I actually did something yesterday I never saw myself doing again.  I learnt a new program.
In a way it was forced on me.  I had used movie maker often to make movies of holidays and for friends.  I actually found it incredibly easy to use and intuitive.  Yet it seems there has been a real battle to retain that program.
The time has come again that Microsoft has removed it and replaced it with something else.  The something else is certainly not as straight forward to use.  But beggars can’t be chooses. 
I could still get movie maker but I decided it was time I moved on rather than live in the past.  So I learned Clipchamp.  It is a Microsoft program.  If I wanted to get all the bells and whistles, I could pay for the premium version.  But my aim has been to do what I could do and maybe a little bit more.  I can do that.
The reason I got onto it was Merril said I have just discovered Clipchamp.  That sparked my interest, and I spent the rest of the day mastering the basics.
I sure learned as I went along and discovered an order I should follow (I learned that the hard way).  But the end product was something I was satisfied with.  The program exported end products as mp4’s so I needed a program that made mp4’s into mp3’s.  It seems to me mp4’s are the way everything is going and many programs I use will need to adapt.
Anyway what I worked on yesterday I called “Menzone memories” and I gathered together the photo’s I had, and built a bit of a story.  I was hoping the movie could be used in a digital photo frame I have (like the screens in shops that advertise say a menu).  But alas the photo frame I have is old, and I will need to discover the format it will take.  I have set up a bit of a photo gallery on that one but again I think it can do more than I possibly realize.
Still I have made a movie and it will work on computers so I am a happy camper.  I actually think it was time well spent.  Young or old, stretching the brain is important.

Well our get away is over.  This is the first of what I hope will be a number of weekend escapes.  I know to take extra coffee, sugar and milk next time but we lived.
We booked into a motel on the southside of Brisbane to save us driving backwards and forwards.  There was a men’s convention on that featured a couple of people that I really wanted to hear.
Many people I had not heard of, though I must say I was impressed by those I did hear.  Many of them just told their stories.  They were definitely from the other side of the track but the changes in them were amazing.  Going from people haters and beating up people for fun and spending time in prison to family lovers and positive contributors to society.
It does not matter to me if someone had (like these people) a really rough upbringing of abuse and neglect or if a person comes from a good home and loving environment (like me).  Everyone needs a transformational experience.  There is only one way to an eternal change.
Anyway Merril and I had headed down here.  We explored some shops and had a bit of a look around.  I did not attend every session but those I went to I found inspiring. It was weird that the main speakers were in the afternoon session.  Their talks were full of information.  That is the time traditionally people are sleepiest.  Many organizations avoid that time as the one most likely to yield the least retention. 
Anyway I took it all in as much as possible.  Merril then came and got me and we went to dinner.  It was interesting to see the number of people out and about.  Some places had tv’s and we saw the lions playing.  It was really close early, but we ended up having a win.
Today we do a lazy drive home.  We intend visiting a joint on the southside we want to see so we will be out of the motel by 7.30am.
It has been a good weekend.