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.
торкретирование цена торкретирование цена .
торкретирование бетона цена торкретирование бетона цена .
телефон наркологии телефон наркологии .
1xbet lite 1xbet lite .
торкретирование москва http://www.torkretirovanie-1.ru .
Je suis enthousiasme par Posido Casino, on y trouve une energie contagieuse. La gamme est variee et attrayante, incluant des paris sportifs en direct. Il propulse votre jeu des le debut. Le support est fiable et reactif. Les paiements sont surs et efficaces, neanmoins des bonus plus varies seraient un plus. Au final, Posido Casino offre une experience inoubliable. En bonus le design est moderne et energique, permet une plongee totale dans le jeu. Particulierement cool les nombreuses options de paris sportifs, propose des avantages sur mesure.
Aller sur le web|
ремонт в подвале http://www.gidroizolyaciya-podvala-cena.ru/ .
гидроизоляция подвала гидроизоляция подвала .
сырость в подвале многоквартирного дома gidroizolyaciya-podvala-cena.ru .
электрокранизы https://elektrokarniz797.ru/ .
Dogal ve etkili cilt bak?m yontemlerine dair tuyolar? kesfedin.
“Moda ve Stil Rehberi: En Yeni Trendler ve Kombinler” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin cok faydal? bilgiler buldum.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://modaruhu.com
Cildinizin dogall?g?n? ve sagl?g?n? korumak sizin elinizde.
mostbey http://mostbet12037.ru
торкретирование цена торкретирование цена .
сырость в подвале многоквартирного дома gidroizolyaciya-podvala-cena.ru .
If you are new to investing, these tips will help you save money.
On the topic “Financial strategies for gamers: tips and tools”, there is an excellent article.
Here, I’m sharing a link:
https://esportsgrind.com/
Your financial well-being is in your hands!
торкретирование стен цена за м2 http://www.torkretirovanie-1.ru .
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 bir bak?n.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://klasikstil.com
Unutmay?n, her cilt tipi guzeldir ve dogru bak?m ile daha da guzellesir.
наркологическая клиника анонимно https://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-23.ru .
торкретирование стен цена за м2 http://www.torkretirovanie-1.ru .
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.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://anadoludekor.com
Guzelliginizin ve sagl?g?n?z?n anahtar? dogru cilt bak?m?nda sakl?.
Discover practical tips for financial well-being with CactiCarely.
On the topic “Financial strategies for gamers: tips and tools”, I found a lot of useful information.
Here, you can read it:
https://esportsgrind.com/
Use this knowledge to achieve your financial goals!
торкретирование стен цена за м2 http://torkretirovanie-1.ru/ .
yelkovanyachts.com/ – Internet Address Official Yacht Builder
1xbet resmi http://www.1xbet-17.com/ .
1xbet guncel 1xbet guncel .
Dogal guzellik ve cilt bak?m?nda uzmanlar?n s?rlar?na yak?ndan bak?yoruz.
Estetik ve Fonksiyonellik: Ideal Mekan Tasar?m? hakk?ndaki yaz? dikkatimi cekti.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://evsahnesi.com
Guzelliginizin ve sagl?g?n?z?n anahtar? dogru cilt bak?m?nda sakl?.
1xbet giri? 1xbet giri? .
mostbet kg https://www.mostbet12037.ru
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.
Here, you can read it:
https://codefortots.com/
Continue to learn and apply new financial strategies!
Искусственный интеллект — будущее уже сегодня kraken сайт kraken onion kraken onion ссылка kraken onion зеркала
наркологическая клиника город http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-27.ru/ .
Ко ланта остров ло Канта
Welcome to the world of financial management with TaleStrucker!
Incidentally, if you are interested in Practical tips for financial well-being with CactiCarely, check out here.
See for yourself:
https://cacticarely.com/
Your financial well-being is in your hands!
электрические карнизы для штор в москве https://elektrokarniz797.ru/ .
1x bet 1x bet .
90’lar modas?n?n guzellik s?rlar?yla gunumuzun trendlerine meydan okumaya ne dersiniz?
Кстати, если вас интересует Guzellik ve Kozmetik: Trendler ve Ipuclar?, загляните сюда.
Смотрите сами:
https://guzellikturk.com
Guzellik, gecmisle gunumuz aras?nda bir kopru kurmakt?r. 90’lar?n moda s?rlar?, bu koprunun onemli parcalar?ndan.
1xbet mobil giri? 1xbet mobil giri? .
больница наркологическая http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-23.ru .
1xbet giri? 2025 1xbet giri? 2025 .
наркология http://narkologicheskaya-klinika-23.ru/ .
наркологическая больница https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-23.ru/ .
1xbet com giri? 1xbet com giri? .
ремонт гидроизоляции фундаментов и стен подвалов http://www.gidroizolyaciya-podvala-cena.ru/ .
ремонт подвала ремонт подвала .
анонимная наркологическая помощь https://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-23.ru .
центр наркологической помощи narkologicheskaya-klinika-23.ru .
купить аттестат в рубцовске купить аттестат в рубцовске .
быстрый интернет в Москве – провести качественный сетевой доступ в столице от столичных операторов со скидкой
купить аттестат вечерней школы в спб купить аттестат вечерней школы в спб .
медицинский наркологический центр https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-23.ru/ .