Hello and welcome to the librarian is in the New York Public Library's podcast about books, culture, and what to read next. I'm Frank.

And I'm Rhonda. And we're both here. Yes, we are. Persisting. Yes, together and apart at the same

time. Yeah, I mean, I really miss that. Well, you know what?

I don't miss it, I miss it, but I think it's essential.

This is one-on-one facing another person and having a conversation.

I ran into a patron from the library the other day, like wandering around my neighborhood

because I live in the same

neighborhood as the library. And, you know, I didn't, I didn't expect it. But as I started talking to

them wearing masks six feet apart, I suddenly went into like hyperdrive of babble. Like I couldn't

stop talking. And I think I just, just suddenly clicked into missing talking to people. And I just found

myself talking like a crazy person. So I was really happy about it, but it was interesting. So

talking about books with you is so much different than, is so different's so different when you talk face to face than when

you do it like this, which is remotely. Yeah. I feel like it's going to be, you know,

New York is starting to slowly reopen now. So I wonder, you know, I want, like you didn't

really expect what that you're going to, you know, have all these things to say when you saw this person. What it's going to be like when we actually start kind of getting to see each other and talking to each other again? You know, I took my cat to the vet this past week. And it was so interesting because, you know, they took my cat and then I had to stand outside and talk to the vet on the phone.

So, yeah, so I couldn't go inside and we did the whole kind of thing on the phone while she had the cat.

And it's just kind of the way the world has changed and how we've kind of gotten used to it and what it's going to be like when we're able to really see each other and have conversations with each other, you know, face to face again.

It'll be nice.

And I've also just, I don't know, come to dislike very much the phrase the new normal.

I sort of don't like it.

And I don't, and I don't know why.

I think in a way because I resist the idea that there ever wasn't normal. That's a, yeah, that's interesting. Like this concept of

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