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Quarantine Tuesday Reading Kaffeeklatsch: 3/23/2021
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I have been attending author events online. I got started through Boswell Books in Milwaukee thanks to our friend Book Concierge. Now I also get book-related invites through EventBrite. Most are free. I have been at a panel in England and today one on women writing historical fiction from North Carolina State University, plus several where the interviewers are local but the authors being interviewed can be anywhere in the world. I would like to be able to keep doing this after the pandemic. Also the "seniors" book club I am in started during the pandemic and I think some of the members would prefer to keep meeting at home, avoiding driving, parking, etc. even later on.
My husband took 2 1-week courses in the Welsh language from Wales, but it meant he had to get onto them at 4 am!
I know I am in the minority when I say I hate Zoom, but there it is.There really is not a whole lot, besides this little conversation thread, that I embraced during Covid. I don't want this thread to disband. It is just nice to catch up with everyone once a week. And once we are all back in the world again, it will mean even more.
We could sure keep this format but change the name to just Kaffeeklatsch, or Weekly Check-in, or something even more clever.Just realized Teresa put the heading today as 3/23/20 - Aaagghh! We are stuck in a time loop and have to live the whole year over - I don't like Zoom THAT much!
I do miss the in-person author events at Boswell, but really appreciate the zoom events all the same. My F2F book clubs are starting to talk about meeting in person again ... once everyone is fully vaccinated (so probably May or June). I ready to see them in person again, but I doubt we'll be comfortable enough to hug or to go mask-less for the duration of a meeting. And, of course, with having to drive somewhere I won't be drinking as much wine as I can consume while just sitting in my chair across the hall from my bedroom! Probably that's a good thing.
I agree with those who already expressed the positive side of this past year in re our PBT family getting to know one another more. Threads like this one, some private messages, and our zoom meetings have brought us closer together despite our physically distanced locations.
Joanne wrote: "I know I am in the minority when I say I hate Zoom, but there it is.There really is not a whole lot, besides this little conversation thread, that I embraced during Covid. I don't want this threa..."
I have already decided that I will continue this thread once we all seem to be past Quarantine. Just going to remove the word QUARANTINE from title! And anyone can start it if I am MIA. In fact, might remove that word sooner...maybe on the first anniversary.
As for zoom...I stopped hating it after the first month, and it became comfortable so to speak. Work forced that on me.
Robin P wrote: "We could sure keep this format but change the name to just Kaffeeklatsch, or Weekly Check-in, or something even more clever.Just realized Teresa put the heading today as 3/23/20 - Aaagghh! We are..."
Oops. Fixed.
We had not even started this conversation yet this day in 2020...
Well how about that? The very first Quarantine Tuesday Kaffeeklatsch went up on March 24, 2020. We have been chatting and supporting each other in this little thread for a whole year.I say we change the name starting next Tuesday, as our pitch to transition out of quarantine, even if only mentally.
Anyone have cute ideas for changing title? I say keep it to Tuesdays and kaffeeklatsch....that is what this is after all. But I coukd be dissuaded...
If no one has any suggestions, starting next week, the word QUARANTINE will be deleted!
Hermit that I like to be, I am fine if things stay online/zoom/whatever. I don't want to have to leave the house. :-)
Theresa wrote: "Well how about that? The very first Quarantine Tuesdat Kaffeeklatsch went up on March 24, 2020. We gave been chatting and supporting each other in this little thread for a whole year.I say we cha..."
That sounds good, Theresa, thanks for being the one to create this thread in the first place!
Aaagghh! We are stuck in a time loop and have to live the whole year over -I had a sleepless night Robin and this made me LoL-thank you
I look forward to our Tuesday kaffeklatsch and bet others do too. With all of our talk about books, it's nice to have a place to talk more personally.During this year of profound change and anxiety about the virus, reading has kept me anchored and entertained. I notice of course, that Netflix and other streaming services have found their historical moment, with the shuttering of much of the entertainment industry. When theaters and playhouses open their doors again, will we once again be comfortable going there?
I jokingly say to my husband that when social scientists start to analyze the pandemic, a study will be done on what shows people were watching on Netflix at the time.
In our home, "Grace and Frankie," "Mozart in the Jungle," "The Durrells in Curfu" and even, "Monk" helped us escape and get through this.
Joanne wrote: "Aaagghh! We are stuck in a time loop and have to live the whole year over -I had a sleepless night Robin and this made me LoL-thank you"
Glad it helped. I have had sleep issues for a long time but now that I am retired I don't worry about it, I can be awake at night, take a nap in the daytime or whatever. The worst used to be worrying that I wasn't sleeping and had to get up to go to work.
