Lisa Q. Mathews

We’re Gonna Zoom, Zoom, Zoom-a, ZOOM!

The other day I read a piece in the LA Times in which the writer advocated dressing up to Work From Home. Actually, he used the acronym WFH, which stumped me for a moment a two. (I kept reading it as WTH, which is something else entirely, also not to be confused with WTF). Anyway, he was outfit-shaming people for not looking “professional” enough for their virtual meetings—you know, wearing henleys and old college sweatshirts. What would happen, he argued, when these slobs had to go back to their physical offices, and dress up again?

 

During this virtual timeout—or, as NY Governor Andrew Cuomo calls it, “pause”–I, for one, am really enjoying seeing friends and colleagues and celebrities alike in their natural IRL habitats (yep, IRL = In Real Life—look how good I’m getting at these!).

It’s fun to see other people’s home offices and kitchens and pets. And I’m thrilled that most people I know aren’t going crazy with elaborate makeup or hairstyles or fashion choices. There’s a certain joy in connecting with others in a more real sense (with attention to good grooming and hygiene, of course). And no one is judging red, bleach-cracked hands and swollen allergy eyes (oops, noooo, don’t touch your face!).

 

Another thing that’s been great about remote interactions with video is that a lot more people are learning to be okay with incorporating a little more technology into their lives, even if they swore they wouldn’t ever, ever, never. True, as my editor says, not every meeting has to be a video meeting. But I’ve noticed that a lot of people who always claimed to be fearful of, or resistant to, new tech are willing to give it a try, and the formerly smug are being very helpful and patient as the newbies navigate the brave new world. Yeah, you can always find the jaded, snarky souls on Twitter, who make fun of the unfortunates like Potato Boss (a filter mishap) and poor Jennifer who used the powder room during a virtual office meeting (there’s also a funny recent SNL skit concerning that last one).

Anyhoo, we Chicks had our very first Zoom “meeting” (i.e. gab session) on Sat. Everyone looked gorgeous, BTW (yep, By The Way). We had quite a range of time zones, from New Hampshire to Hawaii, but we made it happen. For some of us, like me, it was our first Zoom experience, and—if I do say so—we (eventually) aced it! It was quite a thrill when we all popped into place on screen in the Brady Bunch tiles. As an added bonus, we got to meet a few spouses, pets, and kids—AND one of Marla’s chickens. (It’s either Molly or Dolly, she isn’t sure.) Here is a shot of all us together:

And here is one with Molly/Dolly (and without Vickie, who beamed out for a moment):

We Chicks can’t wait for our next “meeting,” so we can Zoom, Zoom, Zoom-a, Zoom! (You remember the TV show, right? Maybe the link will bring it back to you, LOL.)

Readers, what are you wearing? And how are you keeping in touch with (or hiding from) everyone?  

71 thoughts on “We’re Gonna Zoom, Zoom, Zoom-a, ZOOM!”

    1. When I went down Nostalgia Lane, i.e. the rabbit hole, looking for info on the TV show, I learned that some of the now grown-up original Zoomers are hosting new segments from home during the pandemic.

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  2. So glad you are embracing zoom. The world needs more chick chitchat sessions.

    My uniform is what I like to refer to as a Zoom mullet: professional looking blouse paired with sweat pants. Work on top, comfy on the bottom is something I could get used to!

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  3. It’s great that the Chicks are connecting online via Zoom. Not be careful about the security flaws…you don’t want to be zoom-bombed!

    And after a month at home, I am still wearing the same type of clothes I wore pre-pandemic. So fleece layer, t-shirt, regular thermal pants (yes, I need to wear this… it is -5C/20F this morning), regular NB running shoes/socks. Still very comfortable to wear without looking sloppy.

    Sweatpants have stayed in the closet for now.

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    2. It’s cold here in NH, too, Grace. Some of the Chicks shared their more tropical habitats to boost morale, not. And hey, if any hackers bomb our Zoom meetings, they’ll have to deal with Eggatha Chickstie.

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    3. My top layer is the only thing that’s changed–normally I’d have a work jacket (blazer, usually), but these days, it’s a thermal or terry jacket. Gotta say, I’m not hating it.

      And oh, that temperature, Grace!!!

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      1. Yes, we are being teased by Mother Nature here in Ottawa, Cynthia. One day in the 60s, and then a big chill. Tomorrow’s HIGH is forecasted to be 38F and rain mixed with snow! That’s why the fleece and thermal pants are still in my wardrobe.

        Hopeful though for the weekend when temperatures are supposed to reach the mid50s or even 60F. I could ditch the fleece and wear normal jeans at those temperatures!

