Repairs

It's only Monday and already feels like a crazy week. I think this one started on Saturday and threw me off with two key things: my fall, and the camera getting damaged in the process.

Initially I was most worried about myself. The fall happened so quickly that I think I screamed and was back up in a second, almost like I just bounced back up. I was relieved to be up, but wasn't sure if I'd pass out, so made a run for the car. I handed my camera to A. and was just focused on getting into some warmth. Fainting or something in -40ºC windchill with no other people around would not be good. But, thankfully I was fine, so had some hot chocolate and then hit the road again. I was relieved when half an hour was up and I was ok, and then one hour. By dinner time I thought everything was done. The next morning, however, I woke up barely able to move. I was in so much pain that after being up for 15 minutes I crawled back into bed. Yesterday getting into bed was also painful as I couldn't move my head the slightest, but I needed to move to get in. In the end I ditched all pillows and laid flat on my back. This morning I got in to see a chiropractor who confirms that this was whiplash and had so much force that I screwed up my SCM (a muscle) and created real tension around two discs. The focus now is getting a full range of motion back. No hiking, not even stretching until things are aligned again. I'm really not sure if I buy into chiropractic stuff yet or if it's a bunch of baloney. He wants me to come back every day this week, then three times next week. well, judging by the bill I got today, I'll have my year's allowance for chiropractic services exhausted by the next session. So, I postponed tomorrow's session to Thursday. And who knows, I might cancel that if I feel better before then.

Next, the camera. things in the past year have taught me not to worry about things that can be replaced, but I have to admit I'm still seriously bummed about this. I had a UV filter on, and that got busted. I picked out the glass, and the front lens element seems fine. Maybe a slight speck of coating gone, but nothing more than that. Yesterday I took pliers to it and managed to cut off the dented ring from the filter. The threads on the lens are damaged a little, but still seem functional. The rest of the lens I really don't know about right now. It's really stiff when zooming and makes funny noises when focusing. However, with the estimate for a repair taking 4 weeks (of sending the lens away) and an actual repair adding another 4 weeks, I've decided against that for now. I'll test it for the next week and see if it's reliable enough as is. I definitely need this lens on my Colorado and Utah trip in early May.

On a much lighter note, I'll be going with my mom to her very first concert ever. For years she's been saying that if Elton John ever came to Calgary she'd go. Well, they announced it a few days ago, tickets went on sale today, and we got two seats. She better work on her stairs before then as we'll be sitting way up by the roof.  Now I'll have to watch the Elton John message boards to see if any of the reviews mention strobe lights being used, as those can trigger seizures and are a no-no for my mom.