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://pxlmo.com/speedbyah
https://www.rwaq.org/users/williamchiles7178-20250811103859
Wow, incredible blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is wonderful, as well as the content!
https://allmynursejobs.com/author/welmrgood862/
DeFi moves fast, so should your swaps — that’s why I use Meteora on Solana.
meteora dex usa
новости спорта https://novosti-sporta-2.ru .
Психолог очно в Москве Психолог очно в Москве: Личная встреча для глубокой проработки Очные консультации с психологом в Москве предоставляют возможность глубокой проработки личностных проблем и эмоциональных переживаний. Личная встреча создает атмосферу доверия и позволяет психологу лучше понять ваши потребности и предложить наиболее эффективные решения.
https://ask.mallaky.com/?qa=user/dubaicarrental9
компьютер ПК: Персональный компьютер – персональная вселенная. ПК – это отражение вашей личности, ваш цифровой двойник, помогающий вам взаимодействовать с миром и самовыражаться. Это инструмент, способный расширить ваши возможности и открыть новые горизонты.
https://creigsaheer.bandcamp.com/album/-
https://allmynursejobs.com/author/sunnydollyangeldollydolly10/
https://hoo.be/dohidegt
Nicely explained — thanks for that.
https://tenmoscow.ru/zapchasti-dlja-posudomoek/mojuschie-sredstva/
BetView – блог про ставки от профессионального беттора Алексея Полякова.
беттинг
Inizia a fare trading in tutta sicurezza con pocket option ios e goditi una piattaforma intuitiva e potente!
cyclobenzaprine
Компания «РусВертолет» занимает среди конкурентов по качеству услуг и приемлемой ценовой политики лидирующие позиции. Работаем 7 дней в неделю. Ваша безопасность – наш главный приоритет. Вертолеты в хорошем состоянии, быстро заказать полет можно на сайте. Обеспечим вам море положительных и ярких эмоций! Ищете вертолет нижний новгород? Rusvertolet.ru – тут есть видео и фото полетов, а также отзывы радостных клиентов. Вы узнаете, как добраться и где мы находимся. Подготовили ответы на самые частые вопросы о полетах на вертолете. Всегда вам рады!
Affordable sildenafil citrate tablets for men: Sildenafil oral jelly fast absorption effect – Kamagra reviews from US customers
https://rant.li/uehjidyde/liubek-kupit-kokain-mefedron-marikhuanu
Купить диплом на заказ в столице можно используя официальный портал компании. customerscomm.com/read-blog/45654_kupit-attestaty-za-11-klass-moskva.html
tadalafil 5mg generic from us buy cialis online in austalia cialis 5mg daily how long before it works
https://hoo.be/dadidtcufd
https://git.project-hobbit.eu/ibcpygygdicu
https://xbato.org/u/2503597-dubaicarrental9
купить аттестаты за 11 классов в спб https://arus-diplom21.ru .
best canadian mail order pharmacies
Glad to be one of several visitors on this awesome internet site Look us Website Have you considered promoting your blog?
add it to SEO Directory right now :) https://katalog.xmc.pl
новости спорта сегодня https://www.novosti-sporta-2.ru .
Нужен сантехник: https://santehnik-v-almaty.kz
Нужен сантехник: сантехник алматы недорого вызов
Нужен сантехник: сантехник на дом
kraken darknet ссылка
Нужен сантехник: услуги сантехника
My programmer is trying to convince me to move to .net
from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because
of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on various websites for about a year and am worried about switching to another
platform. I have heard good things about blogengine.net.
Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress posts into it?
Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated!
Saznajte sve o kamen u bubregu – simptomi, uzroci i efikasni nacini lecenja. Procitajte savete strucnjaka i iskustva korisnika, kao i preporuke za prevenciju i brzi oporavak.
интересные кашпо интересные кашпо .
Saznajte sve o https://www.kamen-u-bubregu.com – simptomi, uzroci i efikasni nacini lecenja. Procitajte savete strucnjaka i iskustva korisnika, kao i preporuke za prevenciju i brzi oporavak.
ГОРСВЕТ Чебоксары https://gorsvet21.ru эксплуатация, ремонт и установка систем уличного освещения. Качественное обслуживание, модернизация светильников и энергоэффективные решения.
Займы онлайн https://laikzaim.ru моментальное оформление, перевод на карту, прозрачные ставки. Получите нужную сумму без визита в офис и долгих проверок.
ГОРСВЕТ Чебоксары https://gorsvet21.ru эксплуатация, ремонт и установка систем уличного освещения. Качественное обслуживание, модернизация светильников и энергоэффективные решения.
Займы онлайн https://laikzaim.ru моментальное оформление, перевод на карту, прозрачные ставки. Получите нужную сумму без визита в офис и долгих проверок.
Интернет-магазин мебели https://mebelime.ru тысячи моделей для дома и офиса. Гарантия качества, быстрая доставка, акции и рассрочка. Уют в каждый дом.
Интернет-магазин мебели https://mebelime.ru тысячи моделей для дома и офиса. Гарантия качества, быстрая доставка, акции и рассрочка. Уют в каждый дом.
Saznajte sve o https://www.kamen-u-bubregu.com – simptomi, uzroci i efikasni nacini lecenja. Procitajte savete strucnjaka i iskustva korisnika, kao i preporuke za prevenciju i brzi oporavak.
Чтобы разобраться в вопросе, рекомендую ознакомиться:
Между прочим, если вас интересует easyterm.ru, посмотрите сюда.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://easyterm.ru
Давайте обсудим это подробнее.
Saznajte sve o kamen u bubregu – simptomi, uzroci i efikasni nacini lecenja. Procitajte savete strucnjaka i iskustva korisnika, kao i preporuke za prevenciju i brzi oporavak.
ГОРСВЕТ Чебоксары https://gorsvet21.ru эксплуатация, ремонт и установка систем уличного освещения. Качественное обслуживание, модернизация светильников и энергоэффективные решения.
Займы онлайн лайкзайм моментальное оформление, перевод на карту, прозрачные ставки. Получите нужную сумму без визита в офис и долгих проверок.
ГОРСВЕТ Чебоксары https://gorsvet21.ru эксплуатация, ремонт и установка систем уличного освещения. Качественное обслуживание, модернизация светильников и энергоэффективные решения.