Today’s Buzz is by Greg Stopka (Twitter and LinkedIn)
What I am laughing at: Tik Tok video about a guy singing to an angry cat
What I am Listening to: Ezra Klein Pod
What I’m Playing: Carcassonne
What I am Watching: West Wing election year binge and Penny Dreadful (see below) on Netflix
Coronavirus can be a difficult time. We can often feel like Josh Lyman after a long week in the West Wing (btw this post will have many West Wing references). But as someone who believes in the power of innovation and optimism, I am determined to identify what opportunities exist.
So instead of hitting your head on the table, here’s my list of positive outcomes from Corona in no particular order. Also, all gifs will be from West Wing.
The Great Netflix Compromise: When my wife and I look back on this time, we’ll recognize it as the time we stopped fighting over what we watched after the kid goes to sleep to a time where we learned that it’s an opportunity to learn what the other likes watching. Before, we would spend hours debating what to watch before I’d give in or we’d watch YouTube. Now, my wife is watching the masterpiece known as The West Wing and I’m into The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, MindHunter, and Penny Dreadful.
Graduate School Reunion of 2020: After longing for personal connection, I reached out to my graduate school class from Kansas ’09 via text. We have planned a virtual happy hour for next week. But I’ve been asking myself, why did it take a pandemic for us to connect on a Zoom meeting when we could have been doing it all along.
Nesting and Physics: My wife and I are expecting our second child in May. Nesting does not care that there is a pandemic outside. As a result, I had to figure out how to carry heavy dressers from the basement to the new nursery. With a blanket, I was able to reduce the friction between the floor and the object. With this reduced friction, I was carried the furniture up two flights of stairs alone.
Digital Board Game Nights: My friend and I love board games. But unfortunately, not everyone regionally shares my feelings. However, last week my friend in Denver and I were able to have a happy hour board game night with three things: 1) Zoom; 2) Tripod and Cellphone; and 3) Laptop. By attaching the tripod to the ceiling, we were able to show the board game while communicating via the laptop. Weekends will never be the same again.
So, I leave you with another West Wing that good things can come out of this unusual time. Be hopeful!