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.
курсовые под заказ курсовые под заказ .
shop horizon hub – Clean layout and tidy presentation made finding items effortless.
horizon picks – Fast pages and clear categories made exploring products enjoyable.
стоимость написания курсовой работы на заказ https://www.kupit-kursovuyu-8.ru .
купить курсовую сайт http://kupit-kursovuyu-2.ru .
курсовые под заказ курсовые под заказ .
написание курсовых работ на заказ цена http://www.kupit-kursovuyu-4.ru .
Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I really enjoyed reading it, you may be a great author.I will make sure to bookmark your blog and definitely will come back at some point. I want to encourage you to ultimately continue your great job, have a nice day!
покупка курсовой http://www.kupit-kursovuyu-3.ru .
BlueStone Select – Simple, tidy, and I found what I needed quickly.
купить курсовую работу купить курсовую работу .
написать курсовую работу на заказ в москве [url=http://kupit-kursovuyu-2.ru/]http://kupit-kursovuyu-2.ru/[/url] .
Brilliant article! https://3nz9f.icu/west-ham-eyeing-up-man-utd-trio/
где можно заказать курсовую работу [url=www.kupit-kursovuyu-8.ru/]где можно заказать курсовую работу[/url] .
Смотреть здесь tripskan
Appreciate the content you put out! https://3nz9f.icu/arsenal-transfer-news-on-folarin-balogun/
где можно купить курсовую работу https://www.kupit-kursovuyu-3.ru .
Bookmarking this for later. https://3nz9f.icu/category/uncategorized/
seo top agencies http://www.reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
4-FA -все кто гнал, обломитесь, вы просто его не понял. Он не будет переть как старый добрый md – но эффект отличный. 1 колпак на лицо – и часа 2 состояние абсолютной гормонии с окружающим миром. Мозг работает как от любого другого качественного стимулятора на 5+. купить Мефедрон, Бошки, Марихуану все скоро будут всем довольны, а те кто ждал и не паниковал будут вдвойне довольны!Хочу описать работу магазина.Ну начну клад получил вчера с момента отправки прошло 3ое суток супер,маскировка на 5 балов молодцы спасибо за книгу от души буду духовно развиваться товар бомба основа горит отлично в общем оценка 5 твердая)))))
купить курсовая работа купить курсовая работа .
нажмите здесь blacksprut
где можно заказать курсовую работу где можно заказать курсовую работу .
курсовая заказ купить https://kupit-kursovuyu-3.ru/ .
I’ll definitely try this out. https://3nz9f.icu/newcastle-still-keen-on-conor-gallagher/
купить курсовую сайт http://kupit-kursovuyu-2.ru/ .
Наркология на дом: забота о здоровье и поддержка
купить курсовую сайт http://kupit-kursovuyu-3.ru/ .
страница трип скан
купить курсовую http://www.kupit-kursovuyu-3.ru .
курсовая работа купить курсовая работа купить .
решение курсовых работ на заказ https://kupit-kursovuyu-2.ru/ .
Thanks for the tips! https://3nz9f.icu/everton-could-soon-unleash-james-garner/
заказать курсовую работу качественно https://kupit-kursovuyu-8.ru/ .
куплю курсовую работу куплю курсовую работу .
рейтинг digital seo агентств reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
заказать курсовой проект заказать курсовой проект .
Вы ищете лучшее кафе в городе? Наше уютное кафе приглашает вас в мир изысканных вкусов! Наше кафе — это не просто кафе, а место, где рождаются гастрономические шедевры. Посетите наше кафе сегодня и убедитесь сами, почему все говорят именно о нашем кафе!
Хотите доказательств, что наше кафе — лучшее кафе? Просто зайдите и прочитайте реальные отзывы о нашем кафе по этой ссылке: кафе. Каждый отзыв о нашем кафе подтверждает — мы лучшие! Всё ещё сомневаетесь какое кафе выбрать? Тогда смотрите все отзывы о нашем кафе тут: кафе!
Наше кафе — это кафе вашей мечты! Пока вы читаете это, гости нашего кафе уже оставляют новые восторженные отзывы о нашем кафе! Приходите в наше кафе — именно то кафе, о котором все говорят! Только в нашем кафе вас ждет неповторимая атмосфера и лучший кофе! Выбирайте лучшее кафе — выбирайте наше кафе!
курсовая работа купить москва http://www.kupit-kursovuyu-8.ru/ .
Whats up very nice blog!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Wonderful .. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds additionally? I am happy to search out a lot of useful information right here within the put up, we need work out extra techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
everymomentcentral – Clean layout and intuitive interface make finding items quick.
где можно заказать курсовую работу где можно заказать курсовую работу .
Thank you for writing this. https://3nz9f.icu/
купить курсовую [url=www.kupit-kursovuyu-2.ru]www.kupit-kursovuyu-2.ru[/url] .
заказать курсовую заказать курсовую .
нажмите, чтобы подробнее кракен даркнет маркет
Хотите попробовать самые вкусные суши? Тогда вам точно в наш Суши-бар! Наш уютный Суши-бар готовит лучшие роллы, и именно наш Суши-бар использует только свежайшие ингредиенты. Наш Суши-бар предлагает огромное меню, которое регулярно обновляется. Не верите, что наш Суши-бар — это лучший Суши-бар в городе? Прочтите реальные отзывы о нашем Суши-баре по ссылке: Суши-бар. Эти восторженные отзывы доказывают, что наш Суши-бар заслуживает вашего внимания. Все гости хвалят наш Суши-бар за скорость и качество! Убедитесь сами, перейдя по ссылке и прочитав отзывы о нашем Суши-баре: Суши-бар. Пока вы читаете это, в наш знаменитый Суши-бар уже поступают новые заказы, а довольные клиенты оставляют положительные отзывы о нашем Суши-баре на странице Суши-бар. Не раздумывайте, лучший Суши-бар ждет именно вас!
Super helpful and straight to the point. https://3nz9f.icu/newcastle-still-keen-on-conor-gallagher/
написать курсовую на заказ http://www.kupit-kursovuyu-8.ru/ .
курсовые под заказ [url=https://www.kupit-kursovuyu-8.ru]курсовые под заказ[/url] .