HANK
PHILLIPPI RYAN: Who’s have thought we’d WANT to go to work? I work in front of
my computer now, and on the phone, feeding
zoom video of interviews and standups back to the station where those still
working edit it all together. It is a crazy
mixture of primitive and internet age.
And I
miss...my pals. And takeout lunches at my desk. And going places. And a little bit
of the constant—constant!—office intrigue. Granted, I’m used to working at home, too, and
I do love it. And as the amazing Andrea Bartz has also discovered, having to be at home is different from wanting
to be at home.
Let
me say, first—even home alone you can hear the buzz about THE HERD. Right? It’s
one of the most discussed, most intriguing, most innovative books this year!
But I’ll let her tell you about it.
Oh!
And a copy to one VERY lucky commenter.
ARE YOU
MISSING THE MEETINGS?
by Andrea Bartz
After
lighthouse operators and Antarctica researchers, I should’ve been the best-prepared
human for self-isolation on earth.
I
haven’t put on pants and gone into work regularly in more than five years. I’m
a writer now, cranking out freelance articles alongside annual mysteries; the
latest is The Herd, which came out on
March 24, a “smart, twisty thriller” (thanks, Publishers Weekly!) set in an
exclusive all-female coworking space in New York City. On Friday, the Los Angeles Times said, “Bartz has been
widely hailed as a master of the 'feminist thriller,' and both 'The Herd' and
her 2019 debut novel, 'The Lost Night,' are deftly constructed page-turners
starring flawed female protagonists whose successes are stymied by sexism — implicit,
explicit and systemic,” and I think those very nice words tell you what you
need to know about my kind of fiction.
(ed note from Hank: Nice words? Booklist called The Herd “guaranteed armchair escapism” and
Kirkus called it “a soapy and fun womancentric thriller.” Yes,
womancentric—they invented a word for Andrea! )
But
yes, I’m a solitary creature, working on my books and articles in solitude from
my “office,” which is in, in fact, an Ikea desk wedged between the foot of my
bed and the back of my sofa in my 350-square-foot Brooklyn studio. My cat
provided more than enough company, and my Rear
Window-like view into back of the townhouses across the courtyard made me
feel like a capital-a Author living out her own noirish existence.
 |
| Someone’s probably murdering someone outside my window. |
And
then the pandemic hit, and I’ve realized what a social creature I really am.
Work dates with fellow writers, drinks with former coworkers, lunches with
perky publicists eager to sneak their clients into my articles: all snuffed out
like the falling lid of a coffin, whump.
Now that I can’t see people, I’m noticing just how starved I am for human
contact. Last night I dreamed about a work meeting. A meeting! PowerPoints and agendas and Gen X’ers scribbling in their
notebooks while those under 35 type directly into their laptops, possibly
listening but probably on iMessage! These are the mundane moments I’m suddenly
nostalgic for.
 |
| My writing assistant, though cute, is quite taciturn. Until she wants a treat |
When
I set The Herd inside a bougie
coworking space (a space where women, by definition, don’t need to be to do their jobs yet choose to Uber into for the
benefit of company), I had no idea I wouldn’t be able to promote it in person.
I’ve had more Zoom sessions this week than in all the weeks of the rest of my
life combined, but FaceTime is no substitute for face-time, as the savvy
businesswomen of the Herd (and all its real-life counterparts—the Wing, the
Riveter, the Luminary, etc.) know. Nationwide, workers are realizing how much
social nourishment they got from office drama and water cooler chitchat.
Who
doesn’t love a delicious bit of workplace gossip?
 |
| Add Portrait of a Writer Accidentally Torturing her Only Colleague |
What
about you—are you missing your coworkers? Or enjoying the respite from binding
office attire and annoying commutes and boring meetings that could totally be
an email? Are you enjoying seeing your colleagues’ children and pets and weird
bedspread and weird spouse lurking in the background of Zoom meetings? I’d love
to hear from you in the comments.
And hey, if you or someone you love (#gifts!)
needs some quarantine reading and you want to feel embroiled in office drama
again, The Herd is the word, ya heard?
Stay
safe and well and engaged out there!
