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.
ссылка на сайт [url=https://tripscan.pw]трипскан[/url]
seo services company seo services company .
промокод на сегодня мелбет 2026 – это шанс для новых пользователей получить больше золота при регистрации. Используйте в Melbet промокод сегодня – и расширяйте линейку бонусов на первый депозит! Промокод Мелбет – это набор символов, который пишется в специальное поле либо при регистрации, либо в игровом кабинете букмекерской конторы. Промокод не только активирует акцию, но и делает ее еще выгоднее. Найти промо коды просто на сайтах партнеров, ютуберов, каналах блогеров и в соц.сетях. Использование кодов выгодно в независимости от того, какой именно версии букмекерской конторы беттер отдает предпочтение. Офшорные букмекер предоставляет награды на спортивные ставки и на казино. На сегодня офшорный портал предоставляет приветственный бонус новичку на первый депозит на 100% от суммы пополнения счета. Максимальная сумма, которая может быть зачислена на бонусный счет – 8000. Она легко увеличивается, при использовании в Мелбет промо кода. Если раньше поднять сумму пополнения можно было до 9100 р., то сегодня награда за первое пополнение — 50 000 рублей. Депозит увеличивается не на 100%, а уже на 130%.
melbet game http://www.melbet5004.ru
puremeadowmarket – Appreciate the calm aesthetic here, browsing felt relaxed and comfortable today.
курсовая работа недорого курсовая работа недорого .
mountaintrailhub – Smooth navigation, items are clearly presented and easy to explore.
wildmountainlane – Items are neat and tidy, browsing feels comfortable.
homecorner – Browsing felt intuitive, items were well presented and accessible.
puremeadowmarket – Enjoyed scrolling through items here, everything loads smoothly without slowing down.
курсовая работа на заказ цена курсовая работа на заказ цена .
мелбет букмекерская контора зеркало рабочее http://melbet5009.ru/
coastlinegather – The clean layout made exploring products surprisingly easy and comfortable overall.
Это точно. https://aroavt.ru Супер ребята. Питер без сбоевТрек получил, всё ровно!
мелбет мини игры melbet5004.ru
заказ курсовых работ [url=kupit-kursovuyu-10.ru]заказ курсовых работ[/url] .
мелбет не работает мелбет не работает
melbet games http://melbet5004.ru/
coastlinegather – Appreciate how smooth the navigation is, everything feels thoughtfully organized.
Комплекс перечисленных направлений формирует базу для выстраивания терапевтического процесса. При необходимости программа корректируется, что обеспечивает адаптацию к меняющимся условиям. Для удобства наблюдения используется таблица, отражающая основные параметры контроля.
Разобраться лучше – наркологическая клиника нарколог
алюминиевые электрожалюзи http://elektricheskie-zhalyuzi5.ru/ .
другие трип скан
coastlinegather – Really liked the product variety, each category feels curated with attention.
https://rapbeatsforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=1024425
курсовая работа купить курсовая работа купить .
CorPharmacy: CorPharmacy – canadian pharmacy without prescription
https://build-mind.com/profile.php?action=view&from=space&op=userinfo&username=archer.anstey.490144
coastlinegather – Found some great items here, descriptions felt natural and genuinely useful.
написать курсовую на заказ написать курсовую на заказ .
Хотите получать больше от ваших сбережений? Рассмотрим варианты.
Кстати, если вас интересует Простые и безопасные валютные обмены, загляните сюда.
Смотрите сами:
https://exchangetrade.ru
Всегда обращайте внимание на новые возможности на финансовом рынке.
Bright Timber Treasures – The organized layout and good photos made selecting items a breeze.
курсовые под заказ курсовые под заказ .
заказать практическую работу недорого цены http://kupit-kursovuyu-10.ru/ .
coastlinegather – Really liked the product variety, each category feels curated with attention.
how to use melbet bonus how to use melbet bonus
подробнее tripscan
здесь tripskan
сайт для заказа курсовых работ [url=http://kupit-kursovuyu-10.ru/]сайт для заказа курсовых работ[/url] .
узнать больше tripscan top
Wild Shore Corner – Intuitive menus and tidy layout made shopping simple and stress-free.
Таможенное оформление в домодедово москва — отличный сервис
https://www.masercondosales.com/agents/lupebeard0580/
https://energetic-cuckoo-sjcht4.mystrikingly.com/
melbet скачать на айфон без аппстор https://melbet5004.ru/
женские туфли под классическое платье кожа Турецкая кожаная обувь для женщин – это символ качества и долговечности, созданный с учетом последних модных тенденций.
Nice blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your theme. Thanks a lot
Wild Shore Hub Finds – Smooth browsing and clear categories allowed me to find items easily.
в этом разделе трипскан вход
заказать студенческую работу заказать студенческую работу .
artisanbazaar – Pages are tidy and navigation is smooth, made shopping simple.
melbet deposit options https://melbet5004.ru