
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.
Смотреть здесь водка казино
Howdy! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group
of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche.
Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on. You have done a marvellous job!
перейдите на этот сайт casino vodka
I’m really loving the theme/design of your weblog. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility issues?
A small number of my blog visitors have complained about my blog not working correctly in Explorer but
looks great in Chrome. Do you have any ideas to help fix this
issue?
этот сайт [url=https://vodkabet.kz/]водкабет[/url]
I’ve been using it for a week for using the API, and the stable performance stands out.
подробнее здесь casino vodka
meta trader 5 download http://metatrader-5-downloads.com/ .
скачать мелбет на андроид скачать мелбет на андроид
веб-сайте водка бет
metatrader5 download https://metatrader-5-mac.com .
melbet sports live https://melbet5005.ru/
BrightMeadow Essentials – Website worked flawlessly and my package came just as expected.
Meadow Market Goods – Checkout took seconds and the products arrived right when they should.
опубликовано здесь казино водка
Этот документ охватывает важные аспекты медицинской науки, сосредотачиваясь на ключевых вопросах, касающихся здоровья населения. Мы рассматриваем свежие исследования, клинические рекомендации и лучшие практики, которые помогут улучшить качество лечения и профилактики заболеваний. Читатели получат возможность углубиться в различные медицинские дисциплины.
Подробнее тут – вывод из запоя вызов на дом в Москве
Следующая страница vodka bet
This text is invaluable. How can I find out more?
modernchoicehub – Easy to find everything, prices are great and the site is smooth.
интернет водка казино
перейдите на этот сайт казино водка
узнать vodkabet водкабет казино
Для гарантированного и анонимного доступа на сайт Кракен, в особенности в условиях регулярных блокировок со стороны регуляторов, критически важно применять только актуальные зеркала. кракен ссылка переходник. Только данный официальный канал гарантирует пользователю прямое подключение на оригинальный сервер Kraken, в обход любых посредников и скрытые опасности. Это считается самым разумным решением для тех, кто ценит собственную анонимность и защиту своего профиля и средств.
Its like you read my mind! You appear to grasp a lot
about this, like you wrote the e-book in it or something.
I believe that you simply could do with a few percent to pressure the message house a bit, but instead of that, that is excellent blog.
A fantastic read. I will definitely be back.
glamhub – Browsing is fast and intuitive, with products displayed nicely.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tpIKZSRBhpTh7Lx7MRvqLCx3iFKxKl7bFyTwM9UgAZ0/edit?usp=sharing
https://firstrainingsalud.edu.pe/profile/Codebons1xbet/
Следующая страница vodkabet прямо сейчас
I know this website gives quality based content and additional data, is there any other website which presents such things in quality?
This was such a refreshing take. Definitely sharing with my friends! https://3nz9f.icu/
jocuri melbet http://melbet5015.ru
WarmWinds Picks – Items are easy to explore, navigation feels natural and quick.
читать vodkabet онлайн казино
you are in point of fact a just right webmaster. The website loading pace is incredible. It seems that you’re doing any distinctive trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterwork. you’ve performed a excellent process on this topic!
нижневартовск шлюхи форум
как вывести деньги с мелбет https://www.melbet5005.ru
The best choice I made for cross-chain transfers. Smooth and low fees. Charts are accurate and load instantly.
нажмите здесь vodkabet водкабет казино
автоматические шторы на окна автоматические шторы на окна .
Даже при амбулаторном ведении мы следуем принципам доказательной медицины: пошаговая титрация, ясные коридоры безопасности, пересмотр решений строго по показателям. Мы объясняем, на что ориентироваться в первые часы после визита: диапазоны давления и пульса, ориентиры самочувствия, правила питания и питья, поведенческие «якоря» на случай, если тревога неожиданно вырастет вечером. Благодаря этому пациент и его семья не остаются один на один с вопросами; наоборот — у них есть карта маршрута и контакты людей, готовых включиться в течение минуты.
Выяснить больше – нарколог на дом клиника краснодар
посмотреть на этом сайте vodka bet
Hi there, I check your blog on a regular basis. Your writing style is witty, keep it up!
Vous pouvez beneficier d’un bonus du code promo 1xBet de 130 % en fonction du depot initial. Les depots en crypto ne seront pas comptabilises dans le bonus. Pour en savoir plus sur le 1xbet code promo casino, vous pouvez consulter ce lien : https://www.mutfakpenceresi.com/pags/code_promo_176.html
SEO tips guide: Master simple tricks to rank higher on Google. Boost site traffic now with our step-by-step plan. Start winning searches today.
metatrader 5 download mac http://www.metatrader-5-sync.com .
жалюзи с электроприводом купить жалюзи с электроприводом купить .
I’m not sure where you are getting your information, but great topic.
I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more.
Thanks for wonderful information I was looking for this information for my mission.
другие vodkabet онлайн казино
интернет vodkabet онлайн казино
промокод мелбет кыргызстан https://melbet5005.ru/