I went to Saratoga Race Track this morning and all I got was this crummy picture


Today was a ROUGH day.

I went to bed last night with the alarm set for 4:30am. so that I could get up and be at my friend Genine's house at 5-to drive together to Saratoga Race Track (about 30 min away) to get some pictures of the horses. We were hoping for a beautiful sunrise / mist in the background shot. I don't know who we were kidding. More on that later.

At 12:00 I was woken by my crazy teenage neighbors having a party. We dealt with that fiasco until 1:30. Then my son was up from the racket-so I had to cuddle him for an hour or so. On top of it the wine we had with dinner at a friends had gone to my head and I felt hung over and cranky at 4:30 this morning.

I got to Genines 15 minutes past 5. Thanks for having hot coffee ready Genine. By the time we got to Saratoga, it was light out even though there was no distinguishable sunrise-at the staggering early hour of 6am.

Then we realized there was no way to get in close enough-unless you had a press pass AND the proper equipment (telephoto wide angle jammy). But we didn't have either. There was a warm up jockey that tried to get us by Mr. Crabby pants the Prefect, but there was no way around him.

So we set up outside a fence and tried to at least get a few shots of the horses getting bathed and waiting to be brought to warm up. Right after the shot above....my battery died.

What a freakin bummer. I didn't want to ruin it for Genine so I tried to grin and bear the torture of being surrounded by some of the most beautiful creatures on earth. Just the sight of them and the idea of photographing them had made me teary, so I wasn't about to ruin it (or at least try not to) for Genine. At least one of us should get a few shots.

Fast forward- they open the track at 7 for warm ups-the sun is shining-the jockeys are bringing the horses close to pose, Genine is snapping away-and am trying my best to pretend I am there to socialize with strangers. I strike up a conversation with a guy sitting on a bench with a nice camera-before I know it I am telling him my mistake-dead battery and he is pulling an extra out of his bag for me to use. I am so excited! Man the universe is really guiding me-life is good I say to myself.......I notice the battery looks a bit mismatched......and what do you know, my camera doesn't turn on. I try to take the battery out-it is stuck. I give it the old hand heel tap and end up using my house key to gently pry it out. I am bummed but oh well. I proceed to watch Genine snap away while I continue to mumbled to myself under my breath about how dumb I was not to check my battery before I left the house.

Genine comes over and offers me to borrow her battery to take a few shots. I must have looked pretty gloomy pacing around:) Poor Genine. Sorry honey buns.

Anyway...........I put the battery in and....................nothing...............NOTHING...............MY CAMERA IS NOT TURNING ON...................OMFG.............I BROKE MY CAMERA!

Sorry to be shouting I just needed to to get the enormity of my angst in those moments across to you.

So that just blew my whole morning to shreds. I start blubbering- tears falling-I get on the phone to my husband
Me: ".....sniff sniff.....can look it up for me online? (I can't bear to have to wait to get home to know if I should have a complete freaking , omg, I broke my one and only, $700 camera spaz attack)"
Him: "...what do you want me to look up?"
Me: (I am thinking - I don't know you freakin computer geek-get over being annoyed with me and FIND OUT IF MY FU^&Ing CAMERA IS BROKEN!) ".pause...I don't know, maybe:" camera not working after trying to cop a strangers extra battery?"

He had no answers I had no patience so we got off the phone. I had no idea how to compose that previous mess of a sentence).

I went back to the stranger blubbering about breaking my camera and asking if I could see the batteries to write down what kind it was (the toxic breaking camera kind apparently). He gave me the batteries with a look that I couldn't tell if it was like a serial killers or true compassion. I chose compassion-thanked him and took the battery.

A bit later Genine decides that she isn't getting the sunrise with mist shot-nor a shot where the horse is not blurry or dark because of the sun shining so bright so we decide to call the shoot short so to speak.

I am in the car with Genine-I say"there must be a reason for this"....trying to look on the happy side, if that is even remotely possible when I just broke my fu*^ing camera. Genine clues right in and starts Secret talking...."Listen-you are going to get an answer with one phone call and that will be it. You will get it fixed." I was pleased to have these simple words sink in with ease. I just accepted that was the way it would happen and it did.

My camera is wrapped up nicely ready to be shipped first thing Monaday morning to Canon. It is still under warrenty so we hope the repairs will be covered.

Apparently you should never ever ever put a battery in your DSL camera unless you are absolutely sure it is the right model battery. It will break your camera. The "friendly canon representative" told me that since the camera never went on with that battery it probably is a simple fix that should only take a day or two. But if it is a big boo boo it might take 7-10 days.

May I ask you......WTF am I going to do without a camera for that long? I swear I am tempted to pull out my moms old polaroid and use that when the moment strikes me. All day I realized that I am constantly looking for pictures in my surroundings. I think my camera is like a drug:) LOL.

Now I have not forgotten the little challenge I set up last post. I loved all the ideas-you are a creative bunch:) I must admit I was impatient and felt this huge urge to just get it over with 3 days ago during my son's nap. I decided to go with the easiest- 3 colored pieces of paper in the same tones. BORING I know but I couldn't wait for grass to grow! And thank goodness - maybe the universe was on my side after all, making me take the photos last week. It must have been clear I would be without my camera for a bit.

I have some ideas about the lesson in this....I will share on my next post.

Most importantly....... the prize goes to..........




all of you! AHA. I just couldn't pick one idea so anyone who has posted an idea before 7:52pm EST on Aug 18th can pick a picture from flickr or my store and I will send you a card with a print on it as a thank you. Don't forget you have to email me your name and address-except sarah and Melissa-I know where you guys live:)