nEwS tO mE

Ultrasound

2009-05-15T13:59:00.002-04:00

Britni had her ultrasound today for baby #3. Everything went well. We saw the heartbeat and everything is right on schedule. Her due date is December 19th. I cant wait to find out if its a boy or girl.

Gardening

2009-05-14T10:49:00.007-04:00

This year I tripled the size of my garden. Last year I only had tomatoes, green peppers, and pumpkins. The pumpkins failed miserably because I planted them too late in the season. This year I hope to produce a lot of organic veggies. From left to right I have Peas, 3 rows of onion, 2 rows of cilantro, green peppers, tomatoes, 4 rows of carrots, banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cucumbers. I decided to go head and plant a strawberry patch where I planted the pumpkins last year. Gardening has been very therapeutic for me. It helps me relax. Its a lot of fun getting the girls involved too. They help me water and like to move Mr. Worm around in the garden. We planted a couple of pots for them with daises and babys breath. Our sunflowers are starting to sprout too. They are supposed to get 15 feet tall and have a head of 12-18 inches. I cant wait to see them.

The Duck Pond

2009-04-27T20:53:00.003-04:00

This week we went to one of our favorite parks. Whenever we have leftover bread we head to this park to feed the ducks. Its always a lot of fun because the geese are as big as the girls.

Compost Bin

2009-04-24T08:53:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I decided to build a compost bin for my garden. I have a big pile of old wood from the old deck that I tore up. I dont know what to do with it all. So I used some of it to build a bin for my organic compost. It was a lot of fun to build.

Planting Sunflower Seeds

2009-04-23T20:17:00.002-04:00

Ava and I got our sunflower seeds yesterday. The package said that the heads are supposed to get 15". We will see. Ava did a great job carefully planting one seed at a time.

Homemade Popsicles

2009-04-23T20:02:00.004-04:00

Today the girls helped me make homemade popsicles. This complicated recipe included kiwi strawberry juicy juice and a stick. mmmmmmmmm

Ava and I goofin around.

2009-04-22T21:55:00.002-04:00

There is something wrong with us.
*music by Canned Heat*

2009-03-05T13:12:00.001-05:00

2009-03-05T13:09:00.001-05:00

The girls were trying on their princess dresses that they got for when we go to Disney World this year.

New Camcorder Test

2009-02-19T22:25:00.001-05:00

A Day In The Park from Mark Van Horn on Vimeo.

This is my first test with my new Canon HF10. I went out to a park that I live by to shoot some test footage. After a quick edit in Final Cut Pro this is what I got. I have to say that I was very surprised how good the footage looked coming out of this little camera. This footage is strait out of the camera. To see the full HD version click here http://www.vimeo.com/3288975

Live and Behind the Scenes

2008-10-17T20:01:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago our managing editor started live streaming stuff going on behind the sceens at our station. In this video eventually comes to my edit bay. I think its a pretty cool idea show people at home what we are doing. If they are interested that is. Live streaming is easy. Geting people to want to watch it is the hard part.

Someone Else Likes Tomatoes

2008-10-13T11:47:00.006-04:00

Long time no post. All summer I have been battling groundhogs form ravishing my gardens. Well after finally getting rid of them, I now have a new breed of garden scavenger. Take a look at the prints. We have deer eating our garden now! Our yard is fenced in except for a 16 foot section on one side. Which is the side that bumps up against the woods. I dont mind the deer. Growing season is pretty much over. I thought it was pretty cool to have deer in the city. Makes me miss watching the deer at my parents house. I have really good memories of watching deer run through our yard as a little boy. So for now, they are welcome. I hope I can catch one in the act so I can get a picture.

Trisha's Photos

2008-09-12T09:08:00.004-04:00

Hey Trisha. Here are your photos. You can change any photo to black and white if you want to. I put a letter next to each photo so when you let me know what all you want it will be easier for me to figure our which photo you are talking about. So say you want 5 4x6 of C. Just email me your order and I will order It somewhere near you and you can just pay for them when you pick them up. Email me at mvanhorn5@yahoo.com Love ya talk to ya soon!
A B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L

Our House From Chopper 4

2008-09-07T10:42:00.004-04:00

So I was near my house the other day shooting a funeral procession and we swung over to my house so I could get a few shots. We only did one rotation over my house because we didn't want to miss what we were supposed to be doing. It was pretty cool to see a birds eye view of it.

