LadyGypsy.net - the personal website and online diary of Kimberly Dowd

November

2008

Musings on uniformity

I teased this on Friday, but as I’m quickly running out of fodder for Day 18 of NaBloPoMo, I’ll revisit it.

I work across the street from a Catholic High School. I was at the 7-11 near work one day after dismissal, and the store was flooded with students. I got to thinking…

Why do schools implement a dress code? Most often, it’s to keep kids from competing with each other about clothing. There is also a theory that kids behave better when dressed up. I’ve also heard it’s for modesty reasons - you don’t have to worry about tight shirts or short shorts when they can’t be worn.

There are few things more fetishized in our culture than the Catholic sch00l g1rl outfit. (changing the spelling because I do NOT want to be a search result for that.) And from what I see from the high school across the street, and other Catholic schools in our area, the short plaid skirts are still standard.

So if Catholic school districts really want to protect their (female) students and preserve their modesty, why do they continue to dress their girls in what so many see as an arousing and provocative outfit? Why not change their dress codes to pants and polo shirts?

Just a thought…

And here’s a related video: Baby One More Time!

Posted at: 11:19 pm in General | Permanent Link | 3 Comments - add yours! »
Tags: musings

November

2008

Depressing work post ahead! Be ye warned!

My nine year anniversary at the newspaper was yesterday.

I begin work at 9am. Most of the rest of the non-news folks start at 8:30am. I’m not even sure why I’m a 9:00 start, but I cherish the extra sleep. Take a look at the map below, which compares where I had to park at 9am 4 years ago, versus today.

Depressing, isn’t it?

In late October we were informed that Gannett would be culling 10% of payroll (or positions, still not completely sure yet) the first week of December. With three weeks behind us and two weeks ahead of us, morale is quickly fading. Do you blame us?

And I’m getting paranoid. I’m reading into things I shouldn’t. Like…

Two major projects that I have a part in. One has to be done now now now! And the other has to be done by December 1. And even though I can tell you that December 1 is the first day of the month on Gannett’s fiscal calendar, I can’t help but think it’s because I’ll be gone by the end of the week.

Or the big department move to a much quieter corner of the room. (Yes, I am still coding in the middle of a noisy sales floor with phones constantly ringing and sales reps yelling over my head.) It was going to be a month ago. Then the project was suddenly stopped in favor of another project. My stuff has been in boxes since before Halloween. When will our move be complete? I’m told mid-December.

And objectively, it’s November. In November, projects are likely to be done in December. The impending layoffs are finally starting to get to me.

Everyone tells me that I’ll be fine because I’m online and online’s the future. But I have to disagree. Salespeople will always be cherished most of all because they bring in money. My position is support staff, I produce things, I don’t sell them or bill them. What I do can be done by someone right out of college for far less money than what I’m making now. The creative stuff can be easily outsourced, too.

I don’t think anyone is safe this time around. Either way, I just want it to be over.

Posted at: 11:49 pm in Work | Permanent Link | 3 Comments - add yours! »
Tags: layoffs, newspapers

November

2008

Dear NaNoWriMo

It’s over between us.

See, I was completely going to do 8K words this weekend. But between this blog, my WoW blog, the freelance job that might come up again this week (please?) and the rest of my life, I was running behind to begin with.

Then…he came along. And oh my gosh I haven’t had a weekend like this in a LOOONNG time.

I spent the whole weekend with him.

I went partying with friends…