
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.
написать курсовую на заказ [url=https://kupit-kursovuyu-3.ru/]kupit-kursovuyu-3.ru[/url] .
Thank you for writing this. https://3nz9f.icu/
fashion stop – Easy to explore pages and the product display was clear and helpful.
сайт для заказа курсовых работ http://www.kupit-kursovuyu-7.ru/ .
seo optimization agency reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
I’ve been active for a few days, mostly for providing liquidity, and it’s always robust security.
купить аттестат за 9 класс в спб купить аттестат за 9 класс в спб .
рейтинг seo агентств рейтинг seo агентств .
seo эксперт агентство https://www.reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
где можно заказать курсовую работу где можно заказать курсовую работу .
This clarified so much for me. https://3nz9f.icu/man-united-had-a-howler-over-chris-smalling/
сайт для заказа курсовых работ https://www.kupit-kursovuyu-7.ru .
seo agencies list http://www.reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
заказать студенческую работу http://kupit-kursovuyu-3.ru/ .
рейтинг digital seo агентств [url=www.reiting-seo-kompanii.ru]www.reiting-seo-kompanii.ru[/url] .
сайт для заказа курсовых работ https://kupit-kursovuyu-7.ru/ .
сайт заказать курсовую работу сайт заказать курсовую работу .
Ищете медицинская техника интернетмагазин? Компания agsvv.ru специализируется на производстве и продаже медицинской техники завода «Хронос», предлагая оптовые и розничные поставки напрямую от изготовителя с полной гарантией. В ассортименте представлены голосообразующие аппараты для людей после ларингэктомии, ультрафиолетовые облучатели для лечения кожных заболеваний, бактерицидные рециркуляторы и трахеостомические трубки. Покупатели пользуются заводской стоимостью без переплат, безвозмездной отправкой в любой регион РФ и консультациями от специалистов завода.
заказать курсовую работу качественно https://kupit-kursovuyu-3.ru/ .
покупка курсовых работ https://www.kupit-kursovuyu-7.ru .
написать курсовую работу на заказ в москве https://kupit-kursovuyu-7.ru .
Loved the points you made here. https://3nz9f.icu/chelsea-desperate-for-andrey-santos-playing-time/
курсовая работа недорого курсовая работа недорого .
Your blog always inspires me. https://3nz9f.icu/man-utd-had-a-nightmare-with-18-y-o-prodigy/
заказ курсовых работ https://www.kupit-kursovuyu-7.ru .
посетить веб-сайт выпускайте кракена
Very well written, thanks! https://3nz9f.icu/man-utd-had-a-nightmare-with-18-y-o-prodigy/
сайт заказать курсовую работу сайт заказать курсовую работу .
This is gold, thank you! https://3nz9f.icu/man-utd-had-a-nightmare-with-18-y-o-prodigy/
заказать студенческую работу заказать студенческую работу .
seo эксперт агентство reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
Unquestionably believe that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the net the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get irked while people consider worries that they just don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks
Перейти на сайт kraken onion
лучшие seo компании http://reiting-seo-kompanii.ru/ .
рейтинг seo компаний рейтинг seo компаний .
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching
for kemendagri
BotSync, занимаемся автоматизацией бизнеса делаем умные, чат боты для Авито на N8n https://sorted-booth-08732357.figma.site
Продолжение кракен онион
курсовые под заказ курсовые под заказ .
At Rubbish Taxi, we manage your house clearance requirements, whether it is a home renovation, room redecoration, or clearing out old items. Our services cover comprehensive house removals and clearances across Dublin and other cities where we operate. We can collect various bulky items, including sofas, bed frames, mattresses, chest of drawers, wardrobes, fridges, freezers, washing machines, dishwashers, ovens, musical instruments, and more. Count on us for a seamless experience: Mattress disposal Dublin
Тема интересна, приму участие в обсуждении. Я знаю, что вместе мы сможем прийти к правильному ответу.
usage such brokers create risks for users who need trust an anonymous counterparty hiding behind the nickname telegram, the bitokk https://amdlan.com.br/ola-mundo/ exchange, because that the seller first sends the cryptocurrency, and receives cash in a few hours.
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to
say that I have really enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.
After all I’ll be subscribing to your feed
and I hope you write again soon!
нажмите здесь кракен darknet
решение курсовых работ на заказ http://www.kupit-kursovuyu-4.ru .
кликните сюда трип скан
написание курсовой на заказ цена написание курсовой на заказ цена .
Планируете путешествие по США, Канаде или Мексике и ищете надёжные карты с детальной прорисовкой дорог, городов и достопримечательностей? West-atlas.com предлагает бесплатный доступ к подробным печатным картам всех штатов Америки, провинций Канады и регионов союзников Глобального Запада. Удобная навигация, указание расстояний между маркерами и номера съездов с хайвеев делают планирование маршрута простым и точным. Посетите https://west-atlas.com/ и распечатайте нужные карты перед поездкой!
курсовая работа купить москва курсовая работа купить москва .
курсовой проект купить цена курсовой проект купить цена .
заказать практическую работу недорого цены http://kupit-kursovuyu-4.ru/ .