One year ago today was when the Stay Safe Stay Home order went into effect and we started teleworking. It was the day I packed up my office, including laptop and extra monitors, and all my files and started working from home.Now I'm seeing the light of a little more normalcy on the way. My parents both had their first vaccination (thanks to all here for advice on that issue!) and will have their second one in about a week. We're going to delay the Easter holiday a bit so their vaccinations will be fully in effect, and then we're planning to have dinner together on their deck, if weather permits.
The warmer weather and sunlight we've had this week has been lovely.
Argh. My mother and I had appointments for our first vaccine, but the pharmacy didn't get a delivery this week. They had extra last week due to no-shows, but I was working.It was 72 degrees here today! Sunday my husband went skiing without a coat. There was still plenty of snow, but it was so nice some people wore shorts and shorts sleeves. There was hardly anyone there because they thought it would be bad. It was glorious.
My office is stuck in the 80s, so most of management believes unless butts are in seats work won't get done so I will miss the flexibility that working from home provides. I don't want to do it 100% of the time because I am the type that needs forced structure, but it would be nice on occasion. I would like to keep Teams / Zoom meetings for work-related stuff, in person is just an unnecessary spectacle, but I like in-person for my book club. It is just easier to manage the conversations and keep momentum in discussion in my experience.
I love virtual author events! I live in an area where we don't get as much access to the authors I want to hear speak, so live author events is really cool. Purdue University was doing virtual events related to their Diversity initiative (I forget the official name) and this allowed me to watch interviews and discussions (Ibram X Kendi was one of their first guests) from the comfort of my own home. I am an extrovert but there are certain events where the idea of being around so many people I don't know causes me anxiety and I might avoid attending. If it's virtual I can join no problem! So I love that.
I just hate, hate, hate having everything backward like this. I signed on, it was normal, I changed just one page and now it's backward, and I am using desktop. Plus, no one is reading the Beta thread anymore (or commenting on it) and I was wondering if anyone has a way for me to make comments--my computer is not set up to follow that link they gave so I was never able to give feedback.
Karin wrote: "I just hate, hate, hate having everything backward like this. I signed on, it was normal, I changed just one page and now it's backward, and I am using desktop. Plus, no one is reading the Beta thr..."Hi Karin, I'm not sure if I'm understanding correctly, but if your messages are inverted from what you're used to, is it possible you inadvertently hit the little "date" triangle at the very top of the messages column? I did that before and it was very disorienting until I figured out I could click on the "date" option again and it put everything back to the way I was used to reading it. Hope this makes sense :)
What I've been thinking about, other than the usual pandemic issues of poor sleep patterns, etc., is the virtual world as it has overtaken our pandemic lives for work, socializing, and entertainment, and what of it would be nice to see continue when things fully open again.
From a work perspective, I find zoom meetings with my board clients and even court conferences a positive thing. I'll be chairing my first zoom annual meeting of shareholders in May. I've even chaired and attended many webinairs. Overall, I do like them a lot. But what lawyer doesn't like a meeting where you can lock someone's mic when they start repeating themselves or try to dominate the meeting? On the other hand, the inability to watch full body language is a hinderance in some situations. I also have concerns about privilege and confidentiality when participants are not on video. The Courts insist everyone has to be on screen if using video - no turning it off. I see real reason for doing this - but it still doesn't inform you on whether someone is listening somewhere out of range of the camera who should not be there. There is also the issue of it being recorded without permission.
On an entertainment level - I've really not engaged in the binge show watching, the binge movie watching, etc. that most seem to have done at some point. I had a lot of stuff DVR'd and I've worked through about half of it. I am not much of a binge watcher -- more a binge reader! After a long day of dealing with clients, colleagues and judges, I really don't want to hear anyone talking. Or see anyone on a screen.
However, I have been attending the virtual Athena Film Festival this month, by streaming a number of mostly excellent documentaries and films. The festival ends April 1 and I have about 6 more I'd like to try to watch. I'll probably manage 3...some are darker and heavier subjects that I may not be able to handle. There was a movie last week that involved the efforts of an interracial couple to find a rape test kit for the wife who had been raped -- dealing with issues of white supremacy. I just could not face that one last week. I did watch though the documentary about Julia Scotti, the transgender comedienne in her 60s who was a runner up on America's Got Talent. It was funny and touching and sad and joyous and just what I needed.
But I have not engaged in museum virtual tours, or more than one or two virtual travel/culture talks, a virtual cooking class and a virtual mixology class. Has anyone made a habit of doing them? Would you like them to be available post pandemic? I would like them to be -- even if it means paying a small fee.
I do think book clubs and book discussion groups are ideally suited to virtual meetings. Needlework groups too but to a lesser extent. I hope those continue.
Of course, I also want those periodic video check ins with distant friends to continue as well.
Thoughts?