60 but it was a speed trap and didn't realize it changed to 45. Oops!

I adopted a black cat from Dan's Aunts. I named him Davy and he bit Jack's butt. They are now in separate rooms. I love them both but I think it's in Jack's best interest if we allow another family to adopt Davy. It's heartbreaking. I feel like a bad kitty mommy. In the meantime, Jack is planning my death every time I clean his abscess and give him medicine while Davy cries to be let loose in the house. The good news is that since Dan is gone, Jack gave up on being a daddy's boy and now cuddles with me.

My biology class is killing me. I failed my midterm along with 98% of the class. I'm not even getting a 100% on my take home quizzes. I don't understand it!!! I should get every single question right if it's open book. I am so frustrated.

In the meantime, Dan and I found a house to rent in PA. It's not downtown like I would've liked but it is on a bus route and only 5 miles away from school so it should be fine. I'm really hoping they have some good grocery stores up there. I am going to miss Publix like whoa.

Monday I am selling my car to another Prelude lover! I am so stoked! I didn't want my car to go to any schmoe. She'll be going to someone who will appreciate her so I am glad. With some of the proceeds, I am going shopping! I am so stoked about spring and summer clothes right now. Then the rest of it will go to a moving emergency fund.

I have cruises on the brain again and really want to go on another one but the timing won't work this year. Dan said maybe next year and it may be an Eastern European one too!! I can wait a year if we go to Italy and Spain!

If you are military, Disney is doing a promotion for their parks, go check it out! It's very similiar to what Busch Gardens did a few years back. I'm not sure if we will go this year or not. I can't wait until Universal hops on the bandwagon. Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure were my favorite and Dan hasn't been yet.

Monday I have a research paper due for my English class and then the following Monday I have a research paper due for my History Class. I see Dan in three weeks and in a month are exams and then I leave for PA. I feel the fire under my feet but I still don't realize how much I am going to miss the people I've met here. I got a tiny glimpse of it at lunch yesterday but I pulled it together and will save it for when I leave.

In cleaning my office and looking for the title of my car, I got distracted and uploaded a bunch of photos to my facebook. Go check it out. If that isn't enough Liz for you, check out my twitter. I've been a bit twitter happy lately.

Frustrated!

My car overheated this morning. It sucks but it's my car karma. Last night I blocked in some asshole parked horizontally in three parking spots.

Plus it is inevitable that I get car problems when Dan is away. It happens every single time.

Luckily I have awesome friends here!! Miranda picked me up and dropped me off for class and Courtney offered her husband to translate car-speak for me. Thanks guys!

Car problems are not making me blow my top. It's my biology class. I am so frustrated. I failed my midterm as well as 98% of the class. From an informal survey the top grade was a 74.

If the teacher gave us the material and we blew it on our own, that would be something different but that's not what's going on here. My teacher is not prepared at all. He repeats the same information in classes and then skips whole sections to catch up on his "time-line".

His notes and lectures are barely indicative to the tests. The point value of tests and quizzes do not reflect his syllabus.

Now, I understand this is a college level course and I understand there is a lot of studying that has to happen outside of the classroom. That is not the problem. I see students making flashcards off the notes in lecture.

The problem is inconsistency. We can't learn or study if we don't have all the material.

He even confessed that he does not make the tests. He uses another teacher's test. He doesn't get the test until a few days before. How are we, as a class, supposed to score well if our teacher doesn't even teach the material on the test because he doesn't write it himself or get it until the last minute?!

A Time-Lapse Photography Project AND Tutorial

Last weekend instead of tackling my kitchen I was perusing the web and came across this site about 6 creative approaches to photography. I took a look since I haven't been growing as a photographer. It's pretty interesting. I especially loved the time-lapse photography of the baby playing: how adorable! Then I came across this site where a lady used time lapse photography to capture her cleaning the kitchen. What a terrific idea!

Instead of moping around on the Internet, I jumped up to do the same. I did a similar project when I first got my camera but it was about as boring as watching ice melt, which happened to be my subject :P

Here is my video. After the video will follow a tutorial so you can do the same!




This site was greatly helpful to me with putting together my project but I still feel the need to write my own tutorial on how I did it.

1) Figure out your subject matter

Since my husband's been away (Navy) my kitchen has gotten out of control so naturally it was a good subject for me. Pick something where the camera can be stationary and something that changes often but not too frequently so the camera can capture it adequately. Here is a great link for 12 creative examples.

2) Camera Settings

Every camera is different so check your trusty manual. I certainly did! I have a Canon Powershot S3IS (pictured left courtesy of letsgodigital.org)


2a) The Dreaded Math!!!

