PowerPoint update from Excel VBA works in PPT not Excel

[smarble]

I am so chapped and baffeled by this code. I made it work from VBA in Powerpoint but when I transfered into Excel the same lines don't work. BEAR IN MIND THIS DOES WORK NOW. What is even more baffeling is the lines work in the Immediate Window but not in the code. Even worse the same lines may or might not work. I will paste in my code and then the offending lines will be grouped. I would really appreciate help. You might notice from the remarked lines what I had that I have tried.

Sub updatepowerpoint()
Dim objppt As PowerPoint.Application
Dim pwpt As PowerPoint.Presentation
Set objppt = CreateObject("PowerPoint.Application")
objppt.Visible = msoTrue
Set pwpt = objppt.Presentations.Open2007("c:\tdg_template.pptm")
Dim oslide1 As Slide
Dim oslide2 As Slide
Dim opicture As Variant
Dim opicture2 As Shape
Dim date1, date2, date3, date4, date5, date6 As String
Dim d1year, d2year, d3year, d4year, d5year, d6year As String
    
    date1 = Format(Date, "mmm")
    date2 = Format(DateAdd("m", 1, Date), "mmm")
    date3 = Format(DateAdd("m", 2, Date), "mmm")
    date4 = Format(DateAdd("m", 3, Date), "mmm")
    date5 = Format(DateAdd("m", 4, Date), "mmm")
    date6 = Format(DateAdd("m", 5, Date), "mmm")
    d1year = Format(Date, "yyyy")
    d2year = Format(DateAdd("m", 1, Date), "yyyy")
    d3year = Format(DateAdd("m", 2, Date), "yyyy")
    d4year = Format(DateAdd("m", 3, Date), "yyyy")
    d5year = Format(DateAdd("m", 4, Date), "yyyy")
    d6year = Format(DateAdd("m", 5, Date), "yyyy")
    
    lmon1 = Len(date1)
    lmon2 = Len(date2)
    lmon3 = Len(date3)
    lmon4 = Len(date4)
    lmon5 = Len(date5)
    lmon6 = Len(date6)
    lyear1 = Len(d1year)
    lyear2 = Len(d2year)
    lyear3 = Len(d3year)
    lyear4 = Len(d4year)
    lyear5 = Len(d5year)
    lyear6 = Len(d6year)
 
Set oslide1 = pwpt.Slides(1)
Set oslide2 = pwpt.Slides(2)
'.Item(1)
'Set oslide2 = pwpt.Slides.Item(2)
'Set oslide2 = ActiveWindow.Presentation.Slides(2)
Set opicture = pwpt.Slides(1).Shapes("MonthShape1")
'oslide1.Shapes("MonthShape1")
'oslide1.Shapes.Item ("MonthShape1")
'Set opicture = oslide1.Shapes.Item("MonthShape1")
'1
With opicture
.TextFrame.TextRange.Text = date1 & d1year
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.size = 40
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.Name = "Engravers MT"
.TextFrame.TextRange.ParagraphFormat.Bullet = msoTrue
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon1 + 1, Length:=lyear1).Font.size = 14
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon1 + 1, Length:=lyear1).Font.Name = "Arial Unicode MS"
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon1 + 1, Length:=lyear1).Font.BaselineOffset = 0.82
End With
'2
Set opicture = oslide1.Shapes.Item("MonthShape2")
With opicture
.TextFrame.TextRange.Text = date2 & d2year
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.size = 40
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.Name = "Engravers MT"
.TextFrame.TextRange.ParagraphFormat.Bullet = msoTrue
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon2 + 1, Length:=lyear2).Font.size = 14
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon2 + 1, Length:=lyear2).Font.Name = "Arial Unicode MS"
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon2 + 1, Length:=lyear2).Font.BaselineOffset = 0.82
End With
'3
Set opicture = oslide1.Shapes.Item("MonthShape3")
With opicture
.TextFrame.TextRange.Text = date3 & d3year
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.size = 40
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.Name = "Engravers MT"
.TextFrame.TextRange.ParagraphFormat.Bullet = msoTrue
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon3 + 1, Length:=lyear3).Font.size = 14
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon3 + 1, Length:=lyear3).Font.Name = "Arial Unicode MS"
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon3 + 1, Length:=lyear3).Font.BaselineOffset = 0.82
End With
'4
Set opicture = pwpt.Slides(2).Shapes("MonthShape4")
'Set opicture = oslide2.Shapes.Item("MonthShape4")
With opicture
.TextFrame.TextRange.Text = date4 & d4year
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.size = 40
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.Name = "Engravers MT"
.TextFrame.TextRange.ParagraphFormat.Bullet = msoTrue
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon4 + 1, Length:=lyear4).Font.size = 14
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon4 + 1, Length:=lyear4).Font.Name = "Arial Unicode MS"
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon4 + 1, Length:=lyear4).Font.BaselineOffset = 0.82
End With
'5
Set opicture = oslide2.Shapes.Item("MonthShape5")
With opicture
.TextFrame.TextRange.Text = date5 & d5year
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.size = 40
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.Name = "Engravers MT"
.TextFrame.TextRange.ParagraphFormat.Bullet = msoTrue
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon5 + 1, Length:=lyear5).Font.size = 14
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon5 + 1, Length:=lyear5).Font.Name = "Arial Unicode MS"
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon5 + 1, Length:=lyear5).Font.BaselineOffset = 0.82
End With
'6
Set opicture = oslide2.Shapes.Item("MonthShape6")
With opicture
.TextFrame.TextRange.Text = date6 & d6year
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.size = 40
.TextFrame.TextRange.Font.Name = "Engravers MT"
.TextFrame.TextRange.ParagraphFormat.Bullet = msoTrue
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon6 + 1, Length:=lyear6).Font.size = 14
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon6 + 1, Length:=lyear6).Font.Name = "Arial Unicode MS"
.TextFrame.TextRange.Characters(Start:=lmon6 + 1, Length:=lyear6).Font.BaselineOffset = 0.82
End With
End Sub

I tried to set oslide to the slide then use opicture with oslide. Check out these lines that work. But here is the madness I can't use the syntax of MonthShape2 on MonthShape1 or MonthShape4. This is crazy.

The following lines were cut from the code above. Bear in mind this code finally works I just don't understand why the code can't all look like it does for monthshapes 2 3 5 6.

Set opicture = pwpt.Slides(1).Shapes("MonthShape1")
Set opicture = oslide1.Shapes.Item("MonthShape2")
Set opicture = oslide1.Shapes.Item("MonthShape3")
Set opicture = pwpt.Slides(2).Shapes("MonthShape4")
Set opicture = oslide2.Shapes.Item("MonthShape5")
Set opicture = oslide2.Shapes.Item("MonthShape6")

I am using Office 2007, Excel and PowerPoint. Windows XP.