Pretty infuriating experience. Unfortunately, all airlines seem to be in a competition to see who can treat their customers worse and who can give less of a sh*t.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/08/14/united-lost-child.html
Friday, August 31, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
DIY Maternity Wrap Dress
Very cute and easy to make!
http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2012/08/maternity-diy-make-a-wrap-dress-1.html
http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2012/08/maternity-diy-make-a-wrap-dress-1.html
Saturday, August 18, 2012
DIY bowl cover
Have you got some bowls that didn't come with a cover? Here's a way to make your own fabric covers!
http://thecottagehome.blogspot.com/2011/05/color-my-summer-purple-potluck-bowl.html
http://thecottagehome.blogspot.com/2011/05/color-my-summer-purple-potluck-bowl.html
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
My little gardening experiment
I have never had a space of my own to grow a garden before. Now, I've got a bunch of stuff in the back yard. I mentioned in a previous post that I have two, fairly sad and cramped tomato plants growing. They're still alive and we've harvested and eaten 3 very delicious tomatoes so far!
Anyways, I have other plants growing too. We have a rose bush left to us by the previous owner. They also left us a Manhattan bush and a holly bush that we decided to get rid of. I tried sticking some scallions and celery into the dirt and though they're surviving, they aren't doing very well and I think I'm just going to uproot them and use the space for something else next year. We also have a horseradish plant that we grew from a piece of the root. It's in a container because I didn't want it invading other areas of my garden. In addition to these "free" plants, I also bought a jasmine plant, which produces the most heavenly blossoms, a kalanchoe plant, basil, mint, mini bamboo and an aloe. Hubby is less ambitious, taking care of a Hindu rope plant, a jade plant and a really dangerously spiny cactus.
This summer, the rose bush had exploded into a huge bundle of thorns, leaves and flowers. After it finished flowering, I pruned it mercilessly to less than half its size earlier this summer. It has since reclaimed some of its former height and width. I think I'm going to have to prune it again before winter. When I pruned, I took some cuttings and stuck them into a pot of soil. They seemed to have sprouted new leaves and grown into their own set of plants. I am thinking of planting them in the front yard.
The horseradish plant seems to be surviving, but needs a bigger pot. I didn't realize how big a pot it needed, but after reading a bit online, I realized that it is in too small of a pot. They say that you should harvest some horseradish in the fall after the first frost if you've planted it in the spring, but I think I'm just going to leave it and harvest it next spring rather than this fall. I have definitely not taken much care of this plant and I'm glad to say that it is still alive!
The jasmine plant is one of my favorites. It only had a few blossoms when I first got it and when the flowers died off, I thought it was done for the season, but it bloomed again with a few more blossoms. I would go out at night and pick a blossom to bring inside. It smelled so nice and I would stuff the blossom into a tiny spray bottle of vodka. I must have about 5 blossoms in there now, but the scent is still not very strong. Right now, the jasmine plant is getting ready for another set of blooms and I can't wait to pick those too! I think I'll just continue to stuff my spray bottle and by this time next year, I should have a nice bottle of jasmine perfume!
This past weekend hubby and I bought a kalanchoe plant and a Hindu rope plant. The kalanchoe is quite tiny and is considered a succulent with very shallow roots. The garden center dude said we don't need to repot it and to only water it when the leaves start feeling thin and papery. The Hindu rope plant caught hubby's eye because it looks very unique. I've never seen anything quite like it and hope that it will do well in our home.
As for the mint, I started off with a small pot and have repotted it a few times already. I finally got sick of repotting and started aggressively pruning. I take the leaves and stems that I've cut off and muddle it in a cup with some rum, sugar and ice-cold water. Right now, it's small enough that I don't think I need to tend to it for a couple of weeks. I am actually surprised at how fast mint grows and spreads!
The basil is a fairly new addition and is very small right now. I do need to repot it. I am hoping it will eventually grow big enough that I can make a good amount of pesto with it. Lately, I've been buying bunches of basil from the green markets and I made pesto this past weekend. So delicious! Our poor basil plant isn't looking very good right now though. I don't think it's getting enough sun sitting inside the house. I will need to rethink its location.
It's hard not to get really excited and ambitious here. I have to talk myself out of buying every green potted thing I see! I have a black thumb and very few things have survived under my care. So I have to say that this summer's gardening experience has been very exciting so far. I've learned a few lessons and plan to keep growing things!
