Geekin' Out

Some Things Never Change

2012-01-22T14:41:00.002-06:00

Some things Never change
The first week of work back of 2012 I grabbed lunch with my boss and a colleague I've known since the end of my internship that does some contract for us. It was funny - we had a very similar lunch probably two years prior after finishing a project. Oddly enough, over the course of the week a lot of the same topics and difficulties that came up 2 years ago on that project are still topics we deal with today (AD, LDAP, DMZ's, etc... ). I mentioned to my boss that I remembered very clearly him looking at me and going "You don't seem like you're going to be here forever" at that lunch two years ago. It was kind of alarming at the time but not in a bad way (more of a "holy shit he can tell!" kind of way). His response this time around? "I didn't mean that in any sort of negative way! I wouldn't have hired you twice if I did! Just seems like you're more of an individual than the consulting path would support, not that you couldn't be successful there..."

Sharepoint, and how it started in my internship
On the note of how some things never changed... SharePoint actually started my internship. I was working on an asset that had been built on some beta version of SP that had been rolled out and handed off to a different area of the company - my job was to get the "current install" up and running in house and then make some suggestions and improvements for a Web 2.0 version. Surprisingly, SharePoint and the custom install were complicated enough and the documentation was so poor that I didn't actually get it working by the end of the summer.

Somehow now, I can't escape SharePoint (not exactly a complaint, but just hilarious that I never really want to brand myself as a "SharePoint Administrator", but I'm totally ok being one in this position). SharePoint always will be on my resume as experience but probably not as a listed skill - it's a thing I know how to do, not the thing I want to do forever and ever. This comes after a handful of internal projects that required customizing SP styling/CSS (barf, seriously, MS obscures a lot of their themeing more than is really necessary, or at least it was in SP2007) and writing some jQuery on top of SP, and over a year gathering requirements for SP at a major client. Even my internship in Healthcare involved setting up a SP site for the team (asking a really simple question week 1 showed I had more experience than most of the team) but inherited a relatively locked down site.

I really hope this is just me and not another "most women" or "most women in tech" thing
Every once in a while, when people seek me out, I get this feeling of "Oh shit what did I do". I would say of the 5 times I can remember having this feeling over the last few years, the seeker was actually looking for me to give a "Hey good job"

GIS
One of the new projects at work involves some (fairly rudimentary, apparently) GIS data - while I won't directly be doing the work, it was interesting to go "How hard is it to update Legislative districts for our CRM data" vs "How much will it cost us, or is there somewhere we can get it for free/cheap because we are a non-profit?" Brain expanding for the win!

On the Interview
I was reminded the other day of walking in for my first interview at the new gig. Getting the interview was, again, somewhat serendipitous. I'd just gotten an offer at a small consulting firm in the city for a position that paid more than my travel consulting gig but was basically the same as the new gig I had at the old company, but with the possibility of needing to spend up to two hours in a not-currently-owned car to get to potential clients (barf, I'd rather get paid to fly to a new city). I sent a facebook message to the (now) boss because he knew me, the old gig, and the company the offer was with. We ended up having a phone call while I was in a cab to the airport to fly back to Kentucky for a bachelorette party.

He talked through the options... a) stay where you are, b) go to this new company and the pro's and cons of each. After that, option C was dropped "Come work for me at the non profit". I contacted my PM for the client gig while I was at the airport to fly in Monday night rather than Monday morning so I could go in to interview (or maybe there was a week in between the phone call and the interview, but either way, it was a short time period).

So I end up walking in to this non-profit Monday morning, towing my suitcase and my computer as I was heading to the airport right after the interview. The elevator doors open directly in to the office, and the space is really nice. It's warm and welcoming and neatly designed. Essentially, in the 2 minutes I was waiting in the lobby for the boss to come out, I had this sense of "Yes, I want to work here". And the rest is history!

Beyond the practically immediate sense of wanting to belong there, I also got a sense that everyone at work feels very familiar. I've come to realize several of us have random connections we sorted out through Facebook, or that we hang out in the same bars, but beyond that, I think there's a sense of "kindred spirits". Maybe it's just good people working for a good cause, or a sense of community that resembles one of the University YMCA from college. Who knows.

Lots more to write about, but in the interest of blogging SOMETHING I'll hit publish now and start a draft with the rest of the topics for later, lots of things brewing in my head.

Invent Your Future

2012-01-12T23:02:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to Slate/The Hive's "Invent Your Future" panel sponsored by Liberty Mutual's Responsibility Project. I was first interested because Stephanie Izard was on the panel, but the rest of the panel proved to be very impressive (moderator David Plotz, Dominique Raccah, Kevin Willer, and Sherman Wright). Murphy Auditorium was a beautiful location for a compelling talk.

David started the talk off with advice from the online forums which he introduced as scary - "Anyone who expects to launch an entrepreneurial career should expect to be single". This was later refuted by all the panelists. Many said it takes 2 to be an entrepreneur but it is a lifestyle choice - balance is super important, and you will lose what you don't value. If what you value is work, then family and people close to you will be lost. The gist in a lot of cases was that having a spouse/partner forced them to find balance and reminds you to take time to take care of yourself and things outside of your work.

The type of person it takes to be an entrepreneur
Risk Taker, Crazy, Someone who doesn't play it safe, Willing to go for it, someone who runs through walls, patience, persistence, inner confidence.

One of the discussion points was that in tough economic times, even big companies are finding their "entrepreneurial soul". (Which is interesting and reminds me of prior conversations I'd had about how public companies responsible for quarterly results are often stifled when it comes to real innovation. Innovation doesn't necessarily happen on a quarterly basis.)

As an entrepreneur, you have to drive yourself beyond your own boundaries. The discussion then lead to whether you become someone different or if you just find out who you really are, but it forces you to understand your person, and not just your profession.

On leadership
Stephanie talked about having employees older than her, still having to make decisions for them, and being humble enough to ask questions. This resonated with me for sure (Stephanie started her first restaurant at 27, so it's not really surprising her experience would strike close to home for me. As a relatively young manager, finding my own leadership style especially with direct reports that are older than me is going to be a journey. Most of the candidates we're interviewing have 15-20 years of experience.) The discussion went on to say a skill for entrepreneurship is people skills - managing staff, finding your style, and learning how to be a friend and boss, as well as servant leadership - "What can I do to better serve the people working for me", especially where people are buying in to your dream.

Investment and Social Capital
"What have you invested in yourself?" "What skin do you have in the game?"
- Taking someone to court is not an efficient use of capital.
It's a good idea to go into an entrepreneurial venture when your risk profile is low (kids, spouse, house, etc). The recession is good for entrepreneurship because in a lot of cases people can't find a "safe enough" option - the one option some people have is to pursue that idea that's been pestering them for a while. Today entrepreneurship has more social capital - it used to be a thing that was sort of shunned, but today it's cool, and it's never too late (McDonalds at 56, KFC at 70). "When you're younger it's fun to be irresponsible".

On giving back
Again, another section that resonated with me, being interested in Social Justice and working for a non-profit. Entrepreneurs give back - whether it's information, capital, connections, places to live, or just creating jobs.
One thing was said that I thought was interesting in the imagery that both mean the same things and leads to something cyclical "Paying it forward, giving it back". Stephanie commented on the additional social responsibility from having been on TV and the extra publicity/role model status it brings - spreading the story of her success has become important.

On Mistakes
- Panelists were glad to have made mistakes to learn from them because it helps build future successes. Having partners that love doing where your own skills may be weak is important.
- One mistake was growing too fast. It's important to invest back in the business, to have and know the health metrics of your organization. If the gas is full but the oil light is on, you may not last long.
- Doing the obvious sometimes would have been beneficial - ie small steps to give you the knowledge of the industry if you dont have prior experience but have the passion.
- At some point hiring really smart people isn't enough. You need smart people with a history of getting stuff done.

A couple of cool organizations that were mentioned at the talks:
Code Academy - for skilling up the workforce in programming
Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center
Built In Chicago
i.c.stars - ok so this one wasn't mentioned but it seems like it fits in here.

... And I'll have to get to the audience Q&A later, along with some notes on talking to Kevin Willer and a few more of my own reflections in a Part II. This is long and I am tired.

Another Year Begins

2012-01-02T13:49:00.001-06:00

So I guess I'm not migrating this blog (yet, anyway). If I'm going to move to Wordpress, or wherever, I feel like I need to actually look into setting it up correctly on a server and not just the free hosted version.... and frankly, my brain doesn't want to deal with that now. So you may just have to deal with the ugly layout here for a while. Sorry.

This is going to be a more personal post (and even then, not as personal as it could be) than I expect most posts to get - but this year definitely threw me some curve balls, and after Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing I sort of feel like I need to talk about what this year was like for me... both personally and professionally because in my life the two are fairly intertwined.

On 2011...
(Breakups...)
I can't say I'm sad to see 2011 closed out. 2011... was a ride, let's just say that.
2011 was the most stressful and most emotionally intense year of my post-college adult life (granted, that's like all of 4 years...)

March brought breakup emotional hell, exactly at the time I stopped traveling for work for what ended up being 3 months so there was no escape from the emotional shitstorm. (However, rather than "3 months at home" this was "you might need to travel next week"... for 3 months straight.) I lost 10 pounds (at least) without realizing it... apparently I don't eat when I'm stressed out. Without really going in to details here, suffice to say that set the tone of the year and took up a lot of my emotional and mental capacity.

It's not all bad though. I hadn't been single in 6 years for more than a month at a time, so it was definitely an experience (seriously, I couldn't legally drink the last time I was single for any extended period of time!) Sorting out myself as an adult in the real world was probably a good thing. Nashville and the volunteer trip to United Cerebral Palsy to build wheelchair ramps served as a trip in self reflection (somehow, out of 4 trips to UCP, 3 of them marked some major life event or pivot for me). I got an amazing trip to San Francisco in, and a handful of crazy trips to Champaign. Because of the breakup, I did get a lot closer to some fantastic female friends in the city and launched in to a ridiculous habit of dancing until 4am and ridiculous weekends full of Karaoke. Seriously, my friends are amazing and I'm so so so grateful for their support, encouragement, and the ridiculous shenanigans we get ourselves in to (both those friends local and those far away, you all rock!)

(Work)...
2011 was interesting for me work-wise. I was working at a client at work that was interesting and that I was good at, but somehow it wasn't enough for me. And the work never seemed to be scoped correctly, so I was usually doing the work of 2 or 3 people. That's in addition to traveling 4 days a week, since October 2010 (minus those 3 months mentioned earlier) - you barely get time to breathe and hang out with friends or just relax, let alone sorting out what "newly single" or "mid to late 20s and single" means. My project team was cool, the client was cool, the work was interesting, I was being recognized for busting ass... but ultimately not something sustainable for me (nor desirable).

This basically led to me being so stressed (and burnt out) that I got shingles. Seriously?! Shingles is an old persons disease, right? Shingles is definitely triggered by stress... not surprisingly, several of my friends in their 20s have also experienced the unpleasantness.

In the week between first having shingles symptoms and actually getting it looked at, it was announced that my work group would be closing in Chicago. Options included : move to San Jose, switch groups and stay in Chicago, or start looking for new opportunities. The way this all was handled was terrible, cut off the community that was keeping me to the job - I've ranted more about this than I care too, and it's still pretty touchy. But again, emotional wreckage and stress added on to (already) being stressed about the day to day work I was accountable for... it pretty much made August - October a wasteland of traveling for work, being super busy, AND trying to sort out what was next in my career. Ultimately, things worked out - the wreckage made it easier for me to walk away from the company and allowed my colleagues to talk (more or less) openly about the opportunities we were considering. It was an... awkward, emotional, and complicated end to 3.5 years + an internship doing some exciting work with amazing people, but it made the decision very, very easy to leave.