Groundhogs, Grasshoppers, Dog Poop, Pumpkins, and Peppers

2008-09-05T13:45:00.006-04:00

OK, so I have some random pictures to post, so instead of making a bunch of different posts, I'll just do one. Here is the latest, and hopefully the last groundhog. The tally is up to 7 now.This one was the biggest one I have caught yet. He must have gotten fat from all my tomatoes and pumpkin plants.Here is a grasshopper that Ava was going crazy for. She love seeing new things like this. She points and laughs. I love her adventurous side. She is not afraid of anything.
I checked the garden yesterday and found that I have a pumpkin sprouting. Finally!I walked over to the peppers to check on my massive green pepper. This thing is huge! I cant wait to pick it. Im just waiting a bit to see how big it gets.At our house picking up dog poop is a family affair.

Obama/Biden in Dublin

2008-09-01T19:46:00.003-04:00

I got the opportunity to go cover Barack Obama making a stop in Dublin on Saturday. Trying to continue his momentum from the Democratic convention last week, he made his Ohio debut last night before a crowd estimated at up to 19,000 that jammed Dublin Coffman High School stadium. He was also joined by former Senator John Glenn, among others.

Biden, a six-term senator from Delaware, took the opportunity of his first appearance in the Buckeye State since becoming the vice-presidential pick to introduce himself. He said something that I really thought was great. He said, "I watched a guy tap into, just by his very being and his ideas, tap into the age-old American belief that many have forgotten, And that is, you don't have to accept a situation you cannot bear; you can change it."I think that statement is true, not just for our country, but for each and every one of our lives.

Live Truck Issues

2008-08-18T00:25:00.002-04:00

Friday, before the prostitution bust, David and I were drive along and POP! I look in the mirror and I see our tire flapping in the breeze. It took about 3 hours for Mr. Tire to come and rescue us. Lucky for us we were near Davids house, so we went there and watch Seinfeld reruns. I have never seen a tire completely lose its tread before. I snapped a few pics with my cellphone.

Vice Raid Shuts Down Strip Club

2008-08-17T20:45:00.005-04:00

Friday night David and I got sent on a Vice Raid. For those of you who don't know who the Vice Squad is, basically they are a department in the police department that investigates crimes that have to do with narcotics, prostitution, alcohol, pornography, and gambling. Just another night in the city. Here is the story from our website.

There's one less adult dance club in Columbus.

Vice officers with the Columbus Division of Police raided the Exotic Pearl tonight on Hamilton Avenue.

The owner and two dancers were arrested at the scene.

A judge ruled the club is a public nuisance and should be shut down

The court complaint alleged dancers were involved in prostitution and that drug use and drug trafficking were part of the operation.

The raid followed an undercover investigation involving several agencies.

Exotic Pearl Owner Tracey Fields, 36, was charged with "illegal operation of a sexually oriented business."

Stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information.

She wasnt too happy to see me up in her face.

Outside of the "Exotic Pearl" right before they busted in.

Two nasties in the back of the cruiser.
Tisk Tisk
Tisk Tisk
The owner. Also not happy to see us.

Park of Roses

2008-08-12T13:26:00.005-04:00

Yesterday Britni, the girls and I went to the Park of Roses. I have been there many times for work, but never thought to take the girls there. We had a really good day looking at all the flowers. I have to give Britni credit, these are not all my pictures. She took some really awesome photos.

Firepit

2008-08-12T13:18:00.003-04:00

Long time no post. You get what you pay for. Anywho, Britni and I have been enjoying our new firepit lately. We go out there about 4 times a week and start a fire sit and chat. I love being outdoors in the evening. Seth came over the other night for some tunes and some brews. Good times. Which reminds me I need to get some more wood.

