The Quagmire of Quarantining, a pandemic post, Volume 1

Note: this post was mostly written last April when the pandemic was just beginning. I have always planned to chronicle my experiences during this period in our lives, but life and all my projects always seemed to get in the way. Not that I have more time now, but I strongly feel a very positive change in the winds, and that if I don't write and remember now, I will have missed a chance. 

Vaccine #1! March 17th, Pfizer. PA Convention Center

April 17, 2020: Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Quarantine. Darling? Yes or no? It sucks, but it may be saving our lives, so yes like a true darling of a relationship we have our ups and downs, but we'd have it no other way. So, if we embrace it and try to make the best of it, maybe it's transformative in a good way. That has become my approach anyway. The "Quagmire"? It is for me the boredom and loneliness that comes with the damn thing. Naturally social humans, of which I am usually one, crave the interaction of being with friends, family and new acquaintances. Replacing that with Zoom meetings during the daytime has helped a bit, but once night time falls, ugh. TV makes me feel lethargic and unproductive, and after sunset my brain doesn't feel like tackling work related writing and organizing, I need to go to an event, or go see live music or hang at a restaurant, or just be with my family. So what do I do instead? Eat? Sometimes. Take a walk? Yep. Go to sleep early and wake up at 4a, ready for work, like I am now? Very often. I have never been a creature of habit, so I will continue to mix it up.

What's going on with YOU? I'd love to hear, comment at the bottom, or on one of the social media vehicles I will share this post on. How do you like Zoom? Are you eating more or less? Are you getting plenty of outside time, with plenty of social D? What have you discovered? About yourself, about the world, about your inner circle and others? I'm going to share what has been happening on my work and volunteering fronts (which blend together during corona-times), and if I haven't bored you yet, read on and give me a chance!

Mystery event #1. First to email me the name of this event and venue wins a drop off dinner for two!

Catering & Venue Solutions. It's what I do, so it was only right to name my consulting/sales business this plain but descriptive moniker. Found at www.cateringandvenuesolutions.com, I still do what I have been refining since 2008, helping my corporate and social clients find the best catering and venue solution to suit their style, cuisine and budget. Within that context, many other opportunities arise that I will often pursue if they make sense, and I feel I can be of help to my client.

Mystery event venue #2. Win  a delivered lunch for up to 4! First email wins.

How do I pursue my business now? No events to book, at least not with 100% confidence of it happening. I have spent a whole bunch of time figuring out ways to meet new people and deepen existing relationships, mostly via the wonderful Zoom app. I was at first not a fan, but some sessions with organizations that have great experience with it, AND involve their attendees, rather than just lecture for an hour or more, have won me over. A nod here to Jay and Taz at Centricity, the Zen Masters of Zoom, in my opinion. My calendar has included some of the following Zoom (and  few other formats) meeting topics/groups: business networking tools and practices with Centricity; a Salesforce seminar on resiliency with Mark Cuban; mushroom growing with Cohere; City of Philadelphia Anti-Hunger Coalition call; DC Events Industry call for mutual assistance; State Senator call about government resources during corona; ILEA session on helping each other though all this and many more. The best single piece of advice so far was from Mark Cuban, when asked by a sales person what she should be doing now, he explained that now was not the time to sell, now is the time to care, to deepen relationships. to help others and to grow your network with zero thought about monetizing. 

Quiz #3. Email me the name of the event and the guy in the middle and you get dinner for 2!

March 19, 2021: I had completely forgot that I had written this until I woke up at 4am (still doing that) and thought that the time had come to jump back into the blog. So here we are. A year later. I'll give you some of my highlights of the past year for me, and hopefully I'll have the perserverance to come back and write more in depth.

Covid pivoting. My two new major life changing initiatives have been the decision to pursue the commercial real estate business (specializing in hospitality) and the immersal in the world of helping to feed the less fortunate. Why real estate? Well our beloved events industry had been dealt a devastating blow by covid, and my amazing niece Anne and nephew Jordan are very successful real estate developers and convinced me all my connections would help me succeed. Important note, I have NOT given up on catering and events and have some really cool projects and initiatives in the works. And the world of helping others? It kind of organically happened as I had started doing some of this work the prior summer, and people and situations kept calling me to do more and more. I have to acknowledge my elementary school classmate Beverly who was most instrumental in bringing me into this world. I hadn't seen her since 1971, when my family moved to California. Thanks to a reunion we held in March of 2019, I have been blessed by the reconnection with many of my Masterman classmates, and after 50 years it has been amazing to see them and share our journeys.

Next covid pivot. Producing press conferences for Philly's infamous venue?

Think I'll wrap it here, they always say to not make these blogs too long, and leave them wanting more. Lots of great stories to tell. I honestly have had a great year and I feel bad saying so, as that has not been the case for many. Please comment and reach out to me as I want to hear about your year. My personal email is harryspivak@gmail.com. If you want to talk real estate, catering or get involved in the world of feeding the less fortunate, you know where to find me.

Love,

Harry