A Good, Long Conversation

Throughout the pandemic I've tried to keep in contact with friends via different mechanisms. One of those venues is Slack, where one friend and I have gotten into this "habit" of sorts where we do some sort of video call (Slack, Zoom, etc.) that ends up lasting several hours. These come up every six weeks or so (in addition to more regular banter via Slack); not often enough to be burdensome, but often enough to be meaningful. Pre-pandemic, we had formed a similar pattern of meetups (though often only on an annual or semi-annual basis) in person as our paths crossed.

One such call took place in the last couple weeks, where we reached a new record: just shy of five hours in video call. And in totally fitting form, the 'long Minnesota goodbye' was interrupted by my device shutting down due to low battery. It was getting dark and time to eat anyway...

The exact topics of conversation (and wide ranging storytelling) are really irrelevant to the post, though totally relevant to the time and place, but the intent is the same: time to freely discuss whatever is (or has) been going on. Personal, tech, work, random trivia or experiences, etc.

I've come to really enjoy these periodic sessions, and they've been really refreshing for lots of different reasons. While the pandemic's grip is far from concluded, I am hopeful that this 'habit' will continue as we eventually return to our 'new normal.'

If you haven't had a chance to just find an out of the way spot and 'hang out' with an old friend, I would totally recommend it. Curious food for the soul these days.