The footage compiled for this project begins after attending Furnace Fest and runs through the rest of 2023. I've typically begun the fall projects on October 1st but figured Audiofeed and Furnace Fest could bookend the summer well. I named both of those projects "A TigerRAWknRoll Summer" so it also felt right to just use them as seasonal bookends. I usually separate out the holidays but instead, I will create a project for October which will include Halloween festivities, November which will include hunting, Thanksgiving, and our northern family Christmas festivities, and finally December which will include our southern family Christmas festivites.
On Sunday October 1st, 2023, I tried the newest version of Mountain Dew VooDew. It had a cherry taste. It was revealed that it was meant to taste like Cherry Airheads. I enjoyed it and would drink it again. On Tuesday October 3rd, 2023, it was 80 degrees and as I left work, I noticed someone had placed stickers around Uptown that read "Make America Gizz Again." It turned out to be a spoof Presidential run by a commedian named Wolf Larsen.
I decided almost last minute to attend Thrice's Artist In An Ambulance 20th Anniversary show at Concord Music Hall on Thursday October 5th, 2023. I had been considering it for a bit but just hadn't bought the ticket. I thought at different times of stopping by their box office to purchase the ticket without the lame fees but I didn't seem to get in that part of the city at an opportune time to buy the tickets. '68 was the opening band. Upon arrival, I tried to find somewhere to stand where I could see well (and capture video while not being a nuisance to anyone behind me). I tried a few different spots but seemed that most anywhere I tried there were fairly tall people blocking my view. I thought about trying the balcony but the only clear spot was somewhat obstructed but pillars and the lower ceiling. I captured a song from each set on video but both are somewhat blocked by the heads I had to try to look through (as well as the arm of the guy in front of me capturing video for himself). From the '68 set, I ended up capturing a new song called "The Captains Sat." From Thrice I chose "Stare At The Sun" to capture.
10.06.2023
On Friday October 6th, 2023, I decided to attend a show at Reggie's. Murphy's Law was the headliner but I mostly went to see The Rumjacks. Tobin and Kyle Bawinkel were there as well as a few other Ollie Mob members and it was fun seeing and talking with them. Also on the bill were The Bar Stool Preachers and Grade 2. I enjoyed each of the bands for the most part. From Murphy's Law I ended up capturing "Crucial BBQ" which I happened to captured about two years ago when I saw them before. From The Rumjacks I captured "A Fistful O' Roses." I wasn't sure of the songs from The Bar Stool Preachers or Grade 2 that I captured. Madball was playing in town as well which seemed like poor planning on the promoters end to have two different shows of New York Hard Core. I also captured some footage of a guy who put a skeleton head on his head and was dancing around during the show.
10.07.2023
On Saturday October 7th, 2023, we went to Metro for VNV Nation with TRAITRS. We arrived to find the balcony area mostly filled as far room to see much of anything so I was a bit frustrated at first. I checked the main floor and found there should be room to stand and see well enough but Elphie found a spot for herself in the balcony and that's where we stayed. I was able to see ok over Elphie's head or between her and the people next to her. I was able to capture clip from each set, capturing "When Is The Future?" by VNV Nation which is a favorite of Elphie's. As we drove to the show, I captured some footage of the downtown buildings with the Blue Cross Blue Shield building lit up to read "Hispanic Heritage Month."
10.08.2023 - 10.19.2023
On Sunday October 8th, 2023, I tried the Coca Cola Y3000 variant. I read it was supposed to taste like Circus Peanuts candy but I didn't find that taste at all. If anything, it reminded me of a cream soda but I didn't really care for it. I don't think I'd drink it again. On my way home from work on Monday October 9th, 2023, I captured a demonstration for Israel as I passed under the pedestrian bridge by North Avenue Beach on Lake Shore Drive. It was the second or third demonstration I saw recently during my work commutes but I failed to save the footage on my CrossTour CR-900 of the other ones. on Wednesday October 11th, 2023, Skot and I went out to capture some more footage to use for a music video of the song "I'm Not The Devil" by Leper. Most of the footage was captured at a few different churches around the city. I was able to finish the editing and get the project done in time to release on Halloween. On Saturday October 14th, 2023, we attempted to have a party at the house and burn the rest of the firewood we had. No one else ended up being able to make it but we enjoyed the fire anyway.
On Thursday October 19th, 2023, Elphie and I attended the first night of T1 Fest at Reggie's. T1 Fest raises awareness and funds for Type 1 diabetes. Flatfoot 56 was headlining and Kyle Bawinkel offered VIP wristbands (along with several others from the Ollie Mob). This basically gave access to a balcony seating area above the stage. We utilized it and got some unique footage from that vantage point during the Huntingtons and Flatfoot 56 sets. I captured "I Don't Wanna Sit Around With You" from the Huntingtons (as well as the intro and "Pencil Neck"). From the Flatfoot 56 set, I captured their cover of "Electric Avenue" and Elphie captured "I'll Fly Away" which she requested that I edit and post so she could share. Her brother was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a child and Elphie found him experiencing symptoms so this was a good event to attend for that reason. I also captured clips from Take The Reins, Space Age Zeros, and Sex Dream who covered "Oops! I Did It Again."
https://youtu.be/5ScvMS4wwww
On Thursday October 19th, 2023, Elphie and I attended the first night of T1 Fest at Reggie's. T1 Fest raises awareness and funds for Type 1 diabetes. Flatfoot 56 was headlining and Kyle Bawinkel offered VIP wristbands (along with several others from the Ollie Mob). This basically gave access to a balcony seating area above the stage. We utilized it and got some unique footage from that vantage point during the Huntingtons and Flatfoot 56 sets. I captured "I Don't Wanna Sit Around With You" from the Huntingtons (as well as the intro and "Pencil Neck"). From the Flatfoot 56 set, I captured their cover of "Electric Avenue" and Elphie captured "I'll Fly Away" which she requested that I edit and post so she could share. Her brother was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a child and Elphie found him experiencing symptoms so this was a good event to attend for that reason. I also captured clips from Take The Reins, Space Age Zeros, and Sex Dream who covered "Oops! I Did It Again."
https://youtu.be/5ScvMS4wwww
https://youtu.be/ffcpgx5posE
10.20.2023
10.20.2023
I attended the second night of T1 Fest at Reggie's on Friday October 20th, 2023. All the footage I captured ended up being under two minutes...proper punk rock I guess! I missed the first band but I captured clips from The Queers, Sack, The Raging Nathans, Flamingo Nosebleed, and Hospital Job.
10.24.2023 - 10.31.2023
On Tuesday October 24th, 2023, it was another nice weather day for a Chicago fall and Elphie decided to visit McKinley Park for a bit. She captured some footage and I included it in the project. On Saturday October 28th, 2023, Elphie made a spoof video for friends of "Pumpkin Pie Time" and made a mess. You can see that if you are facebook friends with Elphie. Later we visited Flex Luther for his house warming party then attended Nocturna's All Hallowed's Eve Ball at Metro. I captured the costume party as well as I could. It was a packed event and we were in the balcony I ended up having people climb over me onto the chairs we were sitting so that was fun and awkward.
I worked on another video project with Skot Shaw for Leper. It was for a song called "I'm Not The Devil" and we shot it at several different churches around Chicago. Skot wanted to add another clip but I didn't foresee us having the time. I had it release on Halloween. You can read more here.
On Halloween, Tueday October 31st, 2023, Elphie and I also celebrated our 10th Halloweeniversary by having dinner at Bree Thai then driving around the neighborhood in that area to see the Halloween decorations and Trick-or-Treating kids for a while before heading home and watching Donnie Darko.
I worked on another video project with Skot Shaw for Leper. It was for a song called "I'm Not The Devil" and we shot it at several different churches around Chicago. Skot wanted to add another clip but I didn't foresee us having the time. I had it release on Halloween. You can read more here.
On Halloween, Tueday October 31st, 2023, Elphie and I also celebrated our 10th Halloweeniversary by having dinner at Bree Thai then driving around the neighborhood in that area to see the Halloween decorations and Trick-or-Treating kids for a while before heading home and watching Donnie Darko.
