So I have been working non-stop for three weeks getting this show ready for output. Locking picture, green screening finals, getting map finals, replacing stills with full rez versions, using After Effects on some. Finding out that the time I alotted for our hosts closing was 4 seconds shorter than planned, so I needed to extend several acts and get the changes to the mixer. I had to build a credit bed, verify spellings in lower thirds. And a MILLION other tiny details. All this on top of color correcting the show.

The plan was to go to a post facility tonight, and output two HDCAM tapes…one texted and one textless (one with lower thirds and titles and one without)…then off to the sound mixer for layback on Saturday…Closed Caption on Monday, dubs on Tuesday. But…I wasn’t ready. I felt rushed. I WAS RUSHED. Very harried. To top it off there were 6 stills that we couldn’t find high rez versions of. Either couldn’t clear the pics I used, or find them at high resolution at the Library of Congress (where we got the low res versions). I was very nervous about using stills that I pushed in 400%-600% on..just against my nature.

Well, besides that, I just wasn’t ready. I hadn’t sat down and watched the show thru to see if there were any glitches or minor hiccups. I didn’t check everything to see that levels didn’t stray about 100IRE…I didn’t have everything prepped for the output. I wasn’t ready. Yet I was still driving to the post facility to do the output.

Then fate stepped in.

The gas light on the car came on…I was low on gas. I pulled into a gas station to discover that I forgot my wallet at home. The post house contact went out to get dinner so he was not reachable…so I called my wife to come help me by bringing my wallet. Then I sat and waited. And contemplated. I was not ready. If I output tonight, and layed back tomorrow, and when the network go the tape they kicked it back for some reason, was I really saving us time and money? No. So I called my producer who was VERY understanding. He said that he too felt that we needed to wait. After all, we weren’t airing for three weeks, so what was the rush?

So…I cancelled the output…cancelled the layback…filled my tank up with gas and drove home. With my kids (who came with my wife to give me my wallet)…and sang YODA (by Weird Al Yankovic) at the top of my lungs with my daughters. Weight lifted.