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://historydb.date/wiki/Melbet_No_Deposit_Promo_Code_South_Africa_MEL200VIP_130_Bonus
Fortune Rabbit wilds gigantes: já teve tela cheia de coelhos dourados?
Лечение алкоголизма в Воронеже — помощь на всех стадиях зависимости особенно важно на этапе, когда у человека ещё сохраняется мотивация к изменениям. Но даже при тяжёлых формах зависимости шанс на выздоровление сохраняется — при условии комплексного подхода.
Подробнее – https://lechenie-alkogolizma-voronezh9.ru/czentr-lecheniya-alkogolizma-voronezh/
Wild Bandito sticky wilds: o bandido mexicano tá roubando mais que o Tigrinho em 2026!
PG Soft no Brasil: Pix instantâneo + suporte em português + giros grátis todo dia
taunton-nz-casino
Feel free to surf to my page bet365 [Marjorie]
https://www.greencarpetcleaningprescott.com/board/board_topic/7203902/8008574.htm
I switched from another service because of the fast transactions and scalable features. Support solved my issue in minutes.
This blog post is exceptional and offers such a refreshing depth of
I’m not sure where you are getting your info, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more. Thanks for excellent information I was looking for this info for my mission.
PG Soft 2026: Fortune Rabbit tá pagando mais que o Tigrinho? Vamos comparar odds reais
Процедура вывода из запоя в клинике в Казани проводится под строгим контролем специалистов. Главная цель — купировать симптомы интоксикации, нормализовать давление, сердечный ритм и восстановить обмен веществ. Используются препараты, способствующие детоксикации, а также витаминные комплексы и антиоксиданты, необходимые для поддержки работы печени и мозга.
Углубиться в тему – наркологические клиники алкоголизм казань
cheapest online ed meds: ed pills pharmacy – order ed pills online
https://www.tikosatis.com/index.php?page=user&action=pub_profile&id=625813
Профи по апартаментам в Дубае, кликните сюда <a href=
https://www.getlisteduae.com/listings/dallas-estate
Galaxyno Hit clusters bombásticos: quem prefere grid grande ou 3×3 clássico?
https://www.gabitos.com/eldespertarsai/template.php?nm=1774006758
Jogo do Tigrinho estratégia baixa aposta: R$0,25 por 1000 giros – funciona?
Jogo do Tigrinho ao vivo com chat: interação com brasileiros vale a pena mesmo?
Ludogorets 2-1 Ferencvaros 2026 Europa League Bulgarian edge
Fortune Ox explodiu minha banca hoje! Quem mais ganhou alto no touro em 2026?
Клиническая практика показывает: только системная работа с пациентом даёт устойчивый результат. Программа включает медицинское, психологическое и социальное сопровождение.
Изучить вопрос глубже – http://lechenie-alkogolizma-voronezh9.ru
В этой информационной статье вы найдете интересное содержание, которое поможет вам расширить свои знания. Мы предлагаем увлекательный подход и уникальные взгляды на обсуждаемые темы, побуждая пользователей к активному мышлению и критическому анализу.
Лучшее решение — прямо здесь – https://dennyt.opened.ca/navigating-the-social-media-landscape-a-students-perspective
PG Soft top 3 cassinos 2026: Pix, bônus e suporte em português
вождь с ноутбуком – просто супер
турецкие сериалы на русском, https://articles.cloud7.com.au/?p=6 завоевали популярность благодаря увлекательным сюжетам и ярким персонажам. Все сцена пронизан эмоциями и неожиданными поворотами. Глядящее сообщество с нетерпением ожидают новых серий горячих историй, которые иногда удивляют.
From a technical standpoint 777bet is pretty well put together, loads fast on both desktop and mobile, the UI is clean and not cluttered with unneccesary elements, everything responds instantly and the navigation architecture is straightforward, definitely built with user experience in mind rather than just cramming features everywhere.
Galaxyno Hit clusters bombásticos: quem prefere grid grande ou 3×3 clássico?
Hello there! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this post to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
Fortune Ox explodiu tudo ontem! Quem já limpou a tela com 12+ touros dourados?
Newcastle 6-1 Qarabağ 2026 Europa League Gordon half-time quadruple
Fortune Ox respins com bombas: quem já limpou a tela 3 vezes seguidas?
Казино Pinco гарантирует конфиденциальность данных и защиту финансовых транзакций. Для получения бонуса достаточно перейти на пинко казино официальный и создать аккаунт. Все автоматы работают на сертифицированных генераторах случайных чисел. Личный кабинет содержит историю ставок, транзакций и активных бонусов. Широкий выбор игр гарантирует развлечение на любой вкус и бюджет.
https://youralareno.com/members/01xbetfreecodes561/activity/134201/
PG Soft 2026: quem já ganhou 5000x ou mais em algum jogo da série Fortune?
It’s an awesome post designed for all the
web visitors; they will take advantage from it I am sure.
Fortune Tiger vs Fortune Ox: qual tem maior potencial de 10000x em 2026?
Fortune Rabbit vs Fortune Tiger: qual tem maior potencial de 5000x?
Fortune Ox respins infinitos: já chegou a 30 respins seguidos? Conta o lucro!
insight. The clarity, flow, and passion in your writing make the entire
https://playdoit.cat/
Playdoit Casino constituye un moderno casino en linea asi como plataforma de apuestas desarrollado especialmente para el publico mexicano, que opera con permiso vigente y pone a disposicion una vivencia integral desde el dispositivo movil como por medio de la computadora.
Лечение алкоголизма в Воронеже — помощь на всех стадиях зависимости особенно важно на этапе, когда у человека ещё сохраняется мотивация к изменениям. Но даже при тяжёлых формах зависимости шанс на выздоровление сохраняется — при условии комплексного подхода.
Исследовать вопрос подробнее – lechenie-alkogolizma-voronezh9.ru/
Jogo do Tigrinho cashback 15% toda semana: qual o maior reembolso que você pegou?
Jogo do Tigrinho Pix R$5: recebe raspadinha com até 150 giros garantidos
В игре джет х есть функция быстрой ставки, повторяющей прошлую.
хороший магазин,всё на красоте и качество и кол-во:) продолжайте в том же духе https://asfalt-moscow.ru С Уважением Мр.Порошоквсе пришло.пока не пробовал.конспирация на высшем уровне.спасибо
Fortune Dragon novo lançamento PG Soft: já testou? Conta se tá melhor que o Tigrinho!
Panathinaikos 2-2 Viktoria Plzen 2026 Europa League dramatic draw
Jogo do Tigrinho multiplicador 10x: já ativou 3 vezes na mesma sessão? Mítico!
Hello, i feel that i saw you visited my site so i got here to go back the choose?.I’m trying to find things to improve my site!I assume its good enough to use a few of your ideas!!
Fortune Rabbit tá pagando mais consistente que o Tigrinho? Mostra seu maior respin nos comentários!