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.
conversionmatrix.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
NewVoyage Market Place – Items are well organized and exploring the site is effortless.
рулонные шторы с электроприводом рулонные шторы с электроприводом .
Very well written, thanks! https://3nz9f.icu/newcastle-still-keen-on-conor-gallagher/
А вот еще немного…Вскрыл, взвешал – все в норме. для начала взял 1гр.растворяется АМ2233 в спирту хреново,(в след.раз попробую на растворителе сделать)причем грел все это дело на водяной бане,мешал,но до конца так и не растворилось.делал это долго и упорно,молочного оттенка раствора не наблюдалось,прозрачный скорее,но остался осадок в виде белого порошка.В итоге так и залил все это дело 1к20. Сушится теперь. Как высохнет опробуем и напишу что получилось. Буду надеятся на лучшее. https://katyakant.ru Так что тут 50:50 если тебя примут. Все зависит от конкретного города и гнк в нем.
оценка ущерба от залива квартиры http://www.ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-1.ru .
Super helpful and straight to the point. https://3nz9f.icu/arsenal-missed-a-trick-on-raphinha/
download mt5 for mac http://metatrader-5-sync.com .
Excellent breakdown! https://3nz9f.icu/
рулонные шторы с электроприводом купить рулонные шторы с электроприводом купить .
акт о заливе квартиры акт о заливе квартиры .
автоматические рулонные шторы на окна автоматические рулонные шторы на окна .
залив квартиры судебная экспертиза http://www.ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-3.ru/ .
экспертиза протечки квартиры https://www.ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-1.ru .
mt5 download mac http://www.metatrader-5-sync.com .
оценка ущерба от залива квартиры http://www.ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-1.ru .
aarp recommended canadian online pharmacies https://neokamagra.xyz/# Kamagra tablets
metatrader5 download metatrader5 download .
техническая экспертиза причин затопления https://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-4.ru .
Your posts always have such a positive and uplifting tone.
как доказать виновника залива https://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-4.ru/ .
Thank you for writing this. https://3nz9f.icu/leeds-aaronson-was-wasteful-v-southampton/
оценка мебели после залива http://www.ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-3.ru .
meta trader 5 download meta trader 5 download .
Таможенное оформление оборудования москва — всё сертифицировано
https://propcart.co.ke/author/louisa27372308/
metatrader 5 download mac metatrader 5 download mac .
download mt5 for mac download mt5 for mac .
https://nonameno.com/news.html
forex metatrader 5 http://metatrader-5-platform.com .
Thank you for writing this. https://3nz9f.icu/chelsea-desperate-for-andrey-santos-playing-time/
строительно техническая экспертиза залива https://www.ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-2.ru .
I’ll definitely try this out. https://3nz9f.icu/man-utd-had-a-nightmare-with-18-y-o-prodigy/
рулонная штора с электроприводом рулонная штора с электроприводом .
как провести оценку ущерба после залива http://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-1.ru/ .
этот сайт [url=https://lblsp.at]blacksprut[/url]
купить рулонные шторы в москве купить рулонные шторы в москве .
независимая экспертиза при затоплении http://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-1.ru .
возмещение ущерба после залива возмещение ущерба после залива .
mt5 mt5 .
Brilliant article! https://3nz9f.icu/arsenal-missed-a-trick-on-raphinha/
акт о заливе квартиры акт о заливе квартиры .
SEO tips guide reveals secrets to beat competition. Optimize content, track progress, and scale up. Turn searches into steady leads today.
metatrader 5 mac metatrader 5 mac .
download mt5 for mac download mt5 for mac .
mt5 mac download mt5 mac download .
https://pmkmebel.ru Аренда прямоугольных столов для конференций. Модульные системы в наличии.
купить диплом томск купить диплом томск .
meta trader 5 download metatrader-5-platform.com .
conversionmatrix.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
как доказать виновника залива http://www.ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-2.ru .