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  4. Isn’t Zoom fun??? Except when it hiccups, which it seems to be doing a lot of from everyone using it.

    I’m totally against having to get dressed up to WFH (see? I can do it too!) I only have so much emotional bandwidth and trying to look professional right now is beyond my capabilities. I did, however, put on a little makeup the other day when I had a Facebook Live thing set up. First time in a month. It felt remarkably “normal” in these otherwise crazy times.

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    1. Zoom IS fun, Annette! I did wear my little Kate Spade typewriter earrings, lol, but they didn’t show up. And good use of the acronym there.

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    2. That was a fun Facebook Live!! You and Ellen are so brave to do that–and you both were great. It takes a little while to get the hang of watching those, too. I never know how much to write in the comments as an audience member.

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  5. I’m in my pjs until about 10:30am when I get my turn in the shower (yes, we have to have “turns”). After that, it’s leggings and still something warm because it’s a bit chilly.

    I had to put on jeans over the weekend for something and it was weird.

    I’ll do makeup and a professional “top” when I have a few online gatherings later this month, but count me in the “comfort” group in general.

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    1. This is absolutely awesome! I think I’m going to have to steal this. In fact, I will sing the 02134, just like on the show. (My actual zip is only a digit or so off, but what the heck, we’ll keep that Boston post office busy!)

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  7. I have Zoomed twice now, and I have to say I’m not impressed. The first time I kept getting kicked out. Finally gave up. The second time was better, but one of the speakers must have had a background filter on or something because the screen was very wonky. And his arms kept disappearing. It was very distracting. I say forget the filters and let us see the messy houses and chickens!

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  8. Our Chicks Zoom call was the highlight of my week/fortnight/month/longer! It was so good to see y’all–and meet Molly (or Dolly).

    I experienced a Zoom wardrobe gaffe recently. I had a telemedicine consultation with a new gastroenterologist and figured I’d be comfy and wear “real” clothes on my upper (a.k.a. visible) half and wear my worn-out plaid PJ bottoms on my lower hemisphere. (We were just going to be chatting, after all.) Everything was fine until the doc said, “This is the part where I’d do a physical examination, so if you could stand up and give me a look at your abdomen…” Cue me blushing furiously as I slowly rose to reveal the world’s worst pajamas. He was very kind and didn’t say a word about my, um, outfit (I was wearing a nice button-down blouse on top), but I was pretty embarrassed. Fortunately, it was fleeting feeling and I had a good laugh about it later. Now I wish I were ALSO a potato!!

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    2. Love this story, Kathy! I’ve been wondering how telemedicine consultations work. The overwhelming wave of the future, I’m sure. Thank you for the heads-up, because I’m quite positive I would have done the same!

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      1. The telemedicine thing was oh-so-handy (despite the embarrassment) and a great option since I was nervous about going in-person. (I’d had the appointment on the books for five months, so I wasn’t going to miss it!) The Pajama Incident was something that my MC would’ve done. My kids were mortified when I told them, which made it even funnier!

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    1. Zoom must be perfect for crit groups, Karen! I bet a lot of authors will adopt that format, even in normal times. Nobody can claim they couldn’t make the meeting due to bad traffic or running out of gas on the turnpike. Ditto book clubs, I’m sure (now everyone HAS to be prepared, lol).

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  10. I’m sitting here in my pajamas and a T-shirt, my work attire for the last month. But I’m be switching it to shorts and a T-shirt this week and temps finally hit spring before zooming on to summer by the weekend. I can’t wait!!!

    We aren’t doing video calls at work, so I’m not worried about it. I am using Zoom with my small group from church, which is nice. I’m really starting to miss interacting with humans.

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    1. Glad you came here to interact with us, Mark! Enjoy that nice insta-summer, sigh. The black flies are already buzzing around here, so I guess that means we will have spring soon. Hang in there!

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  12. Kathy, that’s hilarious … we learn something every day, eh?

    Loved our Chicks Zoom too, Lisa. I think it’s a great platform and I haven’t had much trouble accessing it. Skyping with my mom seemed much more difficult, but that’s what they use, so it’s fine … and sheesh … I get to Skype with my mom!

    Our SinC chapter here in CO started doing our book clubs via Zoom, which was great fun. My neighborhood book club did too, but I forgot and missed it! (I’m finally back to using my schedule again, so no more lapses.) And I listened in on a workshop from a CA SinC chapter, which wasn’t an option pre-virus.

