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.
веб-сайт vodkabet водкабет казино
1win букмекерская контора официальный сайт скачать http://1win12041.ru/
Hello, just wanted to mention, I enjoyed this blog post. It was helpful. Keep on posting!
содержание vodkabet
1win gmail https://1win12041.ru
Gold Leaf Studio Online – Products are easy to view and browsing is seamless — shopping felt effortless.
такой vodkabet
нажмите, чтобы подробнее kra48.at
I was suggested this blog by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this
post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my trouble.
You are incredible! Thanks!
1win букмекерская регистрация 1win букмекерская регистрация
1win букмекерская зеркало онлайн http://1win12041.ru
In this case, choose the cryptocurrency you would like to receive your funds in before proceeding.
Gold Leaf Treasures Online – Everything is tidy and navigation feels intuitive — very pleasant experience.
посмотреть в этом разделе водка бет
Читать далее водкабет
техническая экспертиза причин затопления техническая экспертиза причин затопления .
этот контент vodkabet онлайн казино
В этой медицинской статье мы погрузимся в актуальные вопросы здравоохранения и лечения заболеваний. Читатели узнают о современных подходах, методах диагностики и новых открытий в научных исследованиях. Наша цель — донести важную информацию и повысить уровень осведомленности о здоровье.
Изучить вопрос глубже – срочный вывод из запоя москва
1win.pro официальный сайт https://1win12042.ru/
каталог казино водка
Wow, marvelous blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is wonderful, as well as the content!
как провести оценку ущерба после залива http://www.ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-5.ru/ .
в этом разделе vodka bet
Смотреть здесь водкабет
RusticStone Finds – The combination of fast performance and good organization is top-notch.
shop wild collection – Smooth navigation and neatly displayed products improved browsing.
1win зеркало скачать online http://1win12042.ru
Goldleaf Shop – Products are well-organized with intuitive navigation — shopping was quick and convenient.
plinko отзывы plinko отзывы
ваучеры 1win https://1win12042.ru/
Silver Moon Corner Finds – Pleasant browsing experience with intuitive navigation.
интернет kra47.cc
Перейти на сайт vodkabet
другие kra47.cc
I appreciate the practical advice you share.
You always deliver such valuable information — thank you!
Your Next Find – The site’s excellent organization is matched by its impressively quick load speeds.
1win ставки на спорт официальный сайт http://1win12041.ru/
Silver Moon Hub Online – Well-laid-out pages and logical menus helped me navigate quickly.
кракен маркет даркнет тор
кракен тор
Доставка грузов https://china-star.ru из Китая под ключ: авиа, авто, море и ЖД. Консолидация, проверка товара, растаможка, страхование и полный контроль транспортировки. Быстро, надёжно и по прозрачной стоимости.
посетить сайт зеркало водка бет
Dawn Hub – Logical layout and clean design made shopping convenient.
Dawn Boutique – Easy-to-navigate pages and neatly arranged items made shopping simple.
wild timber boutique – Clean layout and organized items made shopping pleasant.
which happened to turn upon the politics of some Germancourts,“” said he to Ferdin in a very abrupt anddisagreeable manner of address,ラブドール 販売
Discover RusticStone – A hassle-free browsing experience defined by its speed and clear structure.
Visit RusticStone – I was impressed by the fast load times and the logical organization of everything.
заказать филлеры оптом filler-kupit.ru .
Browse The Collection – A very well-put-together site where everything is fast and easy to find.