We were greeted this morning with word of a new tropical storm off the coast and headed our way – TS Bertha. Looks like more rain and cool weather for the next few days. Things get interestinger and interestinger…. 😉
I’m looking forward to watching the SpaceX launch this afternoon. Weather forecast looks iffy there, too, but we’ll see. Kathy & I had discussed the possibility of driving down and finding a place to stay for the week, but decided that was probably too far, too soon. We just missed a launch a few years ago. We had gotten off a cruise ship in Port Canaveral that morning, found a place at a roadside park across from the space center and were ready to go, but the launch was scrubbed with 11 second remaining. As Maxwell Smart would have said, “missed it by that much!” 😉
I learned a new (for me) term the other day: “Virtue Signaling.” Virtue Signaling is defined by Urban Dictionary as “To take a conspicuous but essentially useless action ostensibly to support a good cause but actually to show off how much more moral you are than everybody else.”
This is the term for how I see the attitudes of some people regarding the wearing or not wearing of face coverings. To be clear, I am not questioning or judging the efficacy of masks, nor am I suggesting that they should or should not be worn or required. In my opinion it is personal choice, and I acknowledge that there are times and places where they should probably be used. There are countries and cultures where everyone wears a mask during flu season and during other times. In those places it is normal and expected, and done without an air of superiority or inference of inferiority.
I am instead referring to the outwardly superior attitudes of many who wear a mask and then frown on those who have chosen to not wear them, and also to the opposite experiences of those who have chosen to wear a mask, only to be ridiculed by those who have chosen to not wear one. I haven’t experienced it personally but have read and heard about it happening to others.
The bandwagon chant of the pro-maskers suggests that not wearing a mask displays a disregard for others, and that wearing a mask signifies a compassionate person looking out for his/her fellow man. But the choice of whether to wear a mask or not is just one symbol. We were all supposed to be staying home during the last several months. Kathy & I have mostly stayed home, while others we know gas-butt around town like nothing has changed. Does wearing a mask make that OK? I feel like we have done more to protect others by staying home and minding our own business, mask or not, than those who have gone to the grocery store or the takeout restaurants every day, sometimes multiple times a day. By comparison, we’ve hardly been anywhere to get exposed to the virus.
Kathy & I have masks but so far have not worn them. It is our hope that we will never need to wear them. If we go to a place that requires them, we will make a choice. If it is important enough we will wear them. If not, we will go somewhere else or do without. I see it as a matter of our choice based on our own perceived level of risk – both of exposing ourselves and of exposing others. Other than that we will keep our mouths shut and mind our own business, and hope that others will do the same.
I’ve been reading and thinking lately about how the ability to work from home will influence the future of work, and in particular the future of commercial real estate. For nearly all of my work career, there was never a thought given to the ability to work somewhere other than the office.
The concept of “butts in seats” never occurred to companies in the 80’s and 90’s up until just a few years ago, because we worked at work. Even my most recent manager, with half of his team already working in remote locations around the country, was highly resistant to the idea of his Charlotte team working remote except for extreme circumstances. He once admonished me for wanting to work remotely from an out-of-town B&B on a Monday before a Tuesday holiday, reasoning that I was “really on vacation” and should just take a vacation day. Things might be different now., but my theory was that with a phone and a laptop, know one knows where you are working from and it shouldn’t matter. That is proving to be true for a lot of workers.
The idea of a Corporate Headquarters has traditionally been a reflection of the huge budgets and egos of the corporate elite. Bank of America has the tallest building in Charlotte at 60 stories tall, and why wouldn’t they? Depending on the day they trade places with JPMorgan Chase as the largest bank in the US. The building is a monument to the empire of Hugh McColl and the company he created. Down the street the building that is now the Duke Energy Center started off to be the new headquarters of Wachovia. We know how that turned out.
But right now all of those buildings are mostly sitting empty. People have been told not to expect to go back to the office any time soon. So what will happen to all that office space? Good question. Companies have started to realize that space is expensive. Add to that the potential cost of refitting workspaces to meet new health rules, new cleaning requirements and the potential of workplace-illness-related litigation, suddenly all that office space starts looking pretty unattractive. And companies are realizing that shifting occupancy costs to their employees will save them some Big Money, allowing the Big Wigs to get even Bigger Bonuses.