HANK:
I just burst out laughing. Yes I am suddenly obsessed with my background in the
zoom shots, and the lighting. Where’s the lighting person? Oh, they can’t come
over.
Reds and
readers, what do you think about Andrea’s questions? Are you missing your coworkers? Or enjoying
the respite? Realizing how much faster email might be? And how much fun is it
to see your colleagues’ children and pets and weird bedspread and weird spouse
lurking in the background of Zoom meetings? (I am loving that part! Oh, lookit
that wallpaper? WHAT were they thinking?)
And a
copy of THE HERD to two lucky commenters!
(See below for the past week’s winners!)
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
 |
| copyright Kate Lord |
Andrea Bartz is a Brooklyn-based journalist and author of the new thriller THE HERD.
Her debut thriller, THE LOST NIGHT (Crown, 2019), is being developed for TV by
Mila Kunis. Andi hails from Milwaukee and studied journalism at Northwestern
University before moving to New York to become a magazine editor. Her work has
appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Women's Health,
Martha Stewart Living, Elle, and many other outlets, and she's held editorial
positions at Glamour, Psychology Today, and Self, among other titles. She
enjoys wooded parks, good cheese, and her energetic rescue cat, Mona.
http://andreabartz.com
And
the WINNERS
of
Jennifer Alderson’s THE VERMEER DECEPTION E-book are Kathy Reel and Grace Koshida
of
Tessa Wegert’s DEATH IN THE FAMILY; Kathyc23
of
Art Taylor’s The Boy Detectirve and the
Summer of 74. Deana Dale and Kait
Email
me your addresses! hryan at whdh dot com
Congratulations on your new book, Andrea . . . what an intriguing premise. I’m looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I’m not missing the drive to work, I am definitely missing being there . . . .
Yes, I understand! I have heard people complain though about missing the drive to work… That time of solitude or thinking along with the radio. But nobody seemed to like it much when it was happening…
DeleteEven though NYC's subways are (normally) sweaty and packed and awful at rush hour, when I first went freelance I did miss that uninterrupted reading time!
DeleteI'm finding it harder to communicate right now than it is face to face, and since we are facing major deadlines and have lots to figure out, that is getting very frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI've discovered that when I have plans, I wish I had a day where I could stay inside. But when I have no plans, suddenly, I'm wishing I could get out and do things with people. Never satisfied, am I? I live alone, and I'm very open to ways to interact with people right now.
Yes, my mother used to say vacations were only fun when you had something to go back to…
DeleteTotally! Now I'm like, "I'LL NEVER SAY NO TO INVITATIONS AGAIN! INVITE ME TO EVERYTHING PLEASE!!!" Ha!
DeleteExactly! I look at my Outlook calendar: no dots. Ahhhhh
DeleteCongratulations, Andrea, on your new book The Hetd, which I have been noticing getting the buzz. It sounds like I need to put it on my TBR list or else I'll miss some major discussions.
ReplyDeleteI am beginning to miss going out. There are two musicals canceled in the Broadway series at our center here for such, and I was so looking forward to seeing them. I miss going out to eat. Most of all, l miss being able to see my children and grandchildren. I am doing some FaceTime with the ten-year-old granddaughter. I keep hearing people talking about the Zoom meetings, but I'm behind the times on that apparently. Need to set up a Zoom meeting with some friends and catch up.
I'm delighted to have won The Vermeer Deception. That gives me a real lift!
Zoom is pretty great, I have to say! In a world we’re not much is great. We have cocktails rooms with pals, and that’s at least a way to see peoples faces We have cocktails rooms with pals, and that’s at least a way to see peoples faces. Xxxxx
DeleteI had tickets to see Hadestown yesterday and I'm so sad to miss it! I highly recommend Zoom happy hours!
DeleteKathy: After frustration last week, I just "attended" my first church service on ZOOM. It took me a couple tries to get in without the video feed. I'm staying still comfy in my PJ's. Not sharing that.
DeleteOh, noooooo. Hadestown. Poor actors, poor audience, poor Broadway. It will be so amazing when the lights go on again.
