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.
Круизный лайнер из Дубая приятно удивил уровнем сервиса, все продумано до мелочей, отдых действительно расслабляющий: круиз из Дубай
weblink https://jaxx-web.org
Особенность подхода заключается в сочетании медицинской и психологической поддержки. После кодирования пациент получает консультации психотерапевта, рекомендации по восстановлению и профилактике рецидивов. Это снижает риск повторного срыва и помогает закрепить результат на долгий срок.
Получить дополнительную информацию – https://kodirovanie-ot-alkogolizma-v-volgograde17.ru/
bet – https://bet-vi.com
Cryptoboss Casino — площадка для тех, кто любит движение.
Здесь турниры сменяют друг друга, а
промо только усиливают накал
борьбы. Хочешь быть в центре событий?
Загляни на криптобос казино верификация требуется или нет
и подключайся к гонке за призами.
В Cryptoboss Casino собраны слоты с разными механиками — классика, кластерные
выплаты, Megaways, а рейтинги игроков обновляются в режиме реального
времени. Транзакции в BTC, ETH, USDT и других активах обрабатываются операционно,
сервис соблюдает заявленные рамки по
времени.
Ежедневные и недельные турниры с
фондами
Бонусы за депозиты, участие и активность
Быстрые ответы по условиям и правилам
Здесь оценят стратегию, дистанцию и активность
look at here https://jaxxwallet-web.org
https://www.nongkhaempolice.com/forum/topic/59679/1xbet-promo-code-philippines-2026:-bonus
QQ88Pk Com nhà cái cá cược uy tín hàng đầu châu Á.
her explanation https://jaxxwallet-web.org
about his https://toast-wallet.net
В таблице приведены основные компоненты инфузионной терапии, применяемые при детоксикации:
Подробнее можно узнать тут – https://narkologicheskaya-clinica-v-novokuzneczke17.ru/narkologiya-gorod-novokuzneczk/
Кодирование от алкоголизма в Химках. Мы предлагаем различные методы кодирования, подходящие для каждого пациента.
Изучить вопрос глубже – скорая вывод из запоя
important link https://lumi-wallet.io
It’s really a great and helpful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Hello mates, its great article about educationand completely explained, keep it up all the time.
visite site https://jaxx-web.org
Выездная наркологическая помощь организована по чётко выстроенной схеме. Каждый этап направлен на стабилизацию состояния и безопасное восстановление функций организма после алкогольного или наркотического воздействия.
Детальнее – https://narkolog-na-dom-v-ufe17.ru/vyvod-iz-zapoya-ufa-narkolog-na-dom/
п»їJust now, I found an informative resource about ordering meds from Mexico. The site discusses how to save money on prescriptions. For those interested in Trusted pharmacy sources, check this out: п»їmexican online pharmacies. Cheers.
Вывод из запоя у пожилых людей в стационаре Балашихи. Наши специалисты учитывают возрастные изменения организма при назначении лечения.
Получить больше информации – вывод из запоя на дому недорого балашиха
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was curious what all is needed to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% positive. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
read this https://lumi-wallet.io/
click to read more https://lumi-wallet.io/
кракен ссылка tor
Web Site https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
important site https://toast-wallet.net
какой налог в эстонии https://www.financeprofessional.ee .
Pretty nice post. I simply stumbled upon your blog and wished to mention that I’ve truly enjoyed surfing around your weblog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing in your rss feed and I’m hoping you write once more soon!
visit their website https://jaxx-web.org/
Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this
board and I to find It really useful & it helped
me out much. I am hoping to give something again and help others such as
you aided me.
Look into my page خرید بک لینک
Paragraph writing is also a fun, if you know then you can write otherwise it is complicated to write.
see this website https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
И такое быват
Польские духи Быть Может, byc-moze.ru — это уникальный аромат, который поражает своим уникальным сочетанием ароматов. Каждая упаковка содержит настроение, которые переносят в мир чувств. Эти духи подходят для всех момента, добавляя вашу индивидуальность. Попробуйте польские духи Быть Может и познайте волшебство!
my blog https://jaxx-web.org/
additional resources https://jaxxwallet-web.org
PWA кракен
useful reference https://lumi-wallet.io
try this web-site https://jaxxwallet-web.org
image source https://jaxx-web.org
Именно поэтому при затяжных запоях необходима квалифицированная медицинская помощь, позволяющая безопасно и максимально комфортно прекратить приём алкоголя. Клиника «Стратегия Здоровья» предлагает профессиональный вывод из запоя в Москве как в условиях стационара, так и с выездом на дом. Врачи работают круглосуточно, используя проверенные методики детоксикации и медикаментозной поддержки.
Узнать больше – вывод из запоя клиника москва
read https://toast-wallet.net
go to these guys https://lumi-wallet.io
check my site https://toast-wallet.net/
kraken даркнет
kraken зайти
Процесс кодирования проходит в комфортной и спокойной обстановке. Врач объясняет каждый этап, чтобы пациент чувствовал себя уверенно и спокойно. После процедуры пациент получает памятку с рекомендациями по уходу за здоровьем и режиму поведения в первые недели после лечения.
Ознакомиться с деталями – https://kodirovanie-ot-alkogolizma-v-volgograde17.ru/kodirovanie-volgograd
Для меня выбор краски для внутренних работ — это не про «какая подешевле», а про комфорт и результат на годы. Я смотрю на состав, укрывистость, износостойкость и то, как краска ведёт себя в реальных условиях: легко ли наносится, не пахнет ли резко, можно ли мыть стены без следов. Важно и то, как цвет выглядит при разном освещении — тестирую образцы заранее и не полагаюсь только на палитру.
Со временем я поняла, что качественная краска экономит и время, и нервы: меньше слоёв, аккуратный финиш и отсутствие переделок. Внутренние работы — это про пространство, в котором живёшь каждый день, поэтому компромиссы здесь неуместны.
А вы при выборе краски ориентируетесь на цену или на то, как она будет работать в вашем интерьере?
Если будет много полезных ответов — соберу мини-гайд о том какой должна быть краска для пола
стерилизатор плазменный универсальный plazm-sterilizatory.ru .
I switched from another service because of the scalable features and stable performance. Definitely recommend to anyone in crypto.
Запой представляет собой состояние, при котором организм находится под постоянным воздействием этанола. Это вызывает интоксикацию, нарушение обменных процессов и дестабилизацию психики. При обращении за помощью врач-нарколог оценивает состояние пациента и подбирает индивидуальную схему терапии, чтобы безопасно вывести человека из запоя и предотвратить развитие синдрома отмены. Вмешательство проводится как в стационаре, так и на дому, в зависимости от состояния пациента.
Детальнее – вывод из запоя в стационаре красноярск
Браво, мне кажется это отличная идея
payments counted directly to your bank account at crown coins casino. here are the key advantages that I have identified during testing.