Powerpoint, eh?

So this weekend I tried using Powerpoint for our main projection instead of Apple's Keynote. Powerpoint has a presenter view which has a slide view down the left hand side that could allow you to jump to any slide in the presentation that you want. Useful for projecting lyrics, right? What a fiasco. I should say that it wasn't all Powerpoint's fault, but there were two key problems with the way Powerpoint works.

First, while in the presentation mode, Powerpoint allowed the computer to go to screensaver. Keynote never does this, and so I was shocked when I saw my "colour octopus" (as my kids call it) screensaver on the screen. What kind of presentation program lets the computer go into screensaver mode?! If I'm making a presentation, I'm making a presentation, and, hmmm, let's see, maybe I'll need to screen to stay, oh, I don't know, BLACK?! Like the way I left it?! Grrrr...

This wouldn't have been too big a problem, but a few other factors contributed to what was a nightmare. My laptop is set to ask for a password when it wakes from sleep, or when it comes back from screensaver. Of course the person doing the overhead didn't know my password, so I had to clandestinely pass it over to her. Secondly, for some unknown reason, my OS decided to switch from dual monitor mode to mirroring mode. So now everyone is watching what I'm doing on my computer. Think fast. Ok, no problem, I'll switch from presenter view to slideshow view. So I hit view show, and we're back at the beginning of the slideshow. What!?! This is the second major failing of Powerpoint. Keynote doesn't do this. Keynote starts the slideshow at the slide you're on at the time. So that meant I had to page through ALL MY SLIDES to get to the song we wanted. So I'm looking like an idiot up there, paging through all the songs to get to the last one... I should also mention that I was leading the singing, so I have to get back across the stage to lead the song. My blood is boiling, my palms are sweaty, but 'game face on' and into the song.

Afterwards, I took my own advice and promptly forgot about it until now. I received several kind comments about the set, about leading, and so on. Dwelling on the positive helps. I easily can get bogged down in the technical, and what I thought went badly. God still works, the Spirit still moves, Christ is proclaimed. Amen to that.

firefox 2

is out!

get it here

when you dream...

... what do you dream about?

I had a recurring nightmare when I was a teenager which, when I think about it, was very odd. It started with a general sense of foreboding. I am walking down what seems to be a subway platform, but there's no train in the station. Then the scene cuts to what can only be described as a sense of extreme claustrophobia. My face is really close to something, and I can see electricity zapping between two points on the surface of this thing. I am aware that I cannot move, and I am pressed in tightly on all sides. Have you ever stared at something so intently that your focus became so tight that the spot you were focusing on seemed to rise toward you? If you have, it kind of felt like that. Anyway, back and forth it goes, between the empty platform and the feeling of being pressed in. Ultimately the final scene is on the platform. As I walk, I look over to where the track should be, but there is no track there. In fact, there is nothing there at all. It is simply emptiness, a black void.

And at that I would wake up.

Nowadays, I think I mostly can't remember my dreams... I'm still recovering from post-kids sleep deprivation... :)

blogger beta broke my flock

If you've noticed subtle changes to my blog recently, it's because I transitioned over to the Blogger Beta. Call me crazy, I just like to test out things sometimes. Be ahead of the game. On the bleeding edge. As long as it's not for work. If it's for work, then I don't like to be the beta tester, I just want something that does the job and doesn't crash.
Anyway, I was using Flock, a new browser (also beta), to blog from. It is pretty neat, and you should check it out if you like that sort of thing. However, Flock doesn't yet support the Blogger Beta. So I can't use it to blog anymore. I'm kind of sad, 'cuz it was nice to use, instead of having to login to the Blogger page all the time (and as I'm doing right now). Sigh. This is the price you pay for being beta.
I leave you with my impossibly cute daughter:

do you use nouns as verbs?

Something I read recently talked about how Photoshop has become so ubiquitous a word, that it is now used as a verb, as in: "Can you Photoshop that out?" or "Did you Photoshop that?"

One that irks me to no end is the recent LCBO ad run that uses the slogan: "Do you VQA?" The ad copy reads all conspiratorial, like they're talking about something dirty and sexual. "There they were, VQA'ing right on the living room floor..." It's just freakin' wine! Get over yourselves. Irritating.

Do you use nouns as verbs? What are your trendy language creations?

Do you iPod? Do a Tom Cruise?

Let's make a list...

small victories

I almost don't want to say it in case it's not true, but it seems that T is no longer allergic to bananas. She's had it twice now, and no reaction. There's hope! (^_^)

iPod Nano for Canada...

Seen the new iPod Nano Project Red yet? It's part of Bono's whole push to eradicate AIDS, TB and Malaria in Africa.

I think it looks like a Canadian iPod... and it would match my car... :P

repeat after me

"the best lens is the lens you have"

Instead of playing "Vincent Versace says" as I did in my earlier post, I have come across another photographic mantra that may prove helpful...

"the best lens is the lens you have"

see, this one lets you feel better about what you already have, and gets you out taking pictures, which is, after all, the whole point of this exercise, isn't it! :)

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happy birthday

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sing along

T is really talking. I mean really talking. She sings along at bedtime to "Here I Am To Worship". She has about 60% of the words, all of the timing, 80% of the melody. She'll sing a little part of a kids song to you, then stop and ask, "Like that story, daddy?" Ask her to do something and she'll go, "Ok, I will..." And she, just like J did, puts the word "either" at the end of a sentence to indicate a negative, as in "Want choy choy either".

T is showing some empathy too. Today, J was upset about something as we were getting into the car. T is already buckled in, and just waiting patiently as J has a little crying fit, and reluctantly gets buckled in. (J missed her nap today) Anyway, I ask T what she'd like to choose for the CD to listen to on the way home (J gets to choose in the morning as I drop them off, T gets to choose in the afternoon when I pick them up).

T says, "J choose either? J crying? T choose either? J sad T choose?"

I was pretty touched by this display of sisterly concern on T's part.

I said, "It's ok, it's your turn to choose, J won't be upset, you choose."

"Me choose?"

"Yes, you go ahead and choose."

"Tzena Tzena! Drums!"

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