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.
https://melbet-kz.biz/ – ресурс с актуальными результатами
аренда экскаватора погрузчика в москве аренда экскаватора погрузчика в москве .
стоимость аренды экскаватора погрузчика за час стоимость аренды экскаватора погрузчика за час .
trafficzen.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
запись подкастов студия http://studiya-podkastov-spb4.ru/ .
аренда экскаватора погрузчика в москве срочно http://arenda-ekskavatora-pogruzchika-2.ru/ .
студия для съемки подкаста http://www.studiya-podkastov-spb4.ru .
аренда экскаватора смена https://www.arenda-ekskavatora-pogruzchika-2.ru .
1x bet 1x bet .
clickmagnet.click – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
студия подкастов спб студия подкастов спб .
1xbet t?rkiye giri? 1xbet t?rkiye giri? .
1 x bet giri? 1 x bet giri? .
discount pharmacies in Ireland
Dogal guzellik ve cilt bak?m?nda uzmanlar?n s?rlar?na yak?ndan bak?yoruz.
Cilt Bak?m? ve Guzellik: Trendler ve Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki bolum dikkatimi cekti.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://bakimruhu.com
Cilt bak?m?n?n buyusu ile tan?s?n ve hayat?n?za kazand?r?n.
Dogal guzelliginizin s?rlar?n? ortaya c?karmaya var m?s?n?z?
Yeri gelmisken, eger Turk Mutfag?n?n Unutulmaz Lezzet Hikayeleri ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya bir bak?n.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://turksofrasi.com
Unutmay?n, her cilt tipi guzeldir ve dogru bak?m ile daha da guzellesir.
стоимость услуг экскаватора погрузчика стоимость услуг экскаватора погрузчика .
http://www.google.be/url?q=https://1xbet-egypt.site/
J’adore l’ambiance electrisante de Instant Casino, il procure une sensation de frisson. Le catalogue est un tresor de divertissements, offrant des tables live interactives. Avec des transactions rapides. Les agents repondent avec rapidite. Les paiements sont securises et instantanes, quelquefois quelques free spins en plus seraient bienvenus. Pour faire court, Instant Casino offre une experience hors du commun. Par ailleurs le site est rapide et style, donne envie de continuer l’aventure. Un element fort les transactions en crypto fiables, assure des transactions fiables.
Visiter la plateforme|
one x bet one x bet .
1xbet g?ncel giri? 1xbet g?ncel giri? .
Hi there, I do believe your site may be having internet browser compatibility issues.
When I look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however, when opening in IE, it has some overlapping issues.
I merely wanted to give you a quick heads up!
Besides that, wonderful site!
Оформите онлайн-займ https://zaimy-78.ru без визита в офис: достаточно паспорта, проверка за минуты. Выдача на карту, кошелёк или счёт. Прозрачный договор, напоминания о платеже, безопасность данных, акции для новых клиентов. Сравните предложения и выберите выгодно.
J’adore la vibe de Cheri Casino, on ressent une ambiance festive. Le catalogue est un tresor de divertissements, offrant des tables live interactives. Il booste votre aventure des le depart. Le support est rapide et professionnel. Les retraits sont fluides et rapides, en revanche des bonus diversifies seraient un atout. Pour conclure, Cheri Casino est un must pour les passionnes. De surcroit la navigation est intuitive et lisse, facilite une immersion totale. Particulierement attrayant les evenements communautaires dynamiques, renforce la communaute.
Ouvrir la page|
1xbet giris 1xbet giris .
Оформите онлайн-займ https://zaimy-87.ru без визита в офис: достаточно паспорта, проверка за минуты. Выдача на карту, кошелёк или счёт. Прозрачный договор, напоминания о платеже, безопасность данных, акции для новых клиентов. Сравните предложения и выберите выгодно.
казино онлайн
купить диплом фарм колледжа http://frei-diplom8.ru .
Hi friends, how is everything, and what you desire to say on the topic of this piece of writing, in my view its genuinely amazing in support of me.
skla
Stop fighting your body. Start working with it through the principles of Metabolic Freedom. https://metabolicfreedom.top/ metabolic freedom
Je suis enthousiasme par Frumzi Casino, ca offre un plaisir vibrant. Le catalogue de titres est vaste, comprenant des jeux crypto-friendly. 100% jusqu’a 500 € avec des free spins. Disponible 24/7 par chat ou email. Les retraits sont simples et rapides, rarement quelques tours gratuits en plus seraient geniaux. Pour finir, Frumzi Casino merite une visite dynamique. Pour couronner le tout le site est rapide et style, facilite une immersion totale. A noter les paiements en crypto rapides et surs, offre des bonus exclusifs.
Commencer Г naviguer|
promostream.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
купить диплом с проведением в купить диплом с проведением в .
Ровный магазин . Всем советую ! купить онлайн мефедрон, экстази, бошки Отличный магаз парни! Удачи!
Пытался найти, как класть кафель в санузле. В одних источниках — «главное — ровный слой», на других — целые трактаты с 20 этапами подготовки. Пока не обнаружил каталог с адекватными сайтами, где мастера с опытом объясняют по делу. Держите, если актуально
Каталог сайтів
viralaxis.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
admatrix.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
надежное казино
Hi, i believe that i saw you visited my website so i got here to go back the prefer?.I’m trying to to
find issues to enhance my site!I guess its ok to use some of
your concepts!!
аренда экскаватора стоимость http://www.arenda-ekskavatora-pogruzchika-2.ru .
http://melbet-kz.us/ – платформа без live-трансляций
leadvortex.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about
this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with a few pics to drive the
message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is excellent blog.
A great read. I will definitely be back.
где купить диплом образование где купить диплом образование .
trusted online pharmacy Australia: best Australian pharmacies – Australian pharmacy reviews
сайт mostbet http://mostbet12035.ru
Оформите онлайн-займ https://zaimy-71.ru без визита в офис: достаточно паспорта, проверка за минуты. Выдача на карту, кошелёк или счёт. Прозрачный договор, напоминания о платеже, безопасность данных, акции для новых клиентов. Сравните предложения и выберите выгодно.
growthshift.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
1 xbet 1 xbet .
запись подкастов студия http://www.studiya-podkastov-spb4.ru .