Browse: Home / 2012 / May / 25 / Amidst the Geeks

Amidst the Geeks

By on May 25, 2012

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.

Posted in , | Tagged , | 175,633 Responses

175,633 responses to “Amidst the Geeks”

  1. JosephMuh
    JosephMuh November 10, 2025 at 6:55 pm |

    90’lar modas?n?n guzellik s?rlar?yla gunumuzun trendlerine meydan okumaya ne dersiniz?

    Зацепил раздел про Guzellik ve Kozmetik: Trendler ve Ipuclar?.

    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.

  2. agentstvo poiskovogo prodvijeniya_krEn
    agentstvo poiskovogo prodvijeniya_krEn November 10, 2025 at 6:55 pm |

    сео агентство сео агентство .

  3. DarkWolfar8Scook
    DarkWolfar8Scook November 10, 2025 at 6:56 pm |

    Je suis emerveille par Gamdom Casino, il propose une aventure palpitante. Les titres proposes sont d’une richesse folle, offrant des experiences de casino en direct. Il donne un elan excitant. Le support est pro et accueillant. Les retraits sont lisses comme jamais, bien que quelques spins gratuits en plus seraient top. Pour finir, Gamdom Casino offre une aventure inoubliable. A souligner la plateforme est visuellement captivante, donne envie de continuer l’aventure. Un atout les transactions crypto ultra-securisees, offre des bonus exclusifs.
    Aller Г  la page|

  4. TimothyRof
    TimothyRof November 10, 2025 at 6:57 pm |

    Cilt bak?m?na dair dogal guzellik s?rlar?n? ogrenmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?

    Yeri gelmisken, eger Modern Moda: Zarafet ve Stil Ipuclar? ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya bir bak?n.

    Iste, linki paylas?yorum:

    [url=https://modaevreni.com]https://modaevreni.com[/url]

    Cilt bak?m?n? hayat?n?z?n bir parcas? haline getirin ve fark? gorun.

  5. pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_jcEi
    pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_jcEi November 10, 2025 at 6:57 pm |

    перепланировка нежилого здания перепланировка нежилого здания .

  6. skolko stoit yzakonit pereplanirovky_mbot
    skolko stoit yzakonit pereplanirovky_mbot November 10, 2025 at 6:57 pm |

    оформить перепланировку квартиры в москве цена https://www.skolko-stoit-uzakonit-pereplanirovku-1.ru .

  7. agentstvo poiskovogo prodvijeniya_nmEn
    agentstvo poiskovogo prodvijeniya_nmEn November 10, 2025 at 6:57 pm |

    seo продвижение агентство услуга seo продвижение агентство услуга .

  8. agentstvo poiskovogo prodvijeniya_jxEn
    agentstvo poiskovogo prodvijeniya_jxEn November 10, 2025 at 6:57 pm |

    топ seo продвижение заказать reiting-kompanii-po-prodvizheniyu-sajtov.ru .

  9. stati o marketinge _bmki
    stati o marketinge _bmki November 10, 2025 at 6:57 pm |

    статьи про продвижение сайтов статьи про продвижение сайтов .

  10. Raphael Garnette
    Raphael Garnette November 10, 2025 at 6:58 pm |

    targetboost.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.

  11. stati o marketinge _scen
    stati o marketinge _scen November 10, 2025 at 6:58 pm |

    статьи про маркетинг и seo https://www.statyi-o-marketinge7.ru .

  12. JosephMuh
    JosephMuh November 10, 2025 at 6:58 pm |

    90’lar modas?n? hat?rlayanlar burada m?? Sizlere gecmisin moda ikonu olan donemden ilhamla ipuclar? sundugumuz bu yaz?ya davetlisiniz.

    По теме “Guzellik ve Kozmetik: Trendler ve Ipuclar?”, есть отличная статья.

    Вот, делюсь ссылкой:

    https://guzellikturk.com

    Nostalji dolu bu yolculukta bizimle oldugunuz icin tesekkur ederiz. 90’lar modas? ve guzelliginin ruhunu hissedin.

  13. RandomNameNab
    RandomNameNab November 10, 2025 at 6:58 pm |

    yourpathforward – Motivating concept, feels like a site that inspires progress and growth.

  14. Smart Way_xapn
    Smart Way_xapn November 10, 2025 at 6:59 pm |

    смарт вэй http://sajt-smart-way.ru/ .

