
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.
https://sportzpoint.com
Hmm it looks like your website ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and
say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as
well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to
everything. Do you have any helpful hints for newbie blog
writers? I’d really appreciate it.
мочтбет https://www.mostbet4079.ru
https://www.colehardware.com/articles/1xbet_promo_code_106.html
элконтсервис
IndiGenix Pharmacy: IndiGenix Pharmacy – п»їlegitimate online pharmacies india
MexiCare Rx Hub tadalafil mexico pharmacy MexiCare Rx Hub
дизайнерские свадебные платья купить
https://cascadeclimbers.com
best online international pharmacies
https://institutocea.com
Why people still use to read news papers when in this technological globe all
is existing on net?
德州撲克規則
學會德州撲克,不只是學會一套牌型規則,而是開始理解一場結合邏輯、心理與紀律的頭腦對決。無論你是剛入門的新手,還是已經上過幾次牌桌的玩家,只要願意花時間學習技巧、訓練判斷,並培養正確的資金控管與心態,人人都有機會從「交學費」變成「收學費」。打好每一手牌,不為一時輸贏情緒化,累積經驗與數據,就是長期勝率提升的關鍵!
спецодежда купить в каталоге
My programmer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.
I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses.
But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on a variety of websites for about
a year and am nervous about switching to another
platform. I have heard fantastic things about blogengine.net.
Is there a way I can import all my wordpress posts into
it? Any help would be really appreciated!
Психолог 62 39
крановое электрооборудование
Оригинальный потолок натяжной потолок со световыми линиями цена со световыми линиями под заказ. Разработка дизайна, установка профиля, выбор цветовой температуры. Идеально для квартир, офисов, студий. Стильно, практично и с гарантией.
Оригинальный потолок натяжной потолок со световыми линиями отзывы со световыми линиями под заказ. Разработка дизайна, установка профиля, выбор цветовой температуры. Идеально для квартир, офисов, студий. Стильно, практично и с гарантией.
кайтинг Обучение кайтсёрфингу: безопасность прежде всего
Оригинальный потолок стоимость натяжного потолка со световыми линиями со световыми линиями под заказ. Разработка дизайна, установка профиля, выбор цветовой температуры. Идеально для квартир, офисов, студий. Стильно, практично и с гарантией.
Готовый комплект Инсталляции с безободковым унитазом в комплекте инсталляция и унитаз — идеальное решение для современных интерьеров. Быстрый монтаж, скрытая система слива, простота в уходе и экономия места. Подходит для любого санузла.
Какой месяц выдался на Mamas.Ru! Давайте вместе посмотрим, о чем говорили в марте.
Между прочим, если вас интересует Популярные обсуждения на Mamas.Ru в марте, посмотрите сюда.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
http://mamas.ru/
Надеюсь, вы нашли что-то полезное для себя. До следующего месяца!
Какой месяц выдался на Mamas.Ru! Давайте вместе посмотрим, о чем говорили в марте.
Между прочим, если вас интересует Популярные рецепты и кулинарные советы, загляните сюда.
Ссылка ниже:
http://mamas.ru/recepty.php
Оставайтесь на связи и не пропустите новые обсуждения на Mamas.Ru.
Интересные моменты марта на нашем портале ждут вашего внимания!
Кстати, если вас интересует Ежедневный гороскоп на 31 июля 2025 года, посмотрите сюда.
Вот, можете почитать:
http://mamas.ru/horoscopes.php
Большое спасибо за ваше внимание! Наверняка в следующем месяце будет еще больше интересного.
https://www.cricketweb.net
Интересные моменты марта на нашем портале ждут вашего внимания!
Для тех, кто ищет информацию по теме “Подготовка и празднование Нового года 2013: идеи и советы”, там просто кладезь информации.
Вот, можете почитать:
http://mamas.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=115
Надеюсь, вы нашли что-то полезное для себя. До следующего месяца!
Hometogel
Case study proves balance: campaigns that buy twitter views and likes in equal waves beat “likes only.”
Готовый комплект Лучшие инсталляции с унитазом в комплекте инсталляция и унитаз — идеальное решение для современных интерьеров. Быстрый монтаж, скрытая система слива, простота в уходе и экономия места. Подходит для любого санузла.
Good day! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from an established blog.
Is it tough to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure
things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about making my own but I’m
not sure where to begin. Do you have any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks
德州撲克規則
學會德州撲克規則,是踏入撲克世界的第一步。從掌握下注節奏、理解牌型,到實戰中運用策略,每一步都能讓你更加上手並享受對戰樂趣。想立刻開始實戰練習?我們推薦【Kpoker 德州撲克系統】,提供真實匹配環境與新手教學模式,現在註冊還能獲得免費體驗金,讓你零風險上桌實戰!
дизайнерское кашпо напольное дизайнерское кашпо напольное .
Hi! I’ve been following your weblog for a while now
and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Humble Tx!
Just wanted to mention keep up the fantastic work!
I visit everyday some web sites and blogs to read articles or
reviews, but this webpage provides quality based writing.
amoxil 650 mg usa
gengtoto login
Оригинальный потолок натяжной потолок со световыми линиями в спальне со световыми линиями под заказ. Разработка дизайна, установка профиля, выбор цветовой температуры. Идеально для квартир, офисов, студий. Стильно, практично и с гарантией.
download lucky jet http://1win40002.ru
Instant gratification isn’t always bad—Buffalo News lists two legit services to buy instant twitter likes sans bot chatter.
Готовый комплект Системы инсталляции в комплекте с унитазом инсталляция и унитаз — идеальное решение для современных интерьеров. Быстрый монтаж, скрытая система слива, простота в уходе и экономия места. Подходит для любого санузла.
Hello every one, here every person is sharing such experience, thus it’s good to read this
blog, and I used to visit this web site all the time.
https://tumundobio.es
Готовый комплект Инсталляция грое с унитазом в комплекте инсталляция и унитаз — идеальное решение для современных интерьеров. Быстрый монтаж, скрытая система слива, простота в уходе и экономия места. Подходит для любого санузла.
Готовый комплект Инсталляция тесе с унитазом в комплекте инсталляция и унитаз — идеальное решение для современных интерьеров. Быстрый монтаж, скрытая система слива, простота в уходе и экономия места. Подходит для любого санузла.
udintogel
https://vocologycenter.com
udintogel
barcatoto
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d most
certainly donate to this brilliant blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
I look forward to fresh updates and will share this website with my Facebook group.
Talk soon!