So, as many of you know, I have two different devices at hand to take pictures. One is my camera phone, which leaves MUCH to be desired in the way of capturing images.
The other is owned by my SWMBO's work. A Canon EOS Rebel XT 8.0 MP that, when bought a year and a half ago, was worth, oh, about $1000.00.

The other day I was working on the ole Guntruck, made some progress and called G to bring home the good camera from work. "No problem" she said.

She got home, I met her outside, as usual, and she looks at me and says, "Honey, there's been an incident..." as she gets out of the truck. She proceeds to relate the incident as thus:

"I put the camera into my lunchbox when I got into the truck and I heard a weird sound, so I opened the lunchbox again and it seems something poked a hole in the Cream Soda in the lunchbox and I drenched the camera in soda."

That was Monday.
We cleaned it out as best as possible and let it air-dry and then used alcohol and a swab to clean the electronic points and terminals. I popped the battery and card in today and...it has power, but, the LCD screen isn't working and a bunch of error codes were displaying. I called Canon Tech Support and got more bad news.
You can imagine what that bad news was. They said " Send it in to Canon, we'll analyze the damage, give you a quote on repair prices. Keep in mind it sounds like the fix could be more that a new camera would cost"

Yes folks, Karmic Retribution.

We went to eBay and looked at Canon Rebels and so far...it's iffy. I'm currently winning a bid for an EOS XT body unit with everything but the lens for $175.00 or so, but, with two days left in the bidding, it's probably going to go the same way with bidding going up to $400.00 or so.

But, Murphy HAS good Karma too. We (SWMBO & I) have found the same thing, brand new, for a solid $225.00. If anything, Karma has me by the cohones.

It's all because Gigi and I paid off the last of our outstanding bills on Saturday and actually sit about $400.00 in the black.

$400.00 in the black for us is outstanding! We almost did a jig. With a physically handicapped little girl (8 years old), we usually sit at about $1000.00 in the red at any given time. So, being $400.00 up, we knew it couldn't last.


Grrrrr. Murph SMASH!!!!

Sorry all, just needed to vent on Karma!

I almost feel better now.

Cuhail

I feel your pain. I made the mistake of loaning my digital camera to my daughter. I hadn't used it for a while since the last time she borrowed it but when I did it wouldn't work. I took it in for an estimate and just got called from them today. $25 labor, (wait for it) $225 parts! This for a camera that cost new $199. Oh well, so much for the extra money from my tax refund.

Isn't it funny how fate, Karma, or whatever always seems to know when you have any extra money.

Always nice to see I'm not alone. I got a nice bonus for a major office move that I managed a portion of, only to have my wife's car die shortly afterward with the repair bill totaling my bonus + $100.

Sometimes I wonder who I wronged in a past life...

... but then I thank my lucky stars that each time that windfall has been there to bail me out when life takes a nasty turn.


- Frank

I Love my Nikon F & Macro lens.
From one who is totally freaked about going digital.

Jack Flash back up in the clouds and outbound at Angels 5.

Howdy Murph', my big friendly lug

Most sorry indeed to hear of your lunchbox misfortune. But, having had a veeeeeery long relationship with a particularly insidious evil force {to be named shortly} I'm not really sure your bad luck lies in the hands of "Karma".....instead, I believe the actual name of your culprit is more closely related to you than you might think......and to add insult to injury, that name {as you might have already guessed} is of all things......MURPHY!!!

Yeah, big guy.......I speak of 'Murphy's Law'.........could bore you to tears with my life-long relationship with the ol' Murph-man.....but the bigger point is;.......I'm at least a little surprised you and he aren't.....better friends

Sorry pard'......just tryin' to throw some humour at you to maybe lessen some of the sting of it all.........

Tread.

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

Man! I really feel for you Cuhail!

I bought a Canon D60 Digital SLR off the internet for about £300 a couple of years ago and I've taken thousands of pictures with it.

I went digital because of the cost (and frustration) of taking pics of our new son, Kenny who had a fearful instinct for blinking or shoving a finger up his nose at the exact second the shutter opened. I had pictures come out which I could have sworn were perfect and yet, there was the offending digit in typical nasal pose!

Considering that out of every 36 pictures (one spool) perhaps 2 pics were off any value, film photography was starting to become horribly expensive!

OH! I LOVE DIGITAL!!!

Take 300 pics (superb quality) with the D60 and it costs me what??? Time, nothing more. Delete 280 or keep the whole lot. It costs nothing!

