Cracked

I have been taking and very much enjoying Tracey Clark's photography classes. I am in my third now: Picture Winter. Each morning waiting for me like a little present is an email with a prompt and her photo for that day. I usually open it first thing in the morning, mull over the prompt, shoot some different photos throughout the day and choose my favorite to submit.

Well the prompt a few days ago was "cracked open," and I may have unintentionally taken it a bit too literally. Driving home from Brent's house I passed Doheney Beach and it was so beautiful I had to stop to take photos. Maybe I would even find something that would apply to the prompt. Five minutes out of getting out of my car, I was taking this photo of a puddle covering cracked mud, when BAM!

My brand-new, six day old baby of an iphone 4 fell out of my jacket packet, from ONE foot off the ground, and when I picked it up, it looked like this:

Dad, if you are reading this, don't worry, you can stop cringing, this story has a happy ending, I promise. But needless to say, I was bummed. Iphones are NOT cheap and I had a feeling "stupid enough not to put the phone in a tight, safe spot" is not one of the problems covered under warranty. But it's me, I am a photographer who when I see something photo-worthy, I pull over the car, I make Brent wait for me as I fall behind on our walks oohing and ahhing at every little thing with my camera, and it's me, who, as freaked out I was about having to prepare an iphone funeral, I continued on to the beach to take some shots. I was already there dangit, and my phone was shattered, and it felt like someone was throwing softball-sized rocks at my back. I was GOING to get at least one good shot!!

Back to the phone. I went to the Apple store and just as I suspected, "stupid enough not to put the phone in a tight, safe spot" is not covered under warranty. "That'll be $199 dollars" says the apple genius man. But he waited just long enough for it to sink in and allow my eyes and mouth to grow into three gigantic circles before adding "but since you only had it less than a week, we'll cover it for you." OH MY. I had the case on. I dropped it from a foot off the ground. Why did it shatter? Apparently, it doesn't matter even if you have it in the strongest of cases, if it lands on the "sweet spot" it will break. But I think I was rewarded for being patient, for staying at the beach to snap those pretty photos, for keeping my cool and staying calm. Because on the drive home was this amazing sunset:

If this ordeal (I know, I know it is just a phone, but...) had not happened, I probably would have been inside the house and completely missed out on this incredible sunset!! Glad it is over.