  15. arenda ekskavatora pogryzchika_ofsr
    arenda ekskavatora pogryzchika_ofsr November 10, 2025 at 6:59 pm |

    услуги экскаватора погрузчика в москве услуги экскаватора погрузчика в москве .

  16. skolko stoit yzakonit pereplanirovky_phot
    skolko stoit yzakonit pereplanirovky_phot November 10, 2025 at 6:59 pm |

    стоимость согласования перепланировки квартиры стоимость согласования перепланировки квартиры .

  17. pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_beMt
    pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_beMt November 10, 2025 at 7:00 pm |

    порядок согласования перепланировки нежилого помещения https://pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya18.ru .

  18. TimothyRof
    TimothyRof November 10, 2025 at 7:00 pm |

    Cilt bak?m?n?n puf noktalar?na dair bilmeniz gereken her sey burada!

    Modern Tesettur Moda Trendleri ve Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki bolum ozellikle hosuma gitti.

    Iste, linki paylas?yorum:

    https://giyimkeyfi.com

    Unutmay?n, her cilt tipi guzeldir ve dogru bak?m ile daha da guzellesir.

  19. stati o marketinge _gski
    stati o marketinge _gski November 10, 2025 at 7:00 pm |

    цифровой маркетинг статьи цифровой маркетинг статьи .

  20. pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_tnEi
    pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_tnEi November 10, 2025 at 7:01 pm |

    согласование перепланировки нежилого помещения в нежилом здании https://pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya17.ru .

  21. stati o marketinge _xaen
    stati o marketinge _xaen November 10, 2025 at 7:01 pm |

    веб-аналитика блог http://www.statyi-o-marketinge7.ru/ .

  22. skolko stoit yzakonit pereplanirovky_isot
    skolko stoit yzakonit pereplanirovky_isot November 10, 2025 at 7:01 pm |

    узаконить перепланировку москва стоимость http://www.skolko-stoit-uzakonit-pereplanirovku-1.ru .

  23. stati o marketinge _jbki
    stati o marketinge _jbki November 10, 2025 at 7:02 pm |

    маркетинговые стратегии статьи маркетинговые стратегии статьи .

  24. JosephMuh
    JosephMuh November 10, 2025 at 7:03 pm |

    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 материал про Ev Dekorasyonunda Modern ve Estetik Cozumler.

    Вот, делюсь ссылкой:

    https://evimturk.com

    Tarz?n?zda 90’lar?n esintilerini hissetmeye baslad?g?n?za eminim. Gecmisin izlerini tas?maktan korkmay?n!

  25. skolko stoit yzakonit pereplanirovky_phot
    skolko stoit yzakonit pereplanirovky_phot November 10, 2025 at 7:03 pm |

    стоимость ремонта с перепланировкой https://skolko-stoit-uzakonit-pereplanirovku-1.ru .

  26. Smart Way_rkpn
    Smart Way_rkpn November 10, 2025 at 7:03 pm |

    смартвэй официальный сайт смвэй http://sajt-smart-way.ru/ .

  27. optimizaciya i seo prodvijenie saitov moskva_gmpl
    optimizaciya i seo prodvijenie saitov moskva_gmpl November 10, 2025 at 7:03 pm |

    частный seo оптимизатор частный seo оптимизатор .

  28. stati o marketinge _oden
    stati o marketinge _oden November 10, 2025 at 7:04 pm |

    блог про seo блог про seo .

  29. skolko stoit yzakonit pereplanirovky_gaot
    skolko stoit yzakonit pereplanirovky_gaot November 10, 2025 at 7:04 pm |

    сколько стоит разрешение на перепланировку квартиры [url=http://skolko-stoit-uzakonit-pereplanirovku-1.ru]сколько стоит разрешение на перепланировку квартиры[/url] .

  30. pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_fmMt
    pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_fmMt November 10, 2025 at 7:04 pm |

    согласование перепланировки нежилых помещений pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya18.ru .

  31. stati o marketinge _dbki
    stati o marketinge _dbki November 10, 2025 at 7:04 pm |

    маркетинговые стратегии статьи маркетинговые стратегии статьи .

  32. Johnnienok
    Johnnienok November 10, 2025 at 7:05 pm |

    Все найкраще у нас: https://zastava.com.ua/turyzm.html

  33. optimizaciya i seo prodvijenie saitov moskva_hfpl
    optimizaciya i seo prodvijenie saitov moskva_hfpl November 10, 2025 at 7:05 pm |

    продвижения сайта в google продвижения сайта в google .

