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.
bahis sitesi 1xbet bahis sitesi 1xbet .
birxbet http://1xbet-giris-2.com .
bahis sitesi 1xbet bahis sitesi 1xbet .
southbyfreenoms – Fun, quirky branding with energetic layout and friendly design.
1xbet tr giri? http://www.1xbet-giris-3.com/ .
1 x bet http://1xbet-giris-3.com/ .
one x bet http://www.1xbet-giris-1.com .
1xbet spor bahislerinin adresi http://www.1xbet-giris-1.com .
Cilt bak?m?n?z? bir ust seviyeye c?karman?n zaman? geldi, siz ne dersiniz?
“En Iyi Mobilya ve Dekorasyon Trendleri 2023” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin harika bir makale var.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://anadoludekor.com
Cildinizin dogall?g?n? ve sagl?g?n? korumak sizin elinizde.
1xbet t?rkiye giri? http://www.1xbet-giris-3.com/ .
xbet xbet .
Link ecl
xbet xbet .
1xbet turkey 1xbet-giris-2.com .
1xbet yeni adresi http://www.1xbet-giris-3.com .
1xbet mobil giri? https://1xbet-giris-6.com/ .
1xbet mobil giri? http://www.1xbet-giris-2.com .
1xbet resmi sitesi http://1xbet-giris-1.com .
1xbet com giri? http://1xbet-giris-1.com .
1xbet mobi http://www.1xbet-giris-6.com/ .
1xbet g?ncel http://1xbet-giris-2.com/ .
1xbetgiri? http://www.1xbet-giris-6.com .
xbet giri? https://www.1xbet-giris-1.com .
1xbet spor bahislerinin adresi 1xbet-giris-1.com .
xbet xbet .
1xbet spor bahislerinin adresi 1xbet spor bahislerinin adresi .
https://medtronik.ru узнайте, какие акции действуют прямо сейчас
1xbet g?ncel 1xbet g?ncel .
xbet xbet .
Cross-play functionality is a major draw for many gamers who want to connect with friends regardless of their platform.
jenny mod minecraft pe https://minecraft-bedrock-edition.com/mods/people/jenny/
Как купить Экстази в Быковое?Вот нашел сайт https://playinhome.ru
– цены привлекательные, есть оперативная доставка. Может, кто брал у них? Интересует насколько качественный товар?
1xbet guncel 1xbet-giris-3.com .
В обзорной статье вы найдете собрание важных фактов и аналитики по самым разнообразным темам. Мы рассматриваем как современные исследования, так и исторические контексты, чтобы вы могли получить полное представление о предмете. Погрузитесь в мир знаний и сделайте шаг к пониманию!
Заходи — там интересно – https://sushispy.com/best-sushi-restaurants-in-los-angeles
1xbet giri? yapam?yorum https://www.1xbet-giris-2.com .
1 x bet giri? http://www.1xbet-giris-6.com .
one x bet http://www.1xbet-giris-2.com .
1xbet giri? yapam?yorum https://1xbet-giris-1.com/ .
1xbet giri? 1xbet-giris-1.com .
Cilt bak?m?n?z? bir ust seviyeye c?karman?n zaman? geldi, siz ne dersiniz?
Cilt Bak?m? ve Guzellik: Trendler ve Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki bolum dikkate degerdi.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://bakimruhu.com
Dogal guzelliginizi koruyun ve her zaman en iyi versiyonunuz olun.
У місті Полтава https://u-misti.poltava.ua новини Полтави та області. Події, огляди та багато цікавого
Китайское дунхуа стремительно покоряет мир — и лучшее место, чтобы открыть для себя его масштаб и стиль, это AniChi. Здесь удобно смотреть и скачивать любимые сериалы и фильмы, от эпических фэнтези до исторических драм, с регулярными обновлениями новых серий и аккуратной навигацией по жанрам. В середине пути вас уже затянет «Боевой континент» или «Противостояние святого», а перейти к коллекции просто: https://anichi.fun/ — сообщество, рейтинги и быстрый поиск сделают просмотр по-настоящему комфортным. Откройте дунхуа так, как его задумывали авторы.
This information is priceless. How can I find out more?
kraken vk4
kraken vk5
1xbet g?ncel giri? 1xbet g?ncel giri? .
1xbet giri? linki http://www.1xbet-giris-5.com .
bahis sitesi 1xbet bahis sitesi 1xbet .
Cildinizi s?martmak icin haz?r olun!
“Modern Moda: Zarafet ve Stil Ipuclar?” konusuyla ilgili olarak oras? tam bir bilgi hazinesi.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://modaevreni.com
Dogal guzelliginizi koruyun ve her zaman en iyi versiyonunuz olun.
The $MTAUR coin ICO partnerships key. Token conversions seamless. Hype deserved. minotaurus token
1x giri? http://www.1xbet-giris-3.com .
1xbet g?ncel 1xbet g?ncel .