Scruffins Multimedia

Bluebird Farm

2009-07-05T14:13:00.001-05:00

Celebrating the Fourth at Bluebird Farm from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

"I Touched Neil Young's Car" - LIVE!

2009-06-29T14:47:00.000-05:00

I Touched Neil Young's Car - LIVE! from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

One Night In Bangkok

2009-05-10T20:25:00.003-05:00

CRG had some fun making his own version of "One Night In Bangkok." He played everything on the recording, including the erhu (it's a Chinese violin). If it don't groove you, well you need some help.

Cherokee Maidens

2009-03-27T19:51:00.001-05:00

Cherokee Maidens & Sycamore Swing from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

This is the first video I've shot with my Canon 5D Mark II. I think I'm in love.

My, my, hey, hey, I touched Neil Young's Car today!

2009-03-22T15:23:00.001-05:00

I Touched Neil Young's Car from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

Lori's surprise party

2009-03-08T18:16:00.002-05:00

Lori's surprise party from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

Lori's husband surprised her with a 30th birthday party bash and had made arrangements with the band to sing a song together at the Shadow. They performed "Lucky" by Colbie Calliat.

Lexi turns 4

2009-02-28T15:20:00.000-06:00

Lexi Turns 4 from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

The Fun Barn

2009-02-21T11:05:00.001-06:00

The Fun Barn from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

We made this short video to give our wedding photographer, Carla, a taste of the Fun Barn. Let the good times roll. Oh, and we decided on a date, Friday, October 2, 2009.

This is what happens when a fiddler and drummer fall in love

2009-02-16T09:48:00.001-06:00

A couple of Mudbugs are gonna get married from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

Travis and Fernando, thanks for capturing this moment.

I go through a lot of coffee and coffee makers

2009-02-14T08:29:00.003-06:00

My Cuisinart coffee maker died recently after a mere 15 months of service. Here's a video we made when we first brought her home.

Here's the Cuisinart's predecessor, Mr. Coffee. He gave me a decade of fantastic service at half the price of the fancier Cusinart. I think I am going back to him.

366 images

2009-01-02T21:22:00.001-06:00

Here's a video with all of the images I shot last year for my other blog, 366 images. I'm glad I did this project, which is why I am going to do it again in '09. It's been a fun way to share images. This blog also forced me to shoot many things I probably wouldn't have in the past. I also like the daily challenge (most days).

I took these photos with many types of cameras, using everything from the pro Canon Mark II to my camera phone, which isn't so fancy. The camera I used the most was the Canon G9 (thanks, Honey, for the fantastic birthday gift). It's a very fancy point and shoot that gives me manual control without the bulk of the Canon Mark II - I take it everywhere.

After looking at all 366 photographs, I realized that there are a lot of photographs of Lexi, Carter and alcoholic beverages (Carter was often sipping said drinks, but Lexi never was).

366 Images from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

Christmas home movies

2008-12-26T08:36:00.001-06:00

Attack of the Clone from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

A Cajun Christmas

2008-12-14T08:10:00.003-06:00

We Bugs have just uploaded our Christmas tune. It included shout-outs to all of our loved ones (mine is to dancing Lexi Lou).

Merry Cajun Christmas!

Gobble

2008-11-27T17:25:00.001-06:00

Gobble from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

I'm in Carthage, Missouri gorging on lots of food and here's the footage to prove it. I shot 1,000 still images to make this gem.

A bride. A groom. Handcuffs

2008-11-18T16:53:00.002-06:00

I recently went to Connecticut to hang with my girl Carla, wedding photojournalist extraordinaire. I tagged along to a wedding she and Mike shot. The groom is a police officer and thought it would be fun to do some portraits with handcuffs. He was right.

A Bride. A Groom. Handcuffs. from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

I've been tagged

2008-11-13T16:17:00.020-06:00

Travis tagged me in a viral blog game to share random fun facts with friends. I have added some multimedia components so I can keep true to the mission statement (well, title) of this blog.

Here are the rules:
Link to the person who tagged you. (Travis)
Post the rules on your blog. (That's what you're reading.)
Write 6 random things about yourself. (Below)
Tag 6-ish people at the end of your post. (Everyone I know has been tagged and those who haven't would kick my a-double-s for suggesting they do this.)
Let each person know he/she has been tagged. (I'm opting out of this one.)
Let the tagger know when your entry is up. (Will do.)

Random things about moi:

1. I come from musical stock. My dad was a singer, played the saxophone, clarinet and drums professionally. My father's 95-year-old uncle still plays ever summer in the Catskill Mountains (think "Dirty Dancing")

2. I've been pen pals with Wendy "The Snapple Lady" Kaufman since 1994. She sent me the bobblehead in '94 after I wrote her to tell her how much I loved her and Snapple. I wrote her again in 2006 to tell her I was glad she was back in the commercials. I also included a self-portrait with my bobblehead and she rewarded me with a gigantic box of Snapple goodies. She sent Snapple towels, a Snapple golf umbrella, Snapple flip-flops, Snapple pens, Snapple pencils, Snapple T-shirts, and a bunch of Snapple coupons. I love Wendy!

3. I fainted the first time I met Carter. (This picture is not from that evening, but I do have video from that night somewhere.)

4. I love playing basketball. I set a record in high school by scoring 32 points in one game. The record will never be broken since it was still intact when the school closed a few years ago. Yes, that is an Olan Mills photo.

