
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.
В городе и ближайших районах клиника «УралМед Трезвость» обеспечивает оперативный выезд и амбулаторный приём без очередей. На этапе первичного контакта координатор уточняет только клинически значимые моменты: постоянные препараты и дозы, аллергии, эпизоды судорог/психозов в прошлом, базовые показатели (АД/ЧСС/SpO?, если доступны), длительность симптомов, возможность организовать «тихое окно» на 20–30 минут. Вместо долгих разговоров — короткая, спокойная логика: где безопаснее начать (дом/амбулатория/стационар), какую ближайшую цель выбираем, в каком интервале ждём эффект и что считаем сигналом для связи с дежурным врачом.
Изучить вопрос глубже – наркологическая клиника вывод из запоя челябинск
http://rusrp.moibb.ru/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2397
узнать больше [url=https://vodkabet-vbet.com/]vodkabet онлайн казино[/url]
Easy steps to claim on the bonuses page
pinup bangladesh welcome bonus
продолжить https://krab2at.cc/
https://bienvenue-1xbet.mystrikingly.com/
Hệ thống onbetteam.com áp dụng công nghệ bảo mật SSL và tường lửa nhiều lớp, đảm bảo mọi dữ liệu cá nhân và giao dịch tài chính đều được bảo vệ tuyệt đối.
веб-сайте водка бет
red stag casino app – https://red-stag-us.com/red-stag-casino-app/
a href=”https://refinedlifestylecommerce.click/” />Refined Living Hub – Elegant interface with clear categories and effortless browsing flow.
http://www.rrsclub.ru/showthread.php?p=77003#post77003
Exclusive push for tournament invites – joined one and won free spins.
source
http://www.vladimir.ru/forum/forum/thread/55334
нажмите vodkabet
посмотреть на этом сайте https://krab2a.at/
useful content https://cryptoarbitrage.sh
здесь [url=https://vodkabet-vbet.com/]vodkabet[/url]
Ищете заказать отчет по практике? Платформа xn--rdacteurmmoire-bkbi.com предлагает профессиональные услуги по написанию академических работ: дипломов (TFE), магистерских диссертаций, докторских тез и проектов VAE от 18 евро за страницу. Коллектив опытных специалистов обеспечивает уникальность содержания без заимствований, пунктуальность выполнения и грамотную организацию работы с бесплатной доработкой. Сервис работает с различными дисциплинами — от медицины до юриспруденции, предлагая гибкие сроки выполнения от 24 часов до года с возможностью корректировки и форматирования документов.
jogo do corinthians ao vivo – https://jogo-do-corinthians-ao-vivo.com
Greetings from Florida! I’m bored at work so I decided to check out your blog on my iphone during lunch break. I really like the knowledge you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m amazed at how quick your blog loaded on my phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, great site!
https://kssp.borda.ru/?1-5-0-00003246-000-0-0-1763523047
интернет водкабет
article source https://usdtswaptrx.com
Free international dating site. Thousands of men and women viagra alternative rezeptfrei
see this https://cryptoarbitrage.sh
https://tf-2.org/forum/5-8033-1
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.
Подробнее – [url=https://vyvod-iz-zapoya-v-chelyabinske16.ru/]вывод из запоя в стационаре[/url]
Here’s an article that caught my eye you may enjoy it https://pad.stuve.uni-ulm.de/s/mjvv2luCk
article https://simpleswap.cc
пояснения зеркало водка бет
Чтобы не превращать раздел в набор лозунгов, кратко обозначим практические преимущества, которые заметны уже в первые часы обращения.
Подробнее – https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-sergiev-posad8.ru/narkologicheskaya-klinika-ceny-v-sergievom-posade
https://webhitlist.com/forum/topics/code-promo-1xbet-aujourd-hui-bonus-vip-130
look at here now https://onefimesecret.com/
Secure play peace of mind.
http://www.jokabetapp.com/app
Free international dating site. Thousands of men and women viagra für männer
смотреть здесь водкабет
узнать vodkabet
купить диплом о высшем образовании в барнауле купить диплом о высшем образовании в барнауле .
https://punkgazetka.forum24.ru/?1-9-0-00005395-000-0-0-1763522984
Эта последовательность действий обеспечивает безопасное прекращение запоя и предотвращает развитие синдрома отмены.
Исследовать вопрос подробнее – [url=https://vyvod-iz-zapoya-v-rostove-na-donu16.ru/]вывод из запоя вызов город[/url]
see https://crowncoinscasino.app
discover here https://usdtswaptrx.com
на этом сайте водка бет
ссылка на сайт vodkabet
посетить сайт https://krab2a.at/
QQ88 là nền tảng cá cược trực tuyến uy tín châu Á, nổi bật với casino live, thể thao, bắn cá, nổ hũ và hệ thống giao dịch nhanh, an toàn.
найти это водка бет
посетить веб-сайт vodkabet онлайн казино
gaucha ao vivo – https://gaucha-ao-vivo.com
The excitement in this post is contagious!