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 вход melbet вход
диплом дизайнера интерьера купить диплом дизайнера интерьера купить .
посетить сайт vodka casino
Style Upgrade Daily – Simple ways to refresh your wardrobe with chic, trendy pieces.
кракен
кракен вход
такой [url=https://doddep-vodka.com]vodkabet[/url]
кракен тор
кракен рабочая
melbet скачать мобильное приложение на айфон https://melbet5007.ru/
мелбет кз melbet5007.ru
здесь водка бет
Thanks , I’ve recently been searching for info approximately this topic for
a while and yours is the best I’ve discovered so far.
However, what concerning the bottom line? Are you certain in regards to the supply?
how it works binomo? However, the binomo trading platform takes into account that trading involves risk, and everyone can lose all your invested funds.
каталог vodka bet
Fully Insured for Both Commercial and Residential Properties: https://ecocleaningcompany.ie/
здесь водка бет казино
motivatedzone – Smooth interface, quick page loads, and exploring items was natural.
Официальный веб-сайт — кликай сюда
Смотреть здесь https://kra48a.at/
UnionSquare Picks – Navigation is simple and exploring products is effortless.
Ahaa, its nice conversation about this post here at this weblog, I have read all that, so now me also commenting at this place.
Magnificent goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you are just too great. I really like what you’ve acquired here, certainly like what you are saying and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it sensible. I cant wait to read far more from you. This is really a great website.
Your enthusiasm for the subject is contagious and makes this article a pleasure to read.
посетить сайт водка казино официальный сайт
You continually raise the standard for great content.
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get three e-mails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove people from that service? Thanks!
кракен официальный сайт
kraken зеркало
EverPath Corner Picks – Easy to browse items with a visually tidy design.
EverPath Collective Picks – Quick to find products with a visually appealing layout.
https://www.pmkmebel.ru Фуршетная зона для кофе-пауз. Высокие столы в наличии.
промокоды для 1win https://www.1win12020.ru
сюда https://kra48a.at/
melbet – paris sportif melbet5007.ru
Организация групповых поездок требует надежного транспорта и ответственного подхода к безопасности пассажиров. Транспортная компания «Анапа Транспорт» предлагает аренду автобусов и микроавтобусов с профессиональными водителями для любых целей: корпоративных мероприятий, свадеб, школьных экскурсий или вахтовых перевозок. Круглосуточная диспетчерская служба обеспечивает своевременную подачу чистого исправного транспорта по честной цене. На сайте https://anapa-transport.ru/ можно ознакомиться с тарифами и заказать трансфер или междугородний маршрут, получив страхование ответственности перевозчика и контроль качества услуг.
Krn
кракен сайт
выберите ресурсы водка бет
Thanks in favor of sharing such a good opinion, piece of writing is nice, thats why i have read it entirely
I’m grateful for the time and effort you’ve invested in creating this valuable resource.
посетить сайт водка бет казино
Состав капельницы никогда не «копируется»; он выбирается по доминирующему симптому и соматическому фону. Ниже — клинические профили, которые помогают понять нашу логику. Итоговая схема формируется на месте, а скорость и объём зависят от текущих показателей.
Подробнее тут – нарколог на дом вывод из запоя краснодар
на этом сайте водка бет
Hey there are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do you require any coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!
kraken tor
кракен маркет тор
мелбет казахстан скачать http://melbet5007.ru
Таможенное оформление контейнеров москва — без задержек
https://tracker.kroginski.de/montebumgarner
мелбет kz http://melbet5007.ru/
Скрайд MMORPG https://vk.link/scryde.russia культовая игра, где магия переплетается с технологией, а игрокам доступны уникальные классы, исторические миссии и масштабные PvP-сражения. Легенда, которую продолжают писать тысячи игроков.
Нужна легализация? легализация в Черногории проводим аудит объекта, готовим документы, улаживаем вопросы с кадастром и муниципалитетом. Защищаем интересы клиента на каждом этапе.
бонусы на 1win https://1win12020.ru
Эвакуатор в Москве https://eva77.ru вызов в любое время дня и ночи. Быстрая подача, профессиональная погрузка и доставка авто в сервис, гараж или на парковку. Надёжно, безопасно и по фиксированной цене.
Чтобы снизить тревогу и обеспечить предсказуемость, «ДонЗдрав» придерживается пошагового протокола. Он гибкий, но обязательно включает триаж, диагностику, старт инфузии и выдачу письменного плана. Переход между этапами происходит только при достижении понятных критериев безопасности — мы фиксируем их вместе с пациентом и родственниками.
Выяснить больше – вывод из запоя недорого в ростове-на-дону