DeleteI can’t say I miss the office dramas since I chose to self-retire two moves ago. I’m still content entertaining myself at home but I don’t know how long that will last. It is frustrating not being able to do any traveling whether it’s a short 100 mile hop to see my sister or a longer more ambitious trip. We can’t plan anything, not knowing how long this pandemic will last. I miss walking to a dog friendly place for a drink and a snack. I miss going to the library. I miss normality.
ReplyDeleteWell said, dear Pat. As we all do… One day at a time, okay?
DeletePat, you hit the nail on the head! I too love traveling (my other hat is as a travel writer) and it is STRANGE to not have any trips on my calendar for the rest of the year...sending hugs!
DeleteYour book sounds fabulous, Andrea. I've been a full-time writer for seven years, so I definitely don't miss the office drama, and I live with one other human, so I can at least touch someone in person. But I miss socializing and hugs with friends and my faith community (we now have Quaker Meeting on Zoom, where I'll be at ten this morning). That said, I was delighted to attend a 93rd birthday party on Zoom the other day for my last uncle. He and many others were in the San Francisco area, but others (including me) were in other time zones and even continents. He was thrilled.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes - the lighting and backdrops in Zooms can be pretty funny. I saw a hilarious pie chart of all the things people are doing during online meetings (paying attention is a small slice). One big slice is labeled, "Wondering when my neck started to look that bad." That would be me!
Oh, I will look for that, Edith!
DeleteThat would be me, too, Edith!
DeleteThe Zoom sessions are helping—I'm "attending" one tonight, called "Zooming into 34!" Omg, that pie chart—I don't think I've seen anything that funny, just pets and children and partners wandering through the frame like the walking dead...
DeleteAnd thank you for the kind words! If you check out THE HERD, I hope you love it.
Congratulations, Andrea. The Herd sounds like an intriguing thriller for our times.
ReplyDeleteI have been retired for several years so I don't miss the commute or my office cubicle. But the informal hallway chats and overall camaraderie were a big part of what made us a great work team. And we had LONG teleconference calls with staff across the country (Canada) and it was great to hear those familiar voices every week. Videoconferencing technology was still iffy back then so we avoided it but I am guessing that Zoom is more reliable to use.
And like Kathy, I am happy to have won an ebook of The Vermeer Deception!
Hank, you really threw me there. "Wondering about my death..." - sure, we all do, I thought. Then "wondering what I left there that is now abandoned." Ooh, metaphysical. Reading on, I realized you meant DESK! And then I laughed.
DeleteOMG, the ultimate Freudian slip!! I quite literally laughed aloud.
DeleteEdith, I know what you mean—some of my closest friends are people I met at work, and I miss that energy and buzz of a hive of activity. And I miss being surrounded by smart, interesting women! (I was a women's-magazine editor so I pretty much exclusively worked with smart women...and the occasional gay man.) Congrats on your win! If you wind up picking up THE HERD, I hope you dig it!
Oh, I took that comment down..don't even wnt that in text! I keep wondering about my DESK, though. SO much for dictating!
DeleteAndrea, I want to give Grace credit - that was her main comment, not mine!
DeleteAh, thank you! :)
DeleteI agree with Grace: THE HERD is the perfect title for a thriller for our times.
ReplyDeleteThe weird thing is I've been MORE connected in lockdown (I've left the house twice in the last 20 days) than ever, because I *crave* human contact so I'm texting my kids (thanks, guys!) and teaching my granddaughter (quarantined in Brooklyn - she named her doll PURELL and informed us, "She's a doctor.") and calling my sisters and emailing old friends and blabbing on Facebook.... What would I have done without the Internet??
No I don't miss meetings, but I do miss meeting or lunch. A lot.
Let’s do a zoom lunch, Hallie!
DeleteThe Wicked Authors had a zoom "meeting" yesterday. We barely mentioned blog business, instead just catching up with each other. It was lovely.
DeleteBrilliant Idea!
DeleteIt's true, I've been having long and very nice FaceTimes with friends I haven't talked to in years! So that's nice. But no match for a real-life lunch meeting, I say. I also love meeting new people (which typically happens a lot in my other gig as a travel writer—I meet publicists, hospitality people, and other journalists!), but I think this is hte longest I've gone without meeting some new!
