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.
Guzellik ve kozmetikte her zaman gecmisten al?nacak dersler bulunur. 90’lar?n modas?ndan guzellik s?rlar?n? kesfetmeye haz?r olun.
Зацепил материал про Guzellik ve Kozmetik: 90’lar Modas?ndan Ipuclar?.
Ссылка ниже:
[url=https://aynakirildi.com]https://aynakirildi.com[/url]
Nostalji dolu bu yolculukta bizimle oldugunuz icin tesekkur ederiz. 90’lar modas? ve guzelliginin ruhunu hissedin.
гидроизоляция подвала изнутри цена гидроизоляция подвала изнутри цена .
1xbet yeni giri? adresi 1xbet yeni giri? adresi .
Welcome to the world of financial management with TaleStrucker!
For those who are looking for information on the topic “Practical tips for financial well-being with CactiCarely”, there is an excellent article.
Here, I’m sharing a link:
https://cacticarely.com/
Continue to learn and apply new financial strategies!
I really like it when folks come together and share thoughts.
Great website, keep it up!
помощь нарколога http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-23.ru .
наркология в москве http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-23.ru .
гидроизоляция цена москва http://gidroizolyaciya-cena-8.ru/ .
Dogal guzellik ve cilt bak?m?nda uzmanlar?n s?rlar?na yak?ndan bak?yoruz.
“Guzellik ve Bak?mda Yenilikci Yaklas?mlar” konusuyla ilgili olarak harika bir makale var.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://zariften.com
Cilt bak?m?n? hayat?n?z?n bir parcas? haline getirin ve fark? gorun.
Cilt bak?m?n?n puf noktalar?na dair bilmeniz gereken her sey burada!
“Lezzetin Zirvesine C?karan SofraKeyfi Hikayeleri” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin oras? tam bir bilgi hazinesi.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://sofrakeyfi.com
Cildinizin dogall?g?n? ve sagl?g?n? korumak sizin elinizde.
частная клиника наркологическая narkologicheskaya-klinika-27.ru .
гидроизоляция цена за рулон гидроизоляция цена за рулон .
наплавляемая гидроизоляция цена за м2 работа gidroizolyaciya-cena-8.ru .
Learn how gamers can improve their financial management skills.
Incidentally, if you are interested in Financial strategies for gamers: tips and tools, check out here.
See for yourself:
[url=https://esportsgrind.com/]https://esportsgrind.com/[/url]
Continue to learn and apply new financial strategies!
Cilt bak?m?n?z? bir ust seviyeye c?karman?n zaman? geldi, siz ne dersiniz?
Bu arada, eger Estetik ve Fonksiyonellik: Ideal Mekan Tasar?m? ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya goz at?n.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://evsahnesi.com
Cilt bak?m?n?n buyusu ile tan?s?n ve hayat?n?za kazand?r?n.
частный наркологический центр частный наркологический центр .
прокарниз http://www.elektrokarniz499.ru/ .
Sizi gecmisten ilham alan guzellik ipuclar?yla dolu bu nostaljik yolculuga davet ediyoruz. 90’lar modas?n?n s?rlar?na goz atal?m m??
По теме “Ev Dekorasyonunda Modern ve Estetik Cozumler”, нашел много полезного.
Смотрите сами:
https://evimturk.com
90’lar modas?n?n guzellik s?rlar?n? kesfetmek, tarz?n?za farkl? bir boyut kazand?rabilir. Denemeye deger degil mi?
карнизы для штор с электроприводом карнизы для штор с электроприводом .
Profitez d’un code promo unique sur 1xBet permettant a chaque nouveau joueur de beneficier jusqu’a 100€ de bonus sportif a hauteur de 100% en 2026. Ce bonus est credite sur votre solde de jeu en fonction du montant de votre premier depot, le depot minimum etant fixe a 1€. Pour eviter toute perte de bonus, veillez a copier soigneusement le code depuis la source et a le saisir dans le champ « code promo (si disponible) » lors de l’inscription, afin de preserver l’integrite de la combinaison. D’autres promotions existent en plus du bonus de bienvenue, d’autres combinaisons vous permettant d’obtenir des bonus supplementaires sont disponibles dans la section « Vitrine des codes promo ». Vous pouvez trouver le code promo 1xbet sur ce lien > https://payhip.com/bonusbet/blog/news/code-promo-1xbet-populaire-bonus-exclusive-jusqu-a-100.
Tarz?n?z? 90’lar?n unutulmaz modas?ndan esinlenerek gunumuze tas?mak ister misiniz? Oyleyse bu yaz?m?z tam size gore!
Между прочим, если вас интересует Ev Dekorasyonunda S?kl?k ve Fonksiyonellik, посмотрите сюда.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://evimsicak.com
Tarz?n?zda 90’lar?n esintilerini hissetmeye baslad?g?n?za eminim. Gecmisin izlerini tas?maktan korkmay?n!