November in Chicago, Hunting, Thanksgiving, and Northern Family Christmas
11.01.2023 - 11.15.2023
On Wednesday November 1st, 2023, I captured a quick clip of the snow as I left for work in the morning. This was what was left after the Halloween snowfall. On Friday November 3rd, 2023 I captured some of the city lights including the lighthouse while driving on Lake Shore Drive for my commute home using my CrossTour CR-900. I also decided to keep the footage showing the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel and the Blue Cross Blue Shield building with its epilepsy awareness message. On Saturday November 4th, 2023, I decided to take my target and Excalibur Bulldog 440 Crossbow to the abandoned section of Route 66 to sight it in. I figured I could likely get some unobstructed longer distance shots there fairly easily since there'd likely be no one around and a decent amount of empty land. While leaving our neighborhood, we passed by the neighbors and migrants who had been protesting the building of a migrant camp in an empty lot in the neighborhood. We arrived in the area of the abandoned Route 66 and parked in a lot for a nearby restaurant then lugged out the target, crossbow, range finder, and tripod. While sighting in the crossbow, I took shots as far as 60 yards out. It was interesting hearing the impact of the bolt well after pulling the trigger. I had previously only shot at about 20 yards and the impact is fairly quick after the pulling the trigger whereas 40 and 60 yards there's a noticeable delay. I figure I'm not likely to shoot longer than 60 yards out. I was satisfied with the shots as far as they landed vertically on the target but horizontally I had to make a few adjustments to the right. After doing so, I took one last shot using the Boltcutter Broadhead and it ripped right through the target and into the folding chair I set the target on! While I wish I hadn't torn such a hole into the target, it was satisfying to know the damage a shot will do if given the chance during a hunt. I was hopeful I'd get my chance to have a successful hunt!
We decided to head to Pennsylvania on Wednesday November 8th, 2023. It allowed me four full days if needed to hunt deer with my crossbow due to Sunday November 12th, 2023 being an open hunting Sunday I assume due to Veteran's Day. We found out that the Sorensen family would not be doing the usual Thanksgiving dinner gathering so we figured we would just have it early with my family as well as do our Christmas while in town for hunting...with the hope of a successful hunt as well. This would also hopefully alleviate stress at work after what occurred in 2022 and I could remain in Chicago over Thanksgiving. We started the drive around 11am, stopping to get some Krispy Kreme Donuts. It would be the first long drive in our Chevrolet Bolt EUV since the drive back to Chicago after purchasing it. We mapped out our charging stops and came to realize that the trip would be an extra 4 hours turning it into a 12 hour trip. We arrived in Warren around 1am. I began to prepare my hunting gear and got to bed about 2am...having to wake again at 5:30am.
On Thursday morning November 9th, 2023 I headed into the same area I've been hunting these last few years but entered in through some relatives property nearby. It made for a bit of a longer walk but hopefully would result in less hassles from other people who own the land where I had been parking. I didn't get too far in before I realized I left my stool in the car. I went back to get it then continued on my way to a spot I had set up for the archery season based on how I've seen the deer move over the last few years. I also kept some mental notes on other spots to try if I didn't have any luck. As I walked, I noticed a deer trail going passed the tree where I shot a 4-point buck in 1994 with my Grandpa. I considered that if I had to return during the rifle season that perhaps setting up there might work out again. I disturbed a small buck who was bedded in the old compost dump and saw a lot of sign of deer there as well. Last year, I set up in there for one of the days I hunted...it was something I might consider doing again. I continued to the spot I had planned to go and then got situated and waited. The only movement for a while were chipmunks and birds. I suppose it was a good sign that the chipmunks were back in the area and I could see acorns on the ground around me as I was under an oak tree so it meant there was food around. A couple of doe came through in a nearby ravine after I had been sitting for a couple of hours. There was no chance for a shot due to the terrain and brush but it was nice to see some deer. Someone drove in on the nearby road in the posted area and was doing some sort of work. I assume he worked with the lumber company that owns the posted land. I didn't see much of anything until after he left. In the early afternoon, a couple of doe again came through but in the opposite direction using the same ravine and again not giving much of a chance for a shot. A short time after, around 2:30pm, while I was turning to survey the area to the north, I saw a buck had snuck up on me. I ended up measuring that it was about 40 yards away. I tried to make my movement as subtle as I could but reached for my crossbow and set up for a shot. The buck appeared to be legal. It began to stomp a bit and I figured it was getting ready to run away. It moved but did so in such a way that it gave me a better shot and I took it. I hit the buck and as I ran somewhat toward me then turned east into the posted land, I could see it was bleeding. I had concern though that I hit higher than I intended. I have read a number of stories about folks hitting a bit too high and missing the vitals. I just hoped I hadn't done that. I'm not sure if I aimed a little too high as I wasn't sure the exact distance, or if the deer might have ducked as I shot. I walked over to where I had hit it and found blood nearby where it ran. I could not find the bolt. I had heard the sound of impact on wood but I found that it appeared the deer kicked a downed tree and broke off some of it. I waited in hopes the deer wouldn't go too far and I wouldn't spook it. In the meantime I surveyed where I hit the deer hoping to find the bolt. I never did. 45 minutes or an hour after I took the shot, I began to track the deer. While I waited I went to my other blind I often use for rifle and checked it out to see if it was still solid or if there were any tracks nearby. I also ate my last sandwich and finished off my coffee before heading out to try to find the deer. I left the stool at my stand so it was one less thing to carry. I followed the blood trail into the posted land and up a very steep hill. The blood drops were becoming more sporadic as I went and I heard a deer snort as I got closer to the top but I couldn't see anything. I lost the trail a couple times but would eventually pick it back up and continued to follow it north until it was just too dark to see. I marked the spot on my Basemap app then headed down the hill to get my stool and head in for the night. I hoped I would be able to find it in the morning.
On Friday November 10th, 2023, I went back into the woods following pretty much the same track I did the day before except I took an easier path to the top of the hill to get back on the blood trail. I spooked a couple deer as I made my way up the hill. I was able to find the blood pretty easily, but the drips after that continued to be more spread our and smaller. I lost the trail a few more times. After finding it again, I decided to take a quick coffee break. While doing so, a black squirrel was running around nearby. I switched to a bolt with field tips in case the opportunity to shoot at the squirrels presented itself. There was also a grey squirrel in the area. At a couple points, I considered trying to get set up to take a shot at the squirrels but never had a good opportunity. I followed the blood downhill a ways until I lost it for good. I searched all around and found several tracks but never found blood again. As I was circling back, several bucks came running by up the hill. While their antlers were similar to the one I shot the day before, I didn't see any indication on any of them as having been hit by a bolt. If ready, I probably could have gotten a shot at one of them at least. By this time, I decided to eat a sandwich so I found a spot to rest. I was texting with my uncle updating him on the search and seeing if he had advice. While doing so, those bucks returned and once again, had I been ready, I could have probably had at least a shot at one of them. They continued up the hill. I walked a bit in that direction just to see the terrain. I thought about reaching out to the lumber company for permission to hunt the land as well. As I prepared to head back to the last blood drop, which by this point had dried up due to the sun, several more deer ran by. There were a few doe and at least one buck. I could have had a shot once again but was not ready. I was also making a post seeking some advice from other hunters. I ended up walking downhill following some tracks. I figured checking the creek bed nearby was probably my best bet at that point. My uncle called me as I made my way down the hill and suggested the same thing. I walked along the creek bed in both directions but never found any sign of the deer having bedded down in the area nor any blood drops. I decided to head back to my spot and rest for a bit. I wasn't there long before a doe came through along the ravine and continued into the posted land. A short time later, a small buck came from the posted land straight toward me. I was set up and ready to take a shot until I saw the antlers and realized it was a protected buck. It walked within 5 yards of me, even stopping for a moment before continuing on its way It never acted as though it was bothered by my presence. After another hour, a buck walked along the road in the posted land then turned southwest coming back toward me but along the ravine and in the brush. It appeared to be following the doe's trail but the opposite direction. I could never get a good shot at it. It then encountered another buck to the south of me and they engaged in an antler wrestling match for a few moments then both continued on their way. Neither ever gave me a shot. It wasn't long before it became dark at this point so I headed back in. I talked with my uncle a bit more and decided to take up his offer of his ladder stand for Saturday's hunt.
