This time of year I catch news stories about shopping, and I marvel at the sheer amount of product purchasing that occurs out in real life. Because I'm not a big shopper, and a lot of the shopping I do happens online.
OK, OK, I still go to the supermarket and the drugstore, and I'll pick up the occasional gift item from small businesses I already frequent, like my salon or my yoga studio, but more often or not, if I can buy it online and save time and gas, that's a win win for me.
One area of online shopping I've recently been exploring is household items, like I would usually get at the supermarket or the drugstore. And in this arena, there's a new player in town: The P&G eStore lets you buy your favorite P&G products in bundles and save.
Now, you know the shipping situation is key in online purchasing, and I find that becomes even more of a truth when you're buying household products online instead of just throwing them in the cart while you're at the store. Ideally, you save a trip to the store, of course, but I don't really want to pay shipping on household items while I'm trying to save, you know?
The P&G eStore is on top of that, with great deals right off the bat. Check it out:
Free shipping on orders over $25
15% off on a first-time order from a new customer, using promo code: A9Z-MN5-KY3-ISA
Free samples with every order.
What do they mean by products in bundles? Well, for example, I just paid $9.49 at the drugstore this weekend for 8 Duracell AA batteries. And then I got home and realized that I probably should have bought more. And then I started writing this post and realized I should be buying batteries online at the P&G eStore.
Does a stocking stuffed with batteries mean Santa left you many cool electronic toys under the tree? They've got a whole P&G eStore Duracell page, with lots of great deals. Bundles of batteries!
Of course, the P&G eStore only sells P&G products, but they make A LOT of stuff. If some of your favorite brands are from P&G, there are great deals to be had on beauty products, cold medicine, shaving products, hair care, cleaning supplies, pet food, etc. And you can shop from your desk, and their website is well-designed and easy to navigate.
During this busy holiday season, online shopping is such a blessing. I guess shopping can be fun sometimes, but not for household products. That's just a chore.
So check out the P&G eStore, and have a happy holiday season!
Around 2009/2010 I acquired two things: A Flip HD video camera and a copy of Final Cut Express. The Flip HD I came by through my relationship with Nintendo. I believe it was a party for Wii Party, which btw is a game that seems a little cheesy at first and then you find yourself pulling it out and having far more fun with it than you ever expected. I find Wii Play to be the same. (Full disclosure: I was given Wii Party, and I bought Wii Play.)
I purchased Final Cut Express because I learned how to edit on "real" editing systems, and the various iMovies, at least at the time, made me feel like someone just handed me a butter knife on my way into surgery. I also figured that learning Final Cut Express would be a gateway to more knowledge of Final Cut Pro, which turned out to be only partially true, but still worth it. And of course, it was what I could afford and install on my system.
Except. These two things, Flip HD and Final Cut Express, do not play well together.
At the time, for a brief moment, I felt like, Finally! I have a camera, and I have an editing system! Now maybe I can shoot and edit and improve my skills. I finally have these tools to help me move forward as a director.
(It should be noted, however, that I vastly prefer to work with an editor and always will despite any increase in my editing expertise. While being a director/editor is a valuable skill that will get you places, it's a bit like cutting off your arms to fit through a doorway. Filmmaking is a team sport, and the editor - a separate editor who is not also the director - is always one of the MVPs that EVERY director is better off with than without. /end rant)
Anyway, I was quickly foiled back then, and no amount of Googling seemed to help. I couldn't get Flip HD footage into Final Cut Pro without evil rendering bars, and I couldn't get it out at a reasonable file size and the correct aspect ratio. I figured there had to be a way, but at the time I couldn't get it to work, it was a rare problem no one else seemed to be working on, and I moved on to other things.
