Family Vacation: Scotland Part 5

"The American Dream, the idea of the happy ending, is an avoidance of responsibility and commitment." - Jill Robinson

My friend has very kindly reminded me I have been neglecting my blog.  I have been avoiding it.  First because I suffered again from terrible jet lag when I returned home and had to immediately go back to work which has been uncharacteristically hectic since.

We drove around the Isle of Sky, stopped for tea where I found a gorgeous little watercolor evocative of the island, with wee highland cows grazing on the heather with water and hills in the background.  It was done by a local artist who's daughter, a fantastic artist herself (though her works were too big to fit in my suitcase), happened to be there having tea herself.  She was very nice and we chatted for a few minutes.  I wish I had the opportunity to visit their studio, but unfortunately, after a visit to Dunvegan Castle, home of the Clan MacLeod, we were tired and short on time.

We took the ferry from Uig to Tarbert, Isle of Harris and drove through blinding rain up the joined islands of Harris and Lewis to the town of Stornoway.  Our entire visit on Lewis was very windy but not too cold.  We visited the Calanish Standing Stones (haunting), the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village, where we saw a demonstration of the weaving of Harris Tweed (which is actually from Lewis).  If I had known several of the blackhouses had been converted in to holiday  houses, I would have made reservations!  Next time.

 

From the Blackhouse Village, we drove north to the Butt of Lewis, for who could resist a spot on the map called the Butt of Lewis?!  It was the northernmost point of the Hebrides with a fairly modern lighthouse and gorgeous cliff formations being pounded by wind and surf.


From there we went back to Stornoway to do a little shopping as the next day was Sunday and apparently everything in the islands closed up tight.  Alas, rain sent us back to the B&B.

After Lewis we had a leisurely wander back down to Harris and a visit to St. Clement's Church as all else was closed.  Then a brief night on Harris and the early ferry to North Uist.

Family Vacation: Scotland Part 4

"The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep." - W. C. Fields

Finally.  A good night's sleep.  About four more of those and I might start feeling human again.

Got up early and tried for some sunrise shots of the castle.  This is Scotland. What sunrise? But at least we got to see the castle without all the tourists milling about (those bloody tourists!). The grounds were always open so we could walk across the bridge and around the little island.

Back to the B&B for breakfast and back again to the castle yet again to tour the inside.  It is actually a fairly small place.  It was restored in the early 20th century so it had some modern conveniences added, but still stayed pretty true to the original construction.

After the we were off again.  I guess this was my hollywood day, so to speak.  One of my favorite British TV shows is "Hamish MacBeth", which was filmed in a little village called Plockton just a short drive off the main road we were travelling.

My first foray into the one-lane country road.  Thankfully, we didn't meet too many oncoming cars.  But every few hundred feet or so they have a "passing place" on one side or the other.  If it's on your side, you pull in and wait for the oncoming car to pass.  If it's on the other you stop in the road and wait for them to pull in then continue on.  Quite a little dance of manners, with a flick of a hand wave as you pass.

I couldn't see very little of the village of "Lochdubh" in the reality of Plockton.  But it was still a pretty village.

A walk and a wee bit of lunch and off again to Skye.  Over the bridge to the island and the main road kept narrowing and widening with no reason I could see except maybe to save money on tarmack.

About 3/4 of the way up the island and a turn onto an even smaller road.  Apparently most of the area is common grazing land because there were lots of sheep and cows on the side of the road.  No fences.

And several were in the road!  The sheep moved pretty quickly out of the way as  you dorve up.  The cows...couldn't care less.  Had no concern for cars.  One was standing in the middle of the road nursing a calf.  Barely even twitched at the honk of a horn.  The other one off to the side finally took a few unconcerned steps and left a space just wide enough for the car.  We now know where we stand in the scheme of things...

Family Vacation: Scotland Part 3

"Why, I'd like nothing better than to achieve some bold adventure, worthy of our trip." - Aristophanes

This was the day for all the travel problems to crop up all at once...on less sleep than the day before.  We needed to contact the car rental company and pray they had a car for us somewhere in Glasgow.  That's great in theory. 

In practice, the £20 prepaid sim card I bought at the airport two days ago was empty!  That didn't last long.  Everybody told me it would be much cheaper to get a local card.  Guess not!  So, I couldn't make a call.