(The end of the year...)
2011 wasn't a complete waste. Things have turned around since October or so. My friends are amazing and we've had a lot of really incredible times, though a lot of my friends have had rough years as well in terms of career and personal bullshit ("What is HAPPENING this year to everyone" may have been uttered a few times). I can't imagine being in a better place than I'm at currently with the new job (see prior posts). The vacation between jobs was epic, even if it was only a week and a half long. My step sister had a healthy baby girl Memorial Day, so I'm now an aunt. My sister graduated college and adopted an adorable puppy. Housing situation took a turn for the awesome with Trish moving in and Nik moving in to the apartment behind ours. We've hosted two epic parties (Halloween and NYE) and have grand schemes for more events. I spent way more time at home in Kentucky than I have in ages and every trip was really solid (2 of my closest friends from high school's weddings, bachelor/bachelorette parties, visiting home to see my step sister, etc). Life forced me to shake things up a bit, but the year ended overwhelmingly positive. I can't say I'd have predicted where I'd be right now this time last year, but I can't complain about the way 2012 is starting. The last few months really turned 2011 around for me... but I can't say I'm sad to see 2011 close out. 2012 has lots of exciting things on the horizon.

On 2012
I don't really like making resolutions, but I do like having goals.
1) 25 books this year (I was so close in 2011! I hit like 24.25... and then was just too busy to read. Seriously, this feels like the first time I've sat still since December 22!)
2) Cook more - dinner, at least 3 times a week.
3) Pack lunches more : goal is 4 times a week.
4) Travel once a month. Since I'm not traveling for work, the goal is to get an average of 1 weekend a month where I'm going somewhere, visiting somewhere, or just not doing the "usual" weekend thing.
5) Keep blogging!
6) Find some freaking hobbies. I haven't really had hobbies since graduation due to the possibility of traveling. It's time to fix that.

Holiday Musings

2011-12-28T14:12:00.000-06:00

On Elevator Etiquette
Our building has the weirdest elevator etiquette ever. Its a mix of chivalry and... obnoxiousness. I don't know. It's difficult to explain but the way the elevator banks work, you end up with weird queues to get in to the elevator and generally men will wait for all the women to get on/off. Granted, the doors will close on you super fast but I didn't really expect there to be a difference in Chicago downtown elevator etiquette. It doesn't help that you have to switch elevators in the middle to get to whatever floor you're going to, so there's a whole herd of people moving from one bank to another. It's the little things.

On Captivate
I never expected it... but I miss the Captivate screens in the elevator. It at least gives you a natural place to stare without being awkward. Seriously, where do I look? At my feet? My phone doesnt work in the elevator. At the doors? Um?

Password Resets
(A Rant): Ok, I understand that SharePoint 365 is a new product. I get it. But I'm going to have 800 + users and you're telling me there's no way to a) let them reset their own passwords and b) no way to change the "Contact an administrator" message to something useful like "Contact this person"? I'm sorry, that seems like oversight of a pretty massive use case.

Weeks 3&4

2011-12-15T16:16:00.003-06:00

There is still cake day! (Now with singing!)
One of my favorite parts about Labs was monthly birthday cake. We do that at my non-profit too... except they also get fruit, for those that don't want cake. Oh, and there's singing. We sing EVERYONE's names for the whole month. Its hilarious.

That warm fuzzy feeling that comes with being invited to Happy hour
That's pretty much it. It's cool to be wanted, especially when you're new

Phones

I actually hate phones. I don't know how I survived as a consultant for as long as I did. Cold calling people, terrible. Phones ringing, terrible. I'm so ready for IMs to hit this place.

Culture

Switching from a "self service" culture to an "admin culture" is weird. I've been told that I can't get some training because I'm not an admin (I'm too high a level). This is backwards - what if my admin is out of the office and we need to purchase/receive goods? We are an IT organization after all, we order a LOT of stuff at random times. Especially coming in to a situation where our "Lead Admin" is only 30% "ours" and is brand new to the org... it's a little bit worrying. Seriously, our admins are some of the most capable people in the org, but it's a very weird structure.

Being the Client
Being the client is funny. Especially when as the client, 2/3 of you have been consultants before, and you're working for a non-profit. It makes it really weird when your consultants miss deadlines or miss prioritize things.

Building Credibility
I'm pretty pumped about the way this job is starting out, in terms of the work. Starting in as a "generalist" with a project that's basically exactly what I'd been doing for the last year lets me build credibility without having to try too hard... I can learn my way through the organizational politics without having to work through a new tech that's too over my head.

On Townhalls and Tech Previews

"Did they just clap for Gchat?" "It's like we have an IT department". It's cool to be the new face of IT. I may not be a diversity hire in this organization (it's a non profit full of women, rather than being a tech company full of dudes), but I'm still a fresh face on the IT part of the organization that is doing new stuff.

On Agendas

That consultant "I need an agenda slide" habit is hard to break ( but maybe that's not a bad thing, it's a decent meeting practice, its just a bit weird in a presentation). Sam and I had one for our GHC talk (no one else really did) and the boss has skipped over the one he put in his slides the 4 times he's given this presentation.

Week 2

2011-12-05T17:36:00.001-06:00

Macs

Wow. So the Air is nice. I’ve gotten used to the gestures onthe trackpad for sure (tried using two finger scroll on my netbook, which mayactually support the gesture just not as well).

I have a pet peeve though, and that’s informationorganization. I’m willing to believe Search should be the main navigation toolfor finding information and it shouldn’t matter where it lives, but I do like acertain number of high level folders within my documents. (Or tagging, thenhaving larger folders, but without tagging Search is not enough for businessusers). And I’ve got a specific use case beyond that: within DropBox, I havecertain folders that are shared with certain people, depending on the folder.I’d like to be able to select specific folders to save my documents to, ratherthan the overall DropBox folder. Maybe it’s just a matter of adding thosespecific folders to my “favorites”, but in a lot of cases it adds more time toorganize things the way I want them organized (and determine who has access toeach of them).

On Desk Chairs

It’s very weird to me to sit on the “exec” side of the desk.I don’t really like sitting in the big chair behind the big desk while talkingto someone. It doesn’t feel natural to me (in general, or as a managementstyle).

On Consultants becomingclients

I have to imagine that it depends on the person, but I’malways curious if former consultants make better or worse clients. On the onehand, we understand what being on the other side of the contract is like. Wealso know how to manage scope creep, and how to ask for what we want.

O RLY?

“Phone service and equipment are managed by IT”. The firstof many things that will come as a surprise that IT (me!) manages happened thisweek. There will also be things that surprise me that we don’t manage. It’sfunny how things land organizationally in smaller businesses.

Noble Schools

This week I got to visit the applications/data team forNoble Charter schools. It was a really interesting experience – they have ahugely robust data practice that their teachers, principals, and entire culturebuy in to. Having clean and up to date data provided by the teachers enablesthem to make decisions on how to best help their students (they get somethingconcrete out of keeping their data up to date). Principals can make decisionsthat affect the whole school, and at a system level you can pick out the bestteachers and the best schools and try to figure out what they are doingdifferently to encourage best practices.

Their data platform on the tech side is pretty straightforward and user friendly (leveraging Tableau). The tech is impressive but whatreally makes it work is the culture that buys in to the data, having impressiveresults that drive business value and lead to continuous requests forimprovement both in the students, teachers, and the tech. Really impressive andwell done!

We need IMs in hereurgently

I overheard two people talking to each other through theirphones. I could hear both of them through my ears. The pauses in speaking (andthe content) did not make it seem like there was a third person on the phone.

Day 8

I finally found where the paper towels are in the kitchen.And I realized I have no candy in my desk, and had to resort to a Vitamin Csupplement. Or just visit HR for the candy bowl.

A Non Work Rant

Seriously, how hard is it to not print a signature line on theCustomer copy of receipts? You’ve already set it to print “Merchant” and“customer” on it, just don’t print a freaking signature line on Customer copy.It’s not that difficult!

Musings from the First Week

2011-11-27T21:28:00.001-06:00

In switching jobs, I knew there would be a few things that would strike me as odd, at first. Here are a handful of musings from the first week.

"Holy crap there are women in the women's restroom"
I mean... this pretty much sums it up. I went from a workplace where maybe 1/3 of the office was women (and the last client team was me and 10 guys) to a predominantly female environment.

"Part of the executive team"
That's new.

Doulas
So if you don't know what a Doula is, you should read about it here. I think I was first introduced to the concept at CHI a few years ago where my conference roommate had done some work in India with encouraging (basically) doulas to use technology for childbirth training and awareness in rural villages. It was a very cool project (leveraging technology as well and women empowerment and addressing health issues, stigmas, and education).

It's interesting though, because in a lot of cases, the concept of Doulas is one that is often associated with upper middle class women being hippies (being able to afford to have someone there for you through Childbirth that isn't a medical professional and often associated with "non-traditional" home births, etc. In the case of the work that Ounce of Prevention does, the Doula serves as the one person that is for sure there for you throughout the pregnancy and childbirth - for a lot of the women, the father is not in the picture and they don't have family to rely on, so the Doula is really the one dependable and knowledgeable person they have access to.

I get a desk to decorate
Coming from the consulting world where you are either at the client site or in a "hoteling" situation at the home office, it's pretty cool to have a desk that is mine that I can set up!

Emotional Intelligence
Several of our talks the first couple of days were preparing for interviews. It's definitely cool to be in a situation where we're talking about emotional intelligence as important - in purely technical worlds EI is something that may or may not be considered depending on the company, the culture, and the position. In the case of a non-profit where even IT should be focused on some amount of relationship building, EI is pretty important. It's cool to be on that side of the interviews, as I always felt EI was one of my strengths in the "tech world". The consulting way of the interview world was "How would you feel being stuck in an airport with them for 4 hours".

People Profiles
Lack of people profiles makes joining a company really weird (without being able to look up info on people that send you emails to get a face with the name or their role).

Client Gigs
So, as a consultant, you really only believe a project is going to come through when you're on the airplane there. After 2.5 days of work (and going back tomorrow!) you better believe I'm on the airplane there.

What will take a while to get used to, though, is breaking the consulting mindset of "us" and "them". There is no more "Here's how we can help you". It's "here's what I think is best for US". I can already tell it's going to take a while to break the mental model that I'm not just there for 3-12 months and that this is more than just a client gig. I can't tell yet if that will be really exciting or if it will be panic inducing, but I know the day that it occurs to me that this is my job for the forseeable future may be an interesting one.

Serendipity, Chance, What Have You.

2011-11-21T23:38:00.001-06:00

So... I may move this blog to Wordpress. We'll see how it goes. Wordpress has a better WYSIWYG interface and some interesting stats, in addition to being able to publicize directly for Twitter. For now, I'm too lazy (read: I have a lot going on and you're lucky to get a blog post) to configure Wordpress to be "pretty", so we'll stay here for the moment (and having historical blog posts is pretty cool).

On Serendipity
So one of notable trends from GHC was something to the effect of "Men tend to overestimate their accomplishments and Women tend to underestimate their accomplishments".

This was reflective in undergrad too, where the talk was always how Freshmen hit their first C or D and the men go "Well the professor sucks" and the women go "Gee, I suck" and then drop out of Engineering (coming from High school students that typically got A's".

It's worth noting here that my entire life, I've been "one of the guys" - to the extent that when I was 4 my play group was me and 4 guys. Elementary school I was Captain of the academic team... for 4 boys, and one of their fathers stuck up for me 3 years later when we had a reunion and one of them tried to take the captain seat. (There's something to be said for having sponsors/allies/mentors male or female to stick up for you, and the "female" role of captain to sort out the boys' macho tendencies). It's also worth noting that because I was used to this "boy's world" environment, when I started college - I wasn't terribly inclined to seek out the women's groups. I didn't really see it as a support group I needed. By the time I was a senior, I saw the importance of mentoring younger women. As the ranks thinned out over 4 years of Tech Consulting, it definitely became apparent that having females with differing paths through the ranks was important.

So, there's now. I just took a position as IT Manager (more notes on that, and the transition, to follow). In my own experience, I always considered that I had a path I was following, but I had a willingness to jump through an open door when it presented itself to me, and waver from that path when such an opportunity would show up. That being said, I had to work really hard to get to the point that doors would open... but the actual opening of doors always seemed like "the right place at the right time" or somewhat serendipitous. I think this is the big difference - when it comes down to it, the Resume Titles are somewhat lucky, serendipitous, or somewhat by chance... but the content under the title is my own hard work, and the content under the last job was my own hard work that made it possible for me to be qualified for the next piece of work. So that's the long explanation, but the short answer would be "I was lucky" or "Serendipity" even though the root cause was probably "I worked hard" or "I'm a badass". Most guys would tend towards "I worked hard".

