captainsblog | Something Slightly Resembling Normalcy

The week was full of fool's errands for work. On Monday, I did my first Skype call in place of an actual (although somewhat informal) court appearance. Thought it would be a simple connection, since both of my laptops have Skype preloaded and I figured it would link up the same way Zoom does. Erm, no: there's Skype Skype, and then there's Skype For Business, which requires a totally different download/install process. Once we got THAT figured out, it went reasonably well, as did the actual final Skyping For Business into the actual courtroom with the actual judge yesterday.

Tuesday involved quicker and simpler tech- a phone call-in for one client, an in-person appointment for two others. Then Wednesday, I had a client beg out on an appointment, so I said, I know! I'll go downtown and file some in-person stuff, and then head back over to the diner we were at Saturday to see if our friend needs any help, plus, yaknow, lunch! One, two, three strikes on my out: the court would not take my papers in person because, COVID; but they wouldn't even look at them to tell me if they looked okay. I guess the virus dies in the week it takes anything to get there through the mail. Then, I did manage to get something else done that another attorney in the office needed, but it took close to half an hour of me sitting there with nobody else to talk to and nothing to do (and this was one HE tried to mail in and they sent back saying we don't do that through the mail). Then the diner completed the strikeout: Bianca had already finished taking down her giant BLM tableau, and the diner itself, which we'd been outside of four days before, was now closed "out of an abundance of caution" because one of their employees had tested positive the week before. We're more worried for our friend, who was basically living in the joint while she worked, but she seems okay:)

There was even a fourth strike of sorts on that trip: I'd hoped to shoot a video of a billboard, the latest salvo in the Ballad of Cellino and Barnes- the continuuuuuing storrreeee of two Esq-uacks who've gone to the doghouse. Their long-litigated business divorce is now finally all settled, but they're in a state of semi-limbo while the final details get hammered out. Like who gets the magic number and the slogans and the jingles and the incoming calls, and what lawyers and clients go where. It's fascinating, watching them testing the boundaries of what they can and can't do. Both are advertising heavily on Bills radio broadcasts, without a hint of law practice in any of the ads. Ross is partnering with an SPCA and Thurman Thomas's foundation, while Steve is pushing some other charitable-sounding Thing. So as we were coming back from Larkinville on Saturday, we saw our first Barnesboard. It's one of those triptych-ish things that usually rotates between three different advertiser messages. This one, though, Steve's got all to himself. Literally. There's nothing on it except his glowing chromedome, on the right side of so many of their joint ads all these years- possibly even the same headshot. It starts at the traditional right side, then moves to the middle, and finally to the left where Ross's smiling bespectacled mug usually is- where it remains until it repeats. Not a word. Not a number. Just an impression. Which, I promise, will be repeated ad nauseum. I'd hoped to shoot a video of it on my way back from downtown, but the billboard was in a deathtrap spot on the 33 itself, and there were no vantages of it off the highway to photograph from that weren't blocked by buildings or trees. So you'll just have to picture it in your mind until another safer one pops up someplace else.

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All that bummering was balanced by getting to see my first indoor musical performance in over seven months that night. As mentioned previously, Sportsmens Tavern has gone from being a fairly pedestrian neighborhood pub to a beloved venue for local and touring musicians. With the restrictions on attendance (not much) and advertising (none allowed), it's hit places like this hard- so the musicians played for free and the $20 at the door went to the owners as a thank you (for the past) and a please (be there for the future).

Unfortunately, I continued my jinxing tradition right where I left off. Last October, saw Lake Street Dive at Asbury Hall: Rachael came out on a broken foot. December, same concert hall: Theresa Williams came out with a bum shoulder. And now this event: Dave Ruch who organized this thing? Fell off his bike before the show and broke his arm. The guitarist you see here is usually a bassist, but he filled in admirably; most of these musicians had never performed together before.

That's from the balcony, where I'd never been before; I was a late reserver, so got relegated, with social distancing being taken very seriously:

I had wings, so no cows were harmed during the performance that I know of.

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The next day was for Rochester appointments, which quickly turned into a singular stop; my afternoon one, which I'd planned the whole thing around, canceled at the last minute. She would have been high-maintenance anyway, so I shed no tears over not getting the gig. The past two nights, we finished the first season of the Canadian series Schitt's Creek, with alumni of SCTV and Chris Elliott in the lead roles but a bunch of very talented Canuckistanis we've mostly never seen before.

And speaking of SCTV alums, I'm now ready for my climactic scene with Rick Moranis's father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate!

It came Thursday night, along with a much-needed client payment, so The Search For More Money continues!

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That brings us to this Day in late September - on which, like the one 33 years ago today, we are celebrating a love that, we promised that day, would endure. For tonight, we have steak and lobster tails from Wegmans (103 years and going), desserts from a beloved local bakery (celebrating its centennial), and the fur and purrs of those who depend on us daily. It's been the most abnormal of years, but having something to celebrate adds a bit of it back.