On Saturday November 11th, 2023, I had to get up a bit earlier to get to my uncle's house and he went with me to show me where to park and where to go to get to his ladder stand. I found it easily enough. As we parked, I saw a doe nearby by in a residental yard. I also saw a black squirrel. Once I got into the tree stand, I had a lot of bird, chipmunk and squirrels around making all sorts of noise. One red squirrel in particular seemed annoyed at my being in the tree. I could hear some shooting nearby...I assumed it was probably squirrel hunters using a .22. Around 10:30am, a couple of doe came through the thick brush to my right. They stayed just beyond where I felt comfortable taking a shot. I'm not sure if they ever noticed me. Where I had hoped that they might go, one began to head in that direction then turned and left the area with its companion. Around a half hour later, I heard a noise and a small buck was making his way through the thicket as well but never gave me a shot either and went the opposite direction as the doe. For the rest of the day I didn't see anything other than squirrels, chipmunks, and birds until just after sunset when a small group of doe came out of the woods behind me and to my right. I had my crossbow and was ready if they continued to walk in the same trajectory but the first one in the group spotted me, got spooked, and it sent the whole group running back into the cover of the dense woods. The first deer stayed where I could have possibly taken a shot but I couldn't maneuver well enough and still feel safe in the ladder stand. I eventually climbed down as it was too dark. I could hear the deer snorting in the woods and could see their movement as the hadn't gone that far in but there was no shot to take. I walked out and could see the silhouette of some deer running away from where I was heading. I decided I would go back to where I had been hunting before for the last day I had on this trip as I saw a bit more while there. I informed my uncle of my decision.
On Sunday November 12th, 2023, I returned to the spot I had been hunting as I planned. I got set up and decided to reach out to a tracker to see if they might feel it is worth it to try to track my deer. As I typed, some doe came out of the posted land but I didn't have much of a shot at most of them. One was standing broadside and I decided to try to take that shot. I hit the wood on my blind instead and it sent all those deer running. Again, I could not find the bolt I had shot and really had no clue as to where it might have gone. Not too long after this a couple of ruffed grouse flew into the nearby hemlock tree. I had not seen any ruffed grouse in the previous years of hunting so I looked it up to make sure and then double checked the seasons to ensure if I could shoot one. I switched to a field tip bolt and took a shot. It seemed that I shot high as the bird ducked. It flew off into the posted land as I cocked the crossbow and the other one ended up flying off just as I was about ready to take another shot. I never saw anything else the rest of the day except a couple of chipmunks.
That evening we had our family Thanksgiving dinner and exchanged Christmas gifts as we had planned to do. The Christmas tree got set up and even the neighbors had their inflatable decor up by this point. It probably was somewhat inconvenient to have "Christmas" so early but the hope was having a successful hunt and forgoing the usual Thanksgiving trip.
We drove back to Chicago on Monday November 13th, 2023. We stopped in most of the same places we used coming out to Warren. We spent a bit of time in the Erie Walmart while charging and I set a modest high score on the display model Pacman game. We added one stop at a rest area heading back to try to keep from getting too low on the battery. Our last stop had chargers which were showing as unavailable on the app but when I pulled up, they showed as available. I plugged in and it began to charge right away. I ended up getting a free charge!
On Thursday morning November 9th, 2023 I headed into the same area I've been hunting these last few years but entered in through some relatives property nearby. It made for a bit of a longer walk but hopefully would result in less hassles from other people who own the land where I had been parking. I didn't get too far in before I realized I left my stool in the car. I went back to get it then continued on my way to a spot I had set up for the archery season based on how I've seen the deer move over the last few years. I also kept some mental notes on other spots to try if I didn't have any luck. As I walked, I noticed a deer trail going passed the tree where I shot a 4-point buck in 1994 with my Grandpa. I considered that if I had to return during the rifle season that perhaps setting up there might work out again. I disturbed a small buck who was bedded in the old compost dump and saw a lot of sign of deer there as well. Last year, I set up in there for one of the days I hunted...it was something I might consider doing again. I continued to the spot I had planned to go and then got situated and waited. The only movement for a while were chipmunks and birds. I suppose it was a good sign that the chipmunks were back in the area and I could see acorns on the ground around me as I was under an oak tree so it meant there was food around. A couple of doe came through in a nearby ravine after I had been sitting for a couple of hours. There was no chance for a shot due to the terrain and brush but it was nice to see some deer. Someone drove in on the nearby road in the posted area and was doing some sort of work. I assume he worked with the lumber company that owns the posted land. I didn't see much of anything until after he left. In the early afternoon, a couple of doe again came through but in the opposite direction using the same ravine and again not giving much of a chance for a shot. A short time after, around 2:30pm, while I was turning to survey the area to the north, I saw a buck had snuck up on me. I ended up measuring that it was about 40 yards away. I tried to make my movement as subtle as I could but reached for my crossbow and set up for a shot. The buck appeared to be legal. It began to stomp a bit and I figured it was getting ready to run away. It moved but did so in such a way that it gave me a better shot and I took it. I hit the buck and as I ran somewhat toward me then turned east into the posted land, I could see it was bleeding. I had concern though that I hit higher than I intended. I have read a number of stories about folks hitting a bit too high and missing the vitals. I just hoped I hadn't done that. I'm not sure if I aimed a little too high as I wasn't sure the exact distance, or if the deer might have ducked as I shot. I walked over to where I had hit it and found blood nearby where it ran. I could not find the bolt. I had heard the sound of impact on wood but I found that it appeared the deer kicked a downed tree and broke off some of it. I waited in hopes the deer wouldn't go too far and I wouldn't spook it. In the meantime I surveyed where I hit the deer hoping to find the bolt. I never did. 45 minutes or an hour after I took the shot, I began to track the deer. While I waited I went to my other blind I often use for rifle and checked it out to see if it was still solid or if there were any tracks nearby. I also ate my last sandwich and finished off my coffee before heading out to try to find the deer. I left the stool at my stand so it was one less thing to carry. I followed the blood trail into the posted land and up a very steep hill. The blood drops were becoming more sporadic as I went and I heard a deer snort as I got closer to the top but I couldn't see anything. I lost the trail a couple times but would eventually pick it back up and continued to follow it north until it was just too dark to see. I marked the spot on my Basemap app then headed down the hill to get my stool and head in for the night. I hoped I would be able to find it in the morning.
On Friday November 10th, 2023, I went back into the woods following pretty much the same track I did the day before except I took an easier path to the top of the hill to get back on the blood trail. I spooked a couple deer as I made my way up the hill. I was able to find the blood pretty easily, but the drips after that continued to be more spread our and smaller. I lost the trail a few more times. After finding it again, I decided to take a quick coffee break. While doing so, a black squirrel was running around nearby. I switched to a bolt with field tips in case the opportunity to shoot at the squirrels presented itself. There was also a grey squirrel in the area. At a couple points, I considered trying to get set up to take a shot at the squirrels but never had a good opportunity. I followed the blood downhill a ways until I lost it for good. I searched all around and found several tracks but never found blood again. As I was circling back, several bucks came running by up the hill. While their antlers were similar to the one I shot the day before, I didn't see any indication on any of them as having been hit by a bolt. If ready, I probably could have gotten a shot at one of them at least. By this time, I decided to eat a sandwich so I found a spot to rest. I was texting with my uncle updating him on the search and seeing if he had advice. While doing so, those bucks returned and once again, had I been ready, I could have probably had at least a shot at one of them. They continued up the hill. I walked a bit in that direction just to see the terrain. I thought about reaching out to the lumber company for permission to hunt the land as well. As I prepared to head back to the last blood drop, which by this point had dried up due to the sun, several more deer ran by. There were a few doe and at least one buck. I could have had a shot once again but was not ready. I was also making a post seeking some advice from other hunters. I ended up walking downhill following some tracks. I figured checking the creek bed nearby was probably my best bet at that point. My uncle called me as I made my way down the hill and suggested the same thing. I walked along the creek bed in both directions but never found any sign of the deer having bedded down in the area nor any blood drops. I decided to head back to my spot and rest for a bit. I wasn't there long before a doe came through along the ravine and continued into the posted land. A short time later, a small buck came from the posted land straight toward me. I was set up and ready to take a shot until I saw the antlers and realized it was a protected buck. It walked within 5 yards of me, even stopping for a moment before continuing on its way It never acted as though it was bothered by my presence. After another hour, a buck walked along the road in the posted land then turned southwest coming back toward me but along the ravine and in the brush. It appeared to be following the doe's trail but the opposite direction. I could never get a good shot at it. It then encountered another buck to the south of me and they engaged in an antler wrestling match for a few moments then both continued on their way. Neither ever gave me a shot. It wasn't long before it became dark at this point so I headed back in. I talked with my uncle a bit more and decided to take up his offer of his ladder stand for Saturday's hunt.
