Welcome to the Temporary Normal

Struggling where to start this week’s blog post.  When I started this back in December, each week I had about two to three posts in various states of progress.  I kept the inventory pipeline moving so I could always have a post I felt good about each Friday.  That has definitely changed.  While I have a long list of topics to write about, I have also tried to find the right mood before I hunkered down to work on a piece, and that mood has been pretty rare these last two weeks.  And quite frankly, a lot of those topics seem very silly in this environment.  I mentioned last week that I was going to take it week to week as to whether to continue writing, and I still think that is the case.  So, as I sit here on Thursday afternoon to start this week’s post (keeping myself on deadline), I’m plowing forward as this may prove helpful as I try to process the massive disruption in all of our lives these last few weeks.

A Mild Political / Media Diversion You May Want To Skip

One other follow-up from last week’s post in which I wrote the following – “In our 24 hour news cycle, constant social media “information”, and unreliable “media” reports by politicians and organizations with questionable motives, it seriously makes me think that at certain times, there is such a thing as “too much information”.  It certainly is a challenge to find the balance between being “responsibly informed” without drifting to the extremes of burying your head in the sand or becoming irrationally obsessed.” 

This last point has been going through my mind a lot lately, as I have been strategically choosing what to read (guidance and facts from the CDC, anything by Dr. Tony Fauci, inspiring stories that will give us hope) and what to avoid (shock clickbait headlines or stories that are blatant attempts to shove the extreme end of a political agenda down our throats – please give me the facts and let me make my own opinion).  A recent poll by a reputable university showed a drastic difference between people in one political party who were worried they would get sick compared to people in the other political party who were not worried they would get sick.  To me, that clearly demonstrates the significant differences in communication between our federal and state governments and the different branches of the media, which tells you all you need to know.  We are all on dramatically different pages right now and that’s pretty scary.  I’m a numbers guy, so here’s how I looked at it.  If everyone’s concern range were anchored between 6-8 on a scale of 1 to 10, that’s probably ok – at least we’re coalesced around a tight range.  But when they range from a low of 2 to a high of 15, depending on what you read, hear or watch (from different political or media parties), that’s a big problem.  It’s time to focus on working together to solve problems and not trying to score political points, taking political shots, or wasting people’s time pretending to be offended by things that are just not that important in the grand scheme of things, to get the next 15 minutes of media fame.  I’m going to do my best to continue to stick with the facts and ignore the rhetoric.  That’s all I’ll say on this topic.

Where Do We Go From Here?

We are all dealing with the disruption in our lives differently.  We are facing what could be a historic health and economic crisis that in one way or another could impact millions of people.  Each day we are whipsawing between trying to distract ourselves while getting confronted with the next bit of concerning news.  Having worked in Corporate Finance roles for 25 years, I have always been interested in various aspects of the economy and how different events impact specific industries.  So, I follow a lot of economic and financial news, and these last few weeks have been like watching a horror movie.  My mind shifts from the macro data points and stories to the inevitable ripple effect on small businesses and individuals who may lose their jobs and face a difficult economic future.  I stopped by a local restaurant that we frequent (to buy a gift card) a few days after all restaurants were closed and the owner told me how he had to lay off everyone the day before.  He is going stay open (with just his cook) for take-out, as long as they can.  I could see the pain in his face and it was heartbreaking. 

So, we’ve moved to self-quarantining for an extended period of time and we don’t know how long this will last.  Significant job losses have already started and will likely ramp up in the weeks to come.  Millions of people are adapting to trying to work from home, some in very stressful situations as they try to solve critical business problems remotely.  I know from my experience that when you are in “business crisis mode”, it feels good to have your team in one room, hammering out the problems and (more importantly) encouraging each other when they are feeling stressed and need a pick-me-up.  Some of my best memories were those sessions with my team – solving problems, cracking jokes to lighten the mood, and eating Girl Scout cookies (because Jenn felt the need to buy 8 boxes, but we were lucky to have some comfort food).  Trying to be an effective team remotely will be challenging and frustrating for a lot of people. 

