Tag: News 8 local sales

My Current Situation Part IX

It’s the season of what we like to call “Fall” in New England.  The days are short, the air is brisk and the leaves are “falling” from the trees.   I happen to like this season because the temperatures in Connecticut tend not to be too extreme plus it’s a great time to enjoy backyard bonfires.

 

 

It’s also cold and flu season so I scheduled my flu shot this coming week at my place of employment.  I was advised by my Primary Care Physician to get the Shingles shot this year which by the way comes in two separate doses.  I’m well over 50 but for some reason was advised to take care of it this year.  Our local pharmacy (Walgreens) made it real simple for me.

 

 

The drawn-out Covid pandemic (which could easily turn into a “Twindemic” with the upcoming Flu season upon us) is still causing me to pause as to what activities I should or should not participate in.  For instance, I went to see Erykah Badu a few weeks ago at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, CT because the people in charge were asking all attendees to be fully vaccinated and wear their masks.  However, I skipped going to an outdoor festival in Hamden, CT because there would be children there under the age of 12 who, at this time, cannot be vaccinated.   Decisions, decisions…

 

 

And as far as work goes I am currently in month 15 of working hybrid for the News 8 local sales department and I’m not mad about it (smile).  You see I enjoy working from home every other day because it keeps me in the practice of dressing up to go into work in the first place (smile).  I am forced to put on a nice dress or blouse and skirt every other day.  Otherwise I would just live in yoga pants and baseball caps (double smile).

 

 

I also get to touch base with my fav co-workers and experience a change of scenery from the home decor.  But working from home also has its perks:  those aforementioned yoga pants and baseball caps, no commute, noontime walks and healthy lunches.  Truth be told I actually work harder when I’m working from home as I still get up at the same time every day but on those days can begin at least an hour earlier, multi-task at lunchtime and end whenever I feel like it (after quitting time) since I’m already home.

 

 

Being a true fan of  Social Media, I am noticing more and more posts of people in general spending quality time with their families and their friends.  In my opinion the notion of Family is back in a Big Way and it is very apparent.  If nothing else comes from this pandemic, it will have shown us that Family and Relationships are truly what we all have been missing.

 

 

TVFL readers, have a Great Week.

 

 

My Current Situation Part VIII

There was a small window in time at some point in July of 2021 where life was beginning to feel a little normal, albeit, the “new normal,” as masks were flung off, dressy outfits were put back on and baseball caps were sent back to the ball field.

 

 

Then along came Delta, it sounds like a movie but instead it’s the name of the new variant that is quickly turning our everyday lives into a mini nightmare.  The medical doctor on the last news segment I watched explained that even if you are fully vaccinated, you can still catch and/or transmit the COVID virus –  Yikes!  It’s no wonder that it’s spreading like wildfire.

 

 

And now the Connecticut Department of Public Health recommends that all state residents go back to wearing masks inside public buildings.

 

 

Yes.  Again…Wait, Really?!?

 

 

So as of today, me and my fellow News 8 Account Executives continue to work (masked up outside our cubicles) in the same hybrid fashion we started about 14 months ago.  Call me crazy but I happen to like working 50 percent from home and 50 percent from the office.  I have even created a cozy home office in one corner of my dining room that easily fits my desk, office supplies, desktop computer, office chair, printer and work files.  I can’t lie: I’m not looking forward to going back to work in the office 100 percent of the time.  Especially since I’ll have to face those crazy, unhinged drivers every day as opposed to just half the week.

 

 

Being the Optimist that I am though, I take a deep breath and remember what I am truly grateful for: I am truly grateful that me, my family and my loved ones are all healthy, fully vaccinated and presently living Covid- free lives.

 

 

And I certainly hope the same for all of my TVFL readers.

 

 

 

My Current Situation Part IV

The season of Fall happened about 3 weeks ago in the state of Connecticut and with it comes decreasing temperatures, lots of fallen leaves on the ground, dark skies and squirrels running amok.   Soon I will be packing up my golf clubs in advance of the next season:  Winter.  But for now I am still managing to hit golf balls despite the broken twigs, crispy leaves and tree debris.

