
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.
https://goloskarpat.info/rus/associated/676beea04b9ad/
Источник https://krab4a.at
Wonderful beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend
your site, how could i subscribe for a blog website?
The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright
clear idea
ага его https://boshkikypits.store Где-то с год – полтора назад пользовался услугами Кемикал Микса. Продуктция чатенько имела разые цвета, плотность и консистенцию, что немного напрягало, но “пручесть” продуктов всегда была на уровне. На моей памяти меньше косяков было только у Химхома, но они, к нашему сожалению, канули в лету.Проплатил в этот магаз 10.10,трек получил 14.10-сегодня 18.10 трек не бьёться
опубликовано здесь https://krab4a.at/
red stag casino login – https://red-stag-us.com/red-stag-casino-login/
additional hints https://toast-wallet.net/
страница https://krab4a.at/
read this https://toast-wallet.net/
мелбет казино
click here for more info https://web-breadwallet.com
неплохо для утра они выглядять
Generous Bonus Rounds: Unlock Free rotations, multipliers, big casino casino login and personal bonus features in leading games.
усиление ссылок переходами усиление ссылок переходами .
Капельница от запоя в Волгограде — это эффективный способ быстро восстановить организм после длительного употребления алкоголя. Процедура проводится врачом-наркологом и направлена на выведение токсинов, нормализацию обмена веществ и стабилизацию работы нервной системы. Инфузионная терапия помогает устранить головную боль, слабость, тошноту, восстановить сон и аппетит. Благодаря внутривенному введению препаратов эффект наступает уже через 20–30 минут после начала процедуры.
Исследовать вопрос подробнее – сколько стоит капельница на дому от запоя
такой https://krab4a.at/
seo аудит веб сайта prodvizhenie-sajtov-v-moskve235.ru .
image source https://toast-wallet.net
realbet – https://realbet-br.com/
мелбет зеркало актуальное на сегодня
check this site out https://web-breadwallet.com/
read more https://toast-wallet.net
net seo net seo .
casino royale app – https://casino-royale-australia.com/casino-royale-app/
поисковое seo в москве poiskovoe-prodvizhenie-sajta-v-internete-moskva.ru .
Tackle success, defensive actions and interception rates tracked
I think this is one of the most vital information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But want to remark on few general things, The web site style is ideal, the articles is really nice : D. Good job, cheers
Главная https://krab4a.at/
See the latest update here — https://jerezlecam.com/
click to read https://toast-wallet.net/
Рекомендую постельное белье от этой компании, мягкое и долговечное, смотрите здесь <a href=
https://moskvakatalog.ru/internet-magazini/77502/?sphrase_id=177531
Продолжение https://krab4a.at
seo network prodvizhenie-sajtov-v-moskve234.ru .
Подробнее https://krab4a.at
see post https://toast-wallet.net/
Read Full Report https://web-breadwallet.com/
塔尔萨之王第二季高清完整版智能AI观看体验优化,海外华人可免费观看最新热播剧集。
компании занимающиеся продвижением сайтов компании занимающиеся продвижением сайтов .
https://tellsmart.ru/gadzhety/nomer-tg.html
hippodrome – https://hippodrome-us.com
продолжить https://krab4a.at
http://wmking.ru/t84718.html
read the full info here https://toast-wallet.net/
skycrown casino – https://skycrown-casino-77.com
read the article https://web-breadwallet.com
click for more info https://web-breadwallet.com/
сайт https://krab4a.at
Покупка или продажа недвижимости в Ставропольском крае требует глубоких знаний местного рынка и юридической грамотности. Агентство Arust предлагает полный цикл услуг: от подбора выгодных вариантов до безопасного завершения сделки с гарантией результата. Опытные риелторы и юристы компании проверяют каждый объект на обременения, приводят документацию в полное соответствие требованиям законодательства и контролируют все этапы оформления. На сайте https://ar26.ru/ вы найдете актуальную информацию о доступных предложениях и сможете оставить заявку на консультацию со специалистами агентства.
more info here https://web-breadwallet.com
leadboostlab.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
http://www.vladimir.ru/forum/forum/thread/55357