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 enthousiaste a propos de Lucky 31 Casino, il cree un monde de sensations fortes. Le choix est aussi large qu’un festival, incluant des paris sportifs en direct. Le bonus d’inscription est attrayant. Le suivi est d’une precision remarquable. Les gains sont verses sans attendre, de temps a autre plus de promos regulieres dynamiseraient le jeu. En fin de compte, Lucky 31 Casino offre une experience inoubliable. Ajoutons aussi la plateforme est visuellement electrisante, amplifie l’adrenaline du jeu. Un atout les options de paris sportifs diversifiees, qui booste la participation.
Entrer maintenant|
heaps of wins heaps of wins .
1xbet turkey 1xbet turkey .
1xbet промокод на сегодня 2026. Чтобы удовлетворить ставочников, букмекеры постоянно добавляют новые функции и предложения. Одним из лидеров является 1хБет. Ввод промокода при регистрации позволяет получить увеличенную сумму бонуса. После создания аккаунта внеси первый депозит (до 32 500 рублей) — и получи вознаграждение. Абсолютно бесплатный 1хбет промокод при регистрации доступен всем новичкам, чтобы активировать дополнительные преимущества. Игнорировать поле «Введите промокод» — значит потерять выгоду. Оно присутствует при трёх из четырёх способов регистрации (в 1 клик).
1x bet giri? 1x bet giri? .
777bet online casino 777bet online casino .
goliath casino recension https://www.goliath-casino.com .
стеклянные перила для лестниц https://telegra.ph/Steklyannye-perila-i-ograzhdeniya-kak-vybrat-kompaniyu-kotoraya-ne-sorvyot-sroki-10-21 .
seo бесплатно seo бесплатно .
heapofwins heapofwins .
icebet icebet .
777bet vip 777bet vip .
goliath casino recension http://goliath-casino.com .
heaps o wins casino login heaps o wins casino login .
I blog often and I truly thank you for your information. This
article has really peaked my interest. I am going to take a note
of your site and keep checking for new information about once per week.
I subscribed to your Feed as well.
душевые перегородки на заказ http://www.dzen.ru/a/aPfJd1pLPXEE534U .
seo с нуля https://kursy-seo-12.ru .
безрамное остекление в спб http://www.telegra.ph/Prevratite-vashu-terrasu-v-lyubimuyu-komnatu-Polnoe-rukovodstvo-po-ostekleniyu-ot-SK-Grani-10-21/ .
heaps of wins login [url=https://heapsofwins-online.com]heaps of wins login[/url] .
J’ai un faible pour Lucky 31 Casino, ca offre une experience immersive. Il y a un eventail de titres captivants, comprenant des titres adaptes aux cryptomonnaies. Avec des depots instantanes. Le service d’assistance est au point. Les paiements sont surs et fluides, par contre plus de promotions variees ajouteraient du fun. Pour finir, Lucky 31 Casino vaut une visite excitante. Ajoutons aussi la navigation est intuitive et lisse, incite a rester plus longtemps. Un atout les competitions regulieres pour plus de fun, garantit des paiements securises.
DГ©couvrir les offres|
goliath casino online casino goliath-casino.com .
ice bet ice bet .
J’adore l’energie de Azur Casino, ca invite a plonger dans le fun. Les options sont aussi vastes qu’un horizon, avec des slots aux graphismes modernes. Il offre un demarrage en fanfare. Les agents sont rapides et pros. Les paiements sont securises et instantanes, par contre des bonus plus varies seraient un plus. En somme, Azur Casino offre une aventure memorable. Par ailleurs la navigation est intuitive et lisse, booste le fun du jeu. Egalement excellent les evenements communautaires engageants, qui motive les joueurs.
DГ©couvrir la page|
душевое ограждение купить в спб из стекла https://dzen.ru/a/aPfJd1pLPXEE534U/ .
goliath casino bonus [url=www.goliath-casino.com]www.goliath-casino.com[/url] .
школа seo https://kursy-seo-12.ru .
безрамное остекление беседки telegra.ph/Prevratite-vashu-terrasu-v-lyubimuyu-komnatu-Polnoe-rukovodstvo-po-ostekleniyu-ot-SK-Grani-10-21 .
