Wednesday 6 Feb as a sidebar to Ted’s comment
For those of us who seldom look at the comments- In response to the next installment Ted commented
“Let’s see your outlook after you handle a shoot at church all by yourself. I agree, it’s progress, and that’s all great, but I fear we are backsliding, and we may not be able to regain the lost momentum.
Then again, this is a marathon,. not a sprint, so we don’t want to burn ourselves out. We’ll make it work, from week to week as long as we can.
Might not be pretty, but that’s what M&C.com is for … You just say “We did it!”
Well Ted, you certainly have me posting more often as your comments require complete answers, especially as they give me the topics and the internet gives me the soapbox. First things first though - Enrgeeman thanks for adding me to your blog roll, hopefully by the time you get home next week you’ll have that new computer working the way you want.
Okay, now Wednesday for those who don’t know is “blood day” my weekly blood work to see if I still have sufficient platelets and if possible (or necessary) change my daily dosage of Prednisone. Today I also saw the Dr. she told us because my platelets have been over 100,000 for the last four weeks I can now start coming in every other week, but we’ll keep to the 2.5mg Prednisone to try to keep the count up and because it might help keep the CLL in check. She also told mom I’m not “sick” or fragile, I just have to be careful and watch for symptoms of the CLL. That was the great news, the bad news was after lunch we went to see about the Merc. unless they find a good used engine for it - it’s done. It’s allot worse than just an oil pump, give them a couple days to check on engines, but be ready to buy another vehicle.
Then comes the Lenten Service at church and almost your wish for me “to handle a shoot at church by” myself. Now remember you’re in your early twenties and I’m well, 60 and, not as fast as I used to be. Mom and I got to church just before 7:00 PM, service starts 7:30 PM, I have the Special Edition DVD for Ida and a quote for the electric for Judy to deliver also. As we arrive we meet Mrs. Matlack who asks if I know where her wreaths were moved to (they had been in the outer room of the loft) I told her no but I’d go with her to check the loft as she did not have a key- sure enough someone had moved them in there. I checked with pastor to see if they would need more than the 1 lav. he told me they would need a second one. I arranged with him for pastor Moore, the guest, to use lav. 1 and he would use lav. 3, which I handed him with the batteries. As I was headed up to open the sound board, which I had turned on at the modesty rail I ran into Vuman who asked if there was anything he could do to help with video. I silently said “thanks Lord” and immediately told him YES! lets go down to Atlantis and get things turned on. Josh reminded me you had already shown him everything down there including how to use the Grizzly so I left him to turn things on and set himself up to do the whole video, while I went up and put the batteries in the GL1’s. (I had only planned on running the middle camera wide as a 1 camera shoot for the night , while I would be on the sound board.) When I got back to check Josh had everything turned on and set up except for the switcher, so we turned that on and he was ready to go. We went over when to start and stop the recorders and I headed for the balcony and the soundboard as the choir and pastors entered the sanctuary. With pastor at the lectern and giving the welcome I noticed I’m getting no signal from lav. 3, which he’s wearing and should be working. As pastor announces the greeting I run down from the balcony and up the aisle up to the front of the sanctuary to check his transmitter, its on and the mute is off I tell I’m getting no signal so forget it for communion and speak louder. I had also noticed I was getting no signal from lav. 1 but when pastor Moore had put that one on I had a signal so I hoped he had muted it or he wasn’t going to leave the pulpit. He had and he didn’t. Sound for the rest of the service was okay, for pastor at communion I brought up the pulpit and lectern mics and actually managed put him through the system that way. When the service was over and I was heading down to see how Vuman had made out Laurie asked me if we were ready for Friday’s movie night and did I want the movie now because she would not be there Friday, so I got the movie from her and then headed down to Atlantis. Josh was no longer there, but he had finalized the both DVDs and turned everything off. I collected up the batteries from the GL1’s, the lavs and put lav 3 back in the balcony, locked up the soundboard and met mom in Fellowship hall for coffee.
Now I grant we had rewired Fellowship Hall Sunday for Friday’s movie night so I did not have to set up for the simulcast, and I did not put out the DVDs of prior services. Nor did I turn on the balcony computer and projectors. I did not use the projectors because we had no slide presentation and I did not want put up sides on 1 front screen and the rear screen and leave the other front screen blank, if I had had the time to possibly get both front projectors images I would have left both of those on with a single slide, but I just did not want to use one and not the other.
Oh, as the Vus were leaving Josh’s friend Chris made arrangements to meet Sunday morning to work with the Video team on the 9:00 AM service before going to his own church and being an usher. I call this good and progress, not backsliding.
You did say you realize this is a marathon and not a sprint. Let me remind you though, the original marathon man on reaching Athens and delivering his message of victory - dropped dead. I humbly submit to you these times of “backsliding” are truthfully resting periods for us to revision the goal, make necessary course adjustments and continue with a new vigor and enthusiasm which will instill that vision in others who will continue the journey when we’re no longer there, because my friend this is a never ending mission.