Making adjustments

My camera gave up on itself just before New Year’s, flashing a message that the body couldn’t recognize the lens.  I went through the usual steps to try to fix the connection, gentle eraser cleaning of the contacts, cooling the components, resetting the programs.  The soft blur persisted.  I consulted the Internet and professionals in town. The fellow at the camera shop in Everett shook his head: These are made to be disposable; nobody will fix it.

Still, I had an extended and accidental repair policy with John Lewis, so I went to the Reading UK store to make inquiries.  I quickly determined that the lens was at fault by swapping a store e-lens onto my a5100 body, getting a decent picture.  So there was every reason to hope that Tech Support could simply give me a new one under the insurance.

No such luck: up to six weeks to send it to Sony for diagnosis and to get a warranty repair.  Reluctantly, I let it go, down to the phone and tablet cameras for the duration.

It’s going to be a new experience trying to do the blog for a month without pictures.  However, I’ve wanted to make some changes in my writing anyway, with less reliance on festival reviews and travelogues.  I’m posting photos regularly on Instagram and Flickr, so it makes sense to use this medium to better reflect my expat and entrepreneurial experiences in observations and essays.

I’d also like to take Dave Winer’s suggestion that Ideas come to you in all sizes. If it’s short, write a short post. If it’s long write a longer one.  Too often, I scribble a note to myself to comment on an article or share a thought, but then never write it expanded as a full essay.

Drinks along the Thames last night, and heading back down to Poole with the w.wezen tonight: we’re overdue for time getting blown about the beaches and watching storms from the restaurants.  It’s been pretty incessant rain and freezing cold since I got back, and it would be great if we were to get some sunshine at the weekend.