Well aren't I the horse's petoot !!!!!!!

After 48 hrs of heavy work trying to figure out what went wrong Friday evening, the problem has been solved, presumably. It was nobody's fault but my own. The engineers at the studio came to the conclusion that the studio was fine, but my computer or my cables or my adapter was at fault. I went to Best Buy and a guy name Earl, one of the geeks (and therefore resident geniuses !) found the problem, which is too complicated to discuss. It was not the cable or the adapter. It occurred when my engineer, Ellen, was doing her pre broadcast test of the sound 5 minutes before the show was set to begin, I accidentally did something, which even Earl couldn't figure out, and put the computer into a strange mode. Earl fixed it and showed me how to solve the problem if it ever came up again.


In the meantime the show is back on the air, I think ! The show that was supposed to be on, namely Alan's Italy Show # 40: Italy in their Own Words Part 2 will appear, assuming the town of Woodstock is still intact after the big storm, Friday, Nov 2 at 5 and will hopefully be on Youtube a few hours later. There are a lot of assumptions here, however, including 4 things:

1. Earl really did fix the problem
2. Woodstock still has power.
3. I have the internet
4. My generator works, because we will certainly lose power (we lose power when someone sneezes too hard up here)

There are just too many maybes there to give me any solace, so I will continue to sleep 3 - 4 hrs hrs a night for the next week. In the meantime, have fun reading of my adventures and misadventures, and buona sera !

Why Me ?

The past two Fridays I have asked this question. Waiting patiently for a system that always seems to be on the brink of exploding into oblivion, I sat yesterday waiting to begin while a problem which we had never seen before materialized. Usually it is the same stuff, but this time scared me, because it was something different and weird, too complicated to explain. It seemed to actually have something to do with my computer this time, and that's what was so peculiar. I am not sure how much of this stuff I can take, honestly, I am telling you, my valued and dedicated followers. I am too old for this stuff. I spent 26 years as an assistant principal and I'll you flatly, if a school ran like this, it would be closed by the superintendent in 5 minutes with just cause. I spent hours planning for the show with 5 interviews from people who all expected to see themselves on the air, so it was not just I who was disappointed, but now I have to write to them and tell them know about this debacle. If show # 39 were my last one, I wouldn't be surprised, so a number 40 might never actually happen. Who knows ? Check back next week, but don't get your hopes up, and I will use my time to come grips with what may be the demise of Alan's Italy.

Alan's Italy: The Birth of a Television Show

Well, it's out there now for everyone to read ! The entire process took several months, and relates the whole story from beginning to end. Those loyal readers of my blog may find some meaningful additions to the story they have already been following for several months, and there are some fine pictures, albeit black and white. The second book, Alan's Italy: My Personal Journey is about a month from away from publication, and my third book, Walking with the Angels: My 41 Years in Education is still being written by me and will most likely take about 6 - 8 months to finish. I have an idea for a fourth book, but would rather not to discuss that until much later. So here it is and I hope you consider buying it for no other reason than to support the Woodstock Public Access Television Station, which is not for profit and barely gets by. Proceeds from Birth of a Television Show will be donated to the township and will go directly to the studio. As always graze per la lettura.

