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.
двойные рулонные шторы с электроприводом http://rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom177.ru .
Lunar Wood Studio Shop – Clean pages and visible products helped me shop efficiently.
рулонные шторы с пультом рулонные шторы с пультом .
рулонные шторы с электроприводом цена рулонные шторы с электроприводом цена .
рулонные шторы купить в москве рулонные шторы купить в москве .
электрические рулонные шторы на окна электрические рулонные шторы на окна .
рулонные шторы на панорамные окна рулонные шторы на панорамные окна .
рольшторы заказать rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom177.ru .
What’s up, all is going nicely here and ofcourse every one is sharing facts, that’s in fact good, keep up writing.
forticlient mac download
рулонные шторы на пластиковые окна с электроприводом рулонные шторы на пластиковые окна с электроприводом .
установить рулонные шторы цена http://rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom177.ru .
рулонные шторы купить в москве рулонные шторы купить в москве .
sunridge collection – Clear layout and easy navigation made browsing enjoyable.
рулонные шторы это https://www.rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom499.ru .
рулонные жалюзи москва рулонные жалюзи москва .
sunridge hub – The layout is clear and moving between items felt natural.
римские шторы с пультом управления prokarniz28.ru .
производители рулонных штор [url=https://www.rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom499.ru]https://www.rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom499.ru[/url] .
рулонные занавески рулонные занавески .
шторы автоматические [url=http://rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom.ru/]http://rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom.ru/[/url] .
Ever Crest Woods Picks – I liked how everything was presented in a clean, accessible way.
остров ко ланта в тайланде как добраться до ко ланты — оптимальные варианты зависят от вашего исходного пункта: из Крби или Trang — регулярные паромы до Saladan; из Бангкока можно долететь в Krabi International или Trang Airport, а затем добраться паромом до Ко Ланты (путь займёт примерно 2–3 часа после прибытия в порт). В высокий сезон можно выбрать прямые скорости до Ко Ланты из некоторых курортов, но чаще приходится делать пересадку через материк и паром. Поездка на автомобиле или такси до пирса, затем паром — удобное решение для путешественников с багажом. Также можно добраться через Phuket, но чаще всего это путь через Krabi: перелёт/автобус до Krabi, затем паром до Saladan.
EverCrestWoods Market – A simple layout and clear labels made shopping straightforward.
рулонные шторы с пультом рулонные шторы с пультом .
I’ll definitely try this out. https://el226fr.top/author/h716a5-icu/
бездепозитные бонусы за регистрацию в казино с выводом без пополнения 2025
Карта делает решения прозрачными: если критерий не достигнут, меняется ровно один параметр с назначением новой точки контроля. Это сохраняет причинно-следственную связь и уменьшает общую фармаконагрузку без компромиссов по безопасности.
Ознакомиться с деталями – вызвать врача нарколога на дом петрозаводск
New Leaf Creations – The design feels refreshing, and the way items are laid out makes browsing really pleasant.
Городской ритм Петрозаводска с озёрным ветром, короткими сумерками и сезонной влажностью повышает сенсорную нагрузку в вечерние часы, поэтому наш маршрут спроектирован «мягко». Координатор заранее уточняет подъезд, парковку, код домофона, рекомендует «тихий режим» связи и присылает нейтральное уведомление о визите. Бригада приходит в гражданской одежде, сумки — без логотипов, разговоры — короткими фразами. Такое поведение снижает у пациента и семьи реактивность, выравнивает вариабельность ЧСС к сумеркам и уменьшает потребность «усиливать» схему на ночь. Если на предзвонке выявлены «красные флаги» — неукротимая рвота, выраженная дезориентация, «скачущий» ритм, одышка — мы предлагаем стационар сразу, чтобы не терять время на повторные маршруты.
Подробнее тут – помощь нарколога на дому
рулонные шторы автоматические рулонные шторы автоматические .
шторы автоматические rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom499.ru .
рулонные шторы автоматические купить https://rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom.ru/ .
рулонные шторы на большие окна рулонные шторы на большие окна .
This post was full of helpful information.
This was smart, helpful, and beautifully written.
Your writing sparks so much excitement — loved it!
Your content is always a breath of fresh air.
Hands down one of the best things I’ve read all week!
You captured this topic perfectly.
This made a real impact on me — thank you!
ролет штора ролет штора .
двойные рулонные шторы с электроприводом rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom.ru .
Wonderful beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your site, how can i subscribe for a blog web site? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear concept
Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website?
My website is in the very same niche as yours and my visitors would definitely benefit from a lot of the information you present
here. Please let me know if this okay with you. Many thanks!
Компания https://woodshop.group/ специализируется на изготовлении деревянных лестниц, ступеней, столешниц и подоконников по индивидуальным проектам из дуба, ясеня, лиственницы, сосны и ели. Изготовление осуществляется на собственном производстве с применением цельноламельных и сращённых панелей из массива, что обеспечивает надёжность и длительный срок службы продукции. Мастерская работает с 2000 года и предлагает выгодные цены, профессиональный замер, качественную обработку древесины и монтаж готовых конструкций.
sunridge selections – The site feels intuitive and finding items was hassle-free.
Быстрая доставка , и высочайшее качество обслуживания! Думаю и сейчас ничего не изменилось. https://kokainer.cc люди которые делают заказы через ВК по меньшей мере идиоты. Особенно когда ИМ самим что то предлагают.всё граммотно делают!
Please let me know if you’re looking for a writer for your
site. You have some really good posts and I think I would be a good asset.
If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d absolutely love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link
back to mine. Please send me an email if interested.
Many thanks!
рулонные шторы на пульте prokarniz28.ru .
Remarkable! Its truly remarkable article, I have got much clear idea concerning from this article.
forticlient mac download