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.
how effectively you communicate your ideas, and this piece genuinely
Comment 137: This blog post is truly outstanding and provides such a
Острый эпизод запоя — это не «плохое самочувствие», а состояние с реальными рисками для сердца, нервной системы и дыхания, особенно в ночные часы, когда усиливаются вегетативные реакции и тревога. В «НоваТрезвие» мы выстраиваем помощь так, чтобы от звонка до заметного облегчения прошло как можно меньше времени и как можно меньше случайностей: короткое интервью для оценки рисков, выезд врача или приём в клинике, экспресс-диагностика по ключевым показателям, персональная инфузионная схема без «универсальных коктейлей», мягкая коррекция сна и тревоги без «вырубания», понятные инструкции семье на 24–72 часа и план продолжения на ближайшие недели. Мы не скрываемся за общими формулами: решения принимаются по фактическим данным, дозы и темп капельниц подстраиваются к динамике каждые 15–20 минут, а при «красных флагах» перевод в стационар организуется без пауз. Конфиденциальность соблюдается строго, а коммуникация простая и предсказуемая — чтобы вы всегда знали, что происходит сейчас и чего ждать к утру.
Изучить вопрос глубже – [url=https://vyvod-iz-zapoya-ehlektrostal2-10.ru/]srochnyj-vyvod-iz-zapoya[/url]
william hill – https://william-hill-mx.com
Your style is so unique compared to other people I’ve read stuff from. I appreciate you for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I’ll just book mark this web site.
Нашли рабочий серийный номер для Windows 11 Pro — проверено лично, без вирусов!
Подробнее – Скачать патч для активации Windows 11
купить алкоголь с доставкой купить алкоголь с доставкой .
пылесос дайсон беспроводной спб dn-pylesos-kupit-5.ru .
dyson пылесос беспроводной купить спб pylesos-dn-8.ru .
Chao anh em, n?u anh em dang ki?m san choi d?ng c?p d? choi Da Ga d?ng b? qua d?a ch? nay. T?c d? ban th?: bj88. Chuc cac bac r?c r?.
Hi there Dear, are you genuinely visiting this web page on a regular basis, if so afterward you will absolutely get pleasant experience.
Hello, Neat post. There’s a problem along with your website in web explorer, would test this? IE nonetheless is the marketplace chief and a huge portion of folks will omit your excellent writing due to this problem.
useful reference jaxx liberty
refreshing depth of insight. I found myself fully engaged from start to
loteria – https://loteria-mexico.com
дайсон пылесос спб dn-pylesos-4.ru .
вертикальный пылесос дайсон купить спб dn-pylesos-kupit-4.ru .
create an experience that feels both educational and inspiring. Every
Наркологическая клиника «КаменМед Ренессанс» выстроена как единая система помощи, где медицинская точность, психологическая поддержка и продуманная логистика соединяются в устойчивый маршрут восстановления. Мы работаем с любыми формами химической зависимости — алкогольной, опиоидной, стимуляторной, полизависимостями — и не ограничиваемся «разовыми» процедурами. Наша задача — не просто снять острые симптомы, а наладить ритм сна, снизить реактивную тревогу, сформировать навыки отказа и вернуть управление повседневной жизнью. Для этого используются модульные программы: детокс, стабилизация, психотерапия, семейные мини-сессии, сопровождение и профилактика срывов. Каждый модуль имеет цель, чёткие критерии эффективности и срок переоценки, чтобы прогресс был ощутимым и измеримым.
Ознакомиться с деталями – вывод наркологическая клиника
ремонт дайсон в спб ремонт дайсон в спб .
Discover More jaxx wallet
https://www.atlasobscura.com/users/promofreecode
пылесос дайсон спб pylesos-dn-9.ru .
click to investigate jaxx liberty wallet
visit site https://toast-wallet.net
My relatives always say that I am killing my time here at net, however I know I am getting experience everyday by reading such nice content.
click this https://toast-wallet.net
If some one wishes expert view regarding running a blog after that i recommend him/her to visit this web site, Keep up the nice work.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this write-up plus the rest of the site is really good.
Good information. Lucky me I ran across your website by chance (stumbleupon). I have saved it for later!
here https://toast-wallet.net/
купить пылесос дайсон спб dn-pylesos-2.ru .
legalbet – https://legalbet-mx.com
санкт петербург магазин дайсон pylesos-dn-6.ru .
To access your account, simply perform the mostbet login, https://ansergy.com/2025/12/25/join-thousands-of-players-and-win-big-today/ process. Complete these steps to ensure a hassle-free experience. Type your credentials, and users will be ready to enjoy the exciting features!
Hi, everything is going perfectly here and ofcourse every one is sharing information, that’s really good, keep up writing.
If some one wishes expert view concerning running a blog afterward i recommend him/her to pay a quick visit this website, Keep up the fastidious work.
plinko plinko game, plinko play, plinko play online, plinko online, plinko casino, plinko real money, plinko online casino, plinko login, plinko official site, plinko mobile, plinko mobile version, plinko app, plinko gameplay, plinko start game, plinko access, plinko betting game, plinko casino game
ет точно)!
Les paris sportifs, Chopbet Cote d’Ivoire sont une pratique captivante pour les adeptes. Ils procurent une perspective de obtenir de l’argent tout en profitant. Paris sportifs est devenu largement connu dans l’univers actuel.
vavada casino hr vavada casino hr
my sources jaxx
Hi there mates, how is everything, and what you desire to say concerning this paragraph, in my view its genuinely amazing
in support of me.
my company https://toast-wallet.net/
официальный сайт дайсон официальный сайт дайсон .
luckydays – https://luckydays-mexico.com
dyson санкт петербург купить pylesos-dn-7.ru .
https://ezclassifiedads.com/588/posts/1/1/1917208.html
Terrific article! This is the type of information that are meant to be shared across the net. Disgrace on the seek engines for not positioning this submit upper! Come on over and seek advice from my website . Thank you =)
go to these guys https://toast-wallet.net/
finish because the clarity, structure, and passion in your writing