You can call a number and "top up" the card.  They don't take american credit cards.  You can call their customer service cell phone code (no land line number provided).  Call costs money!  No money on sim card...

The fabulous desk clerk tracked down a real number for the customer service.  My only option is to hunt down a cell phone store and buy a voucher that I can then use to top up the card.

Geesh!  Luckily there was a mobile phone store nearby.  Bought a voucher.  Topped up the card.  Called the car rental.  They had a car (thank god - otherwise, the rest of our plans would be shot).  Caught a cab, picked up the car.  They even upgraded us to a Mercedes.  Nice car, but like most British cars, very small.

Aaaand, we're on our way.  Drive on the right side of the car.  Check.  Drive on the left side of the road.  Check.  Orient yourself to the inside of the lane, ie the right side.  Not so check.  I almost took out a few parked cars and a fence...  I kept thinking there was more car to my right than there actually was.  That is one thing I didn't anticipate.  Then on the A85 and out of Glasgow...


Onto the narrowest, windiest road full of oncoming lorries screaming at me.  AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!  Talk about trial by fire.  I felt bad for the line of cars behind me as I made my way around hairpin turns with a stream of oncoming traffic on one side and a stone wall on the other, with no shoulder.  In a Mercedes.  I was terrified, I'd take out the entire left side of the car on a stone wall.  Good thing we got the insurance...

And remember...no sleep.

It was only a few hours to our first stop of the night, but I felt like I had been driving for days.  After a while, the road opened up a little and I started to get the hang of it.

Then we came around the corner and got the first glimpse of Eilean Donan Castle.  Breathtaking.  Like something out of a movie.  Which it was.  I have seen it a hundred times in Highlander and countless other films and tv shows.  To see it in real life was sort of surreal...(don't forget the no sleep...) 

The bed and breakfast we were staying at actually had a view of the castle.

Not much sunset for the spectacular award winning photograph I was hoping for, but I got some nice shots.  Will try again for sunrise, but this IS Scotland.  Before leaving Glasgow, I found a chemist for some sleeping pills so I was guaranteed a good nights sleep at last. 

Family Vacation: Scotland Part 2

"Jet lag is your soul trying to catch up after flying." - Ryan Ross

I don't know if it was Euston Station in particular or BritRail terminals in general, but this one was quite bizarre. There was a large open area when you enter the station.  We were early and had first class tickets (actually very reasonably priced), so we could wait in the "First Class Lounge" which happened to be on the second floor accessible by stairway.  With all our luggage.  Yeah, right.

There was a small "lift" to the side which has to be one of the weirdest contraptions I have ever seen.  You press a button and a large door opens into a vesibule area.  Then press the lift button.  It too has a large door that swings into the vestibule.  So you're doing this little dance around doors swinging at you in this little 4x6 room, as well as anyone who happens to be exiting the lift while you're trying to get on.

The first class lounge was a room with tables and chairs, a tea and coffe machine and a screen with the train departures listed.  We waited a bit, but it was getting close to our train time and the platform still hadn't been posted on the screen, so we headed back down (doing the same little elevator dance to get back to the main floor).

In the large main area, with no seating, there were large screens up near the ceiling, each one had a departing train and it's stops listed.  There were about 12 screens in all and as one train left, they marched along to the left, more trains being added on at the end.

The thing was, they didn't announce a platform number until the train was ready to board so everyone was standing around staring up at the screens, waiting, with no place to sit.

Then, 10 minutes before departure, they announce the platform and a third of the herd breaks off and rushes town the ramp to the platform, bottlenecking at the bottom as there were four guys checking tickets.  Push through and mad dash for the train.  Find a seat marked "Available" if you don't have a reserved seat.  And many people didn't have reserved seats because you can buy open tickets and get on whatever train to your destination you please.

We found some available seats, but it turns out, they were having a problem with there seat reservation system and ALL seats were marked available.  Free for all in first class.  And the train was so packed, people were sitting on the floor.

We're lucky we found seats.  No one was giving up their seat willingly, as proven by several arguments about who reserved what seat, and I could just see my elderly parents trying to sit on the floor of the train vestibule.