On Saturday November 11th, 2023, I had to get up a bit earlier to get to my uncle's house and he went with me to show me where to park and where to go to get to his ladder stand. I found it easily enough. As we parked, I saw a doe nearby by in a residental yard. I also saw a black squirrel. Once I got into the tree stand, I had a lot of bird, chipmunk and squirrels around making all sorts of noise. One red squirrel in particular seemed annoyed at my being in the tree. I could hear some shooting nearby...I assumed it was probably squirrel hunters using a .22. Around 10:30am, a couple of doe came through the thick brush to my right. They stayed just beyond where I felt comfortable taking a shot. I'm not sure if they ever noticed me. Where I had hoped that they might go, one began to head in that direction then turned and left the area with its companion. Around a half hour later, I heard a noise and a small buck was making his way through the thicket as well but never gave me a shot either and went the opposite direction as the doe. For the rest of the day I didn't see anything other than squirrels, chipmunks, and birds until just after sunset when a small group of doe came out of the woods behind me and to my right. I had my crossbow and was ready if they continued to walk in the same trajectory but the first one in the group spotted me, got spooked, and it sent the whole group running back into the cover of the dense woods. The first deer stayed where I could have possibly taken a shot but I couldn't maneuver well enough and still feel safe in the ladder stand. I eventually climbed down as it was too dark. I could hear the deer snorting in the woods and could see their movement as the hadn't gone that far in but there was no shot to take. I walked out and could see the silhouette of some deer running away from where I was heading. I decided I would go back to where I had been hunting before for the last day I had on this trip as I saw a bit more while there. I informed my uncle of my decision.
On Sunday November 12th, 2023, I returned to the spot I had been hunting as I planned. I got set up and decided to reach out to a tracker to see if they might feel it is worth it to try to track my deer. As I typed, some doe came out of the posted land but I didn't have much of a shot at most of them. One was standing broadside and I decided to try to take that shot. I hit the wood on my blind instead and it sent all those deer running. Again, I could not find the bolt I had shot and really had no clue as to where it might have gone. Not too long after this a couple of ruffed grouse flew into the nearby hemlock tree. I had not seen any ruffed grouse in the previous years of hunting so I looked it up to make sure and then double checked the seasons to ensure if I could shoot one. I switched to a field tip bolt and took a shot. It seemed that I shot high as the bird ducked. It flew off into the posted land as I cocked the crossbow and the other one ended up flying off just as I was about ready to take another shot. I never saw anything else the rest of the day except a couple of chipmunks.
That evening we had our family Thanksgiving dinner and exchanged Christmas gifts as we had planned to do. The Christmas tree got set up and even the neighbors had their inflatable decor up by this point. It probably was somewhat inconvenient to have "Christmas" so early but the hope was having a successful hunt and forgoing the usual Thanksgiving trip.
We drove back to Chicago on Monday November 13th, 2023. We stopped in most of the same places we used coming out to Warren. We spent a bit of time in the Erie Walmart while charging and I set a modest high score on the display model Pacman game. We added one stop at a rest area heading back to try to keep from getting too low on the battery. Our last stop had chargers which were showing as unavailable on the app but when I pulled up, they showed as available. I plugged in and it began to charge right away. I ended up getting a free charge!
On Wednesday November 15th, 2023, I bought tickets using the Gametime app to see Skinny Puppy on their final tour and what would be their final Chicago date. They had added a couple other dates (Monday and Tuesday) which we may have been able to find cheaper tickets but we were traveling on Monday and I didn't check on Tuesday until it was too late. I had assumed that the Monday show which was the last one added due to demand was the final show and that the others were over the weekend. The show was at House of Blues which is not a venue I particularly enjoy. It's run by Ticketmaster/Livenation and also doesn't seem to have the best sound nor is it easy to see on packed nights like this one. At any rate, I finally got to see Skinny Puppy and I decided to capture and share the very last song that they played which was "Smothered Hope."
https://youtu.be/TbfUvV71Zx8
On Friday November 17th, 2023, we went to the Auditorium Theater to see Beetlejuice: The Musical. I captured some of the lights on State Street as we made our way from the CTA station to the theater. It was a fun musical. We were in seats way up at the top of the building but we could see decently well and had a good evening.
11.18.2023
On Saturday November 18th, 2023, there was a show in the Garden Room at J.P.U.S.A. with Kevin Schlereth traveling in and Leper and Christian Welch playing on their home turf. On our way back from getting groceries in Indiana along I-94, we passed the CTA Holiday Train as it traveled south on the Red Line. It seemed a bit early for the Holiday Train. We captured the footage anyway using the CrossTour CR-900. Elphie also captured it with her iPhone. At the show, I captured a song from each artist as I usually do. Leper was a lineup of just Skot and Colleen and I captured the song "No More Wrong." After the show, we caught up a bit with Kevin and Christian. I asked about Bloodline Fest which I missed due to hunting. It was good to see them all. As we left, we decided to drive through Wrigleyville then down Michigan Avenue to capture the city Christmas lights. We also went by Millennium Park and captured the Christmas Tree. i used the CrossTour CR-900 for most of this as well.
On Friday November 17th, 2023, we went to the Auditorium Theater to see Beetlejuice: The Musical. I captured some of the lights on State Street as we made our way from the CTA station to the theater. It was a fun musical. We were in seats way up at the top of the building but we could see decently well and had a good evening.
11.18.2023
On Saturday November 18th, 2023, there was a show in the Garden Room at J.P.U.S.A. with Kevin Schlereth traveling in and Leper and Christian Welch playing on their home turf. On our way back from getting groceries in Indiana along I-94, we passed the CTA Holiday Train as it traveled south on the Red Line. It seemed a bit early for the Holiday Train. We captured the footage anyway using the CrossTour CR-900. Elphie also captured it with her iPhone. At the show, I captured a song from each artist as I usually do. Leper was a lineup of just Skot and Colleen and I captured the song "No More Wrong." After the show, we caught up a bit with Kevin and Christian. I asked about Bloodline Fest which I missed due to hunting. It was good to see them all. As we left, we decided to drive through Wrigleyville then down Michigan Avenue to capture the city Christmas lights. We also went by Millennium Park and captured the Christmas Tree. i used the CrossTour CR-900 for most of this as well.
11.19.2023 - 11.30.2023
On Sunday November 19th, 2023, we attended the annual Disgracegiving with Disgraceland Wasteland Suspensions at Wasted Youth Tattoo and PMA Piercing Studio. We stopped to pick up some chicken and fritters from White Fence Farm along the way. As we left to come home, I captured some Christmas Lights along one of the exits of I-55. On Tuesday November 22nd, 2023 I captured the Blue Cross Blue Shield building and its "Give Thanks" message written in its lights.
I decided to return to Pennsylvania for at least a couple days of the rifle season. I drove out on Thanskgiving day, November 23rd, 2023. I left at around 10am and arrived in Warren at around midnight. The trip wasn't too bad except the first charging stop had an Amazon truck parked in front of both stations blocking access to the one listed as unavailable while charging from the other one. I decided to continue the next 25 miles to the station in South Bend, Indiana where I was able to plug in and charge as I needed to. I ended up having Sbarro Pizza for Thanksgiving dinner. Elphie had Thanksgiving with friends at the Community of the Holy Trinity house.
On Friday November 24th, 2023, I showed my father that property information I had found on the area we typically hunt. I showed him where I had been entering through our relative's property and also showed another area owned by relatives that I had been given permission if we wanted to try that. I didn't get much of an answer from him, which is typical, so I decided I'd just go to where I had been hunting and if he wanted to go there too then he could. My mom attempted to try a harness on her cat Charlie and she kicked out of it and her collar while we watched hockey.