5. I've been on the Today show four times. Well, I've stood outside the window four times and acted a fool. I always get my mug on the air for a few seconds. This video is from May 2002. I was there later that same year with Denise and we saw JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE perform!!! (Believe me, that deserves three exclamation marks.)

6. "Coming to America" is one of my favorite movies, followed by anything with Goldie Hawn.

Obama wins!

2008-11-05T16:23:00.000-06:00

Find more videos like this on Newspaper Video

Classic rock for today's youth

2008-10-14T14:14:00.002-05:00

You must check out Micah White (Kentucky White's offspring) totally rocking some Weezer at the Wichita Collegiate School's eighth-grade talent show. It's brilliant.

The Indigo Boys perform The Indigo Girls

2008-09-28T16:49:00.003-05:00

Carter joined his friend Nick today at Grace Presbyterian Church (where Nick plays weekly) and performed several songs, including "Secure Yourself" by the Indigo Girls and a song about love by Cajun Bluesman Tab Benoit. It was definitely not the traditional hymnal stuff.

This clip is of "Secure Yourself" and it opened the service.

The Office theme song

2008-08-29T09:42:00.000-05:00

Gregatron on the accordion

sorry about the lack of posts

2008-08-29T08:19:00.002-05:00

Find more videos like this on Newspaper Video

I have a good excuse, I've been in prison. Well, I spent a few hours behind bars in April and the story finally ran last weekend.

Food, glorious food

2008-07-23T09:39:00.003-05:00

I just finished my new food wall in my kitchen. It's a collection of photographs of food I've eaten (and watched while others ate) from around the world including exciting locations such as, Brazil, Mexico, Chicago and Wellington, Kansas.

Robin and the Arb need your help

2008-07-15T22:37:00.004-05:00

Bartlett Arboretum is a finalist for Markham Vineyard's Mark of Distinction grant of $25,000. This grant would help examine and alleviate flooding in the Belle Plaine community while fortifying this historic property. Your vote could help determine the winner.

Please to go to www.markhammarkofdistinction.com and vote for Bartlett Arboretum today! You may vote once per day through July 21.

UPDATE: The Bartlett Arboretum won the grant!

I'll make you smell my armpit

2008-07-12T09:36:00.001-05:00

Wow! I'm sorry I missed this excitement at a recent Wingnuts game.

Gracie Rose screening

2008-06-17T13:07:00.003-05:00

Gracie Rose will be shown on the big screen at the Historic Orpheum theatre this Saturday, June 21 at 7 p.m. I'm psyched because Carter scored the entire film with fantastic original music written for the movie. I even helped out in a very tiny way by playing some sloppy drums in a honky tonk bar scene (I'm not shown on the film, only heard). We viewed an early copy of the movie without the music and I can't wait to see it with Carter's fine work.

In the leading role is my friend (and former Gridiron alum) Rebekah Dryden. The movie was written/produced/directed by Rebekah's husband, Jason Bailey (the two now live in NYC). It also stars Anna Kraus who is a great friend to all of the Mudbugs.

Classic photographs depicted in Legos

2008-06-15T22:33:00.003-05:00

Check out this link my buddy (and fellow Mudbugger) Brian sent me. It's a group of photos of Legos depicting classic photographs.

Mudbugs on Myspace

2008-06-12T12:32:00.002-05:00

We just created our Myspace page. Check it out and become our friend.

Party Pics

2008-06-08T20:14:00.003-05:00

Here's a slideshow I made with pictures taken at yesterday's croquet party. Click on the arrow on the top right to see the second part of the show. All of the pictures are also on my Flickr account.

Click on the bottom right-hand side of this show to view it in full screen.

it's not too late to go to church today

2008-06-08T12:47:00.003-05:00

If you slept in this morning, I believe that watching this video I recently made will be a good substitute for the church service you missed. Amen.

Euphrates Creek

2008-06-01T22:40:00.003-05:00

Here's a short video I made the other day at the Arb. Please pray for no more rain until after the croquet party.
Reunited And It Feels So Good from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

The Fun Barn - Part Deux

2008-05-30T07:08:00.006-05:00

I spent the day painting the barn and making a time-lapse piece in the process.

Click To Play

Lady, get outta my frame.

2008-05-10T08:40:00.004-05:00

I made a video last night of the Wichita River Festival's Sundown Parade. I used my video camera and a still camera to do a time-lapse piece of the event. In all the festival crazines, I forgot about the still camera and stepped in front of it a few times. If you look closely, you can find Denise in a few frames, too. Oops.

Greensburg, Kansas: You might have heard of us...We're kind of a big deal.

2008-05-08T13:40:00.004-05:00

Spent a couple of days last week in Greensburg, Kansas. I stopped at the new gift shop at the Big Well and spotted this T-shirt. I really wanted it, but I recently gave a way a ton of T-shirts and it just didn't seem like the right thing to do. I did, however, purchase a lovely postcard for Brian Corn.

Here's a video I made of a Greensburg resident and here's one I did of President Bush's visit to the town.

Gridiron '08

2008-04-30T10:45:00.000-05:00

This is how I spent the last month of my life.

Gridiron '08: Four Decades of Massively Mind-Blowing Mediocrity from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

Art at the Arb

2008-04-19T18:15:00.007-05:00

I just got back from "Art at the Arb" at Bartlett Arboretum. In my very biased opinion, the best art at the Arb was Robin Macy and her band (featuring the talented Carter Green on bass and hot guitar licks by Kentucky White who snuck a Guns N' Roses lick in at the end of the show). They performed tunes from "Songs from the Garden," Robin's first solo album. It was incredible to see three of my favorite people in the world (and my top three Myspace friends) playing together.