Anyways, I have other plants growing too. We have a rose bush left to us by the previous owner. They also left us a Manhattan bush and a holly bush that we decided to get rid of. I tried sticking some scallions and celery into the dirt and though they're surviving, they aren't doing very well and I think I'm just going to uproot them and use the space for something else next year. We also have a horseradish plant that we grew from a piece of the root. It's in a container because I didn't want it invading other areas of my garden. In addition to these "free" plants, I also bought a jasmine plant, which produces the most heavenly blossoms, a kalanchoe plant, basil, mint, mini bamboo and an aloe. Hubby is less ambitious, taking care of a Hindu rope plant, a jade plant and a really dangerously spiny cactus.
This summer, the rose bush had exploded into a huge bundle of thorns, leaves and flowers. After it finished flowering, I pruned it mercilessly to less than half its size earlier this summer. It has since reclaimed some of its former height and width. I think I'm going to have to prune it again before winter. When I pruned, I took some cuttings and stuck them into a pot of soil. They seemed to have sprouted new leaves and grown into their own set of plants. I am thinking of planting them in the front yard.
The horseradish plant seems to be surviving, but needs a bigger pot. I didn't realize how big a pot it needed, but after reading a bit online, I realized that it is in too small of a pot. They say that you should harvest some horseradish in the fall after the first frost if you've planted it in the spring, but I think I'm just going to leave it and harvest it next spring rather than this fall. I have definitely not taken much care of this plant and I'm glad to say that it is still alive!
The jasmine plant is one of my favorites. It only had a few blossoms when I first got it and when the flowers died off, I thought it was done for the season, but it bloomed again with a few more blossoms. I would go out at night and pick a blossom to bring inside. It smelled so nice and I would stuff the blossom into a tiny spray bottle of vodka. I must have about 5 blossoms in there now, but the scent is still not very strong. Right now, the jasmine plant is getting ready for another set of blooms and I can't wait to pick those too! I think I'll just continue to stuff my spray bottle and by this time next year, I should have a nice bottle of jasmine perfume!
This past weekend hubby and I bought a kalanchoe plant and a Hindu rope plant. The kalanchoe is quite tiny and is considered a succulent with very shallow roots. The garden center dude said we don't need to repot it and to only water it when the leaves start feeling thin and papery. The Hindu rope plant caught hubby's eye because it looks very unique. I've never seen anything quite like it and hope that it will do well in our home.
As for the mint, I started off with a small pot and have repotted it a few times already. I finally got sick of repotting and started aggressively pruning. I take the leaves and stems that I've cut off and muddle it in a cup with some rum, sugar and ice-cold water. Right now, it's small enough that I don't think I need to tend to it for a couple of weeks. I am actually surprised at how fast mint grows and spreads!
The basil is a fairly new addition and is very small right now. I do need to repot it. I am hoping it will eventually grow big enough that I can make a good amount of pesto with it. Lately, I've been buying bunches of basil from the green markets and I made pesto this past weekend. So delicious! Our poor basil plant isn't looking very good right now though. I don't think it's getting enough sun sitting inside the house. I will need to rethink its location.
It's hard not to get really excited and ambitious here. I have to talk myself out of buying every green potted thing I see! I have a black thumb and very few things have survived under my care. So I have to say that this summer's gardening experience has been very exciting so far. I've learned a few lessons and plan to keep growing things!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
A Spray Bottle that works in any position
A little DIY project to remedy something that often annoys me:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-spray-bottle-that-works-in-any-direc/
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-spray-bottle-that-works-in-any-direc/
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Love this kitchen organizer!
I love this organizer because it can store so many things in such a small space! It has a place for pots and their lids, utensils, storage containers and appliances. How awesome!
http://www.thekitchn.com/a-smart-effective-wire-shelving-unit-for-kitchen-storage-175372#
http://www.thekitchn.com/a-smart-effective-wire-shelving-unit-for-kitchen-storage-175372#
Friday, August 10, 2012
Tomato plants
Our two poorly grown tomato plants are finally giving us tomatoes! This is my first attempt at growing tomatoes and I planted two heirloom kinds: Cherokee and Brandywine. The Cherokee isn't look so good, but the Brandywine looks like it's having a ball!
Anyways, we've harvested 3 awesome, super delicious Brandywine tomatoes already and each one was super juicy and flavorful. The Cherokee plant actually started growing a tomato first, but then it got sickly and that tomato is still trying to ripen.
