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.
1xbet yeni giri? 1xbet yeni giri? .
1xbet yeni giri? 1xbet yeni giri? .
growthpoint.bond – The branding is consistent and reinforces the company’s vision.
1 xbet 1 xbet .
birxbet http://1xbet-12.com .
1xbet resmi giri? 1xbet resmi giri? .
successpathway.bond – Customer service was helpful and responsive; will shop again.
J’adore l’elegance de Impressario Casino, ca transporte dans un monde chic. La selection de jeux est exquise, proposant des jeux de table sophistiques. Amplifiant le plaisir de jeu. Le support client est impeccable, garantissant un support de qualite. Le processus est simple et elegant, cependant des bonus plus varies seraient un plus. En bref, Impressario Casino offre une experience memorable pour les joueurs en quete d’excitation ! Par ailleurs la plateforme est visuellement somptueuse, ajoute une touche d’elegance. Egalement appreciable les evenements communautaires engageants, renforce le sentiment de communaute.
Aller sur le site|
Что делает промокоды букмекерской конторы 1xBet выгодными? Что нужно знать о кодах, чтобы взять наибольшую пользу от их применения? И, наконец, на какие еще детали в бонусной программе этой конторы, на которые стоит учесть, если вы планируете использовать бонусы. Промокод на 1xBet (актуален в 2026 году, бонус 100%) можно найти по этой ссылке — https://vodazone.ru/image/pgs/index.php?1xbet-promokod.html.
1xbet giri? 2025 1xbet giri? 2025 .
1 xbet giri? https://1xbet-16.com .
Cilt bak?m?n?n puf noktalar?na dair bilmeniz gereken her sey burada!
Lezzetin Zirvesine C?karan SofraKeyfi Hikayeleri hakk?ndaki yaz? dikkate degerdi.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://sofrakeyfi.com
Cilt bak?m?n?n buyusu ile tan?s?n ve hayat?n?za kazand?r?n.
Je suis charme par Impressario Casino, on ressent une ambiance delicate. Il y a une abondance de jeux captivants, offrant des sessions live sophistiquees. Avec des depots instantanes. Le suivi est irreprochable, avec une aide precise. Le processus est simple et elegant, parfois plus de promos regulieres ajouteraient du piquant. Pour conclure, Impressario Casino est une plateforme qui enchante pour les joueurs en quete d’excitation ! Ajoutons que le design est moderne et chic, ajoute une touche d’elegance. Particulierement interessant les evenements communautaires engageants, propose des avantages personnalises.
Ouvrir le site maintenant|
Dogal guzelliginizin s?rlar?n? ortaya c?karmaya var m?s?n?z?
Modern Mobilya Tasar?mlar? ve Dekorasyon Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki yaz? dikkate degerdi.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://modernsturk.com
Guzelliginizin ve sagl?g?n?z?n anahtar? dogru cilt bak?m?nda sakl?.
growthpoint.bond – Great resource for those seeking innovative business solutions.
Dogal ve etkili cilt bak?m yontemlerine dair tuyolar? kesfedin.
Bu arada, eger Zamans?z S?kl?k ve Klasik Giyim Onerileri ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya goz at?n.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://klasikstil.com
Sagl?kl? ve dogal bir cilt icin duzenli bak?m sart.
https://dzen.ru/a/aPRXjPraMEja6Ols
1xbet mobi 1xbet mobi .
birxbet giri? http://www.1xbet-13.com .
1xbet turkey 1xbet-12.com .
1xbet ?yelik 1xbet ?yelik .
1xbet t?rkiye giri? 1xbet t?rkiye giri? .
Полезное руководство по получению бонусов и тому, где искать официальную информацию: в пункте о регистрации мы вставляем ссылку на 1хБет промокод 2026, дабы показать пример записи в регистрационном поле. Объясняем особенности работы с промо-купонами и способы их получения.
Cilt bak?m?n?z? bir ust seviyeye c?karman?n zaman? geldi, siz ne dersiniz?
“Guzellik ve Bak?m: Trendler ve Ipuclar?” konusuyla ilgili olarak oras? tam bir bilgi hazinesi.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://ciltruhu.com
Guzelliginizin ve sagl?g?n?z?n anahtar? dogru cilt bak?m?nda sakl?.
successpathway.bond – Great variety of products at unbeatable prices; highly recommend.
Dogal guzellik ve cilt bak?m?nda uzmanlar?n s?rlar?na yak?ndan bak?yoruz.
“Lezzetin Zirvesine C?karan SofraKeyfi Hikayeleri” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin harika bir makale var.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://sofrakeyfi.com
Cildinizin dogall?g?n? ve sagl?g?n? korumak sizin elinizde.
1xbet tr giri? https://www.1xbet-10.com .
concernedaboutpollution – Environmental advocacy with focus on pollution awareness and solutions.
createimpacttoday.shop – Appreciate the mission behind this store; it’s more than just shopping.
Мы заранее объясняем, какие шаги последуют, чтобы пациент и близкие понимали логику вмешательств и не тревожились по поводу непредвиденных «сюрпризов». Карта ниже — ориентир; конкретные параметры врач уточнит после осмотра.
Получить дополнительную информацию – вывод из запоя первоуральск
Как купить Героин в Карабаше?Привет всем, ищу проверенный магазин – есть вариант https://wtc-training.ru
. По деньгам подходит, доставка работает. Кто-нибудь пользовался их услугами? Как с качеством?
uniquefashionstyle.shop – Really like the vibe here—feels like a boutique you’d walk into.
xbet xbet .
growthpoint.bond – Clean layout, easy to navigate, and informative content.
1xbet yeni giri? adresi 1xbet yeni giri? adresi .
заказать кухню в спб от производителя http://www.kuhni-spb-2.ru .
1 x bet http://www.1xbet-10.com .
В клинике применяются современные медицинские технологии, которые обеспечивают стойкий результат. Используемые методики соответствуют международным стандартам и регулярно обновляются.
Подробнее – наркологическая клиника стационар в омске
1x bet giri? 1x bet giri? .
кухни на заказ в санкт-петербурге кухни на заказ в санкт-петербурге .
1xbet g?ncel 1xbet g?ncel .
1xbet g?ncel 1xbet g?ncel .
1xbet mobil giri? https://1xbet-10.com/ .
createimpacttoday.shop – A great place to shop if you want to make a difference.
1xbet giri?i 1xbet giri?i .
прямые кухни на заказ от производителя http://www.kuhni-spb-2.ru/ .
discovergreatdeal.shop – Impressed with the product quality and packaging; exceeded expectations.
1xbwt giri? http://www.1xbet-13.com/ .
1xbet giris 1xbet giris .
birxbet giri? http://1xbet-12.com/ .