The album took over a year to make at Greenjeans Studios and it's incredible. I've heard it about 200 times and I still get goosebumps when I press play.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them. You can also press the icon with the arrows on the bottom right to fill the screen.

Flat Stanley Visits Wichita

2008-04-13T07:57:00.003-05:00

Untitled from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

My friends in Vermont sent me Flat Stanley last week as part of a project their daughter is involved with. Enjoy our journey together.

The Fun Barn

2008-04-05T22:38:00.002-05:00

Here's the video from our gig. The Fun Barn has asked us to play there again and I can't wait. Aaiee!

Untitled from Jaime Oppenheimer on Vimeo.

Aaaaieeee!

2008-03-25T08:11:00.005-05:00

The Mudbugs are getting ready for our first gig on Sat. It's at the Fun Barn near Winfield and it's a fund-raiser for a festival in Arkanas City. The info is below and if you wanna come, you must get a ticket in advance. It's a long haul and we hope to be playing a little closer to home in the future.

We recorded some songs during practice a few weeks back. Here's a Cajun classic called "Diggy Liggy Lo."

WARNING: You're gonna dance. The music is too groovin' to keep your feet still.

Check out Greg's killer accordion moves. Expect to see more at the show.

Fashion Passion

2008-03-20T12:18:00.002-05:00

I just posted a video I made for Kansas.com about the making of our fashion section. I had fun using some new techniques.

a little trickster

2008-03-15T14:36:00.003-05:00

Here's a short film of Lexi trying to pull a fast one on Maddy this morning at Panera.

Google Reader Rocks The World Wide Web

2008-03-15T10:46:00.003-05:00

I started using Google Reader a few weeks ago and it has really changed my online viewing habits in a great way. You set up a list of your favorite sites and it tells you when they are updated. No more random surfing of the Web wandering if there is new content. It's good stuff.

Just trying to be useful as well as ornamental.

Eastbound and Down

2008-02-29T14:56:00.002-06:00

I just finished editing the documentary of our trip. Enjoy the ride.

WARNING: You'll be humming this tune for awhile.

1,000 miles

2008-02-25T20:48:00.002-06:00

CRG and I just returned from our five-day trip to Atlanta with stops in St. Louis, Cleveland Tenn. and Chattanooga. I hope to put the video documentary together in the very near future.

DAY 1

The weather was pretty miserable. It took us eleven hours to get to St. Louis.

The window in our room. Beats a view of the parking lot.

DAY 2

I think CRG could win an Edge look-alike contest.

The Kubrick-like cart we rode in to the top. Four minutes up and three minutes down.

It's not in focus and over-exposed. I swear, I am a professional.

Later the same day.We had to make a quick stop in Metropolis, Illinois. I think it's a good look on him.

Truth. Justice. And the American way. And it's all in front of the county courthouse.

Down the street from Super Man is Big John. Notice a theme in this town?

DAY 3

My buddy Jeff at one of our old hangs in Chattanooga, Big River Brewery.

Another favorite place, the Bluff View Arts District.

We visited a few of my old drinking establishments and this one is Durty Nelly's. I'm so glad we did because they are closing for good this week. A few more beers and CRG probably would've bought the Irish joint.

CRG doing a little headlight adjustment on my Civic. He really is useful as well as ornamental!

DAY 4

When in the South one must visit the Waffle House. It's like church.

Mary clutching her Barbie drink. Wow, we sure do look like lushes!

DAY 5

Passing the time on the MARTA by making shadow puppets. CRG does a great Louis Armstrong (not pictured here).

D and D - Dancing and Driving

2008-02-20T20:26:00.003-06:00

CRG and I are going on a roadtrip tomorrow to Tenneessee, the birthplace of my 1996 Honda Civic. We're going to visit some friends, give my brother my car and then fly back home. Oh, and we're gonna make a documentary about my car and the trip.

I interviewed Denise today about my ol' '96. She was in Tennessee when I bought it and has spent many miles in the passenger seat, and a few behind the wheel. Below is a preview of the film. Expect to see the feature-length in the next few weeks.

I heart heart socks

2008-02-12T17:39:00.001-06:00

I'm such a sucker for anything pink with hearts on it. While photographing a group of senior citizens exercising and stretching this morning, I spotted Mary Jo's rockin' socks. I have serious sock envy.

Ushi Booey

2008-02-11T20:46:00.000-06:00

It's been a crazy couple of weeks and I haven't had much time to post anything. My sister Lara and her daughter Ursula visited me from Chicago last week. Of course I took a ton of adorable photos of my niece that I just must share with you.

Mmm. Blueberries are good.

A blueberry beard is even better.

Reading books at the Wichita Public Library. She's already a genius!

Umm. You're not gonna get too far in that winter outfit.

Damn! She's cute.

I stole this off of Denise's blog. She took it of my two favorite gals.

beautiful women and not-too-shabby guys

2008-01-29T19:24:00.000-06:00

Here's something I've been meaning to post for awhile. It's a behind-the-scenes documentary about my friend Carla's portrait project called "See Real Women: Really See Women." She asked women when and where they feel beautiful and then photographed them in those places. The project hung at the Hartford Public Library and she put together a snazzy book with the images.

She also recently got a chance to photograph beautiful men when she was allowed to shoot a Duran Duran concert. Niiiiiice.