An exploration of my new job, and how I ended up there:
- I made connections from my previous job (successful networking)
- I was passionate about non-profit work
- I happened to reach out to contacts from previous job at a time where they were looking to hire, and a job was presented that would not have shown up in my job search (looking for the ambiguous "science diversity STEM outreach" job, and instead ended in "Totally leveraging your skill set non profit awesomeness"
- Family history of early childhood education involvement that made it especially intriguing
- I was successful at my previous job. Nay, I rocked out at my previous job.

That being said, rocking out at my job alone would not have led me to the place I am now - there's a huge amount of "right place, right time, right phone call, right person, overall serendipity" that went in to this. I feel like that's what tends to be the female experience - while you might be a rockstar and have been a badass at your previous job, it tends to be some amount of Serendipity (I'll say it's more than Chance) that leads to landing that awesome gig. Guys would tend to focus on that "I was a badass/awesome at my job" aspect where as the girls would say "while I worked hard, it wouldn't have happened if not for X random happenstance".

"A ship in port is safe; but that is not what ships are built for. Sail out to sea and do new things."

2011-11-17T13:25:00.005-06:00

Title quote from Grace Hopper.

First things first, a couple of mandatory videos. Seriously, go watch these:
1. Sheryl Sandberg's Keynote. Quite a bit different than her TED talk, though part of that is encompassed in the talk. It's a bit long (45 minutes) but absolutely worth it! Sheryl had some great advice and some funny comments - very inspiring to hear.

2. a)Grace Hopper Interview on David Letterman
b) If you've ever heard this quote, it was Grace Hopper! "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission."
c) Longer video on Grace Hopper.

Seriously, read up on her. She's an inspiring lady, and it's pretty cool that she was involved in Technology before it was even an issue how many women were in technology or not because there just weren't that many people in technology. She also coined the term "Bug" after finding a moth in a vacuum tube.

Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing happened last week in Portland and it was awesome. It was very interesting to be in a room filled with 3,000 women (and a handful of gents) that were all interested in technology or wanted to celebrate women in computing. As I was explaining to some non-tech buddies later that week, it's a very weird but not in an unsettling sort of way to be surrounded by that many women with whom you have "more than vaginas in common." Just that feeling that you can walk up to anyone and have some sort of discussion with them and it doesn't need to be about shoes (or your lack of knowledge of shoes). I expect this to be drastically different than I will feel Monday when I launch in to a female dominated workplace. That will be a NEW experience for me.

On Feeling Like a Fraud
One of the things Sheryl talked about in her keynote was feeling like a fraud, and how it's a very personal experience for her. I think the most interesting thing for me was finding out that this feeling is basically a shared experience for women in technology. I often sign up for something (classes, new responsibility, new jobs) and at some point after agreeing to do it FREAK OUT that I am not qualified or am going to fail or have no right to be in X situation. I usually get over this feeling and do it anyway (enough confidence to sign up and hate backing away from things...). I've felt this way at least since High School about a lot of Opportunities I've taken on but it was... reassuring probably isn't the right word... but very interesting to learn that It's not just me that feels this way.

On Apologies
One beef I had with the conference was this feeling that I got that when most people were talking about Computing they were really talking about Computer Science and Computer Engineering. Time after time women would get up to the microphone and basically apologize for being a "non-traditional Computer Scientist". I think many of these women were some of the most inspiring at the conference! I also think we need to promote their experiences widely. Aside from just getting Technical Women in front of girls, we need to get non-traditional computing folks in front of youth because that's how we'll encourage more diversity in design fields (all STEM fields). There were some alarming stats given that even though there are massive amounts of funding going in to STEM education, the least amount of funding is going in to Computer Science.

I tweeted this from the conference when people kept apologizing for not being "A Computer Science Person" (and even Sheryl saying she didn't feel like she was qualified to speak at a Celebration for Women in Computing!!!!), and I think it will need to become one of my major tenets going forward :
" My theory: computing should be looked at as a toolset. It does not need to be THE thing you do so much as a means to do what you want"

A couple quick things I left out from Yesterday's post:
- All the awesome people I got to hang out with! Sam, Sara, Jeff, Jeff's friends, Tara, Rachel, Dave, Lindsey, and Emily!
- Saw 3 different cities worth of Occupy campouts (Portland, Seattle, and Anchorage). Thought about how it would change your perception of the city if you didn't know about the nationwide movement.
- Explored 3 new cities and thought about how bizarre it would be to either grow up or try to date in those cities.

Adventures

2011-11-16T19:29:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I've finally got some time to sit and blog. This may come out in 2 posts because it will be fairly disparate topics (I feel like GHC deserves its own post).

The last couple of weeks have been interesting (and they're still going!)

- The last two days of my client gig I've been on for the last year. Unfortunately everyone else was swamped, so it was sort of anti-climactic, but nice to finally be done with it.
- Stayed at the Super Swanky Nines Hotel of Portland, rocked out with my Starwood status (first time it really felt like being Platinum had extra sweet perks)
- Drooled over and then consumed Maple Bacon Donuts from Voodoo Donuts
- Recruiting at Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing. Met some interesting ladies (I can very much see how a schoolteacher with a tech background would fit in well at Accenture, whereas other Tech companies at the conference would struggle to find a place for her)
- Started an HCI meetup at GHC via Twitter and had about 20 people show up
- Presented on "Innovation in Enterprise" for about 50 people, had great dialogue with the group and a couple of comments that it was very well received
- Saw my step brothers Neil Young Cover Band in Portland
- Brunched at Vita Cafe in Portland
- Wandered around Portland with said band and enjoyed Coffee at the original Stumptown and some crazy shopping
- Seattle Adventures with my Step brother: Caffe Presse (awesome French Cafe), a Free VIP show of We Were Promised Jet Packs at The Triple door, Oyster Happy Hour at Elliott's, Cocktail Happy Hour at Zig Zag Cafe, Dinner at Barrio, and after dinner drinks at Canon.
- Flew to ALASKA to hang out with Lindsey. Saw Moose within 5 minutes. It's apparently freakishly crazy windy for Anchorage at this time of year. Saw Andrew Bird play (awesome) and went to an open mic at Taproot.

All around Awesomeness :)

It's been too long

2011-11-11T18:40:00.002-06:00

Hi blog. It's been too long. I apologize for that. Like a year and a half.

Well, we're going to change that.
1) I'm sitting here at Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, and there are a lot of things going through my head that need to be blogged about. I've got a lot of thoughts bouncing around about diversity and what not that need to be blogged... just not right now, between sessions.
2) I'm changing jobs, so new adventure seems like a good time to start blogging. New things I need to get involved with outside of work as well as work adventures (that tie in to women in Technology) that will probably also need to be blogged about.

So expect some uptake here. :)

A plug

2010-04-06T13:59:00.002-05:00

So, I have to say I love Sweet Leaf Iced Tea. I got hooked on it last year at Lollapalooza - a brilliant marketing play on their part. It was the best non-alcoholic drink there, and I don't really like being drunk at big festivals where its super hot.

So, now that I'm traveling to Houston every week - the tunnels here have restaurants in them. A LOT of the places sell Sweet Leaf, and it makes me happy. (However, I keep typing Sweat Leef and that is just gross). I like the mint and honey flavor the best - but it seems to be the hardest flavor to find. The peach isn't bad, and I haven't seen the half lemonade half tea here yet. Overall, its not too sweet. And its organic. Huzzah!

I haven't been reading much lately. Which is a shame, since I got through 25 books last year and wanted to up it to 30 this year. But instead, I decided to start with "Bowling Alone" which, while interesting, is like reading a 400 page research paper. So here it is, April, and I haven't finished 1 book yet this year. Ouch. 30 will be difficult.

It's weird

2010-01-17T18:58:00.003-06:00

It's weird watching the Golden Globes and checking Twitter. One, its weird that I'm watching tv (newly set up antennae for over the air tv). It's also a bit weird because I avidly follow Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer and they are at the Golden Globes. And while I don't know Neil Gaiman or AFP, its almost like I know someone at the event. Almost. And thus its weird.

Ohhh the NBC cracks are fantastic.

Goals for the year:
1. Read 30 books.
2. Don't get so bored I start playing Farmville

Book Suggestions

2009-12-04T16:57:00.002-06:00

I recently did a little exercise that really surprised me.

My Gchat status for the last couple of days has been asking for book recommendations - I set a personal goal for the year to read 25 books and I'm currently two books away from the goal! (You can check out what I read on goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/ )

I figured I'd post the list of recs I got, because it's an interesting list, and has me well on my way for items to read next year!

Feel free to leave other suggestions.

keller : pillars of the earth

emma: outliers
frank mccourt's teacher man

janet: denialism

Nik: middlesex
100 years of solitude

Taylor :The Vegetarian Myth by Keith
and The Game by Neil Strauss.

Leep : The Brief Wondorous Life of Oscar Wao

Pam: Three Cups of Tea
Thousand Splendid Suns

Ben Goold : The Things They Carried, by Obrien.

Anne: kavalier and clay
suite francaise

Jordan: everything is illuminated is great
Amazing Adventures of kavalier and clay

My Grandmother is a fantastic lady

2009-09-03T10:44:00.001-05:00

Email from my grandmother today :

WHO WAS THAT OLD LADY?

Sept. 3, 2009

I woke up this morning about my usual time, went to the bathroom, got my clothes ready for the day, took off my gown and started brushing my teeth, naked. I made the mistake of looking in the mirror and actually seeing the reflection of some old lady I didn’t recognize. That person was totally covered with really big wrinkles, puffy eyes and wild hair. What happened? In my mind it should reflect this young, 120 lb female, who was getting ready to go work out at Jack LaLane’s gym and then preparing dinner for her husband and five beautiful children. I’m just never going to look in the mirror again except to put on makeup and I’ll be putting it on my grandmother.

In reality I have several grandchildren off to college or in Reid’s case, about to depart for college and realize what a wonderful life I have had, in spite of many very sad events along the way. Few people make it for 85 years without such events. So, my granny speech for today is—enjoy life and appreciate all the good events as they come along and don’t dwell on the sad ones. AND, when you get old don’t look in the mirror. Love, granny

Hi again

2009-08-17T19:32:00.002-05:00

Hey there. It's been a while. Sorry about that - if you want updates on a regular basis, follow me on Twitter. It's been a crazy summer - I moved June 1 and have spent it with anywhere from 2-5 roommates on a given night. It's quite fun actually - turns out I wasn't ready to be done with the part of college where all of your friends stay up late hanging out.

Family reunion in Tahoe was lots of fun this year, as always. The cousins are getting older so we're closer to being on the same page - the next 4 cousins after me are all through at least a year of college and both of my older cousins were around this year so we hit the Casinos together.

The job is going alright, it keeps me busy and I haven't gotten bored yet, so that's good.

I miss all of you that still read this even though I never update - please send me an update on your life :)

Musings

2009-06-22T21:00:00.003-05:00

1. Wisconsin is pretty. Its kind of like Kentucky.
2. Wisconsin made me remember how much I like trees. And hills. And driving on country roads. Mmmm driving.
3. I hadn't been camping in about two years (as far as I can remember). Camping is fun and I should do it more.
4. When managing people, and making them work late, buying them dinner is a nice gesture.
5. Online shopping is fun.
6. Bourbon marshmallows are delicious.
7. My new apartment and my new roommate are amazing.
8. Hooray for getting security deposits back!
9. White Water rafting is fun.
10. I want to have a "Grade school lunch party" where everyone brings something (Capri Suns, squeezits, gushers, fruit by the foots, fruit roll ups, etc) and you have to trade to get a complete meal. Dunkaroos FTW!

So

2009-05-14T11:47:00.002-05:00

I've been too busy to update the blog lately. No really. Too busy.

Derby two weekends ago. San Diego Last weekend. And the week days haven't been much less crazy.

So I'll post the nutritional facts for my normal Chipotle order instead.

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1310

Cal from Fat 590

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 65g

99%

Saturated Fat 18g	90%
Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 70mg

23%

Sodium 2270mg

95%

Total Carbs 152g

51%

Dietary Fiber 29g	116%
Sugars 18g

Protein 34g

Vitamin A	0%	•	Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	0%	•	Iron	0%

*	Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

INGREDIENTS: Tomato Salsa,Corn Salsa,Rice,Black Beans,Fajita Veggies,Cheese,Sour Cream,Guacamole (4oz),Chips

Click Here to view

A much needed vacation

2009-04-07T20:56:00.002-05:00

The last weekend was... very much needed. I feel refreshed, and like I found myself without realizing I had been lost.