To hubby and me, this was a learning year. Our poor plants were planted too closely together and weren't staked properly so they ended up slowly trying to strangle each other and falling down, with their stalks ripping apart from the weight of the growing branches and tomatoes. It was quite distressing to see that, but I didn't know any better when I planted them. Next year, I'll plant them in better locations and also use a tomato cage. For now, I'll just eat the tomatoes as they come and hope for better luck next year!
Anyways, we've harvested 3 awesome, super delicious Brandywine tomatoes already and each one was super juicy and flavorful. The Cherokee plant actually started growing a tomato first, but then it got sickly and that tomato is still trying to ripen.
To hubby and me, this was a learning year. Our poor plants were planted too closely together and weren't staked properly so they ended up slowly trying to strangle each other and falling down, with their stalks ripping apart from the weight of the growing branches and tomatoes. It was quite distressing to see that, but I didn't know any better when I planted them. Next year, I'll plant them in better locations and also use a tomato cage. For now, I'll just eat the tomatoes as they come and hope for better luck next year!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Whole Egg Blender Mayonnaise
I love mayonnaise. I really do! However, most of the time, I'm too lazy to make my own. So often, I end up buying mayonnaise. The weird thing about store-bought mayo is that is lasts forever! So deep down inside, there is a little voice that keeps telling me I should make my own.
I resisted making my own mayo until I found this recipe here:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/whole-egg-mayonnaise/
The great thing about the above recipe is that it uses whole eggs, so no more wondering what to do with the leftover egg white. The other great thing is that you can make it with a blender. No more whipping until your arms fall off! My first time making this, I used spicy dijon mustard in place of the mustard powder and lemon juice in place of the white wine vinegar. The result was delicious! I was so happy with it, I thought I'd never want to buy another jar of Hellmann's again! The second time, I again used spicy Dijon mustard, but used rice wine vinegar instead of lemon juice. The mayo was still good, but I prefer the flavor of the lemon juice. I think I'll stick with lemon juice going forward.
The easiest way to make this recipe is to put all your ingredients, with the egg on the bottom, into a wide mouthed jar (I have a big mason jar) and put your stick blender all the way down. Start blending and then slowly pull the stick up and when it's out, the mayo is all done. Easy peasy!
So if you're feeling adventurously decadent, I highly recommend making your own mayo. If you do it just right, it tastes worlds better than the store-bought stuff. Keep in mind that the homemade stuff probably can only last about 2 weeks or so. Although I have read someone had homemade mayo for a month and ate it with no problems. I wouldn't risk it though.
I resisted making my own mayo until I found this recipe here:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/whole-egg-mayonnaise/
The great thing about the above recipe is that it uses whole eggs, so no more wondering what to do with the leftover egg white. The other great thing is that you can make it with a blender. No more whipping until your arms fall off! My first time making this, I used spicy dijon mustard in place of the mustard powder and lemon juice in place of the white wine vinegar. The result was delicious! I was so happy with it, I thought I'd never want to buy another jar of Hellmann's again! The second time, I again used spicy Dijon mustard, but used rice wine vinegar instead of lemon juice. The mayo was still good, but I prefer the flavor of the lemon juice. I think I'll stick with lemon juice going forward.
The easiest way to make this recipe is to put all your ingredients, with the egg on the bottom, into a wide mouthed jar (I have a big mason jar) and put your stick blender all the way down. Start blending and then slowly pull the stick up and when it's out, the mayo is all done. Easy peasy!
So if you're feeling adventurously decadent, I highly recommend making your own mayo. If you do it just right, it tastes worlds better than the store-bought stuff. Keep in mind that the homemade stuff probably can only last about 2 weeks or so. Although I have read someone had homemade mayo for a month and ate it with no problems. I wouldn't risk it though.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Watery ricefor the upset tummy
I'm always told that if you have an upset tummy to stick to the BRAT diet. That is banana, rice, applesauce and toast. However, when I had an upset tummy growing up, my mom would make me the Chinese version of porridge. Basically, watery rice. Plain watery rice is best, but if the tummy can take it, you can a few things to make it taste more palatable.
First of all, you can cook it with some salt, but I prefer to use soy sauce. From there, you can add grated ginger and maybe just a drop of sesame oil. Ginger is great for tummies and is very effective against nausea. Hubby hates it when I make him ginger tea for his upset tummy. It's very hard to get him to drink much of it at all. I have to coax and cajole him into take mere sips and honestly, it's not that bad! I add sugar to make more palatable and even still, he fights me all the way!