999 and counting

2008-01-18T08:50:00.000-06:00

As of this writing, "How to be the perfect girlfriend" has been viewed 999 times since August. It hasn't gone viral as Denise promised, but it's not too shabby either.

Oddly enough, "Poop Ball" isn't too far behind "Perfect Girlfriend" in the views department. It's been seen 812 times. Not sure why people searched for it and I'm not sure I really wanna know.

My friend Sara tells me that Lexi has introduced a new phrase to her family's lexicon (she has a toddler). They say "poop ball" all the time! I'm not really sure what the context is but the possibilities are limitless.
On another note, there hasn't been too much activity on Scruffins Multimedia for a couple of reasons. I've been busy tending to my daily blog, 366 Images and Carter and I are storyboarding a new stop-motion animation film incorporating this gift Michelle gave me for Chrismukkah.

Scruffy, are you out there somewhere?

2008-01-15T07:50:00.000-06:00

Suzanne Perez Tobias has written a touching, investigative piece about our fuzzy friend. Scruff, we'll find you soon.

I have accepted the challenge

2008-01-10T09:07:00.001-06:00

Denise was inspired by this collection of studio pictures and has issued a blogger challenge to post our own. I visited the vault this morning and found a few, um, gems.

Somebody looks a little grumpy. I think this was taken during America's Bicentennial Year of 1976. What's with the funky knee patch?

Probably the cutest pic of me ever. I'm guessing it was taken in 1979. Gotta love the double-exposure.

Messy moppet much? I look like an orange ragamuffin. My style definitely went downhill in 1980. And I STILL have that awful cowlick.

I'm also posting this picture of my sister Gretchen because I think it's too freakin' cute.

We must find Scruffy!

2008-01-06T18:16:00.000-06:00

I saw this sign today at the Dillons in Wellington. I've seen plenty of missing animal fliers at the grocery store, but this one is a first.

If you spot Scruffy, please call (620) 399-8499.

UPDATE: Ace Eagle reporter Suzanne Perez Tobias is working on the case of the missing Scruffy. More details to come.

My very own archaeological dig

2008-01-05T15:16:00.001-06:00

I went to get the paper this morning and found a treasure peeking through the thawing snow. It was the Saturday, December 22, 2007 edition of The Wichita Eagle that was covered during that awful snowstorm that pounded us that day. How did I make it through that day without my Eagle?

I might put this fantastic find up on eBay. Any early bidders? I do accept PayPal.

Anyone else find anything interesting underneath the thawing snow?

A wonderfully musical year

2008-01-03T13:45:00.000-06:00

CRG and I had our very first date a year ago today. We went to Red Bean's Bayou Grill for dinner and later stopped in at Jerry's where the band just happened to ask him to play a few solos.

It's been the greatest year of my life. We've had many adventures and I've heard a whole bunch of music (below is a highlight reel, including our first date).

We are forming a Cajun band called the "Mudbugs"and we already have a gig in a few months. I'll be playing drums with CRG on the fiddle/vocal, Greg on the accordion/vocal, Big Dan on musical washboard, Brian on guitar, EZ Money on bass, and Erin on triangle/vocal/fashion coordinator (the triangle is a must in a Cajun band).

A new year brings another blog

2008-01-02T10:36:00.000-06:00

My friend Carla in Connecticut and I have teamed up to create a new blog called "366 Images (Times Two)." We each plan to shoot one picture a day this entire hopping Leap Year. Check it out here.

Here are our two pics from day one.

Here's Carla's pic. She was chillin' in Vermont over the holiday.

Here's my pic from Wellington, Kansas. "Auld Lang Syne" on ye old bagpipe.

Piping In The New Year

2008-01-01T16:58:00.000-06:00

We started out last night at Denise's party and we ended the evening in Wellington with champagne and bagpipes. Greg (of the Ewing clan) piped a fantastic performance of "Auld Lang Syne" that I was hoping to share with you. Unfortunately, I didn't press record. Oops. The saddest part of this tale is that I was completely sober at the time.

I did shoot footage of Greg playing Scotland's national anthem that I know you'll enjoy. You might want to turn down the volume a tad. That is one loud instrument (says the girl who plays the drums).

"I like to call it my redneck trailer."

2007-12-30T19:56:00.000-06:00

I have to give props to my friend, Robin, who let me know about this fantastic photo opportunity in beautiful Belle Plaine, Kansas.

This colorful trailer is filled with a plethora of musical characters that twirl and turn while playing a symphony of holiday tunes. The woman who created this contraption told me that she refers to it as her "redneck trailer." Aptly put.

Unfortunately, tonight was the last night to view this dazzling display (it was actually a few nights ago but I begged the woman to turn them back on for a photo).

We might have to shovel snow. Again.

2007-12-26T09:34:00.001-06:00

More snow might be falling on us again very soon. (For those of you who live in warmer climates, Wichita got a record-setting 6.6 inches of snow this weekend.) The good news is that I've gotten pretty darn good at shoveling the stuff.

Below is a video I made late Saturday night of me clearing the driveway to get my car into the garage and off the street. I condensed about an hour's worth of work down to one minute and made the job look easy - it wasn't.

Christmas - Part Deux

2007-12-24T21:47:00.001-06:00

I celebrated Christmas again tonight with CRG's family and my brother who flew in today from Tennessee.

Santa looks a little crazed in this pic.

Me and my bro.

CRG with his sisters and dad, CRG senior.

