Bent outta shape

So, this morning, my hubby was going to go to an appointment and run to a few stores. Claire was being a little difficult (read: two years old), so we decided that Claire and I were going to stay here. Before he left, I’d put a pretty pink ribbon in Claire’s hair, and it looked so cute. I asked my hubby to go get my camera to snap a few shots before he left. (Because I was sitting with her on my lap, and Little Miss Particular didn’t want me to get up.)

He gets the camera out of my office and comes in the kitchen to take our picture. He decided to get us from a different angle, somehow loses his grip and the camera went crashing to the floor.

Did he have the wrist band on? No.
Did the camera hit the floor? Yes.

I gasped out loud and shouted, “Oh nooooooooooooooo!”

He was also upset but then got really defensive when he saw my reaction. “I didn’t do it on purpose! What did you want me to do!?” he shouted. “Use the wrist band!” I shouted back. “I’m in a hurry, and you ask me to do this for you!” he shouted. “You didn’t have to! You have time! What does that have to do with the wrist band!?” I shouted back.

It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.
He didn’t do it on purpose.

The lens is all jammed and a little crooked. It won’t close. It keeps making a pitiful little beeping noise. He takes the battery out so that the camera will stop freaking out.

I can’t hold back the tears.

I’m not normally materialistic, but he just dropped my new camera on the floor, and now it’s broken.

“You buying the camera for me was such a surprise, and it’s so special to me. I coddle that thing, and you waltz in here and drop it on the floor,” I say. That was mean. And it was un-called-for.

More tears.

He can’t handle tears and gets all upset. He thinks I’m “blaming him” and that I think he “did it on purpose.” Well, he IS the one who dropped it! Yes, the blame lies with him, but no he didn’t do it on purpose.

How many times do I have to tell him that blame and intention are two separate things!?

I’m far from perfect. I’ve broken things in the past. Do you think I meant to back out of the garage that one day, six years ago, and accidentally rip the bumper off my car when I accidentally backed over the rock that was in front yard? (Oh, that’s such an old story, but it’s a good one. Maybe I’ll write about it someday…maybe. And, if you must know, replacing the bumper was only slightly more expensive than a new camera. So, cost is not the issue here.)

Who was to blame that time? Me. (Technically, Your Honor, it was my fault as I was the one driving at the time. However, I’d like the record to show that I had repeatedly requested said rock be removed from its precariously dangerous position. It has since been removed and put in the backyard where it belongs. Also, for the record, my hubby had been driving my car last and he parks it way too close to the wall. But, yes. I’m guilty as charged. I have nothing further, Your Honor.)

Who did it on purpose? Not me.

Did that change my husband’s reaction? Uh, no. He was pretty upset.

So, the past is the past. What’s done is done. Could we change what happened? Nope…one of us broke the time machine, too. (And the jury is still out on that one.)

All we can do is go forward…but after we’re calm.

He was upset for breaking my camera. He was even more upset because I was crying. And, I was upset, so I couldn’t stop the tears.

Claire got very upset and tried her best to make me stop crying. She kept calling me “honey” and rubbing my arm and kissing my face. She kept trying to wipe the tears away, and they wouldn’t stop.

He had to go to his appointment, so he left. All of a sudden, Claire’s mood totally changed since she was focusing on me. I got myself calmed down. It’s just a camera. And, what if it’s not really broken? There’s no need to panic. (Too late for that, I guess.) A proper evaluation needs to be done and then we can panic. Kidding! It’s just a camera. Right? No (more) panicking allowed.

Claire went down for her nap and I decided to look at the camera to see if the lens was cracked and if I could get it to close.

The camera didn’t appear to be cracked or have any scratches on it. I noticed how the little lens was sitting a little cockeyed, so I gently pressed on it and it made an audible click. And, I think I heard it sigh with relief. I put the battery back in, and turned it on. It made its little automated adjusty noise and focused properly. I took a picture and then turned it off. It closed. I opened it and took another picture. I turned it off and it closed. I repeated this a few more times, and it didn’t freak out once.

It appears to be working just fine now. It may need a little Post-Traumatic-Stress therapy, and it has developed an odd fear of heights, but it appears to be okay for the most part.

We were lucky.
Crisis averted.

So, did any of the photos come out, or was this a complete waste of time and emotion? Well, one of the pictures actually came out okay. Here is the picture that was snapped right before the camera took a tumble.

Click to enlarge.

In the above photo, Claire is saying “But, I don’t wanna say cheese,” which pretty much sums up her attitude before she had to take on the role of calming Momma down. And, it worked to snap her out of her mood, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a valid tool to be used again in the future.

So far, all three of us, and the camera, have been bent out of shape today…but we’re feeling much better now. Claire is napping. My hubby is much calmer. My tears have all but dried up. Neither of us harber hard feelings for the other.

Hopefully the rest of our weekend goes a little more smoothly.

Knock on wood… (but not with the camera…it’s kinda delicate)