
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.
продолжить vodkabet новый сайт
интернет vodkabet новый сайт
https://mhfapharm.xyz/# MHFA Pharm
здесь vodkabet
shopandsavehub – Great deals today, very easy to navigate the site.
NK88 là nền tảng cá cược thể thao nổi bật, giữ vững
thương hiệu số 1 với hệ thống pháp
lý an toàn và nền tảng bảo mật đa tầng.
Nền tảng mang đến tỷ lệ kèo cạnh tranh,
nhiều loại hình thể thao cùng nạp
rút tiện lợi. Với tầm nhìn dẫn đầu xu hướng 2025, NK88 cam kết mang đến nền tảng giải trí uy tín, khách quan và bền vững cho toàn bộ bet thủ.
Top urban picks – Quickly spotted multiple appealing pieces, smooth scrolling experience.
каталог водка бэт
каталог vodkabet
melbet mirror Moldova http://melbet5011.ru
узнать зеркало водка бет
melbet mobil melbet mobil
melbet bilet verificare melbet5011.ru
Daily Fashion Hub – Explore popular categories with ease and enjoy a fun browsing experience.
https://valueanalyze.com/show.php?url=cascadeclimbers.com
частный дом инвалидов Пансионаты для инвалидов: Широкий выбор и индивидуальный подход На рынке представлен широкий выбор пансионатов для инвалидов, различающихся по уровню комфорта, спектру предоставляемых услуг и ценовой категории. При выборе пансионата для инвалидов важно учитывать потребности и пожелания вашего близкого, его финансовые возможности и состояние здоровья. Мы рекомендуем внимательно изучить все предложения, посетить несколько пансионатов и лично пообщаться с сотрудниками и жителями, чтобы сделать осознанный выбор, который обеспечит вашему близкому достойную жизнь и необходимую заботу.
Trendy Finds Daily – Explore stylish products and navigate categories quickly and enjoyably.
http://www.viewwhois.com/lmc896.org/
You’re bringing big, amazing energy — keep it up!
Перейти на сайт vodka bet
Hi mates, pleasant paragraph and nice arguments commented at this place, I am truly
enjoying by these.
Replique montre classique Replique montre metal: La robustesse et l’elegance Les repliques de montres en metal offrent un look robuste et elegant. Elles sont souvent изготовлены из нержавеющей стали
перенаправляется сюда водка бет
страница зеркало водка бет
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful post. Thanks for providing this information.
https://comfortdeluxe.com.ua/pravda-pro-kytaiske-sklo-far-chy-varto.html
Visit our main platform
диплом мастера маникюра купить диплом мастера маникюра купить .
Trend Picks Hub – Enjoyed the stylish selections, with a seamless browsing experience throughout.
продолжить водка бэт
melbet partners melbet5011.ru
бурение скважины на воду под ключ
бесполезная затея
So, 1win login, are you want for regular wins? confirm transaction of funds: Follow the latest instructions and confirm.
Your writing never fails to impress me.
Fashion Trend Hub – Enjoyed the layout and the trendy items, scrolling felt effortless.
бурение на воду московская область цена
Global Outfit Corner – Smooth navigation and fun fashion selections made exploring enjoyable.
Fashion Trend Spot – The trendy vibes were great, and moving through the categories was intuitive.
This article bursts with life and inspiration — beautiful!
random browsing session so putting it down just generic content, keeping it here for later. for context only: article neutral.
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it ;) I may return yet again since I book marked
it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and
continue to guide others.
melbet apk md melbet apk md
Благодаря ruseriya.ru я пересмотрел классические сериалы https://1hive.online/wendigrammer24
Fashion Corner Online – Fun trendy picks displayed clearly, with smooth navigation throughout the site.
http://whoisx.co.uk/guidasposi.it
BrightValueCorner – Clean and cheerful design that makes browsing and comparing items feel effortless.
ссылка на сайт зеркало водка бет
Good day! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I genuinely enjoy reading your blog posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects? Thanks!
Смотреть здесь vodkabet
Hi to all, the contents present at this web site are really remarkable for people experience, well, keep up the nice work fellows.
https://degustator.net.ua/chomu-mutniie-sklo-fary-ford-explorer-i-yak.html
мега тор актуальная ссылка
MEGA как зайти