
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.
point resonated strongly and was presented beautifully. It is remarkable
кухни на заказ санкт петербург от производителя kuhni-spb-28.ru .
ООО ТК «Регион Новые Технологии» с 2011 года поставляет промышленное оборудование по России: насосы более 19 типов, электродвигатели, вентиляторы, частотные преобразователи и автоматику от ведущих производителей. Подробная информация доступна на сайте https://ufk-techno.ru/ Организация предоставляет комплексное обслуживание — от консультации по выбору до гарантийной поддержки, реализует комплектующие, выполняет ремонтные работы, осуществляет персонализированную сборку агрегатов и транспортировку по России и СНГ с выгодными расценками.
изготовление кухонь на заказ в санкт петербурге kuhni-spb-27.ru .
гидроизоляция подвала инъекционная gidroizolyacziya-podvala-samara4.ru .
create an experience that feels both educational and inspiring. Every
кухни спб kuhni-spb-25.ru .
Привет! Недавно искал казино, где можно спокойно вывести выигрыш, и понял: главное — скорость выплат. Собрал рабочие варианты с поддержкой Сбербанк — ссылка: казино голд официальный сайт. Кто уже пробовал?
Две дороги для Артёма, https://a6202.ru А как вы объясните такой факт, месяц назад я оплатил посылку и статус в обработке был более чем 11 дней да еще и ждал я посылку дней 10, я нечего не имею против вашей работы и вообще против вас в целом, вы отличный магазин, но согласитесь “ЛАЖИ” у вас все таки бывают, я говорю это к тому что бы в следующий раз такого не повторялось, без обидХороший магазин тоже не раз уже к нему обращался я считаю что этот магазин достоин огромного внимание ! Мир тебе бро и процветания удачи в работе !:ok:;)ОБРАЩУСЬ ЕЩЕ К ТЕБЕ БРО ОБЯЗАТЕЛЬНО !) ЕЩЕ РАЗ УДАЧИ
Matbet TV güncel linki arıyorsanız doğru yerdesiniz. Maç izlemek için: https://matbet.jp.net/# Canlı maçlar bu sitede. Arkadaşlar, Matbet bahis yeni adresi belli oldu.
Ребята, а вы знаете, где сейчас реально выиграть в онлайн-казино? После десятков проверок остановился на платформах с аудитом RNG. Важно: вывод без комиссии. Актуальный рейтинг с джекпотами и кэшбэком — по ссылке: ДживиСпин. Обсуждаем!
brdice – https://brdice-br.com
I really like it when folks come together and share opinions. Great site, keep it up!
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say great blog!
Immediate withdrawal casino nz, feels almost too good to be true https://thehomany.com/author/luisasegura040/
888 – https://888-br.com
This is the right website for anyone who wants to understand this topic. You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really will need to…HaHa). You definitely put a fresh spin on a subject which has been written about for a long time. Wonderful stuff, just wonderful!
gg999 – https://gg999-33.com
актуальные новости
заказать кухню kuhni-spb-26.ru .
Herkese merhaba, bu populer site uyeleri ad?na k?sa bir paylas?m paylas?yorum. Bildiginiz gibi site domain adresini erisim k?s?tlamas? nedeniyle surekli degistirdi. Giris sorunu yas?yorsan?z link asag?da. Son siteye erisim baglant?s? art?k asag?dad?r https://casibom.mex.com/# Bu link ile direkt siteye girebilirsiniz. Ek olarak yeni uyelere sunulan hosgeldin bonusu f?rsatlar?n? da kac?rmay?n. Lisansl? casino keyfi icin Casibom dogru adres. Tum forum uyelerine bol sans dilerim.
Nice weblog right here! Additionally your web site lots up very fast! What web host are you the use of? Can I am getting your associate hyperlink in your host? I wish my website loaded up as quickly as yours lol
новости сегодня
I wanted to thank you for this wonderful read!! I absolutely enjoyed every little bit of it. I have you book-marked to check out new things you post…
https://swedbe.ru/catalog/smesiteli/gigienicheskie_dushi_1/14194/
сайт сми
try this https://sites.google.com/node-protocol.org/pinata-web3/
strendus – https://strendus-777.com
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I do believe that you need to publish more on this issue, it may not be a taboo subject but generally people don’t talk about these topics. To the next! Cheers!!
point resonated strongly and was presented beautifully. It is remarkable
Instant withdrawal casino without verification is a dream come true https://sebuah.id/dells845740739
Comment 232: This blog post is truly outstanding and provides such a
take a look at the site here https://sites.google.com/node-protocol.org/farcaster-frame/
stands out.
mostbet – https://www-mostbet.com
кухни на заказ в спб недорого кухни на заказ в спб недорого .
гидроизоляция подвала утепление gidroizolyacziya-podvala-samara5.ru .
https://swedbe.ru/catalog/smesiteli/termostaticheskie/15763/
gg999 – https://gg999-bonus.com
Everything is very open with a very clear explanation of the issues. It was truly informative. Your site is extremely helpful. Many thanks for sharing!
navigate to these guys https://sites.google.com/node-protocol.org/mountain-protocol/
кухни на заказ спб недорого с ценами кухни на заказ спб недорого с ценами .
point resonated strongly and was presented beautifully. It is remarkable
Today, I went to the beachfront with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally off topic but I had to tell someone!
finish because the clarity, structure, and passion in your writing
кухни на заказ от производителя kuhni-spb-31.ru .
такчто чставлю 100/100баллов магазу и https://yarastu74.ru 5 сообщений в курилках быстрее набивается , сообщения засчитываются только при ответе или цитате стороннего сообщения. Просто флуд сообщения не набивает.отличный сервис, качество порадовало:)
Hello my friend! I wish to say that this article is amazing, great written and include approximately all important infos. I’d like to look extra posts like this .
We’re a bunch of volunteers and starting a brand new scheme in our community.
Your website provided us with useful info to work on. You
have done a formidable task and our whole group can be
grateful to you.
fazobetai – https://fazobetai-br.com