Eski ama asla eskimeyen 90’lar modas?n?n guzellik s?rlar?yla dolu bu yaz?da bulusal?m.
Зацепил материал про Guzellik ve Kozmetik: 90’lar Modas?ndan Ipuclar?.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://aynakirildi.com
Guzellik, gecmisle gunumuz aras?nda bir kopru kurmakt?r. 90’lar?n moda s?rlar?, bu koprunun onemli parcalar?ndan.
карниз моторизованный elektrokarniz499.ru .
Learn how gamers can improve their financial management skills.
I want to highlight the material about A practical guide to financial security and growth.
See for yourself:
https://codefortots.com/
Your financial well-being is in your hands!
гидроизоляция подвала гаража гидроизоляция подвала гаража .
мостбет официальное приложение http://mostbet12037.ru/
Start your journey to financial freedom with our guide.
For those who are looking for information on the topic “Master financial management with TaleStrucker”, I found a lot of useful information.
The link is below:
https://talestrucker.com/
Choose your strategy and start your journey to financial freedom.
электрические гардины для штор https://elektrokarniz797.ru/ .
электрокарнизы электрокарнизы .
психолог нарколог в москве психолог нарколог в москве .
Start your journey to financial freedom with our guide.
For those who are looking for information on the topic “A practical guide to financial security and growth”, I found a lot of useful information.
Here, I’m sharing a link:
https://codefortots.com/
Choose your strategy and start your journey to financial freedom.
гидроизоляция цена гидроизоляция цена .
Learn how gamers can improve their financial management skills.
For those who are looking for information on the topic “Tips for beginner investors and saving money”, there is an excellent article.
Here, you can read it:
https://noobastro.com/
Use this knowledge to achieve your financial goals!
гардина с электроприводом http://elektrokarniz499.ru .
электрокарниз купить в москве [url=https://elektrokarniz499.ru/]электрокарниз купить в москве[/url] .
Guzellik ve kozmetikte her zaman gecmisten al?nacak dersler bulunur. 90’lar?n modas?ndan guzellik s?rlar?n? kesfetmeye haz?r olun.
Особенно понравился раздел про Evinizde Estetik ve Fonksiyonu Birlestirin: Ipuclar? ve Trendler.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://anadolustil.com
90’lar?n buyusunu modern dunyaya tas?mak hic bu kadar kolay olmam?st?. Unutulmayan bu donemin guzellik s?rlar?n? unutmay?n!
клиника наркологии клиника наркологии .
If you are new to investing, these tips will help you save money.
For those who are looking for information on the topic “A practical guide to financial security and growth”, I found a lot of useful information.
The link is below:
https://codefortots.com/
Use this knowledge to achieve your financial goals!
Welcome to the world of financial management with TaleStrucker!
For those who are looking for information on the topic “Practical tips for financial well-being with CactiCarely”, there is an excellent article.
The link is below:
https://cacticarely.com/
Use this knowledge to achieve your financial goals!
Dogal ve etkili cilt bak?m yontemlerine dair tuyolar? kesfedin.
“Lezzetin Zirvesine C?karan SofraKeyfi Hikayeleri” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin cok faydal? bilgiler buldum.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
[url=https://sofrakeyfi.com]https://sofrakeyfi.com[/url]
Cilt bak?m?n?n buyusu ile tan?s?n ve hayat?n?za kazand?r?n.
пластиковые жалюзи с электроприводом http://avtomaticheskie-zhalyuzi.ru/ .
литокол гидроизоляция цена gidroizolyaciya-cena-7.ru .
90’lar modas?n? hat?rlayanlar burada m?? Sizlere gecmisin moda ikonu olan donemden ilhamla ipuclar? sundugumuz bu yaz?ya davetlisiniz.
Хочу выделить раздел про Guzellik ve Kozmetik: Trendler ve Ipuclar?.
Смотрите сами:
https://guzellikturk.com
90’lar?n buyusunu modern dunyaya tas?mak hic bu kadar kolay olmam?st?. Unutulmayan bu donemin guzellik s?rlar?n? unutmay?n!
подвал дома ремонт http://www.gidroizolyaciya-cena-7.ru .
можно ли в школе купить аттестат за 9 класс можно ли в школе купить аттестат за 9 класс .
отделка подвала отделка подвала .
гидроизоляция цена за работу гидроизоляция цена за работу .
карниз электро https://elektrokarniz797.ru .
купить диплом старого образца в волгограде купить диплом старого образца в волгограде .
Студия красоты – место, где мечты становятся реальностью. Откройте для себя мир преображений и узнайте, как выглядеть наилучшим образом. https://modernlighting.ru/