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.
I have been surfing on-line greater than 3 hours today, but I
never discovered any interesting article like yours.
It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers
made just right content material as you did, the net will probably be much more
helpful than ever before.
My homepage; เว็บแทงหวยลาว4ตัว
Dream Harbor Deals – Browsing is smooth, and items are clearly displayed.
узнать больше Здесь https://kra46att.at
этот контент https://kra46att.at
ORBS Production https://filmproductioncortina.com is a full-service film, photo and video production company in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Dolomites. We create commercials, branded content, sports and winter campaigns with local crew, alpine logistics, aerial/FPV filming and end-to-end production support across the Alps. Learn more at filmproductioncortina.com
прогнозы на баскетбол Ставки на спорт – это азартное развлечение, требующее аналитического подхода и понимания стратегий. Современный мир беттинга предлагает широчайший выбор возможностей: от классических видов спорта до киберспорта и экзотических дисциплин. Однако, важно помнить, что успех в ставках на спорт – это не только удача, но и результат кропотливого анализа, изучения статистики и учета множества факторов.
ORBS Production https://filmproductioncortina.com is a full-service film, photo and video production company in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Dolomites. We create commercials, branded content, sports and winter campaigns with local crew, alpine logistics, aerial/FPV filming and end-to-end production support across the Alps. Learn more at filmproductioncortina.com
можно проверить ЗДЕСЬ https://kra45cc.at
mt5 download https://www.metatrader-5-downloads.com .
Your blog always inspires me. https://3nz9f.icu/
рулонные шторы с автоматическим управлением http://avtomaticheskie-rulonnye-shtory11.ru/ .
Great insights, thanks for sharing! https://3nz9f.icu/
I’ll definitely try this out. https://3nz9f.icu/arsenal-transfer-news-on-folarin-balogun/
WildHorizon Style Hub – Trendy selection, clear layout, and checkout went without a hitch.
I always used to read piece of writing in news papers but now as I am a user of internet so from now I am using net for posts, thanks to web.
download metatrader 5 metatrader-5-downloads.com .
купить рулонные шторы в москве купить рулонные шторы в москве .
прогнозы на хоккей Привлечение новых игроков и удержание существующих – это важная задача для букмекерских контор. Бонусы букмекеров и промокоды букмекеров – это эффективный инструмент для мотивации игроков и повышения их лояльности. Бонусы могут быть представлены в виде фрибетов, надбавок к депозиту, кэшбека и других интересных предложений. Важно внимательно изучать условия получения и использования бонусов, чтобы избежать недоразумений. Следить за новостями о ставках на спорт – это важный аспект успешного беттинга. Оперативная информация о травмах игроков, изменениях в составах команд, погодных условиях и других факторах, способных повлиять на исход матча, позволяет принимать своевременные решения и увеличивать свои шансы на выигрыш.
Super helpful and straight to the point. https://3nz9f.icu/leeds-handed-potential-viktor-gyokeres-transfer-blow/
ORBS Production https://filmproductioncortina.com is a full-service film, photo and video production company in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Dolomites. We create commercials, branded content, sports and winter campaigns with local crew, alpine logistics, aerial/FPV filming and end-to-end production support across the Alps. Learn more at filmproductioncortina.com
Brilliant article! https://3nz9f.icu/man-united-had-a-howler-over-chris-smalling/
Brilliant article! https://3nz9f.icu/category/uncategorized/
pickfavhub – Easy to locate products, checkout process was smooth and quick.
favstorehub – Easily found favorite products, browsing and checkout were quick.
ORBS Production https://filmproductioncortina.com is a full-service film, photo and video production company in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Dolomites. We create commercials, branded content, sports and winter campaigns with local crew, alpine logistics, aerial/FPV filming and end-to-end production support across the Alps. Learn more at filmproductioncortina.com
metatrader 5 download mac http://www.metatrader-5-downloads.com/ .
Thanks for the tips! https://3nz9f.icu/
экспертиза по заливу квартиры экспертиза по заливу квартиры .
рулонные шторы электрические рулонные шторы электрические .
Nice read, keep it up! https://3nz9f.icu/everton-could-soon-unleash-james-garner/
Your blog always inspires me. https://3nz9f.icu/man-united-had-a-howler-over-chris-smalling/
mt5 download mt5 download .
взгляните на сайте здесь https://kra46att.at
Appreciate the content you put out! https://3nz9f.icu/arsenal-missed-a-trick-on-raphinha/
оценка мебели после залива https://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-2.ru .
Loved the points you made here. https://3nz9f.icu/chelsea-desperate-for-andrey-santos-playing-time/
Смотреть здесь https://kra45cc.at/
оценка повреждений после залива http://www.ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-2.ru .
mt5 mt5 .
оценка ущерба от залива квартиры ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-2.ru .
highway billboards
независимая оценка ущерба после залива http://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-2.ru/ .
затопили квартиру что делать ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-2.ru .
оценка ущерба залив по вине управляющей компании https://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-2.ru .
mt5 mt5 .
visit this link
вывод из запоя круглосуточно
vivod-iz-zapoya-kaluga018.ru
экстренный вывод из запоя
подробнее https://kra46att.at
независимая экспертиза при затоплении http://www.ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-2.ru .
read more