I'm publicly planting a big wet kiss on Meghan's cheek for my new favorite hat *SMACK!!* Unfortunately, my digital is in the shop, so no pics until later :(

I almost broke my Pentax SLR today, too ($900 for ZX-5n body and 28-200 lens). Friggin' Tamrac camera strap sent it plunging to the concrete. Fortunately, the damage at this time looks limited to a shattered yellow filter that I put on this morning for the black and white film I put in this morning. The impact has also jammed that yellow filter to the lens protector. So if I can't separate them I'll have to replace them both. Still, that's $40 compared to a new $300 or more lens, which, mind you, I wouldn't get. First of all, I wouldn't get a new long zoom like I have, and I'd have to settle for a more standard one. But I would also shelve the camera and wait until I get back to New Jersey where I have a Pentax K2 (top of the line K series from back in the 70's), with two lenses covering 28 to 210 range. The ZX-5n could take those lenses, but more likely it would remain out of service until I could afford a new lens.

As much as a I want to curse Tamrac and blame them, I begrudgingly think I have to blame myself for not checking how secure the strap was more often.