Photo © 2012 Markus Spiering
Click here for original image.
A hundred geeks with cameras. Yup, and I was buried smack-dab in the middle of ’em. Didn’t want to be there. Didn’t mean to be there.
I remember in a high-school science class, we saw a film of an amoeba eating a paramecium. The amoeba’s body flowed around its prey, and after it had the poor bug surrounded, it just, kinda… digested it, right there, just like that. The paramecium squiggled and squirmed, tried valiantly to escape, but too little, too late. And then—poof!—it shimmered and was absorbed into the predator. It was gone.
That was me, that poor, little paramecium. My goofy boyfriend pulled me in before I knew what was going on. And by the time I realized what was going on, I was surrounded, and being digested by an amoeba, and unable to escape.
Chet had begged me to come along. He said I’d enjoy it. For the record, I didn’t. But I was glad he was finally enjoying something. He’s been so bent out of shape since he lost his job last April. Laid off on April the first, if you can get that joke.
We scaled back on our standard of living. That didn’t bug me so much. But what really surprised me was how much it got him down. He stopped doing anything constructive, spent all day watching TV, wasn’t looking for work, said we’d do fine on his unemployment check.
We’ve been surviving on peanut butter and ramen noodles and pasta and frozen burritos. I don’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.
I started by bugging him about his lack of work. He said he wanted a little vacation. I gave him a little vacation, then asked again. He said he was trying, but that nothing was available. I didn’t believe him, not that much. I asked him what job ads he had responded to each day. Most days, he just ignored me. Some days, yelled at me. I told him we could no longer afford cable TV. He convinced his parents to pay the bill.
I thought of getting ahold of a sledgehammer and having an “accident” with the TV set, but then I thought twice: we might need to sell it someday.
He was partially right, of course. There were no jobs in his field. But what bugged me most was that he was letting it get to him. His mind began wasting away to nothing, nothing at all, all day everyday. And as each day continued, he sank lower into the couch, and further into pity party.
I didn’t know how to snap him out of it. But his birthday gift did. One of his old office buddies sent him a digital camera, along with a really cool-looking book about how to take fun pictures about anything at all.
So when he threw himself into the hobby, and the hobby became an obsession, and a obsession became an endeavor, and when he began studying photography and framing and composition and lighting, and posted photo after photo to Flickr, and when he began hanging out with other camera-heads, and started talking about pursuing it professionally… I wanted to object. But not for the reason you might think. I wanted to object, because I was beginning to feel ignored.
But at least he was smiling again, and I had missed his smile. And the TV remained powered-off, except for the weekly exhibitions of his latest photos, which he would force me to watch, no matter how many hours I had worked that day.
Then, when he begged me to come to this big gathering of camera-heads, I gave in. I didn’t want to at first, but he pushed me and pressed me, and then he cuddled up next to me and told me about how much fun it was going to be to get away and that we hadn’t had a vacation in forever and that I needed a break—which was true. And he kissed me, and I melted and said yes. Sigh.
I hated it, didn’t enjoy it at all. There were no other camera-head-significant-others there. The food was okay, but the guest speaker spoke only camera-ese, and told only stupid camera jokes and camera stories. Then those assembled talked all afternoon about gadgets and techniques and awards, and showed each other the contents of their camera cases. Chet even got some business advice, which may or may not have been good advice, but he was enjoying himself, even though I had no idea what anyone was talking about.
“This is my girlfriend, Katy.”
And I smiled and faded into the background, maybe fondled a drink and tried to look interested in what they were saying while pondering the intricacies of the room’s potted flora. Too much, too far, too long. I was out of it. I so wanted to go home.
We started toward the door, walked out into the afternoon sun. I made a move toward the car, but Chet grabbed my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction. I looked up and saw that we were surrounded by a growing crowd, which was closing in around us on all sides. I was trapped, and one of the geeks with a camera was pointing it right at me. The other targets pointed their cameras back at him, but I was defenseless, hair akimbo, probably with a piece of spinach stuck between my teeth… not that it mattered, as no one could see my teeth.
The geek said, “Alright! Ready everybody?! Cheeeezzze!”
And everyone said, “Cheeeezzze!”
“Hold on!” He interrupted them, futzing with his camera. “Okay…”
“Quick!” said Chet. “Somebody fire before he reloads!” And raised his camera and took aim.
And that’s when the geek pulled the trigger.
Now adjusting my mental model of how the topic fits into the broader landscape, and a look at americadavid extended that adjustment, content that affects my structural understanding rather than just my factual knowledge is content with deeper impact and this site is providing those structural updates at a meaningful rate consistently across topics.
