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.
I like how this article connects different topics without feeling scattered. That variety reminds me of hi88, which is often mentioned as a multi-category platform covering sports betting, live casino, and slots.
1win demo rejim 1win demo rejim
TabitoExplorer – Fun travel stories, site design makes finding information easy and pleasant.
подробнее vodka bet casino
опубликовано здесь трипскан
Intentional steps guide – Encourages taking mindful, structured actions for growth
зайти на сайт vbet casino
Intentional movement guide – Encourages acting with purpose and advancing confidently
bomb pop email
Email Bombing – email flood or email hoax (DOS attack) or cluster email bombing, what are they actually doing?
A huge number of emails are sent to e-mail. This usually means that the @Flood_email_bot specifically targets the victim’s mailbox associated with your email.
These emails are intended to make fun of friends or distract the victim from any security messages or other emails.
I am glad to present you a mail flood bot with a convenient menu and flexible settings!
The cost of the service is $ 1 = 1000 letters.
You specify the time of the flood and the number of letters yourself, or choose the “FAST FLOOD” function
During the flood, a sufficient number of letters arrive so that the owner would miss an important letter!
The bot will flood more than you ordered. On average, 30% more than ordered.
Flood email, Floods Email, Email flooding, gmail flood, email bomber, flood hotmail, flood online,email flooding, email flood bot, email flooded with spam, email flooding service, email flooded with subscriptions, email flooder bot, email bomber 2023, email bomber 2024, email spam bot online, email spammer bot free, spam bot, бот по флуду почт, сервис по флуду почт, услуги по флуду, флуд услуги.
@Flood_email_bot – Лучший емаил бомбер на рынке!
Футбольные дерби всегда захватывают дух, и сегодня мы…
Зацепил материал про Хроники и тактика футбольных дерби.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://tottenham-army.ru
Заканчиваем наш обзор, но страсть к дерби останется с нами всегда…
1win bot ishlaydimi https://1win5513.ru/
1win yangi bonus 2025 1win yangi bonus 2025
неужели ркс такая шляпа? https://skyrimgame.ru Да и вообще:У меня такая же ситуация мне кажеться ребята что их курьерку иусора приняли потомушто на сайте
1win uz kazino https://www.1win5513.ru
The Chicken Game is a game theory model where two players head towards chicken road
sustainablediscoverhub – SustainableDiscoverHub presents thoughtfully selected ethical items with effortless browsing.
Зашёл на vibe казино официальный сайт и сразу понял, что платформа сделана качественно
https://thevibecasino.ru
Радует, что есть промокоды на казино бонусы без лишних условий
промокоды казино на сегодня
такой зеркало водка бет
Great blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog shine. Please let me know where you got your theme. Kudos
1win android yuklab olish http://1win5513.ru/
If some one desires to be updated with hottest technologies therefore he must be pay a visit this web site and be up to date all the time.
выберите ресурсы водка бет
ethicalbuyhub – EthicalBuyHub features a curated range of premium ethical products in a user-friendly layout.
I’ve read some just right stuff here. Definitely price bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how so much attempt you place to create the sort of great informative website.
1вин приложение на айфон https://www.1win5513.ru
The Chicken Game is a game theory model where two players head towards chicken road game casino
Источник vodkabet водка бет казино
Нужен надежный источник электропитания для стройки? Полный каталог здесь <a href=
https://hashnode.com/@rensol99
смотреть здесь водка бет
1win hisobni bloklash http://1win5512.ru
I always used to read article in news papers but now as I am a user of internet so from now I am using net for posts, thanks to web.
Игра вызывает азарт и интерес
pokerok скачать
страница vodka bet
на этом сайте казино водка бет
I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the layout of your blog? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
веб-сайте трипскан вход
Домашний визит уместен не только при тяжёлой абстиненции. Он эффективен и на этапе нарастающих симптомов, когда важно предотвратить обострение. Ниже — ориентиры, помогающие принять решение.
Получить дополнительные сведения – http://narkolog-na-dom-stavropol0.ru/narkolog-anonimno-stavropol/
Игнорирование этих симптомов опасно для жизни и здоровья. Своевременное обращение в клинику «Рестарт» позволит оперативно и безопасно облегчить симптомы ломки и избежать серьезных последствий.
Подробнее – снятие наркотической ломки в краснодаре
ethicalchoicezone – EthicalChoiceZone presents premium, high-quality ethical goods with effortless browsing.
Ищете удобный дневник питания бесплатно и без рекламы? Ищете дневник питания? Познакомьтесь с Итвио на сайте promo.eatvio.ru – удобный интерфейс, персональный расчет и учет калорий, белков, жиров и углеводов. Наш сервис – доступен для загрузки в любом известном сторе приложений, делает управление питанием легкой и комфортной практикой, а не обузой. Изучите все достоинства на портале – вы точно оцените! Ваше движение к здоровому весу берет начало в этом месте!
Узнать больше водка бет
Vibe casino приятно удивляет бонусной системой
https://thevibecasino.ru
Нашёл казино бонус код с фриспинами, всё начислилось без проблем
казино бонус код
посетить сайт зеркало водка бет
https://www.salmonshop.ca/profile/wosex9400368446/profile
Таможенное оформление москва — только положительные эмоции
https://mk7r.top/vaughnnicholas/vaughn2024/wiki/tamozhennoe-oformlenie+92Q.-
The Chicken Game is a game theory model where two players head towards chicken road game
Всегда есть свободные столы
покерок регистрация
https://vivealumni.usfq.edu.ec/2014/10/beneficios-escuela-de-empresas.html?sc=1766386560021#c422529202733334345