On Saturday November 25th, 2023, it was the first day of the rifle season for deer. I entered the woods from the property owned by my relatives once again. I didn't forget anything this time! I drove separately from my father as he wasn't quite ready to go yet and appeared he'd prefer to drive himself. I took the long walk in and as I approached the pipeline near the tree where I shot my 4-point buck in 1994 with my grandpa, I spooked a couple deer who took the path right by that tree. I followed their trail, deciding not to use that spot. I continued toward the compost dump and found a spot not all that far from where I shot my 8-point buck in 2014 but decided to continue and set up where I had been during the archery season. There had been a lot of movement while there so I hoped it might continue. I got set up and situated and found my father had texted and that he had forgotten his rifle and got his car stuck. I responded to his question on how I entered the woods and then saw a group of deer coming out of the posted area probably about 100 yards to the north of me. They continued and never got any closer as far as I could tell. Not too long after that, a group of turkeys came through the exact same path, keeping about 100 yards from me. One of each group stopped in a clear spot and looked, perhaps seeing me, before continuing on their way. I could hear gunfire but most of it wasn't all that close. One shot did seem very close then another not that much further off. The second sounded as though it could have been in the direction where my father sets up but it wasn't him. At around 10:30am, I heard noise and saw movement in the posted land. There were deer running that appeared to have been spooked by something. They appeared that they would continue further into the posted area at first then made a turn toward me! I got myself set and ready to take a shot if the deer continued toward me and they did! I picked one out and could see clearly that there were no antlers then I took my shot and hit it! I could tell right away by its reaction and watch as it ran a short distance before crashing into a downed tree. I actually lost sight of the deer itself but the movement of the tree once I heard it crash told me exactly where the deer ended up. The other deer with it ran south, though one stopped in a spot where I could have gotten a shot at it as well. I ejected the spent shell and reloaded in case I might need to take a second shot. Once the other deer had run out of sight, I got up and found the blood right away. I had hit this deer pretty close to where I had hit the buck during the archery season...probably only a few yards difference. I really didn't need to follow the blood trail as I could see the body laying by the tree. It was pretty evident it was dead but I checked anyway by poking at it. I informed my parents and Elphie that I had gotten a doe. I went back to get my backpack so I could begin gutting it. My father came out from his stand and helped me out. It turned out the doe still had milk in her! That was weird and a first for me. My father said he had gotten one like that once. We got the deer gutted and started to drag it out. I ended up using the road in the posted land to make it a bit easier terrain to navigate. My father took the deer while I went to get my car. The gate into the old compost dump was open so once I got my car, I drove through to get to my father and the deer. A couple other folks came down on ATVs. The second guy spoke to me for a moment and said the first ATV had an 8-point buck. I explained that when I saw the gate open I decided to drive in to pick up the deer so we didn't have to drag as far and the guy said there's no point in doing more work than you have to. We went back to get my father's car unstuck then took the deer, got it hung up, and began the work of skinning and butchering it. I thought about going back out to see if I could get a buck as well but determined that the meat from this deer would probably be sufficient for us and I didn't need to try to get another. I also needed the time to cut as much as I could before heading back to Chicago. I spent the evening working through some pieces I was able to get off of the body of the deer as well as some of the back strap (or chops). Most of the meat would be used for grinding or stew that I worked on. I watched the Penguins hockey game while butchering the meat.
I spent most of the day on Sunday November 26th, 2023 working on the meat I could get off the body of the deer while watching the Steelers beat the Bengals. I started out working around the ribs and backbone...seeing what I could get off of that. I also worked a bit on the neck meat. Once I got as much off of it as I thought I could at that time, I hung the ribcage back up and then brought the tarp down off of the hill to spray it as clean as possible for the transport back to Chicago. I went inside to work on the pieces I had cut from the deer while my father decided it was time to put his winter tires on their cars. He decided for some reason it would be a good thing to try to mess with my car which always results in conflict and issues. I continued to work on the meat. We ended up having a dinner of the tenderloin and it was very good. I finished up as much as I could before it got very late then prepared everything for the trip back to Chicago.
On Monday November 27th, 2023, I got up around 8am and began to get ready for the long trip back to Chicago. I began to load the car with the meat in quarters as well as the ribcage, hide, and head of the deer. I used garbage bags and freezer packs in hopes to keep the meat cool and from being spoiled on the trip. I also loaded up all my hunting gear (except the rifle and ammunition) in case of an opportunity to hunt either in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, or Michigan dependent on some information I received of people with properties who may be willing to let me hunt. During the drive back, there was light to moderate snow between Warren and Erie. Once in Erie, I stopped for a charge however all the chargers were occupied. Thankfully, I was able to get a full charge while plugged into the garage at my parents house and was able to utilize that to get to a Sheetz on the east side of Cleveland where I took a fairly long charge. I worked out the rest of the charges to be spaced out about an hour apart in hopes to lessen the stop times a little bit. I was able to get to each station with a good amount of leeway except the last one...on that one I was pushing it a bit but I did make it. It had to be a longer charge but the machine didn't charge me once again! I got back to Chicago and unloaded everything but the meat.
On Friday November 24th, 2023, I showed my father that property information I had found on the area we typically hunt. I showed him where I had been entering through our relative's property and also showed another area owned by relatives that I had been given permission if we wanted to try that. I didn't get much of an answer from him, which is typical, so I decided I'd just go to where I had been hunting and if he wanted to go there too then he could. My mom attempted to try a harness on her cat Charlie and she kicked out of it and her collar while we watched hockey.
On Saturday November 25th, 2023, it was the first day of the rifle season for deer. I entered the woods from the property owned by my relatives once again. I didn't forget anything this time! I drove separately from my father as he wasn't quite ready to go yet and appeared he'd prefer to drive himself. I took the long walk in and as I approached the pipeline near the tree where I shot my 4-point buck in 1994 with my grandpa, I spooked a couple deer who took the path right by that tree. I followed their trail, deciding not to use that spot. I continued toward the compost dump and found a spot not all that far from where I shot my 8-point buck in 2014 but decided to continue and set up where I had been during the archery season. There had been a lot of movement while there so I hoped it might continue. I got set up and situated and found my father had texted and that he had forgotten his rifle and got his car stuck. I responded to his question on how I entered the woods and then saw a group of deer coming out of the posted area probably about 100 yards to the north of me. They continued and never got any closer as far as I could tell. Not too long after that, a group of turkeys came through the exact same path, keeping about 100 yards from me. One of each group stopped in a clear spot and looked, perhaps seeing me, before continuing on their way. I could hear gunfire but most of it wasn't all that close. One shot did seem very close then another not that much further off. The second sounded as though it could have been in the direction where my father sets up but it wasn't him. At around 10:30am, I heard noise and saw movement in the posted land. There were deer running that appeared to have been spooked by something. They appeared that they would continue further into the posted area at first then made a turn toward me! I got myself set and ready to take a shot if the deer continued toward me and they did! I picked one out and could see clearly that there were no antlers then I took my shot and hit it! I could tell right away by its reaction and watch as it ran a short distance before crashing into a downed tree. I actually lost sight of the deer itself but the movement of the tree once I heard it crash told me exactly where the deer ended up. The other deer with it ran south, though one stopped in a spot where I could have gotten a shot at it as well. I ejected the spent shell and reloaded in case I might need to take a second shot. Once the other deer had run out of sight, I got up and found the blood right away. I had hit this deer pretty close to where I had hit the buck during the archery season...probably only a few yards difference. I really didn't need to follow the blood trail as I could see the body laying by the tree. It was pretty evident it was dead but I checked anyway by poking at it. I informed my parents and Elphie that I had gotten a doe. I went back to get my backpack so I could begin gutting it. My father came out from his stand and helped me out. It turned out the doe still had milk in her! That was weird and a first for me. My father said he had gotten one like that once. We got the deer gutted and started to drag it out. I ended up using the road in the posted land to make it a bit easier terrain to navigate. My father took the deer while I went to get my car. The gate into the old compost dump was open so once I got my car, I drove through to get to my father and the deer. A couple other folks came down on ATVs. The second guy spoke to me for a moment and said the first ATV had an 8-point buck. I explained that when I saw the gate open I decided to drive in to pick up the deer so we didn't have to drag as far and the guy said there's no point in doing more work than you have to. We went back to get my father's car unstuck then took the deer, got it hung up, and began the work of skinning and butchering it. I thought about going back out to see if I could get a buck as well but determined that the meat from this deer would probably be sufficient for us and I didn't need to try to get another. I also needed the time to cut as much as I could before heading back to Chicago. I spent the evening working through some pieces I was able to get off of the body of the deer as well as some of the back strap (or chops). Most of the meat would be used for grinding or stew that I worked on. I watched the Penguins hockey game while butchering the meat.
