T minus 10 days

As we get closer to TIME to TRAVEL I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off!! Very typical of myself, I will very likely find that just as I zip the last zipper, load the last suitcase in the van, find the last piece of paper, write the last phone number down, it will be TIME!

I never seem to have extra time. Somehow my time just escapes me. Now, I suppose I could be one of those people that just lacksidaisly gets things done. Forgetting this, ignoring that.

Nope, not me. No matter how much I wish I could forget or let things go. I just can't.

Take last night for instance! Actually, take the night before, and then all day yesterday!! Driving me nuts it was! It is the CAMCORDER SITUATION.

We have a three year old camcorder. Maybe five years old. Can't quite remember. Would have been happy to use it. Oh yes. Much simpler to just use what I had. Right? Wrong. Nope, I had to make things difficult. It wasn't really my fault. First, my lovely children walked off with half the power cord. Then once that was found I realized I did not have the battery charger. Not that that would have been much good anyway, since the battery life is basically NIL.

So here I was 2 weeks from travel with a camcorder minus a battery charger. I had a choice. I could order a new battery charger and wait 2-6 weeks for it to arrive, or I could upgrade and order through Sears and have it within 5 days.

It wasn't too diffcult to choose!

So I ordered my camcorder. But I didn't order ONE camcorder. I ordered THREE. Yes, my friends who know me well, I didn't disappoint you did I? No, I had to RESEARCH and be sure my money was well spent. So I order three.

A week later the first one arrives. Me, thinking it would be quite simple to open this box and say quickly: yes or no - to the camcorder, left it sitting on my couch until the day before yesterday. Finally, I open the box and begin reading the 1/2 inch thick book. Man, why do they have to make things so complicated??!!

I soon (after 3 hours of reading, figuring, trying to record, reading how to hook it up to the tv to see how the record quality is) discover that this nice little camcorder is wonderful except that it needs a memory card. Okay, so I find my camera memory card and slot it in there, download the software to see if I am going to be able to save these little pieces of video to send to waiting parents via the internet (email) - ONLY to discover that the Serial Number that *they* ask me for on the installation DOESN"T WORK!!!!!

I was SO frustrated. I tried everything. Great so #1 is waiting to go back. Oh, yes, I could call the store, but why? The number is in the book. The number is on the camera. But the software doesn't like the number! I do not have time for them to send me a replacement disc.

So I pack it up and wait for # 2 and #3 to arrive.

They did. The next day.

I sit down expectantly and begin the BIG READ of the books. Okay, to give you the short version now.

The first one required a TAPE - no, I do not have a tape here. I would have to drive 1 hour to the nearest town to get a tape. Or order from the company - see above for reason I don't like that one!

The second one was just fine. I got it all the way installed, tried recording, put it on the tv. I could do it all. Everything was hunkey dorey - EXCEPT it saved in some format called .MOD - okay, you try sending a MOD file via email. You try uploading a MOD file to a software program to edit, trim, or anything a piece of video. NOTHING liked the MOD file.

ARRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - could you hear me screaming?! Oh, yes, by this time it was mid afternoon on the second day and I was letting out steam out of my ears. It didn't matter which camera I had it didn't work!!!!

I tried different software - you name it, I did it. Finally I went on the internet and punched in "JVC mod file" and boy, you should have seen what came up!!! I called to my husband, "This is such a problem that there are even chat groups about it!!!"

My husband who was watching the olympics did NOT impress me at all. He did not have ANY appreciation for the tenacious way I was fighting this issue! I was NOT going to Ethiopia without a camera that I knew I could record on and then save and edit and make dvds and upload to the internet.

My nice, calm husband was quite oblivious to the volcano that was about to erupt in the room beside him. *laugh* Meanwhile, there I was ready to break into cheers because I had just found SOMEONE who knew how to change the files from MOD to MPEG. I felt like emailing the girl to tell her how wonderful she was!

My friend told me today that if that were her last night she would have thrown the video camera at the wall by now. Yes, well, I did throw the watermelon.... *laugh* But the video camera problem was going to be resolved.

And I think it was. At least to the point where I can change the file name to MPEG. Next problem - why is there no sound in the recording when I upload to software.....

I tell you - I should have dealt with this months ago!