Banter Bites

A Purr…fect Zoom Call

Tell it to the judge … I'm not a cat!

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red was used to Black sending her various business articles, but never expected one from MarketWatch with a clip of a Texas attorney who had a cat filter on during a virtual court hearing on Zoom.

The subject line of the email was the article title, Do not miss this: Texas 'cat lawyer' commits hilarious Zoom fail by keeping kitten filter on, but what really caught Red's attention was Black's opening line, "This is wonderful …" Normally, when Black sends a link to an article, especially if it's from a business publication, there's a fact-based opening line so Red saves them as a "brain break" for later in the day (or sometimes even later in the week). But this time, she was just too curious, especially as Black had also copied Red's daughters on the email.

The first time Red watched the video she smiled, and admits that she's kept it on her computer home screen so she could go back and watch it from time to time. But that was almost two weeks ago! So why would Red even remember it at this point? Let alone mention it to Black?

Because we have an assortment of Zoom meetings this week, and Red couldn't forget how much enjoyment she got from that Zoom mishap. It had taken her a while to get used to having virtual business meetings (Black had used Zoom even before the pandemic and now is trying to convince Red to do virtual speaking engagements) as she finds them somewhat impersonal. But now, we both realize that,

Zoom calls can result in some very unexpected, and memorable, situations. Made even better if they're captured on video!

This is one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites in large part because of Black’s “corny” puns, but also because fresh corn is a summer staple – whether cooked on the grill or in the microwave, whether eaten on its own or as a primary ingredient in refreshing summer salads


This may be one of the corniest things you’ll ever read.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It’s just a vegetable, so how can it possibly elicit such a strong reaction from Red, while, for Black, it’s more a source of amusement and even, it turns out, admiration?

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Think you can avoid artificial intelligence? Think again …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red already fights technology at every turn, preferring to keep her ostrich head in the sand, plus, she finds Artificial Intelligence (AI) scary; whereas Black knows ignoring reality merely postpones the inevitable, so she’s started playing with AI to understand it better …

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A man better known for his death than his life, although Red, the straight-A student and history lover, immediately thinks of the costly and controversial movie of his life. (Well, technically, it was the life of Cleopatra.) Black, of course, focuses on business – leadership lessons, including the power of words, although she surprises Red with some food trivia. But the fact July’s named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites …

Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.

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