Wednesday - Drove down to Champaign with James, Nikki, and Weseloh. Had dinner at Mandarin Wok with my sister, and went to Jarlings for dessert. Stopped in Metropolis Illinois to take pictures with the giant superman statue. We arrived in Nashville around 1am. Get to the room to find we don't have a suite, but two queens beds. The addition of a rollaway and James' air mattress led to a very cozy room for the next several days.

Thursday - Met up with John at UCP of Middle Tennessee at 8:30 am. Started building the ramp, had lunch at the Farmers Market, finished the ramp in a race against the ran. Went back to the hotel, showered, and decided to head to dinner. Sushi and sake bombs followed a sprint in the rain. Proceeded to the Charlie Daniels Museum and Big River Brewery.

Friday - Met with John again at UCP at 8:15. We had a big day ahead of us - had an entire porch to take down off a trailer home and a new ramp to build. Thursday we were smart enough to have packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter oreos, honey wheat pretzels, fruit roll ups, and bananas. Finished the ramp, went to see the Pantheon, and went to Monells for dinner. If you are ever in Nashville, Monells is a MUST. You sit down at a table with strangers, and the food is served family style. Greatest. Food. Ever. Followed up dinner back at the hotel with some Dr Horrible watching and general chill hangouts.

Saturday - Met John at UCP. Drove 20 minutes, and were challenged to a 2 hour ramp build. Completed the ramp in 2 hours for a really sweet woman. Went to the bicentennial park by the farmers market, walked around the farmers market, had lunch outside, and just relaxed. Went back to the hotel, found a concert to go to at Twelfth and Porter(part of the Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival). Bought a cd which was later listened to probably ten times over the next few days (check out Roots and Wings - a duo consisting of Heather Morgan and Ross Copperman). From there, dinner at Jack's BBQ, followed up by several hours at the Cadillac Ranch. Finished up the night at Paradise Park - a trailer park themed bar, and then grabbed some Tater Tots.

Sunday was originally the day we were going to drive back to Chicago, but had found out none of us had to fly on Monday... plus it was going to snow. So we changed our route and headed to Lexington. Grabbed dinner with my family at Pazzos, icecream at Graeters with a large crowd of my friends, and wrapped up the night with TWO Lindsay Lohan movies simultaneously on TV on different channels (Mean Girls and the Parent Trap...).

Monday we walked around Keeneland, went to Joseph Beth Booksellers, walked around Ashland, had lunch at Bourbon and Toulouse, and hit the road towards Louisville. One stop at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, followed by dinner at the Ram in Indianapolis, and we successfully managed to avoid the snow in Chicago.

We did a lot, and it was awesome, and very much needed :) Yay!

Musings

2009-03-26T21:41:00.002-05:00

I don't know why I'm not in bed, seeing as I worked 33 hours in a 72 hour period and am tired and brain dead. Maybe its that I've only gotten halfway through the 190 items that stacked up in google reader. Maybe its that I just can't go to bed early. But I need to be at work at 8am to try to debug the project I rolled off of Wednesday night...an "urgent" issue or whatever.

I haven't been taking many photos lately. Which is fine, except my memory sucks, a lot. And I've been doing some exciting things - I didn't take a single picture when I was in California. I didn't take pictures hanging out with Caragh. I didn't take any pictures when my sister randomly came up to visit. People I saw in California I didn't take pictures with - my grandmother, my aunt, Francisco, Caryn, Carolyn, Dave, and all the San Jose Labs folks. I didn't document the 6 wineries we went to. I _sort of_ took a video at the Jonathon Coulton concert a few weeks back - because he and Paul and Storm covered BirdHouse in Your Soul, and it was awesome. I do have pictures from the Superbowl of my friends wearing multiple pairs of 3d glasses. I do have photos of a silly brunch and friends sticking crayons in their hair and holding crayons with various parts of their faces.

Spring. Spring is so. Good. As nice as the weather is in California, there's something to be said for surviving the winter, and getting to see the first signs of flowers down my block. Chicagoans seem to be so proud of surviving the winter - it builds character, or whatever. But seriously, its just such a relieving feeling when it starts to get warm - and its a change you can see in all the people around you. As much as the cold sucks - bundling up isn't so bad (I think people are more attractive with more layers and you see people's styles more when they have to wear layers), and the whole mid-west has several months where its ok to sit inside and watch movies and not leave the house.

I'm getting a haircut on Saturday, yay!

Moo

2009-03-17T22:09:00.002-05:00

Caragh wants me to blog, so that I can have some stories that might barely compare with her ridiculous life of goofiness and debauchery, but I think I am going to go read until I fall asleep. Because my life is that exciting.

No, seriously the last month of work has taken a lot out of me and it won't be done till Friday. And I took a muscle relaxer to help my neck loosen up (taken before bed since it causes drowsiness and not during the day since I have work to do). Oh, and because I was in a car that got rear ended last Friday - I'm ok, really, its more annoying than anything.

But if you're lucky I'll remember to write a post about California :
Dinner with my grandmother
Dinner with family + friends together
The car accident
Dancing with a random dude at a club and him giving me his business card when my coworker saved me
Driving to Berkeley on a work night and having a chef from San Francisco's Millenium providing dinner (And High School Friends)
Being two hours late to (my own) happy hour
Wine tasting starting at 11am after a night of insanity, hitting 6 wineries

Or maybe I'll just leave it at that :)

And then...

2009-02-24T13:30:00.003-06:00

And then I neglect the blog for over a month. Good job me. I use twitter & google reader almost exclusively now.

I am a first believer that anyone who doesn't like tea just hasn't had the right kind of tea.

I hate how one cup of coffee when you need it suddenly makes you need coffee the next day.

Apparently I have a "title" at the non profit I'm volunteering with. Haha, awesome.

Why is it...

2009-01-15T09:38:00.002-06:00

Why is it that I meant to do a "reflection on 2008" post a while back and haven't gotten around to it? If it doesn't happen in the first week... it really doesnt happen. I need to be better about these things, because my memory is REALLY bad. Ok, I need to be more careful about saying things like that, due to the fact that some people actually have amnesia, but seriously, if I don't write it down I won't remember.

So that's a goal for the weekend, then.
I've also almost totally neglected this blog for Twitter. I'm sorry. So much for internet presence.

I need to buy Wall E. Soon. I also need to read more. Yeah.

Obligatory New Years Post

2009-01-02T14:08:00.003-06:00

...I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.
~ Stolen directly from Neil Gaiman's blog, because he's better with words and sentiments than I am.

No resolutions for 2009, but some goals:
1) Volunteer trip for work in April
2) Read at least 25 books
3) Keep room in an average state of cleanliness higher than 2008's state of disaster
4) When in Chicago, take lunch to work at least 3 times a week
5) Take the GRE, just in case

Seriously?

2008-12-26T02:16:00.002-06:00

How is it 3:15am? What happened to the time? Why am I not tired? Duuuuude.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas. This holiday season was definitely filled with a lot of mixed feelings, highs and lows, but I think was really good for the most part. Some nursing home visits, some laughs, some difficult communications, some phone calls... lots of smiles, and babies, and presents, and good food. Our holiday meals get weirder and weirder - today was orange rolls for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, potstickers and stir fry for dinner. Making potstickers is easy when you have a food processor. Weeeeee.

I got better this year at asking for things I need and will use rather than things that accumulate that I don't need.
I keep meaning to buy the homeless woman in Chicago some gloves. I need to not forget about that - this one woman has been out near where I work for the last year and a half. I think gloves is a good way to go.

And I need to start planning my new years eve party. Yeah, that.

I don't even feel tired. This can not possibly be good.

The Weather is always entertaining

2008-12-18T09:33:00.003-06:00

"Can I go home at 5?" Z
"The storm isn't going to strike until 8, but you can go home at 5" J
"What? The weather told me 3" S
"Who do you listen to? I listen to (some meteorologist on the news)"J
"I listen to weather.com" S
"I Listen to S" Z
"S is not a licensed meteorologist"J

Lunch Convos

2008-12-11T13:41:00.002-06:00

From the vegan researcher: small arms harpoons (ie, if you put a fishing hook in a gun, would you need two licenses?)
"You can own all the fishing poles you want but you better not put a hook in the water unless you have a license"
Laws that didn't pass: limiting the purchase of guns to one gun per month (mostly said to make the European woman at the table balk in disbelief)
What is corruption?
Super sonic torpedoes

"All data wants to live in excel"

Things overheard in the office

2008-12-09T09:24:00.005-06:00

(something about the governor of Illinois being arrested)
"Oooh... listen John, Mail Fraud!"
"Now its personal" (between the guys on the post office project).

"You give me Obama's Senate Seat... I'll give you... a bagel!"

(or things seen in the office):
Eating cold soup directly out of the can (Trader Joe's Organic)

Also, WHAT:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/09/drescher-senat/
"Drescher, 51, is best known for her starring role in the 1990s television comedy "The Nanny" and an adenoidal voice that could strip the rust off an engine block — a talent that might come in handy during a Senate filibuster."

Listening to Lynn O'Brien, so the day can't be all bad.

From this morning's twitter (because I like it) : wearing galoshes it occurs to me i can go through puddles without care, and that i havent splashed enough puddles in my lifetime

My life is not real...

2008-12-08T16:28:00.002-06:00

Seriously. What?

11pm last night, the phone rings. My aunt Sue "So... you know how your cousin Jesse is on this reality show? And probably getting married on Tuesday? Well we are allowed to invite more people than we originally anticipated, so if you can get out to San Diego..."

So I looked into it, and it would cost me 25,000 United miles (which I have) and $100 to get out there tonight and return on Wednesday. Unfortunately, my project ends Wednesday... which means there's a lot to do between now and then, and even if I could put the hours in, I can't really be out of communication that long. Hmmmph.

I also got a letter from my stepsister. Very interesting. Beautiful artwork.

Every morning is a battle against myself...

2008-12-01T09:37:00.002-06:00

... to get out from under the covers. My bed is just so much more comfortable in the winter. Or the rest of the world is just too cold.

Great long weekend, all in all. Thanksgiving out in the suburbs, Mad Men watching, potlucks, Quantum of Solace, Chicago Diner, Golden Nugget, and general shenanigans (SO MUCH FOOD).

I have galoshes! It is very exciting. I'm also still in disbelief that I live in a big city. It just kind of hit me this morning. I take the L in to work and work downtown with all the tall buildings. WTF.

I need to get off my butt. Work had a coding/volunteering party last night, that was fun (check out powered by action). I also need a place to take 5-20 of my coworkers for a habitat-type trip (manual labor) in March. If you know of any exceptional orgs, please let me know (somewhere warm in the US).

Manas raises a good point....

2008-11-25T16:33:00.000-06:00

Want to see what else I write?
Follow me here: http://twitter.com/lnhaynes

Dear Blog

2008-11-18T08:58:00.001-06:00

Dear Blog, I have not forgotten you... I just don't have much to post.

So there.

Uh... I'm sure something exciting has happened lately. But maybe not.

I created a new facebook account for my Accenture email address, because it's just easier to manage that way. And I like getting my "news feed" just about my coworkers without all that other stuff mixed in about people I haven't talked to in 5 years. Yeah.

Woot!

2008-11-10T12:55:00.002-06:00

I won a $25 gift certificate to Borders. This is exciting.

Lunch today was hysterical. We talked about eating only as much food as your fist is big (do you get to pick who's fist you measure off of) which lead into some talking of stealing kidneys (or pancreas...).

And then one of the guys was discussing the ideal of selling $100 raffle tickets to win a house, which no one was taking up. But you lower the price to $10, and suddenly Erin wants to buy 10 tickets. 5 minutes of laughter ensued.

Hooray to being in Chicago till the end of the year at least.

Sicko

2008-11-04T16:48:00.002-06:00

I just watched the Michael Moore movie, Sicko. It was really good. Maybe because Healthcare is one of my "pet" issues, I don't know. Usually I don't like Moore's movies due to the way he approaches making his points, even if he is making a point I agree with. But Sicko was really good - it's less abrasive, I think.