Anyways, if you just love watery rice, you can go crazy and cook it with various kinds of ground meat and veggies. My favorite combination right now is preserved eggs, salted eggs, scallion, ginger and sesame oil. Just chop everything up and dump it into the container with the rice and water and then cook in a rice cooker. I don't know how to cook rice on a stove, actually. I only know how to use a rice cooker. Hubby doesn't know how to use a rice cooker but knows how to cook rice on a stove.
Allow me to go off on a tangent here and sing some praises to my rice cooker. I LOVE my rice cooker! It cooks via steam, so I never need a stovetop steamer unless it's for big stuff. My rice cooker is very small. Anyways, it can also make delicious steam cakes (think Malay cakes), hard boiled eggs, soups and keeps things warm. Wanna make a large batch of tea eggs? Cook eggs in a rice cooker first and then crack the shells and cook again in your tea egg solution. Voila! Easy peasy tea eggs! Store the batch in the fridge in the tea egg solution and snack on it over the course of a week or so.
Anyways, going back to watery rice. This stuff can be as simple and plain as you like, or packed full of meats and veggies and flavors. It is fairly common to just add soy sauce and sesame oil and stir in some mashed fermented tofu (hubby is not a fan of this, but he doesn't know that I sometimes put it in his ramen). Growing up, my mom always made it plain, but served it with Chinese pickled cucumbers and pork sung (I think this is dried shredded pork). There was no added soy sauce or oils and this was just fine for us. Unfortunately, I avoid the pickled cucumbers now because a lot of brands have preservatives and MSG, and the pork sung is, well meat, and is really unhealthy.
That gets me thinking, maybe I should make my own pickled cucumbers...
First of all, you can cook it with some salt, but I prefer to use soy sauce. From there, you can add grated ginger and maybe just a drop of sesame oil. Ginger is great for tummies and is very effective against nausea. Hubby hates it when I make him ginger tea for his upset tummy. It's very hard to get him to drink much of it at all. I have to coax and cajole him into take mere sips and honestly, it's not that bad! I add sugar to make more palatable and even still, he fights me all the way!
Anyways, if you just love watery rice, you can go crazy and cook it with various kinds of ground meat and veggies. My favorite combination right now is preserved eggs, salted eggs, scallion, ginger and sesame oil. Just chop everything up and dump it into the container with the rice and water and then cook in a rice cooker. I don't know how to cook rice on a stove, actually. I only know how to use a rice cooker. Hubby doesn't know how to use a rice cooker but knows how to cook rice on a stove.
Allow me to go off on a tangent here and sing some praises to my rice cooker. I LOVE my rice cooker! It cooks via steam, so I never need a stovetop steamer unless it's for big stuff. My rice cooker is very small. Anyways, it can also make delicious steam cakes (think Malay cakes), hard boiled eggs, soups and keeps things warm. Wanna make a large batch of tea eggs? Cook eggs in a rice cooker first and then crack the shells and cook again in your tea egg solution. Voila! Easy peasy tea eggs! Store the batch in the fridge in the tea egg solution and snack on it over the course of a week or so.
Anyways, going back to watery rice. This stuff can be as simple and plain as you like, or packed full of meats and veggies and flavors. It is fairly common to just add soy sauce and sesame oil and stir in some mashed fermented tofu (hubby is not a fan of this, but he doesn't know that I sometimes put it in his ramen). Growing up, my mom always made it plain, but served it with Chinese pickled cucumbers and pork sung (I think this is dried shredded pork). There was no added soy sauce or oils and this was just fine for us. Unfortunately, I avoid the pickled cucumbers now because a lot of brands have preservatives and MSG, and the pork sung is, well meat, and is really unhealthy.
That gets me thinking, maybe I should make my own pickled cucumbers...
Monday, June 18, 2012
Homemade blender mayonnaise
I love mayonnaise. Yes, it's bad for you and it's fattening but it is one of my favorite condiments. I totally love mayonnaise!
Anyways, in the past, when I've made my own mayonnaise, I've done it by hand. I would whisk and whisk vigorously and my arm feels like it's going to fall off. Generally, I've used Alton Brown's recipe here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/mayonnaise-recipe/index.html
This recipe creates a nice thick, creamy mayonnaise, but the vinegar part, I'm not a big fan of. Also, this recipe uses a yolk, which leave you with an egg white just sitting around wondering what you're going to do with it. Plus, it's so tiring to make that I've only made it a handful of times, preferring to just buy a jar.