I knew I could get it done one way or another, but I also thought I'd take the opportunity to try again to develop a viable work flow. Honestly, I can hardly believe I actually did it. And I'm pretty sure I'm still the only one who cares. But nonetheless, I give you:
The Illusive Flip HD to Final Cut Express Workflow
1. The first step is get the Flip Footage into the right format, which is Quicktime using the Apple Intermediate Codec at 1280x720 at a 29.97 frame rate. For this I use MPEG Streamclip, a free video converter program from Squared 5. I got this step from MrTammik on YouTube, so I will leave it to him:
2. Next, open a new project in Final Cut Express. In Easy Setup off the first pull down menu, make sure your settings are:
Format: HD
Rate: 29.97
Use: HDV-Apple Intermediate Codec-720p30
With that you should be able to import your converted clips into Final Cut and they should not need to be rendered as you use them in your timeline. Whew!
3.Cut your project.
4. When you're ready to export, go to File, Export, Quicktime Movie. Your settings are:
Include: Audio And Video
Markers: None
And do check the box for Make Movie Self-Contained
This makes a very beautiful, very large QuickTime file so you're likely to be tempted to try going to File, Export, Using Quicktime Conversion. I've tried numerous options here with no success. The aspect ratio is always effed.
5. So, now we have to compress our way too large Quicktime for upload to the Internet. And clearly, we'd like it to stay the correct aspect ratio and not look smooshed. For this, I use VisualHub. (Lion updater here.) VisualHub is a bad-ass sanity saver. You can easily set the aspect ratio, and there's even a field for keeping the video with a certain number of MB if necessary. Start by simply dragging your file into Visual Hub.
At the top of the main window, choose MP4, quality as you desire (I use High), and check the box for H.264 Encoding.
Under the advanced settings your settings are:
Size: 1280 x 720
Bitrate: 5000
Deinterlace should be unchecked
Fit your video with a certain number of MB if required
Audio at 44100 Hz
Audio Bitrate: 384
Channels: Auto
Then simply hit start back on the main window and wait. When it's done you should have a Quicktime of a more reasonable size that still looks and sounds good. Flip HD Video to Final Cut Express Workflow, hooray!
~
So, now I have a camera and an editing system. And... no hard drive space. While working on this post I cropped a video I took of my friend Joseph Marble playing The March of the King of Laois on the bagpipes at Echo Park Rising this year, and when I went to export from Final Cut I got the dreaded "not enough hard drive space" message I knew was rapidly becoming inevitable. And the new external hard drive I bought this year for my various projects and that I use for back-up is full, full, full, especially after I had to move some stuff there from my computer so I could finish the bagpipe video.
I've been trying to run my writing/directing business smarter this year. With my blogging income decreasing there was a chance I'd get a paid directing gig this year, but that opportunity didn't materialize. I've been much more conservative with my business spending, but going into the fourth quarter, I've not made a profit. So, I'm not making any business purchases I can avoid for the rest of the year. I'm holding off on my Film Independent membership renewal, for example. And no new hard drives.
I'm spending the last few months of the year getting organized, closing some projects out, and prepping for next year. I'm due to hear about a short film pitch in November that will have me off and running on something new and exciting (and funded!) if I get it, so there's really only a few weeks of calm with any luck.
But next year I'm also going to try to shoot some videos I can put up on YouTube and monetize. My silly standard def vlog video "How To Pop Popcorn On The Stove" finally earned $100, so that was some cool income this year. And I really want to shoot a music video or two. Maybe another spec commercial if I get any ideas. (Have you seen my Trojan Fun Pack Commercial?) Of course, some things you can monetize, and some you can't. I definitely need to shoot some things I can monetize. Obviously, shooting the other things is about increasing skills and content and the chance of paid directing work.
Anyway, cracking the nut of this work flow is a pretty awesome accomplishment for me this year, and one which I will put to good use. And I hope this post helps anyone ever besides me. But... it probably won't.
I enjoy humidity. Yes, it's crazy, but it's true. This Florida girl doesn't miss the bugs, or the hurricanes, but I do miss the rain, and I miss the moist air. Summers in SoCal are HOT HOT HOT and superdry. Gray hair needs moisture. Gray hair in SoCal summer needs MOISTURE.