CRG shows little CRG how to operate Squawkers McCaw, the talking parrot. Lil' CRG squawked as loud as the parrot when he opened it, "THAT'S WHAAAAT I WAAAANTED."

Below is some footage I shot of the talking toy. I know I've seen his cousin on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World.

Frajeeeeeelaaay - It must be Italian!

2007-12-24T09:35:00.000-06:00

I did Christmas with Denise's family on Saturday. My favorite gift was "A Christmas Story" ornament she gave me. It's my all-time favorite holiday movie and TBS starts running it for 24 hours beginning tonight at 7 p.m. CST. It's hard to believe that the main character in the movie and I are now the exact same age. I actually saw this movie as a child in the theater and it's not really Christmas until I see it at least three times.

I made a video of our Christmas using my Canon G9 and the time-lapse feature with the built-in camera on my computer. After the excitement of her fire truck wore off, Lexi discovered her image on the computer and fell in love (with herself).

Piggy Toes

2007-12-22T15:45:00.000-06:00

I had a day off of work on Thursday. So, I hosted a pampering session for me. It consisted of: a facial, a fun lunch with Carrie, followed by a pedicure. Pampering yourself is hard work and I was exhausted at the end of the day.

I made a short digital film about my long digits. My pedicurist, Thao, painted the poinsettia as a holiday toe-treat for me. It wasn't at the top of my gift list, but it's certainly festive.

I was very naughty

2007-12-20T08:33:00.001-06:00

I was sifting through ye old archive of photos this morning when I stumbled upon this Christmas classic. Wichita Police Officer Diehl snapped it on Dec. 25, 2006.

I worked last Christmas on a story about a single mom and her family. They were burglarized a few days before Christmas. The thief robbed them of their presents and even their holiday ham. So, the fine folks at the WPD raised money and solicited gifts for them. Even the big guy in the red suit made a guest appearance. It was a joyous occasion for all.

The next time the woman ran into the WPD wasn't nearly as merry. A few days after Christmas, she led a few police officers on a medium-speed chase around the city. Can't remember why she was running away from them but they weren't too jolly when they finally stopped her.

Santa Sings Shalom

2007-12-19T05:18:00.001-06:00

CRG performed last weekend at a fancy-shmancy Christmas party. He played holiday standards as well as our favorite Hebrew song, "Oseh Shalom."

He also managed to sneak in the theme from the movie "Schindler's List." I know that sounds like an odd thing to play at such an event, but it worked. Nobody sang along, but it did sound festive. Odd, I realize.

I joined him for a few tunes playing the darbuka (hand drum) alongside him. We did a pretty jazzy version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman." I know, sounds weird but somehow we pulled it off.

Bucky makes a great Spice Girl

2007-12-16T14:46:00.000-06:00

I performed last night at the Orpheum in "A NewsRevuesical: Christmas on the Fringe." It was kind of like a Gridiron lite but with just a few people from Gridiron (me, Ted and Bucky) and not as many rehearsals. We had a good crowd and it was fun to work with new people.

I wish I could've taken more photos. Our costumes were great but, sadly, you won't see too many here. I didn't have too much time to linger in the wings in between struggling with elf ears, turkey legs and my Tina Turner wig (I played her in "We Are The World").

Bucky as a Spice Girl. Does it get any better? We must do this skit in Gridiron so we can see this costume again.

Senor Stumpe and the "Fly By Night" band.

CRG surprised me with a dozen roses in my favorite shade of pink. I felt like such a diva. I had my own dressing room with a leather chair AND a devastatingly handsome man armed with flowers.

We ARE the world!

2007-12-12T16:58:00.000-06:00

I'm doing some research for a Christmas show I'm in on Saturday and I've stumbled on quite a gem. Wow, it instantly takes me back to 1985.

We'll be spoofing this song and I play one of the singing celebs. Any guesses?

I hope to perform this song with CRG and his musical friends soon at his annual holiday studio party and you know there will be a video. (This year I hope not to pass out at the party.)

a blog about log

2007-12-08T21:55:00.000-06:00

I've had a busy birthday weekend that included two parties and one log.

Log is a creamy Dairy Queen ice cream cake made with soft serve vanilla ice cream, chocolate cookie crumbles and fudge. The best part is that all of this goodness resembles a log. I adore it.

On Thursday (my actual birthday) CRG surprised me by giving me a Canon PowerShot G9 and showing up to Larkspur looking very dapper in his new pinstripe suit. The camera is amazing (and so is the suit, honey). "To call this thing a point-and-shoot," said Carter, "would be a gross simplification." He's right.

In addition to shooting awesome stills, the G9 shoots great video, too. Here's a short film I shot of the log at a party Denise had for me and all of my little friends last night.

Happy, Merry, Joyful

2007-12-04T22:19:00.000-06:00

If you're sick of hearing the same old holiday tunes, well, we've got a surprise for you.

Carter and I wrote and recorded a holiday original that incorporates the three biggies: Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah (which began tonight and I'm still waiting for presents from all y'all).

these elves continue to crack me up

2007-12-04T08:40:00.001-06:00

I can't seem to get enough of a good thing. I photographed the Chadwicks the other day and showed them my elfin creation. Of course, they loved it.

"Again. Again. Again." said Cooper again and again. His excitement is what encouraged me to turn them into elves.

Sorry Joanna, the music will drive you nuts. I hope your mute button works.

the secret to putting up a tree in under one minute

2007-12-03T20:42:00.000-06:00

The trick is to take thirty minutes of video footage and fast-forward it 5,001 percent.

