When Tempers Flare

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but I have a temper.  It's not a horribly unbecoming kind of temper, but I'm willing to admit that I've been known to lose it on a few occasions.  In most life situations I'm actually very patient and laid back.  So long as I'm not in a time crunch, I don't complain when the line is too long, the service is too slow or the traffic is too crazy.  However, when my long fuse finally blows, my finest attributes are not exhibited.  Meek and mild mannered I ain't.

Just ask Craig.  Oh, the stories he could tell.

I confess that this is not one of my most admirable qualities, but on the other hand, it's not like I flip over tables at restaurants a la Housewives of New Jersey style.  I still have manners; I'm a nice hot head.  And much mellower than I used to be.  However, in my emotionally reckless days, I once threw a remote at Craig (well, in his general direction), stomped on a Ziploc baggie full of freshly baked cookies and also stomped on  (and broke) one of my plastic containers I use to transport baked goods in.

We've learned that it's best not to talk politics in our house  because when we do, something gets stomped on.  Really, that's not entirely true, but it has been known to happen.  The problem is that I'm very passionate about my political persuasions and Craig is a rat likes to play devil's advocate.

He does it on purpose and can push my buttons like no other.  Too bad a poor unsuspecting plastic container had to suffer because of Craig's button pushing tactics.

I digress.  This post is not about politics or smashed cookies.  It is, however, about my overall frustration with my newly purchased Nikon point and shoot camera and its unfortunate demise.  As we were getting ready to go trick or treating last night, I arranged Caroline in the best naturally lit part of our house and began to take pictures of her in her costume.   She dressed up as a race participant:  running suit, running shoes with timing chip, race number, ipod holder, watch, reflective belt, pig tails (like her mom!).  The whole nine yards.  She looked really cute, too.

Anyway, I had her pose in all sorts of running poses, had her stretch and bend down to tie her shoe.  The shot ideas were perfect, but the execution, thanks to my crappy camera was not.  As I was bent over, getting a picture of Caroline adjusting her shoe, I got a little frustrated with the fuzziness of my pictures and lightly (no seriously, it was lightly) tapped it on the ground.  And then I saw the dreaded "lens error" sign.  Ugh.  I bent the lens!

For crying out loud, I broke the camera I just bought in August.

It's a piece of junk, mind you, but still.  I broke it.  And I didn't even stomp on it.  I tapped it on the ground in frustration.  Evidently, I don't know my own strength.  All that BodyPump is paying off.

The bad news is the camera is toast and, in my opinion, not worth trying to fix. The good news is that I'm getting a new (and better) camera.  The bad news is the camera I'm getting is pricey.  Cha-ching!  The good news is it's the camera I wanted all along.  Oh, and my birthday is in three weeks.  Hello early birthday (and Christmas and Mother's Day) present!

I do have a few pictures of Caroline in costume on my SD card, so once I have the new camera, I should be able to post them.  I also need to get the camera ASAP because we still need to take a picture of Caroline with her TV-on-the-Toe project that is due on Wednesday.  Perfect timing, eh?

Sheesh.

As happy as I am to finally get the dslr camera I've been dreaming about, I didn't want for it to happen this way.  I didn't like my point and shoot, but I certainly didn't mean to kill it.    I may get a little frustrated every now and then, but I'm no camera murderer.

I sound like a murder suspect in an episode of Law and Order, don't I?

It was an accident, I swear.  No really it was.
I'm not a camera murderer.  I promise. 
I can change.  No really, I will. 
You can trust me. You have my word. 


Despite my camera woes, our night of trick or treating was fun.  Caroline came home with a heavy, sagging bag of candy.  Good stuff!  Hardly any gumballs, dum dum suckers or cheap chocolate.
We're up to our eyeballs in Butterfingers and Nestle Crunch bars, which, isn't really a bad thing.  We also have most of the candy (heh, I just typed camera) we purchased to hand out;  it's hard to hand out candy when you're accompanying your trick or treater on her candy finding mission.

I suppose I'll need to think of something to do with the leftovers, otherwise, I'll just eat it all.  Even *I* can't handle that many fun size Milky Way bars.  And that's really saying something, because if there is anything I'm good at, it's breaking cameras eating Halloween candy.

Happy Monday!