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.
на этом сайте https://krab2a.at/
Таможенное декларирование москва — без правок и задержек
https://sirius.klsh.ru/bessiezxf2490
зайти на сайт vodkabet
интернет https://krab2a.at
Карта — это общий язык для всех участников процесса. Пациент видит смысл каждого шага, родные знают, когда и чему посвящены короткие апдейты, а врач точно понимает, какой параметр корректировать, чтобы не потерять причинно-следственную связь.
Получить дополнительные сведения – [url=https://vyvod-iz-zapoya-murmansk15.ru/]срочный вывод из запоя мурманск[/url]
Mostbet Online Casino Safe game, Curacau license, live dealers and loyalty program for new and regular players mostbet uz online
websites https://simpieswap.app/
бк 1 win зеркало https://www.1win5522.ru
диплом автошколы купить r-diploma19.ru .
Quality articles or reviews is the key to interest the people to
pay a quick visit the web site, that’s what this web page is providing.
подробнее здесь https://krab2at.cc/
онлайн обучение 11 класс https://www.shkola-onlajn2.ru .
I absolutely love your blog.. Great colors & theme. Did you create this site yourself? Please reply back as I’m trying to create my very own site and would like to know where you got this from or what the theme is named. Cheers!
«СтаврМедЦентр» собирает лечение из коротких модулей с понятными целями: быстро стабилизировать соматику, вернуть управляемый сон, снизить реактивность вечера, обучить «перехвату» импульса и закрепить это в спокойной рутине. Фармакологию используем дозированно, опираясь на витальные показатели и переносимость; поведенческий контур запускаем сразу: свет, вода, дыхание, цифровая гигиена, семейные договорённости. Ниже — ориентировочная архитектура маршрута. На практике последовательность и длительность настраиваются под конкретного человека и его среду.
Получить больше информации – http://narkologicheskaya-klinika-stavropol15.ru/
you can find out more http://portableairconditioningunitsremakuji.blogspot.com/2015/
сюда водка бет
Домашний формат подойдёт, если нет признаков угрозы жизни и есть возможность обеспечить тишину и наблюдение ночью. Стационар предпочтителен при тяжёлой абстиненции, эпизодах судорог, выраженных скачках давления, неукротимой рвоте, риске делирия, а также когда дома нет условий для безопасного наблюдения. В стационаре под рукой лаборатория, ЭКГ по показаниям, круглосуточный пост — это снижает вероятность осложнений и ускоряет восстановление сна и аппетита.
Ознакомиться с деталями – адреса наркологических клиник
В клинике применяются современные методы лечения, включающие медикаментозную терапию, психотерапию и физиологическое восстановление. Такой подход позволяет достигнуть стойкого результата и предотвратить возвращение к употреблению алкоголя.
Подробнее тут – https://kapelnicza-ot-zapoya-v-nizhnem-novgorode16.ru/kapelnicza-pri-pokhmele-nizhnij-novgorod/
I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up!
I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later on. Cheers
Feel free to visit my web-site หวยฮานอยวันนี้ ออกอะไร vip
посетить сайт https://krab2at.cc
1 win ставки скачать 1 win ставки скачать
здесь https://krab2at.cc/
Что делаем
Разобраться лучше – https://vyvod-iz-zapoya-v-stacionare-chekhov8.ru/vyvod-iz-zapoya-cena-v-chekhove
этот сайт https://krab2a.at/
В этой статье представлен занимательный и актуальный контент, который заставит вас задуматься. Мы обсуждаем насущные вопросы и проблемы, а также освещаем истории, которые вдохновляют на действия и изменения. Узнайте, что стоит за событиями нашего времени!
Что скрывают от вас? – https://yellowberryhub.com/5-ways-a-virtual-assistant-can-help-you-sell-more
Find Out More https://swapzome.cc
Уважаемые покупатели, С НОВЫМ ГОДОМ! https://tem-electro.ru Я поддержу! Советую! С 2012 года знаю! Всё ровно! + С тобой тоже ребята в Мск работали! Все ровняки тут собрпались! Удачи в Будущем!отличный магазин, качество супер ,товар радует
browse around these guys https://cryptoarbitrage.sh
страница https://krab2at.cc/
Выход за рамки стандартных тактик позволяет находить неочевидные точки роста для сайта, о чём подробно рассказывается в этой публикации: https://dogvoyage.ru/2025/12/jeffektivnoe-prodvizhenie-sajtov-i-razvitie-biznesa-v-internete/
Профессиональный ремонт генераторов от этой фирмы, узнать больше <a href=
https://a.pr-cy.ru/serviceset.ru/
пояснения vodkabet онлайн казино
Offer Highlights – Everything appears well-sorted, making it simple to check out the latest offers.
В этой публикации мы сосредоточимся на интересных аспектах одной из самых актуальных тем современности. Совмещая факты и мнения экспертов, мы создадим полное представление о предмете, которое будет полезно как новичкам, так и тем, кто глубоко изучает вопрос.
Узнать напрямую – https://template144.webekspor.com/the-role-of-altitude-in-crafting-export-quality-coffee
Перейти на сайт https://krab2at.cc/
useful reference https://enwikipedia.net/wiki/Documentation
Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage? My blog is in the very same area of interest as yours and my users would truly benefit from a lot of the information you present here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Appreciate it!
go to this site http://servicesproviderenkisu.blogspot.com/2017/07/service-provider-wikipedia.html
подробнее водкабет
бонусы на 1win http://1win5522.ru/
sykaaa casino включая слоты настольные
From here, you can estimate the spending budget that you require for
your campaign. https://iura.uj.edu.pl/dlibra/reset-password?refUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdm1hZ2ljLm5ldA&language=en
sykaaa казино андроид
sykaaa casino сайт регистрация
sykaaa casino играть онлайн на реальные ставки
sykaaa casino реальное
briansclub is a platform designed to help traders and enthusiasts improve their market skills through structured strategies and practical insights. It focuses on enhancing understanding of trends,
узнать больше https://krab2a.at/
дистанционное школьное образование дистанционное школьное образование .
https://www.ourboox.com/i-am/xbetbestcode6/