dianaschnuth

After digitizing the VHS tape of my high school choir concert, I got the bug to digitize some of the home movies I made back when I first got my “Pro 8” (not even Hi8) RCA video camera. Specifically: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s of 1999. That was eight years ago, for those of you who are math-challenged like myself.

Eight years is a seriously long time… but, then again, it really isn’t. Depends on how you look at it. Now, after thinking about it and seeing it again, it does seem like a long time ago. My step-brother Philip wasn’t even in high school yet. I was fucking obese and a half. Both of my cats were still alive. I still had two years until I would graduate college. Aaron and I weren’t engaged yet.

It’s going to take another several minutes for the video clips to transfer from Aaron’s computer (where the capture card lives) to my computer, and it’ll probably be several days before I get it all edited together the way I want it. So, in the meantime, here’s a few amusing screenshots of me and mine in 1999:

Yes, that’s seriously me. I know that the camera puts on a few pounds and everything, but damn. I sure got sloppy. By the way, it would be nearly four years from this date before I decided to do something about my weight.

Fries hosting his Y2K New Year’s Eve party. Here, he’s about to launch into a description of all the yummy food there was to be had: pumpkin dip (which I honestly don’t remember), wings, shrimp, fudge, carrots and ranch dip, all kinds of yummies. I remember the wings and the shrimp cocktail sauce being especially good.

This was one of the weirder things about watching this video: seeing everyone happily hanging out with their now ex-girlfriends. Fries and Kathy, Mikolajczyk and his Heather, and above, Kris and Erica. (Erika? I forget. Doesn’t matter.) I almost have to wonder if people seeing themselves on my blog with their exes is OK. You know? It’s like the Twin Towers: you can’t have them in any pictures or films or video games because it’s insensitive.

Once I have my home movies edited, I do intend to post them on my blog via Google Video. The Millennium New Year’s Eve Bash is only ten minutes long total, so it’s nothing that’ll be too painful or embarrassing for anyone, I don’t think. Now, Christmas Day at the Smoke household… that could be long and weird and strangely insightful to those who haven’t met my step-Gary.