Boo to digital cable, and its pixelation. Seriously, switching to a new standard that is this faulty is not ok with me. Or maybe its just Comcast, but I would like to watch 30 minutes of television without it freaking out.

I need to learn more about local politics. Seriously, I suck at being informed.

I've been brainwashed and it feels alright

2008-11-01T18:36:00.002-05:00

So, two weeks is a long time to be at school/training, when they put you away in a dorm room in St Charles Illinois. Class starts at 8, except the one day you start at 9, includes a Saturday class, and usually goes until 6. Plus networking events in the evenings and if there's not a scheduled networking event there's an unofficial one. Liver training, social training, and methodology training, all in one. Its insanely intense, because you are with a lot of people who are simultaneously extremely similar and extremely different to you... only 34% of the students are from the US, but everyone is really intelligent and tends to approach things in a structured sort of way.

It's weird now, not to have people asking me if I'm going to the Q Pub every 5 minutes. It's weird having a sense of time, and not having food prepared on hand all the time. I got some really good feedback and connections for my potential PTO trip. I'm sure I have some more Youtube videos to post, but I'll try to think of them later. I'll leave you with this one, though, which became the "theme song" of CAS...

So here's to... whatever's next.

Tulibidibidoutuo

2008-10-22T00:59:00.003-05:00

Because I haven't done anything terribly geeky in a while...

Videos shown in training:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQt-h753jHI&feature=related

Sinking

Talking Stains

If social media were icecream:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE&feature=user

A weird realization

2008-10-17T11:11:00.002-05:00

So... I just realized that I've made several donations lately online. This is not the weird part. The weird part is that I donated by credit card, because I was either donating "at a distance" or for an employee giving campaign. Fine. The weird part is that because I donated with my credit card, I get "rewards points" or some small amount of cashback, or whatever, from my donation. Weird, right? Just another perk of donating I guess, but it is a bit strange.

Mondays

2008-10-13T17:07:00.000-05:00

So I'm officially rolled off the wall project. And I head to training next Monday. And probably have a project just for this week. Holy cow.

Chipotle chips are addictive. As my coworker says "hints of lime and heroin". Heh.

You know its going to be a good day when the office kitchen has like 6 candy apples sitting around up for grabs. Insane.

Things that amuse me

2008-10-10T10:11:00.001-05:00

http://www.accenture.com/Global/About_Accenture/Company_Overview/Corporate_Citizenship/Philanthropy/LaurenHaynesDiary.htm

Yup, that amuses me.

My 7' pockets.

2008-09-26T10:21:00.003-05:00

Do you ever get the feeling that some things wouldn't have happened around you if you weren't in the exact place you were? Not in an egotistical, the world revolves around me, kind of way, but "It simply wouldn't have happened the same way if I hadn't been right here." The stewardess for first class on my flight back from Atlanta last week was insane. I was sitting in row 10, just behind the wall that divides first class from the rest of the plane. She was probably mid-50's, and found out it was two of the first class customers' birthdays. So she sang "Happy Birthday" Marilyn Monroe style. And turned the emergency white lights on on the side of the seats on, just because "You've probably never seen these before". She poured a diet coke for someone... except no one in first class was drinking diet coke. She gave me the diet coke. Funny. I was thinking how I'd respond to the singing over the intercom if I'd been in the back of the plane... I simply just don't think it would have happened.

Why does everyone wear sunglasses in the subway? Seriously, that's weird.

I'm bad at being a girl. But I now have a dress for the gala on Monday. Oh, and I bought heels today. *gasp* I know, right? I'm also probably even going to have to get a mani/pedi before Monday. Here's to hoping I don't kill myself in the heels.

The CEO of Delta saw my project today. Too bad the touch system wasn't working when he was in the room. Le sigh.

I also watched the museum hang the alarm for Vermeer's The Astronomer. Yeah. My life is surreal.

Phantom Touches

2008-09-23T21:54:00.004-05:00

1) They played a song from Damien Rice on House, this makes me happy.
2) Felicia Day was in House, this also makes me happy.
3) There were TWO episodes of Heroes last night (Yay).
4) If you misspell heroes, its hereos, like Oreos, but with more Hiro.
5) I watched 6 guys move a 450 pound piece of glass today
6) I just want to go home to Chicago
7) I need a formal dress to wear to a museum exhibit opening
8) Wine is the perfect end to today
9) I got a free lunch today, because the computers were down
10) I got a free dessert today, because they were going to throw it out anyway.
11) Today was not so bad, but I'm still grumpy.
12) Pet peeve - online stores, when they have the same model, in the same pose, wearing the dress, which means they just photoshopped the color, so you have no idea what the actual dress looks like. Not that I need a dress or anything.

"Our code is really nice"

2008-09-22T13:28:00.001-05:00

"Our code is really nice"
"Yeah, because we've been trying to fix a problem we weren't having"
"Can we have our beer now?"

He died with a Felafel in his hand

2008-09-20T20:06:00.002-05:00

I think this movie is like The Big Lebowski meets Garden State. Its like some other movie(s) I've seen and enjoyed, but can't really put my finger on what movies.
Really enjoyed the first hour and 10 minutes, and the last thirty were kind of weird, but I would definitely recommend this movie.

Have you ever noticed that movies aren't as funny if you watch them by yourself? There's something about laughing with other people that just makes things funnier. Other people lower the "what makes me laugh" threshold. He died with a felafel in his hand made me laugh out loud even though I was alone. There were definitely some great one-liners. If you've got a Netflix account with online viewing capabilities, and are looking for something to watch, check this out. If you're not amused by 20-30 minutes in, don't bother with the rest of the movie.

Netflix

2008-09-20T18:24:00.003-05:00

Um, so I have a new obsession: Netflix.
I'm sitting here, in my hotel, with my Outback carry out mashed sweet potatoes, watching "He died with a felafel in his hand". I'm all of three minutes in, but I think it will be good.

So, here's to reviewing random movies I find on the Netflix online catalog!

Small World

2008-09-16T21:22:00.002-05:00

I know we all know my world is seriously small and full of crazy coincidences of knowing people, but this is getting out of control. Claire's sister and my sister are roommates in Allen - I just found this out today. And this type of thing doesn't really surprise me any more (after most recently meeting one of Nick Fabek's friends who went to high school with Veronica), but seriously?

The hotel managed to get me in the same room for all 8 nights I'm here, so that's a relief. I'm feeling very... reminiscent? tonight. I miss a lot of people, and online and phone just are not cutting it. Unfortunately, a lot of those people are countries away or super insanely busy. I'll miss seeing Christie this weekend, because I'll be staying in Atlanta, and as of yet don't have someone to come down here and hang out for the weekend. I think in early October Becky from my first ASB trip will be coming to visit me - yay! I might get to see Caragh for an evening, but missed a French friend who was in Chicago this weekend, as well as one John Linick. I don't like this whole, getting older and being further away from people with less time at "home" or wherever in which to catch up. It is definitely nice, however, living in a city where people WANT to come visit and just randomly stop in or have meetings there. Yay.

Ouchies

2008-09-15T14:41:00.002-05:00

It's not a good idea to hold a cat the first time they experience a vacuum cleaner. I have a scratch on my left hand that is approximately an inch long and I manage to keep irritating in some fashion or another. I have 4 scratches on my right shoulder that don't hurt too much now, but definitely hurt for about an hour after the cat got me. My right arm has a 4 inch long mark on it that didn't draw blood but definitely is swollen. So yes. Cats + vacuum cleaners do not play nicely together. So don't try.

I leave tomorrow for Atlanta for 8 days. Hooray.

Murrrrr

2008-09-12T12:00:00.002-05:00

So. I left my rolly suitcase at the end of the security line yesterday. So I had to go through security twice. But they still had my bag, so that's good.

There were donuts at work today. And there will be cake later. And then mojitos. So I can't really complain about today. Except that my code is taking forever to get to a point that it compiles, and that's annoying, because something changes almost every week that does not work on my system here. Grar.

It's getting cold. I'm kind of looking forward to "bundle up" weather, but I also need to go shopping for business clothes. Which is kind of exciting and kind of a bummer. And I definitely don't want it to be "winter weather" yet. I rather enjoy the weather that you can wear either a tshirt or a sweatshirt/blazer/etc and be perfectly comfortable. I'm not really looking forward to this project ending - I like my museum project. And, aside from training, I don't know "what's next". But so it goes. It is pretty sweet that projects are so short in duration.

Hmm.

2008-09-10T17:38:00.003-05:00

So.

I had a migraine yesterday for the first time in 4 years. That was interesting. My coworkers were dolls about it though, and made sure I was taken care of.

Monday mornings flight was interesting. Nothing really noteworthy, just early and not really where I wanted to be. Good story.

Going home for Labor Day weekend was pretty amazing - good to be home, to see old friends, and to do the usual home things. Long drive home. Been a while since I spent that much time in a car, and my average travel time is usually 4 hours (not 6, 7, or 8...).

Spore came out last weekend. Now the question : do I get it? Do I need a new computer to play it? Do I need a new computer anyway? Hmmm..

Emoticon Showers

2008-08-28T08:41:00.002-05:00

Doesn't "emoticon showers" just sound wrong? Ugh. Apparently the new version of AIM has them, and they are terrifying. Good thing I don't use AIM.

Oh good. I just love when I'm testing my interface, poking at a picture of a guy's face with a little roll of paper, when the guy who's face I'm poking at walks up. Not to mention I'd never met him, and he's the curator of the museum. Lovely. Just lovely. Yet another important person I've managed to have a GREAT first impression with. (See also : Ben Schneiderman).

Coding.

2008-08-27T09:28:00.003-05:00

"Uh oh. Lauren's comparing code"
"Anytime I see that program open I know something bad happened..."
"Grrr arg the files are identical"

Things I like about the hotel I stay in:
1) Free snacks between 5:30 and 6:30
2) Free drink coupons one for every night you stay
3) Management is super friendly
4) Free cookies at night omg
5) Shuttle rides within 2 miles of the hotel

"You're probably going to hate me some more"

2008-08-19T15:38:00.002-05:00

"That's a great way to start a conversation..."

I've had a bunch of things I meant to blog about that just never happened. Terribly sorry. Except not really - I've been out doing bigger and better things. Well... at least not sitting in front of my computer all the time, which is kind of nice for once.

COWS SENSE MAGNETIC FIELDS. Discovery made using GOOGLE MAPS. OMG.

2008-08-18T10:25:00.002-05:00

I need to look into car service alternatives to the airport in the morning. My cab driver decided to use Belmont as if it were a two lane highway to pass the guy in front of him. That car didn't like that idea much, and sped up so the cab couldn't get around. Sweet.

This weekend and the last week were filled with lots of good times. My coworkers from Atlanta were up, testing the wall. Fun evening activities too. The weekend involved meeting up with a friend from elementary school, air shows, coffee shops with cool fish, awesome pubs, and a day at the race tracks. Not to mention awesome friends, falafel and hummus in mass quantities, and riding down Diversey with "Video Killed the Radio Star" blaring.

The pub was cool, because they killed the music to watch Michael Phelps win his 8th gold medal, and then followed by playing "America - Fuck Yeah" and "You are the best around" for many awesome points. Michael Phelps is made of dolphin.

Spending time outside is awesome. Yay for sun. Boo for sunburn. I'm itching for a roadtrip.

Tough Pancakes

2008-08-11T15:22:00.002-05:00

Brunch is delicious. Especially when served with a good helping of good company. Tack, Max, and Freeberg came over for pancakes and other breakfasty things, and it was delicious. Letting Tack and I loose in a kitchen is like letting two five year olds loose in an art cabinet - it will be hysterical, messy, and tons of fun.

If you haven't seen WALL E... go. right this minute. No, I mean it.

"Benjamin Franklin is wrong" ~ Quite possibly the best issue added to an issue list ever. Yeah, it's kind of like Minority Report. Yeah, it's very exciting that it mostly works on the wall. The issue list is totally manageable, and spending 3 days with coworkers non stop is sort of exhausting. It was fun though.

Swing dancing. Who wants to go with me? I also need places to volunteer in Chicago that can deal with my sporadic schedule. I'm open to suggestions.