LIVESTRONG Summit

2008-07-26T18:02:00.007-04:00

So John McCain arrived at The Ohio State University Thursday, before a crowd of yellow-clad supporters of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a group devoted to improving the treatment and prevention of cancer. I was pretty excited to attend the event. Not long into the event Lance, who was on the stage with McCain, asked the candidate a pointed question. Would he promise to reverse the trend of recent years under George W. Bush of decreasing funding for the National Cancer Institute?

McCain, with his own yellow LIVESTRONG bracelet peaking out from beneath his suit jacket, said, "We will reverse that trend." But when pressed on how much more he would spend on cancer research--would he double it? triple it?--McCain was quick to avoid the question, choosing instead to speak about the government's need to be more fiscally responsible. Whatever.

So basically he said, no we are not going to spend any money on cancer research. Even in front of a crowd filled with cancer survivors at this event, which purpose is seeking more funding for a disease that kills 560,000 Americans a year.

Fact Check: Bush’s 2007 budget proposed cutting funding for the National Cancer Institute for the second year in a row, this time by $40 million dollars and McCain is on the same track. Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. It accounted for 7.9 million deaths in 2007.

War in Iraq Spending:

Spent & Approved War-Spending - About $600 billion of US taxpayers' funds. In June 2008, President Bush signed a bill approving about 200 billion more for 2008, which will bring the cumulative total to close to $800 billion.

U.S. Monthly Spending in Iraq - $12 billion in 2008

U.S. Spending per Second - $5,000 in 2008 (per Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on May 5, 2008)

Cost of deploying one U.S. soldier for one year in Iraq - $390,000

Lost & Unaccounted for in Iraq - $9 billion of US taxpayers' money and $549.7 milion in spare parts shipped in 2004 to US contractors. Also, per ABC News, 190,000 guns, including 110,000 AK-47 rifles.

Missing - $1 billion in tractor trailers, tank recovery vehicles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and other equipment and services provided to the Iraqi security forces. (Per CBS News on Dec 6, 2007.)

Mismanaged & Wasted in Iraq - $10 billion, per Feb 2007 Congressional hearings

Halliburton Overcharges Classified by the Pentagon as Unreasonable and Unsupported - $1.4 billion

Amount paid to KBR, a former Halliburton division, to supply U.S. military in Iraq with food, fuel, housing and other items - $20 billion

Portion of the $20 billion paid to KBR that Pentagon auditors deem "questionable or supportable" - $3.2 billion

Number of major U.S. bases in Iraq - 75 (The Nation/New York Times)

Cancer Research Spending:

We spent only $4.75 billion in Fiscal Year 2007.

Now, to me cancer research should be pretty high on the agenda. But John McCain doesn't think so. There is no question that we will see the impact of slicing cancer research budgets when it is measured in terms of human life.

Answer me this. Which war is more just. The war in Iraq, or the war on cancer.

We obviously know what they think.

Not what I had in mind.

2008-07-25T13:55:00.003-04:00

While attempting to catch the final groundhog, I found this guy in my trap. Note to self, corn on the cob is not a good bait for groundhogs but squirrls love it. I caught another one after I let this one go. Best to stick with red peppers and lettuce.

Washing the car

2008-07-23T14:43:00.004-04:00

While Ember was taking a nap a Britni was gabbing on the phone with Katie, Ava and I decided to go outside and wash our cars. She was all excited to be washing her own little car and had a blast hosing everything down, myself included. Our flowers are really blooming nicely. Ava always wants to give them a big ol' wiff. I have been seeing a lot of humming birds zipping around the yard. These stupid bees keep eating the humming bird sauce I make. I dont know how to get rid of them. Although the hummers dont care that they are there.

Saving the Pumpkins

2008-07-23T14:35:00.003-04:00

Seth had a couple of pumpkins that were in dire need of saving. (see his blog post http://365slick.blogspot.com/2008/07/some-more-weekend-related-pics.html ) So while Britni was out of town with the girls I decided to throw together a proper site for these orphan pumpkins.

