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.
Heya! I know this is kind of off-topic but I needed to ask. Does building a well-established website such as yours require a large amount of work? I am brand new to blogging however I do write in my journal every day. I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my personal experience and views online. Please let me know if you have any kind of recommendations or tips for new aspiring bloggers. Thankyou!
rankformula.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
1win juegos 1win juegos
drake – https://drake-br.com
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I do think that you need to write more on this issue, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people do not discuss such topics. To the next! All the best!!
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I do believe that you ought to publish more on this subject matter, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people do not talk about these subjects. To the next! Many thanks!!
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I believe that you should write more about this subject matter, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people do not discuss such topics. To the next! Cheers!!
1win mx 1win mx
Hi, this weekend is fastidious in favor of me, since this moment i am reading this impressive informative piece of writing here at my house.
code promo 1win https://www.1win3002.mobi
взгляните на сайте здесь kra ссылка
В данной обзорной статье представлены интригующие факты, которые не оставят вас равнодушными. Мы критикуем и анализируем события, которые изменили наше восприятие мира. Узнайте, что стоит за новыми открытиями и как они могут изменить ваше восприятие реальности.
Узнайте всю правду – https://www.ffbopen.de/?attachment_id=936
jilivip – https://jilivip-ph.com
I was wondering if you ever considered changing the page 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 1 or 2 pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you ought to write more on this issue, it might not be a taboo matter but usually people do not talk about these subjects. To the next! Cheers!!
страница кракен onion сайт
Живая ёлка — это не просто дерево, а настоящее сердце праздника. Она наполняет дом тонким хвойным ароматом, словно приносит с собой зимний лес, тишину снежных вечеров и ожидание чуда. В её ветвях живёт Рождество. пихта нордмана купить
An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. I think that you need to write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but usually folks don’t discuss these topics. To the next! Many thanks!!
посетить сайт kraken darknet ссылка
Искал, где можно купить Robux робуксы без заморочек — нашёл нормальный сайт ??
Кто тоже играет в Roblox и хочет робуксы купить дешево и быстро, посмотрите тут: https://t.me/s/robbuy_roblox
Оплата простая, всё пришло быстро, без передачи пароля.
casino 1win 1win3001.mobi
Клиника «Детокс» в Сочи проводит вывод из запоя в стационаре. Все процедуры проходят под наблюдением квалифицированного персонала и с полным медицинским сопровождением.
Подробнее можно узнать тут – вывод из запоя дешево в сочи
Одной из самых сильных сторон нашей клиники является оперативность. Мы понимаем, что при алкоголизме, наркомании и лекарственной зависимости часто требуются немедленные действия. Если человек находится в состоянии запоя, абстиненции или передозировки, промедление может привести к тяжёлым осложнениям или даже смерти.
Ознакомиться с деталями – kruglosutochnaya-narkologicheskaya-pomoshch
Перейти на сайт сайт kraken darknet
QQ88 là nhà cái cá cược trực tuyến uy tín, cung cấp casino live, nổ hũ, bắn cá và thể thao với trải nghiệm mượt, bảo mật cao.
para que sirve el bonus casino en 1win https://1win3001.mobi/
digitalclimb.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
marketlift.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
assistir globo ao vivo – https://assistir-globo-ao-vivo.com
Смотреть здесь кракен onion сайт
Алкогольная интоксикация разрушает организм изнутри. В первую очередь страдает центральная нервная система: снижается уровень витаминов группы B, нарушаются когнитивные функции, появляются раздражительность, бессонница, панические атаки. Следом — страдает печень, главный орган метаболической детоксикации. Под действием этанола её функции подавляются, а токсины накапливаются в крови. Это вызывает системное отравление и разрушает внутренние органы.
Выяснить больше – капельница от запоя на дому цена одинцово
качество на высоте! сегодня опробовали и регу и ск! Купить наркотики | Где купить наркотики? Пойже проведу опрос среди кроликов, распишу что и как, честный репорт гарантирован!значит ты чо то намутил , а вещество я заказывал в этом магазе норм для RCS естественно
webignite.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
зайти на сайт kraken ссылка зеркало
Клиника «Детокс» в Сочи проводит вывод из запоя в стационаре. Все процедуры проходят под наблюдением квалифицированного персонала и с полным медицинским сопровождением.
Выяснить больше – вывод из запоя в стационаре в сочи
сайт кракен онион зеркало
опубликовано здесь кракен онион тор
Mergo Konco merupakan salah satu penyedia jasa sedot wc daerah Yogyakarta yang terbaik dan bisa menangani berbagai macam masalah limbah seperti pada limbah rumah tangga, kost, restoran, rumah makan, pabrik, hotel, mall, rumah sakit maupun tempat-tempat umum lainnya.
placar loteca ao vivo – https://placar-loteca-ao-vivo.com
узнать больше Здесь kraken рабочая ссылка onion
пылесос dyson detect купить dn-pylesos-kupit-1.ru .
нажмите kraken сайт
Смотреть здесь кракен ссылка kraken
My spouse and I stumbled over here from a different page and thought I might as well check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to checking out your web page again.
backlinkhub.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
посетить веб-сайт kraken актуальные ссылки
купить выпрямитель дайсон в новосибирске vypryamitel-dn.ru .
rankformula.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
Читать далее сайт kraken onion
содержание kraken darknet market