
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.
что такое мостбет http://mostbet2032.help
Я бы с такими в кроватке поболел .
промокод 1xbet, промокод на регистрацию 1xbet 6500free1x 2026 – Промокод 1xbet позволяет получить привилегию при входе в систему. Используйте представленный промокод для увеличения суммы своих шансов на выигрыш. Не упустите шанс получить бонус, зарегистрировавшись с промокодом 1xbet!
Узнать больше сайт водка бет
мостбет скачать приложение на андроид мостбет скачать приложение на андроид
Владелец популярного потока Мелстрой анонсировал собственное азартное портал, которое быстро приобрело авторитет среди поклонников. Главный домен Мелстрой геймс обеспечивает путь к специальным слотам. Мелстрой геймс существует по концепции официальных технологий. RNG-протоколы предоставляют честность каждого вращения. Волатильность автоматов отличается от low до high, что предоставляет шанс выбрать подходящую подход для любого бэнкролла. Альтернативный домен mellstroy com зеркало ликвидирует препятствия с фильтрацией провайдеров. Система DNS-форвардинга создает бесперебойное коннект даже при активной блокировке трафика. SSL-шифрование сохраняет безопасность всех операций.
Вознаграждающая политика содержит начальный комбо с матчем до 200% плюс бесплатные вращения. Проигрыш составляет x40, что соответствует нормам индустрии. Кэшбэк предоставляется еженедельно и достигает 15% от израсходованной суммы.
Коллекция автоматов представляет более 3000 позиций от ведущих производителей: Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Evolution Gaming, Play’n GO. Суперприз аппараты отображают призовые накопления от $100,000 до $2,000,000. Live операторы проводят игры в стиле реального процесса. Зачисления обрабатываются мгновенно через токены, расчетные карты, цифровые сервисы. Минимальный ограничение составляет $10, наивысший – $50,000 за операцию.
Группа поддержки игры mellstroy мелстрой казино работает 24/7 через общение, email, телеграм. Подтверждение счета требует до 24 срок при предоставлении общего перечня свидетельств.
site telegram auto send messages to chats
найти это сайт vodka bet
I have read so many articles on the topic of the blogger lovers but this piece of writing is actually a nice paragraph, keep it up.
на этом сайте krab2.cc
7m888 – https://7m888-th.com
visit this website telegram bulk actions software
view it fortnite locker inventory checker
Клиника «Похмельная служба» в Нижнем Новгороде предлагает капельницу от запоя с выездом на дом. Наши специалисты обеспечат вам комфортное и безопасное лечение в привычной обстановке.
Детальнее – snyatie-zapoya-na-domu11.ru
their website telegram automation for agencies
Что включено на практике
Получить дополнительную информацию – https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-odincovo0.ru/narkologicheskaya-klinika-stacionar-v-odincovo/
have a peek at this web-site Telegram Expert tool
https://roomstyler.com/users/freespins43
Перейти на сайт vodka casino
ссылка на сайт водка бет казино
http://logo-def.ru/userinfo.php?uid=36615
В этой статье-обзоре мы собрали данные, актуальность которых сомнительна, а факты — не всегда взаимосвязаны. Читатель сможет ознакомиться с разными мнениями, хотя вряд ли они существенно повлияют на его понимание темы.
Вот – джекпот
нажмите водкабет
futebol do interior placar ao vivo – https://futebol-do-interior-placar-ao-vivo.com
скачать приложение mostbet скачать приложение mostbet
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you
make this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it
for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to construct my own blog and would like to know where u got this from.
kudos
mostbet baixar mostbet baixar
где найти зеркало kraken
В глубинах холодного моря жил древний Кракен, охранявший зеркала памяти. Эти зеркала не отражали лица — они показывали страхи, мечты и забытые решения каждого, кто осмеливался взглянуть в их гладь. Когда шторм поднимался, щупальца Кракена тянулись к поверхности, защищая зеркала от жадных глаз. Моряки верили: если зеркало треснет, море потеряет равновесие. Поэтому легенда учила уважать тайны глубин и помнить, что не каждое отражение стоит искать.
Please let me know if you’re looking for a writer for your site. You have some really great posts and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d really like to write some articles for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please shoot me an e-mail if interested. Cheers!
Узнать больше casino vodka
где купить дипломы медсестры где купить дипломы медсестры .
فريق اليابان لكرة القدم – https://japan-football-team.com
продолжить krab2.at
взгляните на сайте здесь водкабет
сайт vodkabet
Наш официальный сайт уже доступен
узнать больше vodkabet
интернет vodka bet
выберите ресурсы сайт vodka bet
страница водкабет
можно проверить ЗДЕСЬ сайт vodka bet
узнать водка бет казино
интернет казино водкабет
посмотреть на этом сайте казино водкабет
Клиника «Детокс» в Сочи предлагает услугу вывода из запоя в стационаре. Под наблюдением профессиональных врачей пациент получит необходимую медицинскую помощь и поддержку. Услуга доступна круглосуточно, анонимно и начинается от 2000 ?.
Получить дополнительные сведения – вывод из запоя с выездом в сочи
Капельница от запоя в Нижнем Новгороде — эффективный способ снять симптомы похмелья и восстановить организм. Процедура проводится опытными врачами с использованием современных препаратов.
Исследовать вопрос подробнее – нарколог на дом вывод из запоя нижний новгород
кликните сюда casino vodka
Evinizi guzellestirmek ve guzelligi kendi ellerinizle yaratmak ister misiniz? O zaman dogru yerdesiniz!
Хочу выделить раздел про Yarat?c? El Sanatlar? ve Ev Dekorasyonu Ipuclar?.
Ссылка ниже:
https://kendimacera.com
Umar?m bu ipuclar? evinizi daha s?cak ve ozgun bir hale getirmenize yard?mc? olur.
Wow! After all I got a web site from where I know how to truly obtain useful data regarding my study and knowledge.
official statement jax wallet
Перейти на сайт vodka bet