DeleteYou had me at "feminist thriller"! I'm off to find The Herd for my Kindle.
ReplyDeleteI miss spontaneous water-cooler and photocopier chit chat with my colleagues, so I've set up an MS Team chat line to try to duplicate that informal interaction. I can write words, but also post GIFs and pics and I love doing that. Edith -- I shard that pie chart of what's really happening in Zoom meetings on this channel and also a pic of my 'co-worker' Holly, the cat, napping on the job. That kind of thing. Fun. It's the fun with colleagues that I'm missing...
Interesting though to think about it… Most gossip has vanished, hasn’t it? And would seem so silly, now, the things we cared about.
DeleteThanks so much, Amanda! I hope you love THE HERD! Yes, I hear that—I didn't really think about how much FUN my coworkers and I would have during the day. Cracking each other up in the break room or walking to get lunch together. It's so nice to go on FaceTime and have DEEP conversations with people now, but I miss the chitchat, the mundane stuff!
DeleteYes, because in person--you don't HAVE to talk. YOU simply can. PLus --there's no zoom eavedropping. :-)
DeleteAndrea, it never ceases to amaze me how the most innocuous, mundane setting, seen through the right eyes, can become the seed of a story. A coworking space? And you run with the idea and look where you've landed!!! Love it!!
ReplyDeleteI have always enjoyed working at home for the most part, because that allowed me the flexibility to structure my time as I pleased. Long lunches with family/friends? Check. Spur of the moment shopping trips? Check. Mid-week visits to the museum, the zoo, the wherever? Check. So, lots of phone calls now, texting, etc., but I miss being with people.
Thank you! My thinking was that there's a lot of subtle tension inherent in the idea of an all-female coworking space: It bills itself as inclusive but is necessarily quite exclusive, it's free from the male gaze yet members dress up and act charming to fit in with the other spectacular women there, etc. Lots of fodder for dark, chilling secrets!
DeleteYES, I miss those leisurely outings, too! UGH, an afternoon at a museum...why didn't I go to museums all the dang time when I could!?
EXACTLY. I wanna go everywhere now.
DeleteCongratulations on your new release!
ReplyDeleteI work at home, though now I am sharing with my telecommuting husband who seems to spend half his day on conference calls. I do miss my mid-day break and trip to the gym where I can pound out the miles while watching HGTV and catch up on all the news.
Thank you! If you wind up reading it, I hope you enjoy it!
DeleteOne friend was telling me how disturbed she was to learn that her husband was an "office jargon" kinda guy—from the other room she could hear him talking about "touching base" and "circling back" and she was like, nooooo! lol
That's hilarious--secrets of your spouse..xoxo
DeleteI like your work space, Andrea. I will have to look for your new book.
ReplyDeleteI'm a social worker and on the road a lot, but we have a tight-knit unit that provides much-needed support to our job, and I really miss the office time with my unit-mates and other coworkers/supervisors/managers. Zoom meetings are okay, but definitely not the same. I do feel fortunate to be working, though, and having day-to-day (phone and virtual) contact with fellow employees and the community we serve.
Thank you, Mary! It's available from all the normal spots online, including Bookshop.org (which works like AMZN but supports local indies). My sister is a social worker and she said something similar—she's glad to be working and glad to be having deep conversations with her clients and colleagues. Your work is always super important, but especially in this difficult time! Thanks for all you do!
DeleteYes, thank goodness for electricity! ANd so wonderful of you to keep at it, dear MAry.
DeleteOkay, shameful confession: I don't miss any of it. I don't miss the old building, full of mold, or the office cat (I have plenty, thanks) or the drama. The only part of my job I really hate is the part I have brought home with me, but working from home allows me time to catch up on my sleep, work in my garden, and write, in addition to filling out all those on-line, oh-so-boring grant proposals. I was glad to see my coworkers in our first Zoom meeting, but the second one was just as boring and annoying a time suck as the ones in the office where we meet face to face. I enjoy home-cooked meals, rather than fast food take out, and I'm really digging the fact that I haven't needed Claritin since I left smoggy Dallas, despite a wet spring and three pollen-blasting oak trees in my back yard. My asthma seems to have disappeared, and I get to chat with the Reds. All is well in my world.