Once we got to Glasgow, we were supposed to pick up our rental car.  Turns out, as it was a bank holiday, the rental company was closed.  Didn't stop them from making the reservation.  And, the pick up just outside the train station, didn't exist.  Yep.  You read that right.  IT DIDN'T EXIST.

We asked a passing cop where the rental place was, but he had no idea.  Very nice guy, cute too, and he tried to be helpful.  While he was trying to be helpful, I kept stepping to his left because he had a camera attached to the right side of his hat.  He kept turning to face me and I'd step again to the side again.  I guess this is the trip for dancing.  I had visions of being the stupid american tourists on an episode of "Glasgow Cops."

He was finally able to make himself useful by showing us where the taxi queue was and we took a cab to the hotel.  I was so tired I was physically nauseated.  I skipped dinner and was asleep by six.

Aaaaand awake again by nine.  I was having fantasies about my bottle of NyQuill tucked in my medicine cabinet back home.  I never did get back to sleep that night.  Three hours.  That was my limit for sleep aparently.

Family Vacation: Scotland Part 1 - Crossing Timezones

"Airplane travel is nature's way of making you look like your passport photo." - Al Gore


My new rule is, if I cross more than two timezones in one day, I am packing the NyQuill.  I got to London on 4 hours of sleep in 48.  The first thing I did when checking in was take a nap.  I slept about three hours and woke up.  That sounds great, right?  It was morning and I wouldn't want to sleep away my short time in London.

So, I slept three hours, woke up and had time to take the Tube into Picadilly Circus.  I was actually trying to get to the London Eye, but the hotel clerk recommended getting off there, so I did.  Then had to walk quite a ways to get to the Thames.

Picadilly Circuis was packed and even with GPS, I had a hard time orienting and figuring out which direction I needed to start out.  Once I got headed in the right direction, I came to Trafalgar Square and got turned around again.  Multiple streets coming into a huge roundabout,, the center of which was packed with tourists (those darn tourists always getting in the way!), it took a while to figure out which one I needed to be on.

I finally found the Thames and the London Eye, only to find that there was a Tube stop right there on the corner.  Thats what I get for taking advice from a local, even if they are in the hospitality business!

It was getting late so I didn't have time to go further up to the Tower Bridge, but I got a few shots down river of Big Ben and Parliament.  Besides, I was still tired and looking for some more, much needed, rest.  So, back on the Tube to the hotel.

Had dinner and I was exhausted so I headed upstairs and to bed.  Another three hours and I was wide awake again.  1 am!  I never did get back to sleep.  We were up and off to catch a train to Scotland in the morning and I sleep about as well on trains as I do on planes - not at all.

Murphy's Law

"No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy." - Unknown

I woke up this morning and got on my laptop and a program I had running had errored.  So I rebooted.  Then my email client wouldn't open it's file.  And I got a weird error.  Whenever I get a weird error, the first thing I do is run a virus scan.  43 infected files!

Cleaned those.  My email client still wouldn't open.  That is, of course, where all the originals of my travel confirmations were stored.  Found a repair program.  It actually worked and I was able to open everything up.

Take that Murphy.  You tried to get me, but I fought back!  

Of course, there are also redundancies and back-ups so things like this won't kill me, but it's the nice rare occasion when I don't have to use them.

24 hours and I'm off to the airport.

source: Unknown

Two More Days...

...until the latest adventure begins.  I'm trying to enjoy the anticipation, to break from my generation's "now" attitude. 

I want to savor the entire journey, from the first "Where should I go?" to the last load of laundry when I get home.  It is all part of the adventure.  Let the excitement build and bubble and swirl in the head.  Appreciate the rise of adrenalin and excitement.

Taste the adventure on your tongue.  Smell the colors of exotic places.  See the scents of foreign lands.

Surround yourself with the passion of the adventure of living.  Not just when off on a grand adventure, but also in your own backyard.

I Crossed My Legs!

"Rich, fatty foods are like destiny: they too, shape our ends." ~ Author Unknown

Does the title make me sound like a reformed slut?

Not that there is anything wrong with that, reformed or otherwise.

Unfortunately, that is not what I am talking about.

