Throwback Thursday - Missing Friends

by Skip Cohen
 
These days you don't have to go back very far to find a memory-making moment that's perfect for sharing on a Throwback Thursday. This is just two years ago at Photoshop World in Orlando. It's at the Hyatt, and it's four great friends about to grab breakfast. That's Robert Vanelli, Levi Sim, me, and Dave Moser.

But there's more to today's post. For years I've written about the best thing in this industry: the friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft. Until the pandemic, while I wrote about it, like most of you, I never really appreciated all those "let's catch up" moments that happen at every convention. Plus, I've referred to myself as the industry's biggest lunch slut for years. Well, Moser's just an hour away, Vanelli two hours, and the last time I saw Levi was at WPPI last year. The pandemic has put a hold on all those moments...and I miss these knuckleheads along with dozens more of you.

The phone is excellent - Zoom is great - texting, email, Facebook are all great - but NOTHING BEATS THE REAL THING. A few months ago as a podcast guest, I was asked, "What do you miss most?" My answer, "Bumping into people, literally."

While there's light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine becoming more available, we still don't know when a level of normalcy will return. It's frustrating, but at the risk of sounding like the old fart that I am, we've got no choice but to keep our eye on the prize - all of us being able to be together again!

Happy Throwback Thursday!