Here's a quick video of Denise and her family putting up a beautiful pre-lit tree in a hurry (well, that's how it looks when you fast-forward it 5,001 percent).

The smokin' song was made by yours truly (later tweaked by Carter Green, studio mogul) using loops and instruments in GarageBand. I'm pretty darn proud of myself. It's festive and fun. It's not the first time I'm using it. I used it in a fashion video I made for Kansas.com. No use in letting it sit on the shelf until next year getting dusty. Play 'em if you got 'em.

a very green Christmas

2007-12-02T13:29:00.000-06:00

I put out a few holiday decorations last night and had some fun decorating Carter Green in green lights.

What more could a girl ask for?

2007-11-30T19:37:00.000-06:00

My birthday is still several days away and I've already received two exciting cards in the mail. One was from my dear friends at my neighborhood hardware store and another from my great friends at Victoria's Secret.

Sexy lingerie and power tools, really, what more could a girl want?

The cutie-pie in the picture on the bottom is my niece wearing a punk rock wig. We encourage the children in our family to be rock stars at a very young age.

It still tastes great and it's really filling.

2007-11-29T13:47:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite gadgets is a FoodSaver that Denise gave me several years ago - or maybe it was her mom who gave it to me. I can't remember who it was since those two women have purchased just about everything in my kitchen.

It's a vacuum sealer that sucks out all of the evil air surrounding food products and makes it possible to freeze things for a really long time. For lunch today I ate chili that I made and froze two years and one day ago. And it was just as good as it was then (I think).

I enlarged the photo to show you the date. No trick photography was involved.

This is elfin awesome!

2007-11-27T20:48:00.000-06:00

My friend Rhea sent me this link. It's so simple to turn yourself into a dancing elf, well, even an elf could do it. Click here to see us doing a holiday jig.

Jaime and The CRGs Times Three

2007-11-27T16:03:00.000-06:00

I went to Wichita's famous Town & Country for dinner a few nights ago with Carter and his children. All three of them have the same initials, CRG. A little music broke out out and we formed a band called "Jaime and The CRGs Times Three."

Please enjoy our first music video followed by some fabulous behind-the-scenes footage. Good stuff.

A fiesta in the sky

2007-11-26T18:42:00.001-06:00

The sunsets over Wichita have been stunning the past few nights. I shot this little bird party over Party City last night.

The sunset was just as pretty tonight and I shot some video that I'll share in the future. That footage will go in my movie about my beloved car. It turned 200,000 miles today and I could not be more proud.

KU fans come in all antlers

2007-11-24T23:11:00.000-06:00

I went to Botanica tonight to see the pretty lights while the rest of the city watched the KU-Mizzou game.

I spotted a festive volunteer who listened to the game while overseeing the children's craft corner at Illuminations. "I think we met our match," she said seconds before Mizzou scored its second touchdown. I think she was right.

I have mad knife-sharpening skillz

2007-11-24T15:59:00.000-06:00

Roasted chicken is a great accompaniment to snow. I fired up the oven and invited Team Scruffins over for lunch. Not surprisingly, we made a short film about our culinary adventure.

Global warming followed by cooling and then warming

2007-11-24T10:47:00.000-06:00

It's so weird. I wore a short-sleeved shirt last week and it felt like summer and this morning we had snow on the ground. It's not gonna last very long. It's already melting and so are my dreams of doing a time-lapse piece of sledders racing down a hill today (I'll have to wait on that one). Oh well, I'm sure there is more to come.

Five-star Sudoku Saturday

2007-11-21T11:29:00.000-06:00

Saturday was a five-star Sudoku day (that's the most difficult puzzle we publish in the Eagle). It normally takes CRG around thirty minutes to tackle but whipped through it in under one minute. Ok, he got a little help from the power of time-lapse photography.

leaves + bubbles = a very good time

2007-11-19T22:20:00.001-06:00

My brother Doug and his family visited me this weekend from Texas. My giant backyard full of leaves was a great playground for the littles. Thankfully, nobody twisted an ankle by tumbling into the giant holes left by my friendly neighborhood moles.

Now I know it's Thanksgiving

2007-11-18T15:33:00.000-06:00

One of the things about working on Sundays is that I go to a lot of the same events each year: powwows, motorcycle toy rides and other annual celebrations. The Sunday before Thanksgiving is always the Word of Life Church's annual dinner celebration (I know this because I've already covered it four times). It's open to anyone who wants a free meal.

My favorite part of the dinner is when Rev. Moore is finished praying over the meal she always says, "Now first the WORD," and the audience says in unison, "and then the BIRD." I chime in, too since I know the saying and it seems like the holiday thing to do.

Here are a few food photos that will prepare you for Thursday.

Mmm...pumpkin pies. Rev. Moore usually bakes a bunch and said that this year she left it up to Miss Sarah. They look pretty delish.

Now that's a lot of gravy.

And that's a lot of stuffing.

pretty colors

2007-11-14T12:34:00.000-06:00

Went to the Arb yesterday to soak in some color and a few glasses of wine.

Sister Stella Dora Mary Carrie St. James Lexicon White Dog acted as our tour guide.

Liberace Lexi

2007-11-11T10:26:00.000-06:00

Lexi and Denise came to the lab Saturday morning for biscuits followed by a jam. I thought I was recording many valuable minutes of Lexi rockin' out on the drums, the piano and the darbuka, but I wasn't. Note to self: it's NOT recording when the red light is blinking.