So then I came upon this recipe here:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/whole-egg-mayonnaise/
Not only does this recipe uses whole eggs, but it can be made with my immersion blender! I tried it out this past weekend with some alterations. First I substituted the vinegar with lemon juice. Instead of dry mustard powder, I used spicy Dijon. I also salted to taste. Everything was room temperature and I put everything except the oil into a wide mouthed jar and used my immersion blender to start the emulsion. Then I slowly poured in the oil and voila! Yummy mayonnaise! Now I don't say this lightly, but I think it tastes better than Hellmann's, which is my favorite brand!
YUM!
Anyways, in the past, when I've made my own mayonnaise, I've done it by hand. I would whisk and whisk vigorously and my arm feels like it's going to fall off. Generally, I've used Alton Brown's recipe here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/mayonnaise-recipe/index.html
This recipe creates a nice thick, creamy mayonnaise, but the vinegar part, I'm not a big fan of. Also, this recipe uses a yolk, which leave you with an egg white just sitting around wondering what you're going to do with it. Plus, it's so tiring to make that I've only made it a handful of times, preferring to just buy a jar.
So then I came upon this recipe here:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/whole-egg-mayonnaise/
Not only does this recipe uses whole eggs, but it can be made with my immersion blender! I tried it out this past weekend with some alterations. First I substituted the vinegar with lemon juice. Instead of dry mustard powder, I used spicy Dijon. I also salted to taste. Everything was room temperature and I put everything except the oil into a wide mouthed jar and used my immersion blender to start the emulsion. Then I slowly poured in the oil and voila! Yummy mayonnaise! Now I don't say this lightly, but I think it tastes better than Hellmann's, which is my favorite brand!
YUM!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Women just can't get a fair deal
So we have lots of articles about the "war on women" and articles about how women are underpaid. One of the theories I keep hearing is that women don't get promoted and don't get raises because women don't ask or push for it whereas men do. Some more recent research indicates that this may not be the whole truth of why there is such a big pay gap:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-leadership/for-women-in-business-the-squeaky-wheel-doesnt-get-the-grease/2012/01/09/gIQAGRuqlP_story.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/business/increasingly-men-seek-success-in-jobs-dominated-by-women.html?pagewanted=all
The part that gets me is how women DO ask for raises, and when they are successful in getting one, the amount is smaller than when a man gets one. Sucks, doesn't it?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-leadership/for-women-in-business-the-squeaky-wheel-doesnt-get-the-grease/2012/01/09/gIQAGRuqlP_story.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/business/increasingly-men-seek-success-in-jobs-dominated-by-women.html?pagewanted=all
The part that gets me is how women DO ask for raises, and when they are successful in getting one, the amount is smaller than when a man gets one. Sucks, doesn't it?
Monday, June 11, 2012
Lunapads
Warning, this post may gross you out!
When it comes to my monthly visitor, I generally hate it. Not only do I have cramps, back-ache, tummy issues and bloating, I get diaper rash from the stupid pads! Yes, I do wear tampons at night so I can toss and turn without leaking, but during the day, I use pads. It's a personal preference thing plus paranoia about toxic shock syndrome.
Anyways, one day, I was reading an old post written by No Impact Man about how his wife switched to reusable cloth pads called Lunapads. My first reaction was, 'Ew! That is like reusable cloth diapers, but for grown women!' However, my curiosity was piqued enough that I bought a sample pack from Lunapads.com.
When they arrived in the house, I was very happy with how cute these things are with their happy fabric prints and bright colors. However, I also kept imagining how awful it's going to be when they're soaked in discarded blood and having to wash them. As it turns out, it wasn't as bad as I imagined it.
Okay, so here is my experience with my sampler pack. First of all, these are really, really comfortable compared to the disposable stuff. They're soft and absorbent and they actually stay in place! The best part - no diaper rash! It does look a bit gross when they're soaked so there's no getting around that. At the end of the day, when I'm taking them off, I prewash them with some detergent and then toss them into the hamper or dry them on a clothesline until laundry day. After washing with the regular laundry, they come out clean and ready to be used again. They do shrink a bit in the dryer, but not too much.
Overall, I very much enjoyed using these and have ordered more pads to cover a week. They're not cheap, but at least they don't generate more plastic garbage, they're more comfortable than the disposable stuff, and if you can actually use them for years and years, they'll probably save you money in the long run. Buying pads every few months can get expensive.
Now, if only I can get something to make all my PMS go away...
When it comes to my monthly visitor, I generally hate it. Not only do I have cramps, back-ache, tummy issues and bloating, I get diaper rash from the stupid pads! Yes, I do wear tampons at night so I can toss and turn without leaking, but during the day, I use pads. It's a personal preference thing plus paranoia about toxic shock syndrome.
