Life and Vincent: Jumping Up and Down and Screaming

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Jumping Up and Down and Screaming

I have been trying to post my tiger movie for two days now. Thanks to my brilliance in putting a MP4 card in my video camera, I have to convert each movie, and a five minute clip can take a couple of hours to convert.

Having done this yesterday I found the new format was playing quite jerkily, so I tried another, at which point my terminally slow (new fast) computer crashed. When it rebooted, I'd had enough.

Today everything was "not responding" for so long that after an hour I hadn't even managed to read all my emails. But at least the movies were processing again...

I switched on my previous record slow computer to try to make things better, but they weren't, much. Anyway, finally, here we are. The movies are still a bit jerky, and the tiger part features the loud camera clicks of a man with an enormous one (to compensate for his lack of size elsewhere, I'd imagine, it was at least 18 inches long and too large to fit your hands around, unless you are Vincent) and the judder of my lens as he moves his instrument around, leaning it heavily against the fence each time. You'll hear my comments about his being inconsiderate.

Anyway, as I type this, I find that YouTube is going to take over an hour to upload my tiny five-minute video, and it's already 9pm. Ain't life grand? Three hours to make things compatible with a standard computer.

There was going to be another post yesterday about being locked inside a mummiform coffin, sorry, MRI scanner, but time just didn't allow. I'm sure those of you who've been inside one know just what I'm talking about. The rest of you, hope you never have to find out!

Anyway, at long last, here is the long-awaited film of the flirty female Scottish wild cat and the teeny tiny, strong and sturdy little girl cubs:

I love the way mum tries to cover the cubs up before she goes over to dad the second time!

14 comments:

Music Wench said...: I really, really, really appreciate this knowing all the trouble you had to go through to share it with us. And what's with that camera? My stepson has a rather large one - being a professional photographer these days - and it doesn't sound that loud. The kitties are gorgeous! I absolutely adore watching them. :-)

As for an MRI, I've been fortunate enough to never experienced one. I'm hoping I won't EVER have to have one but I'm sure the older I get the closer I get to needing one as more things stop working the way they're supposed to. :-/; 11:41 pm
SnarkAngel said...: So sorry to hear you've had so much trouble getting your movies converted and posted, Val. I can't imagine the frustration you've endured! So a very BIG THANKS to you, my dear! My father just had an MRI (after experiencing a mini stroke). Like you, he said it was NOT a good experience.; 11:44 pm
JoJo said...: That was so CUTE!!!! i love the tigers they are adorable!!! I was laughing as I watched b/c I was writing dialog for the tiger parents and cubs! "am I bugging you? does this bug you?" "MOOOM! HE'S TOUCHING ME!" "Don't make me come up there! Settle down. Oh great, look what you did, you woke your father." hahahaha; 12:13 am
Ruby said...: This is beautiful, Val! Thank you SO much for expending all that time and effort to share with us! Those cubs are just too precious!!; 6:34 am
Anonymous said...: I was at a zoo a few years ago. The lion enclosure was just a pane of glass separating the big cats from the little humans. At one point the male lion came right up to the glass–I was about three inches from his face and my hands were shaking so much I could barely take the photo of his giant golden eye.; 6:37 am
Anonymous said...: Blogger needs to get their act together with the mp4 business...that's ridiculous. YouTube isn't any better, like you've said, it takes forever! Moving on, those cubs are absolutely adorable and what a treat to be able to watch them so close up. I'm glad you said something to that man with his camera...not saying something rewards the behavior, so good on you. I have to say that the "Mama" tiger is HUGE, wow! And, when Big Daddy walked away and she's left just standing there just about broke my heart. She actually looks lost and sad. Thank you for all of your efforts...believe me, we all so appreciate what you go through to bring us such exquisite video of animals we normally wouldn't get to see. Two questions...don't you have "open" MRI's there?...and, how high is that fence?; 8:51 am
Anonymous said...: ..and my computer seems to have moved all my V-stuff somewhere 'special' where I can see everything and IT can't. It's also removed my Outlook Express email and 'lost' all my bookmarks on both browsers...AND it's a holiday weekend, so basically I'm fucked until Tuesday. Nothing to do with the post but I had to vent (sorry!); 10:55 am
Jane said...: This was Fabulous Val! Thanks for all your hard work.; 1:58 pm
Anonymous said...: Awww, I loved hearing their little cat voices. Adorable.
And good for you for saying something to the dude with the big camera. Others would have just taken his rudeness.Me for one, I'm a chicken that way.

Never had a MRI, my brothers had several though. I hope I never have to experience it. I'm so claustrophobic I have to sleep with the bedroom door open.; 2:09 pm
Unknown said...: Thank you for your hard work, it's worth! Those babies are too cute. :D; 4:21 pm
val said...: Nantz, I have no idea about the open MRIs - never been near one before, I have a friend who would know, but I've never thought to ask her! This was a mobile unit. I have NO idea how they got something so huge inside a tiny car park in the middle of the grounds of a hospital which is a Victorian building with bits added, on a very cramped site. Oh, and next to the mortuary!

As for the fence, it's VERY high. I'd say 10 foot. I think it has baffles on the top.; 6:22 pm
Eliza said...: Thank You for perservering with the video, Val..you made a bad day a whole lot better! The scottish wild cat looks like she wants her tummy rubbed...but I don't suppose you'd have fingers left afterwards :-); 6:55 pm
Anonymous said...: We have the open MRI's here for people who are claustrophobic that have no "walls." I was just curious about the height of that fence because those big cats look like they could scale them with no trouble at all. Did you see the size of those little cubs paws? They look like they're wearing a baseball mitt, LOL.; 7:11 pm
renee said...: absolutely incredible post. I have no doubt about how hard it was to do. I am so computer phobic that just thinking about it scares me. We really enjoy your efforts!!

By the way, I think MRI'S really suck, they aren't bad painful or anything, they just suck. Open is the only way to go!!; 11:57 pm