The Tough Decision Finally is Made

After 52 shows I finally did one on Umbria ! I had been debating with myself for over a year about whether to even do a show on Umbria considering the dearth of available photos. During our first two trips to Umbria in 2006 and 2007, we were using our new digital camera, and were still taking a lot of photos the old-fashioned way. The only time we returned to Umbria occurred when we stayed there for 3 nights in 2012. So even though we had visited Orvieto, Perugia, Todi, Spello, Spoleto, Assisi, Citta della Pieve, we had very few photos. For some reason we took quite a few videos, but really only two or three were worthwhile to broadcast on the show. When we returned to Orvieto in 2012, Laura took a lot of photos, perhaps several hundred. We actually returned to Umbria in 2008, but weren't really aware that we were there ! We were staying in Cortona a lovely town at a hotel high up above the town, the Hotel Corys, and were planning to visit Lake Trasimeno on the way to Montepulciano for a look at this stunning lake. That story is told on the show. I wasn't even aware that Lake Trasimeno, and the town we used for the view, Castiglione del Lago, were a part of Umbria. In 2008 we had started to explore Tuscany in earnest, so didn't have much time for anything in Umbria. We were planning to visit the south Umbrian towns of Narni and Terni during the 2012 trip, but then were so tired from the long journey to Orvieto from the USA that we canceled that.

So that's the background. I was very reluctant to do a whole show show about a place where, although I had spent quite some time, didn't have many images. For months I debated with myself constantly. The iPhoto album entitled "Umbria" sat there month after month. I would go to it again and again wondering if I should build a show around it. Finally two months ago I decided to do an Umbria show, use some of the photos from the Orvieto experience and 2 videos to introduce the show, include the Lake Trasimeno, and Citta della Pieve experience, show a couple of videos, one of a short stroll in Spello and one of a short description of the hotel experience in Urbino, and take the rest of the material from the internet. Apropos to the hotel video in Urbino, I also decided to throw in a non-Umbria town, since it is close to Gubbio in the northern Umbria, and also because I have even fewer photos of that very historical town. And then finally, since I felt insecure about sustaining 60 minutes on a topic I was so tentative about for so long, I threw in several 'asides' - newsy topics about Italy. This is actually an idea I love and will do a lot under similar circumstances. Not really what one might call a "filler" but really just topics of interest when the show is light on photos. To wit, Luca had just sent me the Florence Newspaper, a paper which summarizes Florentine goings-on. That was chock full of interesting stuff about Italy in general, and Florence in particular. Also, of course, the Pope just resigned so that was a good item to talk about, and Mt Etna just erupted, spewing it's innards all over the place and I showed a spectacular image. Plus, and finally, I felt so badly about having identified the Rialto Bridge as the Accademia Bridge in Show # 52, that I did something I have stopped doing, using a subsequent show to correct errors from the previous one. So I did a brief talk about the bridges of Venice once again. I don't know why I keep misidentifying things I know so well, but under the lights, pressured by time elements, and the whole aura of the live show, I guess I get flummoxed at times. As Donald Fagen of the group Steely Dan indicates in his song "Deacon Blues" - "I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play it wrong." I suggest the same thing for anyone who is critical. Sorry.

Meanwhile there was a concert in the community center next door which ended at about 5 and for the first half of the show, from about 5 until 5:30, there was the noise of that show ending with people talking, and chairs being moved around. When I arrived to the studio at 4:30 I tried to cut across the stage area to get to the bathroom, but gave up when I opened the door of the studio and was looking at the back of this guitarist who was in the process of entertaining an audience of about a hundred people. All of these issues may have derailed the show at the beginning, an apt topic for my book, Birth of a Television Show, but nothing fazes me that much anymore, and I took it in a good-natured way, even my knowing so little about Umbria. I even quoted my friend Luca whose comment about the comparison of Umbria and Tuscany appears in my second book, My Personal Journey. Otherwise it was a fine show as I later watched the whole thing. On the DVD I took home to upload to Youtube, there was a 20 second period at the beginning to edit out, and a 10 second end. Sometimes Ellen and I get so caught up in talking after the show that she forgets to fade out the ending and it just kept rolling along the same images we showed at the beginning of that segment of the show. When left alone the slide-show just goes into a continuous loop. If we decided to take a 20 minute break, it would keep going on and on and on....

This week was weird because Youtube had my video views at 5,997, ready to go over 6,000, which would have been wonderful to see, but then suddenly the number 5,425 appeared !!!! Somehow over 500 views disappeared, and let me tell you there is no way to ask a question of anyone at Youtube. I even tried calling google's corporate offices and was on hold for 20 minutes before hanging up. I did notice that there were many views that lasted perhaps 2 seconds, as the general average length of time people were watching seemed low indicating that many people get there, take a look, and get lost. It really doesn't matter much as I just like having the compilation of all 52 shows (now 53) in one very accessible location - that really is the purpose of the Youtube connection and I am happy to have it !

I also received an e mail from the Program Director at the New Paltz Public Access TV Station who wants my shows to broadcast to the New Paltz community, nice idea, since I will be starting my teaching there in the continuing ed program in a few weeks.

Next week Ric Hirst joins me for the Viterbo Show with wonderful images of that great city in Northern Lazio. I had many images, so many in fact that what was supposed to be a combination Viterbo/Tuscania show was divided up into two parts. That's what I like, going out for a day of sight-seeing and getting two potential shows in one fell swoop ! Grazie per la lettura. Ciao.

