On Saturday, I drove down to Charlotte for the afternoon. This is not a normal day trip for me, but I had reason to do so. One of the people I’ve met through my business and with whom I speak on an almost weekly basis was visiting and it was a chance to shake his hand. Since a face-to-face connection is a deeper connection than a digital one, I made the drive to the Queen City.

I still find it amusing that no one is exactly the height that you expect based on video conferences. Camera angles can do weird things. Every time I meet someone in person after meeting them through a video screen this happens, a reminder that what is mediated through the screen doesn’t necessarily accord with reality. Sadly that can be true of much more important things than how tall someone is.

We walked around the neighborhood where I used to live and discussed business and football and why certain parts of the country are superior to others as we stopped for food and drink at a couple of places. It was jolting how much new construction there has been since I moved from Charlotte during the pandemic. It is still the same city in many ways, but there was more happening on Saturday than I remember. Of course, it was around 80 degrees at the end of September so there was ample reason to be out and about.

During dinner at the food hall that I consider the best in the state (and at which my companion still opted for a hamburger and fries instead of any of the myriad regional and global offerings), we came up with a few possibilities for new ventures. I’m excited about some of them and exploring them in the coming weeks will give me a break from the increased busyness that has finally come to the law firm.