There are two products in my bathroom that I rotate: facial cleanser and hair conditioner. I find both my hair and my face respond best to a rotation of products that work for me. For the past week, I've been trying Dove Nutritive Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner, and I have to say I'm really pleased with it. My hair has been looking great, particularly when I've taken the time to blow dry and style it. And then the next day if I'm doing the toss it up in a pony tail thing, my hair's been a bit smoother and shinier on day two, which is nice.
Now, of course I use other products when I'm styling my hair. The first day I tried the Dove Nutritive Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner, I also used an oil-based styling product. This combination I do not recommend. The conditioner doesn't leave my hair feeling oily at all, but adding another oil-based product seemed to tip a scale. Badly. After that I switched to a creme styling product and all was well.
The scent of the Dove Nutritive Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner is a bit perfumy - not my fav, but it is mild in this product. I've noticed a similar perfumy scent to other smoothing products, so I imagine that there's a particular ingredient that works best with a perfume scent. This conditioner goes on creamy and light in the shower, and I've been enjoying it. My hair has been smooth, soft and shiny, with noticeably less frizz.
I'm a fan of Dove products, so I've been really pleased to get to review some this year. The funny thing about doing product reviews is that I tend to stick with the products I like long after the review is posted. Here's my Dove Nutritive Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner hanging out with my Dove Visiblecare Body Wash and a new bottle of Dove Go Fresh Body Wash I picked up at the drugstore to try. Guess now that I'm into the body wash thing, I'm trying a rotation.
What do you do to beat the summer heat?
Enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.
Let's talk a moment to consider the absurdity of reviewing Dove body wash in the middle of the "Missing Miranda" Kickstarter campaign. Things have been very intense in my world, and very busy - It turns out that it takes an extraordinary amount of time to individually email almost everyone you know! Who knew?
Last weekend, we were determined to hit $10K. I took a day off from my day-job and sat working at my computer for most of my three-day weekend. It paid off - the "Missing Miranda" Kickstarter campaign passed $10K in pledges - but the last thing I wanted to do was stop to bathe. Yes, I'll admit it. Sans a Dove body wash review due this week, I would probably not have showered for three days. I'm not proud. But I am determined!
So the magic here is, it turned out to be completely BRILLIANT that I wanted to use my Dove® VisibleCare™ Renewing Crème Body Wash every day so I could fairly review it, because it got me not only in the shower every day, but in the shower with a luxurious body wash that I wanted to use all over my body with a pouf. (I totally just got the word "pouf" from the back of the bottle. I don't usually use mine, but being a woman I occasionally receive them as gifts. And I do know enough to know that body wash is best apply with a pouf.)
There are three different varieties of the Dove VisibleCare Body Wash. Toning, renewing, and softening. I was pleased to receive Renewing Crème Body Wash, because that's the one I would have picked. It's designed to nourish and replenish skin and has a "fruity floral fragrance" of pink mimosa and pomegranate. I very much enjoyed the texture and scent of it, which means it wasn't too perfume-y. And it's quickly become my new escape - a few extra minutes of creamy luxury in the bath. It turns the water a fabulous shade of blue-green, and it was a really nice escape that left me renewed and ready to get back at it.
So, you may have guessed that I'm not a regular body wash/shower gel kinda girl. I usually use a special cleansing bar, and I will be going back to using that on my back. My back is rather ridiculously sensitive. It's like my body has its own practical joke going. My hair requires tons of moisture, but if any of that moisture touches my back for any amount of time: break out. Such fun. So, my picky back didn't like the Dove body wash.
But the rest of me is in love. Feet and legs in particular. The Dove® VisibleCare™ Toning Crème Body Wash line has the highest concentration of NutriumMoisture technology of all the Dove products, and it's meant to give you softer, smoother skin in one week and visibly more beautiful skin within three weeks. In terms of a review, that's a tough one. My skin's normally pretty soft and smooth, and I'm not sure if there's a visible difference after one week. But, I will say that I've been wearing a lot of skirts and open-toed shoes lately, and I've found myself feeling better about my legs. So, I do think there's something subtle going on with that. My feet, in particular, sometimes get dry, and they are fabulous right now. Visibly more beautiful skin from a body wash? It would seem that my legs and feet agree.