There are industries whose workers are still going to work every day to keep our lives moving forward – grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, banks, delivery truck drivers, and others I am sure I am forgetting.  With schools in most towns across the country closing, teachers have been shifting to creating education plans that students can do from home or online.  A post my cousin Erika shared on Facebook summarized it perfectly – with little time to prepare, they “Apollo 13’d it” – figuring out the best solution they could under a short timeframe.  And then there are the health care workers, who are literally putting their health at risk to help during this crisis.  We’ve seen a few stories here and there of just how bad it has gotten in some of the most impacted cities and I’m sure more of these stories will come out in the weeks, months and years to come.  I was thinking today about a book I read a few months ago that was very impactful and inspiring.  It is an oral history of 9/11 and includes the first-hand stories of victims, first responders, doctors and nurses, politicians and others who lived through the most harrowing aspects of that day.  It is called The Only Plane in the Sky, by Garrett Graff.  I won’t sugarcoat it – this book can be difficult at times, but parts of it will truly inspire you, so if you are in an “ok” emotional state, or when you are feeling better, I highly recommend it.

Speaking of emotional states, I’ve been thinking a lot of this aspect of what we are going through the last few weeks.  [Weekly disclaimer that I am not a trained medical professional and am only speaking from my personal experience.]  As I have been doing a lot of reading, I have been seeing a number of articles on what to do during this uncertain time.  This includes advice on everything from meals to fitness to activities for kids to movie and TV show recommendations (don’t worry, I’ll be providing some at the end of this to lighten the mood of this blog post).  The other topic that I have been happy to see is advice about how to handle the psychological impacts of what we are experiencing.  Not only is this unnerving for kids, but there are a lot of stressors impacting everyone these days and it’s important to be mindful of our mental health each day, particularly feelings of isolation, loneliness and hopelessness.  Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), I’ve been through plenty of stressful times in my life and have been lucky enough to have found the right tools and support systems to help me through them.  My most challenging times were during stressful events at work and I was fortunate to have the best boss I could have asked for who gave me genuine advice and support to work through things, including telling (not offering) me to take some time off when things got particularly stressful, because he was looking out for my best interests first.  Yes, I am not a medical professional, but I know the value of getting help when it’s needed.  And those tools and support systems are ones that I am leaning on now as I go through this day to day. 

We keep asking how long this will last when we have to be patient.  And why is that so hard?  Because in today’s technology-driven world, we’ve grown accustomed to getting answers and problems solved quickly, and unfortunately, that’s not the case here.  Seeing how quickly things have changed these last few weeks has been very jarring – how long will this last?  Will it change back to normal just as quickly?  What will the new normal look like in three months, six months, a year from now?  As cliché as it sounds, we have to just take it one day at a time.  My aunt Jocelyn shared a post on Facebook titled “Daily Quarantine Questions” and they are:

1. What am I grateful for today?
2. Who am I checking in on or connecting with today?
3. What expectations of “normal” am I letting go of today?
4. How am I getting outside today?
5. How am I moving my body today?
6. What beauty am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?

I couldn’t think of a better way to sum up how we should think about taking care of ourselves and each other day to day.

Back to My Lane

Last week, I took a slight diversion and said I would do my best to stay in my lane of movies, music and all things related.  This week was more of a cross-country road trip outside of my lane.  But let me venture back for a bit.  Yes, movie theaters have closed, new releases have been pushed back and studios and theater chains will be facing the grim economic reality of other industries in the weeks and months to come.  I am here to help with some recommendations on things to watch, but don’t spend too much time in front of the screen – remember the daily questions above.  Also, since I rushed this week’s post, I didn’t get a chance to work on some book recommendations – I’ll do that for a future post.

Last week, I posed the question of whether studios would put new releases on streaming services early and if so, how?  This weekend, Universal Studios is releasing three movies that were still in theaters (The Invisible Man, The Hunt, and Emma), for online rental for $19.99 each.  It’s an interesting concept – with all of the streaming content available to people who subscribe to Netflix, Amazon or Hulu, I’m not sure how much rental activity these movies will get, but it could be a sign of things to come if studios pursue this strategy with future releases.  There are a few new releases coming soon to streaming services that I am looking forward to:

• The Banker – A drama about two of the first African-American bankers in the U.S. that premiers on Apple TV+ on March 20^th. It stars Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson.

