The Agony and the Ecstasy
Yesterday was a study in contrasts.
It began with my first attempt at scuba diving, which was surprisingly easy and delightful. It was also part of my job description. It seems the company I'm working for is thinking of purchasing a piece of a scuba diving business, so it was my job to check it out and see if everything was A-OK. In short, I was being paid to scuba dive. It doesn't get much cooler than that.
I saw giant sleeping sea turtles. I got within inches of a dragon moray eel. I was 40 feet beneath the waves, feeling strangely Aquamanish. I can't remember when I'd had so much fun.
That was the ecstasy. The agony came immediately afterward and filled up the rest of the day.
The main reason I'm in Kauai is to film a bunch of stuff for our websites, kauai.com and luxurykauai.com. The problem is that I'm using a Panasonic HVX200, which is an entirely digital camera, and neither the camera or Final Cut Pro is interested in working properly. I began by interviewing a native Kauaian on the beach, and the wind pretty much ruined the sound, and I couldn't get my laptop to capture the video. I ended up using these tedious digital cards that only take four minutes of film each, so we kept having to stop and download all the stuff off the card after every eight minutes. Except the laptop I use to capture the video doesn't have a PCMA slot, so I had to use another laptop to get the video, and that one wasn't charged. So I had to go sit in the bathroom for ten minutes, because the bathroom had the only electrical outlet on the beach. I was forced to endure the stares of everyone coming in to use the urinal as I sat on the floor of the men's room like an idiot.
In the end, all of this was for naught, because Final Cut Pro kept spitting an error message at me about codecs and refused to import the video anyway. By the time I got to that point, I couldn't get anyone on the phone to give me technical support, since it was after 3:00 Hawaiian time, which is after 6:00 PM Pacific time, when Apple tevhnical support closes. And, since I don't have the Final Cut software here, I sincerely doubt there's anything they can do for me anyway.
It's now 2:38 AM Hawaiian time, and I've woken up to call technical support, which opened at 6:00 AM Pacific.
Wish me luck. All things considered, I'd rather be scuba diving.
It began with my first attempt at scuba diving, which was surprisingly easy and delightful. It was also part of my job description. It seems the company I'm working for is thinking of purchasing a piece of a scuba diving business, so it was my job to check it out and see if everything was A-OK. In short, I was being paid to scuba dive. It doesn't get much cooler than that.
I saw giant sleeping sea turtles. I got within inches of a dragon moray eel. I was 40 feet beneath the waves, feeling strangely Aquamanish. I can't remember when I'd had so much fun.
That was the ecstasy. The agony came immediately afterward and filled up the rest of the day.
The main reason I'm in Kauai is to film a bunch of stuff for our websites, kauai.com and luxurykauai.com. The problem is that I'm using a Panasonic HVX200, which is an entirely digital camera, and neither the camera or Final Cut Pro is interested in working properly. I began by interviewing a native Kauaian on the beach, and the wind pretty much ruined the sound, and I couldn't get my laptop to capture the video. I ended up using these tedious digital cards that only take four minutes of film each, so we kept having to stop and download all the stuff off the card after every eight minutes. Except the laptop I use to capture the video doesn't have a PCMA slot, so I had to use another laptop to get the video, and that one wasn't charged. So I had to go sit in the bathroom for ten minutes, because the bathroom had the only electrical outlet on the beach. I was forced to endure the stares of everyone coming in to use the urinal as I sat on the floor of the men's room like an idiot.
In the end, all of this was for naught, because Final Cut Pro kept spitting an error message at me about codecs and refused to import the video anyway. By the time I got to that point, I couldn't get anyone on the phone to give me technical support, since it was after 3:00 Hawaiian time, which is after 6:00 PM Pacific time, when Apple tevhnical support closes. And, since I don't have the Final Cut software here, I sincerely doubt there's anything they can do for me anyway.
It's now 2:38 AM Hawaiian time, and I've woken up to call technical support, which opened at 6:00 AM Pacific.
Wish me luck. All things considered, I'd rather be scuba diving.
posted by Elder Samuel Bennett | 5:20 AM
9 Comments:
Scuba diving sounds fun. Whatever you do, don't take a pee while you're down there. Everytime someone pees in the ocean, Aquaman knows about it.
This is not a I Told You So Comment...but there is an important lesson to be learned.
(1) Test all your technical equipment before heading to your destination. Do dry runs of each process that you can anticipate in advance.
(2) Emergency Back-Up: Carry a set of CDs that represent the the OS and programs that you'll be using on your laptop...Bring an extra laptop battery...Bring an extra of everything that you can think of that's feasible to carry...
(3) Think of all the things that can go wrong in advance, and see if you can bring something that anticipates the problem.
...for next time of course...
Hi Jim,
Did you do a Discover Diving dive or did you get certified? It’s a great hobby, but it isn't cheap.
I'm not certified, but this dive counted as my first pen sea dive.
And thanks for the tips. I tested the stuff, but I didn't bring backups.
And I didn't pee underwater.
(I didn't pee because I was wearing smeone else's wetsuit.)
Scuba didving scares the crap out of me.
Did you see the Simpsons tonight? The opening sequence was brilliant! 19 seasons baby!
I you ever go to Yellowstone. You can dive the lake which is pretty cool (UW formations). Also, you can drift dive a local river and see trout swimming along with you.
Its high altitude and very special terrain (geothermal vents) so bring a local dive master with you. It’s on my list when my boy’s are old enough to try it.
Caught the end of the Simpsons, but it doesn't start here 'til 8:00, which is midnight according to my internal clock.
robot, I used to go to Yellowstone all the time. I had no idea people scuba's in the lake there. THat sounds like a blast.
I studied contrasts once. It sounds better than it actually is.
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