Some Day My Prints Will Come
When I first got my first digital camera I spent about 30 seconds flipping through the instructions (memory card, battery, go) and then ran off to take my pictures. One part of the instructions that I did notice was that if I put the camera on a certain setting, I could take 1000 photos on one memory card. 1000!

I never looked back and it wasn't until I took my first Photoshop class shortly thereafter that I understood that my pictures looked pretty crappy. Plus I figured out that even in extreme circumstances like vacation, I did not take even close to 1000 photos.

Meanwhile, since I went digital I have never made prints. We don't have the technology at home or office and my primary purpose was for web so I never did it.

Recently, I decided I want prints. I have a bunch of shots I'd like to share and a huge part of my extended family lives in a rural area which is dial-up city so you can imagine how exited they're going to be to look at a Flickr stream. It's holiday time, why not take the time to figure out how this works and print stuff that can sit on the kitchen counter during the holidays for everyone to enjoy.

There's a camera shop near the office and I took the time and trouble to actually walk in and ask them how to do this: CD? Thumb Drive? File format? I would have had better luck getting information from the sandwich shop next door. What, are these state secrets? And if you're going to have a job in customer service, shouldn't the most basic qualification be that you have some tiny something that resembles a personality?

Armed with what I could pry out of her, I went home and decided to do a test run. I took a dozen photos and dicked with colors and filters and cropped them and saved them in different ways so I could get an idea of how they would look. Went back with my CD and they have two billboards hanging over the counter with prices and instructions and I guess they do 1 hour printing. I don't know. Clear communication doesn't appear to be part of their business plan.

Drone #2 takes my CD and money and asks what time I want to pick them up and since I don't need them in an hour I say I'll come back tomorrow.

I went back yesterday and Drone #2 was back at her post. I asked if they had a flier that explained all the pricing scheme so I could figure it out and she said no, but she could answer any questions. (!) Then she told me that my photos weren't ready yet.

I guess if you don't want them in an hour, you have to give them 24 hours. Maybe that could have been explained to me earlier. Now I'm mad. Fred Meyer photos, here I come.