134 ERRORS IN JUDGEMENT

I looked online and found a mall, with several different outlets, and since it was darn chilly, cloudy and threatening rain, so I figured that walking around in a mall would be ok.  So just for something different to do today, I decided to see if I could get a pair of runners that would fit my feet and feel comfortable.  I called for an Uber and he delivered me to the location I specified.  But to my surprise, it’s a strip mall with several different businesses.

I checked the first store, but they had nothing in a size 13.  They directed me to the next mall which has a New Balance store.  Another, surprise as I started walking.  The next mall was a full 2 miles away.  In between was a whole lot of nothing.  On my left was a highway and on my right was a small river, sort of.  Of course, all the warning signs I have seen about gators and snakes near water had me a little on edge.

I was absolutely by myself in the middle of nowhere.  Right there off to my right was a medium sized alligator lying perfectly still.  He was no more than 30 feet away.  That kind of worried me, but he was perfectly still and looking away.  So being a true photographer, I decided to take his picture.  I started to swing the camera up into position, I noticed three shady looking guys walking towards me.  I have no idea where they came from, but I didn’t like the feel of the situation.

I abandoned thoughts of a photo and started to think about my safety and preservation of my gear.  Between the camera and all the extra lenses and gear in the backpack, I had around $20,000 worth of gear.  I’d be a major score for these guys.  I started to walk as fast as I could, which would be about a normal pace for anyone else.  I was managing to keep my distance in front of them.

Finally, I came across a fast food place, I think Chick-Fil-A and I went in the closest door.  I wasn’t hungry, but I felt safe.  The three guys came in and I headed out the other door and they joined the lunch lineup.  I can’t say if I escaped something nefarious, or if it was a genuine innocent encounter.

All I know is a little farther on, across the highway, I came across the New Balance store and headed there.  There is a specific model of New Balance shoes that fit me properly and are comfortable.  The guy inside was as helpful as anything, but he confirmed that New Balance no longer makes my model of shoe.

The next problem came in when there was no Wi-Fi to access anywhere, so I had no way to call for an Uber.  It resulted in me having to turn on roaming for the first time and use cellular data.  So, I finally got my Uber and got back to the hotel.  Onwards to the next plan.

The other night I arrived at Universal just minutes before closing, so I was able to see the grand finale and fireworks show, but not enough time to get to Hogwarts for the lightshow there.  Tonight, I was going to go early, while it was still light and wait for it to get dark.  At the same time, I could eat dinner at Mel’s Drive-In from American Graffiti, just to say I did so.

I got all my stuff together and was down to catch the shuttle bus for Universal at 3:30 PM.  I got all the way down there and approached the security tables for the usual search of my gear and bag.  I was fully compliant, had the bag in one bin and camera and wallets etc. in another.  All was going fine.

City Walk is a free, open to the public walkway with restaurants, bars and other places, but you must go through security before getting in.  Now since arriving here on January 16, I have been to City Walk about 6 or 7 times and have been in Universal Studios 5 or 6 times.  Each time I carried my D4s with the Tamron 600 lens attached and it wasn’t a problem.

Today though, just as the search was concluded, another security guy stepped up and told me I couldn’t bring the camera in.  When I asked why, he said that “the lens is too big”.  I explained how many times I had been in with it and he said, you shouldn’t have been.  He offered me a solution by telling me if I took the big lens off, put a smaller lens on, I could put the big lens in the backpack and leave it with him.

I politely declined and explained I had very expensive gear in there and I’m not trusting it with anyone.  It has been constantly attached to me since I left home.  So, I grabbed my stuff to go to the bus and back to the hotel.  Once there I wrote a lengthy email to Universal customer service asking for a clarification.  Now, I just wait and see what kind of response I get.

I have about 95% of the shots I want and maybe the weather will be better in the next few days and I can go down there with a smaller lens and get the remaining shots that I want.  Then again, maybe I’ll just call it a day and forget the additional shots.  Time will tell.