VHS to DVD Business

A while back, I had an idea for a business for myself, and now it is finally happening. I will not say the name of my business here, because my last name is a part of it, but I will tell you what the business is.

A couple of years ago, I started trying my hand at video editing using many different programs. I used our family's own home movies to practice. I learned how to physically get analog footage into a PC, then edit, add music, transitions, and titles. And, I learned how to burn the footage to DVD.

Now that I have some experience under my belt, I am beginning to do it for others. I take peoples old home movies, clean them up, and transfer them to DVD. I believe this is a good business to get into because almost everyone has old home movies that are in need of saving. VHS tapes do not last.

Right now I am working on a project for one of my cousins. I am making her a slideshow with music for her mother's (my great aunt) birthday.

I will not do much advertising because I am already getting work by word-of-mouth. However, I may put up a website in the future. If I do, I will post a link on my blog.

Bye for now...

Pt 2 will not be posted unless...

I have decided not to post part 2 of my drug history. The reasons are:

1. Having that info out there in the world is scary
2. Writing about it brings back memories that I do not want to revisit
3. No one is reading this anyway 

Now, if I find out #3 is not true and someone out there wants me to post it, maybe I will. (But, you have to ask nicely.) 

My niece is here, so I have to get going for now. I'll post more later...

 

Let's break for the Democratic National Convention

Did you see Al Gore's speech? I thought it was excellent. Right now I'm watching President Clinton's speech. Man, I miss him.

Will post more tomorrow...

Are Republicans watching me?

No. I'm not being paranoid. Something strange is going on around here.

It all started a couple months ago. Two well dressed men were outside my house. One of them stood at the edge of my property while looking at my house. When I asked what they were doing, they said they were looking at a black bird. When I asked, "you mean that crow over there?," they ignored me. Then they walked away. I think their car was parked a few houses down.  

My fiance & I started noticing clicking noices on our phone recently. It sounds like someone else is on the line.

Today there were two new guys outside my house. One stayed in the car while the other got out & walked, while talking on his cellphone. I didn't see where he went. A few minutes later, he got back in the car and they drove away. The car was a white 4-door sedan, but not a cop car.

The Republicans may be up to their dirty tricks again. They may be keeping an eye on outspoken liberal Democrats like me. The (unamerican) Patriot Act may be giving them all the tools they need to accomplish this. The ridiculous Republicans probably find these things threatening:

• I've purchased anti-Bush books from Amazon.com
• I have donated several times to John Kerry For President 
• I have a John Kerry sign on my house
• I am a member of MoveOn.org
• I am a card carrying member of the DFL and the ACLU 
• I have sent faxes and email to members of the Senate
• I have signed numerous petitions for progressive causes
• I have this blog
• I have a "The Road To Hell Is Paved With Republicans" bumper sticker on my truck
• I've seen Fahrenheit 9/11
• I own the other three Michael Moore documentaries
• I will talk to whomever will listen about how the Cheney/Bush syndicate is the worst "administration" in our country's history

 
I could go on & on...

So, if anyone is having similar experiences, I'd love to hear about it (unless this blog goes down mysteriously.) Feel free to comment on this post.

Intermission

It's been 24 hours since I posted part 1, and I'm a little nervous. Although no one (that I know of) is reading my blog, it is still scary to know that this info is out there in the world.     

I've decided to take a light-hearted break before I post part 2.

I'm looking forward to watching Big Brother 5 tonight. I'm hoping that one of the meathead jocks do not get HOH (head of household.) I hate those guys.

I watched the films "Wonderland" & "The Butterfly Effect" the other day. They were both good in their own ways, but Wonderland was better. Val Kilmer is a great actor.

Part 2 may be posted tomorrow...we'll see.

My Addiction, Part 1

When I was in drug treatment, the counselors used to tell us about the statistics. They said that women that do not get clean by age 30, have almost no chance of beating their addiction. I made it by the skin of my teeth.

I was a textbook drug addict. I started smoking pot at age 14. By the time I graduated high school, I was smoking it everyday. During that time, I took LSD/mushrooms many, many times. By age 18, I moved on to bigger (& not better) things. I started snorting cocaine. I dropped the marijuana & stayed loyal to coke for another year or so. The part I didn't know was the reason I was doing this. I was clinically depressed & I was using drugs to self-medicate.

When I was a kid, I was very afraid of needles. That fear was long gone by age 19 when I started shooting coke on a semi-regular basis. But, with coke, there was one major problem - having to come down. When the money ran out & the drugs were gone for the night, the feeling of depression would be 1000 fold.

