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.
этот контент https://krab4a.at/
funnelscalelab.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
маркетинговый блог blog-o-marketinge1.ru .
ifvod官方认证平台，专为海外华人设计，24小时不间断提供高清视频和直播服务。
раскрутка и продвижение сайта prodvizhenie-sajtov-v-moskve234.ru .
仮想通貨 カジノ
https://v2raytun.fun/
маркетинговый блог statyi-o-marketinge1.ru .
we88 – https://we88-888.com
стратегия продвижения блог blog-o-marketinge.ru .
semmarketing.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
semmarketing.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
leadboostlab.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here. The sketch is tasteful, your authored material stylish. nonetheless, you command get bought an impatience over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again as exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this hike.
I’m consistently impressed by the quality of your work.
leadboostlab.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
раскрутка сайта франция цена poiskovoe-seo-v-moskve.ru .
Chip goals, delicate finishes over goalkeepers tracked live
Что получите за 24 часа
Получить дополнительную информацию – https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-domodedovo0.ru
Pin-up: the origin of the term, the development of the style in the mid-20th century играть в Pin Up казино
bono bienvenida apuestas deportivas juegos olimpicos sin deposito
semmarketing.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
funnelscalelab.click – Navigation felt smooth, found everything quickly without any confusing steps.
semmarketing.click – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
drake – https://drake-us.com
semmarketing.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
Pin-up: the origin of the term, the development of the style in the mid-20th century Пин Ап
clickgrowthhub.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
The enthusiasm here is off the charts — well done!
Я думаю, что Вы допускаете ошибку. Давайте обсудим это.
казино мостбет, мостбет официальный сайт предлагает широкий выбор ставок для каждой аудитории. Вы можете обнаружить удобные слоты, а также принять участие в реальных турнирах. Удобный формат и щедрые бонусы делают игру еще более захватывающей. Не упустите возможность освоить казино мостбет и получить свой выигрыш!
Все процедуры выполняются анонимно и с соблюдением медицинских стандартов. Препараты применяются только сертифицированные, рассчитанные на мягкое восстановление организма без побочных эффектов. При необходимости лечение продолжается в стационаре, где пациент получает круглосуточное наблюдение, питание и психологическую поддержку.
Ознакомиться с деталями – https://vyvod-iz-zapoya-v-novokuzneczke17.ru/vyvod-iz-zapoya-v-staczionare-novokuzneczk/
clickgrowthhub.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
зеркало мелбет
Запой представляет собой состояние, при котором организм находится под постоянным воздействием этанола. Это вызывает интоксикацию, нарушение обменных процессов и дестабилизацию психики. При обращении за помощью врач-нарколог оценивает состояние пациента и подбирает индивидуальную схему терапии, чтобы безопасно вывести человека из запоя и предотвратить развитие синдрома отмены. Вмешательство проводится как в стационаре, так и на дому, в зависимости от состояния пациента.
Получить дополнительные сведения – вывод из запоя вызов
Pin-up: the origin of the term, the development of the style in the mid-20th century казино Пин Ап
Агентство наружной рекламы Буквица https://bukvica.ru/ оказывает полный комплекс услуг в сфере наружной рекламы и оформления внутренних пространств. Мы разрабатываем дизайн, производим и монтируем вывески, объемные буквы, световые конструкции, навигацию, крышные установки, вывески из неона и брендирование. Берём на себя согласование вывесок в государственных органах и реализуем проекты под ключ, точно в срок.
мелбет официальный сайт казино
Discover the best games and bonuses atthe goliath casino.
Additionally, the casino offers regular promotions and loyalty rewards for returning players.
Reflex saves, reaction stops and point blank denials tracked
оптимизация сайта блог statyi-o-marketinge2.ru .
Pin-up: the origin of the term, the development of the style in the mid-20th century Пин Ап казино
semmarketing.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
https://vitrum-media.ru/preimuundefinedestva-virtual-nogo-nomera-dlya-chatgpt-i-openai/
http://reporter63.ru/content/view/737921/dlya-chego-nuzhen-virtualnyj-nomer-ot-did-virtual-numbers
funnelscalelab.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
You’ve injected so much enthusiasm into this — amazing!
real madrid vs valencia apuestas
My homepage – Basketball-Wetten.Com
зеркало мелбет
комплексное продвижение сайтов москва комплексное продвижение сайтов москва .
Правильный подбор лекарственных средств позволяет не только уменьшить проявления синдрома отмены, но и стабилизировать эмоциональное состояние пациента, снижая риск срывов. Реабилитационные программы включают физиотерапию, спортивные занятия и коррекцию образа жизни, что способствует полноценному восстановлению организма.
Изучить вопрос глубже – лечение наркомании клиника в твери