I ACTUALLY crossed my legs the other day.  I can't remember the last time I was physically able to cross my legs.  One day they were just too fat and I couldn't do it anymore.  I could cross an ankle over a knee but a full cross was impossible.

I was at a friend's, sitting in a chair chatting while I installed some software on her computer.  I shifted in the chair and crossed my legs without a thought like I had been doing it all along.  It took me several moments to realize the enormity of what I had done.

I still haven't dropped below 200 pounds, but it is proof positive that, while the actual loss is slow in coming, the weight is shifting as I eat healthier and move more.  My legs have apparently gotten much more svelte from all the walking.

I can't say how happy that one small accomplishment has made me feel.

The Art of Eating

"People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas." - Author Unknown

I took the weight box off the side of my blog.  

Not because I'm not losing weight, or don't want to be accountable for my weight issues.  

I took it off because, while I don't want to ignore that weight and health are a big part of my life right now, it is not the ONLY thing in my life.  I don't want my weight to be my only focus of my blog.  

It is, of course, ironic that just as I decided to take it down, I've actually started to see my weight dropping.

I guess the adage is true.  "You can't out exercise a bad diet."

I just didn't think my diet was all that bad.  I cut out most soda and sugar.  I didn't eat huge portions.  A restaurant meal usually required a doggie bag for at least half of it.

But when I came home from Atlanta, I became what I call "mostly veg."

My main foods consist of fresh fruits and vegetables and grains.  I still eat eggs, fish and dairy (except cheese) regularly.

What I have all but removed is meat and cheese.  Cheese for obvious reasons.  High fat.  And, like soda, for me it is an addiction.  I haven't completely stopped eating meat.  My goal is to only eat meat occasionally.  Basically, just enough to keep from getting sick when I do eat it.  Dinner at a friend's house, restaurants, the rare Italian deli sandwich.  Treats.

That seems to be what my body needs.  I've lost 7 pounds since I started, and took down my weight box.

I even started using my calorie counter app again.  Not to count calories, per se, but I wanted to see exactly what my new diet looked like.

When I first used the app, my own competitiveness made it a truly unhealthy endeavor.  I ate less and less always trying to "beat" my calories from the day before.

Now, to quiet the competitive voice, I try to get as close to the recommended calories as possible.

What I am actually finding, with my new food choices, is that I am having a hard time eating ENOUGH.  My veggie stir-frys served over rice or barley are so low in calories, I find myself eating handfuls of nuts at the end of the day just to boost the number a little.  It also allows me a few treats.  The occasional piece of chocolate or bit of cheese.

The best part?  I'm dropping weight.  Without feeling hungry or deprived.  I've lost 7 pounds in the last 5 weeks.  A respectable AND healthy weight loss.

Of course, this is not a weight cure-all.  I'm sure I will hit plateaus and find times where it doesn't work.  But for now, I'm going to learn to enjoy fresh, healthy food, loosing weight and feeling successful.  I'll cross other  bridges when I come to them.

Road Trip: Atlanta: Part 3

"Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings." - Jane Austen

Things have been insanely busy lately so I'm very late in posting the last day of my road trip to Atlanta.

Day 2 in Atlanta, I got to spend all day with Susan.  We started with a hike in Sweetwater Creek State Park.  Or should I say we started with driving back and forth through Sweetwater Creek State Park trying to find the turn off to the trail head?

After several wrong turns, a useless gps and a very friendly park ranger, we finally fount it.  It was not a very long hike to an old ruin of a textile mill destroyed in the civil war.  It was not too hot, but extremely humid as it is wont to be in the summertime South.  I was standing in the shade, leaning on a railing taking pictures, barely moving with sweat running down my face and into my eyes, making it very hard to take pictures.  That didn't stop it from being beautiful.

After the hike, we stopped for burgers at Flip Burgers.  I think it was the fanciest burger joint I have ever seen.  We had lamb burgers, but you could get just about any burger you could possibly think of and several you never would have.  Absolutely delish!

That evening we went to the Gerogia Aquarium.  The lighting, while spectacular for fish tanks, was terrible for photography and they didn't allow any flash which would have just glared off the tanks anyway.  But I still got a few shots with my iPhone.  I just wish they had more turtles.

Then, a long drive back home the next day.  I'm glad I went, even if it was so short.  It was so fantastic to see Susan after such a long time.

