Covid-19

image_pdfimage_print

Safer at Home – Day One

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment

April 3, 2020

Well, that happened sooner than expected.  It is just the first official day of the Safer at Home – Florida initiative and I’ve already lost track of days and dates.  It unfortunately came to my attention as I was leaving the house (with mask on) to walk down to my 92 year old mother-in-law’s house where she is riding this thing out with her caregiver. I was just checking on some workers who are painting the exterior of her home. As I was almost out the door I hear my wife’s voice behind me, “Happy Anniversary.”

IMG_5375.jpg

That’s the look of a man who just got busted.  It’s the first time in 28 years that I’ve forgotten. What makes it worse is that I’m the one who usually has to remind Kate. The one year I forget – she remembers. And I have nothing for her. It’s not like I can sneak out now and pick up some last minute gift that she’d see right through anyway… So what’s a guy to do? It has to be big. Something she will appreciate despite the memory lapse.

There’s only one thing.  It’s time for a promissory note. And as much as it pains me… or will pain me… I know what she wants.  I finally have to bite the bullet and commit to losing those extra 10 pounds I’ve been carrying around the middle for so long. I tell you this much. Lesson learned. I’ll never forget an anniversary again.

So, I was looking on the Internet for a piece of exercise equipment that could be easily used during this time of self-isolation and I immediately turned to my go-to trusted source… the As Seen On TV website. The bottom line: this year, I’ll be wrapping up the Simply Fit Board and Mat purchase receipt as an anniversary gift.

Maybe if I’m lucky, when it arrives, she’ll love it so much, I won’t get a chance to use it.

simply fit.jpg

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

Safer at Home

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
April 2, 2020 – the eve
Our statewide initiative of “safer at home” because of the COVID-19 virus begins at midnight tonight and ends April 30 so I thought I would document our activities for the next 30 days.  We’ll see how long I can keep it up without getting a little buggy. 
bni zoom.jpg
This morning, I “met” with my BNI (Business Networking International) chapter using a Zoom account. It feels good to still be connected to others even while we are preparing to disconnect and operate from home during this time. I have a feeling we will all become teleconferencing experts before this is all over. But meeting with them did give me some ideas as they all began to explain how they were adapting their varied business models during this pandemic.
Kate and I took what might be our last trip (for a while) to the studio today to determine what we might bring back with us that would be helpful.  Other than cleaning supplies, some coffee pods, and an extra roll of toilet paper, we figured that our two stand-alone devices would be the easiest to relocate.  Moving forward, we will have the ability to scan, crop and color correct 35mm slides and be able to capture and transfer 8mm and Super 8 film all from the safety of our home. Those captured files can be converted to a digital format (mp4) that can be stored on a usb drive. So we will obviously be marketing those services during the next month.
IMG_1731.jpg
We can accept new orders by mail or overnight carrier to our home address. We will process those jobs at our home and ship them directly back to our clients. Call for more information.
Our videotape and audio tape transfer service requires multiple machines that are interconnected therefore we did not opt to bring those home with us. However, if I read the governor’s instructions properly, there is nothing to prevent me from leaving my home, traveling alone in my car to my empty studio that is five minutes away to process videotape/audiotape orders as long as I do not come into contact with anyone else. We are working up a no-contact dropoff/pickup protocol. Call us at 352-735-8550 for more information.
IMG_1733.jpg
On a personal note, while we are in self-isolation, we’ll be looking for TV watching opportunities. We’ve already blown through Picard season one; discovered and finished the third season of Designated Survivor; finished all episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and there’s no more Downton Abbey on the horizon. I’ll let you know what our next TV guilty pleasure is going to be.
Stay safe. I’ll touch in tomorrow.