ReplyDeleteI love this! So glad to hear you're enjoying the change in routine and maintaining such a positive outlook. I'm trying to channel your sunny take!
DeleteOH, Gigi, you always have to perfect attitude!
DeleteLucky you! I think the pollen is worse this year in Houston. I am sneezing my head off!
DeleteYes, and don't you want to wear a sign that says: ALLERGIES! ??
DeleteWell, here's one big different for me - I'm usually never here commenting on Sunday, because I'm 1) at church and 2) taking a day of rest from the computer. But I'm waiting to Zoom Morning Prayers right now, and there IS no day of from the computer when it's your window to the world.
ReplyDeleteSince my big "getting out" activity was teaching three classes a week at SMCC, I do miss it, mostly because I loathe trying to port my lectures, etc. onto the school's online classroom platform. But what I really miss is frivolous - I LOVE going to the movies. Not just seeing a new movie, but going out, getting Junior Mints, sitting in the dark with everyone else. I love it. And I miss it.
Are you finally over your pneumonia, Julia?
DeleteI hear that! I just got my "weekly screen time report" from my phone and it's up 39% from the week before...ugh, I hate spending more time staring at screens, but it's my only connection to the outside world! I cannot WAIT until we can go to movies again...and shop, and go to museums, and see concerts, and eat at restaurants.......
DeleteYes, my screen time is SO up! Ahh. Just to go to the post office, that would be so lovely. It'll happen.
DeleteCongratulations! Impressive and fascinating book. I am home taking care of my 2 grandsons, 6 & 8 everyday for 8 hours while my son & his wife work. We are busy and follow a routine as closely as possible. Being older but appreciating this precious time together is productive and something I will remember.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! You are amazing..and SO wise!
DeleteWhat a wonderful perspective—so nice you have the gift of time with your grandkids!
DeleteHi Andrea,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on The Herd! It sounds like a great story!
I also received a notice about my screen time being up 30%. I felt bad at first, but y'all are making me feel not as guilty.
It's good to meet you here in the Jungle. Stay safe!
Nope. it's a life-saver, that's for sure. And screen time up means you are connecting with people..and thta's got to be a good thing.
DeleteGreat to meet you too, and thanks for the kind words! Yes, we're all just trying to stay connected with the people we love! No guilt necessary.
DeleteCongratulations on this captivating story. Interesting and unique times we are all facing but adapting to as well. Stay well and keep writing. I am in demand with my family so I have to run.
ReplyDeleteYou stay safe, too! And yes, adaptation! Love you!
DeleteYes, and I think we're evolving and things will be new—and hopefully kinder and better and more human—when this is all over! Stay well, and thank you!
DeleteCongratulations on the new book Andrea and I'm sorry that you can't go out on tour to do the promotion for it.
ReplyDeleteAs for the questions:
Am I missing my co-workers? I could stretch the truth and say yes but if we are being honest the main reason I would be missing them is because it would mean I was at work doing my job and GETTING PAID!
I just had to make my first benefit week claim this morning for unemployment, which is going to be a third less than what I generally make in a given week SO I'd rather be at work. Even if that meant putting up with fellow cranky and irritating co-workers.
Email doesn't help for my job really. It's a hands-on basically unskilled labor job. And considering we were working on a HUGE order for a foreign company, the delay is going to suck big time. Especially considering I haven't run into anyone (in a six feet apart kind of way) that thinks we are going back to work next week.
No video chatting with anyone for me. I have talked on the phone or Facebook Messenger with people to keep in touch and make sure they are okay. My uncle called me to make sure I'm okay (Yes I am). Today I contacted my elderly (both over 70) trivia partners to make sure they were okay and see if they needed anything. They did, so I got what they needed and dropped it off to them (from a distance, of course).
I miss my trivia night team and the stunningly gorgeous but entirely out of my league waitress that works on trivia night more than anything else.
And now I'm back in the house, doing my "day-shift" surfing of the Internet before I start some reading I really need to get done.
I'm considering setting my alarm clock for tomorrow morning even though I don't have work. But I'm sure that with the lack of going out or people coming over, I'll pass on that and just sleep until I wake up and then do whatever it was that I was going to do today but decided that it was too gloomy outside to bother.