I spent most of the day on Sunday November 26th, 2023 working on the meat I could get off the body of the deer while watching the Steelers beat the Bengals. I started out working around the ribs and backbone...seeing what I could get off of that. I also worked a bit on the neck meat. Once I got as much off of it as I thought I could at that time, I hung the ribcage back up and then brought the tarp down off of the hill to spray it as clean as possible for the transport back to Chicago. I went inside to work on the pieces I had cut from the deer while my father decided it was time to put his winter tires on their cars. He decided for some reason it would be a good thing to try to mess with my car which always results in conflict and issues. I continued to work on the meat. We ended up having a dinner of the tenderloin and it was very good. I finished up as much as I could before it got very late then prepared everything for the trip back to Chicago.
On Monday November 27th, 2023, I got up around 8am and began to get ready for the long trip back to Chicago. I began to load the car with the meat in quarters as well as the ribcage, hide, and head of the deer. I used garbage bags and freezer packs in hopes to keep the meat cool and from being spoiled on the trip. I also loaded up all my hunting gear (except the rifle and ammunition) in case of an opportunity to hunt either in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, or Michigan dependent on some information I received of people with properties who may be willing to let me hunt. During the drive back, there was light to moderate snow between Warren and Erie. Once in Erie, I stopped for a charge however all the chargers were occupied. Thankfully, I was able to get a full charge while plugged into the garage at my parents house and was able to utilize that to get to a Sheetz on the east side of Cleveland where I took a fairly long charge. I worked out the rest of the charges to be spaced out about an hour apart in hopes to lessen the stop times a little bit. I was able to get to each station with a good amount of leeway except the last one...on that one I was pushing it a bit but I did make it. It had to be a longer charge but the machine didn't charge me once again! I got back to Chicago and unloaded everything but the meat.
I spent my hours off work butchering and processing the meat from the deer over the days that followed. On Tuesday November 28th, 2023, I worked primarily getting the meat of the bones I mostly finished that so I was able to put most of the meat into the refrigerator at that point and Wednesday November 29th and Thursday November 30th, 2023, I cut the meat into steaks and other cuts. The rest of the meat I separated to be put through the grinder in order to make burgers and jerky. I also separated some to be used in stews as well.
12.01.2023
On Friday December 1st, 2023, Uptown was having its annual Wilson Winter Walk. I didn't realize this until I was leaving work and saw the people out and about. I decided to take my things to my car and checked Everybody's Coffee to see if they were having music again. Sure enough, once again they had Glenn Kaiser and The Crossing playing tunes. I decided to head over there and caught the last couple songs by The Crossing, capturing "March Of The Kings Of Laois/Scotland." Glenn Kaiser played solo this year and I decided I wanted to capture a song where he used his cigar box guitar. I captured the only song where he used it which was "The First Noel." After the show, I headed back home to work a bit more on the butchering process of my deer. I didn't do a lot of work on this night but I did get some done.
https://youtu.be/K7lLFrd77uA
https://youtu.be/K7lLFrd77uA
12.03.2023 - 12.08.2023
https://youtu.be/jBVlcC0iAEo
12.10.2023 - 12.17.2023
Sunday December 10th, 2023 I brought out the meat grinder and got to work on the remaining venison. The plan was to make some of it into burger meat. I had purchased some beef tallow to use to help get the meat to stick together to form into burger patties. The rest we planned to turn into jerky using the dehydrator that Moses had given us. I had placed an order for some pink salt then later a jerky gun from Walmart in order to make the jerky. We had most of the seasonings needed but picked up a few items such as the liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce. Running the meat through the grinder was interesting. At some points it came out a bit wetter than I expected and some blood came out the where the attachment connected to the motor. It also appeared to cook the meat a little bit as it went through. At the end of the process I had found some fat and tendon and wrapped itself around the gears and began to cook. As I cleaned up after, I took it all apart and got rid of those pieces. In the end, we had about 10 pounds we made into burgers. I'm not sure how much we made into jerky but it took three sessions. The first we started on Friday December 15th, 2023 after obtaining the jerky gun. It took several hours to dehydrate the meat and while that process was going, it made the house smell quite good. We did the second batch on Saturday December 16th, 2023 prior to heading out to Metro for Nocturna that evening. We got to see a few friends at Nocturna and it was a good time as usual. The final batch of jerky was made on Monday December 18th, 2023. It didn't require all five levels of the dehydrator. The jerky turned really good and we dispersed a lot of it as Christmas gifts.
On Sunday December 17th, 2023, the Ollie Mob had a Christmas gathering at the Theisen House in Dyer, Indiana. Jon Pratt grilled some meats and those who were part of the secret Santa gift exchange attempted to partake in that by zoom as many folks are in other parts of the world. There was a quick live streamed acoustic Flatfoot 56/6'10 show from Bob's music room which I handled the camera duties by holding the phone. I held two phones at the beginning so I could capture "Christmas Is Here" performed by Tobin, Josh, and Anastasia. I used the 0.5 zoom giving it something of a fish eye effect but capturing the entire room. It was a fun night hanging out with friends. I shared some of the venison jerky we made over the weekend as well with those who wanted a taste. Elphie tried out a game that had something to do with monkey tails which were inflated and hooking them on a cardboard cut out thing.
On Sunday December 3rd, 2023 I grilled a couple steaks I freshly cut during the week from the deer. I hadn't even put it in the freezer yet (I did have it in the refrigerator)! It turned out great! Elphie made some mashed potatoes to have with the steaks while we watched football. On Tuesday December 5th, 2023, I cut as much meat as I could off the ribcage and alone the spine and neck. On Wednesday December 6th, 2023 I detached the deer's head from its hide and worked the hide off the head. I saved the tongue, some meat from the cheeks, and salvaged what I could from the rest of the neck. I worked off as much skin and other tissue as I could then put it in the freezer to deal with another time. On Thursday December 7th, 2023, I captured footage of the CTA Holiday train passing through Uptown Chicago using the Truman College parking garage. I went out as it passed southbound and captured the footage. As it happened to work out, I was able to capture it again as it returned northbound after I got off of work.
On Friday December 8th, 2023, I took my lunch break at the Christkindlmarket in Wrigleyville. I also stopped by Metro to get tickets for Nocturna coming up. I got pierogis from the Prince of Pierogi booth then went into the Sweet Castle to get some Christmas Soda and Topkuss candies. That evening, I went to a show featuring several Oi bands from Montreal put on by Kyle Bawinkel. His band Fuerza Bruta also played. It was in the Archer Ballroom just a couple miles from the house. I'm not sure exactly what the space is used for but the ceiling supports remained in skeletal form and it was interesting. I got there just as Lost Legion began but being a floor show and the crowd, I couldn't really see anything. I saw where Daniel Feldstein was and moved up to talk to him a bit then managed to secure a spot where I could at least see a little bit better. They played a short set and before I could get and footage, they were done. Spleen played second then Puffer...both out of Montreal and sharing members. Fuerza Bruta was third followed by Béton Armé who were the other Montreal based band (also sharing members from the others) and the night closed with Mock Execution. It was cool to hang with Daniel a bit during and after the show. I didn't edit and process this group of videos until after obtaining my new Mac Mini with Final Cut Pro X installed. I am still adjusting to the new program and computer. I found some things to be much easier which is nice. When making the title, I could not find my preferred font (Portago ITC) so I went with something else that appeared similar. I'm not sure I really like how it turned out. After the editing, processing, and uploading of these videos and the next one, I downloaded the Portago ITC font and that appears it works with Final Cut Pro X so future projects will utilize it. I also played around with the settings to get some other aspects of the titling more to my liking.