Loan it to somebody? No chance! Even SWMBO knows better than to damage my camera. She really wouldn't dare.

Digital SLR is the Mutt's Nuts!!

Thanks all!

Rodg, uh huh. That's what I'm talking about.

Frank, that USUALLY happens to me. We'll get a wicked-bad bill and then $$$ pops up from somewhere to cover it.

Tread, my friend, That stupid law you speak of tends to hover around my head like a loyal satellite. My favorite is the first law...and it exploded!

Robin, sometimes I wish it finished the job!

Murdo, it makes me wish we saved the money and just bought our own camera, ya know?

I gotta say that the $1000.00 camera we ruined was from Gigi's work and we were supposed to sign it out, tell the boss we were borrowing it and such, but, it was on the sly. The Boss doesn't even know it's broken yet. Much less out of the office. We're so screwed. I'm not too worried though, the boss is a nice guy (knock on wood) and Gigi is indispensable at work and HOPEFULLY we will have a new body before they need it.

Karma....Murphy's Law....I dunno, but it's gonna get me one of these days and it's gonna get me good!

Hangin' in there,
Cuhail

Murphy's law? Bad luck? I dunno, but it seems to be following me as well.

I finally finish paying off the family vehicle next month (one less monthly bill) and today when i put the thing in reverse....nothing happens. I can go forward no problem, but reverse seems to come an go at random. That doesn't sound like a cheap fix...

Jamie

Tranny guys are Expensive..... Right Gary????

LOL, yeah, we dont come cheap. but then again, the cars today are such nightmares, I often wonder if I charge enough! LOL Jamie, PM me with the year, make and model of your car, and I'll see if I can help you out with some info. Depending on the type of car, it might not be too bad. Although, with the luck I am having lately, it probably is!

Out for the hols with the good old digi cam, Brand new, £370.
Dropped it in a puddle.
:-)

Thanks Gary!!
Very generous offer, that's why I love this place.
I have PMed you!

Jamie

THAT'S the Karma I'm used to! Now, next you'll be saying "Oh, I just needed some tranny fluid" because it's obviously skipping me. :-)

Maybe it's Divine Retrobution and not Karma or Murphy's Law.

Meh, Toe-May-Toe, Toe-Mah-Toe, right?

Tee hee...I'm screwed

Cuhail

I sure hope it's as simple as tranny fluid...but I have already started planning how to spend the extra cash from not having car payments, so it's pretty much guaranteed not to be. :-)
Just like saying "Geez, the kids haven't caught a cold yet this winter" guarantees at least three of them come into the house.

Divine Retribution? Not sure, but it seems to be life's way of saying "You've had it pretty good, now just to be sure you don't take it for granted..."

Jamie

It could be the Almighty sending you a warning message to stop using the company's camera, if you believe in that type of thing. Otherwise it's just bad luck.

Guys,

Thanks, you've confirmed my theory that the cost of living is 10% more than I earn.

HOORAY!

Karma wasn't as cruel as I thought it was! Murphy's Law didn't sue me and spit me out! LIFE IS SAVED!!!

The camera works fine, it's just a little sticky and a friend is cleaning it up later today.

Now, I say we (Gigi & I ) should pay a "stupid tax" or an "offering" to the Karmic Wonder by buying a camera case for the company camera. It makes good sense and good Karma all in one! :-) If we HAD a case to begin with, none of this would of happened. Am I right?

Sooooo, how'd that transmission issue work out?

Cuhail

Excellent news, glad to hear it all worked out for you!

Well, the transmission is being taken apart as we speak as they could not find anything obviously wrong with it. However, when I bought the vehicle, I hummed and hawed and finally I opted for the Extended Warranty...I now have only 2000 km left until it runs out...so it is all being fixed free of charge!!!

So in the end, looks like it all worked out pretty good for both of us...but man, Karma sure likes to see you sweat, huh?

Jamie

Mwa ha ha ha ha :-) :-) :-)

That's awesome! See, it comes and goes. I don't get it sometimes!

Extended warranty....lucky duck!

Cuhail

No kidding.

To be honest, I had almost forgotten about the Warranty as I wasn't sure when it was done. I attribute that to a full blown case of CRAFTS - Can't Remember a $%*#ing Thing Syndrome.

I have to say, Gary was fantastic in helping me out. Gave me some excellent and very handy advice. Great guy, and definitely knows his stuff!

Jamie