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?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
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.

 

 

Presidents Everywhere

"The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny." - Albert Ellis

All five living presidents are in town today.  Forget that it is an unprecidented historical event.  The event itself is "invitation only" so it's not like the locals can participate in said historical event.

Road closures.  That is what I'm talking about.  Half the roads in my neighborhood are closed becaus of this historical event.

On the bright side, I got up early to beat the traffic for my run and was treated to a spectacular sunrise.

I Did It!

"Wearing your running shoes everywhere this spring may increase your odds of actually running." - Unknown


...and then I didn't.  I actually completed all 8 run intervals on the first day of the second rendition of week 1.  I had quite a bit of pain in my ankles, but I FINISHED.  And then...

Day 2 the ankle pain was so bad, I could only do 4 intervals and wasn't sure I would be able to walk back without a rest.

Argh!  I even bought a new pair of running shoes (the least intense ones I could find in my size).

The only reason I'm not too concerned about the ankle pain is because I experienced it before when I started walking, but with the greater effort of pace, I am experiencing a greater intensity of pain.  Even with pre-run stretches.

I did find that, instead of running 4 intervals in a row and walking (hobbling) the rest,  it is much more tollerable if I run every other interval and walk the intervals in between.

It took several weeks for my ankles to aclimate to the regular walking.  I have no doubt it will be the same with running.  I refuse to be deterred.

I keep reminding myself that it is not how fast I progress that is important right now.  I consider it a complete success to get myself out of bed on a regular basis and moving my body as much as is possible for my current  level of fitness (or lack thereof).

As an added incentive, I am enjoying the change of landscape to spring.

Trees are budding their leaves:

Birds are strutting for the ladies:

 

 

Even a pelican passing through has stopped for a paddle.

 

 

Life is good and only getting better.  :)