LadyGypsy.net - the personal website of Kimberly Dowd

October

2008

Blogher dispatch

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.

Posted at: 10:43 am in Kim v. 3.0, Webkeeping | Permanent Link | 2 Comments - add yours! »
Tags: blogher

October

2008

When will our eyes meet…When can I touch you?

(lyrics from Barry Manilow’s Weekend in New England. Get it?)

10:50am - leave home
10:54am - fill up gas tank. 10.2 gallons at $2.85 a gallon is $29.17
10:57am - stop at WaWa for $4.40 worth of coffee and snacks
11:05am - hit the road
2:00pm - stop at the Connecticut Welcome Station for liquid intake and outflow
4:42pm - STILL IN CONNECTICUT…there were 8 mile long bumper to bumper delays all through the state. Am despondent. Stop at another rest center for outflow and leg-stretching
7:04pm - arrive at hotel EIGHT hours later, for a trip that Google said would take about 5.5 hours.

Oh well. The hotel is nice, and the bed is comfy, so I don’t care.

Travel observations:

North Jersey smells bad. If you think Jersey is stinky and ugly, I implore you to take a trip to South Jersey. We have trees and parks and beaches that don’t smell like feet.
Seven years later, the NYC skyline is still unfamiliar to me since the WTC isn’t there. Eff you, bin Laden and eff Bush for losing sight of that goal.
I hate driving over bridges. I realized that as I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the George Washington Bridge. I did wave a quick hello to Dr. Dave and Ani while I was praying the bridge wouldn’t collapse from under me.
The autumn foliage was gorgeous, which is what kept me from cutting myself while I was idling in Connecticut. I’m talking “scene on a 1000 piece puzzle” pretty - especially when I was stopped over rivers.
Every state has a welcome sign. Massachusetts’ sign had a turkey on it.
The logo for the Massachusetts Turnpike is a pilgrim hat.
I saw at least 2 signs in Massachusetts welcoming home the troops. Classy!

In retrospect, I should have gone to the BlogHer in Washington DC since it’s much closer. But I get to add Connecticut and Massachusetts to my paltry list of states I’ve visited.

Tomorrow’s the conference Please somebody please talk to me tomorrow. and Sunday is the ride home. Which I’m SURE will be shorter. I’m off Monday to recuperate.

Posted at: 10:01 pm in General, Play | Permanent Link | 2 Comments - add yours! »
Tags: blogher boston, travel

October

2008

Le sigh

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.

Posted at: 7:30 pm in Kim v. 1.0, Kim v. 3.0, Work | Permanent Link | 3 Comments - add yours! »
Tags: blogher, career, newspapers

October

2008

The Last Supper

Frosty: Hey, Crystal! I made us some dinner.
Crystal: Not sno-cones again, I hope. I’m so sick of sno-cones.
Frosty: Oh, no…something better. Something…mmmm..mmm..good!
Crystal: Sounds wonderful! What is it?
Frosty: Um…uh…sno-soup.
Crystal: I’ve never seen that before.
Frosty: Have some.
Crystal (warily): I dunno….
Frosty: Dammit, woman! Try the SOUP!!!
Crystal: Okay okay. (takes a sip) AH! AHHH! I’m BURNING INSIDE! I’m MELLLLLTINGG!!!! FROSTYYYYYY!