All of this was leading up to the big one. The drug that would become my whole life. The drug that took me from a contributing member of society to a thieving, sometimes homeless, suicidal, family-estranged, diseased junkie.

More to come...

 

Good Linkage

I've heard that the best way to get in Google's search results is by good linkage. The more sites that link to you, and the more you link to others, the higher your site gets ranked.  
 
These are some of my favorite websites in the political vein:
 
Michael Moore: http://www.michaelmoore.com  
Al Franken /Air America Radio: http://www.airamericaradio.com/pub/globalDefault.htm 
Jim Hightower: http://www.jimhightower.com/ 
MoveOn.org: http://www.moveon.org/front/
 
Other:
http://www.toostupidtobepresident.com/ 
http://www.markfiore.com/animation.html 

   
and, for the motherload:  
http://www.linkcrusader.com/anti-bush.htm

Something to really think about:
http://www.alternet.org/story/14399
  
 
That's enough to get you started!  More to come...
 
 

Are Bush supporters brainwashed?

I don't get it. How can the polls be so close? Sure, Kerry is slightly ahead, but why only slightly? 
  
I know that people are loyal to their chosen political parties, but there has to be a point when you realize that your elected (or in this case "selected") officials are no longer worthy of that loyalty. So, what is it? Are the Bushites brainwashed, or are they the largest group of ignoramuses that ever lived? Come on people - WAKE UP!! Look at what your beloved Commander in Thief has done. Unless you're a war profiteer, are you truly better off than you were 4 years ago? Or are you like the rest of us that can't deny the feeling of impending doom. THAT is the legacy of this "president."
 
The saddest part is that this administration has done SO much damage to us, and the rest of the world, that even if Kerry does win, he won't be able to begin to undo the damage. It is going to take decades, or longer.   
 
 

These are my babies. Norman is the French Bulldog & Stella is the black Pug. They are about 16 months old.  

There are worse things than OCD

Personally, I don't find having OCD a bad thing. If I were to be treated for it, I don't think I would get as much done.

I was diagnosed with OCD a couple of years ago. Looking back over my lifetime, I believe I was born with it. I think my Grandpa had it, so it must be in my genes. It manifests itself in just about everything I do. From rotating the towels, silverware, glassware, soft drinks, etc, to checking & rechecking the locks on the house, to organizing & reorganizing everything, to always having a bottle of Windex nearby, to hair pulling, it can be exhausting. I think it's the hardest on my fiance, Tom. I tend to drive him a little crazy.

OCD seems to be the "it" disorder these days, if that's possible. TV shows like the excellent, "Monk," and movies like "As Good As it Gets" brings it out into the light. I find that comforting.

There are many celebrities with it such as Donald Trump, Harrison Ford, Cameron Diaz, Roseanne, Billy Bob Thornton, and the late great, Warren Zevon.

Gotta take the dogs out. I'll write more later.

Yep, that's me. This is last year when I was still coloring my hair. I have since decided to let my hair revert to it's true color. While my natural hair color is brown, I am going gray. I will post an updated pic soon.  

Michael Moore LOVES America

I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 the other night with my fiance, sister, her daughter, and her daughter's friend. I have seen all of MM's films, and all I can say is WOW. He continues to be the most brilliant & important documentarian of our time. This film is a must-see. 
 
I knew the Cheney/Ashcroft/Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz/Rowe/Bush Sr, and to a MUCH lesser extent, Jr, was the most corrupt administration in our country's history, but I never knew to what extent. I do now. Not only does this administration need to go, but in my opinion, they need to be prosecuted for war crimes.   
 
I'll post more later.

Here we go!

Hello world! My name is Liz. I was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1965. My family moved to a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1967.  After living in the same house for many of my 39 years, I am now here to stay (I think.) My parents passed away, and I was left with our house.
 
I bet you're thinking, who cares! I just want to know about the title of this blog. I will get into it more over the upcoming days & weeks. For now, I will say that yes, I have OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder.) I was born in 1965, making me a part of generation X (those born between the early 60's & the mid 70's.) And lastly, I am a VERY proud liberal. I am making it my mission to reclaim the word "liberal." Over the last several years, the Republicans have tried to turn being a liberal into being a bad thing.
 
Here is the definition of liberal from Dictionary.com:

a. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
 
Now, can someone tell me what's wrong with being tolerant, broad-minded, & free from bigotry? Ok, I will say this, I am intolerant of some people...for instance, the ignorant, the unintelligent, and the close-minded among us. 
 
I don't want my blog entries to be too long, so I will close for now. 
Have a wonderful Friday, and I'll "talk" with you again soon. 
 
Sincerely, Lizzy