
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.
Outlet Link – Browsing was a joy; the clear sections helped me locate interesting things with ease.
Hello! This is kind of off topic but I need some help from an established blog. Is it difficult to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any tips or suggestions? Many thanks
Hi there very cool site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Superb .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also? I’m glad to search out numerous helpful info here within the put up, we’d like work out more strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
rootstylehub – Smooth layout, browsing and finding items is effortless.
Heya! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any issues with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing several weeks of hard work due to no backup. Do you have any solutions to stop hackers?
скачать казино melbet http://melbet5004.ru
проверить сайт vodka bet casino
как собрать экспресс на мелбет https://melbet5009.ru/
найти это vodka casino
melbet affiliate registration melbet5009.ru
Daily Streetwear Spot – Discover fashionable urban wear curated for a modern lifestyle.
However, there is no altimeter for tracking elevation changes, so climb
knowledge needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
However, we like the fact that it grips securely onto our clothes.
The Connected, nevertheless, is a straightforward smartwatch, but it’s an impressively refined one.
There isn’t a single one of those binary comparisons I’d defend as right, and yet my lizard brain organises them thus.
Essentially, this gesture acts the same as tapping/swiping to the correct, and swiping to the left, respectively.
Note it is not a heavy watch-it weighs about the identical as two
slices of bread. The information-2000 (1983), so referred to as because it could store two memos of up to 1,000 characters each, match into a keyboard on which the user entered information. Pricier trackers may final up to
five years or more, whereas those at decrease value
points could show put on and tear after round two years.
Feel free to visit my blog post – smart health tracker
Магазин работает на 5+++++, я уже раз 5 беру у данного сейлера все ровно все катит, качество на высоте! купить Кокаин, Мефедрон, Экстази Если кто-то когда-то пробовал банки с Рафинада на тусиае, тот знает, как классно они перли и понимает, каких эффектов я ожидал.как дела друзья?
кракен маркет даркнет тор
ссылка на кракен
melbet ilovasi melbet ilovasi
мелбет игры яблоки https://melbet5009.ru/
Unquestionably consider that that you said. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the net the easiest factor to be aware of. I say to you, I definitely get irked while folks think about worries that they just do not realize about. You managed to hit the nail upon the highest and also defined out the whole thing with no need side-effects , other people can take a signal. Will probably be again to get more. Thank you
Urban Trend Explorer – Explore the latest fashion trends in streetwear and urban lifestyle.
Fresh Meadow Hub – Quick to find items and the interface is friendly.
Подробнее здесь vodkabet
https://www.multichain.com/qa/user/1xtremebonus02
Coastline Creations Shop – Items are easy to browse and the design is clear — made shopping simple and enjoyable.
Great blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your theme. Appreciate it
melbet сегодня зеркало melbet5009.ru
choicezone – Smooth interface, fast page loads, and browsing felt natural.
содержание водка казино
Статья знакомит с важнейшими моментами, которые сформировали наше общество. От великих изобретений до культурных переворотов — вы узнаете, как прошлое влияет на наше мышление, технологии и образ жизни.
Жми сюда — получишь ответ – https://khaylarentcar.com/hello-world
Visit the Outlet – Finding unique products was a breeze thanks to the well-organized categories.
Для тех, кто ищет информацию по теме “Kozmetik ve Guzellik: Trendler ve Ipuclar?”, есть отличная статья.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://guzellikturk.com
Shoreline Finds – Everything is neatly organized and the interface is simple — enjoyed exploring the site.
BrightStone Village Shop – Easy to navigate and I quickly found some great products.
подробнее vodka bet
Street Style Daily – Handpicked urban fashion items to inspire your daily wardrobe updates.
NobleGrove Finds – The uncluttered design helped me spot great products almost immediately.
Fresh Meadow Picks – Smooth, fast navigation and visually tidy pages.
Shoreline Crafts – Items are organized nicely and browsing is smooth — had a pleasant shopping time.
melbet зеркало melbet зеркало
Fresh Meadow Treasures – The layout is neat and finding products is effortless.
Breeze Bazaar – Easy navigation and clean layout for a smooth shopping flow.
этот сайт водка казино официальный сайт
Следующая страница зеркало водка бет
Great 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 shine.
Please let me know where you got your theme. Appreciate it
Pasture Finds – Fast site performance and a well-organized catalog make shopping easy.
Urban Pasture Market – Browsing the inventory was simple and the site feels very responsive.
Bright Breeze – Clear product organization and effortless navigation improve the shopping experience.
Услуги эвакуатора Эвакуатор — специализированная автотранспортная техника, предназначенная для перемещения автомобилей, которые не могут сами двигаться по дороге из-за поломки, ДТП или иных неисправностей. Обычно эвакуаторы оснащены тягловыми механизмами, лебедками, крюками, подъёмниками и креплениями, позволяющими надежно закрепить машину на платформе или на кузове. В зависимости от ситуации применяют эвакуаторы низкорамные или с кран-манипулятором; первые нужны для быстрого зацепления лёгких авто, вторые — для зацепа тяжёлых или нестандартных транспортных средств. Услуги эвакуатора могут включать буксировку на сервис или на штрафплощадку, доставку в автосервис, ремонт на месте, эвакуацию после ДТП, запуск двигателя, зарядку аккумулятора, подвоз топлива, а также оформление необходимых документов. Обращаться к лицензированным операторам рекомендуется через официальный сайт компании или по телефону диспетчера; чаще всего выдается квитанция/акт об оказании услуг. Вызов эвакуатора позволяет быстро убрать автомобиль с дороги, обеспечить безопасность дорожного движения и снизить риск дополнительных повреждений.
Читать далее водка бет
Your New Favorite Store – The combination of good variety and a clean interface made browsing a pleasure.
Streetwear Daily Hub – Discover fashionable urban outfits to create standout looks.
kraken зеркало
kraken ссылка