Anyways, one day, I was reading an old post written by No Impact Man about how his wife switched to reusable cloth pads called Lunapads. My first reaction was, 'Ew! That is like reusable cloth diapers, but for grown women!' However, my curiosity was piqued enough that I bought a sample pack from Lunapads.com.
When they arrived in the house, I was very happy with how cute these things are with their happy fabric prints and bright colors. However, I also kept imagining how awful it's going to be when they're soaked in discarded blood and having to wash them. As it turns out, it wasn't as bad as I imagined it.
Okay, so here is my experience with my sampler pack. First of all, these are really, really comfortable compared to the disposable stuff. They're soft and absorbent and they actually stay in place! The best part - no diaper rash! It does look a bit gross when they're soaked so there's no getting around that. At the end of the day, when I'm taking them off, I prewash them with some detergent and then toss them into the hamper or dry them on a clothesline until laundry day. After washing with the regular laundry, they come out clean and ready to be used again. They do shrink a bit in the dryer, but not too much.
Overall, I very much enjoyed using these and have ordered more pads to cover a week. They're not cheap, but at least they don't generate more plastic garbage, they're more comfortable than the disposable stuff, and if you can actually use them for years and years, they'll probably save you money in the long run. Buying pads every few months can get expensive.
Now, if only I can get something to make all my PMS go away...
Saturday, June 9, 2012
As a woman in IT...
Today, I read an article in the NY Times about gender discrimination in
IT. I can tell you it is very much alive and well. The article itself was infuriating, but I won't go there as it has been well covered by Huffington Post and Jezebel.
I work in IT and was once told by a man I dated that I was a geek's dream come true. Not only was I (according to him) attractive, I played Starcraft and Warcraft II obsessively in college, LOVED RPGs, was very familiar with sites like Gamespot and IGN (before IGN became specifically for men) and loved watching anime. Terminology like "newbie" and "leveling up" was a part of my daily language and these things only struck me as weird when someone told me I was weird.
The truth is, I never considered myself an IT person. I graduated college knowing only how to use Word to write my papers and play Solitaire and Minesweeper. This, despite the fact that my father was in IT and did programming and database work. I also have a brother who majored in computer science and is now also in IT. My father once tried to teach me MS Dos and I remember stubbornly refusing to learn it and walked away. So really, I never thought of myself as having any kind of affinity with computers.
However, my first real job out of college was in IT. I went from trainer and tech support to tech writer. I learned DHTML, javascript, Perl and dabbled in SQL and CGI programming. I then took a break to do non-profit stuff and then went back into IT. When I was hired at my current company, I was told by another woman in my group that I was now the fourth woman to be hired into the department. One woman was an assistant and one left a few months later. This is the norm. The IT world really is overwhelmingly male.
I am constantly wondering how I sound to my coworkers when I talk to them, especially when I'm frustrated. Half the time I go home thinking I sounded like a b*tch or a whiny little girl, which is not how I want to sound. I hear men cursing and venting all the time and I'm sure they never second-guess themselves and wonder if how they acted or behaved was inappropriate or sounded b*tchy. The term b*tchy only applies to women. Any time a woman is not completely calm, collected and super-professional, she risks coming off as b*tchy.
Add to the mix that I'm IT, filled with proud self-professed nerds and geeks, and you have a slightly different dynamic. Anyone who knows me knows that when something matters to me, I don't stay quiet. I'll make my opinions known and I can argue for them if I have to. Some guys find this personality trait aggressive. I remember having meetings with IT guys on projects and finding that I come off as intimidating to a few of them. So intimidating that they spoke to my boss (who is a man), who in turn decided not to let me speak in meetings. He told me privately and specifically used the word, "intimidating." I was rather shocked because I had transferred from the business side of the company and how I managed my meetings and projects was the norm there and nobody found me scary until then.
As I continued to work more and more with IT professionals, I realized that although there are a wide range of personalities, many of them do lack social finesse. It may be stereotyping to say that many don't know how to talk to women, but I found that to be true. Part of the reason why they don't seem to know how to talk to women can be traced to how some of them view women in general. Many of them assume when they first meet a women that she is not tech-savvy and that view is so entrenched that it is very hard to change it. I almost always have to prove myself to them before they realize that when I say there is a problem, there is a real friggin' problem. Even, then I sometimes run into roadblocks where they'll just start ignoring me.
