This is also how they test the effectiveness of Depends. I'm not there yet, but this cartoon took me there.

Shapiro's knowledge and expertise far exceeds just about everyone on this forum. Telling others you know all about shutter speed, aperture and iso doesn't make you a wedding photographer. The amount of time you spend with consultations, researching the venue('s), some places require the photographer to carry liability insurance or they have photo restrictions. All this time far exceeds the 4,8,12 hrs. you spend behind the camera. Communication is the key to a successful photo shoot. High quality photos require you to know your equipment inside and out and be able to work at lightning speed. Family, relatives and others have important jobs/responsibilities to do (decorate, set up for the reception, etc.). Communication with everyone is vital. Photography takes time, no-one has time, everyone is frantically running around because they have jobs to do. Communication long before the wedding day is a must. There will be times you, the photographer, will need to fill the roll as a therapist and calm down the B/G and relatives that don't see eye to eye. It is your responsibility as the photographer to capture the best expressions. Occasionally things go smoothly (those were the weddings I bragged about). Most of the time, stress and time constraints cause problems for the wedding party. Out of the dozen weddings I did and a few years assisting, classroom and OJT, I chose to not do weddings. I assisted and often helped the official photographer get out of sticky situations. I often smiled at them and said now you know why I don't do this for a living. Wedding photography can be very lucrative business if you choose to pursue it. My biggest take away from this is "Communication". You, the B/G and all relatives need to be on the same page. Learn from the pros, get hired on as an assistant and absorb as much as possible. The occasional shoot my friend's wedding will almost always result in a horrifying experience. Lick your wounds and press on. That is what a professional does.

Eddie the Eagle and the Jamaican bobsled team.

Whenever I go to some place I've never been before, I keep a map in the glove box. It's my backup when GPS tells me to take what I call a scenic route. And watch out when Google maps says WARNING, delayed traffic ahead, re-routing your destination.

Interesting tid-bit Samantha. Thanks for sharing.

My flags are flying high.

I have this tripod. Love it. I have used it with my D850 and 24-70 lens. Quick release plate is a bit small so I'm extra careful to make sure it is attached to the ball head correctly. But then again, any small light weight tripod isn't going to have a large beefy plate. The ball head is large so I feel comfortable putting my D850 on it. It is my go to tripod when I don't want to lug around my big heavy Benro with gimbal head.

Sold off a lot, I'm down to $25k.

For someone who only occasionally works on cars at home, it doesn't make economical sense to buy expensive Snap On tools. Us professional mechanics that did it for a living know the quality of Snap On tools can't be beat. I was an auto mechanic for 30 yrs., plus an aircraft engine mechanic for 20 yrs. with the Air National Guard (weekend warrior). Now I have $25,000 + in tools sitting in my garage. Whatever work needs to be done on my cars, I have the tools.

Even if the bulb still works, buy the latest and greatest to satisfy the GAS syndrome.

Is that a snap ring I see around the bearing? If it's like a hub bearing on a car, remove the snap ring and use a press from the back side to press the bearing out. And it looks like the inner race stayed on the hub.

Thank you.

I went there last night. I DID IT!!!! I said NO! Then I moved on to other emails.

I have never purchased from Abe's, but even back in the film days everyone said stay away from Abe's. That was 35+ years ago. BBB, reports to consumer fraud, etc. have not shut them down. Why not? Several UHH members have mentioned they buy gray market/3rd party. The power of rumors/gossip targeting one or two companies I guess.

So true Fencehog. When I look at someone's photograph, I look at the beauty, artistic impression they are conveying, the journalistic reality of the moment. It would be funny if the OP had the option to add a toilet emoji with sound effects to any poster who complained about noise, technical issues, etc. And for those who want to jump on me, there is a difference between nitpicking vs. constructive criticism. Just thought I'd chime in and make some noise. Where's that toilet emoji!!!!!!?????