
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 ?yelik http://1xbet-giris-5.com .
Pinco-da idman və kazino bir yerdədir. Mobil istifadəçilər üçün ideal seçim pinco casino yukle. Pinco mobil versiyası sürətli yüklənir.
Pinco kazino yeni dizaynla fərqlənir.
Dogal guzelliginizin s?rlar?n? ortaya c?karmaya var m?s?n?z?
Moda ve Konforun Zirvesi: Trendler ve Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki yaz? dikkate degerdi.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://sadesik.com
Sagl?kl? ve dogal bir cilt icin duzenli bak?m sart.
консультация психиатра платно
psychiatr-moskva010.ru
платная психиатрическая клиника
медтехника https://medicinskaya-tehnika.ru/ .
1xbet yeni giri? 1xbet yeni giri? .
1xbet mobi http://www.1xbet-giris-5.com .
организация онлайн трансляций под ключ организация онлайн трансляций под ключ .
Cilt bak?m?n?n puf noktalar?na dair bilmeniz gereken her sey burada!
“Estetik ve Fonksiyonellik: Ideal Mekan Tasar?m?” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin harika bir makale var.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://evsahnesi.com
Cildinizin dogall?g?n? ve sagl?g?n? korumak sizin elinizde.
1xbet spor bahislerinin adresi 1xbet spor bahislerinin adresi .
видеостудия для подкастов видеостудия для подкастов .
1xbet giri? g?ncel 1xbet giri? g?ncel .
Tarz?n?z? 90’lar?n unutulmaz modas?ndan esinlenerek gunumuze tas?mak ister misiniz? Oyleyse bu yaz?m?z tam size gore!
По теме “Guzellik ve Kozmetik: Trendler ve Ipuclar?”, есть отличная статья.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
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!
медицинская техника медицинская техника .
birxbet giri? https://1xbet-15.com/ .
1xbet turkey 1xbet turkey .
онлайн трансляция заказать https://www.zakazat-onlayn-translyaciyu5.ru .
J’adore la vibe de Betify Casino, on y trouve une vibe envoutante. Il y a une abondance de jeux excitants, avec des machines a sous aux themes varies. Il offre un demarrage en fanfare. Le service client est de qualite. Les transactions sont toujours fiables, par ailleurs des recompenses supplementaires dynamiseraient le tout. Au final, Betify Casino offre une aventure inoubliable. De surcroit le site est fluide et attractif, amplifie le plaisir de jouer. A mettre en avant les nombreuses options de paris sportifs, garantit des paiements rapides.
https://betifycasinoa366fr.com/|
реквизит и свет для подкастов реквизит и свет для подкастов .
Guzellik ve kozmetikte her zaman gecmisten al?nacak dersler bulunur. 90’lar?n modas?ndan guzellik s?rlar?n? kesfetmeye haz?r olun.
Кстати, если вас интересует Guzellik ve Kozmetik: Trendler ve Ipuclar?, посмотрите сюда.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://guzellikturk.com
Guzellik, gecmisle gunumuz aras?nda bir kopru kurmakt?r. 90’lar?n moda s?rlar?, bu koprunun onemli parcalar?ndan.
1xbetgiri? https://1xbet-15.com .
1xbet yeni adresi 1xbet yeni adresi .
1xbet 1xbet .
https://magnitola.kiev.ua
медтехника http://www.medicinskaya-tehnika.ru .
deck saloon cruiser – premium aft saloon explorer yacht configuration
I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up!
I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later.
All the best
1x lite 1x lite .
медтехника http://medicinskaya-tehnika.ru .
организация онлайн трансляции организация онлайн трансляции .
заказать трансляцию мероприятия http://www.zakazat-onlayn-translyaciyu5.ru .
Cilt bak?m?n?z? bir ust seviyeye c?karman?n zaman? geldi, siz ne dersiniz?
“Kozmetik Dunyas?nda En Yeni Guzellik Trendleri ve Ipuclar?” konusuyla ilgili olarak cok faydal? bilgiler buldum.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
[url=https://bakimsehri.com]https://bakimsehri.com[/url]
Guzelliginizin ve sagl?g?n?z?n anahtar? dogru cilt bak?m?nda sakl?.
рулонные жалюзи москва рулонные жалюзи москва .
запись подкастов запись подкастов .
онлайн трансляция заказать http://www.zakazat-onlayn-translyaciyu5.ru .
студия подкастов в санкт-петербурге студия подкастов в санкт-петербурге .
медтехника http://medicinskaya-tehnika.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 “Evinizde Estetik ve Fonksiyonu Birlestirin: Ipuclar? ve Trendler”, там просто кладезь информации.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://anadolustil.com
Tarz?n?zda 90’lar?n esintilerini hissetmeye baslad?g?n?za eminim. Gecmisin izlerini tas?maktan korkmay?n!
рулонные шторы на окна недорого рулонные шторы на окна недорого .
аренда студии подкастов аренда студии подкастов .
медтехника http://medicinskaya-tehnika.ru .
findyourmoments – Calm and inspiring design, a lovely place to explore and reflect.
90’lar modas?n?n guzellik s?rlar?yla gunumuzun trendlerine meydan okumaya ne dersiniz?
Между прочим, если вас интересует Guzellik ve Kozmetik: 90’lar Modas?ndan Ipuclar?, посмотрите сюда.
Ссылка ниже:
https://aynakirildi.com
Guzellik, gecmisle gunumuz aras?nda bir kopru kurmakt?r. 90’lar?n moda s?rlar?, bu koprunun onemli parcalar?ndan.
медтехника http://medicinskaya-tehnika.ru/ .
Cilt bak?m?n?n puf noktalar?na dair bilmeniz gereken her sey burada!
“Moda ve Stil Rehberi: En Yeni Trendler ve Kombinler” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin harika bir makale var.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://modaruhu.com
Sagl?kl? ve dogal bir cilt icin duzenli bak?m sart.
организация трансляций организация трансляций .
медтехника http://www.medicinskaya-tehnika.ru .
Eski ama asla eskimeyen 90’lar modas?n?n guzellik s?rlar?yla dolu bu yaz?da bulusal?m.
Хочу выделить материал про Guzellik ve Kozmetik: 90’lar Modas?ndan Ipuclar?.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://aynakirildi.com
90’lar?n guzellik s?rlar?yla tarz?n?za yeni bir soluk kazand?rabilirsiniz. Eski moda, yeni size ilham olsun!
заказать онлайн трансляцию заказать онлайн трансляцию .
1xbet mobi 1xbet mobi .