One of the easiest shows to put together and also one of the most fun experiences. I simply took the photos from the intro to the show and discussed what they mean to us which was, of course, very easy to do. I felt complete relaxed and confident although the very first photo of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in the Venetian Lagoon gave me fits at first when I could't think of the name. After that it was smooth sailing through roughly 40 of our best photographs from our many trips to Italy. Except for a few very minor glitches at the start of the show, everything went very smoothly. We even went back to using the old stand-up microphone rather than the lapel clip on used nowadays on regular TV.
And so the "season" is now finished as we prepare for my 24th and Laura's 17th trip to Italy. I have many ideas for shows and would love going back to the once a week format we started with back in late 2011, if I can find new shows during our trip, expand on several ideas I have, and make the time during the summer when I should have enough time to work extra hours to get ready. All this, of course, is dependent on how my cataract surgery comes out. We shall see.
In the meantime, thanks to my ever present following and I hope to give you more interesting videos in the coming season.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Friday, May 13, 2016
Return to a Favorite Theme
I love old photos. I love old photos of Italy more than anything. As I indicated on the show, I like to find the exact location of an old photo and compare the photo to the modern view trying to find as many differences as possible. As I point out on the show, it was easier to create shows centering around the much more familiar places such as Florence, Rome, and Tuscany generally. Varenna was difficult because I was not as familiar with the town, despite having been there a half dozen times. Therefore this album took a lot of time to pull together; really the largest quantity of time in recent months. It was well worth it as I thoroughly enjoyed the longest show I have had in a very long time at slightly over 57 minutes. Although I have enjoyed the recent shows, this time I was truly enthralled by a topic that has always fascinated me. That tells me a lot. In the future I must try to "get into" my ideas to a greater degree; a great lesson considering there is yet another Italian trip coming up very soon.
As for the actual broadcast experience of which I like to talk, the only issue was the sound was again, lower than in past years due I believe to the different microphone I now use - a small one attached to my lapel. Even Ellen said I had it was too far from my mouth at first, but next time I may put it even closer. Other than that it was an outstanding video of a show that I truly loved doing. Ellen and I seem to be interacting on the air a lot more lately which I have always wanted as it gives more of a real feel of a live broadcast than just going through the material on my own. Now that I now longer have guests on the show I like this approach. Even when I used to listen to Imus in the Morning on radio, I loved the way he interacted with his staff. It gave a great down-home feeling to the live broadcast.
Next week I am deviating from a model which I have practiced for quite some time, i.e. doing a bi-weekly show. I will do my first back to back broadcast in a long time. There a few reasons for this. First I have a lot of material with what I assume will be a treasure trove after the next trip. Second, I will not know the future for a while. Missing two straight weeks because of our trip plus the uncertainty of my condition after cataract surgery on June 14 and June 28, I would rather keep moving now. The topic will be easy for me - simply an analysis of the photo montage that forms the basis of my show's introduction. I will spend a few minutes discussing the meaning of the selection of the photos, where they are taken and why Laura photographed them.
As for the actual broadcast experience of which I like to talk, the only issue was the sound was again, lower than in past years due I believe to the different microphone I now use - a small one attached to my lapel. Even Ellen said I had it was too far from my mouth at first, but next time I may put it even closer. Other than that it was an outstanding video of a show that I truly loved doing. Ellen and I seem to be interacting on the air a lot more lately which I have always wanted as it gives more of a real feel of a live broadcast than just going through the material on my own. Now that I now longer have guests on the show I like this approach. Even when I used to listen to Imus in the Morning on radio, I loved the way he interacted with his staff. It gave a great down-home feeling to the live broadcast.