On Friday December 8th, 2023, I took my lunch break at the Christkindlmarket in Wrigleyville. I also stopped by Metro to get tickets for Nocturna coming up. I got pierogis from the Prince of Pierogi booth then went into the Sweet Castle to get some Christmas Soda and Topkuss candies. That evening, I went to a show featuring several Oi bands from Montreal put on by Kyle Bawinkel. His band Fuerza Bruta also played. It was in the Archer Ballroom just a couple miles from the house. I'm not sure exactly what the space is used for but the ceiling supports remained in skeletal form and it was interesting. I got there just as Lost Legion began but being a floor show and the crowd, I couldn't really see anything. I saw where Daniel Feldstein was and moved up to talk to him a bit then managed to secure a spot where I could at least see a little bit better. They played a short set and before I could get and footage, they were done. Spleen played second then Puffer...both out of Montreal and sharing members. Fuerza Bruta was third followed by Béton Armé who were the other Montreal based band (also sharing members from the others) and the night closed with Mock Execution. It was cool to hang with Daniel a bit during and after the show. I didn't edit and process this group of videos until after obtaining my new Mac Mini with Final Cut Pro X installed. I am still adjusting to the new program and computer. I found some things to be much easier which is nice. When making the title, I could not find my preferred font (Portago ITC) so I went with something else that appeared similar. I'm not sure I really like how it turned out. After the editing, processing, and uploading of these videos and the next one, I downloaded the Portago ITC font and that appears it works with Final Cut Pro X so future projects will utilize it. I also played around with the settings to get some other aspects of the titling more to my liking.
12.09.2023
On Saturday December 9th, 2023, Elphie and I went out to Tinley Park to catch the Hooked on the Holidays improv show at the Tinley Park Performing Arts Center which had a couple sets by The Uh Ohs mixed in. I captured The Uh Ohs playing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." It was the opening song of the first set that they played. I used Final Cut Pro X once again to edit and process this video and my lack of familiarity with the program as well as the my preferred font )Portago ITC) not being available, I ended up with the title you see here. I have since downloaded the Portago ITC font and after messing around a bit with the settings, I have it looking pretty much how I prefer now for the next projects. As for the night, it was a fun show and it was cool to see the Robieson's again...it had been a while since they recently birthed a child. Before heading out to the show, I worked on processing the meat I was able to get off of the head and upper neck of my deer. Most of it was best suited for grinding but I did manage to get a few more pieces to put in the stew packages. After the show, we stopped to get a charge at a Level 2 charger in Tinley Park. It turned out to be free!https://youtu.be/jBVlcC0iAEo
12.10.2023 - 12.17.2023
Sunday December 10th, 2023 I brought out the meat grinder and got to work on the remaining venison. The plan was to make some of it into burger meat. I had purchased some beef tallow to use to help get the meat to stick together to form into burger patties. The rest we planned to turn into jerky using the dehydrator that Moses had given us. I had placed an order for some pink salt then later a jerky gun from Walmart in order to make the jerky. We had most of the seasonings needed but picked up a few items such as the liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce. Running the meat through the grinder was interesting. At some points it came out a bit wetter than I expected and some blood came out the where the attachment connected to the motor. It also appeared to cook the meat a little bit as it went through. At the end of the process I had found some fat and tendon and wrapped itself around the gears and began to cook. As I cleaned up after, I took it all apart and got rid of those pieces. In the end, we had about 10 pounds we made into burgers. I'm not sure how much we made into jerky but it took three sessions. The first we started on Friday December 15th, 2023 after obtaining the jerky gun. It took several hours to dehydrate the meat and while that process was going, it made the house smell quite good. We did the second batch on Saturday December 16th, 2023 prior to heading out to Metro for Nocturna that evening. We got to see a few friends at Nocturna and it was a good time as usual. The final batch of jerky was made on Monday December 18th, 2023. It didn't require all five levels of the dehydrator. The jerky turned really good and we dispersed a lot of it as Christmas gifts.
On Sunday December 17th, 2023, the Ollie Mob had a Christmas gathering at the Theisen House in Dyer, Indiana. Jon Pratt grilled some meats and those who were part of the secret Santa gift exchange attempted to partake in that by zoom as many folks are in other parts of the world. There was a quick live streamed acoustic Flatfoot 56/6'10 show from Bob's music room which I handled the camera duties by holding the phone. I held two phones at the beginning so I could capture "Christmas Is Here" performed by Tobin, Josh, and Anastasia. I used the 0.5 zoom giving it something of a fish eye effect but capturing the entire room. It was a fun night hanging out with friends. I shared some of the venison jerky we made over the weekend as well with those who wanted a taste. Elphie tried out a game that had something to do with monkey tails which were inflated and hooking them on a cardboard cut out thing.
https://youtu.be/8oN-oUecyHk
12.20.2023
On Wednesday December 20th, 2023, I had to wake up way too early to be at work for the holiday party for the men's program at Cornerstone Community Outreach. It went fairly well, everyone seemed to have gotten enough to eat and most folks got what the needed from the gifts we had available as well. At home that evening, I made a quick update video with regards to my purchase of a new Mac Mini installed with Final Cut Pro X. I have used these on the last few video posts I made (The oi show, The Uh Ohs, and the Ollie Mob Christmas). I used my iPhone 14 on all those videos as most of this update video as well but I captured a clip using my Canon Rebel T6s in order to test it and see how it worked with the computer and program. It worked fine. In fact, so far, Final Cut Pro X has proven to be much easier to work with than Final Cut Pro 7 had been. I would take the video files and have to import them through iMovie before working on them in Final Cut Pro before. I have been able to import all the files directly into Final Cut Pro X which lessens the time considerably. I also exporting the file is much quicker and simpler in Final Cut Pro X. I haven't had to use Compressor (or download it if it's not included) because the option to make a compressed video for social media use is built into Final Cut Pro X. I always resisted the move to Final Cut Pro X because it sort of felt "dumbed down" but I am finding the ease of operation to be quite refreshing. I'm sure as I learn the program and do more things such as music videos there will be a lot I will need to figure out but these simple projects I'm starting with have really been quite easy to create. I ran into a preference issue early on. The first few videos use a font I wasn't particularly happy with and the formatting wasn't coming together as I would have liked. I spent some time messing around with it then looked up my preferred font called Portago ITC and downloaded it. I also downloaded "Bones" while I was as it. I got both to work in Final Cut Pro X and can proceed with my preference in that regard. The catalyst for finally upgrading was when I tried to import some music into my iPad and the old Mac Mini could not do the necessary software update to complete that task. I had to use Elphie's Macbook Air. I also have had to use Elphie's Macbook Air to import video from my iPhones for the last several years due to the old Mac Mini not being able to complete that task very well either. This was another complication I am glad to not have to deal with...and I'm sure Elphie is glad I don't have to ask to use her computer anymore, ha! This was the last thing I would get done in 2023...all the seasonal and holiday projects will be edited and completed in January probably. At that point, I will learn the process of adding the soundtracks and hopefully that will be relatively easy as well. There is more to be read on this if you wish, here.
https://youtu.be/Lm7iP6D-LzY
12.22.2023 - 01.06.2024
On Friday December 22nd, 2023, we departed for the south for the Southern Family Christmas. Before leaving, we handed off the rib cage from my deer to our friend James who had plans to make some sort of art. He also turned out to have access to flesh eating beetles through Woolly Mammoth and I hoped maybe I could drop off the deer skull as well so to lessen my efforts on cleaning that thing. I had mapped out the plan for charging and we left with the car around 80% charged. Getting out of Chicago proved to be a slow process and so we stopped for a quick charge in Merrilville, Indiana. After getting the charge we needed (and perhaps a little more) we left to go stop at Albanese Candy Factory where I picked up a couple of bags of goof ups. Heading back toward the highway looked to be another long effort so we tried a detour down to the next exit south and got on the highway from there. We had to make our next stop in Layfayette which was the one that seemed most concerning due to the reviews I had read but upon our arrival, there was a station available and no sign of anyone waiting. We pulled in, plugged in, then went into Walmart to get some food. There wasn't really any restaurant options close by and it was raining pretty hard so we found some made to go foods to eat while we charged. From there, we had to drive to Indianapolis for our next charge which was in a mall parking garage. We walked around a bit in the mall while waiting. Once charged, we left and encountered someone dancing in the crosswalk. We did one more charge once we arrived in Cincinnati so that we could depart in the morning without having to stop right away. We got to the Sheehy's house a bit later than we had intended and hoped. This was mostly due to having to learn to adjust with the charging but also could be partially blamed on the slow commute out of Chicago.