(I'm not good with numbers so I tried my best and then fudged it and went with that.)
This is where you need to figure out how many pictures you are taking and how long your session will be as well as the "wait time" between exposures. You don't want your camera continually taking photos. Otherwise I'd have 43,200 pictures and my memory card isn't that large!

This site helped a lot with the math but if you'd like more help, here's another one I found.

Total Film Time = 30 minutes (again some fudging)

This means how long will the project take. To clean the kitchen I estimated 30 minutes. (it was pretty messy).

Total (compressed) video time = 30 seconds

The videos here last anywhere from 1 minute to 5 minutes. Use discretion here. I didn't think 5 minutes of watching me clean would be captivating so I kept it short to 30 sec to a minute tops. (more fudging)

For film, it's common knowledge that you get about 24fps, which is frames per second. So that means when you are watching a video, TV or a movie you are seeing 24 (very similar images) for every second. Video is many still images stitched together.

Convert total film time to sec.

30 minutes * 60 sec/min = 900 sec

Convert Total Video Time (in sec) to frames

30 sec * 24fps = 720 frames

Film Time/Video Time

900 sec / 720 frames = 1.25 sec wait between each shot.

(Again I fudged my numbers; it's a good thing I don't take care of the finances in my house.)

It turns out my camera can only shoot through intervals of minutes so I would have to capture an image every minute. This is where I gave up on math and just hoped for the best.

My Camera Settings

1) Power on (make sure it is on a manual setting like P, M, Av, Tv etc.. )
2) Menu
3) Scroll all the way down to Intervalometer and hit SET
4) Set Interval time and No. of Shots. (Mine has an interval range of 1 min to 60 min & No. of Shots 2-100
(Hit set to set or cancel to get out of here)

3) The fun part

When you are ready to start, maker sure your subject is ready and take the first shot. The camera will automatically power down. When the next interval approaches; it powers on, focuses and takes the next photo and will repeat until finished.


After some elbow grease, soap and the help of my camera, my project was finished, NOT. I had to put it together. Okay, great. How do I do that?

4) Turning it into a Video

If you have a Mac this step is easy. Use Quicktime Pro or iMovie. But since my pocketbook is empty I do not own a Mac, yet.

I ended up using Windows Movie Maker. It is free but equally frustrating as using Windows. If you deleted if off your computer, no fear, here is a link to download it for free.

Since I use a laptop with no mouse, I had problems manually adjusting the length of each photo. I wanted them to all show for a sec instead of a full minute for each photo. (That would be incredibly boring!)

I deleted my project (which did not delete my photos in a separate folder) and started over.

I found a program called JPGVideo from here. It's freeware which means a kind computer brainiac created this program and released it to the web for free. Be careful though, some freeware is created with malicious intent. Don't download anything untrustworthy; that's how you get a virus on your computer.

This program puts my pictures into a video with the configuration that would please me.

If you use this program these are the steps:
1) Go to Configure
2) JPEG Directory is where the pictures are. Click on the (...) icon. (This is where you tell the program to find the pictures.)
3) Click Output to find/create a folder to store your new video.
4) Configure the settings :
-Sort the files anyway you would like. I sorted mine alphabetically because my camera names the files alpha-numerically.
-For frames per second I did 2 per sec. It doesn't really matter what settings you choose as long as you keep a copy of the originals. Tweak with the settings until it looks like what you want.
5) After you are done configuring click OK. Then Run. It will put the pictures into a video so just wait a moment.
6) Hit close when you are done and the new video will be ready in your selected folder. You can view it with windows media player.

Now open up Windows Move Maker
Import Video
Import Music, import anything you want.
I played around here and made a few title screens and a credit screen. I wanted to give credit to the person that provided the music for free, yes FREE.

This article is a great resource about free sound.

When finished with the tweaks, save it and you are now a proud producer of your first time-lapse photography.

Give it a try and upload it online. Let me know, I'd love to see it!

A morning startle!

I woke up this morning around 10. Not a big deal. I don't usually have classes until the afternoon. So this morning I was peacefully allowing myself to wake up when I suddenly realized that I have a Biology lab at 8am.

At this point it didn't even matter if I rushed to school because lab would be over at 11. I am super pissed at myself. Lab only meets once a week and usually very important in learning certain features of biology that I can't learn from a book.

I'm beating myself over it. How can I be so forgetful lately? I missed a Dr's appointment and I almost forgot my biology test on Tuesday. Then I realized I didn't have go to Wednesday classes yet. Because TODAY is Wednesday, not Thursday like I had thought.

Let me tell you what, that adrenaline rush is intense. Now I am sure to NOT miss lab tomorrow.

I never did get a cute picture of my haircut back in December so I got another haircut.. haha. Well I got a haircut because all I was doing was putting it in another ponytail. My hair is now too short to fit into a ponytail so now I have to style it which is what I was aiming for. Plus since Dan is away I can play with my hair a bit. It'll grow back by the time I see him again.

