Fix it or chuck it?

So, I'm not sure I told everyone or not but my camera is fried. Yeah, seems that if you leave it in a closed up hot, Hot, HOT vehicle for any length of time it will fry the digital doohicky inside! Who would have thunk it? Obviously not me! Okay, I should have known better than to have forgotten it in the van but that's my forgetful nature; and I am trying to remedy that.

I'm at a loss as to what to do about it. I certainly can't afford a new camera and everyone keeps telling me that it would be cheaper to BUY a new camera than to have the old one FIXED! How can that be? I mean, couldn't they just fix the component that is fried and I'm back in picture taking business. Ba-da-Bing, Ba-da-Boom right? Wrong, I guess? So I'm left with the question, do I Fix it or Chuck it?

I've decided that I'm going to try and fix it. My plan is to take it over to the local camera shop and see what they say. Maybe the experts can tell me what would be cheaper. I know if I took it where I bought it they would only try to sell me a new fangled, late model one; and say the old one isn't worth fixing! Either way it's probably going to cost more than what I have to spend.

This whole camera problem has me thinking of a similar problem, with society, that sort of bugs me. I've been making some observations recently that have led me to believe that most of society has adopted a new way of thinking. I've noticed that society tends to lean towards the notion that if it's broke, don't fix it, throw it out and buy a new one. That mentality bothers me, greatly.

Take for instance houses. I know that Extreme Home Makeover does a great thing for people, I'm not knocking that. But it's still a television show that is sensationalized. They go in and tear down homes without trying to salvage any of the workable and usable materials. Materials that could be donated to help others who aren't so fortunate as to be able to have a new home built for them. That baffles me. I love the concept surrounding the Habitat for Humanity Restore! It's excellent! Click the link and check it out, there may be a store near you!

Another such observation, take restaurant chains. The Taco Bell on McKinley in Mishawaka was in a building that couldn't be more than 15 years old or so. It was a perfectly fine and functioning building. But, they tore it down only to build another building, that looks just like the old one, on the same piece of land. That sort of thing makes me scratch my head and say, "What? Why not just remodel?" A fine example of the, "It's cheaper to buy new (or build new) than to fix the old one," mentality.

Then you have the big grocery store conglomerates that leave huge, perfectly fine buildings to rot and fall apart so they can build a BIGGER brand-E-new one. They do this by taking up more tillable farmland just to put in a ginormous new building, farther away, where it wasn't needed in the first place. That just recently happened with one of my favorite shopping destinations. I liked its location and the building it was in. It had been there for years and was the store I went to with my grandma and my mom. I grew up with that store and now it sits empty, like an unwanted toy idle in a toy box. The prior reference is a telling sign that I recently saw Toy Story 3? It's still fresh in my mind!

I miss the old style stores. You know, the mom and pop grocery stores where the man at the meat counter knew your name and what your usual cut of meat was. Where the cashier was friendly and happy to see you. The stores where you're able to find what you need and get to it without having to walk a country mile! Where have they all gone? Out of business that's where! The big, money hungry chain stores are stomping them out of existence. This well known fact makes me very sad.

Okay, I'll get down off my soap box now. All this ranting hasn't solved anything. I still have a fried camera. I'll be making a trip to the local camera store. At least it's a small business that is STILL in business! I bet they can FIX my camera too!

Oh how I miss taking pictures!