5.18.20: Vacation all I ever wanted, vacation had to get away
Plus weddings, the days ahead and hot dogs
May 18, 2020.
Good Monday Morning. I hope the weather near you was as nice as the weather near me was this weekend.
Can someone help me understand how it snowed the other day and now its 81 degrees?
No idea, friend. But I’m not asking any questions.
Many of you have also provided feedback that you enjoy reading the comments, as it helps add the nuance and context not always captured in the question and answer.
I really like reading the comments. I think it differs very substantially from comments you read elsewhere on the internet because they aren't baiting others to respond or not making asinine responses to each other. It is just people opening up to Tina. Not sure if this was an intended or unintended consequence, but it struck me while reading yesterday's comments and I wanted to share.
This is, of course, a testament to the wonderful community of users we have here. It’s why I’m so thankful for all of you. So keep the comments and feedback coming, and I’ll try to include more of them each day.
In the meantime, click on the Let’s Talk button to get started on this week’s questions.
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Results from May 17, 2020
Question 1: Are you planning on taking a summer vacation this year?
Over a third of our users are planning to travel this summer.
Though not personally traveling, one of our users is hosting a get-together, and I *believe* we’re all invited.
I'm not going on a summer vacation, but I do have people planning to visit me this summer. I live in a fairly tourist-y summer destination. I'm hoping they'll still be able to visit!
Question 2: How are you planning on getting to the destination of your vacation?
Nobody is traveling by boat, which disappointingly deprives me of another opportunity to include an “I’m on a boat” gif.
Some perspectives on flying:
I've been getting on planes for weeks and will continue to do so.
I had to fly this past week, to get back to my home state from where I had been sheltering. The people in the airport were neither angrier or happier than normal. In fact, everyone was muted. Over it. Everyone’s eyes were glazed over. It was a wild experience- not because they empty airports or masks, but because there was just plain apathy in the eyes of Americans. I don’t know what to think, should we open? Should we stay isolated? I don’t think it matters at this point. Americans are coming out of this apathetic and muted. This concerns me.
Question 3: Many Spring and Summer 2020 weddings are being postponed to later this year or next year. Would you feel comfortable attending a wedding this fall?
This question resonated with a number of you, including a couple of you who are planning your own weddings. (Congratulations!)
I have to say yes to the wedding question because my own wedding is scheduled for the fall and we're reallllllly hopeful that we won't have to change the format or postpone. That said, we would of course do whatever is necessary to make our guests feel comfortable if/when they do attend.
Weddings fall high on the priority list for most people, though.
Good news for brides and grooms. Bad news for dentists.
The wedding question was interesting. I said yes because I want to be there for my family and friend. I'm also finding it okay to see a few friends in our house here and there. However, my dentist is emailing me to come in for a cleaning and I'm like "no. not for a while". I think people will start to do things they care about as long as it doesn't affect others too much but still postpone things they deem non-essential to every day life. For me the things I care about is seeing people. (Note: I won't travel to the state my parents and grandparents are in. I'm only talking about healthy people who have had the virus or are comfortable putting themselves at risk.
Some are worried things may actually get *worse* in the fall…
Weddings are going to be very difficult this fall. I believe there will be significant financial consequences that are yet to be determined. In addition we will see continued positive cases and deaths until there is a successful vaccine that is broadly deployed. It appears that warm weather has an impact on the virus. Unfortunately people will get sloppy when restrictions are eased. I am concerned that the fall will see more cases and resulting impact.
And finally, perhaps a silver lining…?
I just applied for a marriage license. We can do everything online here in Virginia... which is nice. The hard part is going to be having everyone get on the Zoom wedding and stay muted... but hey, at least I don't have to worry about that uncle that gets too drunk at the wedding, amiright?
Question 4: Complete the sentence as best as you can. I believe the worst part of the coronavirus outbreak is...
More believe the worst is yet to come, but some also believe the power lies with the people.
If you listen to the epidemiologists and medical experts, the pandemic can definitely get worse in the fall and winter when it is also flu season. Also, with many states reopening now while their infection curve is going up, the chances of the pandemic winding down are reduced.
Our governor needs to open the small businesses and get our state back on track ASAP!
In regard to coronavirus, I believe the worst is already behind us BUT the worst will be yet to come if we ease up on our social distancing measures as it could undue the progress made over the last several weeks and start up a second wave of infections.
So, in the words of Taylor Swift…
(“Are we out of the woods yet?”)
Question 5: Is a hot dog a sandwich?
I love this question because it has absolutely no bearing on anything, and yet people have these well-reasoned arguments about why a hot dog is or is not sandwich. Buckle up for this one, folks.
Really, throwing out the hot-dog sandwich debate on a Friday. Bold strategy cotton, we'll see how that pays off. Can't wait to see what fools say it's a sandwich.
Shots fired.
A hot dog alone (aka just the meat) is not a sandwich. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of a sandwich is: "two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between." A hot dog *on a hot dog bun* (a split roll) fulfills the requirements to be a sandwich. I'm guessing the question was referring to a hot dog on a bun, so yes, it is a sandwich.
Did you just break out a… dictionary?
While a hot dog is TECHNICALLY a “sandwich”—in the sense that it consists of meat (sorta), toppings, and condiments on a roll—calling it a sandwich just feels plain wrong, like calling a tomato a “fruit,” or calling EDM “music,” or calling Donald Trump a “president.”
Come on! Don’t make the hot dog debate political.
I find myself to be a "structure purist" when it comes to sandwiches, but not the way it's typically described. While some would say a pure sandwich constitutes container (bread) on two separate sides that don't touch, I believe a true purist would say the container has to be on top and bottom, but MAY touch, as with a sub roll that is not cut all the way through. Given this distinction, a hot dog is not a sandwich, as the container is left/right oriented, not top/bottom. It is closer to a taco than a sandwich.
A “structure purist”? I mean, really. What are we even doing here?
(This user is referring to The Sandwich Alignment Chart, which is what happens when people on the internet have too much time on their hands.)
Question 6: On a scale of 0 (the worst) to 10 (the best), how are you feeling overall?
The Sentiment Index is continuing to trend up!
The average is now 7.2, a +0.1 increase over last week.
Make it all the way through but forget to answer today’s questions?
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Today’s title reference: “Vacation” by The Go Gos