Welcome back for another week! I hope you all enjoyed a nice long Memorial Day weekend socially distanced with your close family and friends. By far the closest we’ve felt to “normal” in a couple of months. Our elementary school year is now officially over, so there’s no doubt the daily policing necessary in this household is about to get a lot more intense.
Quite overwhelming the reaction, response, feedback, and even questions to our reintroduction of GBQueue back into the blogosphere last week. Several comments and questions, many of which came from our alumni base. Speaking of alumni, be sure to check out the article I worked on with my man Jack Grote for the spring edition of the Alumni Network Newsletter.
A lot of folks wanted to know what was different at the firm this year during busy season. Aside from the obvious, we still managed to have a lot of fun. Yes, sticking to long-standing tradition, GBQ hosted an array of busy season teambuilding events, including Tax Olympics, a weekly series of games that require brainwork, skill, and dexterity. The games continued remotely after week #6 of course, once the work-from-home (WFH) order was put in place. IMO, the best I’ve seen was the initial request to submit pictures of your WFH workstation. While many submissions included the obvious (i.e., a beer, maybe a lawn chair on the patio, even a few makeshift desks), the hands-down winner to the contest was Chris Mast. Unfortunately, the “WFH Office Attire” challenge is another story for another day.
So here we are, two months of WFH (it might become a drinking game how many times I type “WFH” in this blog), over a month past the soft IRS deadline, a couple of months before the suggested deadline, and probably six months before what may be the actual deadline once this is all said and done.
Personally, I’m still treating life like busy season is over, but enjoying the fact the work doesn’t come to a screeching halt like it typically does for so many in our profession in other years. While the current situation delays golf season a bit, we never got to have our annual 4/15 party, not to mention that no one really has any vacation plans in the immediate future. The ultimate highlight of May so far was attending my first virtual BDO Alliance conference last week. Typically hosted in Las Vegas every May, I look forward to this trip every year. At least I can say I didn’t lose any money this year!
So, here is my question back to many of our followers: How many of you are having trouble getting your facial recognition to unlock your smartphone? Mine stopped working about a month ago, either a testament to how gnarly my hair is at the moment or the overall look of despair I’ve embodied without shaving. I’m blaming the haircut; it’s been over seven weeks, and I can’t remember the last time I looked like this. Certainly one of those moments I do actually envy Scott Runyan. No barbershop closure can keep that guy out of his phone.
Actually, even better, raise your hand if you’ve sat at your WFH makeshift office in the same clothes two days in a row. Matt Stamp, you can put your hand down, we’re aware. I will admit, I am wearing a sweatshirt right now that could potentially extend its own arms without me at this point, going on day #3.
The last thought I’ll leave you with for the week, and hopefully, this goes without saying, please support your local businesses, especially restaurants. With patios now open, there is potentially light at the end of the tunnel that life will get back to normal. Pick a couple of local favorites, parts of town that mean something to you. We had Mikey’s Late Night Slice delivered last week. But we’ve also ordered takeout from Plank’s, The Red Brick Tavern, and have been as loyal as ever to Donatos – all shout outs to my south end roots. I’d honestly give anything for those kettle chips at Bar 11 or a loaf of bread and three Milan Manhattan’s at Marcella’s!
