Things I Learned From My First Video Blog

Well...it has been around 24hrs since my first “Video” Blog and I’ve been doing the typical mulling over what the hell I just did.  Reflecting on the whole process, how it came across etc.  Although remarks at my Facebook page have been extremely positive and supportive, being my own worst critic I saw lots of stuff I want to change.  So....on this.....the “Day After” I thought I would share my reflections on the whole thing.  So with that I present

The Things I Learnd From My First Video Blog

1.        I will never get used to seeing or hearing myself on camera.  Even though I enjoyed the end result and felt it wasn’t terrible for a first time, it’s still a frickin weird feeling to be editing a video that has my moon-sized face staring back at me.

2.       It’s very intimidating to be sitting in front of a camera, even alone in my own basement with nobody else around, I found myself feeling very self conscious and very self aware.  Thoughts like ”is this stupid?” “is this funny?” “will people think I’m a narcissistic douche for even trying it” were running through my head the entire time.  I’ve always been more of a “behind the scenes” sort of person and have, frequently, been behind the camera but rarely have I ventured in front.  Kind of gives me a new respect for the men and women who do on camera and modelling work as their careers.  It’s hard.

3.       Adlibbing even a few sentences and trying to sound intelligible is way harder than I thought it would be.  I’m not a public speaker by any stretch of the imagination, but I consider myself a fairly outgoing and easy going person and figured it would be a piece of cake.  Not so much.  I stumbled on words, ummed and aaaahed my way through my spiel  and, as an added bonus, with all the stuff going through my head in point #2 made really hard to not sound like a blabbering fat-head.  Next Video blog (if there is one...who am I kidding..there probably will be) will either be scripted fully or at very least have point-form notes for me to refer to.  Hopefully it will make editing easier and make the Video Blogs better and funnier as that is my main goal...to Entertain.

4.   I have a big head...perhaps a collection of various hats can be used to combat the problem?

Well that’s what I’ve learned so far...I suppose eventually I will get better and/or find more things to criticize about myself...for now this will do. 

Stay Tuned for further updates...both written and visual :)

Oh..for those of you who comment on my stories back where you hear about them...be it Twitter or Facebook...just remember you can also comment on the blog posts themselves, right on this page..just click the "comment" link and fill in the form...it's that easy.

MAY THE FARCE BE WITH YOU!!!

Munsch Ado About Nothing

Ok...This has been in the news a bit lately so I feel (as Always) that I have to comment.   I know...you're shocked, right?  It seems beloved child author of such classics as "Mortimer"  and "I Love You Forever" has announced to the world that he had an addiction to alcohol and cocaine.  Also, he has bipolar disorder and has suffered with this from the time he was a child.

My Opinion...get ready for this...it'll knock your socks off.  WHO GIVES A CRAP!.  I mean seriously.  Yes he may be a child's author and storyteller, but he's also a human being.  This day and age many many many people suffer with addictions.  Whether its alcohol, tobacco, pot, cocaine, internet porn or video games, literally hundreds of thousands of people suffer with various addictions.  Some may say that this may deminish his credibility, to me it doesn't do a thing.

Bottom Line, he is a brilliant author and wonderfully engaging storyteller.  So he has some personal issues..that's what they are ...PERSONAL.  In no way should this effect his professional life or how people view his public self. With any celebrity they have a "public" persona which is what we all see and their "Private" Persona which they reserve for people who they associate with, friends, family etc.  To me the fact that he's come out and told the world about this makes him even more special to me.  He could have easily kept it to himself and secrectly received treatment, but he chose to share his plight with the world and say "Yes, I'm an addict, and yes, I am getting help for that addiction".  This is what a real stand up person does...not sneak off to some secret celebrity rehab facility...this guy has got the right idea.

GO PUBLIC, GET BETTER, MOVE ON

As an aside...alcohol addiction has literally plagued dozens of famous authors....as Brad Paisley wrote in his song "Alcohol".... "I've influenced Kings and world leaders, I helped Hemingway write like he did, and I'll bet you a drink or two that I can make you, Put that lampshade on your head"