More than just a loss

... Kates and I were up at Miller Park last night, thanks to my friend Joe who had a couple extra tickets to the Brewers-Astros game ...

... Though now, I'm kind of wishing we hadn't gone at all ...

We had foul weather all afternoon, and it wasn't until late yesterday afternoon that Joe alerted me to the tickets. And by the time I got home from work at about 5, and Kates arrived home from school and a full day of preparing her classroom, both of us were worn out. The last thing we wanted to do was drive up to Milwaukee in the rain, through rush hour/stadium traffic to go to a ballgame ...

But we decided perhaps a night at the ballpark would be a fun excursion instead of a lazy night at home. So off we went ...

We got to the stadium a little late and found our seats in the upper deck, behind home plate, midway through the bottom half of the first inning. Though the game was hardly memorable, Ben Sheets pitched for the Brewers, Craig Biggio was hit by a pitch to extend his record and the Brewers lost 7-3. ... And Kates and and I settled on a possible name if and when we have a daughter ...

When the game was over, we put on our jackets and joyfully exited the stadium ...

... We were halfway to the car -- which is like crossing an ocean at Miller Park -- when I realized I had forgotten my camera at my seat. My heart sank, I left Kates and ran back to the stadium. By this time, security staff was closing down the stadium and nobody was being allowed back inside. All I could do was hand my ticket stub to a security person who then radioed up to somebody near the area where we were sitting ...

Nope. No camera. ... They gave me a phone number I could call and sent me on my way.

Today, I've left two messages with the customer relations staff and received no answer. If they haven't found it by now, it's gone.

sigh.

My digital camera. My beloved Canon digital camera that Kates gave to me as a Christmas gift four years ago. It had seen better days, and the lens wasn't working very well anymore, but it had served me valiantly, been on dozens of trips and excursions, taken hundreds of brilliant photos. It was a sturdy camera ...

I beat myself about it all the way home and I'm sure I'll continue to whine about it for days. How could I be so careless!?! ... At the ballpark, I had it strapped over my shoulder and set it on the seat next to me with my jacket. At one point I even looked at it and told myself, DO NOT forget that camera when you leave. I really should put it back over my shoulder so I don't forget it. There was another time when Kates and I were returning home on a flight and I left it on the plane. Luckily the flight staff found it and, after they matched it with my ticket ID, I was called to the terminal desk to retrieve it before I'd even noticed it was missing. Nope, it'll be OK. I won't leave without it this time.

But I did leave without it. And now it's gone.