If you have ever eaten with a millennial, ever been in a restaurant while a millennial was eating at another table, or have ever been in any public space where millennials and food were coexisting you know: no one is eating shit, until the millennials finish taking pictures!
I’m pretty sure that my mother would have considered that “playing with your food,” and taken away my meal.
I never understood this trend. As a kid in the 1970’s it would never have occurred to me to take a picture of my food. My camera at the time had ACTUAL film in it and each picture had to be paid for to be developed. Film at the time came in rolls of 12, 24 or 36 pictures. Always value-conscience, I bought the 36 meaning it often took months to finish a roll. And when the roll was finally done, I had to get into town to drop the film off at a locally owned pharmacy.
Then go back in a week to pick them up!
It was common when we got our pictures back to be surprised at what was on the roll; having forgotten over the months since we first took the pictures.
The point is, if I had ever had the thought “I should really honor those mashed potatoes for all time with a photographic expression of their beauty,” by the time I actually saw my picture six-months later, the only thing I’d be thinking would be “why the fuck did I take a picture of Aunt Fannie’s plate?”
My father Billy would have never accepted “It’s Insta-worthy!” as an excuse for anything!
No surprise that when confronted with the food-picture craze, the person raised in that environment would have repeatedly asked his daughter, “Panda, why do you need ANOTHER picture of a hamburger?” (While inside thinking “I’m raising an idiot!”)
Well....who’s the idiot now?
I spent the weekend in Columbus with my Buckeye! And nothing has changed since she was nine-years-old: still snapping pictures of her food!
“It’s a hamburger! It doesn’t need to have its portrait taken.” I said, trying to eat my meal.
Turns out I was wrong!
A meal for me, was a meal-ticket for Buck!
We spent the weekend going to restaurants, ordering big spreads of free food (except when it was my turn to pay) while snapping pictures of it all.
That’s a job now, she explained! She was getting paid (and fed) by some food-delivery service to update their online photos.
That sure beat my college job: sweeping floors and delivering paint for my father in my family’s Bronx, New York paint store! I know why she didn’t want to take them over from me: we didn’t eat well enough in the stores to get any good pictures!
Who needs pictures showcasing 30 years of sandwiches on a desk?
These days I’m spending most of my time working on the bookkeeping necessary in closing down Tremont Paint. Meetings with lawyers (today) accountant (tomorrow) consume a week that I was hoping to take off.
When I do get any free time, I’m mostly spending it thinking about the view from office 2609: home of the newly minted “Strategic Counselor” for Benjamin Moore. I’m in the procurement section of the building. Poor guys drew the short straw I guess? They are tasked with “being nice to the new guy!”
I hope they know that with me, teasing equals affection. Otherwise I’ll be sent to Finance!
As I make this transition, there is one thing I’ve wanted to mention to you. Over the next few months, I’m going to be responsible for a lot more content made for independent retailers.
Content made possible because of sponsorships. And so I felt like I wanted to address that.
As that content gets closer to reality, I’ll explain to you what I’m doing and I will be clear about the financial arrangements that make what you see possible. That’s in spirit with new laws as well as just appropriate in this circumstance. Some of that work may develop behind the password on the Benjamin Moore dealer portal, some on LinkedIn or Facebook and possibly some other mediums as well. In all mediums, sponsored work will always be clearly marked as such.
But this blog on this site though will always be just me. This blog is just my diary and I write it alone with no input from anyone else. It is not sponsored nor will it ever be. Just the rantings of a paint madman!
I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences from my new man cave (pictures to come soon)! Don’t worry Dan, I won’t share the Aura formula!
Despite my plans to take a week off to kick around the house, I am forced to do a little work this week: Tremont is not going to close itself! I’m still sending out lots of checks and statements, signing tax documents and getting calls from customers. I am trying to get them as smooth of a transition as I can to their new caretakers.
And I still don’t have a car (Tremont owned mine).
Despite the workload, MOSTLY the plan this week remains to try and rest my legs after running in the 32-year paint dealer marathon! Make some time to hike and sleep late. Maybe entertain you guys a bit.
Mostly though, I am just trying to make space in my head to think about what I’ve just accomplished and enjoy this experience and transition. It’s the only time in my life I’ll ever go through something like this and I don’t want to miss any of the details.
Thank you to the (very) large number of you who have emailed and texted your support. It really means a lot to me! Feel free to keep it coming! Just don't ask me about my Yankees. I'm not ready to talk about it yet.