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.
Keren banget artikel ini! Dari awal sampai akhir, pembahasannya sangat solid dan berfokus pada hal-hal penting seperti KUBET dan Situs Judi Bola
Terlengkap. Saya juga menghargai bagian yang menjelaskan tentang Situs Parlay Resmi dan Situs Parlay
Gacor karena membuka perspektif baru bagi pembaca.
Pembahasan tambahan seperti Situs Mix Parlay, kubet login, situs parlay, dan toto macau menjadikan artikel ini salah satu yang terbaik di bidangnya.
dearsparrows – Would like to see more author attribution or contributor bios for transparency.
What’s up to all, because I am in fact eager of reading this weblog’s post to be updated regularly. It includes nice material.
https://kra42c.com
bonus ohne einzahlung Wetten live Ergebnisse
dearsparrows – The blog posts are surprisingly in-depth, good for someone wanting niche insights.
Плесень ушла после санитарная обработка, спасибо!
уничтожение клопов в мебели
J’adore l’harmonie de Olympe Casino, c’est une plateforme qui resonne comme une lyre. Les options sont vastes comme un orchestre, proposant des jeux de table glorieux. 100% jusqu’a 500 € + tours gratuits. Le suivi est irreprochable, joignable a toute heure. Les transactions sont fiables, cependant des offres plus genereuses seraient olympiennes. Dans l’ensemble, Olympe Casino merite une ascension celeste pour les amateurs de sensations mythiques ! De plus la navigation est simple comme un oracle, amplifie le plaisir de jouer. Un plus divin les evenements communautaires engageants, offre des recompenses eternelles.
olympefr.com|
pepplish – The social media presence is modest but existent, so at least there’s a community aspect.
Dogal guzellik ve cilt bak?m?nda uzmanlar?n s?rlar?na yak?ndan bak?yoruz.
“Modern Mobilya Trendleri ve Dekorasyon Ipuclar?” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin oras? tam bir bilgi hazinesi.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://evimtarzi.com
Guzelliginizin ve sagl?g?n?z?n anahtar? dogru cilt bak?m?nda sakl?.
Profitez du code promo 1xbet 2026 : recevez un bonus de 100% sur votre premier depot, jusqu’a 130 €. Jouez et placez vos paris facilement grace aux fonds bonus. Une fois inscrit, n’oubliez pas de recharger votre compte. Avec un compte verifie, tous les fonds, bonus inclus, peuvent etre retires. Le code promo 1xbet est disponible via ce lien ? Code Promo 1xbet 2026.Le code promo 1xBet sans depot est valable pour les nouveaux utilisateurs en Afrique du Sud, au Gabon et en RDC. Ce code promotionnel 1xBet offre des bonus gratuits 1xBet et des tours gratuits 1xBet aujourd’hui. Utilisez le meilleur code promo pour 1xBet et recevez votre bonus d’inscription 1xBet en quelques clics.
номер наркологии номер наркологии .
Dogal guzelliginizin s?rlar?n? ortaya c?karmaya var m?s?n?z?
“Moda ve Konforun Zirvesi: Trendler ve Ipuclar?” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin oras? tam bir bilgi hazinesi.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://sadesik.com
Cilt bak?m?n? hayat?n?z?n bir parcas? haline getirin ve fark? gorun.
Cilt bak?m?na dair dogal guzellik s?rlar?n? ogrenmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?
“Modern Mobilya Tasar?mlar? ve Dekorasyon Ipuclar?” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin harika bir makale var.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://modernsturk.com
Cilt bak?m?n? hayat?n?z?n bir parcas? haline getirin ve fark? gorun.
нарколог психолог нарколог психолог .
dearsparrows – I appreciate the variety of topics covered, from racing to casino trends and more.
pepplish – I like the branding here, the name is catchy and the site design looks clean.
nomnomnomfordogs – Their local Columbus OH presence adds trust—having a physical shop matters.
трезвая жизнь трезвая жизнь .
connectdiscovergrow – I like the clean look of the site, it’s easy to navigate and visually appealing.
flourandoak – The branding “Flour & Oak” suggests craftsmanship and wood-fired or rustic baking, which is appealing.
Dogal ve etkili cilt bak?m yontemlerine dair tuyolar? kesfedin.
