The Ballad of the Cam...

So you know when you have a plan...a really good one...but something gets in the way? Welcome to me situation...in this, "the plan" was Traveling Porto: Documentary Style. It would just be me, my camcorder, and a list of must-stops. Playing the role of the "thing that gets in the way" was played by my camcorder.

Apparently, I haven't used my camcorder in a really long time. That was, precisely, in El Paso, Texas when I was there over Winter Break. And, somehow, between Texas, Wisconsin, and Swizterland, I lost my camera's charger...

This was a problem. A huge problem in fact. Honestly, my camera, and the spare battery that I had, was dead. Not working. Finito. What would this trip be without the camera? It wouldn't be like any documentary that I have seen...

I had a few solutions for this unfortunate problem. First, I contacted the hotel that we stayed at by email. After a week or so of no response, I kinda gave up that idea and focused on alerting the family to search at home. Again, after nothing had been found, Missy called the hotel, and an "extensive search of their lost and found would be done"...I don't think they ever called back...

So, with mere days before the trip, I came to the realization that I would need to fork out some money to get me a new one. And Lugano...it's a pretty big city...it's gotta have something that works...right?

My journey continued...I headed downtown, and went to the one electronics store that I know, and found what appeared to be a charger that would work...I get it home, gleefully rip it out of the package, and...it didn't fit. At all...seriously, I must have been thinking "this is it...this thing has no hope...oh wait...what about a new battery??"

Now, the search was batteries compatable with my camcorder. Sony FH...something or another... The thought did come up about its charge...would it have one in the package? Well, if I were lucky enough to find one, I would investigate. So, after countless shows, I actually did find one! The right model (I even brought the camera with to make sure), and it even said that it had 1.5 hours of charge. Score! A quick swipe of the charge card (thanks parents!) and I was off to home, ready for it to all work out!

And then, when I got home and gleefully ripped that package open, snapped the battery into place, turned the dial to "REC" and...nothing... That stupid battery...blurg...now all I had was a collection of dead Sony HandyCam batteries! Score!...

Alas, that was the day before my Porto excursion, and this tale doesn't have a great ending. I was unable to make this the documentary that I wanted it to be, but in the end it all worked out just fine. Oh! And, about a week and a half later, I recieved a new battery charger, just in time for Academic Travel. And, with Kristen's Italian skills, I was able to return the hastily opened dead battery. I guess it turned out just fine...

Thus ends the Ballad of the Cam...