I get to blog for work, probably. This amuses me. :)

Hamlet

2008-08-06T22:16:00.001-05:00

Hamlet, via McSweeney's.

Some songs are too catchy for their own good.

2008-08-06T11:53:00.001-05:00

Seriously. So catchy.

She Moves in her own way, by the Kooks.

Pilobolus

2008-08-05T17:27:00.001-05:00

So I totally stole this from Carolyn's Google reader shared stuff, but seriously, watch it. Its kind of incredible. Pilobolus

I hate myself for Rickrolls.

2008-08-04T13:37:00.005-05:00

I think I rickrolled myself in my sleep... there is no other explanation for why "Never gonna give you up" was stuck in my head in the shower this morning at 5am. Stupid brain.

me: Ok, I'm a nerd, and also slow

Sunah: lol

me: !!! (the band) shouldnt be called "chk chk chk" it should be called "bang bang bang"

Sunah: hehehe

first time i've heard of them

me: oh really?

Sunah: yeah, probably because my rock is nice and cool and dark

me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/!!!

lol

Sunah: lol, that definitely didn't get parsed as part of the url

it just looks like you're really excited about wikipedia

me: LOL

Sent at 1:40 PM on Monday

Sunah: dude, i'm naming my next band ?!!

and calling it "interrobang bang"

me: thats the third time this week the word interrobang has come up

for one of my asb trips, my friend andrew and i made tshirts for everyone with interrobangs on it.

we were talking about that yesterday (with this effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect)

and then andrew was wearing his interrobang shirt yesterday

i <3>

Sunah: whoa, that's so cool

and true

me: yeah

Sunah: A similar experiment draws from feminine and masculine qualities that the human brain associates with numbers. Subjects were given two numbers: a 9 and an 11, and were asked which one seems feminine and which seems masculine. The majority of the subjects chose 9 as the one that portrayed feminine characteristics, but for unknown reasons.

uh, curves

duh

me: yeah

11 is quite phallic

Sunah: lol

that's..

wow

haha

me: i a) can't believe i just typed that and b) am trying really hard not to crack up

Sunah: i hereby declare the number 11 retired from its former use as a number

and appropriated as a secret synonym for "phallic"

me: lol

Sunah: and it's going in my away message

me: nice

Sunah's new status message - that's very 11 1:48 PM

We flew OVER O'Hare today. Airports look very fractal, with the airplanes and the jetways and all.

Cars

2008-08-02T15:05:00.003-05:00

Somehow, I keep talking about this phenomenon, but never remembering where the video was: http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn13402 Traffic Jams for no reason!

I really enjoy not having a car.

My family reunion was... relaxing. Kind of amazing. I could definitely get used to Lake Tahoe. Or being on speed boats in general (but going slow, and having a beer now and then). I need to seek the outdoors more often. And realize that I'm going to be traveling for a while, so that's no excuse not to do things I want/need to do for my life. My aunts had a "weirdest thing in your purse" competition the last morning I was there. And my grandmother can use a slingshot like nobody's business, and is moving into a double wide. My family does cool things like have relay races where you have to string each other together, run around in a circle, open a bottle of martinellis, chug it, and then burp simultaneously. What else could you ask for?

And I might as well post this, because I mention it a lot when I talk about moving to Chicago and how I felt as recently as a year ago, from A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius:

After graduating he tried Chicago first, but was tired of constantly running into people from Champaign. They were all there, the whole school — so few make it out of the state. To most, Chicago was Oz, anything beyond it was China, the moon.

So far, I'm rather enjoying myself here. Living in a big city, with people from school, isn't so bad. Especially when I'm so very rarely here. And its kind of cool to live in a place where people are so proud to be from here. And lets face it, people outside of the midwest are just _different_. Not necessarily bad... just... different. "People in the midwest" leads me to suggesting you should check out Ryan Groff, if you havent.

Worthy of a Second Post

2008-07-25T23:19:00.003-05:00

Just read that Randy Pausch died today... if you haven't seen "The Last Lecture" (also known as "Really Achieving your childhood dreams") you should go find it on Youtube. Really an amazing talk and sounds like an amazing guy - one of the reasons I would consider CMU if I go back to grad school.

Drew Carey is no Bob Barker

2008-07-23T16:47:00.001-05:00

Went to see a taping of "Chelsea Lately" today. It was pretty interesting - went with two of my cousins and my aunt. The chick who played Saffron in Firefly was the guest - kind of insane that I actually recognized the guest!

One of my cousins reminds me a lot of Casey Best... which is both weird and cool simultaneously. We had a lot of good laughs today.

I've had other things lately I wanted to post here, but I don't remember what those things were. C'est la vie.

The best Thank you note ever

2008-07-20T22:50:00.003-05:00

"Dear Lauren,

Thank you for the iced tea maker. It was a great idea. Marcia claims she secretly registered for it, but I don't think she's that creative. You, however, are. This will come in handy in whatever Yankee, sugarless tea arctic hell-hole we find employment, so we can make tea the raht way."

Awww.

Dr. Horrible!

2008-07-20T10:05:00.002-05:00

Everyone should go here and watch Dr. Horrible before the end of the day. It is free today. After that you can download it on Itunes for $4, which is totally worth it if you miss the free part. Or eventually it will be out on DVD.

Why should you watch it? Joss Whedon. Nathan Fillian. MUSICAL. 45 minutes of pure comedy. I'm not going to say please go watch it, because its something you need to do for your own good, not mine. :)

Customized Interfaces

2008-07-18T14:39:00.002-05:00

I heard Wobbrock talk about this. It was awesome : http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=42817

Interesting Article on Women and Science

2008-07-15T21:00:00.003-05:00

Boo Title IX.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/science/15tier.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

I remember in High School... the boy's basketball team worked their butts off to raise money to build a baseball stadium. Once built, the girls team, via Title IX, received a softball stadium for equality purposes that took up part of our school's parking lot.

Now, I understand that sometimes you have to put quotas in place in order to give certain groups of people a foot in the door. But at some point, it means you aren't hiring the most qualified people for the job. Grrr. Arg.

Why my job cracks me up

2008-07-15T08:48:00.002-05:00

"Shouldn't you be dropping mad value in another city?" ~ Senior Manager to me about being in the office
"Did you just say "dropping mad value"?" ~ Senior Exec, running out of his office
"Yeah" ~ M
"You were born in the 70's, you can't say dropping mad value." - E
"Well what should a 30-something say?" - M
"When you have more baby strollers than you have smartphones, you can't say "dropping mad value." - E

Adorable

2008-07-14T18:21:00.002-05:00

This is adorable. Please look at it. They made children's drawings into photographs. Compliments of Very Short List, which Emma shared with me. It is a small excitement when it arrives in my inbox every day - some days its not so exciting but the days that are exciting are AMAZING!

A song I really liked today while listening to pandora at work:

I've always had this fear of heights
I don't like looking down
I tend to get my bearings
From things that don't move around
I've always placed a lot in faith
In the ground beneath my feet
Oh and I have lived my life
Depending on gravity

Now I'm up here on this high wire
Feeling lighter than the air
It's a precarious position
But I don't even care
Better watch my step, I guess
It just takes one false move
And I could fall for you
Depending on gravity

Don't you over wish
That you could stray a bit off course
To where the laws of physics
Aren't so strictly enforced
Just let me hold you in suspense
And let the chips tall where they must
Depending on gravity
Depending on gravity

All things being equal
When you've fallen on your face
But in my flying dreams it seems
I'm somehow lifted up
And it seems there's just too much
Depending on gravity

Depending on gravity

Moo.

2008-07-13T22:17:00.003-05:00

Conversation dealing with yoga and susceptibility to suggestion lead to Andrew (terribly) squawking like a chicken. "Worst chicken ever!" "MOO!" ~ Me and Max simultaneously.

This was a good weekend. Mojitos on Friday with an awesome and random assortment of people that I was the connecting link between (Nancy, Kohout, Phopkins, Haala, and my coworker Brandon and his girlfriend) plus Pick Me Up cafe and movie watching and Mag Blasting. Saturday was spent folk-festing with Emma and Kyle (YAY!) and then hanging out at Max and Andrews with cool people. Today was great - Brunch at Ann Sathers (Yay cinnamon rolls!) followed by grocery shopping (which is somehow really exciting because it means I'm in Chicago long enough to need groceries) followed by Weeds watching and whiffle ball and dinner with Andrew Keller and Jaema - pretty much an amazing weekend all around. And I acquired Lemon Bars. Mmmmm.

I finished reading the Medici Effect a while ago. It's pretty much an awesome book on innovation and creativity and if you're into "business" type books at all I totally would tell you to read it and can maybe even loan it to you. And then I read Fahrenheit 451 for the first time. I recommend it as well.. It's kind of amazing the power that science fiction has to predict the future. And to make people uncomfortable, and comment on society, without making people just go "no, you're wrong, my life isn't like that." 451 has made me kind of... afraid? of the way society is going and how accurate it was/is and... man I don't know. Eeep. Need to figure out which book to read next and need to acquire more ficition for alternating between the business books. Its unfortunate - I read the fiction ones so much faster sometimes I forget I read them at all. But, yay books!

Magnificent Mullets

2008-07-11T13:03:00.002-05:00

There was a fantastic mullet in the airport yesterday. So fantastic I can't do it justice with words, and I've not yet learned that I do in fact have a camera phone which is a great tool for capturing mullets in their natural habitats. My apologies for not acquiring photographic evidence. Lets just say I was so entranced by it I was following it for a while.

Unfortunately, that mullet was pretty much the only highlight of travel yesterday. My 4:45 was delayed multiple times, 3 gate changes, and then it was cancelled. I was given a seat on a 7am flight Friday morning, but stood in line for customer service to be put on a 9:45pm flight. Good, great. One gate change and several delays later, the flight took off sometime after 11:45pm. We landed in Chicago around 1:05am. And then had a 40 minute + wait for a cab. So I finally got back to my apartment at 2:45am.

And then came in to the office at 10:30 this morning. Woot travel.

Clown is contagious

2008-07-08T14:07:00.001-05:00

I have a 32 inch monitor at work in Atlanta. It is sweet. And reflective. And very large.
I have to sit on a book, because our chairs do not move up (they are only one height) and the table is kind of high.

It is weird looking back at facebook photos and being like... wow... that was 2006. That was TWO years ago. It seems like forever ago and yesterday at the same time. There is a sweet picture from December 2005 - junior year of college, at Legends, with some of my favorite people (Kyle, Celina, Lindsay, Emma, Marty, Ryan, Pocket, Shane, and Jaime). It is an adorable picture. Aaaah. Time is going by too quickly and it only goes faster from here on out. I clearly need to stop spending so much time on facebook when I travel for work.

What.

2008-07-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

If I have nightmares tonight, I blame Phlp.

Holidays

2008-07-06T14:52:00.002-05:00

I probably had one of the best holiday weekends I could have asked for, with some pretty amazing people. Evan and Becky came into town Monday - Thurs so Evans could interview for his Korea visa. Yay visiting, boo more leaving the country. We went to the Taste, had some delicious vegetarian food throughout the week, and things were generally awesome. Tack came in for the Taste and drinks afterwards. Cooked dinner on Thursday, followed by a trek to Risque Cafe and Coronas at Bar Louie with Ryan and a girl from his hometown.

Friday started off with a fantastic brunch at Orange (seriously, go to this place, it is delicious). Friday involved group reading, ridiculous quantities of veggie burgers, more Coronas, fruity drinks that involved strawberries, limeade, lemonade, orange juice, and rum, and watching fireworks from the roof in 360 degrees. Now, I don't really like fireworks - well, correction. I don't like all the hype, the travel involved to go sit in a crowd of people, be entertained for 5 minutes, and then have to travel home. But sitting on a roof with a drink and good company and fireworks just sort of happening around you - pretty awesome.

Yesterday we went to the drive in and saw Hancock and Get Smart. There were more fireworks and lots of planes landing and taking off, so I was a bit distracted. I love drive in movies - I miss the SkyVue in Winchester, but its always fun taking people who have never been to the drive in to go see movies. Everyone should go see Hancock.

Since I never actually posted the link when I raved about XKCD's love for the discovery channel, here is the link to "I Love the Whole World". Boomdeyada has now been integrated into my vocabulary and daily conversation. Woot.
I also love the BBC, for reasons like these penguins.