I did manage to capture a few seconds of sound and then lil' Liberace had to take a potty break.

There was a time when Lexi couldn't sit on the drum throne alone (check out the video below taken in July). She still struggles a bit with the other throne but gets a little help from her Dora potty seat.

Sister Stella Dora Mary Carrie St James Lexicon White Dog's acting debut

2007-11-06T21:59:00.000-06:00

My canine friend Sister Stella Dora Mary Carrie St. James Lexicon White Dog (the Carrie is in honor of my friend Carrie, St. James is me, Lexicon is Lexi Lou and White refers to her papa, Kenny White) is in her first You Tube video. She works as a therapy dog at Wichita Collegiate School and they have used her in a public service announcement condemning the use of SparkNotes (the 2007 version of Cliff's Notes).

I must use her in the next Scruffins Multimedia project. She's a natural, although her voice is much deeper than I had imagined. She must be eating food laced with lots of hormones.

welcome our new addition

2007-11-05T10:36:00.001-06:00

We brought home a beautiful bundle of joy this weekend. We couldn't be more excited.

Hoppatous of Love

2007-11-03T15:31:00.000-05:00

My cell phone rang at 8:30 a.m. and before I looked at the caller i.d. I knew who it was. My friend Joanna had asked me to take care of her kids when she went into labor and she'd be the only person to call me at that early hour. I saw her last on Thursday and predicted she'd be having her third son very soon. I was right! I haven't heard from her since 11 a.m. so I'm not sure just how far along she is.

The boys have been great. One is napping and the other one is sitting next to me on the couch and we are enjoying the crazy antics of Scooby-Doo.

Here's some video of Team Scruffins putting them down for a nap. Sometimes I feel like life is a musical and I'm lovin' it.

I brought sexy back

2007-11-03T15:13:00.000-05:00

CRG and I went to our friend Uche's cd release party last night at America's Pub. I hadn't been there since Joanna's bachelorette party in 2000 and I'm happy to say that the place has changed dramatically for the better.

We had to get stamped for reentry and I assured the bouncer that I was gonna bring Sexy back. I better he hears that a lot.

Here's some video from the party. Uche asked CRG to play "Second Chances" with him. CRG recorded the cd and his mad guitar skillz and harmonizing voice are all over the record.

After Uche's party, we headed over to our friend Nick's place. After we got past the unwelcoming mat, he was very receptive and we had a fabulous time.

mmm...fish tacos

2007-11-02T16:54:00.000-05:00

Check out this video here that I made of Jason-Paul Febres, a chef at a new Latin restaurant here in Wichita. I predict that Jason will one day be on the Food Network.

It was "Take Your Boyfriend To Work Day (actually, evening) Part Deux Day" and CRG came with and assisted in the production. He also assisted in chowing down some yummy fish tacos.

Mucho thanks to Travis who helped me tackle my very first Final Cut Pro editing project. Final Cut is a monstrous editing program that I'm psyched to learn more about. The good news is that there's plenty to learn.

Take Your Boyfriend To Work (and make him work) Day

2007-10-30T17:41:00.001-05:00

CRG joined me this morning on an assignment covering the opening of a traveling September 11 exhibit. He recorded audio for a slideshow that you can see here.

It includes a local bagpiper (that dude is EVERYWHERE) and two girls singing "I'm Proud To Be An American." The song isn't the best performance you'll ever hear, but as CRG points out, it's better than listening to Lee Greenwood. The girls didn't know all of the words and one of them sang "where at least they know my name" instead of "where at least they know I'm free." I don't know how she got so confused because she seems too young to be a fan of Cheers.

That's him clowning around with my Zoom recorder.

He looks a tad more professional in this shot.

It's useful AND ornamental

2007-10-29T19:27:00.000-05:00

I hope that one day I'll make a video this good. I never saw anything like this in sex ed.

R.I.P. Mr. Coffee

2007-10-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning excited as always because that's when I get to drink COFFEE. I turned on Mr. Coffee and nothing happened. No red light. No gurgling noises. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Poor thing has left us and is now in the great grounds in the sky. Below is his obit.

WICHITA - Coffee, Mr., 10, passed away, at breakfast on Sunday, October 28, 2007. Burial followed immediately at the family's trash bin. Mr. Coffee was born in China in 1997. He brought joy and excitement to his family at least once a day. He was always strong and never complained, however, at times he was bitter (not his fault). He recently played a starring role in an independent film called "Coffee Cadence." He is survived by millions of siblings and one daughter, a French press of Wichita. In lieu of flowers, please send Starbucks gift cards. To share a memory or leave an online condolence please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG5snN5OlcI

we love coffee

2007-10-27T06:12:00.000-05:00

We made this short video yesterday morning. The funny thing is that we actually had to make our coffee before we could create a video about making coffee. We just could not function without it. What? Us? We have no problem. I sware.

I heart stalking Carla.

2007-10-25T16:09:00.000-05:00

Check out my friend Carla’s blog here. Her site meter recently hit 10k and to celebrate she’s asked her readers to send in photos of us stalking her blog. We’ve been friends since college and she now lives in her hometown of Hartford, Conn.

Carla is a Wonder Woman (she even has two tattoos in homage to the other Jaime). She’s an incredible person, fantastic photographer and proud mama of two adorable monkeys. Her blog includes it all.

