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.
exactly as the printed instructions said it would.It blew up,ラブドール リアル
ラブドール 販売but whenwe are good,we are not always happy.
it insensibly seemed to give thelie to his imputation,for his spirits rose to a more elevated pitch ofmirth and good-fellowship,ラブドール 最 高級
AI crypto trading GitHub
гидроизоляция цена http://www.gidroizolyaciya-cena-1.ru .
https://www.grepmed.com/qahdoufaa
купить аттестат 11 классов цены купить аттестат 11 классов цены .
AI crypto trading performance
Казино 1xslots
crypto bot development
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme.
Did you create this website yourself or did you hire
someone to do it for you? Plz reply as I’m looking to design my own blog and would
like to find out where u got this from. thank you
Visium Plus sounds like a really promising supplement for
supporting eye health naturally ✨. I like that it focuses on protecting vision with a blend of herbs and
nutrients, especially in today’s world where screen time is so high.
Definitely worth checking out for anyone looking to maintain sharper and healthier eyesight .
Block Puzzle Wood Classic https://apps.apple.com/in/app/block-puzzle-wood-classic/id1615792350 is a puzzle game where you need to correctly place wooden blocks. Simple controls, beautiful visuals and addictive gameplay for all ages.
прогнозы и ставки на хоккей http://www.luchshie-prognozy-na-khokkej14.ru/ .
I was able to find good advice from your blog articles.
https://www.montessorijobsuk.co.uk/author/nogoeedpeyfy/
Outstanding story there. What occurred after? Good luck!
https://kyleadamblair.com/
Asking questions are in fact good thing if you are not understanding anything fully,
except this paragraph presents fastidious understanding yet.
https://pl.quora.com/profile/%D0%9A%D1%83%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%8C-%D0%AD%D0%BA%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B8-%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD-%D0%90%D0%BC%D1%84%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BD-%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5
convert USDT in Nagoya
Hey very interesting blog!
Доброго!
Долго обмозговывал как поднять сайт и свои проекты и нарастить CF cituation flow и узнал от крутых seo,
профи ребят, именно они разработали недорогой и главное top прогон Хрумером – https://www.bing.com/search?q=bullet+%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%BD
Xrumer для роста ссылочной массы – это проверенный способ повысить DR. Программы для линкбилдинга автоматизируют процесс получения ссылок. Постинг на форумах с помощью Xrumer помогает быстро улучшить SEO-позиции. Увеличение Ahrefs показателей стало проще с такими инструментами. Начните использовать Xrumer для успешного продвижения.
сайт dr web security, продвижение сайта чита, Xrumer: практические примеры
линкбилдинг услуга, для чего seo, сео слова
!!Удачи и роста в топах!!
https://www.grepmed.com/ydihmabydaho
243 FirenDiamonds играть в Мелбет
кашпо напольное уличное кашпо напольное уличное .
https://odysee.com/@clarkheller46
You could certainly see your enthusiasm within the work you write.
The sector hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe.
At all times follow your heart.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to grasp so much approximately this, like you wrote the e book in it or something.
I feel that you could do with a few p.c.
to pressure the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog.
An excellent read. I’ll certainly be back.
система спутникового мониторинга транспорта глонасс система спутникового мониторинга транспорта глонасс .
I am genuinely grateful to the holder of this web
page who has shared this impressive article at here.
Всех приветствую! Хотите узнать больше о продвижении? Тут вы можете ознакомиться с ответом на вопрос: http://rkm.kursk-museum.ru/privet-mir/
https://www.montessorijobsuk.co.uk/author/laiegcbecadi/
https://pxlmo.com/angelrose18061997
Tron Staking
Thanks for the marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed reading it, you might
be a great author.I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will eventually come back from now
on. I want to encourage one to continue your great writing, have a nice
day!
Tron Staking
зеркало недорого нижний новгород зеркало недорого нижний новгород .
http://fabnews.ru/forum/showthread.php?p=103212#post103212
https://pxlmo.com/barhoinioi
hello there and thank you for your information – I have
certainly picked up anything new from right here. I did however expertise a few technical
points using this web site, as I experienced to reload the site lots of times previous
to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if
your hosting is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish
loading instances times will often affect your placement
in google and could damage your high quality score if ads
and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I’m adding this RSS to
my email and could look out for much more of your respective fascinating content.
Make sure you update this again very soon.
квартиры Минск Мир https://www.polinago.org/?p=2587
https://www.themeqx.com/forums/users/paegibgoefyu/
Good post. I will be dealing with many of these issues as well..
SpookySwap community
Great blog right here! Additionally your website a lot up fast!
What host are you the usage of? Can I get your associate hyperlink on your host?
I wish my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
https://hoo.be/zabugpjog
viagra ordine telefonico: pillole per la disfunzione erettile in Italia – cialis farmacia senza ricetta
16 Coins Xmas Edition
Visium Plus seems like a solid choice for anyone looking
to naturally support their eye health ️.
I like that it’s made with plant-based ingredients and antioxidants that may help protect vision and reduce strain from too much
screen time. A smart option for maintaining clear and healthy eyesight in the long run! ✅
python AI crypto trading bot