Love the dark and light! 4.75/5 stars.
I had the opportunity to get away from the family and the house for part of the day and attend the Portland International Auto Show. It was simultaneously great and overwhelming. Like many people, I haven’t gone to many public events over the past two years. This was by no means a busy event, with maybe a few hundred people spread across an entire convention center (we went at 10am on a Thursday). It never felt crowded, and the safety protocols were fairly cautious (required mask and proof of vaccination or negative COVID test for anyone entering the building). Even so, it felt weird. It was weird to be indoors with so many strangers. It was weird to attend an Event with a Capital E. Not like this was a concert or something crazy, but I went to an actual large indoor venue with the expectation there would be many people around. Amazing how that is such a big deal to me now, after spending these past two years hardly going anywhere.
The last time I went to the Portland Auto Show was in February 2020. I brought my 18-month-old daughter and had a great time. There were significantly more people there, but I felt comfortable letting her toddle around and climb in cars with me. We even stood in line and got our picture taken in a DeLorean from the Back to the Future II. It all felt… normal. This year, I wouldn’t even contemplate bringing either of my daughters. I wore my mask, washed or sanitized my hands frequently, and kept my space from anyone who wasn’t part of my crew. In 2020, I wanted to see the expensive cars and hang out. In 2022, I sat in cars I am thinking about buying and took measurements for carseats. Funny how perspectives change.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how my perspective has changed over the past two years lately, because I recently got the news that my employer is bringing everyone back to the office in a “phased return” during the month of April. This is now the third, or maybe fourth, time that they have set a return date since we closed the offices in March 2020. Each time it seems a little more likely as COVID-19 continues evolving and our understanding of its progression deepens. This time, I actually believe that I will be back in the office, and it’s messing with my head. I’ve gotten used to working from home. I’ve gotten used to virtual meetings, creating remote team culture, and being able to log off once my work is done (rather than once the clock says I can leave), and having the flexibility to drop off my daughter at daycare or entertain one or both children for an hour while my wife goes to an appointment or gets some exercise. That’s going to change, and I’m not sure that I’m happy about it. But then again, maybe it’s the fact that I’ve gotten used to this “new normal,” and I’m resistant to changing again. Time for some self-reflection, more than will fit in this 500-word post anyway.
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A Beer a Day 
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