On Saturday December 23rd, 2023 we set out for North Carolina. I had once again mapped out our charging stops and for the most part we kept close to schedule. We had doubts we'd make it in time for one of the family gatherings taking place that evening. Our first charge stop in Georgetown, Kentucky was at a Pilot station with EVgo chargers. While there and waiting, we saw a Circle K truck fueling up and I found it to be funny. I was able to get a bottle of Ale-8-One to drink for the drive. We had a second stop in Kentucky near the Tennessee border. It was necessary but I had intended on making a stop in that area anyway due to the significant energy use we'd be facing entering into the mountains in just a few miles upon entering Tennessee. That station had no water therefore no fountain drinks, coffee, slushies, or anything of that nature. While there, I cleaned our windows pretty good during the wait. As we went through Tennessee I captured the usual, the old abandoned amusement park and large cross. We stopped at Bojangles just before our next charge and I found that they no longer serve Mountain Dew Southern Shock! After charging again, our next charge was planned in Asheville. I captured our cross into North Carolina and the tunnels before arriving in Asheville. I found out that the station we planned to use was not in service. We had a friend, Steve Weese waiting to see us there so we went ahead as planned by getting food and eating at Taco Bell while hanging out with Steve. I found an alternate charger which was about 20 miles away in the direction we were heading. It was at a college and was listed as potentially free. I believe I ended up getting charged for it though. We stopped there which added probably another hour to our trip. We also did a quick detour to see the Tryon Christmas light display. Instead of actually driving through it, we pulled into a parking lot and walked to see the entire display before continuing on our way to Elphie's family.
On Sunday December 24th, 2023 we slept in then decided to utilize a nearby fast charger at a park to get our battery level up. We walked around the ball field checking out the decorated trees then played around in the playground area as we waited. There was another Chevy Bolt EUV there as well. As we got close to finishing our charge, another electric vehicle pulled in so as soon as we got to 80%, we unplugged so that driver to utilize the charge. That evening, there was a family Christmas gathering with some great food and the exchanging of gifts. Elphie got several things that made her quite happy!
On Monday December 25th, 2023, we got up so Elphie could see her nieces and nephews open gifts, then visited with her brother to see the kids there for a bit. In the afternoon we went to Elphie's mom's house, exchanged gifts and then got Chinese for Christmas at 2000 Cafe.
On Tuesday December 26th, 2023, Elphie had her niece and nephew go with us to Kate's skating rink. I brought my own skates but decided to not skate this time. The kids mostly wanted to play the games and we got in a few games of air hockey.
On Wednesday December 27th, 2023 we stopped at Krispy Kreme then drove to South Carolina to see Elphie's cousin. We brought her mom along as well.
On Thursday December 28th, 2023, Elphie took her mom to get her hair did. I took the time to charge at a free Level 2 charger by a nearby hotel. We got Chick-Fil-A at the food court before the hair appointment then got Red Lobster afterwards. We also visited another mall before calling it a night.
On Friday December 29th, 2023 we got up to get our R.O.'s Bar-B-Que fix. Elphie's friend D came out as well as her mom. In the evening Elphie's brother-in-law celebrated his 50th birthday at the Moose Lodge. I was curious as to where the Moose head on the wall might have come from.
We began our journey back north on Saturday December 30th, 2023. We made alternate plans for charging in Asheville because the EVgo station we intended to use was still out of service. We tried an Electrify America station and got some food at Bojangles beforehand but the station was full with several cars lined up in waiting. I looked up another station at another college and we took the chance of going there hoping it would be open and it was! Elphie's friend Arthur came out to sit while we charged. A couple of other cars showed up while we were charging. One left and one left then returned. I unplugged at 80% so that person could get a charge and we could get on the road. The rest of the stops heading toward Cincinnati were the same as the drive down only it seemed we were using more energy on the return trip. It was a bit cooler but it also felt the trip was more uphill than down heading north. As we got into the Cincinnati area, we saw a light display at the ballfield for the local Florence Yalls. We stopped at the Meijer to get a stash of Ale-8-One to bring back with us. We stayed with the Sheehy's again and though we were again later than we had hoped, we hung out a bit with them and chatted. They gave us a couple gifts and we gave them some jerky and a some silverware with bats on it.
On Sunday December 31st, 2023 we set out to head back to Chicago. We stopped to see Lisa which took us across the river from Kentucky into Ohio then back to Kentucky. We hung for a bit then stopped to see the Humans as well. All this probably was longer than we should have been but we hadn't seen our friends in quite some time so it was good. We charged in Cincinnati and got Panda Express as we waited. The weather conditions were such that we kept getting fog on our windows and as I tried to figure out a solution with the climate controls, we seemed to use a lot more energy heading toward Indianapolis than we had on our drive down. We made a change of plans for our charging stop using an Electrify America on the south of the city at a Walmart. Making this stop allowed for a strange sight for Elphie as she sat in the Walmart...a lady had brought her goats into the store and was walking with them. They apparently wore diapers as well. We got the charge we needed, though I changed stations after initially plugging in and getting a very low charge rate then headed to Layfayette for our next charge. We got there and no one else was using the stations so we were able to again plug in right away. A couple other folks came and charged but there was never a line of folks waiting and so I went ahead and charged fully to 100%. I hoped it would be enough to get home but we felt as we approached Merrilville that it might be good to get a little bit more charge before heading into Chicago. This was probably a good idea, however, I think we would have made it home. Once we got home, we arrived with about 15 minutes to spare before the eastern time New Year. We turned on the broadcast and watched it then I went out to unload the car and collect any mail. We had our Chicago New Year and I prepared us some glögg to drink. The neighborhood had quite a bit of fireworks going on and I captured some footage of that before settling in.
On Monday January 1st, 2024, we had some more deer steak for dinner, we watched the Winter Classic hockey game, and we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights. It took a bit to find parking but I did get parked and we were able to see the entire display before the zoo closed. It was the last free night of the season. We also visited with Christie and Mikey up at J.P.U.S.A. and I captured some footage of the Wilson Abbey Window Advent display.
On Saturday January 6th, 2024, we went to the Community of the Holy Trinity for their annual Twelveth Night/Epiphany party. We shared some more jerky with friends and had some good food and conversation while there. I also brought the deer hide and skull in case James' friends at Woolly Mammoth happened to come out. They did not so I unloaded it once back home. We watched the video for "Auld Lang Syne" by The Uh Ohs and "In The Bleak Midwinter" by Leper. Stein sat on the TV stand as we watched.
Additional soundtrack includes "Autumn Shelter" by Velour 100, "I'm Not The Devil" by Leper, "Devil's Night" by God Module, "All Hallow's Eve" by Danielson, "Deviltown" by Eerie Wanda, "Candyman Theme" by Magic Sword, "Don't Fear The Reaper" by Marnie Stern and Fred Armisen, "Halloween" by Onieda, "Thriller" by Scandroid, "Skeleton Dance" by Aurelio Voltaire, "Artifice" by VNV Nation, "The Novemberist" by Brazil, "Warm November Day" by Geology, "The Boar's Head" by Josh Garrels, "The Boar's Head Carol" by Kevin Max, "Good King Wenscelas" by Seth Mountain, "I Wonder As I Wander" by Deerhoof, "What Child Is This" by Timbre, "Shatter The Dreams Of Darkness" by Garrett Viggers, "O Holy" by Faint Heart, "Today" by Erin Tuttle Lockridge, "My Deer Hunter" by Fear Before The March Of Flames, "Hunt" by Leper, "The Butcher" by Project 86, "Americana Christmas" by The Bell And The Hammer, "Have Yourself A SCARY Little Christmas" by Grave Robber, "Christmas Love" by Candy Claws, "All Christmastime Sings" by Ronnie Martin, "O' Holy Night" by Untold Dream, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent" by Frost Like Ashes, "Carol Of The Bells" by The Myrrhderers, "Coffee Slinger's Christmas" by Harley Poe, "Hark! The Herald Angel Sing" by Folk Angel, "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" by St. Olaf And The Electric Reivers, "Carol Of The Bell (Tower)s" by Project 86, "Auld Lang Syne" by The Lonesome Travelers, "Auld Lanxiety" by Five Iron Frenzy, and "12 Days Of Christmas" by Relient K.
Footage filmed using a Canon Rebel T6s with an Audio-Technica AT-8024 microphone, iPhone 12 and 14 and Crosstour CR-900 by Elphie and Joel A. Swanson. Titles and other animations created and project edited using Final Cut Pro X on a Mac Mini by Joel A. Swanson.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9ZwEF2QQpO_ZsH7j3Ts06Vv_7r-Brix