  34. Amberly Weinmann
    Amberly Weinmann November 10, 2025 at 7:05 pm |

    engagehub.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.

  35. JosephMuh
    JosephMuh November 10, 2025 at 7:05 pm |

    Eski ama asla eskimeyen 90’lar modas?n?n guzellik s?rlar?yla dolu bu yaz?da bulusal?m.

    Хочу выделить раздел про Ev Dekorasyonunda Modern ve Estetik Cozumler.

    Смотрите сами:

    https://evimturk.com

    90’lar?n buyusunu modern dunyaya tas?mak hic bu kadar kolay olmam?st?. Unutulmayan bu donemin guzellik s?rlar?n? unutmay?n!

  36. optimizaciya i seo prodvijenie saitov moskva_obpl
    optimizaciya i seo prodvijenie saitov moskva_obpl November 10, 2025 at 7:05 pm |

    internetagentur seo optimizaciya-i-seo-prodvizhenie-sajtov-moskva-1.ru .

  37. TimothyRof
    TimothyRof November 10, 2025 at 7:05 pm |

    Dogal guzelliginizin s?rlar?n? ortaya c?karmaya var m?s?n?z?

    En Iyi Mobilya ve Dekorasyon Trendleri 2023 hakk?ndaki yaz? dikkatimi cekti.

    Kendiniz bak?n:

    https://anadoludekor.com

    Sagl?kl? ve dogal bir cilt icin duzenli bak?m sart.

  38. stati o marketinge _ujen
    stati o marketinge _ujen November 10, 2025 at 7:06 pm |

    руководства по seo руководства по seo .

  39. TimothyRof
    TimothyRof November 10, 2025 at 7:06 pm |

    Cilt bak?m?na dair dogal guzellik s?rlar?n? ogrenmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?

    Bu arada, eger Guzellik ve Bak?mda Yenilikci Yaklas?mlar ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya bir bak?n.

    Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:

    https://zariften.com

    Guzelliginizin ve sagl?g?n?z?n anahtar? dogru cilt bak?m?nda sakl?.

  40. pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_rwEi
    pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_rwEi November 10, 2025 at 7:06 pm |

    согласование перепланировки нежилого помещения в москве https://pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya17.ru/ .

  41. stati o marketinge _evki
    stati o marketinge _evki November 10, 2025 at 7:06 pm |

    блог seo агентства [url=statyi-o-marketinge6.ru]statyi-o-marketinge6.ru[/url] .

  42. Ruthann Mcatee
    Ruthann Mcatee November 10, 2025 at 7:06 pm |

    leadgenius.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.

  43. pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_vnEi
    pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_vnEi November 10, 2025 at 7:06 pm |

    перепланировка нежилого помещения в москве http://www.pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya17.ru/ .

  44. optimizaciya i seo prodvijenie saitov moskva_gyKl
    optimizaciya i seo prodvijenie saitov moskva_gyKl November 10, 2025 at 7:07 pm |

    раскрутка сайта франция http://www.optimizaciya-i-seo-prodvizhenie-sajtov-moskva.ru/ .

  45. stati o marketinge _vcen
    stati o marketinge _vcen November 10, 2025 at 7:07 pm |

    маркетинговые стратегии статьи [url=https://statyi-o-marketinge7.ru/]маркетинговые стратегии статьи[/url] .

  46. Diplomi_hgEi
    Diplomi_hgEi November 10, 2025 at 7:07 pm |

    купить диплом с занесением в реестр в брянске купить диплом с занесением в реестр в брянске .

  47. pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_zuEi
    pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_zuEi November 10, 2025 at 7:08 pm |

    согласование проекта перепланировки нежилого помещения http://www.pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya17.ru .

  48. pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_maEi
    pereplanirovka nejilogo pomesheniya_maEi November 10, 2025 at 7:09 pm |

    согласование перепланировок нежилых помещений pereplanirovka-nezhilogo-pomeshcheniya17.ru .

  49. Smart Way_qfpn
    Smart Way_qfpn November 10, 2025 at 7:09 pm |

    смарт вей sajt-smart-way.ru .

  50. Smart Way_qbpn
    Smart Way_qbpn November 10, 2025 at 7:09 pm |

    смартвэй компании http://www.sajt-smart-way.ru/ .

1 … 2,013 2,014 2,015 2,016 2,017 … 3,513

Leave a Reply