I had my week of moping around and now it's time to pick myself back up again. While I was browsing the internet, I came across a video of a lady cleaning her kitchen using time lapse photography. I was officially out of bowls and spoons so I had a project on my hands!

After I gathered the photos I put it together in a video with music and I am going to share it at the next photo meetup. I'll post it next week so I don't spoil it.

I think it's time for a nap :P

A conglomeration

It's been awhile since I've posted a blog. The first part of the year I was pretty busy with school and working on the school newspaper as well organizing stuff for my club too. Then Dan had leave before he left for Rhode Island so I spent every waking moment with him.

Now he is gone and I am coming back down from my high. I silently sulked for a week but now it's time to start all over again.

Dan said one good thing about him leaving is that I'll blog again. Haha! I'm only blogging because he said that. I don't feel like I have anything interesting to blog about anymore. I'm spending my words on the school newspaper so at the end of the day I don't have anything to share online, which is a good thing I suppose.

I'm still around and I still read your blogs and such. I've been twittering more since Dan is using it. He found Dane Cook's twitter so I am now following Dane Cook. He plays Call of Duty! I love him! He's a sexy dork!

In other news since Dan is gone, I cut my hair. He hates short hair and since mine grows like a beast I went ahead and got it chopped off. I feel ambivalent towards it. It'll take me a few days to get used to it i suppose.

In Dan news, he has a major migraine from lack of caffeine. Poor guy. Those are KILLER! I guess I better head to class now. The teacher is always late though and holds us up till the last minute. Bad form. Haha. See ya later!

Red squiggly lines are not allowed!

The start of the new year jump started my schedule and I've been busy every since.

As President of Roots and Shoots I've been busy organizing several events and making sure communication is happening and all that jazz. In between classes I have also been wearing the hat of Co-Editor for the school newspaper. I only have one semester here but I want to leave behind a good foundation for the next person so it won't be like starting from scratch. It's fun to have people email me their stories and checking up on various assignments. I love being a college student and I love being a college student at Trident Tech.

This evening I am working on writing a submission for an award letter when Microsoft Word decides to start acting funny, you know, in that funny foreign way. Word 2007 started marking red squiggly lines.

Red squiggly lines are not allowed! So I get to work: I hit IGNORE repeatedly but it changes nothing. What's worse is that the suggested words aren't even English words anymore.

I already figure out the culprit. Since they are all French words I figure they came from Mrs. Newman's computer who happens to be a French Teacher as well as my advisor. The document she sent me must have been encoded in French which is fine, I am a smart girl, I can figure this out.

About an hour into this problem after audible grunts and groans, a dying laptop battery, and furrowed brows that will no doubt give me deep wrinkles, my husband ever so patiently and lovingly asks "Is everything okay?"

Although he is a computer genius, I am not a computer moron in comparison. So feeling only slightly annoyed, a sharp disdain of "no" leaks from the corner of my mouth with my eyes transfixed to the computer screen.

To prove I am not a computer moron I perform the same function that Microsoft Help informed me 45 minutes previously in front of his eyes only to befallen all the squiggly lines disappear.

Completely acute to my womenly "charms", my husband slowly shrinks away from my line of view and dares not to say a word instead only offering a warm compassionate smile to my angry grief striken face.

Puff with rage at the irony I turn to look at Dan and instantly melt into a giggle. I have to laugh at the situation. The Universe (or God) sure has a funny sense of humor and methods of humbling me.

Why is it only after I try to prove the fail that I fix the problem? Why is it that Dan only needs to glance at the screen and it instantly fixes the problem? I told you he was a computer genius. No you may have him. Get your own computer genius. Sometimes he works for free food and ice cream.

Suffering from "Insomnia"

Only tonight though, it hasn't been a problem lately. I will mark it up to medication, shifting to a new sleep cycle and nerves. Good nerves though, not bad ones.

The nerves are due to being excited and nervous about moving. I know what needs to get done, it just now needs to get done. April is going to be a fun month for me.

We scheduled the movers to come the 2nd week of April because I have finals the last week of April. Then I want to fly to see Dan graduate then I have to come back and take finals. Then Dan has to report to Penn State May 2nd but my last exam is May 4th. I'll sleep on the floor for a bit and have to drive up myself unless we want to pay for Dan to fly back here but that would be a ridiculous waste of money.

Good news is that Dan does not have to work overnights again for at least another FOUR years! Woohoo!!

Tomorrow I start classes again which Dan is grateful for. Although he appreciates the extra cleaning I've been doing around the house, I'm sure he'll be glad to not have to fight me for the video games now. Speaking of; I think I'll play a few rounds until I get sleepy eyes.