I had only one thing of note on my docket today, and that was seeing a friend who knows me as Marian, but who also knows that Mario exists. It's always nice to get together with her, as I can talk about both sides of my life and yet, still be accepted for who I am. FYI, this woman and I met on a dating site. And though she is dating someone else, we have agreed to be friends and enjoy the friendship. It's nice to know that there are some people who accept anomalies such as me, and I am gladdened that this is the case.
My alarms were set for 9 am, and I had to get myself moving by 10, if I wanted to make it to New Paltz by 12:30. Given that I lollygagged a little, I texted my friend to tell her that I wouldn't be there until 1 pm, and that wasn't a problem. So I got dressed up as Marian (for the first time in several days) and made the drive North.
We decided to meet at the Clemson Brewing Company (formerly the Gilded Otter), and both of us arrived within minutes of each other. Although there were people in the restaurant, no one was within 25 feet of us, so we both felt relatively safe. We talked of conversations I had with a mutual acquaintance of ours, my trips to the city, her boyfriend, and of business in general. (Did I mention that one of her clients is a firm I once worked for?)
As most of us are painfully aware, the pandemic has affected businesses - some for the better, and some for the worst. My friend's business has been affected for the worst, and changes going on at my former firm have made it worse for her. Given her age, she is not yet ready to retire, and she is not in a position to jettison my old firm as a client. To make things worse, they are trying to turn independent contractors into employees of a captive contractor, so that they have more control over these people. In one sense, this is good - these formerly independent contractors will get benefits. However, it will gradually force them to jettison their other clients, and make them much more vulnerable to the whims of my old firm.
Sadly, this conversation had to end, as she had to relieve her ex of dog sitting duty. So we agreed to meet again soon, and I proceeded home for the evening....
