Friends of Dave #230: scoop there it is
The Horror of a Post COVID Handshake
I had something weird happen to me this week, Friends.
Fresh off of receiving my 2nd COVID vaccine shot earlier in the week, it all started with me being innocently being dispatched to pick up our 10 year old at lacrosse practice.
For those Friends who have been fortunate to get it, the whole vaccination thing has been an experience in of itself, am I right? The roller coaster of thoughts, emotions and anxieties leading up to it, scheduling it, and prepping for it has been near universal. Let's also not forget it also conveniently presents, for many, the perfect photo sharing op as well.
Imagine when Millennials and Gen-Zers start getting colonoscopies.....
And now, as more people are getting their 1st and 2nd doses, the sharing of your vax story is replacing talk about the weather as the primary topic of choice to burn the first 5 minutes of your Zoom meeting. Let the post quarantine small talk begin.
But I digress...
I arrive at lacrosse practice on a near perfect New England early spring evening. It's warm but not hot, the sun is setting and young boys are running around hitting each other with metal sticks. At that age, it is still resembling more of a Braveheart battle sequence than organized sport.
Parents are standing on a hill overseeing the battle, shielding their eyes from the sun that is just above the horizon. Everyone is instinctively about 6-10 feet a part.
I jump out of my car to take a look. For the first time in a long while I did not put on a mask as outdoor restrictions have been lifted in our state -- I was now vaxxed, not really in the most social of moods and I fully expected that practice would be ending shortly. I really just wanted to take about 5 minutes to stand alone, enjoy the spring evening and watch my son whack the sh*t out of his friends with his stick.
Then one of the Moms I know walked over for small talk. All good -- our boys have been in the same class since 1st grade and play pretty much all of the same sports. And then another Dad I didn't know came over to finish a conversation he must have been having with her previously.
As we were all standing on the hill, maskless, chatting about 6 feet apart and squinting to catch a glimpse of our offspring swinging metal and bashing plastic helmets in the background, I started to feel like things were getting back to normal.
I then glanced over at the Dad and realized, how impolite it was not to have told him my name. I'm not going to lie to you Friends, I was also thinking "What a perfect opportunity to groom a future FoD subscriber." That's how you get more subscribers to newsletters -- there is definitely a grooming process involved.
So I introduced myself. And then that was when sh*t got weird.
He smiled, introduced himself back, and then he extended his naked hand in my direction....
W.T.F. Not an elbow. Not a fist bump. Not that awkward lean in "do we hug or wave" thing. This Guy was going for the handshake? It's like the first time you kiss someone and they casually go for the tongue.
Oh, I guess we are doing this? I do not know you, bro. We just met for christ sake.
His hand hung out there looking for a reply for at least 3 or 4 stick whacks. It reminded me of the movie Speed when Dennis Hopper asks Keanu Reeves "What do you do? What do you do? "
Thoughts that raced through my head: "this guy's hand is probably clean, right? He looks like a Hand Sanitizer," "this is not a political statement, right?", "think about the FoD Dave" and finally, "c'mon, do it for the kids."
And with that....I consummated the act and pressed flesh with a stranger for the first time in over a year.
It was weird on a number of levels. Weird that he felt comfortable to throw it out there. Weird that I hesitated. Weird that I felt like I had to text my wife about it and then shower when I got home to protect my family.
But good I got it out of the way. Thankfully, there will be more handshakes with strangers and hugs with friends and loved ones coming -- that is definitely a good thing. Things are getting back to "normal".... whatever that means.
In the end, I suppose that's a lot better than the alternative -- whacking each other with a metal stick...
Have a good one Friends! Handshakes and hugs all around the next time I see you, for sure!
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Chance to Start Over — www.theatlantic.com
We might ask ourselves, “What do I want ‘normal’ to look like?” Then, we can start preparing for a new and better normal than what we took for granted until a year ago.
Nice reminder that the silver lining as the world emerges from the pandemic is that we each can shape what our "new normal" looks like.
For Your Day Job...
More Americans Are Leaving Cities, But Don’t Call It an Urban Exodus — www.bloomberg.com
There is no urban exodus; perhaps it’s more of an urban shuffle. Despite talk of mass moves to Florida and Texas, data shows most people who did move stayed close to where they came from—although Sun Belt regions that were popular even before the pandemic did see gains.
Interesting, comprehensive look at the realities behind the movement of people in the years ahead.
The Great Talent Reshuffling of 2021 Has Begun
Whether it’s moving to a new geography for a fresh start (for some, maybe just an Adventure Year) or leaving a safe but stagnant career, the “I’m starting a new company/open to a new gig” inbounds are up since Jan 1.
Perfect continuation to the Atlantic "Think on This" article.
Driving Lifelong Loyalty Through Human-Centered Customer Service “I can’t wait to call customer service,” isn’t something you’d expect to ever hear from everyday consumers.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
Punk Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Novel Somehow Always Ends in 9-to-5 Office Job — thehardtimes.net
I used to be the greatest f***ing bassist the Austin hardcore scene had ever seen. Now, I’m a fat piece of sh*t writing in some scholastic sweatshop pretending to be an old woman named Miss Terry
‘10,000 tiny instruments’: how Lego made the experimental album of 2021
This is how good it is: there is one whole track dedicated to the sounds of people stepping on Lego pieces.
Woman Hit With Embezzlement Charges for 20-Year-Old Overdue VHS Tape Rental
One of the cruelest twists here is that McBride herself probably wasn’t even the person that rented the video—she explained to KOKH that the likely culprit was a man she was living with at the time and his two daughters.
Goodwill Has A Trash Problem. We're The Cause.
No Dylan, turns out no one wants your broken toaster.
And The Last Word....
Behind the delightful success of Tag Team’s hit commercial with Geico — theundefeated.com
French Vanilla. Rocky Road. Chocolate. Peanut Butter. Cookie Dough.
When senior copywriter Roger Hailes penned those nine words, alongside just two measures of music, he probably didn’t know how many lives would be changed as a result.
Here's is the story behind the nostalgic, clever, Gen-X friendly Geico commercial. Scoop there it is.
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