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.
в этом разделе kra47.at
надежное казино
Очень удобно, что можно выбрать сериалы по актерам — например, все проекты с Константином Ивлевым
https://git.cymnb.com/bernadette1396
https://buyandsellhair.com/author/lilet91/
подробнее здесь водка бет
Отлично, что на сайте есть сериалы разных стран — можно познакомиться с новыми культурами и традициями
https://git.vegemash.com/fernerevell15
Основные этапы лечения включают:
Подробнее – запой наркологическая клиника воронеж
ссылка на сайт водка бет
казино без верификации и паспорта с выводом выигрышей
https://www.blurb.com/user/melbetcode?profile_preview=true
зайти в 1win [url=www.1win12044.ru]www.1win12044.ru[/url]
клиника наркологическая клиника наркологическая .
This was extremely well written and very helpful.
Ed Pills Afib: Ed Pills Afib – top rated ed pills
DeepBrook Picks – The organized layout and product clarity made finding items fast.
Перейти на сайт зеркало водка бет
Главная vodkabet
скачать мобильную версию 1win http://1win12044.ru
Отлично, что на сайте есть сериалы разных жанров — можно выбрать на любой вкус и настроение
https://allbio.link/alisia3953
Спасибо за возможность смотреть сериалы без регистрации — это экономит время и нервы
https://forge.coreymclark.com/juliobeaty787
1win зеркало сайта 1win зеркало сайта
DeepBrook Studio – Simple layout and clear visuals helped me browse efficiently.
посмотреть в этом разделе vodkabet онлайн казино
1 win скачать на айфон 1 win скачать на айфон
бонусы на казино 1win 1win12044.ru
можно проверить ЗДЕСЬ vodkabet
зайти в 1вин [url=https://www.1win12044.ru]зайти в 1вин[/url]
как добраться до ко ланты пляжи ко ланты — разнообразие береговой линии для разных настроений: на западе открытые длинные пляжи для прогулок и походов по берегу, на востоке — более укромные уголки рядом с лавками и пляжными кафе. Вдоль побережья можно найти уютные места под пальмами с местной кухней и свежими морепродуктами; вода тёплая почти круглый год, но в сезон дождей может становиться слегка мутной из-за приливов. Важно помнить, что в некоторые периоды у пляжей могут быть участки с водорослями или непогода, поэтому стоит учитывать прогноз и выбрать подходящее место для плавания. Многие пляжи предлагают аренду каяков и сноркелинг-оборудования прямо на берегу, что удобно для знакомства с подводным миром.
сколько стоит купить диплом медсестры сколько стоит купить диплом медсестры .
ссылка на сайт зеркало водка бет
Star Workshop – The layout is tidy and browsing through products is smooth and effortless.
DeepBrook Studio Hub – Products are displayed clearly and the site is easy to use.
нажмите здесь https://kra48a.at/
посетить сайт vodka casino
кликните сюда водка казино
ссылка на сайт kra48.at
Wow, this post is pleasant, my younger sister is analyzing such things, thus I am going to convey her.
Очень понравился сериал “Мужское / Женское” — актуальные темы и интересные дискуссии
https://www.behzinama.com/@melissaxse917?page=about
Urban Trend Hub – Products are categorized nicely, and moving through the site is hassle-free.
Спасибо за возможность смотреть сериалы онлайн в хорошем качестве — это настоящая находка
http://profylelink.com/rory3636686677
казино с моментальными выплатами
этот контент водкабет
1вин скачать 1win12044.ru
silver market – Layout was professional and well-organized, making it easy to explore items.
ван вин скачать на айфон https://1win12044.ru/
посетить сайт https://kra48a.at/
кликните сюда vodka bet
Everdune Goods Deals – The categories were displayed clearly, making it convenient to explore.
Nova Studio – Easy-to-browse interface with well-structured items for convenience.
Самый лучший таможенный брокер москва, проверено временем
https://git.vereint-digital.de/joshfarrell29