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.
like this https://kingprotocol.cc/
try here https://blend.ad/
https://stroyhouse-rnd.ru
visit our website https://badai.sbs
find this https://kyros.ink/
Hi there friends, fastidious piece of writing and nice arguments commented here, I am truly enjoying by these.
click now https://alchemistai.lat
Hi, I do think this is a great blog. I stumbledupon it ;) I am going to revisit once again since I saved as a favorite it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.
stands out.
sportbet – https://sportbet-br.com
https://drevo12.ru
visit the website https://nucleusearn.ink
Great article, just what I needed.
With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement? My website has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my authorization. Do you know any techniques to help stop content from being ripped off? I’d definitely appreciate it.
look at here now https://hyperunit.buzz/
Hello there, You have done an excellent job. I will definitely digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this website.
visit our website https://nucleusearn.ink
their explanation https://nucleusearn.org
read this article https://alchemistai.lat
dyson купить спб dyson купить спб .
here are the findings https://tophat.space/
Comment 44: This blog post is truly outstanding and provides such a
пылесосы dyson спб [url=https://pylesos-dn-9.ru/]pylesos-dn-9.ru[/url] .
finish because the clarity, structure, and passion in your writing
http://airlady.forum24.ru/?1-7-0-00005546-000-0-0-1769500340
Aw, this was an incredibly nice post. Finding the time and actual effort to produce a really good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and don’t manage to get nearly anything done.
click site https://astake.cc
В этой статье-обзоре мы соберем актуальную информацию и интересные факты, которые освещают важные темы. Читатели смогут ознакомиться с различными мнениями и подходами, что позволит им расширить кругозор и глубже понять обсуждаемые вопросы.
Выяснить больше – https://idherranz.es/2023/07/18/fotografiar-la-via-lactea-con-un-equipo-basico-es-posible
advice https://upshift.ltd
address https://asterdex.cc
get more https://astake.buzz
aviator vavada registracija aviator vavada registracija
create an experience that feels both educational and inspiring. Every
gg999 – https://gg999-11.com
click here to investigate https://flaunch.my/
Comment 166: This blog post is truly outstanding and provides such a
I am no longer sure the place you are getting your information, however good topic. I needs to spend a while studying more or figuring out more. Thanks for excellent info I used to be searching for this info for my mission.
I read this paragraph fully concerning the difference of most up-to-date and previous technologies, it’s amazing article.
her comment is here https://alchemistai.lat
I like it when folks get together and share views. Great blog, stick with it!
For newest news you have to pay a visit web and on internet I found this web page as a best web site for hottest updates.
finish because the clarity, structure, and passion in your writing
you can find out more https://asterdex.lat/
замена камеры задней iphone ремонт ноутбука после залития великий новгород срочно
I am truly pleased to glance at this weblog posts which carries
plenty of useful information, thanks for providing
these information.
his response https://agents-land.org/
official source https://gofundmeme.cc/
his explanation https://tophat.space
пылесос дайсон беспроводной спб пылесос дайсон беспроводной спб .
visit this site https://hyperdrive.lat/