 

 

Fall for me also means it’s time to head back to the kitchen.  Anyone who knows me knows cooking is not my thing however I do enjoy cooking when Autumn arrives…

 

 

We have also finally entered Phase 3 in the state of Connecticut which means that restaurants can serve folks indoors at 75% instead of 50%  capacity…

 

 

personal services, hair salons, barber shops and nail salons can also operate at 75% percent capacity, indoor performing art venues at 50% capacity, and churches and other places of worship can have 50% capacity, capped at 200 people.  All, of course, with masks and social distancing…

 

 

Working hybrid continues for me and my colleagues on the News 8 sales team.  What this means is we are split into 2 teams and half the team works from the office on one day and the other half of the team works from the office on the following day.  The managers all go into the office each and every day.  It has been like this since mid-March when Covid 19 totally changed our world.

 

On every other day

 

The Presidential election is quite literally right around the corner so I encourage everyone to exercise their right to vote.   It’s more critical now more than ever…

 

 

My Current Situation – Part II

About 3 1/2 months ago (mid-March 2020) CO19 happened and turned my world inside out and upside down.

 

 

To try and sort everything out, I blogged about the unfolding of these unusual events in My Current Situation: My current situation…

 

 

Here’s where I’m at today:  during the first 10 weeks of Covid 19 me and my fellow Account Executives in the News 8 local sales department were asked to work 100% of the time from home on our laptop computers.   Daily zoom sales meetings and zoom  calls with our clients and prospective clients became the the new norm.  To make it work at home, my dining room quickly became my new office, the table now completely covered with client files and client notebooks.  Lucky for me I already owned a computer desk and office chair and now it was finally getting full use.  At the office I was used to working  off of dual monitors so to simulate this I connected my Dell home computer monitor to my HP work computer and as luck would have it, they were compatible (smile).

 

 

When Week 11arrived we Account Executives were told we were heading back to work but in a checkerboard fashion.  Meaning that we were to be split into two teams.  Team  A would go into work the first week back  on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and work from home on Tuesday and Thursday and Team B would do the complete opposite.  In this way only half the staff would be in the office on any given day.   We still were not sure how long this new arrangement would go on but as it turned out for me it worked out just fine (smile).   I’m happy because I get the best of both worlds: a break from the monotony of working from home 100 percent of the time and the chance to get out of the house, work in my familiar cubicle and connect face to face with my co-workers (smile).

 

 

I’m not gonna lie:  Being back in my cubicle was strange that first week back because in this new Covid world we now had to wear face masks and practice social distancing.  No more water cooler chit chat (smile).  Plus we did not have access to certain areas or departments in the TV station as they were now considered off limits…

 

 

And sanitizer seemed to be everywhere so my hands felt like they were in a perpetual state of dryness.

 

 

But the best part of week 11 was that we entered phase II of back to normalcy in the state of Connecticut.  In this phase Hair and Nail Salons were now allowed to open back up.  Yay!  Finally some relief for my neglected head of hair and bitten down nails.

 

 

Also my gym I love kickboxing opened back up – so I had to quickly get used to working out real hard again (smile).

 

 

During phase II I was also able to go back to my favorite dentist in North Haven to get my teeth cleaned.

 

 

But phase II did not include vacations (at least not in our world).  Vacations for now were a distant memory…we are not looking to fly anywhere for a long while nor were we even remotely interested in taking super long car trips so Staycations in Connecticut were going to become our new option.

 

 

Here’s what I think:  suddenly in this CO19 world the little things that we used to take for granted have become big things…spending quality time with family members, heading to a performance at a live theater or concert hall, meeting up with my girlfriends for dinner, etc.

 

 

But despite everything I still commit to remaining positive, optimistic and focused as we are truly all in this together.  And because of that, I choose to wear my mask in public.