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.
Great goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just too fantastic. I actually like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you are saying and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it wise. I can not wait to read far more from you. This is really a great web site.
Вывод из запоя в клинике в Санкт-Петербурге осуществляется под круглосуточным медицинским контролем с применением современных методов инфузионной терапии, препаратов для восстановления обменных процессов и купирования синдрома отмены. Главной задачей врачей является восстановление баланса между физическим и психическим состоянием, предотвращение осложнений и стабилизация основных жизненных функций.
Детальнее – https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-v-spb16.ru/narkologicheskie-dispansery-sankt-peterburga/
https://jobs.lajobsportal.org/profiles/7639775-free1win-free1win
What’s up friends, how is the whole thing, and what you desire to say about this piece of writing, in my view its actually amazing in favor of me.
Check Out Your URL http://portableairconditioningunitsoku.blogspot.com/2015/02/
look these up https://hlp0.cloud/
Оборудование растаможили идеально, спасибо
https://geetgram.com/@merissasandlin?page=about
investigate this site https://www.dieselenginetrader.biz/tag/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration/page/2/
look at this website http://portableairconditioningunitsremakuji.blogspot.com/2015/02/portable-air-conditioning-units-non_97.html
find out http://electricmotorrepairochibaa.blogspot.com/2017/05/electric-motor-repair-equipment.html
Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back frequently!
купить диплом настоящий всего купить диплом настоящий всего .
купить диплом строителя купить диплом строителя .
Ассоциация «Просолдат» — более 20 лет сохраняем память о службе в армии. С 1998 года мы проводим профессиональную фотосъёмку воинских праздников, учений, стрельб и торжественных мероприятий по всей России. Если вас интересуют реальные отзывы Pro soldat.ru – вы можете быть уверены в надежности работы и качестве продукции нашей компании. Мы создаём индивидуальные армейские альбомы с портретными и групповыми фото солдат. Гарантируем высокое качество печати и надёжную доставку фото военнослужащим и их семьям.
купить диплом юриста https://www.r-diploma3.ru – купить диплом юриста .
recommended you read https://plasma.credit
стоимость узаконивания перепланировки skolko-stoit-uzakonit-pereplanirovku-4.ru .
натяжные потолки компания http://www.natyazhnye-potolki-nizhniy-novgorod-5.ru .
バイナリーオプション おすすめ 海外
useful content https://hlp0.online/
view publisher site https://www.absoyouth.com/category/uncategorized/page/3/
Все заказ пришел, не было времени отписаться, брали пробы, в аське вежливый,конкретный, все в сроки,просил отправить в день перевода денег, отправили, шла ровно 4 дня, как написанно на сайте, веса точные, не обманывают, все порадовало, консперация на высшем уровне, правда расчитывал на лучшее качество, мало держит, консентрация 1 к 6-8 самая лутая.. Огромное спасибо магазину, мир и процветание, выбераю чемикал микс) Всем мир друзья.. https://money-banks.biz брали 10 гр реги ))))Братки все красиво стряпают, претензий к магазину нуль, всегда всё ровно. Единственное что сейчас напрягло, отсутствие на ветке вашего представителя в ЕКБ “онлайн”, представитель молчит ( а там по делу ему в лс отписано) и кажись воопще не заходит пару недель
Greetings, I do think your web site may be having web browser compatibility
issues. Whenever I take a look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however, when opening in I.E., it’s got some overlapping issues.
I merely wanted to provide you with a quick heads
up! Aside from that, great blog!
his explanation https://australianwebdirectory.pro/82d7c4337f63b8cde9b686c1ff7f1486-l/
visit this website https://subdomainfinder.c99.nl/scans/2025-09-17/paralleldigitalmedia.com
http://arandarp.forumex.ru/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=2396
rankvelocity.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
бездепозитные бонусы в казино лев
SpookySwap FTM
Everyday finds store – The essentials offered are dependable, and browsing is smooth and straightforward.
Для безопасного и бесперебойного входа на маркетплейс Кракен, в особенности в условиях постоянных ограничений со стороны провайдеров, критически важно использовать только официальные способы входа. кракен магазин. Перейдя по этому адресу, вы обретаете стопроцентный вход к полному функционалу платформы, включая систему безопасных сделок и оперативную техническую помощь. Данный метод дает возможность целиком нивелировать вероятность попадания на мошеннический ресурс.
official website https://theo.sbs/
trafficlogic.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
перепланировка квартиры москва перепланировка квартиры москва .
webtrafficpro.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
Everyday essentials shop – The site makes shopping simple, with dependable items that meet daily needs.
trafficpath.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
pop over to this web-site https://stage.cdn.racepartner.com/casino.html
Hey very cool blog!! Man .. Beautiful .. Wonderful .. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds additionally? I’m glad to seek out numerous helpful info here in the post, we’d like develop more techniques on this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
Grand Ridge store – The layout is clear, with useful items and a seamless shopping experience.
try this out https://www.yoda.wiki/wiki/Documentation
Alternatives to gamstop for most safe game users use several powerful tools besides gamstop to control the situation when exploiting sites for betting, not concerning gamstop, https://www.effectiveratecpm.com/k8bre2ti7n?key=27b7fa6b5ea53e54cab997a551329c46/?p=13479 that are not included in gamestop.
как использовать бонус казино в 1win
navigate to this web-site https://prjx.online/
Реабилитационные мероприятия в клинике направлены на устранение соматических последствий зависимости, нормализацию когнитивных функций и восстановление социальной адаптации. Для этого используются современные методики физиотерапии, диетологической коррекции и психологического сопровождения, позволяющие закрепить достигнутые результаты лечения.
Исследовать вопрос подробнее – анонимная наркологическая клиника санкт-петербург
my company https://kinetiq.lat
Track Series resources – Visitors can efficiently find information and track events with ease.
Track Series updates – Visitors can access event information and tracking tools clearly and efficiently.
Event monitor portal – Organized updates and tools help users stay on top of all tracked events.
Прежде чем перейти к таблице, отметим смысл. Это ориентир, а не жёсткое расписание. Врач адаптирует длительность и насыщенность этапов под возраст, фоновые диагнозы и динамику симптомов, но логика процесса остаётся неизменной: от безопасности к устойчивости.
Узнать больше – https://vyvod-iz-zapoya-v-stacionare-chekhov8.ru/vyvod-iz-zapoya-kapelnica-v-chekhove/