I tell you the world it trying to keep me from having a Leica. Call me paranoid but I know its true.
So here is what has happened so far:
Way back in the day (almost 3 years ago now) I sold my Mamiya 6, I was fed up with the lousy build quality of that camera and was not going to take it anymore. With the money I was going to buy a Leica M6 and some sort of vintage lens. That never happened for personal reasons.
Then about 10-12 months later I was back ready to get the same set, that didnt happen for reason the same as above. I was ready to get a MP that was for sale here in the classifieds, nice clean black paint MP, 1800 dollars. Whens the last time you heard of a deal like that?
Then about 10-12 months later I was ready to buy again, this time gunning for a M7 and some sort of lens. As you can imagine, that didn't happen either for just about the same reason as above.
Then I got this nice job that paid well and I was able to save a large chunk of the money I was making. I started saving up and got myself a really cheap old Leitz 50 Elmar redscale for 90 bucks. I sold one of my canon camera's and was ready to buy a Leica body. Again I was not able to and ended up with a Bessa because I couldnt stand it anymore.
Then I was working a lot and made enough money to buy an M7, during all this time I had also been scoring big scholarships and some bonus money here and there. I was ready to buy something, my salary from the last two months would lock that in no problem. I would have more then I needed and was ready to do it. Then the place I was working for went all s**t hole and they decided to not pay anyone their last two months salary. Out came the lawyers and day after day of 9 am meetings across town and appointments at government offices where the people had all been paid off. The place I worked was fined over a million chinese yuan and the labor department took this fine then told us we were on our own. Can you say bribe? The colorful language I can use right now thinking about it.....you would think I was homicidal. One of the canadians who worked there lost his home, and his wife, and kids, an english man lost his house, and a american guy lost his mind (just about).By the way, the place I used to work had over 300 employees, we all stopped working at about the same time, there were newspaper reports, tv, everything, we got nothing in the end. The place I used to work continues to be open but with a very sore reputation, I made sure of that with all my contacts in the media. I hope they tank and the boss does something to his head of which I should not mention here.
So.....after recuperating and managing to live rather thin for about half a year I am almost back on track. I got my balances taken care of and all things are good now. My current line of income, working with a Norwegian sculptor on his work is going well. The pay is fantastic, 20,000 chinese yuan a month, for two months. Way more then I need to survive here for a year. Also I have 25,000 yuan worth of scholarship coming. Im set until well after graduation and until I find myself another line of work. I have a nice sum burning a hole in my pocket and am ready to finally bite the damn bullet and buy a M body or modern Leica lens.
So looking in the states, found some interesting deals, was ready to go and stick it on the old and very much empty credit card, then the old man says I cant, he thinks it too much trouble for me to wire money to America to pay off my credit card. So I end up loosing out on a nice M6. Then there was the nice old M2. It was not the exact camera I wanted but it was so cheap that it would be more then nice to hold me over for a while. Again, same line of interference as I have always had. Then a really great M6TTL showed up, then passed as ususal. Then I started looking around for things here in China, pickings were slim but there was some ok stuff. Guess what line of interference I got again? Now I am looking for some Leica stuff in Norway. Not much luck there. The store I emailed never replied to me, my friend emailed them in Norwegian, still no answer. So then they called his store, the guy in there acted as if they had no idea what we were talking about. "Leica? Leica? What? Nikon doesnt have an M6...."
Ya know.....I think I should just sell off my cursed rangefinder gear and go back to SLR's, cheaper, easier to find, and not so much of a f'n headache. Regardless if the driving force in my life the last 3 years pushing me to go to a dead beat job with the smell of death on it and working stupid hours and putting up with all this crap was a M Leica. Seems like I have wasted way to many brain cells and way too much time thinking about it. If I go to the states this summer with and there is no M Leica in my hand im just going to sell off all of my rangefinder gear on here. Lots of deals too.
