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.
top article jax wallet
over here https://web-breadwallet.com
see this site https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
why not try here https://web-breadwallet.com/
you could try these out https://web-breadwallet.com
I personally find that the best choice I made for learning crypto basics. Smooth and quick deposits.
I always spent my half an hour to read this weblog’s content every day along with a cup of coffee.
this page https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
this content jaxx liberty wallet
Stay Inspired Spot – Positive design and user-friendly interface make exploring pleasant.
Trend Deal Picks – Loved the variety, navigation was intuitive and quick.
review jaxx wallet
TDP Style Store – Nice variety of offers, navigation was simple and quick.
https://lediclinic.ru
he said https://jaxxwallet-web.org
https://kymis12.ru
I got this web page from my friend who informed me
concerning this web site and at the moment this time
I am browsing this web site and reading very
informative posts at this time.
additional resources jaxx wallet
rankgrid.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
Маршрут помощи строится вокруг конкретных задач безопасности. С первого звонка администратор собирает короткий чек-лист: длительность нынешнего эпизода, что принималось в последние двое суток, хронические заболевания, аллергии, как прошла ночь, есть ли помощник на вечер и ночь. Дежурный врач, опираясь на эти данные, предлагает стартовый формат — выезд на дом по Воскресенску и району или немедленную госпитализацию. Решение привязывается к реальным рискам: стабильность давления и пульса, выраженность тремора и тошноты, эпизоды судорог в прошлом, возможность обеспечить «тихий режим» в квартире. После очной оценки и допуска к терапии мы запускаем детокс, а по завершении визита фиксируем правила на 24–48 часов и контрольные точки. Если состояние колеблется, сразу обсуждаем повторный контакт либо перевод в стационар, не теряя часы на бюрократию.
Исследовать вопрос подробнее – https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-voskresensk8.ru/telefon-narkologicheskoj-klinikia-v-voskresenske
Since the admin of this web site is working, no uncertainty very soon it will be well-known, due to its feature contents.
straight from the source jaxx liberty wallet
try here https://web-breadwallet.com
next page https://web-breadwallet.com
pop over to these guys download jaxx wallet
check these guys out https://web-breadwallet.com
Trend Deal Place Shop – Loved the variety of deals, browsing through everything was smooth and easy.
хостинг провайдер Отзывы о HSTQ часто являются предметом споров и дискуссий. Каждый пользовательский опыт уникален, и нельзя полагаться исключительно на мнения других. Однако, анализ отзывов позволяет выявить общие тенденции, узнать о сильных и слабых сторонах компании, и сделать более осознанный выбор. Важно учитывать контекст отзыва, верифицировать информацию и сравнивать разные источники, чтобы получить объективную картину.
Hello, Neat post. There is a problem together with your web site in web explorer, would test this? IE nonetheless is the marketplace leader and a large component to other folks will leave out your magnificent writing because of this problem.
Female Escort Services for Men Escort services with top models and VIP girls! Escort services for charming girls
click reference jaxx liberty
clickforgehub.click – Color palette felt calming, nothing distracting, just focused, thoughtful design.
website link https://lumi-wallet.io/
get redirected here https://lumi-wallet.io
go to these guys jaxx liberty
blog jaxx liberty wallet
HomeStyle Collection – Loved how organized everything was, making browsing simple and pleasant.
read this jax wallet
turborank.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
Smart Living Picks – Nice variety of products, and browsing felt very straightforward.
I’ve been active for several months, mostly for checking analytics, and it’s always intuitive UI. Definitely recommend to anyone in crypto.
Наша философия — минимально достаточные вмешательства и измеримые цели. Вместо «усилить всё сразу» мы меняем один параметр (скорость/последовательность/объём инфузии) и проверяем ответ в согласованное окно. Такой «тонкий ремонт» снижает риск побочных эффектов, сохраняет ясность днём и делает ночь предсказуемой. Семья и пациент получают короткую памятку на 72 часа с «зелёными зонами» (что считать нормой сегодня) и понятными поводовыми триггерами для немедленного контакта с дежурным врачом.
Детальнее – срочный вывод из запоя воронеж
TDP Deal Picks – Great mix of deals, moving around the site was effortless.
As the admin of this web site is working, no question very soon it will be well-known, due to its feature contents.
his explanation https://lumi-wallet.io/
Web Site jaxx liberty
Растаможка москва получилась дешевле, чем ожидали
https://cproperties.com.lb/author/swenwhittingha/
Trend Deal Corner – Nice selection of offers, navigating through categories was simple.
Стартовый осмотр должен быть быстрым и осмысленным. Мы исключаем «обязательные» исследования, которые не меняют тактику, и оставляем то, что прямо влияет на состав инфузии, темп, место ведения (дом/амбулатория/стационар) и объём поведенческих рекомендаций. Решения принимаются на свежих цифрах и клинической картине «здесь и сейчас», а повторные замеры назначаются не «по привычке», а по смыслу. Это экономит силы пациента и время команды, а главное — уменьшает фармакологическую нагрузку без потери безопасности.
Получить дополнительные сведения – http://www.domen.ru
Because the admin of this site is working, no question very rapidly it will be famous, due to its quality contents.