Ko Lanta Пляжи Ко Ланта: от укромных бухт до оживленных побережий. Ко Ланта славится разнообразием пляжей, каждый из которых предлагает свою атмосферу и возможности для отдыха. От укромных бухт, спрятанных среди скал и зелени, до оживленных побережий с развитой инфраструктурой – на Ко Ланта есть пляж для каждого. Самые популярные пляжи находятся на западном побережье: Лонг Бич, Клонг Дао, Клонг Кхонг и Клонг Нин. Лонг Бич – самый длинный пляж с отелями, ресторанами, барами и водными развлечениями. Клонг Дао – спокойный пляж для семейного отдыха. Клонг Кхонг – популярное место среди бэкпэкеров, а Клонг Нин – самый южный пляж с живописными закатами. Восточное побережье менее развито, но предлагает уединенные пляжи, такие как Ба Кан Тианг и Нуй Бич. Здесь можно насладиться тишиной и покоем вдали от туристических центров. На многих пляжах Ко Ланта есть водные виды спорта: каякинг, виндсерфинг и паддлбординг. Аренда лодки – отличный способ исследовать острова и бухты. Вечером на пляжах устраиваются фейерверки и вечеринки.
J’adore l’energie de Action Casino, on ressent une ambiance de fete. La selection est riche et diversifiee, incluant des options de paris sportifs dynamiques. Avec des transactions rapides. Le suivi est d’une precision remarquable. Le processus est transparent et rapide, de temps en temps quelques tours gratuits supplementaires seraient cool. Globalement, Action Casino est un choix parfait pour les joueurs. Notons aussi le site est rapide et style, apporte une energie supplementaire. Particulierement cool le programme VIP avec des avantages uniques, renforce le lien communautaire.
Approfondir|
icebet login icebet login .
продвижение обучение kursy-seo-12.ru .
Самоисключение: Опция временного или постоянного закрытия доступа к аккаунту по https://www.dahliahealthcareservices.co.uk/2025/11/07/loto-istorija-vidy-i-strategii-igry/ запросу игрока.
icebet online casino icebet online casino .
продвижение обучение [url=https://kursy-seo-12.ru/]https://kursy-seo-12.ru/[/url] .
онлайн займы в казахстане
icebet casino [url=http://www.icebet-online.com]icebet casino[/url] .
кухни на заказ санкт петербург http://www.kuhni-spb-9.ru/ .
Je suis totalement conquis par Action Casino, ca transporte dans un univers de plaisirs. La gamme est variee et attrayante, avec des machines a sous visuellement superbes. 100% jusqu’a 500 € + tours gratuits. Le service client est de qualite. Le processus est transparent et rapide, a l’occasion des recompenses additionnelles seraient ideales. En bref, Action Casino est un incontournable pour les joueurs. En bonus la plateforme est visuellement captivante, permet une immersion complete. Un point fort le programme VIP avec des privileges speciaux, propose des privileges personnalises.
Commencer ici|
отзывы компании домео отзывы компании домео .
trafficsprintpro.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
перепланировка в москве перепланировка в москве .
dreamfashionfinds – Stylish and trendy fashion finds that make everyday shopping fun.
кухни спб https://www.kuhni-spb-9.ru .
heapsofwins heapsofwins .
Je suis accro a 1xBet Casino, ca pulse comme une soiree animee. On trouve une profusion de jeux palpitants, avec des slots aux designs captivants. Il donne un elan excitant. Le support est efficace et amical. Les retraits sont fluides et rapides, en revanche des bonus diversifies seraient un atout. Globalement, 1xBet Casino offre une experience hors du commun. A souligner le site est rapide et immersif, booste l’excitation du jeu. Particulierement cool les nombreuses options de paris sportifs, qui dynamise l’engagement.
DГ©couvrir dГЁs maintenant|
кухни на заказ санкт петербург http://kuhni-spb-9.ru/ .
heaps o wins casino heaps o wins casino .
букмекерская контора регистрация онлайн https://www.1win12019.ru
компания домео ремонт отзывы [url=https://vc.ru/seo/2291370-reyting-seo-kompanij-rossii-2025-top-10-agentstv/]компания домео ремонт отзывы[/url] .
перепланировка проект [url=https://telegra.ph/Legalnyj-put-k-novoj-planirovke-ot-idei-do-akta-priemki-11-12]перепланировка проект[/url] .