It’s just the beginning of that cycle, I’d guess. It will be interesting to see which way and how far it goes.
Saved up for the red paint, gonna take longer to get the black paint
I took the day off from thinking yesterday, so I don’t have a lot to say this morning. But I did manage to take some pictures on this morning’s walk.
I have a “goal” in my step tracker of 5,000 steps per day. That isn’t much by some standards, but it is good enough for me. Most days I exceed it by several thousand, earlier this week I actually went over 10,000. I think today will mark 54 days in a row. Every day since March 1.
I’ve always been a bit of a chicken when it comes to cooking fish at home. But Kathy & I love good fish, and we recently came across a source for good, fresh fish that delivers to our home. The son of one of our neighbors is a chef and operates a wholesale seafood business, selling to restaurants and also to individuals through local farmer’s markets. I think he only delivers to our neighborhood because his mother lives here.
We had known about Michael and Lucky Fish for a long time, but after talking with one of our other neighbors who is a regular customer, we decided to give it a try. We ordered some NC Snapper, and wow! I grilled it on non-stick foil with a little zesty lemon seasoning, and it was perfect, accompanied by a bottle of Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Rose Wine (part of our ongoing experiment with grocery store wine).
I’ve already developed a reputation for being the “Steak Whisperer” when it comes to running my grill. Maybe soon I’ll also be known as the “Fish Whisperer.” 🙂 It is sure going to make it even harder to go back to restaurants!
Sunset at Clingmans Dome, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
He said, “Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” Roald Dahl
I came across this quote several years ago in a shop in Bryson City, NC. It might even be the same shop where I found the frog, I don’t remember.
After recently commenting on Monte’s post, Monte asked me to show him my frog. I’ve given him a corny name, but most folks who read my blog will get it.
I found Frog at a shop in Bryson City, NC this past fall. I had previously photographed one of his cousins in Columbiana, OH. It is his cousin’s photo that I’ve been using as my avatar, but I may need to change it now that I have my own.
Frog lives on our front porch. He has a solar panel on the back of his head that will make his eyes light up at night. I haven’t turned it on yet. I’m waiting for someone to move into the house across the street. 🙂
I’ve been working lately on having a camera with me on my morning walks. It’s interesting what I see when I have a camera with me (duh!). 😉
Transmission towers aren’t exactly a glamorous subject (unless you’re into such things), but they do have some interesting lines and shapes. This one is a regular subject, mostly because it’s always there, looks different in changing light and weather, and gives me a reason to trudge to the top of the hill.
It’s also a good camera test – to check focus and sharpness!
Locomotive used by the Great Smoky Mountains Railway in Bryson City, North Carolina
I was reading a recent post on Monte’s Blog in the context of a commercial print job I’m currently working on. Monte was discussing how much he wanted a new Fuji lens (me too!) but indicated that his current cameras – 4 and 6 years old – still suited him fine, and he reminded us that all cameras still require a photographer to work.
I was recently contacted by a local restaurant owner about providing prints for their bar and dining rooms for an upcoming remodel. I’m flattered that they asked me, and even more excited that it is one of our favorite restaurants. And that they want 17 photos! One of the things that interested me in the context of Monte’s post and the discussion about needing a “pro” camera for doing quality work is the breakdown of the cameras that were used for the photos we chose for this project:
Canon 5D – 1
Canon 5D Mark III – 3
Canon Powershot G12 – 4
Fuji X-10 – 2
Fuji X-E2 – 1
Fuji X-T1 – 1
Medium Format Film Scan – 1
I wasn’t too surprised about the number of 5D shots, and I wasn’t at all surprised at the number of shots from the Fuji X-E2 and X-T1, my current cameras. But I was quite surprised at 6 of the photos coming from two point & shoot cameras! Maybe there is something to be said for ditching all of the interchangeable lens cameras and just buying a single, good, point & shoot camera!
I’ll share the photos later. Or even better, photos of the photos once they are hung! 😉
Walkway leading to Everett Street in Bryson City, North Carolina