That's usually when I lose my temper. I'll either start CCing their boss and outline the consequences of ignoring my communications on the project, and/or I'll start involving my own boss, who is a man and can probably talk to these guys. I hate having to go to a man to talk to other men because they think I MUST be doing SOMETHING wrong, even though they can't actually say what I MUST have done wrong. I hate thinking that maybe I'm being disrespected because I'm a woman, but these are inescapable questions when working in an environment that is used to working with only other men.
I am very lucky to be in a job where my boss supports me. He's very hands-off and gives me a great deal of leeway in what I do. He's also very willing to hear me out and let me vent when I need to. Even so, I am always afraid that I'm coming off as weak or unable to handle the work or too complain-y. On the other hand, being totally robot-like isn't me either. I understand that being professional means not getting emotional or passionate. It means always being logical, collected and take nothing personally. Like I said, you'd have to be like a robot to do all that when nobody else has to treat you with respect. The men in my company can get away with acting like d*cks and a$$ holes, but a woman can't get away with being less than perfect. In all honesty, being in IT is worse than being in Finance, probably because there are more women in Finance.
It took me at least 3 years of hard work and doing a really good job before the development team stopped assuming I'm stupid and inept. It took me only 3 months to earn that same amount of respect when I was working in Finance, also a male-dominated industry. Right now, I've been at my current job for 5 years. I've literally earned my place here though I am still seriously underpaid. Now, when I send an issue to the development team, they don't ask me stupid questions or ignore me. It shouldn't have taken me years to earn a basic level of respect. I had to do a better job than the men in the same position in order to get to where I am today. Even so, advancement opportunities feel very limited. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get anywhere as a woman in IT, no matter how competent or how hard I work. I never felt like that when I was younger and more innocent, but I feel that way now.
The thing that gets my goat is that I was lauded for being really good at problem-solving and for my communication skills. Not only am I able to talk to developers, but I can also talk to end-users without p*ssing everyone off. I also happen to be good at documentation and was a quick learner. Despite the fact that my duties kept slowly increasing, for 3 years, my pay didn't increase at all - not even to match inflation. Do I feel undervalued here? Absolutely!
I understand the need for more women in IT. The more women there are in the field, the sooner and more likely the attitudes will change. However, for me personally, I'm sure how much longer I want to be in this field. Is this a fight I really want to fight when I can go elsewhere? For now, I'm staying where I am. Maybe things will actually change sooner than later.
I work in IT and was once told by a man I dated that I was a geek's dream come true. Not only was I (according to him) attractive, I played Starcraft and Warcraft II obsessively in college, LOVED RPGs, was very familiar with sites like Gamespot and IGN (before IGN became specifically for men) and loved watching anime. Terminology like "newbie" and "leveling up" was a part of my daily language and these things only struck me as weird when someone told me I was weird.
The truth is, I never considered myself an IT person. I graduated college knowing only how to use Word to write my papers and play Solitaire and Minesweeper. This, despite the fact that my father was in IT and did programming and database work. I also have a brother who majored in computer science and is now also in IT. My father once tried to teach me MS Dos and I remember stubbornly refusing to learn it and walked away. So really, I never thought of myself as having any kind of affinity with computers.
However, my first real job out of college was in IT. I went from trainer and tech support to tech writer. I learned DHTML, javascript, Perl and dabbled in SQL and CGI programming. I then took a break to do non-profit stuff and then went back into IT. When I was hired at my current company, I was told by another woman in my group that I was now the fourth woman to be hired into the department. One woman was an assistant and one left a few months later. This is the norm. The IT world really is overwhelmingly male.
I am constantly wondering how I sound to my coworkers when I talk to them, especially when I'm frustrated. Half the time I go home thinking I sounded like a b*tch or a whiny little girl, which is not how I want to sound. I hear men cursing and venting all the time and I'm sure they never second-guess themselves and wonder if how they acted or behaved was inappropriate or sounded b*tchy. The term b*tchy only applies to women. Any time a woman is not completely calm, collected and super-professional, she risks coming off as b*tchy.
Add to the mix that I'm IT, filled with proud self-professed nerds and geeks, and you have a slightly different dynamic. Anyone who knows me knows that when something matters to me, I don't stay quiet. I'll make my opinions known and I can argue for them if I have to. Some guys find this personality trait aggressive. I remember having meetings with IT guys on projects and finding that I come off as intimidating to a few of them. So intimidating that they spoke to my boss (who is a man), who in turn decided not to let me speak in meetings. He told me privately and specifically used the word, "intimidating." I was rather shocked because I had transferred from the business side of the company and how I managed my meetings and projects was the norm there and nobody found me scary until then.
