LadyGypsy.net – the blog of Kimberly Dowd of New Jersey

Having fun! Learning much! But the laptop isn’t connecting to the wireless network so I’m posting via iphone. There are amazing women here and it’s not socially awkward at all.

So, Boss gave his two week notice on Monday. He’s leaving the venerable newspaper biz. Can’t really say that I blame him, given the current situation. I wish him well. I’ll miss working with him. He’s good people.

Longtime readers will remember that once upon a time, I had his job, and he worked for me. Then I gave up that job so I could be techy again. Now it’s open again. And in my hot little hands, I have a self-nomination form.

And so the debate begins. Do I go for the management job? I’m going to be frank and it’s going to sound pompous. I KNOW that job. I can DO that job. Well…except maybe the sales part, since they’re looking for a sales manager. And I’ve never been good at that. Then again, I’m not terrifically sure that I want to train a new manager on the reports, the tech, etc. Might be easier just to do it myself.

So I prayed on it (yes, I do that) and I did some research. I’m telling you, people. Keep a blog. Even if you keep it private. Even if it’s in one of those old-fangled paper journals. Do it. Because I went back and read between the lines of my 2005 and 2006 work-related entries and remembered just how much I HATED that job.

In conclusion, I’m going to give up the opportunity to regain the “fame”, “fortune”, parking spot, master key, and seat at The Big Weekly Meeting. Because I like my job JUST the way it is right now.

In other news, tomorrow I’m heading to the Boston area for BlogHer. I’m a bit apprehensive about the meeting because I won’t know anyone there and what I want the absolute LEAST is to sit by myself the whole time and have no one talk to me. I am still just as insecure as I was when I was 12. When nobody talked to me. Le sigh.

Other than the social paralysis, I’m stoked to be in a meeting with a bunch of bloggy chicks. I want to be a better writer. I want to polish this little website of mine until it shines like a sapphire. And in the grand tradition of networking…I created business cards!

Other than the font, which I will use until I die since I spent $30 for it back in 2003*, you’ll notice it looks nothing like my site! Huzzah for design continuity!

Le sigh.

BUT…I ordered them on Monday from nextdayflyers.com. I paid $40 for them – mostly shipping. It would be about the same had I picked a crummy black and white stock design from Office Max and waited a week to get them done.

I will try my best to blog from BlogHer on Saturday. If I can get a seat near an outlet, I’m golden. Otherwise the lappy battery won’t last more than 2 hours. There should be plenty of outlets. I hope. Wish me luck!

(if you’re going to Blogher Boston, please talk to me. or email me at the address on the business card image. thank you.)

* When I die, if I end up with a headstone, I’m going to request THAT font be used to engrave my name on it. Years later I can’t believe I spent $30 on a font for personal use. That’s what happens when you marry a pharmacist, people. You spend money on crazy shit.

Happy Friday! I’m off today so you get a special mid-morning blog post!

Here’s this week’s Friday Five: HACKED!

1. When did someone last break something of yours?
On Labor Day, in the Peddler’s village parking lot, someone backed into my car. He scratched the heck out of my driver’s side rear panel, but left a note with his name/phone number. I was a bonehead and decided to do the “right” thing and go through GEICO. They were happy to pursue, and since I pay them heaps of cash each year, I was happy to let them. So I sat back and waited for them to tell me what to do next.

Unfortunately, the guy won’t deal with them at all, preferring to pay me out of pocket. So now I have to call this guy and go through heaps of extra inconvenience. If I go outside of GEICO, I don’t get the rental car coverage or anything that I, you know, pay for. If I deal with him out of pocket and go through GEICO, he’s going to have to pony up at least my $500 deductible and my rates will go up anyway, right?

Not to mention, he probably hates my guts for going to my insurance company in the first place. And I hate confrontation. So bleah.

2. When did you last play hackysack, if ever?
Never!

3. What was your most dramatic haircut like?
Back in college I had it really short, to the point where it was wedgy-looking in the back, and the stylist actually had to take clippers to the back of my neck for strays. I wore a baseball cap for months.

4. Hacking is basically breaking through the security that protects a computer or a website. What’s the closest you’ve come to doing something similar in real life?
Somebody here in my building never changed their default wireless router settings. So the network name is linksys and the password is admin. So I use their wireless connection from time to time.

5. In the world of stand-up comedy, a hack is a comic who steals jokes from other comics. Have you ever known a hack in your own field?
I’m a web designer! We’re all hacks! We always go online for snippets of code to solve problems, or for free javascript to do neat things.

~~~
Did you know that next week is October? Even after my planned days off — 2 for Boston/Blogher*, 3 for trip to see WM’s family in Michigan, 1 for Black Friday — I still have 5 days left. Our vacation days don’t roll over (and really, who knows if we’ll all be employed by December anyway?) so I decided to take today off. As usual, it’s crappy out. But I’m headed out to lunch with a friend, and will swing by Target afterward. So I’ll get my puttering in.

~~~
This Sunday, weather permitting, we’ll be at the Pennsauken Fall Festival (PDF). It promises the three “Cs” of a successful outdoor event, crafts, classic cars, and carny food. Okay, that’s four.

Have a wonderful weekend!

*I’m terrified about this. I won’t know anybody there, and I get very shy around people I don’t know. I feel like I need to be there though.