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.
Привет! Многие спрашивают, где сейчас выигрывают чаще всего. Ответ прост: смотрите на условия бонусов. Я собрал актуальный рейтинг казино 2025 с поддержкой рубля — ссылка: nerohelp.com. Пробовали что-то из списка?
мостбет официальное приложение мостбет официальное приложение
poker 1win 1win apk
Mostbet, https://karir.yanproland.co.id/top-sports-betting-promotions-for-enthusiasts-in-3/ is an stimulating platform for sports wagering. Users can place bets on various matches in real-time, enhancing the fun.
Острый запой — это нарушение работы сердца, мозга, печени и нервной системы, а не просто «лишние пару дней выпивки». Когда начинается тремор, потливость, скачки давления, бессонница, паника, семья часто пытается помочь самостоятельно: даёт случайные таблетки, сомнительные «антипохмельные коктейли», сильные седативные. В реальности такие меры нередко ухудшают ситуацию: давление падает или «скачет», дыхание угнетается, симптомы предделирия маскируются, и момент, когда нужна экстренная помощь, пропускается. Выездной нарколог «ЩёлковоМед Профи» в Щёлково работает иначе: ещё по телефону собираются ключевые данные — возраст, длительность запоя, сопутствующие заболевания, принимаемые лекарства, аллергии, примерные показатели АД и пульса, особенности поведения. Это позволяет заранее оценить риски и понять, подходит ли формат на дому. На месте врач измеряет давление, пульс, сатурацию, температуру, оценивает степень обезвоживания, выраженность тремора, неврологический статус, наличие дезориентации, смотрит, не требуется ли сразу стационар. Капельница назначается по фактическим показателям: без «универсальных коктейлей», без опасной седации, с учётом сердца, печени, эндокринных и неврологических особенностей. Такой подход снижает нагрузку на организм и делает результат управляемым — облегчение наступает без лишнего риска.
Разобраться лучше – нарколог на дом
塔尔萨之王第二季高清完整版，海外华人可免费观看最新热播剧集。
These guys understand exactly how to make leisure at bovada is stunning. is several applications for blackjack games, which optimal may be used for mobile devices.
мосбет мосбет
интернет зеркало vodkabet
I was skeptical, but after recently of checking analytics, the reliable uptime convinced me. The mobile app makes daily use simple.
курсы seo курсы seo .
Excellent post. I am dealing with many of these issues as well..
Hey! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the outstanding work!
Thanks in favor of sharing such a fastidious thought,
piece of writing is nice, thats why i have read it fully
Howdy just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different internet browsers and both show the same outcome.
цена усиления проема цена усиления проема .
кликните сюда водкабет
1xbet free spins promo code azerbaijan
Привет! Хочу предупредить новичков: не все игровые площадки одинаково полезны. Чтобы не слить депозит и получить выигрыш, проверяйте наличие лицензии и изучайте статистику выплат. Я составил подборку рабочих вариантов с минимальным депозитом от 10 рублей — смотрите тут: new retro казино. Делитесь опытом!
Приветствую! После череды неудач наконец нашёл надёжные онлайн казино. Ключевые критерии: RTP выше 96%. Все подходящие площадки с быстрым выводом собрал тут: казино болливуд зеркало. Кто уже успел потестить?
Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely return.
Very informative read, enjoyed it.
Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to assert that I acquire in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently rapidly.
“Прошло 20 мин тишина,Думаю надо догнаться еще 2 делаю и тот же ЭфФект ” купить кокаин, мефедрон, бошки, марихуану Последние данные очков репутации:Магазин работает!!! Бро очень понктуален!!! Магазину процветание и новых клиентов!!!
смотреть здесь сайт vodka bet
обмазочная гидроизоляция цена за работу м2 gidroizolyacziya-czena9.ru .
здесь [url=https://vodkabet.de.com]зеркало водкабет[/url]
Мы изготавливаем дипломы любой профессии по приятным ценам. Стоимость может зависеть от определенной специальности, года получения и образовательного учреждения: mv106.my-web.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=mv4_2&wr_id=15002
Good day! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having problems finding one? Thanks a lot!
netmosaic.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
вода в подвале gidroizolyacziya-podvala-iznutri-czena8.ru .
If you would like to grow your knowledge only keep visiting this web site and be updated with the latest information posted here.
отделка подвала отделка подвала .
генерация видео по фото
посмотреть в этом разделе казино водкабет
Bathroom refreshing stuff.
Your method of describing the whole thing in this post is
actually pleasant, every one be able to simply know it, Thanks a
lot.
Superb post however , I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this topic? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Bless you!
Подробнее здесь зеркало vodkabet
Greetings, I just discovered a great Indian pharmacy to buy generics. For those looking for medicines from India without prescription, IndiaPharm is very reliable. They offer secure delivery guaranteed. Check it out: indiapharm.in.net. Good luck.
Hi to every body, it’s my first pay a quick visit of this webpage; this webpage includes amazing and really good stuff designed for visitors.
здесь зеркало водкабет
Spot on with this write-up, I truly think this site needs much more attention. I’ll probably be back again to read through more, thanks for the advice!
Тьфу ты, туфта!
1win официальный сайт, 1 вин официальный сайт предлагает крупный выбор игровых услуг. Здесь вы сможете обнаруживать современные игры, а также получать бонусы за игры. Каждый участник найдет что-то заинтересует его желаниям.
Valuable information. Lucky me I discovered your website by chance, and I am surprised why this accident didn’t came about in advance! I bookmarked it.
These are actually wonderful ideas in on the topic of blogging. You have touched some pleasant factors here. Any way keep up wrinting.
Hello there! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us useful information to work on. You have done a outstanding job!
Do you mind if I quote a few of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your site? My website is in the exact same area of interest as yours and my visitors would really benefit from some of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this okay with you. Cheers!
Someone necessarily lend a hand to make severely posts I’d state. This is the first time I frequented your website page and to this point? I amazed with the analysis you made to make this actual submit amazing. Great process!
мостбет https://mostbet2026.help/