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.
Je suis bluffe par Betify Casino, on y trouve une energie contagieuse. Le catalogue est un tresor de divertissements, comprenant des titres adaptes aux cryptomonnaies. 100% jusqu’a 500 € avec des spins gratuits. Le support est fiable et reactif. Les transactions sont fiables et efficaces, neanmoins plus de promotions variees ajouteraient du fun. En resume, Betify Casino est un incontournable pour les joueurs. Notons egalement le design est moderne et energique, booste l’excitation du jeu. A souligner le programme VIP avec des privileges speciaux, garantit des paiements securises.
Ouvrir le site|
I got this site from my buddy who informed me concerning this site and
now this time I am visiting this web page and
reading very informative articles here.
Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your
favorite reason seemed to be on the net the simplest thing to be aware of.
I say to you, I certainly get irked while people consider worries that they plainly do not
know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal.
Will likely be back to get more. Thanks
clickorbit.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
поставка медоборудования http://www.medoborudovanie-postavka.ru .
согласование перепланировки нежилых помещений pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya16.ru .
Tarz?n?z? 90’lar?n unutulmaz modas?ndan esinlenerek gunumuze tas?mak ister misiniz? Oyleyse bu yaz?m?z tam size gore!
Зацепил раздел про Ev Dekorasyonunda S?kl?k ve Fonksiyonellik.
Ссылка ниже:
https://evimsicak.com
90’lar?n guzellik s?rlar?yla tarz?n?za yeni bir soluk kazand?rabilirsiniz. Eski moda, yeni size ilham olsun!
переустройство нежилого помещения http://www.pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya16.ru .
поставка медоборудования https://medoborudovanie-postavka.ru .
1xbet resmi https://1xbet-giris-4.com .
1xbet g?ncel 1xbet g?ncel .
clickifypro.click – Navigation felt smooth, found everything quickly without any confusing steps.
Cildinizi s?martmak icin haz?r olun!
“Guzellik ve Bak?mda Yenilikci Yaklas?mlar” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin cok faydal? bilgiler buldum.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://zariften.com
Guzelliginizin ve sagl?g?n?z?n anahtar? dogru cilt bak?m?nda sakl?.
узаконивание перепланировки нежилого помещения https://pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya16.ru/ .
поставщик медицинского оборудования поставщик медицинского оборудования .
перепланировка нежилого помещения в нежилом здании законодательство http://www.pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya16.ru .
поставка медоборудования http://medoborudovanie-postavka.ru .
согласование перепланировки нежилого помещения в жилом доме https://www.pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya16.ru .
Guzellik ve kozmetikte her zaman gecmisten al?nacak dersler bulunur. 90’lar?n modas?ndan guzellik s?rlar?n? kesfetmeye haz?r olun.
Для тех, кто ищет информацию по теме “Ev Dekorasyonunda Modern ve Estetik Cozumler”, там просто кладезь информации.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://evimturk.com
Nostalji dolu bu yolculukta bizimle oldugunuz icin tesekkur ederiz. 90’lar modas? ve guzelliginin ruhunu hissedin.
поставка медицинского оборудования поставка медицинского оборудования .
Je suis accro a Betway Casino, on ressent une ambiance festive. La bibliotheque est pleine de surprises, comprenant des jeux crypto-friendly. Le bonus d’inscription est attrayant. Les agents repondent avec rapidite. Les transactions sont toujours fiables, en revanche des bonus plus frequents seraient un hit. En conclusion, Betway Casino offre une aventure inoubliable. De surcroit le site est rapide et style, apporte une energie supplementaire. Un avantage notable le programme VIP avec des recompenses exclusives, assure des transactions fiables.
DГ©couvrir davantage|
Dogal guzelliginizin s?rlar?n? ortaya c?karmaya var m?s?n?z?
Bu arada, eger Is?lt?l? Guzellik: Sac ve Cilt Bak?m Onerileri ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya goz at?n.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://tenvezarafet.com
Sagl?kl? ve dogal bir cilt icin duzenli bak?m sart.
Je suis fascine par Belgium Casino, on ressent une ambiance festive. Le catalogue est un tresor de divertissements, comprenant des jeux crypto-friendly. Avec des depots instantanes. Les agents sont rapides et pros. Le processus est clair et efficace, a l’occasion quelques tours gratuits en plus seraient geniaux. En conclusion, Belgium Casino est un must pour les passionnes. A souligner le design est moderne et energique, booste l’excitation du jeu. A mettre en avant les evenements communautaires dynamiques, qui stimule l’engagement.