Bumps in the Roads, Detours, & Assorted Wonders

I met a fellow at the studio whom I instantly bonded with who was receiving a lesson from Ellen. He and I spoke amiably while Ellen set up and looked like she was having some problems. When I sat down at the table, she indicated that she couldn't get anything to work and immediately called the tech guru Richard. While we waited and chatted, as I prepared myself for another week off ! I gave her a copy of my first book, Alan's Italy: The Birth of a Television Show, autographed, with a lovely card, all to give partial thanks for her herculean efforts to get me on the air each week for the past 10 months. Richard arrived, looked very serious, but in that commanding sense of competence that he displays when he is working to get us on the air, gave me the impression that I would not be having another week off. Surely enough he pressed that switch, this button, another flick of a switch and voila, we were on the air. Off we went a few minutes late, but immersing myself into my intro photos and my first "good evening, welcome to Alan's Italy." I started to tell the audience about my book, and then Ellen said loudly, in that voice that only means, there are more troubles, "Alan, the DVD didn't start to record." Unperturbed I said, "Ok let's start again," and off we went into another take thinking, how did live TV go on for so long ?" Finally things started to roll, and I began yet again by showing my new book just published, and explained to the audience that proceeds from the sales will be contributed to the Town of Woodstock to be used for the Woodstock Public Access Television Station for their expenses. Just go to xlibris.com, and help out the TV studio. My second book, Alan's Italy: My Personal Journey, the topic of which are my 20 years of Italian travel, will be published within the month, and will hopefully defray some of the costs I have incurred getting on the air and sustaining this show. I then reviewed a topic about which my recollections were a bit muddled during the last show. I was flummoxed by the different styles of capitals on Greek and Roman columns, so gave a short lecture on that topic, feeling very proud of myself for finally figuring out a not so difficult topic that an Italophile like me should know by now. Then off into Milan by starting with a brief set of reasons why someone would not want to stay in Milan if they are flying out of Malpensa Airport, 45 mins north-west of Milan. I revisited two of my favorite places, Lake Como and Lake Maggiore, and also Lake Lugano in Switzerland, and the town of Bergamo, all within a short drive to the airport. Then I made up for the Milan "put down" by establishing Milan as the center of world class art, fashion, and beauty that it rightly is. I focussed on the things I have always visited during my many, albeit brief stops in Milan waiting for my plane back to the USA or someone for my connecting flight. My favorite museum, Poldi Pezzoli, favorite piazza, Piazza del Duomo, Favorite Church (in the world), the Milan Cathedral, and some favorite hangouts such as the Cathedral piazza, via Dante, and a couple of hotels. I also focussed on two of the greatest pieces of art in the world, the Last Supper by Leonardo daVinci and Rondanini Pieta, by Michelangelo, both worth the trip and quickly came to the conclusion that I must return to Milan soon strongly making the case that Milan is indeed a worthwhile stop for a few days. But I knew that anyway, since it was after all, I who created this show ! I know my great places, no mystery there regarding Milan's brilliance! Next week we will have interviews with five wonderful and interesting people, all friends and family. My daughter, Jen, makes her debut along with several Woodstock neighbors. So for now, thanks for reading and Buona notte e buona fortuna.

A Friday Vacation Day After a 'Hard' Week

Show # 39 resumes next Friday Oct 19 with Milan: Italy's Northern Treasure. I need a Friday off occasionally, so this was it to visit the Living Room Gallery in Cold Spring for the carl Van Brunt Projects show in which carl himself was participating. Excellent show in a beautiful venue. I taught my second class in the Saugerties Lifespring Program, taking my 30 plus students from Venice north to the Dolomites, west to Lake Como and even further west to Lake Maggiore. Wed is Class # 3 with a trip south to Milan, and then Cinque Terre and North Western Tuscany ending up in Pisa. So far teaching the class is very enjoyable. My first book is now available at Xlibris.com, Alan's Italy: The Birth of a Television Show, with the second one not far behind. Developing many new shows, and also planning for our next trip in late May. Be well and see ya next week.