Next week I am deviating from a model which I have practiced for quite some time, i.e. doing a bi-weekly show. I will do my first back to back broadcast in a long time. There a few reasons for this. First I have a lot of material with what I assume will be a treasure trove after the next trip. Second, I will not know the future for a while. Missing two straight weeks because of our trip plus the uncertainty of my condition after cataract surgery on June 14 and June 28, I would rather keep moving now. The topic will be easy for me - simply an analysis of the photo montage that forms the basis of my show's introduction. I will spend a few minutes discussing the meaning of the selection of the photos, where they are taken and why Laura photographed them.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Patience, Patience, Patience
Patience is not something of which I have an abundance. This is a trait of mine that my followers know all too well. Walking out of the studio on Friday evening after doing what I assumed to be a very successful show without the DVD of the show in hand was a peculiar feeling for me. Friday turned into Saturday into Sunday into Monday and I heard nothing, except that apparently Ellen had left a message on my phone indicating that she would drop off the DVD of the show Monday afternoon. It occurred as scheduled, and I watched it and did the uploading to Youtube, as my viewers already know by the stunning image of Lake Como which appears as the lead image.
It is in fact a nice, crisp show and I looked and sounded more relaxed than I have been recently. Back in the groove again I was confident about my material and looking forward to the broadcast. People always tell me how relaxed I look, but the truth is sometimes very far from that. In this case I was very at ease. Unfortunately I made a couple of errors calling a "vaporetto" a "wheel chair" during the segment at the beginning initiated by one of my viewers who asked about the access ramp at the Florence Santa Maria Novella Train Station. With respect to accessibility for the physically challenged I spoke about the wheel chairs I have often seen around Venice, one of the "easiest" places for the physically challenged to navigate around because of its predominate flatness - except for the bridges which are the only hindrance. Later in the show I misused a word, "pummel" instead of "plummet." Attempting to describe the fall of the Fiumelatte water I interspersed the two words. The water plummets not pummels. I am not that upset about those errors, since, after all, I am an amateur. If I had made such a mistake in a mathematics classroom of such a magnitude, then it might be a matter of concern.
Nonetheless, I had a wonderful opportunity to describe two of the truly amazing times we had on Lake Como, a destination for us that has been filled with incredible moments. The Trattoria Baita Belvedere with its spectacular views of the lake and Bellagio and the town of Fiumelatte with its charming town and small water fall were memorable times. I now turn to a show that began to be formed in my mind when, sitting in the lobby of our hotel in Varenna, Hotel du Lac. I noticed a book of 19th century photos. Yes, dear viewers, it will yet another Then and Now show, so if you like that kind of thing, please tune in, hopefully, Friday evening, May 6.
So even though I have a dearth of patience, thanks nonetheless for your's.
It is in fact a nice, crisp show and I looked and sounded more relaxed than I have been recently. Back in the groove again I was confident about my material and looking forward to the broadcast. People always tell me how relaxed I look, but the truth is sometimes very far from that. In this case I was very at ease. Unfortunately I made a couple of errors calling a "vaporetto" a "wheel chair" during the segment at the beginning initiated by one of my viewers who asked about the access ramp at the Florence Santa Maria Novella Train Station. With respect to accessibility for the physically challenged I spoke about the wheel chairs I have often seen around Venice, one of the "easiest" places for the physically challenged to navigate around because of its predominate flatness - except for the bridges which are the only hindrance. Later in the show I misused a word, "pummel" instead of "plummet." Attempting to describe the fall of the Fiumelatte water I interspersed the two words. The water plummets not pummels. I am not that upset about those errors, since, after all, I am an amateur. If I had made such a mistake in a mathematics classroom of such a magnitude, then it might be a matter of concern.
Nonetheless, I had a wonderful opportunity to describe two of the truly amazing times we had on Lake Como, a destination for us that has been filled with incredible moments. The Trattoria Baita Belvedere with its spectacular views of the lake and Bellagio and the town of Fiumelatte with its charming town and small water fall were memorable times. I now turn to a show that began to be formed in my mind when, sitting in the lobby of our hotel in Varenna, Hotel du Lac. I noticed a book of 19th century photos. Yes, dear viewers, it will yet another Then and Now show, so if you like that kind of thing, please tune in, hopefully, Friday evening, May 6.
So even though I have a dearth of patience, thanks nonetheless for your's.
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Almost There, But Not Quite......
