Well, Big Mavica is officially on its way to that big photo set in the sky, as I shipped it to Recycling For Charities on my lunch hour today. And I got photos of this solemn event, too, which a friend of mine has described as the end of an era.
Big Mavica is in the box, the last anyone will see of it.
The shipping label is printed, and everything is ready to go.
And placing it in the UPS drop box, to go to the recycler. Goodbye, old friend.
And you know, it’s hard to say goodbye. Seriously, I was all I can’t believe this is it about it. After all, this camera was a part of my life from November 11, 2002 to March 19, 2008. For a piece of electronic equipment nowadays, more than five years is a long time. And unlike the original Mavica, whose retirement was planned, Big Mavica was taken from me by the forces of nature, having burned out during a heavy rain at a protest.
Of course, it was time. Big Mavica was starting to show its age. The CD drive wasn’t as spot on as it once was, and the “InfoLithium M” battery packs weren’t holding a charge like they used to. So I was already kind of planning Big Mavica’s retirement – kind of tossing around ideas about what I wanted in a new camera. After all, an investment in new battery packs would indicate a several-year commitment to Big Mavica that I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to make.
Still, I was sad to see it go. Even after realizing back on the 19th that the camera was basically scrap metal, I never thought that actually getting rid of the physical camera would be so difficult for me. After all, Big Mavica was there for so many things, helping to capture so many great memories. And all of those memories were wrapped up in an inanimate piece of electronic equipment that nonetheless meant so much to me. Big Mavica had become a part of me, and it’s hard to let go.
But it’s been let go, as it’s now in the UPS system, on its way to be recycled. The shipment was given the reference ID of “BIGMAVICA”. The camera bag will go on to carry new equipment, and Schumin Web will continue showing fun pictures taken with new cameras. But there will never be another Big Mavica, since I really feel like I grew up on this camera. Look for a retrospective on Big Mavica in Life and Times, and then, for the Big Mavica era, “That’s all, folks!”