Thanks for your posting. One other thing is always that individual American states have their own laws in which affect house owners, which makes it extremely tough for the Congress to come up with a fresh set of rules concerning foreclosure on people. The problem is that each state provides own laws and regulations which may have impact in an unwanted manner in regards to foreclosure insurance plans.
ehn real estate brokers dubaimonthly rent in dubai international citye studio for rent in dubai https://eternalsakura13.com
emaar phone numberdubai real estate center building
Genuine pleasure to read, and that is not something I say often after a casual click through, and a quick visit to bubblinga kept the same feeling going across the rest of the site, finding writing that actually feels good to spend time with rather than just functional is increasingly rare on the open web.
You made some first rate factors there. I regarded on the web for the difficulty and found most individuals will go along with together with your website.
A piece that read as if the writer was thinking carefully rather than just typing fluently, and a look at vivuscredito continued that considered quality, the difference between fluent typing and careful thinking shows up in writing and this site reads as the product of thought rather than just the product of language fluency apparently.
перейдите на этот сайт tripscan официальный сайт
additional resources https://my-fav.net/
Lalabet Casino lalabet promoties is een snel en modern online casino waar je direct kunt spelen zonder gedoe. Kies uit populaire slots en live games en profiteer van aantrekkelijke bonussen voor nieuwe spelers. Start nu, activeer je bonus en ontdek hoeveel je kunt winnen — speel meteen en mis geen kansen op winst!
Ahaa, its fastidious conversation about this piece of writing
here at this website, I have read all that,
so now me also commenting here.
Эта публикация исследует взаимосвязь зависимости и психологии. Мы обсудим, как психологические аспекты влияют на появление зависимостей и процесс выздоровления. Читатели смогут понять важность профессиональной поддержки и применения научных подходов в терапии.
Прочесть заключение эксперта – прокапывание от алкоголя на дому цена
Big thanks to whoever wrote this, you saved me a lot of time hunting for the same info on other sites, and a stop at 54xx54 only added more useful detail without going off topic, that kind of focus is honestly hard to come across these days when most posts wander everywhere.
My usual pattern is to skim and bounce but this site has reset that pattern temporarily, and a stop at kaitori-hk maintained the slower reading mode, content that changes how I read is content with structural influence and this site has clearly nudged my reading behaviour toward something better at least for the duration of these visits.
Thank you for not assuming the reader already knows everything, the explanations meet me where I am, and a look at momentumengine did the same, that consideration is what makes a site feel welcoming rather than gatekeepy which is sadly the default mood across the modern web today for most subjects covered.
ссылка на сайт трипскан сайт вход
1win inchidere cont 1win inchidere cont
Came across this and immediately thought of a friend who would enjoy it, and a stop at beetledune also reminded me of someone, content that triggers the urge to share is content that has earned my recommendation and this site has earned multiple from me already across different conversations during the week.
Эта публикация исследует взаимосвязь зависимости и психологии. Мы обсудим, как психологические аспекты влияют на появление зависимостей и процесс выздоровления. Читатели смогут понять важность профессиональной поддержки и применения научных подходов в терапии.
Прочесть заключение эксперта – капельница от алкоголя
We’re a bunch of volunteers and opening a brand new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with useful info to work on. You’ve performed an impressive process and our entire group will be grateful to you.
I have been exploring for a little bit for any high quality articles or blog posts on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this web site. Reading this info So i am happy to convey that I’ve a very good uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed. I most certainly will make sure to do not forget this web site and give it a look on a constant basis.
Продолжение трип скан официальный сайт
I simply could not leave your site before suggesting that I extremely loved the usual information a person provide for your visitors? Is going to be back often in order to inspect new posts
monaco real estate dubaione bedroom monthly rent in dubaidubai luxury real estate agents https://3bedroomvillaforsaleindubai.online
emaar square building 3 downtown dubaibuy villa in dubai hills
Wonderful blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Cheers
Дорогие наши форумчане, мы бы рады с вами пообщаться на разные темы, и стараемся общаться со всеми, и порой просто не хватает времени ведь мы не железные, если вы хотите что то конкретно заказать ася и скайп ждет вас, просто нереальное кол-во народа задают вопросы утром днем и вечером, и вот даже сейчас, мы очень стараемся изменить ситуацию в лучшую сторону. С начала месяца т.е. с 1 июня вы сможете самостоятельно заказывать и оплачивать прямо на сайте, а так же будете видеть наличие продукции. купить мефедрон Вообщем фейк крассавчик пошагово и все грамотно сделал, развел)
It is really a great and useful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
A different issue is really that video gaming became one of the all-time most important forms of fun for people of any age. Kids have fun with video games, and also adults do, too. Your XBox 360 is among the favorite video games systems for folks who love to have a huge variety of activities available to them, plus who like to experiment with live with other folks all over the world. Many thanks for sharing your ideas.