She went to my father’s funeral with me two years ago in Long Island, New York and I always giggle when I think about that day. I know it seems strange to laugh about death but it truly helped me at the time. A week before the funeral Rabbi Lawrence Shuval asked me if I wanted what he called “a mound of earth” at the gravesite so we could each take our turn and cover the casket. I said no to the mound. He also asked if I wanted to identify the body and I said no to that, too.

Carla and I get there and someone who is not a rabbi (he actually looked like the devil smoling in the cab of a hearse and sporting a satin Yankees jacket with a matching cap) opens the casket and asks me to identify the body. I start to bawl and Carla jumped forward and said, “Yep, that’s him.” She had never laid eyes on my dad before that day.

We got to the gravesite and a mound was waiting for us. I turned to the funeral director and said, “I didn’t want a mound of earth” and I bawled some more. Carla stepped in the middle of us and looked like she was about to start swinging, “she DIDN’T want the mound.” I said it was OK and I’m glad I did. What I didn’t know is that it’s a Jewish tradition to toss dirt on the casket and all of my relatives would’ve been dissappointed.

Carla shooting a self-portrait at her wedding with our friend Mary (who still looks great). Connecticut, 1999.

Carla's youngest monkey, Georgie. Poor thing had bonked her face. Upstate New York, 2006.

Me shoveling the "mound of earth." New York, 2006.

Hamming it up with the bride and groom at a wedding we shot together. Mexico, 2006.

And finally, beer for breakfast (it's the Central American way). Costa Rica, 2007.

this falls in the trick category

2007-10-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

My friend Ted has a sick sense of humor (if you've ever been to Gridiron, you already know this). He recently sent me a Halloween greeting that's pretty darn funny. Click here and don't forget to press stomp.

Foxy Private Eye

2007-10-23T13:59:00.000-05:00

My aunt Sherry is a singer, songwriter, actress, oh, and she also happens to be a private investigator. She works for Sherlock Investigations in NYC and prior to that did a couple of gigs as a "Foxy Private Eye" on the Ricki Lake show (you can't make that up).

Her firm is featured on the cover of New York magazine in a feature story about D.B. Cooper, the notorious skyjacker who jumped out of a 727. They might have cracked a huge case that has remained unsolved since 1971.

It's a fascinating story that you can read here.

Happy Anniversary

2007-10-22T09:47:00.000-05:00

It was two years ago today when my friends Carrie and Joe were married on the lawn at Bartlett Arboretum. It was a gorgeous wedding and a raucous party. I dipped into ye old archive to celebrate the occasion.

Joe got down on his knees on Thursday, Oct. 20 at "The Studio" to do what he called "unfinished business" and two days later they were married. Those two move quickly!

Here's a photo of Lori and Dale at the reception. I couldn't find them in the wedding photo. (Lori, sorry but I couldn't resist.)

I also found this historical photo of me on percussion. That was the very first time on the throne behind a drum kit. I'm sure you'll see this picture again on VH-1 in the future.

From Jedi to Jazzman

2007-10-20T21:13:00.000-05:00

It's been a very ROCKous weekend. Carter and the Yo-Yos played late Friday night at The Shadow. They were back at it again a few hours later doing a pseudo-lounge "family-friendly" version of their stuff for a party in Wellington (a little too early for the real rock).

Carter wowed the Shadow crowd when he walked on stage in a Jedi costume twirling his Stratocaster. Even though he looked great and the Yo-Yos sounded great, another man dressed in a funky outfit stole the spotlight (well, for a minute or so). That man was a dancing cowboy who gyrated all night with his funky moves and flashy lights beaming from his shirt. Does anyone know this dude? Do tell.

Here's a video showing a Jedi and a cowboy. You see, we can all get along.

Yo-Yo Rock

2007-10-18T16:07:00.000-05:00

Carter's band, the Smuggling Yo-Yos, will perform tomorrow (Friday) night at the Shadow at 9 p.m. The band plays covers from the past two decades. Anyone born after 1970 should be able to sing along. The band has worked up a few new tunes, including a rap song feature MC Nick (he raps caucasianionally).

I reached into the Scruffins archive and found a gem that includes half of the Yo-Yos. It's footage from a Greenjeans Studios party in January.

Pink With Envy

2007-10-14T09:51:00.000-05:00

I share a love of the color pink with my 2-year-old friend Lexi Lou. She's able to rock that color much better than I am with her pink Chucks. I know they make them in adult sizes but I'm certain they'd look like two horizontal bottles of Pepto on my feet. Oh well.

I'm also envious of Lexi's mean party blower skills. Ska might return when she's a teen and she could become the leader of "The Pink Punks." Maybe they'll need a drummer. Hmm.

It's All Good

2007-10-13T09:02:00.001-05:00

I took this photo (or rather a series of photos that I combined using a program called Photo Stitch) on Friday afternoon. It's a little crooked because my head was still spinning after a hydroplaning incident that occured minutes before on the Kansas Turnpike. CRG handled it like a pro and we were all just fine. He's a truck driver's son and that man knows how to control a vehicle better than anyone I know, with the exception of his dad, CRG Senior.

The rainbow was a peaceful reminder that "it's all good" (thanks to my friend Sierra Scott for coining that phrase).

Need a boost?

2007-10-11T08:55:00.000-05:00

This is a song I recorded at Carter's grandmother's funeral a few months ago. (Yes, Scruffins Multimedia does weddings, funerals and bar mitzvahs.) It's performed by Carter's Uncle Don and you can't help but smile.