    I’m not wild about the weird backgrounds you can use (if you actually pay to Zoom) because they are just herky-jerky green screens where people and body parts disappear. Like Marla, I find it completely distracting and unnecessary because I’m totally digging seeing news anchors’ houses. There’s a woman on our local news who broadcasts next to a long brick wall inside her house and I’m desperate to see the rest of it. It’s so unusual looking, the rest of the house must be cool too.

    Like I told my Chicks, though, I’ve been “self-isolating” since I began working from home in 1994. Comfy clothes, no make-up, very little contact with the outside world … SOP for me! (Lisa, that’s “standard operating procedure,” fyi.)

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    1. Ooo, a new acronym for my list! And Becky, I am also fascinated by news anchors’ houses (I went to a party at Hank Phillippi Ryan’s once, and hers was lovely, esp. her award-jammed office). I also tune in to Jimmy Fallon each night to hang out with his golden retriever and adorable little girls (very cool house, also).

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    2. So with you–love to see the backgrounds! Someday, someone will write a dissertation on how the backgrounds affect the content and delivery. 😉 Sometimes I find myself squinting to see who is in the photos in the background and completely missing what was said…

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      1. I was on 20/20 once and the producer staged my desk by putting my one book at the time front and center, which cracked me up. Like I’d have my desk arranged so I could easily gaze upon my own book all day long! So now, I always—ALWAYS—look to see the book titles/authors they’ve staged.

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      1. So true, Marla, lol! One of the Chicks’ kid was shy about saying hi to us onscreen because she hadn’t washed her hair. I was like, “Wait, we were supposed to wash our hair for this?”

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  13. The closest I get to work is Skyping to see the presenter’s screen and awful conference calling. My boys don’t do apple, so no FaceTime either. And Alexa show? They think Facebook spies on all convos. Millennials! Smh (see that Lisa!)
    But I am actually dressing up to telework. I’ve worn not only my usual comforts to telework, but I’ve worn a bra for the last week straight. So I am dressed up!

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    1. Ha, love it. That’s why you are Vicki Batman, Sassy Writer! I’ve seen tips on how to maximize one’s screen appearance, like setting a lamp to shine on your “best” side (how does one determine such a thing?).

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  15. Was so great to see everyone–very spirit-uplifting. I would love to do it at least once a month from here on out, even when things are more normal again. Maybe as a cocktail hour. Oops, I mean: business meeting. Ha.

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  16. I have to look up pretty much all of the acronyms, sigh…

    Our Zooming Chicks session was SO much fun! Especially when the real live chickens flew in! And our various beverages of choice really brought out the time difference–cocktails and wine for you East Coasters, morning coffee for me in Hawai’i.

    I had a FaceTime session last week with my 91-year-old mom that her assisted care facility did for us, but given that she’s pretty much blind from her macular degeneration, I think she liked the idea of it more than the actual process.

    I wonder if Mazda will bring back their “zoom, zoom, zoom” ad campaign….

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  18. I’ve been working from home for years, so I’m wearing the same old clothes as usual. Most of my go-out-to-work outfits don’t fit me anymore, alas. Our company has being doing Zoom meetings for several years, but lately we’ve been zooming with family, too, which has been great fun (not that I say much — I just watch the others interact and keep my fingers busy by crocheting). I hope we keep this up once we’re out in the world again.

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  19. For the most part, I love the ability to Zoom and connect with people virtually. We have had a few mishaps–difficulty screen sharing or people leaving their phones in awkward positions. Often, I need to “rename” myself since my username will show up as my hubby or one of the kids.

    (Oh yes, and the kids love those new filters. Their fave ones so far are emoji-heads, googly eyes, and virtual kittens.)

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    1. I’d love to do googly eyes! I somehow showed up as “test” so I was happy to change my name too. And we did have to collectively yell at Ellen to get her attention when she took a phone call during our chat but didn’t mute herself. And if you’ve never heard a Chicks Chorus, you’d have been mighty impressed with the noise!

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    2. Oh wow, virtual, googly-eyed kitties! That may be a little advanced for me, but I’ll work on it, lol. Cynthia, we might need an actual college professor for this.

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  20. I’m late to this party because after I saw our mayor, the mayor of America’s second largest city, Los Angeles, choke up last night as he announced the city would have to furlough thousands of its own employees, I took to bed and only just forced myself out. Love this, Lisa! So on point and fun. I have Zoom Room Envy. I won’t say more because it may be a follow-up blog post right here!

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    2. I know what you mean, Ellen. The Gov of CO is gay and Jewish and a reporter asked him to comment on the people who’ve been saying the stay-at-home orders are “just like Nazi Germany.” He got choked up explaining just how very different these two events actually are. It was a powerful moment you rarely see at a press conference.

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