I wouldn't have believed it possible. When I finished the show, and feeling very relaxed that it was a good one, I actually felt that we have finally mastered the new equipment. I confidently gathered together my things, cables, computer, notes, etc. but heard mutterings coming from the console. Never a good sign. Ellen was desperately trying to "finalize" the DVD but was having trouble with the remote control. Who would have thought it! Yet another issue that we had yet to have. After 120 shows there was actually something left that hadn't been screwed up. While I was seated and watching her go through this process, someone came into the studio who knew me, but, of course with my poor memory for such things lately, I didn't know her. She and her husband were producers of their own cable access show, and wanted to know why I wasn't at the Board of Producer's meeting last week. I told her that I didn't know it existed, but would like to attend. Yet another thing I have committed myself to. We finished the show at about 5:45 and it was now about 6:15 and still no video. I left and told Ellen to keep me informed. I have yet to see the finished version. That is the reason that the show has yet to be uploaded to Youtube. It should be a few days away, but if I have to do the show over (which would make me very upset), it could be longer.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Farewell to Tuscany.....For Now
The last show in the "Tuscany Series" was more or less successfully recorded yesterday evening. I use the word recorded as opposed to broadcasted because apparently Ellen forgot to flick the switch which would have made the show live! I didn't realize this until I got home and Laura wanted to know if we did a show. I told her we did and I have a supposed DVD of the effort. I had a feeling something might have been up when I looked at one of the monitors and noticed the WPAT Channel 23 Logo was on the screen. Then I simply forgot to say something because generally I don't have much of an idea what goes on behind the console. Fortunately I did have the DVD. We went out for the evening and didn't get back into the house until after 11, but then I broke down and watched the show which was recorded well enough even though the volume was too low and the photos appeared to be not quite the usual standard. I went to sleep annoyed, once again (or I should say "yet again") determined to end the whole project. As usually occurs for me, after a good night's sleep (actually "good" might be stretching the point), I changed my mind and downloaded to my computer, uploaded to Youtube, and made copies for Woodstock Public Access and Panda TV (Tivoli, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Rhinecliff). Now I am putting the punctuation mark on show # 119 with the blog post!!
The experience of traveling around Tuscany with both Lidia and Luca has evolved to the point where that in itself is worth the trip to Italy. In this case last time we were in Italy we simply told both of them to take somewhere amazing. We were not disappointed. So for shows 117 and 118 Lidia was the hostess and architect of a wonderful afternoon, and for show 119 Luca planned the trip. As I indicated on the show last night, we had made an almost circular journey around the town of Volpaia when we were in Chianti in 2009 and again in 2010, but this time visited this almost perfectly charming town. The video of the show clearly shows our fascination with small, quaint Tuscan villages. All the towns came into existence as outposts during the various wars between rivals Florence and Siena during the Middle Ages and transitioned to vacation destinations in the late 20th century. Both Lidia and Luca chose extraordinary lunch locations, Lidia in Rignana and Luca in Volpaia. I described the later in great detail, even asking Luca in an email to indicate the various bruschette (plural for bruschetta). He and Mary, as Laura later reminded me, ordered appetizers only while I (for some reason) ordered a lasagne. Next time I will probably go along with whatever my friends choose. For our upcoming trip in late May/early June I have chosen Siena and again asked Lidia and Luca to take us to places that actually I have chosen. Maybe THAT is a mistake. We shall see.
I now pivot back to Lake Como doing the next two shows related to the town of Varenna, the first, # 120 related to day trips while staying in Varenna that were easy and very rewarding and # 121 yet another in the long line of "Then and Now" type presentations. I am excited although both are in moderate to severe states of incompleteness. I have my work ahead of me. Those last two will complete the material obtained from the trip we took in May and June of 2015.
