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Tuesday, May 9, 2000

Distant Thunder

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A distant thunder pushes these words across the page. Soon the weather will require shutdown.

Today started with a thunderstorm and rain. I heard the first drops. They fell with a loud drumming just before dawn. I lay awake and watched the lightning, listened to the wind. Later, Attila's alarm woke him up. He did not know I was awake. I watched him rise from the bed and stand at the window watching the rain. Sometimes a moment captures what we cherish most in life.

The new close-up lenses for my camera are occupying my attention. I took thirty or more pictures today, only one of them looks promising. The wind was playing with everything green in the yard. My photos are blurred. The photo of the tablecloth turned out very well. A two dimensional, static object reveals the potential of the lenses. I am very impressed with the tablecloth photo, not as impressed by the subject. Tomorrow is another day, another opportunity to practice depth perception.

I decided to write down all the things that I would buy if money were not a concern. There are only four things on the list. I am not sure if my desires are modest or my foresight limited. I suspect the latter rather than the former. However, one of the four items is financially within my grasp, a second set of batteries for my camera. Attila gave me rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydride batteries (GP) for Christmas but they stopped working in early April. The one-year-old Kodak batteries are still going strong. I guess you get what you pay for. I feel bad for Attila, the batteries he purchased were the only ones available in the weeks before Christmas.

Shopping on the Internet is a source of frustration to those not living in continental USA. There are few Canadian companies selling products on line, most of the companies offering great prices are in the US. The Canadian dollar is worth a lot less in the US, shipping is never free or even reasonably priced, customs takes their fair share, and then the sales taxes are applied. I purchased a $10 US CD from eBay last year. The shipping was $5.00 US; the cost of writing a check from a non-US bank was $8.00 US. That came to $23.00 US and somewhere in the neighborhood of $32.00 Canadian. That was hardly a bargain by anyone's standards.

I am still searching for a good Canadian retailer with inexpensive shipping that carries digital cameras and accessories. Several retailers in "The City" sell digital cameras and a few accessories. The prices are high. The staff are not knowledgeable. Eventually I will locate the batteries I want at a price I feel is reasonable. It might not be soon. It may be on my next trip to a larger city. Shopping is not pleasant where we live. If truth were told, I would not find shopping pleasant no matter where we lived.

The rain is starting to fall outside my window. I am expecting thunder and lightning to follow and so must close for tonight.