No Dice

                I don't know how old the "Feature Films for Families" is.  The earliest date I can find for my research is 1991.  But it seems like my mom purchased films through the company long before then.  Perhaps I am mixed up with my memory thinking that Kayla and Corey were still in elementary school, but maybe it was 1991 and the children were Ellen and Kimball.

               

                I remember "Banjo, the Woodpile Cat" which I believed was an original of the FFFF company as the story takes place in Payson, Utah before Banjo runs away to Salt Lake City.  According to Wikipedia (here), the release date was December 21, 1979.  It makes more sense that FFFF got its start in the 70s rather than in the 90's as the quality of film I've come across has been screaming 70's - although the dates on the case imply years from the 1990 decade.

                FFFF (here) was created with the intention of wholesome entertainment to not only watch with the family but establish conversations and learning.  "What was the purpose of the film" broken down into "Why do you think this character made a certain choice?" and "What did he/she learn?"

                Last year I came home with a box of videos that the library had given away.  There were many from the FFFF collection - some I had seen before but thought I might like to see again.

                I don't know why I hadn't tried viewing any of them sooner, but they stayed untouched for almost a year.  Recently I decided I would watch some of them.  So far, while the stories themselves have been okay or even good, the acting and/or quality of film have been disappointing.  It doesn't know that I was bothered by it before, but a lot of it thus far has appeared amateurish to my eyes.   Some I have finished watching.  Some I watch in parts.  Others I have stopped and rewound and will never finish.

                I have started a pile of antique relics that most people may not even have machines for.  They will go in the next yard sale at 10 cents or less.  I hope that they will find a good home.  I like the concept of the FFFF.  I even see some on their list that I have enjoyed and would watch again.  But thus far, I have not seen it among the VHS tapes that are currently in our possession.

Hodgepodge of Thoughts

          The skies cleared up this last weekend.  The smoke had cleared from the south and the skies were blue.  For two nights and mornings I had my windows   Now we have smoke coming in from the east. The windows remain closed.  I think it's wrong for the skies to appear overcast as though promising cooler weather and learn that it is 80 - 90 degrees outside.  

          Roland has taken off for a week.  Monday felt like a Saturday to me.  Yesterday felt like a Wednesday.  I don’t know what today will bring (as it really hasn’t started yet) Not a normal day for me.  Roland and I will be going to the theatre in Roseburg this morning.  Jenna will stay in town with a friend who stayed the night. 

          They have their dress rehearsal tonight.  I have invited my small group from my water fitness class.  They are excited to see Jenna and Roland perform.  It will be fun for all of us.  I am happy that they are looking forward to this.

          I just barely started my research for this week’s assessment.  It is all that is required this week.  165 points for 1,000 words 975 words (it might as well be 1,000).  I don’t know when I’ll be able to continue working on it today.  It’s a doozer.  Starting Monday I will be taking a break from accounting.  I have a social studies class coming up for the next four weeks.

          I’ve started a new book called “Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles” by A.L. Herbert.  Thus far, it is actually kind of funny.  Halia and her cousin find the body of an arrogant investor in her restaurant’s kitchen.  At first, they believe he is passed out, but when Halia can’t find a pulse, she freaks out.  She was about to call the police believing that death may have occurred as a result of a heart attack, but then sees her cast iron frying pan and realizes that the investor has been murdered.

          She doesn’t want the murder to ruin the reputation of her restaurant, and so she and her cousin move the body to a nearby alley.  When she returns to the restaurant the following day, she prepares herself for rumors and investigations, but as the day progresses without any word of a murdered victim, she learns the body is no longer where she  left if. 

          I am not even halfway into it.  It’s been five days and she has learned that a body was just retrieved from a body of water.  At this point, she does not know if it’s her investor.  It is fun reading about her suspicions and panic.  I am going to attempt reading another chapter before I return to bed.  Though it might be better if I could start applying my references to my assignment.  That seems more likely to return me back to slumberland.

PowerPoint part 1: Computer Fundamentals

          I wish the instructors would provide entertaining power points as is expected of the students.  One of the first courses I took at the online university was in computer fundamentals.  I did not know much about
PowerPoint at that point.  In fact, my baby girl knew her way around it much better than I as she had not only used it before, but enjoyed doing it.

          I don't know if we (the students) had been introduced to the "speaker's notes" part of the PowerPoint at that time.  I know I didn't use them in that particular class.  Yet I still received full credit.  We were given certain requirements for completing these assignments:

Create a professional 6 to 8 slide presentation on the topic of our choice. 

Our  PowerPoint was to include all of the following: 

1.      Title slide with your name, course, date and title of the presentation

2.      A standard design theme for the entire presentation

3.      Clip Art

4.      Smart Art

5.      Word Art

6.      Transitions between each slide

7.      At least 1 animation

          Insructor PowerPoints are generally 20 - 40 slides long.  No animation, few use word art or smart art.  I have only seen one use transitions.  Several have used Clip art.  Very few (if any) PowerPoints have entertained.

          For my first power point assignment, I made the topic obviously simple.  I used animations for all of my slides.  I had Jenna help me with some of it.  These are three of the slides  I ended up with:

          For our other power point assignment, I was  required to find a celebrity who had gone into the same major as I and do a power point on that person.  I learned that both Bob Newhart and Kenny G both accountants.  Who knew?  I remember I did research for them both.  I don't know why I ended up doing Bob Newhart instead of Kenny G.   Kenny G. has been a major investor in Starbucks (here) I find that interesting.

 

          So my Bob Newhart videos featured only three slides about him personally.  One on his background: 

his accomplishments:

and where he is today.  The images for the slides had to be retrieved from Window insert provided by Bing.  I would have liked to use this picture for "Where he is today" but was not allowed as it did not come up in Windows by is protected by copyright (I have not always honored that as I hadn't considered that aspect - figuring if they came up on Google images, I could use them.  But I have learned that isn't so, and apologize to any I may have offended by using copyrighted pictrues on my earlier posts and will remove those who send a request for me to do so.

Each slide was numbered and had my name at one side.  The next powerpoint I did my first philosophy class (here)  I did not use a numbering system in that class.