The International Community Hates My Electronic Devices

Disclaimer: this blog post is a huge nerdy indulgence. For your reference, here is a link to the basic dramatic structure that most stories can fit into, and with which I shape this post. I'll include little guideposts throughout the story to clue you in :)

This sad tale begins on US soil:

Exposition: It was August of 2000. I was visiting the Outer Banks, where my Nana and Pop-pop lived at the time. The sun was setting; the light was gorgeous.

(not actually the night of the tragedy, but an OBX sunset nonetheless)

TRAGEDY STRIKES! In an ambitious rendering of the Anderson childhood game of "jump over the edge of a wave" where I twirled while jumping, I fell over and my camera fell into the water, as did I. Not only did the water ruin the camera, it made the batteries give me a mild electrocution. Fail #1, at the tender age of 14.

The story continues in 2004 in the US, another prequel to the looming electronic failure in my life. My precious punky-pink discman died due to the excessive exposure to humidity I forced it into at various synchro events. Woops.

And now the rising action: 2007, Cadiz, Spain. Spain's gorgeous beaches and the lifestyle they obliged me to took a toll on my recently developed electronic life: I had a digital camera! I had a brand new iPod! NOT FOR LONG.

what a life, huh?

Sand and ocean breezy moisture promised to slowly destroy both of them. So, with my carefully rationed savings and a contribution from my generous parents, I bought a new camera in Spain....

Which lasted me for all of about 1 month. After I left Spain, I was traveling around Europe a bit, and in a moment of excitement and forgetfulness, I left my brand new love sitting on a bench at a train station in one of the five small towns of Cinque Terre. I realized this fact about 10 minutes later at the next stop, and RAN back to the station, where apparently only 2 or 3 people had passed through. 2 of them were an old couple who hadn't seen it, the other was a station guard who "saw nothing." I then sat on a beach and cried over my first truly significant electronic loss. Paris pictures! Venice pictures! GAH!

rocky cove beaches aren't so great when you're sad.

I've chosen, as the co-author of my life, to pinpoint this next event as the plot's climax. Here in Korea, (oh Korea), the camera I thought was going to be the camera I had for much of my early 20s decided to die on the day Bess and I hiked Seoraksan in the torrential rain.

One of the last pictures my camera was able to take, ironically, it's of the rain.

As of now, the falling action and denouement of this tale are not fully developed, but here is what I predict: the camera I have just purchased as my replacement will be faithful and loyal and long-lasting. It will serve me well as the Anderson/Electronics duo takes on Southeast Asia, China, Mongolia, and Russia in just a few months. It will deftly reintroduce me to life in the US and whatever will come next. It will gracefully and poetically capture beautiful moments of reunion and thus, the story of Kelsey's Electronic Failures will end peacefully and happily.