My Apologies for the Delay

To my many followers, please forgive me for being tardy with this blog. I was in a 48 hour funk for a variety of reasons, none of which had anything to do with Alan's Italy. I actually had an excellent show (forgive my immodesty), which looked good on the screen and uploaded beautifully to Youtube. Ellen had some problems at first, but as usual it all came together. The show centered on the area of Italy known as Campania which included the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and Hurculaneum, Capri, Ischia, Naples, and Sorrento. To produce this show I had to borrow photos from four different people including Susan, Franc, and Donna. When I had been to that area back in 2006 we weren't using the digital camera much and we lacked a bunch of images to which those fine people gave me access. I dedicated the show to Susan who gave me the most photos of her's and her husband Ed's trip there many years ago. The show took the viewer on a one week tour of Campania as if I were leading the tour myself, which is basically what I do anyway, but this was more detailed in terms of days, and how to spend one's time. I will be taking a week off to be with friends and partaking in the Woodstock Film Festival (which occurs this weekend). I already miss not doing the show, but must do that occasionally. I started to teach my course at Saugerties Lifespring and it was a sensational experience, with lovely and enthusiastic people. I started with Venice just as I did with Alan's Italy ten months ago, and it was very well received; we'll see if anyone returns on Wed for a second dose. I also spent a lot of time researching my third book about my teaching and supervising for the 41 years of my real career, which then became absurd since neither of the first two have come out yet. That book was out on hold while I am edited the second one. It is really starting to become a bit confusing. I managed to get to the YMCA four times last week which is very good, except that it may have caused the funk ! The timing is definitely off there somewhere. Maybe too much exercise dulls the mind contrary to what we have always believed. When I figure all this out, I'll let you know. Buona notte e buona fortuna.

A Day of Disasters

I awoke Friday morning thinking that everything was worked out and ready to go with the show entitled The Origins of Woodstock Public Access Television. I was going to spend the day writing my third book related to my experiences as an educator for 41 years. I have really gotten into that concept and have loads of memories and material from which to draw. At 11 AM I received a call from Tobe Carey telling me that his partner on the show Bart Friedman was not well and we would have to cancel the show. Bart and Tobe were among the early pioneers of videography and public access television, and that show had been weeks in the planning. I even had written a letter to the editor of the local paper indicating that the show would focus very much on the town and its public access TV. I told Tobe to tell Bart that we would reschedule the show and that Bart should just get better soon. I then went to my back up show on the town of Fiesole, just north of Florence. I always have a "back up". I place that in quotes, because the show has already been composed as an album with the appropriate photos, but other than that I have not really done much research, and yet if I had an emergency (such as this), it would be a possible backup. All I really needed would be perhaps an hour to get ready. A bit out of whack, I started to move things around in my iPhoto list, and accidentally mixed the Woodstock TV photos with the Fiesole ones, and not only were they combined. but completely mixed up and out of order. Now I panicked, not because I thought I wouldn't have enough time, because I did have 6 hrs to air time, but because I just have a hard time with change and confusion. Laura suggested I just skip that night and show an old show on video, but I just had to get this done, and spent the next several hours frantically getting ready. Finally I did, went to the studio, perhaps a little unprepared, and did the show. At the end of the show Ellen gave me the DVD and off I went. When I got home I realized the DVD didn't have any sound, and called Ellen. She said the DVD player must have malfunctioned, would try to have it repaired and we could do the show over again either the next day or whenever. I always back up a broadcast by DVRing it at home, so I tried to take the show off the TV to then download into my computer and then upload to Youtube. I had a miserable time with that and after 3 hrs gave up. I came to the conclusion that I would have to do the show at another time, perhaps Sunday or who knows when. I then called Dan, my technical expert, who walked me through the proper way to DVD a show off the TV, and after a long while getting right finally had everything going well. The show I subsequently uploaded to Youtube wound up being only slightly flawed. The broadcast was fine, but I saw that on air I had some difficulty with some of the details as my normal study time had been upset. Nonetheless, I did have a chance to talk about Florence a bit, and Fiesole, which is a really lovely town filled with Roman ruins, spectacular views, and we even did a video pastry demonstration with a master chef, Febo Ticci, the husband of someone we knew who lived in Fiesole. I would like to mention something I forgot on the broadcast. Febo was adopted by the owner of the shop Alcedo Falli, and took him on as an apprentice pastry chef. When Febo had I had spoken (translated by his wife, our acquaintance Loretta) about his adopted family, I indicated that my own father had been adopted back in the 1920's. The show about Fiesole was very satisfying. It reminded me of teaching school, when some lesson I had planned was hard to teach, because some equipment had malfunctioned. Although I was flummoxed and disoriented at first, the lesson itself was very good. Just get me in front of a class (or in front of a camera) and I am ok. Sorry to my followers for this slight delay. Buona sera ! E grazie !