
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.
Мелбет – международный букмекер, основанный в 2012 году. Компания получила официальную лицензию от Кюрасао, ориентирована на пользователей со всех стран мира, но в первую очередь на русскоязычных игроков. Зарегистрированные клиенты имеют прекрасную возможность пользоваться всеми преимуществами компании, принимать участие в акциях, собирать выигрышные экспрессы, получать промокоды и бесплатные ставки. Компания Мелбет регулярно предоставляет своим клиентам большое количество бонусов и промокоды. Что дает Мелбет промокод? Данное поощрение позволяет каждому игроку совершать бесплатные ставки, получать дополнительные денежные средства при пополнении игрового баланса. Кроме этого, благодаря промокодам сумма первого депозита может увеличиться до 100%. Букмекерская контора дарит бесплатные ставки для новых игроков и фрибеты для постоянных пользователей.
перейти на сайт https://kra48a.at/
Процесс вывода из запоя включает последовательное воздействие на ключевые звенья интоксикации. Ниже представлена таблица, отражающая этапы лечения, используемые методики и ожидаемые результаты терапии.
Подробнее тут – вывод из запоя волгоград
Процесс вывода из запоя включает последовательное воздействие на ключевые звенья интоксикации. Ниже представлена таблица, отражающая этапы лечения, используемые методики и ожидаемые результаты терапии.
Детальнее – http://
другие водка казино официальный сайт
Sunny Slope Essentials – Fast-loading pages and a neat, organized layout make shopping easy.
Sunny Slope Collective – Smooth browsing and a visually tidy interface.
клиники наркологические https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru/ .
читать https://kra48a.at/
Moon Haven Picks – Fast and user-friendly browsing made finding products a breeze.
Moon Haven Hub – Clear structure and smooth navigation made shopping very easy.
Lush Valley Collection Online – Well-arranged products with a clean interface — shopping was enjoyable and easy.
продолжить vodkabet онлайн казино
клиники наркологические москва [url=http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru]http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru[/url] .
Большой выбор софта для всех популярных игр, ежедневные обновления и минимальные цены — подробности здесь https://forgecheats.com/ru/game/delta-force/
этот контент зеркало водка бет
shop soft winter – Fast loading pages and well-structured sections improved the experience.
Переходи по ссылке на официальный сайт — https://veber-geo.ru/
перейти на сайт водка казино официальный сайт
This was both insightful and enjoyable — perfect combination.
что можно сделать с бонусным счетом 1win https://www.1win12044.ru
лучшие онлайн казино в россии
вывод из запоя клиника вывод из запоя клиника .
наркологические клиники в москве частные http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru .
Эта информационная заметка содержит увлекательные сведения, которые могут вас удивить! Мы собрали интересные факты, которые сделают вашу жизнь ярче и полнее. Узнайте нечто новое о привычных аспектах повседневности и откройте для себя удивительный мир информации.
Подробнее можно узнать тут – https://vivod-iz-zapoya-1.ru/
selector casino промокод
лечение зависимостей https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru .
casino selector
медицинский наркологический центр http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru .
winter boutique – Clean layout and intuitive navigation made shopping simple.
трезвая жизнь [url=https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru/]narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru[/url] .
shop winter boutique – Intuitive design and responsive layout made shopping easy.
веб-сайте kra47.at
обзор казино
содержание https://kra48a.at
краби ко ланта как добраться пляжи ко ланты — это разнообразие форм и настроений: на западном побережье — длинные линии песка и удобные пирсы для морских прогулок; на восточном — более спокойные уголки у лавок и рыночных прибрежных зон. Вдоль береговой линии можно найти уютные кафе под пальмами, где подают свежие морепродукты и тайскую еду, а вода в июле–августе может быть немного более мутноватой из-за приливов, хотя остаётся тёплой и заманчивой для плавания. Ещё один бонус — многие пляжи дают возможность арендовать каяки или снорклинг-оборудование прямо на месте, что позволяет увидеть подводный мир рядом с островом без длительных переездов.
Cosmic Creations – Smooth browsing and well-structured product listings improve usability.
Таможенное сопровождение москва на высоте, постоянно на связи
https://git.kitti.ac.th/meredithamess/6748289/wiki/tamozhennoe-oformlenie+22D.-
Greetings! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this website? I’m getting fed up of WordPress because I’ve had problems with hackers and I’m looking at options for another platform. I would be great if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
интернет vodka casino
Thank you for every other magnificent article. The place else could anybody get that type of info in such a perfect manner of writing? I have a presentation subsequent week, and I am on the search for such info.
алко помощь наркологическая http://narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru .
частные наркологические клиники в москве https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru .
клиника наркологии http://narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru .
купить диплом о среднем образовании москва купить диплом о среднем образовании москва .
Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I really enjoyed reading it, you are a great author. I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will often come back sometime soon. I want to encourage yourself to continue your great job, have a nice evening!
надежное казино
greenleafhub – Simple and tidy layout, made browsing enjoyable.
Visit SoftMorning – I found the visually appealing items and organized interface completely hassle-free.
clickconversionpro.shop – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.