Earlier tonight, I scheduled a virtual happy hour for my team, and it was a lot of fun. They're geographically spread out in all four US time zones, so it was an early pour for some of them, but it was nice to spend a little time talking about anything but work. I demonstrated making a proper margarita and also the "Cadillac Cooler" that we famously learned to do on a Disney cruise. We also got to see my boss' rooftop in Brooklyn, which was pretty epic, with turf. The company is based in NYC (in One World Trade Center, in fact), so I have a number of teammates who live in the city. It kills me that I don't know when I'll get to see the office in real life, and shake hands with those folks.
Unfortunately, the only people who could drink those beverages were me and Diana, but it was fun to have that social interaction, remote as it might have been. In February we were thinking about how long it had been since we had a party, an unusually long time, but then it was clear that parties were not a great idea. We were ready to cater it and everything, since it had been so long.
Diana, working in the theater, is especially cut off. Her work friends have a weekly Zoom meeting, but it's not the same as seeing people every work day, even if it is virtual. I've worked remotely on and off for years, and you really do get to know your coworkers when you do it right (i.e., frequent and consistent video calls). Her job was about being in the building and meeting the "patrons of the arts" on a regular basis. That glorious building hasn't seen people in three months.
It's fun to see some folks do stuff online to help people get through it. This lovely couple, Suzy and Alex, that we saw on one of our cruises has been periodically performing live. Sofi Tukker have been performing DJ sets every day now for more than 90 straight days. Glen Phillips from Toad The Wet Sprocket has been doing stuff. Facebook has been doing listening parties, which is kind of neat. (But also, fuck Mark Zuckerberg.)
I feel like I'm the only person who knows people that have had Covid-19, and only one degree now from death by the disease. Most of that is just in the last two weeks, implying that this is the exact opposite of the time to get complacent. But yet, here we are. Florida set two infection records, two days in a row, as did Orange County. People still act like it's a political issue.
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