I did my research. I contacted acquaintances who had the same product and were happy with it. I checked the product reviews through several online sites.
And I still managed to get a lemon.
Yes, my new Nikon Coolpix B700 camera may be dead. I called the camera shop to check on the status of the warranty repairs and was told Nikon had returned the camera with a note saying the necessary parts were no longer available. Say what? I bought that camera only 5 months ago!
The camera shop is sending the camera to a different repair facility in hope they may have the needed parts. But I’m not hopeful.
There ‘s a 1-year warranty. Someone is going to honor it, either by making the camera fully functional, giving me a new camera, or crediting me the over $500 I paid for the darn thing.
Damn. Could I ever have good luck?
At least it was a nice, sunny day.
Still fuming, and being unable to take quality photos, I decided to simply run errands.
First, to the library to pick out a number of books to entertain myself. Upon exiting, I saw a person lying face-down on the ground by a picnic table to the side of the building. I hesitated. Then the person got up onto all fours, and I figured he (or she, I couldn’t tell) was maybe doing yoga or something. After all, it was a very nice fall day. But then, the person straightened up and was decidedly unsteady on his (or her) feet. At which point, I decided to help him (or her – the person was elderly, thin, had short hair, and to be honest I couldn’t decide between male or female). I was totally ignored when I asked if all was ok or was help needed. Maybe he/she was deaf? He/she had managed to gather up his/her belongings, including a cane, and had started toddling (and huffing) towards the parking lot, so I strolled along. The most help I was able to provide was to move a rather large branch out of the way. At any rate, the person got in his/her car and eventually drove away. As I was going in the same direction, I followed a bit and saw that his/her driving skills had not been impaired.
So I went on to my next destination. Everyone’s favorite —
Walmart.
Yes, I shop at Walmart. Like everyone else I know, I really hate that store, but the prices are too good to avoid, especially when one does not have unlimited income.
No huge issues at Walmart, except that they seem to always manage to put whatever items I’ll need on the very top shelf. That makes shopping a challenge, seeing as I’m only 5’2″ (or at least I was – I may have shrunk in the last couple of years, being that I’m now officially a senior).
Anyway.
I have a particular type of instant coffee I use, which comes in little sticks, 7 to a package, for only 90 cents. Perfect for both work and home, so I can nuke a cuppa whenever I get the urge, without wasting a whole pot. The store is nearly always sold out of that particular product, so I stock up when I can.
And wouldn’t you know it – the few boxes that were left were not only on the very top shelf, but also at the very back of the shelf.
Did I mention that I am height-challenged?
I tried reaching up as far as possible. No luck. I tried jumping up and grabbing. Forget it. I took a can from a lower shelf and tried to use it to bat what I wanted off the top shelf. No dice. I tried reaching, jumping, and batting simultaneously. When you stop laughing, you may continue to read.
I considered climbing up the shelving, but how embarrassing would it have been if the whole structure fell down on top of me? I thought about standing up on the shopping cart – after all, 5-year-olds ride in those carts all the time. But I’m not 5, and I’m not agile.
Apparently, no one was manning the security cameras to see the goofy woman in the coffee aisle.
There were no salespeople around to help. I saw a very tall man a couple of aisles over, but he adamantly refused to make eye contact.
The only other person to approach was a lady even older than me, by 15 years or more – and she was no taller than me, and no more agile. Sighing, I began to turn away, coffee-less.
Wait — what was that hanging off her cart? A cane! With a hooked top!
She was a kindly old lady and agreed her cane is perfect for retrieving top-shelf items. She even did the honors, knocking an entire carton of coffee boxes down so I could take my pick. (I think maybe she was afraid I’d steal the cane.)
Gotta get me one of those canes! No one ever questions a senior carrying one, and they come in handy as aforementioned – plus, one could be useful out in the parking lot should there be robbers.
Just an ordinary Cordelia’s Mom day.
Sorry about the quality of today’s photos. Blame Nikon.
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom
You can do anything with one of these. Most home repair jobs can be handled without hiring professional help. All it requires is a certain attitude. First you have to believe in your ability to accomplish a somewhat complex task. You must also be willing to risk making a problem worse rather than better, because that will occasionally happen. Though it’s rare. And you must maintain a level head, so that you can assess the repair situation, and any contingencies that may arise, in a logical, common sense manner.
Cordelia's Mom, Still 