Life
Last year was rough, and even though things are a lot better now, I feel like I’m still experiencing… emotional aftershocks. I felt that this week. I’m not in The Dark Place anymore, but sometimes I’m reminded of it, and I see it again, and it scares me. But I went to the gym (I finally have a gym buddy!) and played with kettlebells, hung out with friends, saw my parents. Made time to read novels. Drank lots of tea and water. It’s OK.
I had this revelation during an early morning spin class last week that the power of the early morning workout has little to do metabolism and everything to do with making the thing you do for yourself the most important thing you do that day. The same applies to early morning writing too, I imagine. As the day goes on it’s easy to get caught up in other people’s demands, and priorities, and expectations. There’s something very centring about knowing that I already did something for myself, that no subsequent events can destroy. If anything, this is making it harder for me to make it to the gym first thing, and I have failed to do so ever since. I do prefer working out in the evening. It’s the best way to mentally disconnect and get a good sleep. But maybe I would be happier if I could consistently get up at 6am.
Speakers for Oredev are up! And I am on there!
Work
Was expecting to head back to Seattle this weekend, but turns out I’m not. Stress levels reduced as a result! Have let go of the superstition that the last time I didn’t take a work trip Bad Things Ensued.
Challenging technically this week – I pushed to prod! So terrifying. Launched something! So exciting. Finally stages of design and starting to think about what we’ll do next quarter, and it’s looking good.
Stressful, but the good kind of stress – when I get to the other side of this, I’ll be better technically, a better leader. The kind of stress that promises concrete reward, rather than just… some kind of endurance challenge.
Places
Brunch at Hoi Polloi (yummy, but the tiniest eggs on toast ever), sushi at Dozo (treating myself for surviving to Thursday), Pham (Stemettes meetup), and Cocochan (no more Foursquare special, so sad). Lunch with parents at Palm Court Brasserie (meh).
Found the cutest shop! Happie Loves It.
Media
Catching up on Covert Affairs in the gym, I really don’t know how people watch this show sat in front of the TV. I have to burn off the adrenaline from the drama as it arises. Still reading Gravitas, novel-wise re-read Forget Me Not, and now re-reading Flora’s Lot. Have a hard time finding things to say about novels I’ve read before, but they are a nice mental break without being totally mindless, at least.
Saw Day to Night at Rook and Raven – super cool pictures, loved it, although wish there had been more non-US pictures (the artists website is here). And Indoor Clouds at Ronchini Gallery, which was OK.
Product links Amazon.
Published
My Returning To The Stage Part 2 post was on the Eloquent Woman (even if you’ve read it before, worth reading her intro). And Anne-Marie and I cowrote something for HuffPo: The Glass Ceiling Is Made of Bad Managers.
On The Internet
- <3 <3 <3 Famous Speech Friday, this week – Benazir Bhutto at the UN Conference on Women – http://buff.ly/1pNzxnM
- “Not knowing where you’re really from isn’t so much the problem as the belief that you should really be from somewhere” – http://buff.ly/SCXdgw
- Demonstrates why so few women on quora, why participate when so much harassment? Quora’s Misogyny Problem – http://buff.ly/1hoZes1 /via @felsull
- I love this! And the word “bonepinions” needs to be added to the OED. Notes From A Boner – http://buff.ly/1uxOzxX /by @cawkward
- You should read this by @juliepagano. Yes, you. On Fighting for Marginalized People in Tech – http://buff.ly/1kdVG6T
- Beautiful – Michelle Obama’s amazing speech on black female beauty from Maya Angelou’s memorial service – http://buff.ly/1qaKrBu
- .@Jo_Miller is so wise – 5 Ways to Motivate Yourself (and Everyone Around You) – http://buff.ly/1hu29Qo
- <3 “But closure… is so rare in design. The loops stay open, because most problems are chronic. They shift forms.” http://buff.ly/1tVEWa8
- I do this, does improve quality of life – Traveling at Home (or Only Boring People are Bored) – http://buff.ly/SFoWgw /via @alexproaps
- @marthakelly: INTERNET LOOK AT THIS http://media.giphy.com/media/qFxlqjtA3m44U/giphy.gif …
- +1 to what @selenamarie says on handling harassment and toxic behavior privately http://buff.ly/1u1cHGX
- Cool! A wearable designed for women. Tempted, although I don’t like rings or gold – @getringlyhttp://buff.ly/SLnwkK /via @marcprecipice
- The Rise of the Voluntariat – http://buff.ly/1q89gxM /via @betsythemuffin
- Great article on male friendship and secondary trauma as it relates to notallmen/yesallwomen – http://buff.ly/1kO4SDY
- I’m late to this, but amazing article, incredible woman – The Origins of ‘Privilege’ – http://buff.ly/1s4YqNY
- @stevecoy: I responded to this dickhole Craigslist job posting: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/ofc/4512279091.html … (h/t @caylenb/@virgiltexas)
- @CuteEmergency: Duckling thinks the rabbit is his mother. pic.twitter.com/6mRHIK8m7e
- Must stop complaining about these things – 5 Things Nobody Wants to Hear http://buff.ly/1hNWd5d /via @felsull
- This is good, on language, gender stereotypes, and growing up – “When I was a kid I was a boy” http://buff.ly/1q55E2g
- This is good, conf organisers perspective on CoC – Why We had a Code of Conduct – http://buff.ly/1hQGJgR /via @hypatiadotca
- @arikan: In the 10 year of Make Magazine no people of color (under represented minority) featured – Leah Buckley #eyeo2014pic.twitter.com/JWfseiwIyb
- @sarahchurchwell: Why language ALWAYS matters. RT @sturdyAlex: Splendid. “@ewanwhoelse: One of my favourite quotes on the subject. pic.twitter.com/d2HZdkcDBw”
- Great article by the amazing @Jo_Miller on communicating and Influencing Upward – http://buff.ly/1pLw6f6
2 replies on “This Week”
This Week – Art! And Books! And Angsty Reflections! Edition http://t.co/UTGfA5XHn8
RT @catehstn: This Week – Art! And Books! And Angsty Reflections! Edition http://t.co/UTGfA5XHn8