I'm on day 2 of my 11 days off

as this is a bit of a primer for when I'm on pension this time next year. I'm still going to work 3-5 days a week even then otherwise I'd be board. I like the Southside job because both projects amount to about 26 weeks, even though its harder to get to it gives me a nice balance. That and it pays better. At the other place I feel somewhat under paid and over worked. 

I don't know if my iPod Touch 5th gen is jail broken but yesterday it died on me. This was strange because there was still enough battery in the device. So I was checking on the Best buy website before the Oilers/Sharks game, for a AV lightning add on for my i0S device and what's this, they are open to 11pm? I'm not going to miss anything in the first period of the game anyway. So I made my way over to Best Buy across the street and bought a usb lightning charger and returned home opened the package and began charging the iPod and watch the rest of the game. There was no score in the 1st period so I was right, I didn't miss much. Intermission. How come my iPod isn't charging? Did I break the iPod somehow when I tried to jail break it? Did I buy a bad charger? I tried our iPad charger with the new cable, and tried that and went back to the hockey game. The Sharks scored in the 2nd they got another one and I thought, well, can't win them all. Then we scored 2 goals to tie the game in the 3rd at 2 each, wow. At this point I was resigned to assume the iPod was broken and I'd have to use the old iPod Touch 3rd gen. The Sharks scored in OT bringing us 1 point behind them in the standings and that's the last game until the 29th. The Oilers also advanced to 4th in the West. The Oilers hadn't been this far in the standings since the 80's. I tried to find a online solution to my dilemma. There were several. Turn Home button on/off rapid fire for 10 seconds, then hit power button on top, all kinds of different things. I tried once more holding down the power button. Then the white apple logo cam on. Success. That was scary there for a moment. 

Over the past several months I've been researching how these You Tube music producers get the results they do when recording a iPad screen. I know about Elgato screen capture. My results with my iPod Touch always come out looking poor. One of my favorite producers/channels Jakob Haq directed me to one of his play lists that demonstrate how he makes his video's. All he's using is his 2nd gen iPod Touch mini and his iPhone. Then he shows how he's using a "light box." A what? So he places the iPad on the fabric inside the home made light box, and his iPhone with Pinnacle studio (which I have) on top with the camera facing down in a cut out hole for the iPhone camera. He also uses "Cute cut pro as well." The light box diffuses light around the iPad screen, which in turn "manages" the contrast of the iPad in the iPhone. He uses some external lamps as well. Before he begins, he has the iPad using Audioshare, then I'm sure he uses a bluetooth switch to control the iPod's on and off video. Pinnacle Studio has more then one lane for audio. He probably has the same Audioshare account on his iPhone. He said he uses Airdrop for audio. I have Airdrop only for my iPod touch. For voice overs he uses a IK multimedia app and mic solution but what I'd like to use is a Lav mic and a audio interface/sound card which I have. Just a few things and a bit of trial and error probably next month or so I'll have more professional looking video's out there. I tried making a beat using Korg gadget but the battery went on both devices. Gadget really needs an undo button.

Anne went crazy buying a cat perch and running here and there for various things.

We're going to have a nice Christmas eve and Anne's going to midnight mass. We'll have a nice supper, here with Silky, Rusty and Skippy. We're opening gifts around midnight while we're watching "Hopalong Cassidy." We'll be in bed by about 4am with a sleeping pill and staying in as its snowing pretty heavily out there. Merry Christmas everyone, that's all for now.