Alan's Italy's Hat Trick

In my apparent continued quest to talk about my Italian travels as much as possible, about six months ago I signed up to do three Library Forums, in Saugerties, Kingston, and Woodstock. The purpose, other than providing yet another venue to revel in the glory of the stunning images and expound on my favorite adventures, was to promote my book, Alan's Italy: My Personal Journey. The first in Saugerties in mid January was fun, although only five people showed up. I enjoyed it, however, and apparently so did the participants. My Kingston Forum on January 29 was better attended with fifteen people, and the people who run the forums indicated a desire for me to do a series of lectures in the summer on different topics. Then I did the forum in my hometown of Woodstock this past Saturday, Feb 16. Over twenty people showed up on a very cold evening including my wife and one of our good friends. They were a marvelous audience, as really all of them were, asking questions and applauding at various times. The "Hat Trick" was hence very successful and highly enjoyable for me !

Teaching mathematics in college in different. I do a great job of teaching mathematics, and occasionally students come up after class to tell me so, and, of course, that is very rewarding. However, there is something wonderful about getting paid for a job well-done as I do in my college teaching, and something especially rewarding and uplifting about doing the forums. In the fall I will hope to return to college teaching to see if I am still capable of doing that. I have also agreed, finally, to teach in the Saugerties Lifespring Program simultaneously - or at least for a six-week overlap. So my probable schedule looks like Tues/Thurs at the college, and Wed at the Lifespring. I hope I don't collapse. The Lifespring is only 5 mins from my house and only slightly over an hour in length. The college will require 6 hrs a day of car, bus, subway, and walking travel, and then 3 1/2 hrs of teaching. I used to enjoy that (believe it or not), so I am eager to see if that continues and if I have the stamina.

My next venture is the New Paltz College Lifetime Learning Institute which begins on March 20 and goes right up to the week before our trip to Italy on May 20. It will be my boldest Italy lecture venture yet with eight classes touring people from Venice north west east south and everywhere I have ever been. I tested the classroom two weeks ago and it is wonderful, state-of-the-art, so I cannot wait. Meanwhile I have run out of the creative spark to write, so my 3rd book on my teaching and supervisory career is on hold for now.

On the TV show I resume this Friday after a three week hiatus when we were derailed by the snow storm, and then a gallery opening for a friend. I will resume with Show # 53 - Umbrian Hills Towns. It covers several of the charming towns that dot the countryside to the east of Tuscany including Perugia, Citta della Pieve, Lake Trasimeno, Orvieto, Todi, Spello, Assisi, and Gubbio. I will also throw in Urbino which although not in Umbria, is just north in the region of Le Marche. During my little vacation from the show I developed enough possibilities to carry me through the spring into early summer including topics on the Towers of Italy in two parts with Franc Palaia helping out with number two in that series. I will also focus on the two Lazio towns of Viterbo and Tuscany with Ric Hirst doing that with me. Also in the hopper are shows on Loggias, Verona, Michelangelo in Rome, Eating in Italy (concentrating on the concept of eating rather than how to make the food - which I am clueless about), and a special show which parallels my Library Forums during which I will do the actual lecture about the book. I am doing that because several people have told me that they could not help but miss the forums, and wanted to see it anyway. So to get the lecture on record for "all-time" I will do a whole show on that.

So this Friday, Feb 22 at 5 PM I resume the weekly broadcasts, which, without unexpected cancellations, continues until mid May when we leave for Italy. And, of course, all shows will be then uploaded to Youtube. Grazie per la lettura di questa blog !

Blue Lights and A Special Week

The week was wonderful as I performed my second library forum, this time at the Kingston Public Library on Franklin Street. It is a very impressive building, and clearly a hub of community activity. The facilities were excellent, and although I had a bit of difficulty with my computer set-up, always a source of much anxiety, before and during, one of members of the audience came up and realized that my screen was blank. My computer is set to turn off its screen after about 10 minutes, so that setting will obviously need to be adjusted. The rest of the presentation was flawless and fun as the audience was very interested. One of my participants, the fellow with whom I spoke over the phone the week earlier told me it was outstanding ! I then e mailed my contact at the library who asked me to do a series of lectures during the summer, which I will gladly do.

I also made contact with a technician at the New Paltz Lifetime Learning Institute who will be assisting me with my set-up when I begin to do their program of eight lectures, similar to the Saugerties LLI that I did last fall, on March 20. She seemed to understand my anxiety about that and we will meet on Wednesday to go through a dry run.

Last night's show was something I had looked forward to, but for some reason had been putting off for quite some time. I suppose I just never got around to creating a show. I told my audience that it was my lack of expertise in the area of Venice, but frankly I have no idea why. My very first show back in December 2011 was Venice, and that was it, despite the fact that we had hundreds of excellent photos. So I revisited Venice presenting a lot of different pictures from the original broadcast. I set them up in groups as the churches, palazzi, canals, side-streets, etc. and it was fun to put together. Also, after this next trip to Venice in May/June, I assume I will have additional images and stories galore, so this was a good introduction for that later time.

We were setting up, and I was feeling quite relaxed when Ellen indicated that she was getting a blue light reflecting off my glasses. We tried every angle, covering my body, etc., but could only remove the light when I turned away from the computer. I did the show with the computer shifted as far away from my view as I could while still being able to see the images. Then off we went and the show was virtually perfect. I then went to a party at a friend's house, so I did not actually get to see the video of the show until I got home much later. When I did finally look at it, there was nothing out of the ordinary, except an occasional blue light which was obviously reflecting off my glasses from the computer screen. I looked back on previous shows and noticed the same effect. It doesn't really hinder the presentation or the actual broadcast, so I am not concerned in the least. Perhaps it was worse last night for some reason, or perhaps Ellen never noticed it. Who knows, but even this time Ellen agreed that every week is a new adventure !