JAY! Write a story about Trivia Waitress! You could do it!
DeleteI'm with Hank here!! I would love to read that story. I wonder if there's a way you and your trivia buddies could still play trivia together online? Sending you sunny vibes on this gloomy day.
DeleteThe Herd sounds wonderful Andrea. I just reserved a copy; hope it doesn't get loss among all the toilet paper Amazon is sending to folks..
ReplyDeleteI retired many years ago, and didn't miss the gaggle of co workers a bit. I have mostly socialized online since retiring so not much has changed. Zoom and me do not get along.. I have a very long learning curve for tech stuff.. at least now there is plenty of time to figure it out. With luck, I will figure it out just as all the restrictions are lifted.
That would be a good thing, Coralee! There would be nothing better than not needing it! xxxx
DeleteI say don't bother if you don't need it! Enjoy the peace and quiet. Thanks so much for reserving The Herd—hope you love it!
DeleteCongratulations on the new book, Andrea. Though social distancing has been hard on us, I noticed bluer skies (no smog for once) and catching up on things that needed to be done around the house.
ReplyDeleteDiana
Silver lining—I love it! Yes, I heard air quality has gone up around the world!
DeleteIsn’t that amazing? and yes, the flowers insist on coming up… They have no idea.
DeleteAndrea, yes, there is the silver lining. Hank, yes, the flowers! Love seeing beauty...
DeleteDiana
For me, it's the fact that I do still have to go in to work. I feel like I'm missing out when the rest of the world is talking about everything they're doing at home and what all they're accomplishing. I wish I had the free time to do some of the things at home that I need to .
ReplyDeletekozo8989@hotmail.com
Oh, honey, you are wonderful. What do you do? And we are applauding you! (And seriously, if it helps--no one is really accomplishing anything. Don't believe a word of it.) xoxo
DeleteSeriously, anyone who claims to be accomplishing creative or domestic things is lying! Everybody is just watching Tiger King.
DeleteCongratulations on the The Herd, Andrea! What great buzz! We have an all female co-working space in our town that my daughter and I had meant to check out. Obviously that is not happening anytime soon, but now I wonder about all the drama we might be missing.
ReplyDeleteNot missing co-workers, as a writer, but I am missing doing so many ordinary things. Hugging my granddaughter, lunch out with my daughter, tea or wine with friends. Grocery shopping! Do you all wonder if we will be more appreciative of all the little things we took for granted, once life returns to normal? In the meantime, I'm certainly enjoying less traffic and cleaner air. I'll enjoy the clean air even more when the elm pollen abates!
Yes, Andrea, I'd adore to hear more about it, THE HERD is so glam and elegant and unattainable..I'd love to hear more!
DeleteAnd I just looked up Luminary..huh. Such a fascinating concept..and you are so right about how tempting it is to push that just a bit further into..The HERD. Tell us a little more, if you have time!
DeleteMy pleasure, Hank and Deborah! THE HERD's slogan has the HER always in purple, because it's all about *her*—this was the first detail I came up with when I had the book idea, and it still makes me laugh. It's Instagram-beautiful, with salt lamps and big windows and color-sorted bookshelves and beautiful seating areas and a fancy cafe serving oat milk lattes. Ambitious, successful women go there to see and be seen—and that's why I figured there's so much tension in the setting. It's billed as inclusive, yet by nature it's exclusive. It's free from the male gaze, yet we dress up and act charming to fit in with the spectacular women there. Rich fodder for a crime writer!
DeleteInstantly riveting, too..and instant conflict. SO good! And the HERd is hilarious. (OH, I miss lattes.)
DeleteCongratulations on "The Herd", Andrea. I'm missing the the social action of working face to face with co-workers. Also, not being able to just go where I want when I want is really difficult. I really appreciate the freedom we normally have in this country.
ReplyDeleteYes! even rolling our eyes are the ones we'd rather not see! I hope soon we'll be able to say--what an intersting perspective we learned. But right now....ah.
DeleteYES! I even miss being annoyed by people...because at least there are other PEOPLE doing things, not just me! lol
DeleteThis is just the read I needed! Congrats on The Herd, Andrea. Adding to my TBR pile right now! Woo hoo!
