PCC Virtual Office Holiday Happy Hour 2020
We had our Virtual Office Holiday Happy Hour directly after work last night, and I must say, it exceeded all expectations. It was easily the most fun social "virtual hangout" with coworkers to date; even more so than the Halloween one, which was already lots of fun—and I think it's largely because many more people attended. For at least ten or twenty minutes anyway, there were more than 50 people on the call. It only just occurred to me as I was writing this that that accounts for at least half the office staff.
A lot of things like this, I honestly think, are happening because of me: I send the suggestion to Adrienne, the Executive Assistant to the CEO and Board, and then she does a great job executing it. I feel like she could send one or two more reminders out than she tends to before hand, but to be fair, as I already said, we had great attendance with this one; it was far better than the Halloween Happy Hour.
The thing is, I had initially suggested a Virtual Happy Hour as an event in lieu of our annual Thanksgiving "Holiday Potluck," which had long been clear had no chance of happening this year. I was relatively insistent we had to do something, and when Adrienne brought it to the Leadership Team, LT came back with the desire that they wanted a date when they were all available to attend. Because of how busy everyone had been in November (although whether they were really any busier than any average November is unclear, and we managed annual potlucks in November every year for some two decades before last year so whatever), the date got pushed to today. Thus, this event was basically in lieu of both the annual PCC Holiday Potluck and what might otherwise have been the annual PCC Holiday Cookie Exchange—which itself got absorbed into the Holiday Potluck as one single event last year thanks to a new store opening in November also necessitating the delay of the Holiday Potluck. I actually emailed the office today, along with a link to the folder where I saved all the 38 screenshots of the Happy Hour I took, with the suggestion that we please try planning for the continuation of traditionally two separate events going forward, assuming we can be in offices again by next year.
Anyway, the event started at 4:30, the minute my work day ended, and a good majorty of those who showed up stayed for roughly an hour. By 5:30, the number was down to 22; minutes thereafter it was down to nine—and then, for a pretty good while, it was just four: Rebecca and myself, the weekly Tuesday hangout stalwarts; plus Michelle, who had joined the weekly hangouts only once; and also Jeff, who was the first of that last four to finally bow out. It was then just Rebecca, Michelle and me for probably another half hour to 45 minutes, and we still found plenty of things to talk about, a lot of it the new home Michelle is living in, in Bremerton, with a spectacular view (she emailed that shot to us this morning).
A few people (like myself) had fun festive virtual backgrounds up, but many had virtual backdrops of just their own festive living rooms with Christmas Trees or lights and such. Many of us were drinking cocktails; so many people mentioned it that Freya went and made herself one in her kitchen in real time while talking to us. I had brought my Vodka Spiced Apple Cider just prior to signing on. There was just enough discussion overall from start to finish, never too much noise or chatter and never too little, and plenty of laughter. I am just so, so glad this was put together and I expressed my appreciation for it in the aforementioned email I sent to the office alias.
It's so nice we've managed to rack up some very nice memories even in a year as unbelievably challenging as this one has been. Anyway you can see the full photo album of screenshots I took on Flickr here, but of course you already see three of them embedded into today's DLU.
In other news, I want to paste into this section of today's DLU what I posted this morning regarding the kind of staggering news that Warner Brothers Media will now plan to release all their tentpole films in 2021 simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max:
Okay, this is some entertainment news I have to mention. In the context of the shit show that has been 2020, it is frankly low on the priority list when it comes to what's most important, but it's also emblematic of larger changes to come, even outside the film industry.
This is actually one example of a trend that already existed well before 2020, but which the pandemic simply hastened to a degree it's practically causing whiplash. Now, things can be (and already have been) changing so much that this news should be taken with somewhat of a grain of salt; who knows what further interruptions of plans will take place before even 2021 is behind us. But, one thing seems clear: movie theaters aren't dying completely, but they *will* be forced to change in ways they have zero desire to, and particularly multiplexes as we knew them in 2019 will likely never truly come back.
As a lover of film more than I love most things, it should come as no surprise that this does concern me. I'm already starting to think it may be time, for once, for me to invest in a large enough TV screen to create something akin to an at-home theater experience. And when it comes to my movie reviews I've written and posted regularly since 2004, until just this year I had a very strict personal rule about it: only review films I have seen in their initial release *in theaters.* I have already pivoted to reviewing films once slated for theatrical release but then moved to streaming platforms; I have not seen a movie in a theater since February, and I almost certainly will not again until I have been vaccinated, or the infection rate is low enough for it to be safe, whichever comes sooner (I suspect the former). I really, really miss the theatrical experience, and will absolutely go back to them in whatever form they take in the long run.
There is also a flip side to this: consider those who live in rural areas. Just as an example, my nephew who lives in Idaho already posted about his excitement regarding this new Warner Brothers/HBO Max 2021 release schedule, and the closest multiplex (at least as us urbanites know them, anyway) is nearly 50 miles away from where he lives. Seeing movies in theaters is great, but not great enough for people to drive that far for it. Now, sure, only 17% of Americans do not live in urban areas, but that doesn't mean they don't matter—and they can subscribe to streaming platforms no matter where they live.
The broader thing to consider is, no matter how you slice it, the film industry is changing—rapidly, radically, and permanently. And guess what? If you think that's the only part of life to be drastically changed for good once we are on the other side of this pandemic, you are being very naive indeed.
[posted 12:34 pm]