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.
казино мосбет казино мосбет
здесь kraken krab
mostbet скачать на андроид официального сайта http://mostbet2032.help
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I think that you ought to write more about this issue, it may not be a taboo matter but generally folks don’t speak about these subjects. To the next! Many thanks!!
An intriguing discussion is definitely worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you ought to publish more about this topic, it may not be a taboo subject but generally people don’t talk about these subjects. To the next! Many thanks!!
placar loteca ao vivo – https://placar-loteca-ao-vivo.com
Такова жизнь. Ничего не поделаешь.
In the vibrant world of gambling, the battery casino game, battery casino game stands out with its unique mechanics. Players are drawn to its exciting gameplay and the chance to win huge prizes. The mix of luck and strategy makes it a must-try for enthusiasts.
Актуальное зеркало Azino777 доступно по адресу: https://azino-777.clients.site/
взгляните на сайте здесь krab2.cc
https://500px.com/p/lagodigarda0?view=photos
https://1xbetfreeph.stck.me/
Подходит как для частных клиентов, так и для бизнеса
https://zusammenwedemark.de/author-profile/pasqualec58991/
https://sfx.thelazy.net/users/u/melbetspin/
посмотреть в этом разделе кра ссылка
ссылка на сайт kraken сайт
An intriguing discussion is worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you should publish more about this topic, it might not be a taboo matter but typically folks don’t speak about such topics. To the next! Many thanks!!
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I think that you need to write more about this topic, it may not be a taboo matter but usually people do not talk about these topics. To the next! All the best!!
Pretty portion of content. I simply stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to say that I get in fact enjoyed account your weblog posts. Any way I will be subscribing to your feeds or even I success you get right of entry to consistently rapidly.
веб-сайт кракен зеркало
перейти на сайт krab3.cc
Что включено на практике
Получить больше информации – http://narkologicheskaya-klinika-odincovo0.ru
An intriguing discussion is worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you ought to write more on this subject matter, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people do not speak about such issues. To the next! Best wishes!!
В условиях нестабильного электроснабжения важно заранее продумать резерв. Надёжным решением в такой ситуации становится зарядная станция, обеспечивающая работу техники. Она подходит для дома и офиса.
ссылка на сайт kraken krab
https://Classified4Free.net/389/posts/1/1/1812503.html
Этот информационный набор привлекает внимание множеством мелочей и странных ракурсов. Мы предлагаем взгляды, которые редко бывают полезны, но могут слегка разнообразить ваше знакомство с темой.
Вот – знакомства для взрослых
placar futebol interior ao vivo – https://placar-futebol-interior-ao-vivo.com
An intriguing discussion is worth comment. I believe that you need to write more on this subject, it may not be a taboo matter but usually folks don’t discuss such topics. To the next! Cheers!!
узнать больше https://krab2.cc
Капельница от запоя в Нижнем Новгороде — процедура, направленная на детоксикацию организма и восстановление нормального самочувствия. Она включает в себя введение препаратов, способствующих выведению токсинов и восстановлению функций органов.
Подробнее – наркология вывод из запоя нижний новгород
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/user/72bbcd93-20fa-433b-bfb0-dd9aa803a324
Я думаю, что Вы не правы. Я уверен. Давайте обсудим это. Пишите мне в PM, пообщаемся.
The goal of betsafe is first of all enlist the help of serious players, who playing at betsafe casino online, in order to win.
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I do believe that you should write more about this subject, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people do not discuss such issues. To the next! Kind regards!!
Смотреть здесь кра ссылка
super tv ao vivo – https://super-tv-ao-vivo.com
Marvelous, what a webpage it is! This website provides valuable facts to us, keep it up.
https://www.asinlifes.com/forum/topic/116717/1xbet-promo-code-new-zealand-2026:-1x200free-%E2%80%93-bonus-%E2%82%AC130
An intriguing discussion is definitely worth comment. I do believe that you ought to publish more on this issue, it might not be a taboo matter but generally people don’t talk about these topics. To the next! Kind regards!!
опубликовано здесь krab2.at
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I think that you ought to write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo matter but typically people do not speak about these topics. To the next! All the best!!
assistir globo ao vivo – https://assistir-globo-ao-vivo.com
An intriguing discussion is definitely worth comment. I do think that you ought to publish more on this subject matter, it might not be a taboo matter but usually people don’t talk about these subjects. To the next! Many thanks!!
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you need to publish more on this issue, it may not be a taboo subject but usually people don’t discuss these topics. To the next! Kind regards!!
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I think that you need to write more about this subject, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people don’t talk about such topics. To the next! Kind regards!!
посмотреть на этом сайте krab2.cc
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you ought to write more about this subject matter, it may not be a taboo matter but typically folks don’t discuss such topics. To the next! Cheers!!
An interesting discussion is worth comment. I do believe that you need to publish more about this subject matter, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people don’t talk about these topics. To the next! All the best!!
этот контент kraken krab
An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you need to write more about this subject, it may not be a taboo matter but typically folks don’t speak about these issues. To the next! All the best!!
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I do believe that you ought to write more about this subject matter, it may not be a taboo matter but usually people don’t talk about these topics. To the next! All the best!!