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.
casino royale – https://casino-royale-au.com
clickgrowthhub.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
rankbooststudio.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
Стоматологическая сеть Севастополя оказывает широкий перечень услуг по уходу за полостью рта для всех. Квалифицированные специалисты работают на новейшей технике с проверенными европейскими материалами. Учреждение предоставляет услуги терапии, ортопедии, имплантологии и эстетики улыбки с использованием прогрессивных методов. Запись на прием доступна на сайте https://24antosplus.ru/ в любое удобное время суток. Пациентам гарантируется индивидуальный подход и комфортные условия лечения без боли и стресса.
semmarketing.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
clickgrowthhub.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
сео агентство сео агентство .
clickgrowthhub.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
leadboostlab.click – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
seo network prodvizhenie-sajtov-v-moskve235.ru .
clickgrowthhub.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
узнать https://krab4a.at
888 – https://888-de.com
Психологическая поддержка играет ключевую роль в лечении наркомании в Твери. В клинике «Ренессанс» применяются различные методы психотерапии, включая когнитивно-поведенческую терапию, групповые и семейные сессии, арт-терапию. Эти методы помогают осознать причины зависимости, развить навыки преодоления стрессов и поддержать мотивацию к выздоровлению.
Разобраться лучше – лечение больных наркоманией
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like
you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to
drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this
is magnificent blog. An excellent read. I will
definitely be back.
Here is my page: kkpoker mod apk
仮想通貨 カジノ
This was refreshingly exciting — loved it!
Australian Open live scores, first Grand Slam of the year covered comprehensively
rankbooststudio.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
clickgrowthhub.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
https://arctic-online.ru/arenda-virtualnogo-nomera-preimushhestva-i-osobennosti/
мелбет казино зеркало
rankbooststudio.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
After I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I recieve 4 emails with the exact same comment. Is there an easy method you can remove me from that service? Many thanks!
semmarketing.click – Navigation felt smooth, found everything quickly without any confusing steps.
仮想通貨 カジノ
Смотреть здесь https://krab4a.at/
Mostbet casino, https://kmbwindowcleaning.com/comparing-online-casino-providers-a-comprehensive-36/ offers thrilling games for participants worldwide. With numerous options, it caters to all tastes. Join today and explore one-of-a-kind bonuses and promotions!
rankbooststudio.click – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
Bundesliga livescore today, German football with Bayern Munich and Dortmund updates
rankbooststudio.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
rankbooststudio.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
Substitution tracker, player changes and tactical switches noted live
seo аудит веб сайта seo аудит веб сайта .
раскрутка сайта франция цена poiskovoe-prodvizhenie-sajta-v-internete-moskva.ru .
semmarketing.click – Color palette felt calming, nothing distracting, just focused, thoughtful design.
fortnitetracker – https://fortnitetracker-de.com
melbet зеркало рабочее на сегодня
проверить сайт https://krab4a.at/
продвижения сайта в google продвижения сайта в google .
https://travellanka.ru/response202.html
rankbooststudio.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
узнать больше Здесь https://krab4a.at/
поисковое seo в москве poiskovoe-prodvizhenie-moskva-professionalnoe.ru .
нажмите, чтобы подробнее https://krab4a.at
Выделяется ряд преимуществ, которые делают терапию в клинике оптимальным решением для борьбы с зависимостью.
Подробнее тут – лечение хронического алкоголизма пермь
Contract updates, player extensions and free agent signings tracked
Помощь в написании магистерской диссертации под ключ – https://disser-guru.ru/uslugi/magisterskaya-dissertaciya-pod-klyuch/
Формат
Получить больше информации – наркологическая клиника телефон
бонус пускай шлют https://mef-market.shop трек получил в пятницу сегодня понедельник пока нет данных по треку возможно еще не вбился в систему думаю на днях ясно все будет отпишуПолучил посылку уже через 3 дня после заказа. МН-001 хороший, только маленькие кристаллы на дне не растворились. А так доволен