I'm definitely going to continue my new body wash ritual, and I'm looking forward to more summer, and more skirts and open-toed shoes. What's your favorite way to prep for summer looks? Personally, I am a HUGE pedicure lover. Give me foot pampering over a massage any day. What about you?
Now, on to the goodies! Coupon and sweepstakes info below.
Enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.
A package
arrived for you in shipping and is rather large and heavy. I will
leave it in shipping for you so you can swing by and grab it on your
way to your car, so as not to have to carry it all the way from your
desk.
I can blog here about products under $40 (this covers my book reviews, too), so the few times I've done product reviews, I've posted them here. Which left Everyday Goddess Does... fairly sparse and more rarely updated, since it's not like Ford or Nintendo call every week.
But I recently noticed that Socal Mom puts all her product reviews and such on Socal Stuff, and that suddenly made a lot of sense. It gives the other blog a little more meat, and honestly, I think the cleaner look (no blogrolls, less widgets) of Everyday Goddess Does... really sets off the product reviews and event blogging, because they are the whole focus of the blog. It also leaves Everyday Goddess a bit more bloggy bloggy, although I am sure to still write about toys here on occasion, just not ones I've been formally sent to review.
Further, I realized that it's not just about my regular readers seeing the post - which I'll continue to post here to let you know I've posted there - but it's also about posts simply being out in the blogosphere where people find them if they search on the product. And that happens no matter where I post. Meanwhile, more regular posting on Everyday Goddess Does... helps ensure that all the posts over there are more visible.
I will still be posting my book reviews here. The next one will hopefully be a three book video review of summer reading from poolside at my apartment complex. If I'm brave enough!
After wanting one for years, I finally bought a bike when I got laid off a yearish ago. A little counter-intuitive, and certainly I wasn't splashing money all over the place just as I lost my primary income. But I thought, suddenly I have time to pick out a bike, suddenly I have time to exercise, and so I charged it. One of my best life decisions, actually.
I get seriously discomforted when I'm not working and making an income, and the bike kept me feeling good and gave me a place to push through my negative feelings.
But what surprised me is how much getting a new bike in your 30s feels exactly like getting a new bike when you're ten. Simply put, it's the most fun exercise out there. It feels so much more productive and powerful than walking. It feels like you have the coolest new toy on the block. It feels like flying.
Now, I know that the bike is cool, but allow me to geek out here for a minute. This is a really impressive online blogosphere promotion. It allows bloggers to give something away to their readers, which is fun and has many of us hosting our first contest ever.
They sent me a "White Tea Experience Pack," which included:
1 20 oz. bottle, ready-to-drink Diet Peach Papaya,
coupons for some free 1.5 liter bottles, 1 box hot White Tea, and
5 To-Go Sticks. I will say that the bottle of Diet Peach Papaya was a little too sweet for me, but the To-Go Sticks (powder to pour into your water bottle) were raspberry white tea, and I liked them a lot. Sometimes I don't drink water because it feels to harsh on my throat and stomach, so the To-Go sticks are cool for me, plus, I prefer raspberry.
And the hot tea is divine. I'm going to sound like a pansy now, but I can't drink hot black tea sometimes because it's hard on my stomach. The white tea (there's some green in there, too) is much lighter and smoother, and the mango peach flavoring isn't overwhelming. Very tasty, and with those nice pyramid bags, too.
So free tea for me, a bike for you, what gives? It's all part of the "Free Your Y" promotion.
To highlight the fact that Lipton’s White Teas are made from young tea buds, plucked early in their life cycle, we worked with Lipton to develop the “Free Your Y” campaign. “Free Your Y” is all about tapping into our customer’s inner youthful spirit and highlighting those things we do every day to make us feel young again.
Part of the promotion is a cool video competition on YouTube. The deadline for submissions is today, but you can go there and watch the fun things people submitted. They've put together an impressive YouTube page, that's for sure. And hey, if you're reading this right after I post it, you could whip up a video submission today. It's basically, shoot yourself doing something fun and/or cool and throw it up there. They're giving away $25,000.