Yeri gelmisken, eger Zamans?z S?kl?k ve Klasik Giyim Onerileri ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya goz at?n.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://klasikstil.com
Unutmay?n, her cilt tipi guzeldir ve dogru bak?m ile daha da guzellesir.
shopwithconfidence – Overall looks promising—just do a little extra verification (age, certificate, reviews) before full use.
Hi, I would like to subscribe for this blog to take newest updates, so where can i do it please assist.
маркетплейс kraken
pepplish – Overall, I’d say this is a promising site for unique hot sauces—it just needs a bit more transparency for full trust.
Dogal guzellik ve cilt bak?m?nda uzmanlar?n s?rlar?na yak?ndan bak?yoruz.
Yeri gelmisken, eger Cilt Bak?m? ve Dogal Guzellik S?rlar? ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya bir bak?n.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://turkbakimi.com
Unutmay?n, her cilt tipi guzeldir ve dogru bak?m ile daha da guzellesir.
Valuable information. Lucky me I discovered your website accidentally, and I am shocked why this coincidence didn’t happened in advance! I bookmarked it.
kra42 cc
brightnightpdx – Looks like a promising site but treat as “emerging” rather than established until more evidence appears.
لوازم کمپ
Да и вообще: купить Кокаин, Мефедрон, Экстази ТС саппорт не требуется тебе ? Напиши в лс если интересно
Valuable info. Lucky me I found your site unintentionally, and I am surprised why this accident didn’t happened in advance! I bookmarked it.
вход через зеркало kra42 at
Промокод позволяет улучшить предлагаемые условия и получить ещё большую выгоду. Вводить бесплатный промокод Melbet на сегодня аккаунта или непосредственно перед внесением депозита. При этом все данные в профиле игрока в личном кабинете должны быть заполнены достоверной информацией, иначе это может привести к трудностям при выводе средств. Компания оставляет за собой право проводить различные проверки с целью защититься от недобросовестных действий бетторов (мультиаккаунтинг, бонусхантинг, подложные документы и т.п.). Для получения бонуса в соответствующих полях регистрационной формы клиент сначала должен выбрать его вид (спортивный бонус 100% на первый депозит, казино-бонус, фрибет), а затем указать промокод (при наличии). Также следует подтвердить совершеннолетие и согласие с правилами БК. Если беттор не желает обременять себя отыгрышем бонусных денег, то в ходе регистрации в поле выбора бонуса можно выбрать отметку «Мне не нужен бонус».
nomnomnomfordogs – Their local Columbus OH presence adds trust—having a physical shop matters.
наркологическая частная клиника https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-27.ru .
Hey there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I really enjoy reading your blog posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same subjects? Thanks a lot!
kra42 at
connectdiscovergrow – Might be worth following or subscribing if you’re aiming for growth in your career or business.
нарколог психолог нарколог психолог .
скрытый алкоголизм скрытый алкоголизм .
flourandoak – The product photos seem well done—makes me want to try their creations.
code promo 1xBet bonus de bienvenue The demographic targeting is clear with phrases like “code promotionnel 1xBet pour nouveaux utilisateurs,” highlighting the platform’s efforts to attract new clientele through enticing welcome offers. The segmentation continues with “code promo 1xBet paris sportifs” and “code promo 1xBet casino en ligne,” directing promotions towards specific betting preferences. Bonus-centric searches dominate: “code promo 1xBet bonus de bienvenue,” “code promo 1xBet inscription,” and the tempting “1xbet code promo tours gratuits.”
shopwithconfidence – Good candidate for a backlink, but I’d pair it with more established sites for balance.
наркологическая клиника москва наркологическая клиника москва .
nomnomnomfordogs – Their local Columbus OH presence adds trust—having a physical shop matters.
pepplish – I like the branding here, the name is catchy and the site design looks clean.
connectdiscovergrow – Overall, a positive first impression—just need to dig a little deeper to understand the full value.
наплавляемая гидроизоляция цена наплавляемая гидроизоляция цена .
flourandoak – The product photos seem well done—makes me want to try their creations.
brightnightpdx – Good starting point; once you verify its legitimacy it could offer value.
shopwithconfidence – The name is catchy and gives a strong first impression of trust and ease.
keepgrowingforward – Good candidate to share with a friend who’s looking for daily inspiration.
клиника наркологическая москва http://narkologicheskaya-klinika-27.ru .