The experience of traveling around Tuscany with both Lidia and Luca has evolved to the point where that in itself is worth the trip to Italy. In this case last time we were in Italy we simply told both of them to take somewhere amazing. We were not disappointed. So for shows 117 and 118 Lidia was the hostess and architect of a wonderful afternoon, and for show 119 Luca planned the trip. As I indicated on the show last night, we had made an almost circular journey around the town of Volpaia when we were in Chianti in 2009 and again in 2010, but this time visited this almost perfectly charming town. The video of the show clearly shows our fascination with small, quaint Tuscan villages. All the towns came into existence as outposts during the various wars between rivals Florence and Siena during the Middle Ages and transitioned to vacation destinations in the late 20th century. Both Lidia and Luca chose extraordinary lunch locations, Lidia in Rignana and Luca in Volpaia. I described the later in great detail, even asking Luca in an email to indicate the various bruschette (plural for bruschetta). He and Mary, as Laura later reminded me, ordered appetizers only while I (for some reason) ordered a lasagne. Next time I will probably go along with whatever my friends choose. For our upcoming trip in late May/early June I have chosen Siena and again asked Lidia and Luca to take us to places that actually I have chosen. Maybe THAT is a mistake. We shall see.
I now pivot back to Lake Como doing the next two shows related to the town of Varenna, the first, # 120 related to day trips while staying in Varenna that were easy and very rewarding and # 121 yet another in the long line of "Then and Now" type presentations. I am excited although both are in moderate to severe states of incompleteness. I have my work ahead of me. Those last two will complete the material obtained from the trip we took in May and June of 2015.
Friday, March 25, 2016
Success!!!!!
After some trepidation about broadcasting tonight during the half hour preceding the beginning of the broadcast, we began right on time at 5 PM. The process was relatively smooth on Ellen's side of the console, but my computer betrayed me and I had some difficulty which you will be able to view on Youtube. I think I had too many programs open at the same time and the memory did not permit so many things to be going on simultaneously and froze at times. For now I can simply solve the problem by closing down the programs I do not need which is all except Photos. Other than that I felt very relaxed and Ellen looked very calm as the broadcast continued just like old times. In the future I may have to add memory to my computer or buy a new one. I only have 4 GB memory; I could use at least 8 GB if not even 16 which Laura has and her computer is lightning fast.
So thus finishes a sequence of shows dedicated to a wonderful day out with Lidia and her friends that began with Show # 117 back in early October, 2015 and was finally put to rest yesterday, March 25, 2016 with Show # 118. The almost six month hiatus is the longest I have gone without doing a broadcast. At first I needed the rest from the sometimes arduous task of creating and then executing a show. Then I just kind of gave up the possibility of continuing, and finally when it looked promising, I began putting a show together and here I am.
However, I just cannot complain after finally getting back on TV and most importantly successfully uploading a new video after the 6 month hiatus. I have many more show scheduled and will discuss my ideas on the next show in two weeks. That show # 119 will focus on a day out at the Chianti village of Volpaia with Luca and Mary as our guides. Quite simply at this stage of my travels around Italy, I just cannot drive any longer. If not for Luca, Lidia, and Franco we would be confined to major cities (not a tragedy) or take trains and buses to the countryside which is just not so rewarding as driving. I will discuss all future plans in two weeks, but for now, yes, success!!!!
So thus finishes a sequence of shows dedicated to a wonderful day out with Lidia and her friends that began with Show # 117 back in early October, 2015 and was finally put to rest yesterday, March 25, 2016 with Show # 118. The almost six month hiatus is the longest I have gone without doing a broadcast. At first I needed the rest from the sometimes arduous task of creating and then executing a show. Then I just kind of gave up the possibility of continuing, and finally when it looked promising, I began putting a show together and here I am.
However, I just cannot complain after finally getting back on TV and most importantly successfully uploading a new video after the 6 month hiatus. I have many more show scheduled and will discuss my ideas on the next show in two weeks. That show # 119 will focus on a day out at the Chianti village of Volpaia with Luca and Mary as our guides. Quite simply at this stage of my travels around Italy, I just cannot drive any longer. If not for Luca, Lidia, and Franco we would be confined to major cities (not a tragedy) or take trains and buses to the countryside which is just not so rewarding as driving. I will discuss all future plans in two weeks, but for now, yes, success!!!!
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Relentlessly I Move Ahead
So on Friday, March 25 I will once again try to broadcast Show # 118 - Montefioralle. The original broadcast had some weird noise which both Ellen and Richard assure me will not be present again. I have made some modest "improvements" in the show and hopefully will download it to Youtube this Friday evening the first Alan's Italy in over 5 months.
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