And I'm giving away a bike!
The winner will also receive 5 coupons for a free 1.5 liter bottle of Lipton White Iced Tea and a check for $75 for professional bike assembly. Lipton is in charge of fulfillment, and here's some important legal stuff: The Pepsi/Lipton Partnership will provide a check for $75.00 to be used for professional assembly of all Lipton Fuji bicycles awarded. Neither Pepsi Co. nor Unilever is liable for any injuries, damages or accidents that may result from the receipt, assembly or use of this bicycle.
So! Here's how to enter to win a bike from me:
Comment on this post - only once, please. (You don't have to use your real name if you don't want to.)
With a valid email address.
Tell me what your favorite healthy snack is, with prep instructions if required.
Deadline for entry is next Saturday May 17th. So long as your comment comes in time stamped by Saturday and includes your favorite healthy snack, you're in. I will randomly determine, announce, and contact the winner on Sunday May 18th. At which point the winner will need to promptly email me back their information to forward onto Lipton. (You do have to be in the United States to win. Sorry to my international readers.)
That's it! I really looking forward to reading all your comments, and picking a winner. I'm hoping to do the drawing as a video post next Sunday.
I was a little girl in the 70s, and a tween and a teen in the 80s. I remember playing with Barbies, but I also remember having matchbox cars and Star Wars action figures. Legos and Lincoln Logs.
Lately, I've found myself thinking, what the heck happened in the 90s while I was busy working? Suddenly, toys marketed to girls got really, really pink.
I played Careers, my friends, not the absolutely horror that is Careers for Girls. I have fleetingly glimpsed the phenomena that is the "Disney Princesses" with suspicion and concern for what the heck they're teaching girls these days.
Now, while I was genuinely curious, and perhaps a bit trepidatious about the Disney Princess thing, I was also inspired to check out the DVD - "Featuring Sleeping Beauty's First New Story Since The Beloved Classic" btw - because of the blurb I read on Amazon:
Believing in oneself and persevering in the face of difficulties is
challenging whether you're a princess or an everyday person. In the two
stories included in Follow Your Dreams, Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty and Princess Jasmine from Aladdin
discover that they must work hard and believe in their abilities if
they are to reach the goals they've set for themselves. When Princess
Aurora is put in charge of the kingdom for the day, the workload proves
impossibly huge and the villagers' many problems seem too difficult for
her to solve. Resorting to some magical help from the fairy
Merryweather seems like the perfect answer, but in the end Princess
Aurora's own hard work and ingenuity prove far more effective than
magic. When Princess Jasmine yearns for something important to do with
her life, her father gives her a position in the local school, but it
proves much more challenging than she ever could have imagined. Add in
an escaped wild horse and the prospect of letting her father down and
Princess Jasmine feels overwhelmed and ready to give up. Can
perseverance and hard work help Princess Jasmine realize her dreams?
This nicely animated presentation features two favorite Disney
Princesses, lots of new songs, and great messages about the value of
self-confidence, hard work, and perseverance.
Well, that sounded kinda great, actually. You really can't beat the value of self-confidence, hard work, and perseverance in life.
The DVD does indeed feature two shorts - one with Aurora and one with Jasmine. I enjoyed both of them! I think my favorite bit is when Jasmine finds herself suddenly left with a classroom of children and is completely overrun. That rang true to me - she doesn't just naturally get it; the classroom is a challenge. And she goes on an adventure and tames a horse before she tackles kids again.
There's really a lot to like in these shorts, from the princess's relationships and responsibilities to their determination and thought processes. And I have to admit I laughed out loud in more than one spot. The shorts are very good natured and brimming with positive message.
Young me would have liked them back in the wild, wild 70s and 80s.
I was going to forward the DVD on to some young girl or another (friend's kid or some such), but I liked it so much I've decided to keep it. Just in case I've got a little girl to give it to someday who's a little closer to home. ;)
. Yes, my friends, this was just in my DVD player:
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