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.
ссылка на сайт blsp at
интерьерный скетч
Узнать больше kra42 at
SoftBlossom Corner Store – Lovely products, smooth online experience, and quick ordering process.
RedMoon Studio Shop – Loved browsing, unique items are easy to find and view.
RedMoon Essentials – Clean layout with interesting products makes shopping simple.
You explained this very clearly. https://3nz9f.icu/
содержание kra42 at
Soft Blossom Collection – Easy-to-use site, great items, and my purchase was effortless.
cod promoțional melbet Moldova http://melbet5015.ru
forex metatrader 5 forex metatrader 5 .
melbet sporturi populare http://melbet5015.ru
forex metatrader 5 forex metatrader 5 .
Казино Vavada популярно среди игроков Азербайджана благодаря стабильному зеркалу и щедрой бонусной программе.
Регистрация занимает считаные минуты, после чего доступны фриспины, кэшбэк и регулярные турниры.
Обновляемые промокоды позволяют начать игру без депозита и получать дополнительные награды.
Служба поддержки отвечает на азербайджанском и английском языках, а выплаты обрабатываются оперативно.
Подключиться к актуальной версии сайта можно по ссылке: вавада.
Vavada остаётся надёжной площадкой для любителей онлайн-казино и ставок на спорт.
ссылка на сайт blacksprut
mt5 mac mt5 mac .
другие blacksprut
такой kra41 cc
каталог kra42 at
melbet rezultate live https://melbet5015.ru
melbet promo code melbet5015.ru
можно проверить ЗДЕСЬ bs2site at
независимая экспертиза залива квартиры независимая экспертиза залива квартиры .
download mt5 for mac http://www.metatrader-5-sync.com/ .
Таможенное декларирование москва без единой правки
https://www.dekorofisemlak.com/agent/lashaylja26560/
RedMoon Treasures Shop – Easy browsing, unique items are displayed clearly and attractively.
Soft Blossom Boutique – Great selection, simple website layout, and ordering was very easy today.
you’re truly a just right webmaster. The website loading pace is incredible. It sort of feels that you’re doing any unique trick. Also, The contents are masterpiece. you have done a wonderful task on this topic!
shopnowdaily – Excellent daily deals, items were delivered fast and in great condition.
ссылка на сайт kra41 cc
Coastline Finds Hub – Everything is presented nicely, and browsing feels calm and pleasant.
Nice post. I used to be checking constantly this blog and I’m inspired! Extremely helpful info particularly the remaining part :) I handle such information much. I was seeking this certain information for a long time. Thank you and good luck.
SoftBlossom Trend Store – Beautiful items, fast-loading site, and checkout was hassle-free today.
срок проведения экспертизы залива ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-1.ru .
RedMoon Treasures – Smooth and comfortable browsing, items are clearly arranged.
download melbet app http://www.melbet5005.ru
Evinizde hem s?kl?g? hem de kullan?sl?l?g? onemseyenler icin harika ipuclar? derledik.
Кстати, если вас интересует Moda Rehberi: Yeni Sezonun One C?kan Trendleri, загляните сюда.
Ссылка ниже:
https://modakasifi.com
Umar?z bu ipuclar?yla evinizde harikalar yaratabilirsiniz! Sevgiyle kal?n.
Asking questions are actually nice thing if you are not understanding something entirely, however this post gives nice understanding yet.
строительно техническая экспертиза залива ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-1.ru .
metatrader5 metatrader5 .
Официальный сайт — переходи сейчас
Важная деталь — отсутствие полипрагмазии. Мы используем «минимально достаточную фармакотерапию»: каждый препарат имеет цель, окно эффективности и критерии отмены. Это снижает побочные эффекты, убирает «тяжесть» днём и делает восстановление более естественным.
Углубиться в тему – https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-v-spb14.ru/narkolog-sankt-peterburg/
мелбет кыргызстан https://www.melbet5005.ru
читать kra42 at
независимая экспертиза после залива http://www.ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-1.ru .
Hello i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anywhere, when i read this post i thought i could also create comment due to this sensible article.
RedMoon Shop – Smooth navigation and the items feel one-of-a-kind.
Soft Blossom Online Shop – Beautifully presented items, user-friendly site, and fast checkout.
SoftBlossom Online – Lovely items, smooth navigation, and the checkout process was effortless.
RedMoon Goods – Effortless browsing and items are distinctive and easy to explore.