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.
melbet слоты wwwpsy.ru .
the dog house megaways slot http://wwwpsy.ru/ .
рейтинг компаний по ремонту квартир в москве рейтинг компаний по ремонту квартир в москве .
электрокарнизы в москве электрокарнизы в москве .
высококачественный ремонт квартир в москве высококачественный ремонт квартир в москве .
электрокарниз двухрядный цена https://www.elektrokarnizmsk.ru .
бк мелбет официальный сайт https://v-bux.ru/ .
рулонные шторы автоматические рулонные шторы автоматические .
ремонт квартир компании https://luchshie-kompanii-po-remontu-kvartir-v-moskve.com/ .
поиск мастера по ремонту квартир http://luchshie-kompanii-po-remontu-kvartir-v-moskve.com .
dog house slot http://wwwpsy.ru/ .
aviator game aviator game .
melbet sports betting https://www.v-bux.ru .
aviator money http://www.aviator-game-best.com .
электрокарниз недорого https://www.elektrokarnizmsk.ru .
электрокарнизы в москве электрокарнизы в москве .
Full Circle Picks – Simple layout and effortless navigation make shopping enjoyable.
компании по ремонту компании по ремонту .
melbet sports http://v-bux.ru/ .
battery aviator game apk battery aviator game apk .
aviation game aviation game .
Петербургский темп жизни — поздняя занятость, переменная нагрузка, сезонные перепады света — усложняет восстановление после эпизодов употребления. Поэтому мы разработали модульные программы, способные гибко подстраиваться под график и биоритмы: у кого-то «трудные часы» приходятся на поздний вечер на Васильевском острове, у кого-то — на раннее утро перед сменой в Адмиралтейском районе. Маршрут строится вокруг человека, а не вокруг расписания кабинета: очные приёмы, немаркированные выезды на дом, дневной стационар, защищённые онлайн-сессии — всё объединено единым клиническим планом и общими целями.
Ознакомиться с деталями – https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-v-spb14.ru/narkolog-sankt-peterburg
melbet официальный сайт [url=v-bux.ru]v-bux.ru[/url] .
WindBright Emporium – Great variety of items and the website loaded instantly for me.
вывод из запоя
vivod-iz-zapoya-cherepovec017.ru
лечение запоя
рулонные шторы на окно в кухне avtomaticheskie-rulonnye-shtory11.ru .
рольшторы с электроприводом рольшторы с электроприводом .
aviator money https://aviator-game-best.com .
plane crash money game aviator-game-deposit.com .
I think the admin of this web page is genuinely working hard in support of his site, for the reason that here every stuff is quality based stuff.
ремонт под ключ москва отзывы rejting-kompanij-po-remontu-kvartir-moskvy.com .
автоматическая рулонная штора http://www.avtomaticheskie-rulonnye-shtory11.ru .
ролевые шторы ролевые шторы .
dog house слот играть wwwpsy.ru .
рулонные шторы купить москва недорого рулонные шторы купить москва недорого .
plane crash game money aviator-game-deposit.com .
карнизы с электроприводом карнизы с электроприводом .
ремонт квартир компании https://rejting-kompanij-po-remontu-kvartir-moskvy.com .
рулонные шторы в москве рулонные шторы в москве .
ремонт квартир сайты москва luchshie-kompanii-po-remontu-kvartir-v-moskve.com .
ремонт квартир рейтинг ремонт квартир рейтинг .
aviator game http://www.aviator-game-deposit.com/ .
Full Circle Boutique Picks – Smooth browsing with a well-organized design.
Your post made me realize how much I need to prioritize certain aspects of my life. Thanks for the reminder! https://3nz9f.icu/everton-could-soon-unleash-james-garner/
Timber Grove Corner – Items are neatly arranged, making shopping quick and easy.
ремонт квартир в москве отзывы рекомендации ремонт квартир в москве отзывы рекомендации .
???? ???? ???? ??? https://aviator-game-deposit.com .
если нет, то когда будет? https://watt33.ru/nizhnyaya-salda.html Понимающий меня поймёт.
aviation game aviation game .
аренда штукатурных лесов Аренда рамных лесов: Рамные леса являются одним из самых популярных и востребованных видов строительных лесов, благодаря своей простоте сборки, надежности и универсальности. Аренда рамных лесов – это экономически выгодное решение для строительных компаний и частных лиц, выполняющих фасадные работы, кладку кирпича, покраску стен и другие виды работ на высоте до 40 метров. Рамные леса легко монтируются и демонтируются, что позволяет значительно сократить время на подготовку к работе. Аренда рамных лесов предоставляет возможность выбрать оптимальную конфигурацию лесов в зависимости от особенностей объекта и поставленных задач. Обратите внимание на состояние лесов, наличие всех необходимых комплектующих и соответствие требованиям безопасности перед заключением договора аренды.