As I continued to work more and more with IT professionals, I realized that although there are a wide range of personalities, many of them do lack social finesse. It may be stereotyping to say that many don't know how to talk to women, but I found that to be true. Part of the reason why they don't seem to know how to talk to women can be traced to how some of them view women in general. Many of them assume when they first meet a women that she is not tech-savvy and that view is so entrenched that it is very hard to change it. I almost always have to prove myself to them before they realize that when I say there is a problem, there is a real friggin' problem. Even, then I sometimes run into roadblocks where they'll just start ignoring me.
That's usually when I lose my temper. I'll either start CCing their boss and outline the consequences of ignoring my communications on the project, and/or I'll start involving my own boss, who is a man and can probably talk to these guys. I hate having to go to a man to talk to other men because they think I MUST be doing SOMETHING wrong, even though they can't actually say what I MUST have done wrong. I hate thinking that maybe I'm being disrespected because I'm a woman, but these are inescapable questions when working in an environment that is used to working with only other men.
I am very lucky to be in a job where my boss supports me. He's very hands-off and gives me a great deal of leeway in what I do. He's also very willing to hear me out and let me vent when I need to. Even so, I am always afraid that I'm coming off as weak or unable to handle the work or too complain-y. On the other hand, being totally robot-like isn't me either. I understand that being professional means not getting emotional or passionate. It means always being logical, collected and take nothing personally. Like I said, you'd have to be like a robot to do all that when nobody else has to treat you with respect. The men in my company can get away with acting like d*cks and a$$ holes, but a woman can't get away with being less than perfect. In all honesty, being in IT is worse than being in Finance, probably because there are more women in Finance.
It took me at least 3 years of hard work and doing a really good job before the development team stopped assuming I'm stupid and inept. It took me only 3 months to earn that same amount of respect when I was working in Finance, also a male-dominated industry. Right now, I've been at my current job for 5 years. I've literally earned my place here though I am still seriously underpaid. Now, when I send an issue to the development team, they don't ask me stupid questions or ignore me. It shouldn't have taken me years to earn a basic level of respect. I had to do a better job than the men in the same position in order to get to where I am today. Even so, advancement opportunities feel very limited. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get anywhere as a woman in IT, no matter how competent or how hard I work. I never felt like that when I was younger and more innocent, but I feel that way now.
The thing that gets my goat is that I was lauded for being really good at problem-solving and for my communication skills. Not only am I able to talk to developers, but I can also talk to end-users without p*ssing everyone off. I also happen to be good at documentation and was a quick learner. Despite the fact that my duties kept slowly increasing, for 3 years, my pay didn't increase at all - not even to match inflation. Do I feel undervalued here? Absolutely!
I understand the need for more women in IT. The more women there are in the field, the sooner and more likely the attitudes will change. However, for me personally, I'm sure how much longer I want to be in this field. Is this a fight I really want to fight when I can go elsewhere? For now, I'm staying where I am. Maybe things will actually change sooner than later.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
How do the TSA keep getting away with it?
Seriously, with all reports of TSA nastiness, how is it that nothing is being done about their thieving, groping ways?
http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2012/04/rep-francisco-canseco-claims-tsa-assault-after-security-screening/
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/tsa_on_the_gropes_kpHmWKHzOuaMr15xfh64vI?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Local
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/04/25/family-misses-flight-after-tsa-gives-pat-down-to-girl-with-cerebral-palsy/
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-04/D9UCKNRG0.htm
http://gawker.com/5904821/tsa-forces-four-year-old-girl-to-undergo-pat+down-after-unauthorized-hug-from-grandma
http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2012/04/rep-francisco-canseco-claims-tsa-assault-after-security-screening/
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/tsa_on_the_gropes_kpHmWKHzOuaMr15xfh64vI?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Local
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/04/25/family-misses-flight-after-tsa-gives-pat-down-to-girl-with-cerebral-palsy/
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-04/D9UCKNRG0.htm
http://gawker.com/5904821/tsa-forces-four-year-old-girl-to-undergo-pat+down-after-unauthorized-hug-from-grandma
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Most relaxing songs ever
Wanna know what is the most relaxing song? Check it out here:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/listen-to-the-most-relaxing-song-ever-170097
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/listen-to-the-most-relaxing-song-ever-170097
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