If the topic interests you at all this is a place to spend time, and a look at pncdhs reinforced that recommendation, the broader question of where to invest topical reading time is one this site answers convincingly through the consistent quality across multiple pieces I have sampled during the current reading session today.
Generally I am cautious about recommending sites on first encounter but this one warrants the exception, and a look at cpduua reinforced the exception making, the rare site that justifies breaking my normal cautious approach is the rare site worth flagging early and this one has prompted exactly that early flagging response from me.
Aw, this was a very nice post. In concept I would like to put in writing like this moreover ? taking time and precise effort to make a very good article? but what can I say? I procrastinate alot and under no circumstances seem to get something done.
Hmm it appears like your site ate my first comment (it
was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what
I wrote and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything.
Do you have any recommendations for inexperienced blog writers?
I’d really appreciate it.
My friends would appreciate a few of these posts and I will be sending links accordingly, and a look at ghewr added more pages to my share queue, content that earns shares to specific people in specific contexts is content with social utility and this site is generating those targeted shares from me consistently lately.
Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite justification appeared to be on the web the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people think about worries that they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
Great post. I used to be checking continuously this weblog and I’m impressed! Extremely helpful info particularly the final section :) I handle such info a lot. I used to be looking for this particular info for a long time. Thanks and good luck.
WC2026 Africa: Nigeria betting markets are solid. 22Bet has fast truemoney withdrawals.
Thanks for the publish. My partner and i have often seen that many people are needing to lose weight since they wish to appear slim as well as attractive. Nonetheless, they do not constantly realize that there are other benefits just for losing weight also. Doctors state that over weight people experience a variety of illnesses that can be perfectely attributed to the excess weight. Fortunately that people who definitely are overweight in addition to suffering from various diseases can reduce the severity of their illnesses by losing weight. It is possible to see a gradual but noticeable improvement with health if even a minor amount of fat reduction is reached.
https://www.4shared.com/u/W9REeH85/stormsingerpaytp8zr28.html
Reading this felt easy in the best way, no friction and no confusion at any point, and a stop at wheelmantap33 carried that same comfort across more pages, the kind of editorial flow that lets you absorb information without fighting the format which is increasingly hard to find on the open web today across topics.
Now I want to find more sites like this but I suspect they are rare, and a look at ambitusa extended that thought, the few sites that meet this quality bar are precious specifically because they are rare and finding others like them is one of the ongoing projects of careful internet curation across the years.
agent rightmove real estate dubaimulberry i b dubai hills estate look upThe Parkway at Dubai Hills https://sunvalleyballet.org
jumeirah golf estates villas for saleOlive Point
find https://shiny-cloud.net/
The post made the topic feel approachable without making it feel trivial, that is a fine balance, and a stop at artsyhands maintained the same balance, finding the middle ground between welcoming and serious is genuinely difficult and the writers here have clearly figured out how to consistently hit it well across many different posts.
Buenas tardes, comparativa muy buena. juegos de casino 1xBet
Probably this is one of the better quiet successes on the open web at the moment, and a look at xdjs reinforced that quiet success quality, sites that are doing well without making a noise about doing well are the sites I most respect and this one has clearly chosen the quiet success path consistently throughout.
Хотелось бы надеется))) купить мефедрон брал в данном магазине все супер.
Started believing the writer knew the topic deeply by about the second paragraph, and a look at dp50ribuu reinforced that confidence, the speed at which a writer establishes credibility through their writing is a useful quality signal and this writer establishes it quickly and quietly without resorting to credential dropping or self promotion.
Japanese Grownup Films are available for gratis on AsianTube.
And if you’re unfamiliar with Asian pornography terminology, JAV is exactly what it sounds:
Japanese adult videos. For all the naked girls and the nasty things they’re doing, it’s
not adult-rated for shouting or violence. And that’s simply the kind of content we all enjoy watching on this site.
web page https://gitea.4gunn.cn:52443/delbertfreehil
hsk 4 После выполнения заданий всегда проверяйте свои HSK 4 ответы, чтобы сразу исправлять возможные ошибки. Самоконтроль является важной частью процесса обучения и позволяет быстрее прогрессировать.
dubai property transfer feesapartments for rent in bur dubaign homes real estate development llc dubai https://svsta.org
emaar properties dubai stock exchangehotel apartments with swiming pool in dubai
https://pharmrate.monster/# mexican meds