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.
Слив засчитан. купить кокаин, мефедрон, гашиш, бошки, лирика АМ-2233 вообще ровный день назад пришёл31 страницу отзывов почитайте – увидите всех. Кто то только что зарегился , ктото год назад , кому что аккаунт блокнули или забыл пароль от старого акка – он зарегился по новой .
купить диплом в тюмени цена купить диплом в тюмени цена .
Blue Willow Collections – Loved how organized the shop feels, simple but effective presentation.
Premium Collection Hub – A clean, well-organized layout showcasing premium products effectively.
UniqueGift Lane Online – Well-laid-out gift items with fast loading and easy browsing enhance usability.
UniqueGift Lane Hub – Smooth interface with clear gift displays ensures effortless exploration.
Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some pals ans additionally sharing in delicious. And obviously, thank you in your effort!
Everwild Picks – Items are well-presented, and moving through the marketplace feels effortless.
MoonCrest Collection – Products presented attractively, navigation is smooth and easy today.
MoonCrest Picks Hub – Creative selections look modern, browsing feels effortless today.
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a friend who had been doing a little research on this. And he actually ordered me dinner because I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending some time to talk about this topic here on your website.
rankboostx.click – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
BlueWillow Deals – Good assortment and a smooth interface, fun to move through the categories.
Blue Willow Essentials – Everything is presented simply and clearly, making navigation quick.
Fantastic web site. Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to some friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks in your sweat!
FashionHub – Smooth navigation and stylish products displayed attractively.
Excellent web site. A lot of helpful info here. I am sending it to a few buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And of course, thank you for your sweat!
clickattic.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
clickalley.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
clickanchor.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
propelclick.click – Navigation felt smooth, found everything quickly without any confusing steps.
Таможня москва услуги — лучшие цены и сроки
https://video.etowns.ir/@kiraneace27970?page=about
TrendSpotlight – Fast site performance and stylish products make shopping smooth.
Лечение запоя без госпитализации в стационаре Балашихи. Мы предлагаем лечение на дому, без необходимости госпитализации.
Выяснить больше – срочный вывод из запоя балашиха
Everwild Outlet – Clean product presentation and smooth browsing make it easy to explore.
Лечебная логика строится по принципу «одна цель — один маркер — одно окно оценки — один выключатель». Например, задача «открыть окно питья» решается антиеметическим мостом и мягкой регидратацией; как только вода пьётся без позывов и появляется стабильный диурез, модуль отключается. Если целевой маркер «ЧСС/АД в рабочем коридоре» достигнут — снимаем антивегетативный контур. Это дисциплина маленьких шагов, где каждый следующий ход становится очевидным из предыдущих цифр, а не из ожиданий.
Углубиться в тему – нарколог на дом круглосуточно цены
MoonCrest Design Hub – Creative selections look appealing, navigation feels effortless.
Everwild Market – A wide range of products displayed neatly, making browsing simple and enjoyable.
Magnificent site. A lot of useful information here. I am sending it to some friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks in your effort!
With havin so much written content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement? My website has a lot of unique content I’ve either authored myself or outsourced but it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my authorization. Do you know any techniques to help stop content from being ripped off? I’d really appreciate it.
GiftSpotShop – Easy to find items, enjoyable layout, and smooth page loading.
CharmingGiftMarket – Easy navigation, lovely selections, and fast-loading pages.
Для жителей Ростова-на-Дону клиника работает по схеме «тихих маршрутов»: отдельный вход с нейтральной табличкой, окна записи в невызывающие подозрений часы, немаркированный подъезд автомобиля при выездном визите. На первом звонке диспетчер собирает только то, что влияет на безопасность: эпизоды рвоты, ЧСС/АД, ночные панические эпизоды, сопутствующие препараты, аллергии, наличие хронических заболеваний сердца. Личные и социальные детали не запрашиваются — мы придерживаемся принципа «минимально необходимой информации». По прибытии врача фиксируются базовая линия (сознание, дыхание, SpO?, температура), шкалы симптомов и переносимость небольших объёмов воды. Дальше — один точный шаг, одно «окно проверки» и прозрачное решение: продолжать модуль, модифицировать одну переменную или выключить блок.
Детальнее – https://narkologicheskaya-clinika-v-rostove-na-donu16.ru/narkologiya-rostov-kruglosutochno/
Magnificent site. Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to several buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you in your effort!
UniqueGift Studio – Neatly displayed gifts with clean layout and easy-to-navigate sections.
modern fashion corner – Items look stylish, site feels easy to navigate and pleasant.
Visit our digital platform — http://hammill.ru/
Modern Essentials Store – Very enjoyable browsing experience, items look stylish and intentionally picked.
Modern Goods Collective – Items appear intentionally chosen, browsing feels effortless and pleasant.
Wonderful web site. A lot of helpful info here. I’m sending it to a few friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you for your sweat!
Everwild Online Store – Product selection is clear, and navigating the site feels effortless.
Great site. A lot of useful information here. I am sending it to a few pals ans also sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks in your sweat!
Customer support was responsive, which gave me confidence to continue. Support solved my issue in minutes.
Мы дозировано упоминаем географию — важнее не слово «Нижний Новгород», а предсказуемость процесса. Пациент получает «вечерний протокол» — краткие инструкции на ближайшие 12 часов: как пить воду малыми порциями, как приглушить свет, какое «окно тишины» соблюсти перед сном, когда связаться с дежурным врачом и какие маркеры фиксировать в «дневнике симптомов» (шкалы тремора, тревоги, тошноты по 0–10; время засыпания; число пробуждений).
Подробнее можно узнать тут – наркологическая клиника цены
MoonCrest Boutique – Items displayed nicely, site feels easy to browse and enjoyable.
Quiet Plains Finds – Pages loaded quickly, and the structured categories made it easy to explore.
Plains Trading Corner – Fast response times and organized categories made exploration easy.
MoonCrest Hub – Creative items look impressive, shopping feels enjoyable and effortless.
Wonderful web site. Plenty of helpful information here. I am sending it to several buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you for your sweat!
Excellent web site. Plenty of helpful info here. I am sending it to several pals ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks for your sweat!