Books

2008-07-02T08:32:00.002-05:00

I'm going to try to at least mention books here that I've been reading. So there's a log somewhere.
In general, I like to switch off between a non-fiction and a fiction book. I like having time to read.

Currently reading : The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson, (and Five Fists of Science borrowed from Max)
Previously read: Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Recently read: American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Some Financial book my dad gave me

I'm also going to try to write my name in my books. And when I return books I borrowed from people, to give them one of my books to read. I think that sounds like a good plan.

I may have the coolest family ever.

2008-06-30T21:38:00.002-05:00

Well, in six or eight weeks Granny will be living in the Napa Valley Mobile Home Park as the proud owner of a double wide mobile home. I have been unhappy living here at the Springs for some time due to the really bad management for the last year or so and no prospect of it improving so I decided to try living in a senior park. I made an offer this morning that was accepted this afternoon (by the owner who lives somewhere in Kentucky) so it will go into escrow tomorrow and hopefully close in less than 30 days. I have to give 30-day notice here to get my deposit back and can do that after all the inspections, etc. It was built in 2001 and has lots of nice improvements--newly painted, new carpets, plantation blinds, washer, dryer, dishwasher, stove and it has three bedrooms plus a great soaking tub (no Jacuzzi). It has a view of a very close vineyard so I know Ed had something to do with me finding it. I'm REALLY looking forward to this new phase of my life and just remember you will never be too old to try new things. Love, Granny

I... am so glad to be back in my apartment.

Cool.

2008-06-30T00:16:00.000-05:00

This family was on my flight from Midway to Louisville: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qTiYA1WiY8

Geek geek geek

2008-06-27T08:57:00.002-05:00

Eeep. Catching up on Ye Olde XKCD and I had to post immediately:
First thought was "Wow, Randall Munroe likes the discovery channel too! Well duh." And then it was that Randall needs to get out of my head, because I've had that song stuck in my head for the last week, and I thought about posting about my undying love for the discovery channel and that commercial. And then I read the comic title, which is "XKCD loves the discovery channel." I'll post a link to the commercial as soon as I get to a computer that will load it. But watch it, it is awesome. Brilliant, Discovery Channel, Brilliant!

Post 200

2008-06-25T19:12:00.008-05:00

Victory!!! After 5 hours of messing with the same 6 vars, I FINALLY got one simple animation to work. Mostly. Grrr arrgh.

I wrote something on a piece of paper somewhere today that was blog worthy... and then I left it at work. Work had a happy hour, which was fun. Its interesting how the $$ on a happy hour can actually be seen as an investment. For the people who enjoy it, it makes them happier. And it makes the people you work with more real. Which for some people is important. For others, they may not care, but I don't think it really offends anyone.

Um... so... staying in hotels makes my reality TV addiction significantly worse. Kerrington on So you think you can dance looks like Keira Nightly. Keira Nightly was basically a senior in high school when she stared in Bend it Like Beckham, (which doesn't actually star David Beckham, sadly to say), which is a great movie, where she played... *gasp* a Senior In High School. WHEN DOES THAT HAPPEN?

And now, since most of my life from here on out will be spent in Hotels (aka this is boredom in photo form):
Adventures in Hoteling!

View from the 5th floor. There are at least 21 floors. It is insane. And looks like a spaceship or a cruiseship. Take your pic.
Geometry!!! And... I can hear a car horn going off and not stopping for the last 20 min. Sweet.
My... room.. is behind the left wall? And there's an ice machine and a soda machine to the right? My thoughts are : WTF???

Damnation :

Orange Juice Tastes Like Morning

2008-06-24T19:43:00.003-05:00

Is that not fricking sweet? I think so. More on that here : http://www.eigenfactor.org/map/maps.htm

Life is funny. It's weird to me that... not that funerals bring people together the way that they do, but that often a life occasion like that (or "life event" as my benefits package would say), whether happy or sad, is what brings people together that haven't seen each other for years. That people only see each other for those major life events. And its funny what we remember from those events, or at least what I remember from major moments and their happenings.

"Have been unavoidably detained by the world. Expect us when you see us". Just finished reading Stardust, by Neil Gaiman :)

In other news...

2008-06-19T22:52:00.002-05:00

In other news... I completely forgot the whole point of posting a blog post.

And that was to reiterate a lesson I learned a long time ago, through the magical festivities known as PEC. And that lesson? The power of compliments from random strangers. I got a compliment on my necklace from a woman in the airport. And a compliment on my hair from the woman working at Walgreen's. It pretty much made me smile all the way home.... all 4 blocks of it. Which is not far, but still... I was aware of the fact that I was smiling to myself, which is a pretty awesome feeling. If you haven't felt that way in a while, you should strive for it.

Oh hey, my apostrophe is working again.

2008-06-19T22:01:00.003-05:00

Feel free to add pinpoints to my Google maps to suggest places to go, if you have some favorites.
I now have a Chicago one and an Atlanta one.

I think the way to sum up my project is "non-traditional". All around.

One of my co-workers has 10-month old triplets. Which explains why I was standing in the middle of Walgreens, cracking up at a tiny t-shirt with an image of a stroller that says "This is how I roll."

Now opening the floor to suggestions of "what to do with my time in a hotel room, in a city I am unfamiliar with, without people to explore with me". Keep in mind I am a chicken, dont really know the area, and dont really have people to explore with me. And tend not to explore if I dont have someone else with me or at least some knowledge of the area. Assuming I dont want to do only work when I get back to the room. Current thoughts so far : write a novel, becoming famous while working full time.

Apparently, my apostrophe is not working, though the quotation mark will work.

I fricking love the Discovery Channel.

Travels and Work

2008-06-16T20:22:00.003-05:00

Traveling alone is... lonely. Apparently its unusual for a new Labber to be put on a project as the only Lab person... and here I am. I'm excited to get "messy" with code.

I crack myself up. If I actually end up doing what I am thinking about doing... well, a lot of you will get a good laugh out of it. And maybe say "Again?". Sorry for the vague-ity, but we'll see.

Sometimes, things throw you for an emotional roller coaster. It seems like there are just certain years that are heavy hitters for bad "life events". But sometimes the message you have to take from that is just live life for every minute of it, and never hold back love.

Geek geek geek nerd nerd nerd

2008-06-12T22:14:00.002-05:00

"If we get vaporized in 8 minutes I'm going to be SO mad." Or something along those lines.

Geek geek geek geek museum geek geek atlanta geek geek nerd nerd Interactive wall. Yes, something like that. Orientation was boring. I'm geeking out about my project and coding again, and hoping my skills really aren't as rusty as I think they might be.

Our floor is under construction, which makes things interesting - people are sort of sitting everywhere. It is fun times. I made the mistake of going up to the 40th floor to go to the bathroom (since the women's is closed during construction) - it was take your kids to work day and 40 was sort of home base for the kids. I think I'll get to sit in the wall room after a while, which will be nice to have a set place to sit when I'm not in Atlanta. I can't wait till "Remember when there was all that construction and people were sitting everywhere?" I really enjoy my co-workers. And my project should be interesting.

I almost passed out on the el Tuesday night - not a great way to start the week. But I'm drinking more water and taking the bus now, since its pretty much a guaranteed seat.

I really want a cat. Or maybe for my roommate to move in.

Touch Enable the Bean!

2008-06-07T11:21:00.002-05:00

I got to see a plan for Chicago for the 2016 Olympics yesterday. I think it'd be really good for the city to have the olympics here... aside from all of the people it'd put out. We joked about touch enabling the bean. And played telephone during the all-chicago meeting. My coworkers are definitely the odd group out in Accenture Chicago. But I really enjoy it. I got made fun of for being excited to start working. I dont think its such a bad thing.

Spent some time talking to one of my co-workers about how he enjoys coming to work every morning - as soon as it stops being fun, he'd quit. And it made me remember how much our sysadmin last summer loved the group, because people really appreciated him compared to other groups. He found a "home" with Labs, and that really secured my belief that this is a great place to be.

It's weird when you find out your street will be getting recycling soon and that makes your friends jealous :)

2008-06-05T14:05:00.002-05:00

Somehow my suit bag (complete with suits and dresses) ended up in Decatur. With a guy who works for FedEx. Or rather, the movers unloaded it off the truck with him when he moved. But working for FedEx is convenient.

Everytime I start to unpack or go buy groceries, I get distracted by things. Like email. Or phone calls about my suit bag. Or mapping things on google maps that I've been to. I think I'm going to keep track of the restaurants I've been to this way. So you can check out my map here, if you're interested. Yay Chicago!

Grocery Run Attempt 1: Bust. Dominicks is non existent where google maps says it is.
Google maps, you are a cruel, cruel mistress. So great so much of the time, and so wrong in the worst times.
Acquiring Bamboo Attempt 1: Bust. Again because Google maps is a liar, even the street view. I think Anne Sather's ate it - I'd be mad if the cinnamon rolls weren't so delicious.

That's another thing I want to start up while I'm here: weekly Sunday brunches. Ann Sathers. Dim sum. So many places around here do brunch and I freaking love brunch!

Also, this information visualization is really cool : voting Clinton/Obama

I can't stop giggling at this shirt from Threadless:

Fritters

2008-06-04T22:04:00.003-05:00

The word fritters is really fun. Kind of like fixings, but not useful for as many parts of speech though.

"You've won a special prize!" (Top Chef)
"A prostitute?!" ~ Freeberg

You probably could not be a Top Chef if you were vegetarian. But that would make for an interesting show - prepare a meal that can be enjoyed by vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

Apparently, there is a height maximum for being a Blue Man. Who knew. Maybe seeing the Blue Man Group should be like learning to code - its a whole different experience in a different language :)

The CTA website is pretty much fully integrated with google maps. Which is pretty awesome that rather than driving directions I can get public transit directions! Much yes!!!!

I don't understand why I can get a CTA pass in less than 48 hours from ordering to arriving at my door, but a credit card I'm preapproved for by the bank but applied for online could take up to 30 days.

TV is going to ruin me.
I hate having something you intended to blog about... and then forgetting what it was.

Goals for life (in a more day to day sense, not at all a "things to do before I die) in no particular order:
Climb!
Volunteer!
Cook!
Read!

However, Kevin asked me my priorities the other day, and the "first thought" response was:
1) Happiness 2)Making a difference to someone 3) Being a life learner 4)Friends

Conversations

2008-05-29T10:37:00.002-05:00

Conversations lately:
Things like - why people manage to stay in touch with the people they stay in touch with. And how sometimes it's kind of surprising. Or how its changed over the last 5 years, sometimes pretty drastically.

Everyone should watch this, it is only one minute long.

I've been buying myself house warming presents, like the book All the Tea in Chicago.
Next on the list: bamboo.

Credit cards are confusing and oh so adult.
Last night I saw Elsinore play at the Elbo Room. I've now been there two nights in a row. Teehee. At any rate, it was great to see Elsinore - great way to kick off living in Chicago, especially since Ryan Groff's show at the Canopy Club in Urbana was one of the best events to close out 5 years of college (along with Lynn O'Brien's show at Jennifer North shortly thereafter). Maybe this isn't such a big step. Or maybe it is, but maybe it's not such a big deal. We'll see what I think when I start work on Tuesday. And then when I start traveling.

So.

2008-05-27T12:50:00.003-05:00

Wow. I just saw a Public Service Announcement about Cyber Bullying. Interesting how society changes and the things that need to be PSAs.

I move June 1. I have to have everything packed up May 31. THAT IS REALLY SOON. In case you didn't know.

Graduating is weird. I'm excited about my job, so thats at least a good start, something to look forward to rather than just absolute fear of the future. Here's to hoping I get to visit with some old friends before I have to leave.

Little things

2008-05-19T18:44:00.003-05:00

I love the little experiences that wrap things up.
The mini potluck last night. Guiness Floats. Lunch with Brett this afternoon. Christie stopping by with my tent. Coffee with Rachael.

And then the little things that catch me off guard and make this all real... like cards from last Christmas and secret santas from ASB. Not exactly the best time for it all to hit, but it had to happen at some point, right? And saying goodbye to the people I've spent the most time with in the last 5 years...

But then again, its say "au revoir" and not goodbye. Until the next time we see each other...

Yay!

