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.
uniquefashioncorner – Checkout was smooth, payment process didn’t give me any stress at all.
нажмите здесь блэкспрут сайт
ended up checking different pages posting a note about it pretty neutral, keeping it here for later. leaving a note: xrmtowork.com just context.
такой кракен ссылка kraken
Кстати, если вас интересует Навигатор финансовых решений: от ипотеки до инвестиций, посмотрите сюда.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://financialonline.ru
why not try these out https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
uniquefashioncorner – Customer service was friendly and they responded to my query promptly.
нажмите blacksprut darknet
где можно заказать курсовую работу где можно заказать курсовую работу .
clickcampaign.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
try this site jaxx liberty download
see here jaxx
Смотреть здесь blacksprut onion
эвакуатор в таганроге дешего Услуги эвакуатора включают в себя широкий спектр работ, связанных с транспортировкой транспортных средств. Это может быть эвакуация легковых автомобилей, мотоциклов, внедорожников, микроавтобусов, а также спецтехники и грузовых автомобилей. Кроме того, мы предлагаем услуги манипулятора для эвакуации автомобилей с заблокированными колесами или поврежденной ходовой частью.
urbanfashionshop – Great variety available, found stylish items easily while browsing this morning.
uniquefashioncorner – Prices are great for quality, totally worth every rupee I spent.
Home Comfort Picks – Checked out the page and found many stylish and convenient items that fit daily needs
Ну так ведь и не делаем не чотка . всё сразу . купить кокаин, меф, бошки через телеграмм Ну, красавы. Вечером оплатил на следующий день отправили
urbanfashionshop – Customer support responded quickly and provided clear, helpful answers to questions.
С такой поломкой вам необходимо обратиться в специализированный сервисный центр, прочитайте этот гайд если в списке проблем ничего не помогло, смело сдавайте
uniquefashioncorner – Customer service was friendly and they responded to my query promptly.
homepickcorner – Wide selection of home products, navigation felt smooth and intuitive.
urbanfashionshop – Package arrived safely, everything was neatly packed and in perfect condition.
trendcentralhub – Loved the clean layout, browsing through the site was effortless.
Daily Comfort Shop – Was impressed with the selection; items look perfect for improving daily routines
4M Dental Implant Center
3918 Lonng Beawch Blvd #200, ᒪong Beach,
CA 90807, United States
15622422075
Orthodontic Solutions
Cozy Living Essentials – Browsing was enjoyable, and the items look perfect for adding comfort to everyday life
Smart Home Finds – Great selection overall; everything feels helpful for daily routines
urbanfashionshop – Shipping was fast and smooth, products arrived exactly as described online.
мега спб работает или опять блочат
мега магазин
i thought about this https://jaxxwallet-web.org
Hi! Quick question that’s entirely off topic. Do you know how to
make your site mobile friendly? My website looks weird when browsing from
my iphone 4. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to
correct this problem. If you have any suggestions,
please share. Appreciate it!
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and entertaining,
and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head.
The issue is something which too few folks are speaking intelligently
about. I am very happy I found this in my search for something relating to this.
trendfusionhub – Browsing the site was effortless, design is very user-friendly.
аттестат купить в новосибирске аттестат купить в новосибирске .
Homepage https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
Everything is very open with a very clear clarification of the challenges.
It was really informative. Your site is extremely helpful.
Many thanks for sharing!
купить диплом ачинск купить диплом ачинск .
urbanfashionshop – Overall great shopping experience, definitely planning to buy more items soon.
clickcampaign.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
chictrendhub – The website layout is stylish and easy to navigate quickly.
trendcentralstore – Very intuitive layout, moving around the website was fast.
click here to find out more jaxx liberty download
browse around here https://lumi-wallet.io
продолжить кракен onion
dailyhomecorner – Great variety of home products, pages loaded quickly and shopping was easy.
right here https://web-breadwallet.com/
besthomefinds – Excellent product range, site layout made browsing very simple.
страница kra ссылка
advice https://jaxxwallet-web.org/