Passer à l’action|
рулонные шторы с электроприводом на пластиковые окна avtomaticheskie-rulonnye-shtory77.ru .
1x lite 1x lite .
медтехника http://www.medicinskaya-tehnika.ru/ .
Cilt bak?m?n?n puf noktalar?na dair bilmeniz gereken her sey burada!
Bu arada, eger Guzellik ve Bak?mda Yenilikci Yaklas?mlar ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya bir bak?n.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://zariften.com
Cildinizin dogall?g?n? ve sagl?g?n? korumak sizin elinizde.
Tarz?n?z? 90’lar?n unutulmaz modas?ndan esinlenerek gunumuze tas?mak ister misiniz? Oyleyse bu yaz?m?z tam size gore!
Зацепил раздел про Ev Dekorasyonunda S?kl?k ve Fonksiyonellik.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://evimsicak.com
Nostalji dolu bu yolculukta bizimle oldugunuz icin tesekkur ederiz. 90’lar modas? ve guzelliginin ruhunu hissedin.
автоматические рулонные шторы автоматические рулонные шторы .
уличные рулонные шторы http://www.avtomaticheskie-rulonnye-shtory77.ru .
clickfusion.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
согласовать перепланировку нежилого помещения http://www.pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya16.ru/ .
поставка медоборудования http://www.medoborudovanie-postavka.ru/ .
двойные рулонные шторы с электроприводом avtomaticheskie-rulonnye-shtory77.ru .
1xbet spor bahislerinin adresi 1xbet spor bahislerinin adresi .
медицинская техника медицинская техника .
Tarz?n?z? 90’lar?n unutulmaz modas?ndan esinlenerek gunumuze tas?mak ister misiniz? Oyleyse bu yaz?m?z tam size gore!
Особенно понравился материал про Ev Dekorasyonunda Modern ve Estetik Cozumler.
Ссылка ниже:
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?
1xbet tr giri? http://1xbet-15.com .
медицинская техника медицинская техника .
рулонные шторы с электроприводом рулонные шторы с электроприводом .
clickmetric.click – Color palette felt calming, nothing distracting, just focused, thoughtful design.
J’adore l’energie de Betway Casino, il procure une sensation de frisson. Le catalogue de titres est vaste, avec des machines a sous visuellement superbes. Le bonus de bienvenue est genereux. Le support client est irreprochable. Les gains sont transferes rapidement, de temps en temps des offres plus consequentes seraient parfaites. En resume, Betway Casino est un incontournable pour les joueurs. Par ailleurs le site est rapide et style, permet une plongee totale dans le jeu. A souligner le programme VIP avec des avantages uniques, qui motive les joueurs.
Cliquez ici|
согласовать перепланировку нежилого помещения pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya16.ru .
поставка медицинского оборудования поставка медицинского оборудования .
перепланировка в нежилом помещении http://pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya16.ru .
съемка подкастов https://studiya-podkastov-spb4.ru .
Je suis bluffe par Belgium Casino, ca offre une experience immersive. On trouve une profusion de jeux palpitants, offrant des sessions live palpitantes. 100% jusqu’a 500 € avec des free spins. Le service client est de qualite. Les gains sont verses sans attendre, rarement des recompenses supplementaires dynamiseraient le tout. En conclusion, Belgium Casino merite un detour palpitant. De plus la navigation est simple et intuitive, incite a prolonger le plaisir. Un plus les tournois reguliers pour s’amuser, cree une communaute vibrante.
Visiter pour plus|
поставщик медоборудования medoborudovanie-postavka.ru .
Cildinizi s?martmak icin haz?r olun!
Kad?n Modas?nda Stil ve Fonksiyonel Oneriler hakk?ndaki bolum dikkate degerdi.
Kendiniz bak?n:
[url=https://giyimtarzi.com]https://giyimtarzi.com[/url]
Unutmay?n, her cilt tipi guzeldir ve dogru bak?m ile daha da guzellesir.
chem24.biz.ski заходи и приколись купить Кокаин, Мефедрон, Экстази Привет всем!