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.
https://fliphtml5.com/homepage/robertscoles/robertВ scoles/
navigate to this web-site https://cryptoconverter.biz
https://test.rusosky.com/ – Fresh Videos, Non-Stop. Juicy Scenes in HD. Global Selection of Models. Find Your Fantasy Fast. Stream Instantly, No Limits. >>>
перейдите на этот сайт водка бет
Чтобы убрать неопределённость, мы делим первые часы на короткие окна. У каждого окна есть цель, действия и критерии перехода. Если ответ «плоский», корректируется один элемент, а следующая проверка назначается сразу — без хаотичного «усиления всего сразу».
Получить больше информации – [url=https://vyvod-iz-zapoya-murmansk15.ru/]вывод из запоя с выездом мурманск[/url]
thoughtfulhomehub – ThoughtfulHomeHub features a thoughtful mix of items that are easy to explore and visually appealing.
thoughtfulmarkethub – ThoughtfulMarketHub offers a well-curated selection of items that were simple and enjoyable to browse.
Таможенное оформление электроники москва быстро и без переплат
https://video.silverwolfstudios.com/@andralyman2601?page=about
useful source http://portableairconditioningunitsremakuji.blogspot.com/2015/02/portable-air-conditioning-units-non_95.html
http://gektorstroi.ru/forum/?PAGE_NAME=profile_view&UID=209607
I am extremely inspired together with your writing skills and also with the layout in your blog. Is this a paid topic or did you customize it your self? Either way keep up the excellent high quality writing, it’s uncommon to peer a great weblog like this one these days..
https://double-down.casino/bonus/
visit their website https://www.british1.co.uk/directory/Surrey/Farnham/Business_and_Economy/
https://alik.forumrpg.ru/viewtopic.php?id=13504#p289458
sykaaa казино android
Какая симпатичная мысль
its possible assemble simply by enabling an unknown source in the settings of your iPhone at glory casino casino online.
visit this site right here https://withbuna.my.id/tanaman-unggas-tutup-hit-charles-city-water-budget-charles-city-press/
Узнать больше водкабет
Learn More https://swapzome.cc/
view https://www.drzlc.com/website-list-1907/
look at here now https://cryptoswap.cc
that site https://linkpitcherdirectory.com/website-list-1907/
Click This Link https://kinotracker.kinoni.com/slots/no-limit-city.html
read more https://prlvnote.com/
Читать далее vodkabet онлайн казино
веб-сайт https://krab2a.at/
I truly love your blog.. Very nice colors & theme. Did you create this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m wanting to create my own personal website and want to find out where you got this from or just what the theme is called. Many thanks!
читать vodkabet онлайн казино
https://klimatbox.ru/forum/?PAGE_NAME=message&FID=2&TID=452&MID=104524&result=new#message104524
этот сайт vodkabet
like this https://kinotracker.kinoni.com/slots/no-limit-city.html
сюда зеркало водка бет
This is the ugly truth: nearly all septic companies just pump tanks. They are like band-aid salesmen at a disaster convention. But Septic Solutions? They are different. It all started back in the early 2000s when Art and his siblings—just kids barely tall enough to shoulder a shovel—assisted install their family’s septic system alongside a experienced pro. Picture this: three youngsters knee-deep in Pennsylvania clay, understanding how soil porosity affects drainage while their peers played Xbox. “We did not just dig trenches,” Art told me last winter, steaming coffee cup in hand. “We learned how soil whispers secrets. A patch of cattails here? That’s Mother Nature screaming ‘high water table.'”
https://rentry.co/t7ma5oc6
Fantastic site. A lot of useful info here. I am sending it to several pals ans also sharing in delicious. And of course, thank you to your sweat!
здесь https://krab2at.cc
узнать больше https://krab2at.cc
Intentional Living Shop – Intentional design choices that support easy navigation.
каталог vodkabet
Официальная страница компании в сети
canadian world pharmacy: Nyu Pharm – canadian mail order pharmacy
Learn More Here http://conditionmonitor.blogspot.com/2012/04/
https://allmynursejobs.com/author/epic3d/
нажмите зеркало водка бет
Вывод из запоя осуществляется в несколько этапов, каждый из которых направлен на постепенное восстановление организма. Такой поэтапный подход снижает нагрузку на внутренние органы и повышает эффективность лечения.
Получить дополнительную информацию – [url=https://vyvod-iz-zapoya-v-rostove-na-donu16.ru/]анонимный вывод из запоя[/url]
продолжить зеркало водка бет
Капельницы в «ЧелМед Детокс» — это модульная конструкция, а не «микс на удачу». База — регидратация и коррекция электролитов. По показаниям добавляются антиэметики, антивегетативные средства, поддержка метаболизма, витамины группы B, магний. Отдельным блоком идёт ночной модуль: задача — собрать восстановительный сон, не «перелечивая» пациента. Каждый модуль имеет свою цель и стоп-критерий. Врач избегает одновременного запуска нескольких новых элементов, чтобы видеть причинно-следственную связь и точно понимать, что именно работает у конкретного человека.
Изучить вопрос глубже – [url=https://vyvod-iz-zapoya-v-chelyabinske16.ru/]вывод из запоя вызов на дом в челябинске[/url]
Hello to every one, as I am genuinely keen of reading this blog’s post to be updated daily. It carries nice material.
click over here http://urlm.co/www.artsofinnovation.com
https://www.podparadise.com/Podcast/1857213191/Listen/1764418890/0
https://pocketcasts.com/podcast/tobaccoff-podcast/34f7c080-af45-013e-5609-025671e558a9