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.
пояснения https://kra42-cc.at/
рулонные шторы с пультом управления рулонные шторы с пультом управления .
bright selection hub – Enjoyable and easy browsing with a nice collection of quality items.
Приобрести диплом любого университета поможем. Купить старые дипломы – diplomybox.com/kupit-starye-diplomy
этот сайт https://kra43-cc.at/
brightstyleoutlet.click – Loved the trendy selections, browsing through products was fast and easy.
bright choices online – Offers a well-organized selection of items for an effortless experience.
узнать больше https://kra43-cc.at
bright choice outlet – Easy-to-navigate selection of products that makes browsing fun today.
exploreopportunities.click – Easy navigation and helpful tips make discovering new opportunities enjoyable today.
websuccess.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
этот контент https://kra42-cc.at
как вывести деньги с мелбет https://melbet5008.ru/
It’s not my first time to pay a visit this web site, i am visiting this web site dailly and get fastidious data from here all the time.
exploreopportunities.click – Helpful site encouraging growth, learning, and discovering new paths effectively daily.
top picks collection – Products are easy to find, making shopping enjoyable throughout.
зеркало мелбет альтернативный вход https://melbet5008.ru
exploreopportunities.click – Great platform for finding new opportunities and exploring exciting possibilities today.
посетить веб-сайт https://kra42-cc.at/
Главная https://kra42-cc.at/
другие https://kra42-cc.at
На каком сайте сейчас заказать то можно дживик ровный купить Мефедрон, Бошки, Марихуану все скоро будут всем довольны, а те кто ждал и не паниковал будут вдвойне довольны!
My brother suggested I may like this web site. He was once entirely right. This post truly made my day. You can not imagine just how so much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
Для наглядности приведена таблица с основными направлениями терапии и их результатами:
Изучить вопрос глубже – http://narkologicheskaya-clinica-v-voronezhe17.ru
как скачать мелбет http://www.melbet5010.ru
exploreopportunities.click – Resourceful platform helping people explore options and achieve meaningful goals consistently.
бесплатные купоны на 1xbet Ищите промокод на https://tako-text.ru/kernel/inc/?1hbet_promokod_pri_registracii__bonus_do_32500_rub_.html и получите бонус до 32 500 рублей, чтобы получить максимальный стартовый бонус.
как вывести деньги с melbet https://melbet5010.ru
подробнее https://kra42-cc.at/
содержание https://kra43-cc.at
melbet сайт melbet сайт
смотреть здесь https://kra43-cc.at
websuccess.click – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
melbet free bet melbet5008.ru
Pinco-da həm casino oyunları, həm də futbol üzrə canlı bahis etmək çox rahatdır. Pinco canlı casino masaları 24/7 açıqdır. Futbol matçlarını canlı izləməkdən əvvəl statistika ilə tanış olmaq üçün https://abillionhectares.com/ çox faydalıdır. Pinko tətbiqində oyunçu interfeysi çox rahatdır.
Pinco AZ-da qeydiyyat prosesi çox qısadır. Mobil Pinko ilə həm aviator, həm də klassik slotları oynaya bilərsən. Pinko-da depozitlər dərhal hesabda görünür.
Mobil oyunçular üçün Pinco çox rahat dizayna sahibdir. Kazino oyunçuları üçün Pinko ən təhlükəsiz platformalardan biridir.
Pinco-da canlı statistika futbol bahislərində böyük üstünlük verir.
скачать мелбет на андройд melbet5008.ru
Узнать больше https://kra43-cc.at/
посетить веб-сайт https://kra42-cc.at/
Confidence Catalyst – Daily ideas to spark self-belief and personal growth.
перейти на сайт https://kra43-cc.at
Confidence Builder Tips – Practical ideas to strengthen your confidence.
умные шторы с алисой http://prokarniz27.ru .
Узнать больше https://kra42-cc.at/
ссылка на сайт https://kra43-cc.at/
мелбет казахстан melbet5008.ru
продажа диплома купить диплом о продажа диплома купить диплом о .
содержание https://kra42-cc.at/
взгляните на сайте здесь https://kra43-cc.at
сайт https://kra42-cc.at
умные шторы с алисой [url=https://prokarniz27.ru/]prokarniz27.ru[/url] .