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.
Wild Rose Emporium Online – Lovely boutique with a charming feel, discovered several nice surprises.
ShopTodayHub – Clear layout, smooth browsing, and attractive deals.
MidCity Shop – Collections displayed neatly, exploring the site is effortless and intuitive.
MidCity Collections – Attractive collections presented clearly, navigation feels smooth and quick.
besthomefinds.shop – Home finds are great, browsing feels smooth and very enjoyable overall.
?Levantemos nuestras copas por cada explorador de tesoros !
Quienes valoran la privacidad suelen optar por casino fuera de espaГ±a como alternativa segura. Incluyen herramientas modernas que facilitan sesiones mГЎs dinГЎmicas. Por eso casino fuera de espaГ±a es considerado un punto de referencia en el juego internacional.
Algunos jugadores recurren a casinos online fuera de espaГ±a para disfrutar de opciones exclusivas. Permiten apuestas rГЎpidas, retiros ГЎgiles y una navegaciГіn fluida. En consecuencia casinos online fuera de espaГ±a se vuelve una opciГіn preferida entre jugadores experimentados.
casinos fuera de espaГ±a: Casinos fuera de espaГ±a permiten usar mГ©todos de pago modernos – п»їhttps://bodegaslasangrederonda.es/en/
?Que la fortuna te acompane con momentos increibles victorias !
crest curated shop – The offerings feel carefully selected, and they refresh often enough to revisit.
бонусы казино без депозита и без отыгрыша Хотите испытать удачу и окунуться в мир азарта? Игровые автоматы – это то, что вам нужно! Яркие картинки, захватывающие звуки и, конечно же, шанс сорвать куш – всё это ждет вас в мире слотов. От классических “одноруких бандитов” до современных видеослотов с невероятными бонусами, каждый найдет автомат по душе. Готовы к вращению барабанов?
Awesome! Its actually awesome article, I have got much clear idea regarding from this piece of writing.
juegos de chicas
Hi! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Many thanks
http://mentalhealtheasybuy.com/# Trazodone
It is perfect time to make a few plans for the long run and it’s time to be happy. I’ve learn this put up and if I could I want to recommend you few fascinating issues or suggestions. Maybe you could write next articles regarding this article. I desire to learn more things about it!
Вывод из запоя в стационаре Балашихи — надёжная помощь при алкогольной зависимости. Наши специалисты обеспечат круглосуточный медицинский уход и поддержку в комфортных условиях.
Углубиться в тему – вывод из запоя капельница балашиха
узнать больше Здесь кракен ссылка onion
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.
juegos priv
заказать дипломную работу онлайн http://kupit-kursovuyu-29.ru/ .
i thought about this thinkorswim login
knowledge hub click – Selections appear educational, navigating the site feels easy.
My partner and I stumbled over here from a different page and thought I might check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to finding out about your web page for a second time.
пин ап ставки через приложение http://pinup5010.ru/
веб-сайт kraken сайт зеркала
пин ап центр помощи http://pinup5009.ru/
WildRose Goods – Warm and cozy atmosphere, found a few delightful surprises.
ModernHome Essentials – Clean visuals, well-organized items, and smooth browsing experience.
ModernHome Finds – Well-organized categories with smooth and quick page loads.
MidCity Online – Collections look attractive, exploring the store is fast and intuitive.
When some one searches for his vital thing, therefore he/she wants to be available that in detail, therefore that thing is maintained over here.
MidCity Boutique – Well-presented selections, navigation feels natural and enjoyable.
pin up foydalanuvchi fikrlari pin up foydalanuvchi fikrlari
WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for %meta_keyword%
pin up akkaunt yaratish http://pinup5009.ru
home shopping corner – Selections are appealing, browsing feels natural and enjoyable.
pin up aviator uz http://pinup5010.ru
https://multiup.io/833bb39abc24b88393e0d2e85727b662
Premium Global Hub – Loved exploring the site, products are unique and thoughtfully selected.
пин ап техподдержка pinup5009.ru
Global Premium Finds – Enjoyed navigating the marketplace, everything looks thoughtfully chosen.
https://pauladdavis.scholar.bucknell.edu/2017/10/30/fall-dance-concert-2014-bucknell/#comment-308990
Hello mates, how is all, and what you desire to say regarding this piece of writing, in my view its genuinely amazing for me.
juegos ffriv
22bet
What’s up, I want to subscribe for this web site to obtain latest updates, so where can i do it please help.
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a coworker who was conducting a little research on this.
And he in fact bought me dinner simply because I found it for him…
lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!!
But yeah, thanx for spending time to discuss this topic here on your site.
read this thinkorswim
GlobalFinds Lane – Organized structure and appealing design provide a seamless shopping experience.
Читать далее kraken зеркало рабочее
Every weekend i used to visit this web page, for the reason that i wish
for enjoyment, as this this web site conations genuinely good funny information too.
Fashion & Design Store – Well-arranged items make browsing enjoyable and very intuitive.
Команда клиники — это врачи-наркологи, психиатры-консультанты, специалисты интенсивной терапии, клинический психолог, психотерапевт и медсёстры с опытом круглосуточного поста. Мы разговариваем «языком фактов»: витальные показатели, шкалы симптомов, дневники воды и сна, малые бытовые цели. Такой язык исключает стигму и «магическое мышление»; он понятен семье и помогает принимать решения без страхов и «подстраховочных» излишков.
Ознакомиться с деталями – наркологическая клиника стационар ростов-на-дону
пин ап получить бонус через промо pinup5009.ru
pin up uz ro‘yxatdan o‘tish http://pinup5009.ru/