ReplyDeleteSuch a cool book!
DeleteThanks so much, Jenn! Hope you love it!
DeleteLike Alicia, I still go to work, so co-workers are still around though there are strict rules and daily temperature taking is the new norm. I never liked meetings and the daily office huddles, all be it with safe distances between people, is still interrupting my morning. My daily excursion for lunch is a daily return trip home for lunch. That is what I miss, my normal lunch and book. I, thankfully, live less than two, yes two, miles from the office so it's an easy drive. My first trip home for lunch had my sister calling me as I arrived, wanting to know why I was home during the day. She has hooked me into her Life 360. She knows where I am and I know where her family is all the times. It was a little weird at first knowing she can always find me but I don't spend hours watching and hopefully neither does she.
ReplyDeleteI finally accomplished getting myself set up with Zoom. Attended church this morning, it's kinda weird but at least I was in my comfy, squishy chair. Just made sure my video was off.
So the conclusion is no, I don't miss the meetings.
I'm need to figure out how to get into church next weekend to do something for Palm Sunday. Shh, don't tell, the church is a ten minute walk from the office because of traffic lights and I have a key because I'm on the altar guild. There is a short palm outside the sacristy. That is what I miss, my normal non-office work.
What is life 360? I have never heard of that!
DeleteXxxxxx
Life 360 is an app that my sister found. Seems that after you sign up, you load the cell phones of those you need keep track of and location is available, as long as the phone is on. My sister initially started using when they all were traveling in the snow between Eugene and Portland. This bay area family didn't know snow back then. She added me once we moved mom to Oregon so she knew where I was while driving up to see them. That was the initial reason.....
DeleteAnd please forgive my lack of manners, thank you for choosing me as a recipient one of Art's books.
Delete"My normal non-office work"—YES! It's the extracurriculars I miss. Hopefully we'll be able to start working them back into our routines soon! Be well!
DeleteOh, that's pretty fascinating! Hmm. For a thriller writer...hmm.
DeleteIt's only been a little over a week for me, not really missing work or co-workers that much yet! I have been doing a lot of reading and bingeing different shows. It's almost been like a little vacation so far. Congrats on your release I've been hearing a lot of buzz about it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words! Yes, here in NYC it got very serious very quickly so it's been 2.5 weeks for me.
DeleteAs long as it feels like vacation--that's a good and powerful thing! Seventeen days for me!
DeleteThe Post Office is open even here in the locked down Bay Area. They are cleaned a lot and everyone stands several feet apart. Getting out is good for your mental health. I’m running outside every day, and yes it is allowed under the order. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been going for walks and runs, too! It's so important...and I feel so much better afterward!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYes, going for walks, too--so funny how spring persists. And so interesting how street etiquette has evolved--everyone is so polite and careful!
DeleteSince I'm retired and live alone, I don't miss work or co-workers. I do miss my church family, lunches with friends, going to the library and bookstore and other errands. I do mail, e-mail, texts, phone calls, and Facebook. That's as tech savvy as I am so far. Since most of my friends are even less tech savvy, that's OK.
ReplyDeleteYes, we all work it out the best way we can, right? Got to be grateful for all the technology. xooxo And we are here with you, dear Sally!
DeleteI keep thinking—thank god this is happening now, when we have the ability to call and text and email and Facebook our friends! Stay well, Sally!
DeleteI just read something wonderful: it’s not that we have to be home. It’s that we’re safe at home. So let’s think that, OK? And will be fine. And everyone who is going to work, we adore you.
ReplyDeleteWinners announced here tomorrow!
Safe at home! I need to pin that on my wall. Thanks so much for letting me guest blog, Hank, and thanks a ton to everyone who joined in on the discussion today! I definitely didn't feel alone. :)
DeleteYou are fabulous! Thank you for a wonderful day! And congratulations on your wild success. xoxoxo
DeleteYou are fabulous! Thank you for a wonderful day! And congratulations on your wild success. xoxoxo
Deleteand the WINNERS are! Alicia and MaryC! Email me your addresses, okay? hryan at whdh dot com
ReplyDelete