2008-05-16T17:32:00.003-05:00

So, I have an apartment in Chicago. This is very exciting and makes everything significantly more real. Like, having to move and set up utilities.

Response from one of the guys at Accenture when I mentioned I'd put his number on my lease application for housing:
Sure thing - I'll make sure I mention your determination in learning the bagpipes, those awesome three day raveup you throw, your two pack a day habit, and your pet ocelot :-)

Graduation (aka the post that never got posted...doh)

2008-05-10T17:38:00.002-05:00

The image of Willard Broom running down the street, covering the YMCA logo on his shirt, past people on every corner, chasing after a David Beckham poster.

Climbing into an elevator with two carts, two dump and run boxes, a printer, some foam mattress pads, and 6 people. Needless to say, it was hysterical when the doors opened on a floor we were not trying to get off at. Good time with dump and run.

Dancing to Mhondoro at Iron post for ages

Seeing a name of one of my friends in my newsfeed on facebook, going "who IS that?" and realizing another friend got married and changed their name.

Oh good. Rain all day for graduation. Great.

Studying

2008-05-02T13:41:00.003-05:00

1. I like engineering paper. I don't think I'll miss it though.
2. I think I have studied more productively today than I have all semester. Shows habits can be broken, I guess.
3. It is mildly disturbing to hear "Bad Touch" played in the middle of the day at a coffee shop. Whatevs.
4. I miss swing dancing. And Le Picolo, and the French version of swing. Yeah. And maybe even Desperados.
5. Education is a funny thing.

Paper Writing Insanity

2008-04-30T01:43:00.002-05:00

1. Take a nap. Wake up, do jumping jacks.
2. Can't ingest caffeine quickly enough.
3. The bedbugs can't bite if you don't get to sleep in your bed.
4. Clay Dunagan is effing cool (funny when people you've worked with are cited in papers you are reading/citing in your paper).
5. I have a love/hate relationship with meeting new people at the very end of the semester/college career. For real. In the last two weeks I have met some amazing people, or gotten opportunities to get to know people better that I'd met previously. It happens every year, but it makes me a bit sad. But hey, plenty of time in the next two weeks to enjoy the company of new and old friends.
6. 6 pages complete. A page and a half of legislative hoohah, and 3/4 of a page of crazy.

2008-04-29T23:22:00.001-05:00

Music

2008-04-21T23:02:00.003-05:00

I saw Ryan Groff play tonight as part of a benefit show for Invisible Conflicts, who are a groovy group of people and seem to be off to amazing things.

Hearing Ryan play made me really reminisce about the last few years... sophomore year till now, I guess. I've said already (at least to many people in person) that I will miss the music scene here, only to be told the music scene in Chicago is ch-amazing and that I have nothing to worry about. But its not that, really. Its that I love the musicians here, the concerts at Courtyard for less than $7 and seeing the bands support each other and the amazing places they turn up. Elsinore (Ryan Groff's band), Headlights, Lynn O'Brien, Lorenzo Goetz, Beauty Shop. But beyond that its the memories... going to Headlights concerts, jumping our hearts out at the back of courtyard, and being called to the front because we were the only people dancing. It's knowing people like Rachael Dietkus (pretty much my role model) recorded tracks with the Headlights and New Ruins, and getting to see her play that one time. Its hearing Lynn for the first time at her CD release party, and her interaction with the crowd, and being completely blown away. Its being just a couple degrees of separation away from throwing awesome benefit concerts. Its remembering the people who introduced me to the music... and missing Casey and Pocket, and the others that have graduated.

I'm ready to be done with school here, and most of the people I know are leaving, but I will miss Urbana. Urbana has been terribly good to me for the last 5 years.

Sunset Stallion was pretty good, too.

Food.

2008-04-20T19:48:00.002-05:00

Russian food is delicious. If you drink beer, you should try the Baltkia 4. Is it good.
And Rock Bottom Brewery is... absolutely incredible. And like 8 blocks away from work in Chicago. Oh noes.

I love comedy. I guess I love laughing, but there it is.

My sister makes me giggle.
"You're moving to Chicago next year, right?" ~My sis
"Yeah...."
"Do you know where you're living yet?"
"No..."
"Oh, well... Sarah and I, you've met Sarah before, are planning on running the Chicago Marathon next year...."
"Ok."
"Do you want to run with us?"
"No, probably not"
"Oh, ok then."
"But you can stay with me if you need to."
"Great! Thanks! Goodbye"

New Webcomic!

2008-04-17T17:56:00.003-05:00

http://www.viruscomix.com/

Hopefully something more eloquent about CHI

2008-04-16T10:12:00.003-05:00

Things that were discussed:
1. The future of the HCI4D community
2. Elegant and simple solutions
3. Scale, and when it is appropriate to scale up and not
4. There's no harm in setting yourself up for success.
5. "The EWB model" and how sometimes, in order to build a school, you have to build a bridge first.
6. "The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of bad ones" - innovation and creativity
7. The power (and beauty) of print.
8. Ethics
9. Timelines, deadlines, and the conflict between graduating and doing what you want to do and what you need to do. (Long term projects that may be neccessary do not fit the "publish or perish" expectation in order to graduate - how to "chunk" projects and make sure someone else is around to finish a long project).
10. User and human centered design.
11. Problems of feedback - fear of having technology taken away, "magic" in software development and perceptions of what is possible and how long it will take
12. Exit strategies and community expectations
13. The real problems - that no one wants to explore (education in the US). There are some problems technology can't solve (ie teachers not understanding science).
14. Healthcare and education, and then my head exploded a little.
15. Social technologies and their role in industry.

"We hear all your stories about sneaking off at conferences and talking about humans... and the inside jokes. Ours will deal with that screen falling." And talking in languages with clicks.

The workshop was kind of like an ASB coffee talk on crack... or maybe just real espresso, and PHD students. It's funny how quickly humans adjust to "the way things are" - whether its pain, or illness, or lack of stimulating conversation. Such a cool community.

I think I will start my own conference. It will run Monday - Friday, but Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon will have nothing planned - to give people time to travel, but also to have time to schedule for those impromptu meetings. You know, the socializations that conferences are really about.

Posting a link to Tim Ferris, because I don' t know how many times the conversation has come up (both domestically and internationally). I say you all, and I own up to it... I don't really say y'all. You all just makes sense, so deal with it.

I'm obsessed with the BlackCabSessions. Particularly: Spoon (but then again, we've known about my Brit Daniels obsession for a while), Emmy the great, and the new pornographers.

Also, Tuesday night bourbon and Set playing is ridiculously nerdy but oh so fun.

And Count your sheep is cute:

Wear your heart on your feet/Long time no blog

2008-04-13T19:30:00.010-05:00

The lack of blogging lately has been due to being in Italy. And preparing to be in Italy. And hanging out in Chicago to avoid the work that I have to do after Italy (and see good friends).

So the week looked like this:
Thursday, April 3rd - Drive to Chicago, get there later than intended, drive to Lindsey's house to leave my car there for a week. Catch rides to the airport with people I've never met. Discover the beauty of thermacare patches for avoiding back problems while flying.

Friday, April 4th - Arrive in Florence. Meet up with Manas (who I met in Brazil at Interact) and his flatmates for the week, so I don't have to navigate Florence by myself. Have dinner, walk up to the conference center, and walk around Florence a bit with said gents. Force staying awake until 9pm to reduce jetlag, start falling asleep reading workshop papers, only to face terrible, terrible insomnia.

Saturday, April 5th - HCI4D Workshop 9am - 6pm. Lunch and dinner as a group (which is pretty sweet when good food just appears on the table and you pay a flat rate). End up talking to people after dinner until 22:30, inquiring how I never ended up in jail out of boredom, and being told not to let the corporate world keep me too long, because they'll give me the world because I do things. I miss talking about real things

Sunday, April 6th - HCI4D Workshop 9am - 6pm. Went out to dinner with HCI4D grad students and friends, followed by a wine bar. Interesting conversation about bowel movements and travel - hey, everyone poops, and every culture has different practices around it.

Monday, April 7th - SV duties at 8:30. Conference reception, involving some wine consumption. Wise decision to leave the reception when we did, but lots of fun none the less.

Tuesday, April 8th - SV duties at 8:30

Wednesday, April 9th - SV duties at 8:30

Thursday, April 10th - Eric presents best paper, and it rocks. Divya asks what font he used.

Friday, April 11th - Fly back to the US. Have dinner with Lindsey's mom. Meet up with Freeberg and Haala, go for hot chocolate with Haala's friends, pass out.

1. Wear your heart on your feet...
Anyone can wear their heart on their sleeve. It takes a lot to wear your heart on your feet and do something. Susan Dray provided heart socks for everyone that some people wore throughout the week (whether as socks or wristbands). I love the community of people that are in HCI4d/ICT4d.

2. I miss cappuccino. The waiter guy at the hotel in the morning would make cappucino with a heart in the foam and say "Don't break my heart." Cute schtick you can tell he uses a lot, but really nice guy. He'd notice when you weren't there in the mornings (ahem, Tuesday morning), and thought I was Italian at first.

3. I miss gelato. A lot.

4. Bideus

5. Peters projection
Is a map that shows the actual area of countries. What implications does this have for international relations?

6. I met some really, really amazing people who have done some incredible things. People who have done studies on one laptop per child, or with teachers for students of learning disabilities, or healthcare applications for distance consultations, and preventions of childhood mortality. Very, very cool.

http://www.goodmagazine.com/section/Portraits/black_and_green
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1018013.ece
http://blag.xkcd.com/2008/04/10/two-female-leads/

Randy Pausch (for real, watch "Really Achieving your childhood dreams" if you haven't already).

Potential grad schools in no particular order:
CMU
Ga Tech
U Washington
Berkeley

Its a PEC shirt!

And there are probably a ton of other things I want to write about (like the papers I want to read) but I'm bored writing so you're probably bored reading. Ka-posted.

Drool.

2008-03-31T13:27:00.002-05:00

For real, I need to quit hearing about opportunities that make me drool.

Like game design internships, for activism and youth in Boston.

Social Movements and Technology

2008-03-30T20:50:00.002-05:00

So, researching MRSA (again/still/whatever).

Interesting comment from this article: Officials shut down all 22 schools in Bedford County for cleaning today in an effort to keep the illness from spreading, after students at Staunton River organized a protest overnight Monday, using text messages and social networking sites. On Tuesday, the student organizers led the Bedford County schools superintendent, James Blevins, on a tour of the Staunton River school to show him the state of its sanitation, particularly in its locker rooms.

What would happen if there were a draft? I think we'd see a change from the current apathy. Do you think politicians are afraid of a potential response by the Facebook generation? Heck, Stephen Colbert can get a million people in his facebook group, pretty much overnight. That's a scary amount of response (not to mention insanely cool).

Technology and Education

2008-03-30T14:39:00.002-05:00

My cousin posted this link to our extended family's Yahoo newsgroup (yup, my family is THAT awesome).

My post in response:
Its definitely an interesting article. Very much aligned with the things I'm interested in. Actually just heard a really interesting talk by Amy Bruckman at Georgia Tech, who does research on Electronic Learning Communities (http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/elc/index.shtml). They've done some really interesting work with education and wikipedia and whatnot... I'm really fascinated by that group right now.

Wikipedia, however, is still not a resource that can be cited as a legitimate source. Then again, encyclopedias were never really legitimate, citable sources. But creating content is a valuable exercise in mastering new material.

With the MIT education, you pay for the social atmosphere, but also the evaluation (homework, tests, etc).

I read somewhere to compare and contrast multiple renditions of Shakespeare plays (ie videos of several different productions) the best essays were the ones that analyzed the differences between the videos side by side, rather than doing an in depth analysis of one particular production.) Or rather, information is becoming less about what you can FIND because its readily available, and more about how you combine information that is available.

It will be interesting to see where education goes, especially with the public education scenario being like this 20/20 documentary : http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bx4pN-aiofw (if the link doesnt work, go to youtube.com and search "stupid in america"). Our public school system really just prepares people to be drones that fit into society, to make them good "workers" (think manufacturing), but we're moving from an industrial society to an information processing society. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q - If that doesnt work go to Youtube and search for "shift happens")

I think people are scared of the way technology could take education and society rather than a) acknowledging that change is inevitable and currently inadequate in the education system and b)using technology in a positive way.