Road Trip: Atlanta Part 2

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." - Lin Yutang

I had two days to spend in Atlanta.

After spending all day in the car, I thought I would get up early and run to get all the kinks out.

Unfortunately, my body had other ideas.  No run was going to get these kinks out!   But a nice layabout did no harm either...

Then off to The Buttermilk Kitchen for a lovely fresh, local breakfast with fresh-squeezed orange juice in that staple of the south, the mason jar  Delish.

Then, since Susie was working, I had a day to get myself into trouble.  Of course, I found Atlanta in the summer is just too hot for trouble!

First stop was the Oakland Cemetary recommended by a photographer friend Susie's.  It was interesting, with sections for rich and poor, black and white, christian and jewish, and most interesting, Confederate and Union.  And lots of family plots.  Margaret Mitchell is buried there.

I thought about driving out of Atlanta to some of the surrounding towns because I always wanted to see an antebellum plantation, but the afternoon was progressing so I opted for the Atlanta History Center.  The museum was interesting with several exibits of the town's varied past, but what I went to see were the two historic houses on the 33 acre grounds.

There was the Tullie Smith House a pre-civil war farm house:

And the Swan House, an early 20th century mansion house:

And the grounds were beautiful:

By this time the heat was killing me.  Back to Susie's place for a nice cool shower.

That evening it was dinner at The Atlanta Fish Market, wich was good, but apparently their staff has no idea how to handle food alergies, causing my friend some discomfort.  Then, later on, drinks at a fantastic Irish pub called The Olde Blind Dog.

Road Trip: Atlanta Part 1

"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same." - Elbert Hubbard

Remember I remarked before about my physical handicaps?  One of the results is that I cannot spend more than 6 hours in a car without experiencing pain.  Yesterday, I spent 13 hours in my car!  13!

It was bad.  I drove through 4 states to visit an old friend who moved to Atlanta.  I've never been there before.  I just got a new car and a new camera, both of which NEEDED a test drive.  And I haven't seen my friend in several years.

So I hit the road.  The only problem is, I only had a few days off and I wanted to spend as much of it with my friend as possible so...13 hours in a car, no stopping halfway for a hotel room and a rest.

I planned to go running this morning because I didn't have a chance to run all week.  (I was in training class for work all last week so - no time for running)  But I'm in so much pain this morning, I can barely move.  So much for running.

But, despite the pain, it was a beautiful drive.  I miss being on the road.  I got to see the Mississippi River and two states I haven't been to before.  AND, I get to see my friend, which is the best part.

So, I'm off today to go see some Atlanta history and play with my new camera.  I'll share some more later.

Quick pics snapped out the car window with an iPhone:
 

(I'm so bummed I missed getting the Georgia sign)

The Continuing Saga

"If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you." - Les Brown

I wrote about the decision I had to make about my camera.  Put more money into trying to repair it, replacing it with a similar model or replacing it with the professional model I eventually wanted to move into anyway.

I chose option number 3.  An option I instantly regretted the moment I placed the order.  How could I spend so much money I didn't have?  How could I break my debt promise?  What was I thinking?  This is the reason I struggled for so long to get out of debt in the first place.

I got my camera in the mail.  The news was even worse.  Very few of my current accessories fit the new camera.  The lens is too big for my filters, some of which I had barely used yet.  The battery wasn't interchangable.  I even had to upgrade my photo editing software because the camera is a new enough model, the older software couldn't read the raw file format.

Sigh.

Then I went out and shot some pictures.  The new camera is heavier, but I replaced 2 lenses with 1 lens, so less gear to carry.  That worked itself out.  And the results...

Sharp and clear.  I'm so thrilled.  I don't know how I ever lived without this camera!

So, on occasion, questioning your decisions is a good idea, in this case, it was wrong.  Buying the new camera was absolutely the best decision I could have made and I have high hopes of taking my photography to the next level.

Fundamental Dilemma

"Debt, n. An ingenious substitute for the chain and whip of the slavedriver." - Ambrose Bierce

So I paid Nikon to fix my camera.  And when I got it back, I was exactly the same as before I sent it.  Cleaner.  Software updated.  But still with problems.