Into The Wild

2008-07-16T20:53:00.002-04:00

Britni and I watched this movie last night. It was one of the best movies I have seen in a long long time. You must watch this movie. It is a true story. Sean Penn was the director and does an awesome job telling this story.

Opps! Sorry Jason

2008-07-15T15:23:00.004-04:00

Note to self, leaving a book on the dashboard of a car in the middle of summer is not the greatest of ideas.Heat + Glue = Pages fall outSorry Jason, another one is in the mail. Thanks for entrusting me with your belongings.

From one rodent to another

2008-07-15T15:18:00.002-04:00

I found this puffy tailed rat helping itself to my bird feeder. If its not one vermin its another.Snapped it quick, and realized it was in manual focus.

And the horse you rode in on.

2008-07-12T11:13:00.000-04:00

HAHAHAHAHA! Gotcha! Well I believe that this was the last one. No more groundhogs eating my precious greens. This one was a little smarter than the rest of his family. It took me over two weeks to catch him. But when it comes down to it, no groundhog can resist red peppers.

Up in Chopper 4

2008-07-11T01:02:00.000-04:00

Here is a short video of me flying in Chopper 4. I shot it with my cell phone, so the quality isn't that great. I don't know why I kept looking into the camera. I'm a dork. I didn't take any pictures today so I just thought I would share this video. I don't remember why we were up there on this particular day. It was a few weeks ago.
Me Up in Chopper 4

You are so dead.

2008-07-09T08:53:00.000-04:00

Thats it. The last straw. Your going down Mr. Groundhog.

Boo

2008-07-07T20:59:00.000-04:00

I was messing around with my camera last night trying to take ghost pictures of myself. Not exactly what I was going for, but whatever.

2008-07-07T17:31:00.000-04:00

My parents came over this weekend for a visit and my Dad brought me this bird feeder that he made out of scraps that the found laying around the garage. I really like it a lot. My dad has always been the creative artistic type.
As for my garden, it is going ok I guess. My pepper plants could be doing better. The leaves got all eaten up at the bottom because I let the grass grow in there garden. I guess when I planted seed in the yard, some blew in there. So I spent the weekend picking out grass piece by piece. It was a pain, but now it looks like a million bucks.

My one lonely tomato.

This is worm. I got this for Ava a little while ago. She loves worms. When we were planting flowers she would pick out the worms and hold them up to examine them. So I got her this one and she says hi to it every day.

Murder in the 1st

2008-07-06T17:16:00.000-04:00

So I come home after work and it looks like Britni decided to go berserk on the Japanese Beetles that were using our bush as a B & B (brothel and buffet.) Thanks Brit for helping me kill all the buggers. Love ya!

Groundhog Day

2008-07-05T10:21:00.000-04:00

So I have successfully caught 5 groundhogs so far. There is one more left. I have been doing the right thing and setting these stinky vermin free at the park down the road. This particular one was a little feisty.

Throwing Rocks Rock

2008-07-03T10:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went for a little walk in the park next to our house. We are really luck to have such a cool place to walk to whenever we want. Being outside in the middle of raw nature is something we all really enjoy. We particularly like to walk and throw rocks in the stream. The kids love the outdoors as much as Britni and I do. I cant wait until they are a little older so we can go camping.

Fun with Puke

2008-07-03T10:43:00.000-04:00

Funny Videos

1up

2008-07-02T09:24:00.000-04:00

I have a bunch of these little mushrooms growing in my flower beds. After a little research, I don't think that they are poisonous. Not that I am going to be trying to eat them, but still good to know. I have always been fascinated by mushrooms ever since I was a little kid. Most likely this guy had something to do with that.

Japanese beetle orgy

2008-07-02T09:11:00.000-04:00

Today when I was in my yard I found where all of my Japanese beetles go to feast and multiply. I get dive bombed my these little things every night when I come home from work. I come in the back, and the porch light is always on. So at night they all head towards the light and fly in my face as I fumble with my keys to get in the back door. I dont mind them really. They can go ahead and eat some of this bush. But if they get to my tomatoes its game over.