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.
Фитляндия https://fit-landia.ru интернет-магазин товаров для спорта и фитнеса. Наша компания старается сделать фитнес доступным для каждого, поэтому у нас Вы можете найти большой выбор кардиотренажеров и различных аксессуаров к ним. Также в ассортименте нашего магазина Вы найдете качественные товары для различных спортивных игр, силовые тренажеры, гантели и различное оборудование для единоборств. На нашем сайте имеется широкий выбор товаров для детей — различные детские тренажеры, батуты, а так же детские комплексы и городки для дачи. Занимайтесь спортом вместе с Фитляндией
написать курсовую работу на заказ в москве kupit-kursovuyu-6.ru .
Hello, just wanted to tell you, I enjoyed this post.
It was practical. Keep on posting!
курсовая работа недорого http://kupit-kursovuyu-6.ru/ .
find here jaxx liberty wallet
Просто улёт!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
срок службы дизельного двигателя больше бензинового и в силах достигать доставка дизельного топлива 400-600 тысяч километров.
написать курсовую работу на заказ в москве https://kupit-kursovuyu-6.ru .
сайт для заказа курсовых работ http://kupit-kursovuyu-6.ru .
brandamplify.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
Кстати, если вас интересует Управление бюджетом: Хаос под контролем, загляните сюда.
Смотрите сами:
https://budgetmedia.ru
Кстати, если вас интересует Лучшие международные маршруты и путешествия, посмотрите сюда.
Смотрите сами:
https://supertourism.ru
написание курсовых на заказ http://kupit-kursovuyu-6.ru .
Фитляндия https://fit-landia.ru интернет-магазин товаров для спорта и фитнеса. Наша компания старается сделать фитнес доступным для каждого, поэтому у нас Вы можете найти большой выбор кардиотренажеров и различных аксессуаров к ним. Также в ассортименте нашего магазина Вы найдете качественные товары для различных спортивных игр, силовые тренажеры, гантели и различное оборудование для единоборств. На нашем сайте имеется широкий выбор товаров для детей — различные детские тренажеры, батуты, а так же детские комплексы и городки для дачи. Занимайтесь спортом вместе с Фитляндией
Особенно понравился материал про Просто и понятно о валютных курсах.
Смотрите сами:
https://exchangetrade.ru
Le bonus du code promo 1xbet peut atteindre 100 €/$ lors du depot initial. Meme sans code, le bonus de 100 % est credite automatiquement. Pour obtenir plus de details sur le 1xbet dernier code promo, vous pouvez consulter ce lien : https://alfonsosanchez.net/art/code_promo_gratuit_1xbet.html
курсовые работы заказать курсовые работы заказать .
написать курсовую работу на заказ в москве https://kupit-kursovuyu-7.ru .
website link jaxx bitcoin wallet
заказать курсовую работу качественно заказать курсовую работу качественно .
купить курсовую сайт https://kupit-kursovuyu-6.ru .
написать курсовую работу на заказ в москве https://kupit-kursovuyu-9.ru .
Наркологическая помощь становится актуальной в преодолении зависимостей. На сайте vivod-iz-zapoya-krasnoyarsk019.ru можно найти информация о лечении зависимостей, включая программы реабилитации. Квалифицированные специалисты поддерживают в выявлении проблем с зависимостями и обеспечивают медицинскую помощь при зависимости от алкоголя и наркотической зависимости. Консультация нарколога — ключевой этап к избавлению от зависимости после психоактивных веществ. Важны профилактика рецидивов и семейная терапия для поддержки пациентов. Забота со стороны семьи и врачей помогает справиться с вызовами на пути к беззависимой жизни.
курсовая работа купить курсовая работа купить .
помощь курсовые http://www.kupit-kursovuyu-7.ru/ .
По теме “Элитные инвестиционные стратегии для финансовой независимости”, нашел много полезного.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://vipfinancial.ru
На письма не отвечают, щас будем звонить и орать матом… купить кокаин, меф, бошки через телеграмм За основу брали ромашку (как она задрала), я кстати предлагаю магазину, продавать основу, или в качестве бонуса предлагать (так на сколько я знаю никто не делает).
look at here now https://lumi-wallet.io
купить курсовая работа купить курсовая работа .
Hooked on the section about Insights on Real-Time Crypto Trends and News.
Смотрите сами:
https://pulsewander.com
заказать курсовую заказать курсовую .
special info https://web-breadwallet.com
webpage https://jaxxwallet-web.org
курсовая работа на заказ цена https://kupit-kursovuyu-6.ru/ .
веб-сайте kraken рабочая ссылка onion
мега москва зеркало актуальное
МЕГА как зайти
сайт заказать курсовую работу kupit-kursovuyu-6.ru .
https://bottleshockmovie.com/1xbet-promo-code-free-bet-e130-sports/
рейтинг компаний seo оптимизации http://www.reiting-seo-kompanii.ru/ .
заказать курсовую работу качественно заказать курсовую работу качественно .
this jaxx wallet chrome
hubmarket – Great selection, prices seem reasonable and navigating the site was easy.
seo agency ranking [url=www.reiting-seo-kompanii.ru/]www.reiting-seo-kompanii.ru/[/url] .
my website wallet jaxx
https://ssa.ru/forum/promokod-1xbet-pri-registracii-kak-sposob-uvelichit-start.html
написание курсовой на заказ цена [url=https://www.kupit-kursovuyu-10.ru]написание курсовой на заказ цена[/url] .
курсовая заказать http://kupit-kursovuyu-6.ru .
I always used to study article in news papers but now as I am a user of internet thus from now I am using net for content, thanks to web.
написание курсовой на заказ цена http://www.kupit-kursovuyu-6.ru/ .
shopglobalhub – Great range of products, browsing felt fast and convenient.
Проекты домов из клееного бруса Дома из клееного бруса под ключ – это комплексное решение, включающее все этапы строительства, от проектирования до внутренней отделки. Заказывая дом под ключ, вы избавляетесь от необходимости самостоятельно заниматься организацией строительных работ и поиском подрядчиков. Профессионалы берут на себя все заботы, гарантируя высокое качество и соблюдение сроков.