Brian and the boys went to see the Rockies second game of the season last night. They took on the Arizona D-Backs.

The D-Backs have a new logo and colors this year… I liked the old ones!

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Dar’s mom “Nana” got to spend the week with us. And boy what a busy week it was! Dar was doing her typical breakneck workweek, and Brian had the Upward Basketball and Cheerleading video to finish up on top of other graphics duties for church. If that wasn’t enough, they were both in the Palm Sunday pagent at church, involving rehersals and late nights. So… thank goodness for Nana’s visit.

Nana and the kids played cards

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I’ve been slammed for the past three weeks putting together these Upward Basketball and Cheerleading spots for my church.

Check them out on this permanent page.

Tuesday evening, we took advantage of this great springtime weather and went for a stroll in dowtown Longmont before stopping in for some pizza. The kids found the bike rack that they painted with some friends (as a community art project) a few years back. Their names are still legible… just barely.

Today I did my first rotoscoping project with After Effects. I’m working on a season-end basketball video for my church’s Upward program. And for some reason, rotoscoping seemed more exciting today that continuing to sift through hours of footage to try to piece something cohesive together.

Anyways, the process wasn’t near as bad as the horror stories I’ve heard about roto. Of course, I only did a few dozen frames, not thousands and thousands like some post houses have to do. I exported my HDV footage into a TIF sequence, then made a comp and then did the roto with feathered masks… not Vector Paint or anything sexy like that. I tried a few 3D camera moves in the sequence, but they just didn’t seem too necessary in the end. Instead, to show off my hard work, I just made a simple background with copies of the Upward logo and some animation presets.

I’m not sure why this particular kid’s “bucket” stood out form the hundred others I shot… but I liked his enthusiasm. “Roto-worthy” I suppose.

Papa David (Dar’s Dad) was in Denver on business and drove up to see us for the afternoon and evening yesterday. The weather was amazing out, so we all played a little catch while we waited for Caden’s school to let out. Papa also played the kids’ favorite game, “tell me the answer for a dollar.”

We went and grabbed some good old red meat at the Texas Roadhouse.

Naturally, the kids had to wash that down with some ice cream!

Luckily, the Coldstone Creamery is in our Super Target… so we got to “kill two birds with one stone” and buy some essentials while the kids (and this moniker includes Papa David) had some ice cream.

Soon after the kids had sufficiently drained Papa of all of his greenbacks, we bid him farewell. But not for too long, since he and his brother, Uncle Ron are coming to see us next month. Dollar bills will be flowing!

Wednesday I got an email from Logan’s COVA teacher asking for any more last-minute volunteers for a scheduled tour of our local CBS news station on Thursday morning. How could I refuse? Field trip!

We arrived a bit early and met the other COVA family we were to do the tour with. Three other families called in sick, so it was just us.

The kids all waited patiently (and quietly) in the lobby, while a bevy of waiting business people made a big ruckus with their chatter and banter. We were glad to see them ushered past the “gatekeeper” after hearing them carry on and on for ten minutes! Soon enough it was our turn to be let into the mystical confines.

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All this month I have to make some major repairs and maintenance on Da Big Bus to get it “road worthy” for our upcoming trip to the Bay Area. Sunday I went up to Harbor Freight to buy a mongo impact gun to take off the lugnuts. I lucked out on a big 1″ gun with 1,450 ft-lbs of torque on clearance for $99. I also needed a big hose and big sockets to take off the big lugs. To run the kind of air the gun needs in copious quantities, I also had to rig up a punk take to send the air en masse to the beast.

Several hours later, it sounds like a NASCAR pit stop in our back yard, and the bus nuts are whirring off the wheels and the compressor is straining hard to make air between brief clatters from the gun. Ten lugs per wheel. Maybe ten minutes, and the outside dual is off.

Logan just had to give it a go on the inside dual. I held the gun while he pulled the trigger… but not before I snapped this pic that makes him look like he’s doing this single-handedly.

Who needs a GameBoy when you got big bus toys??!

The Celebration Singers performed “Everywhere I Go” at traditional services yesterday. It was wonderful.

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