• Crip Camp – the documentary about the camp for disabled teenagers in 1970s New York, which received strong reviews at the Sundance Film Festival.  Premieres on Netflix on March 26^th.

• The Beastie Boys Story – A documentary from director Spike Jonze about the groundbreaking New York rap band.  We have a little longer wait for this one as it doesn’t premiere on Apple TV+ until April 24^th.

• Some quick-hit older recommendations that are available on Netflix:
  • Goodfellas – Scorsese, De Niro, Pesci, Liotta – one of the best mob movies ever
  • There Will Be Blood – Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece with Daniel Day Lewis
  • Inglourious Basterds –  Talk about a masterpiece – Tarantino at his finest with a great performance by Brad Pitt and a Oscar-winning, career-defining performance by Chirstoph Waltz.  Oh, and a lot of violence – buyer beware
  • The Shawshank Redemption – How about this for an inspiring comfort movie?
  • Inception – Get your brain twisted into a pretzel by Christopher Nolan and Leonardo DiCaprio
  • Chasing Amy – Early Kevin Smith comedy with Ben Affleck
  • Donnie Brasco – Johnny Depp playing an undercover FBI agent trying to take down FBI boss played by Al Pacino
  • Jerry Maguire – Tom Cruise and Cameron Crowe at their best in another feel-good comfort movie
  • Icarus – We just watched this excellent documentary about the Russian doping scandal.  The director has a new film this year about the murder of a U.S. journalist in Saudi Arabia.
  • Zodiac – Boy do I love David Fincher and this one might be my favorite.  Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal and (pre-Iron Man) Robert Downey, Jr. star in the hunt for the Zodiac killer in 1970s San Francisco.
  • Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – a great 80’s comfort movie, co-recommended by my friend Melissa
  • Rounders – Matt Damon and Edward Norton and a killer supporting cast in a story about poker, bookies, and exploring the limits of supporting a friend
  • The Talented Mr. Ripley – Probably Matt Damon’s best performance as the creepy con artist Tom Ripley, alongside an all-star cast including Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffman
  • Miracle – Let’s end this list on a positive note – How about the most inspiring sports story of our lifetime?  Kirk Russell plays the coach of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team that upset the Russians and won the gold medal in Lake Placid.

On the TV front, a few recommendations I can provide:

• Season 3 of Ozark premieres on March 27^th on Netflix.  If you haven’t watched this one yet, there’s plenty of time to catch up on the first two seasons.  This one is excellent – Jason Bateman (who created the series) and Laura Linney star.

• Season 3 of Westworld just started on HBO.  I was lukewarm on season 2, but the first episode of season 3 was very good.

• Season 3 of Killing Eve premieres on April 26^th on AMC and BBC America.  If you haven’t been watching this one, you can catch up on the first two seasons on Hulu.  This is an outstanding suspense series about an assassin and the agent who is trying to capture her.  The actresses playing the leads (Jodi Comer and Sandra Oh) are excellent. 

A few older TV recommendations:

• The Americans – This show ran on FX from 2013 – 2018 and is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.  I can’t count how many people I have talked to about this show and only one person I know (my cousin Brendan) also watched it.  An underrated suspense series about two Russian spies (played by Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys) living in 1980s Washington D.C., posing as a suburban couple running a travel agency with two kids at home.  I can’t recommend this one highly enough, but the plots are detailed, so put your phone down while watching this one and enjoy the acting and the great 80s soundtrack.

• Turn: Washington’s Spies – A cool drama that ran on AMC from 2014 – 2017 and is available on Netflix.  It’s the story of American spies during the Revolutionary War.  Good story lines and great acting.

• Halt and Catch Fire – Another underrated drama that ran on AMC from 2014 – 2017 and is also streaming on Netflix.  This is the story of a group of people in the early days of the personal computer revolution.  You may not recognize many of the actors in this one, but this is a great series that gets better each season.

That’s all for this week – Not sure how I was going to start this and not knowing where I would go in between, but I’m glad I decided to write again this week – I guess a little bit of normalcy goes a long way.  Take care everyone and thanks again for reading.