A little off-topic: how many of you live in a town/city where post offices are closed on Saturdays? I've always lived in places that had limited hours but the post office was still open on Saturdays. I've recently learned that the post office here is closed on Saturdays. :001_huh:

Thank you! :thumbup:

Never heard of it and the first clip I found when I youtubed it was this one: Yes Prime Minister Fitting for this thread, I thought. (P.S. One swear word at the end, so no children around when viewing.)

Wait, what? Tax cuts? How'd that get in there?

You don't bring me flowers ... any ... moooooorrrreeeeeee

Yeah, umm, what she said. :bigear:

Check to see if you can file for free online first. Free File Home - Your Link to Free Federal Online Filing We've used Turbo Tax since 1999 and have always had good results.

Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller

Okay, thanks!

Last year I started playing around and making slideshows on the computer for dd and her civil air patrol squadron and for family members. It took a lot of time, but I just figured it was because I was still learning the process. I had fun picking songs to "match" pictures or themes and enjoyed watching others' responses to the finished product. After a few of these, dh asked if I would help him with a slideshow for a retirement ceremony, and I said, "Sure, why not?" It turned out to be a nightmare of a project. I got about 900 pictures to sort through and had to figure out which ones to put in a 10-15 minute slideshow. I didn't have to scan any of them in, which was a relief, but I did end up cropping the majority of them. For some reason, the ones that had been scanned in weren't the size of the photo. They were the full 8x10 scans, so I cropped to the picture size. Then I cropped some even more because a lot of pictures are too far away to see the people clearly or they have distracting backgrounds or foregrounds. Normally these retirement ceremony photo slideshows are set to two or three favorite songs of the retiree, and I'd been told that his favorite songs were from Barbra Streisand, Simon & Garfunkel, and Peter, Paul and Mary. I was familiar with the first two, but not the last group. So I searched the songs and lyrics trying to find songs to fit the slideshow. Anyway, I spent I don't know how many hours on it, trying to get the songs lined up *just* right, deciding which pictures to use and which ones not to use because the retiree was a pretty important person in his field and, while some good-natured ribbing is okay at some functions, I didn't think it would be appropriate at his retirement dinner. So I was pulling my hair out trying to organize it chronologically or thematically, adjusting this and tweaking that because I tend to notice every little detail and want it to be perfect. I loved it and I hated it, and didn't know if I ever wanted to do THAT again ... BUT it ended up getting terrific responses. Dh teased me that it was a good thing we were moving shortly afterwards or I would've been asked to do a ton of retirement slideshows. And, at least at that squadron, it seemed like every time you turned around there was another retirement ceremony! I was glad I did it because dh had a lot of respect for him and genuinely admired him, so I was happy to be able to give him and his wife something they could take with them to remember all the years, all the people, and all the places they'd been. So we get here, and it's been 8 months since I've worked on a slideshow. Dh's induction ceremony is coming up and he was asked for some pictures and a song to use at the ceremony. I pull some pictures and we discuss song choices. Then I figure, well, I could put together a quickie slideshow because we were only allowed 10-20 pictures and one song. I put it together and then I start hoping that they'll use it at the ceremony because I really like how the words fit perfectly on some of those pictures. And I know if someone else does it, it just won't be ... right. (Btw, there are two pictures in his slideshow that drive me nuts every time I see it, but I tell myself they're minor glitches and to just let it go.) Dh takes it in to the meeting and suggests I do slideshows for the other inductees, too. Heck, he even recommends I do one for a retirement ceremony coming up soon! (I knew he was going to suggest I do slideshows for the other inductees, but the retirement ceremony was a surprise.) See, he thinks I could make money doing this. And he's gently trying to push me into a little business on the side. On the one hand, I think I'd love it. But, on the other hand, I also know how many hours I can spend on a project like this and how I can drive myself nuts wanting to get this or that part exactly right. And I don't know if that's a good idea right now. I already feel like I need more time for other things, and if I started doing something like this how much time is that going to take away from homeschooling and my other responsibilities? And here I am, attaching the farewell slideshow, because I'm proud of it but also because I'm wondering if you think this could be something people would want. I would've attached one of the slideshows I made for dd and her civil air patrol squadron, but I have permission to use this one. I have to check on the others. This is a long slideshow; it's 22 minutes. I've watched it again and remembered the frustration I had trying to line up certain pictures to certain lyrics -- the eagle, for one. Anyway, please watch it and let me know if this seems like a memento people would like when they reach a milestone, like college graduation, a 25th, 30th, or 40th wedding anniversary, or retirement. Hmm, that reminds me of my parents' anniversary. I guess that's when I started working on slideshows. But I didn't have any music to that one. The music is really my favorite part! It starts out pretty quiet, because the songs are older. Farewell slideshow P.S. I need to explain one section of the slideshow that's put to Magic Carpet Ride. There was a walking competition and some of his troops started dropping out. So he started running up ahead and asking girls to cheer them on to keep them motivated. I just thought the song would fit. :) Thanks!

AWESOME!!! I expect a full report and pictures galore when you get back and finish recuperating from all that walking you're going to do! :p

One from the left and one from the right? :w00t: I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist!!!! :tongue_smilie:

I love cottage cheese and pickled beets. Or cottage cheese and sliced pears. But if you don't like dairy, I can't see you liking cottage cheese.

I'd say it's a bit like homeschooling and very individual. You can work at your own pace and move ahead when you're ready. If you need more time to work on stuff, you can do it. And if you need less time ... you can do it! ;) Honestly, I'm wondering if all this time spent writing about it and asking about it and hemming and hawing about it could be better spent ... well, on facebook! :tongue_smilie:

I've got it. Facebook/Myspace is today's version of Show and Tell. Heyyy, pretty neat. Now I must go blog on myspace or write a note on fb. :D

Do I feel betrayed? insulted? uhhh, tricked? Nah. Obviously these musicians are very accomplished and don't have to prove themselves or pull the wool over anyone's eyes. Not even in the same realm as Britney Spears, Ashley Simpson, Milli Vanilli, etc. The reasoning and motives are very different imo. Now where's that fake food thread? That does make me mad.