As I wish to become a professional photographer, my next goal after buying a new car is to save for a full frame, professional camera.  So I really don't want to put any more money into a camera that may not ever work properly again.  So, I need to replace it.
But, because I had to buy my new car sooner than I anticipated, it left me without the cash reserves to purchase a new camera outright.

Debt makes me angry. I spent a huge chunk of time digging myself out of a fairly large financial hole and pride myself on "living within my means" and not carrying consumer debt.

Do I replace my camera with the same model I have for a smaller amount of money that I can pay off in a couple months?  Then begin saving for the professional model, having spent several hundreds of dollars on a camera that, for all intents and purposes, is only temporary?

Or

Do I buy the professional camera now, placing myself in greater debt that will take a significant bit longer to pay off, but not "wasting" money on the less expensive (but not cheap) "temporary" camera.

Do I stick closer to my values in the short term, or go against the grain for something that will be of greater benefit in the long run?

Voice From the Past

"I firmly believe that you live and learn, and if you don't learn from past mistakes, then you need to be drug out and shot."  - R. Lee Ermey


Once upon a time, there was a girl, young and foolish, like most girls.  Most of the people in her life, people whom she should have been able to count on, people who claimed she could trust, all let her down, turned their backs, walked away.

One day, she met a guy.  This guy seemed like a good guy.  She was honest about her past, how it was difficult for her to trust.  He swore he would never let her down.  She wanted to believe him, but like the young and foolish girl she was, she tested him.  And tested him.  And he stayed.  He was good to her.  She eventually started to believe that maybe, just maybe, she could trust him.

And then he left.  Without a word.  Just gone.  Like all the others who had let her down.

That young girl doesn't exist anymore. Grew up. Moved on. Put the past and all those people behind her.

But one day, he's back in her life, just as quickly as he left.  An email in her inbox: "Is it you?"
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Does she reply?

My Life in Bullet Points

“God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind that I will never die.” - Bill Watterson quotes (American Author of the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes)

• I went to shoot bluebonnets recently and realized that the lack of sharpness in my photograps over the last few months is NOT a result of bad user technique (thank god), but a problem with the auto-focus on my camera.

Its hard to tell from a tiny picture, but blow it up and it's completely blurry

• Its great to know my photography is not getting worse, but a repair bill from Nikon is not what I needed at the moment.

• Lord knows when Nikon will complete the repair and ship my camera back so I'm now experiencing serious photographic withdrawals.  All I have to take photos with is my iPhone and a little digital point-and-shoot.

• I still get reminders every now and then that I am not a professional photographer yet.  I don't quite have the mindset.  When I was taking the above photo, I parked across the street and was crouching down in the tall grass.  A cop drove by and stopped to check out my car  (he couldn't see me).  My first reaction SHOULD have been to snap a photo.  I didn't even think of it until he drove away.  (Very nice guy, I have to report.)  Oh well.  It will come.

• I added another interval to my run today.  I am up to six.  Give it another month and I'll be able to move on to week 2! :)

• The pain in my ankles when I run has not completely gone away, but, barring a few relapses, its significantly decreased.

• Maybe a year from now, when I've completed this 8 week course, they will actually have strenthened up a little bit.

• I mentioned before I have started using twitter.  I'm actually up to maybe 2 tweets a week, which is fantastic for an anti-social loner like me!  My twitter handle is @remmarkphoto if anyone is interested.

• The springtime wildlife is out in force at the lake.  I got a few shots with my iPhone.

Cute little bunny down for it's morning drink from the lake

A Yellow Headed Blackbird passing through on it's way north

• I finally got my new car!!!  My poor 16 year old Honda Civic was dying a slow and painful death and deserved to be put out of my misery.  It was a good car and I was sad to give it up, but now I have a nice shiny new (used) CR-V that I have been lusting after for several years now.

• Isn't there a rule that you have to take a new car on a road trip?

• I'm planning to visit a friend in Georgia. :)

• I just pray my camera will be back in time or I'll be shooting with a Cannon PowerShot.  How embarrassing!

• It's weird.  Once you actually accomplish a major goal, you kind of have that feeling of, "What now?" 

• Time to look at that list of things to do in my life, pick the next thing to work on and get cracking. 

• Maybe that should be to start my photography business...for real, legally speaking.