October 29, 2007
Shuttered Out
First, two more bits of nothingness:
1. Simon got a phone call from the friend who stayed with us two weekends ago, telling us that the cats' little red mouse toy? Is now in Albuquerque. Stowaway or hostage?
2. I forgot what number two was. Crap.
***
Over the weekend, we went to a pumpkin-carving, lasagne-eating, internet-dorkery party at Moose's house, which is even older than ours. We brought two pumpkins and a duffel bag full of power tools. Here is Simon helping Holly carve her very first pumpkin, with a cordless power jigsaw. (Grammar lesson: The comma in the previous sentence means this was not just Holly's first time carving a pumpkin with a jigsaw but her first time carving a pumpking ever!) (I believe this was Simon's first time carving a pumpkin with a jigsaw.) In true me form, I talked myself up as some sort of carving expert and then ended up with something looking a little like Madonna, a little like Bjork, a little Clockwork Orange, and a little like myself after two glasses of wine, i.e., the pumpkin's mouth (and mine) was all squiggly like Barney Gumble's during a hearty belch. Sadly, I did not get a photograph.
Why did I not get a photograph of my popstar-o'-lantern? Why did I not get a single photograph all weekend? Because my camera is broken(!). While at Moose's party I felt a little better about not being able to take pictures because there was someone in attendance with whom I could at least talk about taking pictures (Holly's Sean; hi, Sean!), and although in his infinite wisdom he suggested putting my camera body in the freezer for fifteen minutes to fix it (mysterious error codes call for mysterious solutions?), nothing at all could solve my problem, and so this morning I packed up my body and main lens and sent it all to the service department, four hundred miles away. And just in time for me to travel nine hundred miles in the opposite direction without it! Yes, I know I'm not going to die from this, but I feel like I'm going to die from this. Or maybe that's just the atrophying shutter finger talking.
The camera has outlasted its warranty, so I have no idea how much it will cost to fix whatever the problem turns out to be, but as I checkmarked the boxes on the UPS computer that rack up extra charges for expedited delivery and insurance, I was both heartwarmed and heartsickened to realize that my limits when it comes to this camera are most likely boundless. If the good folks at Canon tell me it's going to cost $500 to fix, my check will read $500 and I will likely draw a curved line under the two zeros to make them look like a smiley face. That's how much I love my camera and how much I want it back in working order. I threw an extra few dollars into the petty cash box at my office as reimbursement for the insane amount of bubblewrap and packing tape I used to secure the camera during transport. I actually kissed the box before I put in in the outgoing mail bin, and so great is my love, so deep was my pain that I didn't care that a coworker stopped in his tracks to raise an eyebrow at me as I fondled the cardboard box and wiped away a tear.
Posted by Leah at October 29, 2007 03:19 PMGodspeed, camera.
Also you and Holly (blogrushes #1a and #1b, in no particular order) hung out this past weekend? And the universe didn't implode from all the awesomeness?
Hmm.
Posted by: Clink at October 29, 2007 03:46 PMI broke my 17-85 lens about two weeks ago and had to buy an L-lens to soothe my grieving. I bet that camera kiss will expedite the healing.
Posted by: hello insomnia at October 29, 2007 05:19 PMI realized (later, after quite a bit of brandy-laced wine) that I didn't even THINK of carving a pumpkin. I was too preoccupied with drifting about and scooping up bits of pie. I am a fraud. But your pumpkin ruled. As did the duffel bag of power tools.
Posted by: Moose at October 29, 2007 06:01 PMOh, Leah. I am heartbroken for you. Last weekend my camera would not focus and I was all frantic and FREAKING OUT and AHHHHHH!
I had hit the button on the lens to make it Manual focus instead of AF.
Duh.
So? I understand your agony.
But you knew I would ;)
Hope your camera is fixed QUICKLY and, um, CHEAPLY. Because I'm Dutch and cheap = awesome :)
Posted by: Angella at October 29, 2007 06:19 PMThe night before our wedding (in Lake Tahoe, CA), I left the camera in the trunk and the next day the lens would not de-fog, no matter what I did. As I frantically begged someone to MAKE IT BETTER, I also frantically begged everyone NOT TO MENTION THIS TO MIKE UNTIL AFTER HE'S LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO FORGIVE ME.
Thankfully it de-fogged.
Posted by: Jennie at October 29, 2007 06:44 PMI'm in Albuquerque. Let me know if I (and my new kitty, "Q") can help with that red mouse deal.
Ironically, my partner's camera (a Canon 20D SLR) just "broke", too. Something to do with the memory card slot pins breaking...she has no idea how much it's going to cost to fix it but she's sending it out to Canon tomorrow.
Sounds like we need to and 1812 overture kind of prayer for both Canon's.
God's Light Speed...
:)
Posted by: Natalie at October 29, 2007 07:45 PMUm.. "need to an 1812 overture..."
I'm "d" happy...but definitely not 20D happy...
Posted by: Natalie at October 29, 2007 07:47 PMAll those power tools and pumpkin carving and that togetherness brought a tear to my eye.
As did the camera. Actually that part brought tears to both of my eyes. I'm so very sorry.
Posted by: Heather B. at October 29, 2007 08:05 PMWHAT? Sean told you to put your camera in the FREEZER? Wow, I didn't know he'd had THAT many glasses of wine.
Posted by: Nothing But Bonfires at October 29, 2007 09:58 PMI really hope it is something quirky and not something fundamentally broken with your camera. Hopefully they open it up, remove a little bit of dust and poof it works. I'll be thinking about you and your camera.
Hopefully you will have it back in time for the holidays.
OK, cutting up pumpkins, with power tools?
Now I completely do not understand why Halloween has never hit it off in Australia. This sounds just like a good Aussie thing to do on a weekend.
Aww, that's so sad! I feel your pain - broken/lost/stolen cameras are the worst! When I was living in Europe, I managed to go through four (nice) ones in just one year!
Posted by: Kristin at October 30, 2007 01:14 PMIt's sad, but you said fondled so I laughed.
Posted by: will at October 30, 2007 01:39 PMI feel your pain. I lost my camera week ago and feel like I lost my wallet or house keys or something important. I'm not even a very good photographer, but I NEED my camera. I have a two-year-old for goodness sake! She could do something cute at any second.
I hope your repaired camera makes it home as soon as possible.
Posted by: Heather at October 31, 2007 02:29 AMI bet your camera misses you, but fear not, it will be fixed soon.
Now, please don't tell your camera, but if for some reason it cannot be revived, there is hope. I have the new XTI, and I can testify that it's quite an upgrade (10.1 mp, 2.5-inch screen, etc., etc.). You can get one from B&H (surely you know what B&H is, right?) for not that much more than $500 for a new body. There, I said it.
Or maybe your camera will cost $50 to fix and you can get another one anyway to sling over the other arm and put a longer lens on. :-)
Posted by: Texas T-bone at November 2, 2007 10:21 AM
