Change of plans

I am what you could call a “structured” person. I feel most comfortable planning ahead, setting goals, working with timetables… Then life has the most unusual way of throwing little challenges my way – perhaps precisely to help me loosen up a bit and consider other possibilities.

My “plan” for this website, starting mid-September through October, was to do another series like our earlier “Christmas in July.” Only this time a little more involved, because what I wanted to bring was a small quilted project a day. Which means that I actually had to sew these projects up! Not too hard, I’d think, considering that the whole point would be that one could actually sew one of these projects in an afternoon.

Being me, I wanted to have at least half of the projects sewn up, instructions written up and pdf files ready to go before September 15th. I had drawn up my list of projects… and even the order in which I would post them.

This is how far I got on the very first step-by-step project:

I had placed my camera down on the table right after that last shot. And yes, being me I am very careful about these things. So I was absolutely shocked when I picked up the camera for the next shot and got a lens error. The lens simply would not open up. I quickly opened up the manual (yes, people, I actually keep all my manuals together!) and read that I should turn the camera off and try again. Not much help, considering the camera had already turned off by itself. The only other alternative left was to contact technical support.

Fortunately, I thought, I have the warranty. The problem, however, is that I purchased this camera in the U.S. and I am in Ecuador. Besides the cost of shipping this back to the U.S. and then back again to Ecuador, the bigger problem for me was how long I would be stuck without a camera. This is where I realize how dependent I truly am on technology. I mean, I know it’s possible, but I find it hard to imagine living without my computer (and Internet access), my camera, and my quilt and graphics design software! (BTW, my darling daughter pointed out I actually have great friends who gladly would have lent me a camera for a while, but of course I panicked and didn’t even consider the possibility until after this episode!)

After exploring possibilities online, I soon discovered this is a very common problem with this particular camera. I also found out, unfortunately, that most users who returned their cameras were told by the company in question that the warranty would not cover the repair because they had either: dropped the camera or taken it to the beach and gotten sand in it. They all pretty much described my same situation. I know I have never dropped or hit this camera, and I haven’t been to the beach in years, much less with this camera.

So my decision turned out not to be that difficult, after all. I took the camera to a local dealer. They opened it up and cleaned it, and found there actually is a *little* problem with the lens and suggested I consider changing it… for a little under the price I would be paying for a new camera. I don’t think so. They also told me – in a very *latino* way: “Who knows? Maybe nothing will happen.” It’s working ok, other than a little clicking noise when I open and close the lens, but everything else is normal. I think I’ll chance it.

This incident, however, and finding myself stranded without a camera while it was being repaired, forced me to change plans. Ok, so I’m pushing the dates back a little, but still hope to be able to start posting projects in October. In the meantime, after feeling a little lost the first couple of days, having to change plans involved taking the time to draw some Halloween projects that I wasn’t going to offer initially, but that I find users have liked. And then I’ve taken some time for other personal projects.

More about that to come… (-: