Showing posts with label corporate peon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corporate peon. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
On a Rainy Day
We fingerpainted!
Then, even though I am technically on maternity leave, I had to work so that I could finish up one last project. Boo. At least I get to work from home now until baby 2 arrives.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Inspirational Words for Women
This is the commencement speech that Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook and one of the "50 most powerful women in business" according to Fortune magazine, gave to the 2011 graduating class of Barnard College. Read the speech - I know it is long, but it is worth reading. It's tough and challenges us women, but it is also inspirational. As a working mother in a rough and still male-dominated profession, I think about these issues ALL THE TIME, and especially how these issues and challenges will affect my daughter as she makes her way in the world. I don't know if I will always remain a corporate peon and whether I will continue to work in my chosen profession, but for as long as I can, and in whatever it is that I chose to do, I will "lean in" and put the pedal to the metal to set an example for my daughter that she can dream big and be a leader in whatever she chooses to do (just maybe not in my profession, ha ha). I am going to show this speech to baby Emma when she is old enough to understand. And one last thought, when Ms. Sandberg says that one of the most important career decisions a woman can make is whether or not to have a life partner and her choice in life partner, I couldn't agree more. I am lucky that my husband is so supportive of me and my career. He is a willing and equal partner in all family duties, and I couldn't do this all without him. I love my choice in life partner. Like my cousin and maid of honor at my wedding said, I "did good"!
"Thank you, President Spar. Members of the board of trustees, esteemed members of the faculty, proud parents, squirming siblings, devoted friends: congratulations to all of you. But especially, congratulations to the magnificent Barnard Class of 2011.
Looking at you all here fills me with great joy, in part because my college roommate, a member of your faculty, Caroline Weber, is here. Carrie, it means so much to me to be at your school, and in part because I work in Silicon Valley, let’s just say I’m not usually in a room with this many women. For the wonderful men who are here today, if you feel a little uncomfortable, we’re really glad you’re here, and no line for the men’s room. It’s worth it.
I graduated from college exactly 20 years ago. And as I am reminded every single day where I work, that makes me really old. Mark Zuckerberg, our founder and my boss, said to me the other day, “Sheryl, when do midlife crises happen? When you’re 30?” Not a good day at the office. But I am old enough to know that most of our lives are filled with days we do not remember. Today is not one of them. You may not remember one word I say. You may not even remember who your graduation speaker is, although for the record, Sheryl with an S. You won’t remember that it was raining and we had to move inside. But you will remember what matters, which is how you feel as you sit here, as you walk across the stage, as you start the next phase of your life.
Today is a day of celebration, a day to celebrate all the hard work that got you to this place where you can sit, kind of sweltering in that gown. Today is a day of thanks, a day to thank all the people that helped you get here, the people who nurtured you and taught you, who held your hand, who dried your tears. Today is a day of reflection. Excuse me, a little laryngitis.
As you leave Barnard today, you leave not just with an education, but you take your place amongst the fortunate. Some of you came here from families where education was expected and emphasized. Others of you had to overcome far more obstacles to get here, and today you become the very first member of your family to graduate from college. What an amazing accomplishment. But no matter where you started, as of today you are all privileged. You are privileged in the most important sense of the word, which is that you have almost boundless opportunity in front of you. So, the question is, what are you going to do with it? What will you do with this education you worked so hard to achieve? What in the world needs to change, and what part do you plan on playing in changing it?
Pulitzer Prize winners Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof visited this campus last year and they spoke about their critically important book, Half the Sky. In that book, they assert that the fundamental moral challenge of the 19th century was slavery; of the 20th century, it was totalitarianism; and for our century, it is oppression of girls and women around the world. Their book is a call to arms, to give women all over the world, women who are exactly like us except for the circumstances into which they were born, basic human rights.
Compared to these women, we are lucky. In America, as in the entire developed world, we are equals under the law. But the promise of equality is not equality. As we sit here looking at this magnificent blue-robed class, we have to admit something that’s sad but true: men run the world. Of 190 heads of 2 state, nine are women. Of all the parliaments around the world, 13% of those seats are held by women. Corporate America top jobs, 15% are women; numbers which have not moved at all in the past nine years. Nine years. Of full professors around the United States, only 24% are women.
I recognize that this is a vast improvement from generations in the past. When my mother took her turn to sit in a gown at her graduation, she thought she only had two career options: nursing and teaching. She raised me and my sister to believe that we could do anything, and we believed her. But what is so sad—it doesn’t just make me feel old, it makes me truly sad—is that it’s very clear that my generation is not going to change this problem. Women became 50% of the college graduates in this country in 1981, 30 years ago. Thirty years is plenty of time for those graduates to have gotten to the top of their industries, but we are nowhere close to 50% of the jobs at the top. That means that when the big
decisions are made, the decisions that affect all of our worlds, we do not have an equal voice at that table.
So today, we turn to you. You are the promise for a more equal world. You are our hope. I truly believe that only when we get real equality in our governments, in our businesses, in our companies and our universities, will we start to solve this generation’s central moral problem, which is gender equality. We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.
So my hope for all of you here, for every single one of you, is that you’re going to walk across the stage and get your diploma. You’re going to go out tonight or maybe all summer and celebrate. You deserve it. And then you’re going to lean way into your career. You’re going to find something you love doing, and you’re going to do it with gusto. You’re going to pick your field and you’re going to ride it all the way to the top.
So, what advice can I give you to help you achieve this goal? The first thing is I encourage you to think big. Studies show very clearly that in our country, in the college-educated part of the population, men are more ambitious than women. They’re more ambitious the day they graduate from college; they remain more ambitious every step along their career path. We will never close the achievement gap until we close the ambition gap. But if all young women start to lean in, we can close the ambition gap right here, right now, if every single one of you leans in. Leadership belongs to those who take it. Leadership starts with you.
The next step is you’re going to have to believe in yourself potentially more than you do today. Studies also show that compared to men, women underestimate their performance. If you ask men and women questions about completely objective criteria such as GPAs or sales goals, men get it wrong slightly high; women get it wrong slightly low. More importantly, if you ask men why they succeeded, men attribute that success to themselves; and women, they attribute it to other factors like working harder, help from others. Ask a woman why she did well on something, and she’ll say, “I got lucky. All of these great people helped me. I worked really hard.” Ask a man and he’ll say or think, “What a dumb question. I’m awesome.” So women need to take a page from men and own their own success.
That’s much easier to say than to do. I know this from my own experience. All along the way, I’ve had all of those moments, not just some of the time; I would say most of the time, where I haven’t felt that I owned my success. I got into college and thought about how much my parents helped me on my essays. I went to the Treasury Department because I was lucky to take the right professor’s class who took me to Treasury. Google, I boarded a rocket ship that took me up with everyone else.
Even to this day, I have those moments. I have those moments all the time, probably far more than you can imagine I would. I know I need to make the adjustments. I know I need to believe in myself and raise my hand, because I’m sitting next to some guy and he thinks he’s awesome. So, to all of you, if you remember nothing else today, remember this: You are awesome. I’m not suggesting you be boastful. No one likes that in men or women. But I am suggesting that believing in yourself is the first necessary step to coming even close to achieving your potential.
You should also know that there are external forces out there that are holding you back from really owning your success. Studies have shown—and yes, I kind of like studies—that success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women. This means that as men get more successful and powerful, both men and women like them better. As women get more powerful and successful, everyone, including women, likes them less.
I’ve experienced this firsthand. When I first joined Facebook, there was a well-read blog out in the Valley that devoted some incredibly serious pixels to trashing me. Anonymous sources called me a liar, two-faced, about to ruin Facebook forever. I cried some when I was alone, I lost a bunch of sleep. Then I told myself it didn’t matter. Then everyone else told me it didn’t matter, which just reminded me of one thing: they were reading it too. I fantasized about all kinds of rejoinders, but in the end, my best and only response was just to do my job and do it well. When Facebook’s performance improved, the trash talk went away.
Do I believe I was judged more harshly because of my double-Xs? Yes. Do I think this will happen to me again in my career? Sure. I told myself that next time I’m not going to let it bother me, I won’t cry. I’m not sure that’s true. But I know I’ll get through it. I know that the truth comes out in the end, and I know how to keep my head down and just keep working.
If you think big, if you own your own success, if you lead, it won’t just have external costs, but it may cause you some personal sacrifice. Men make far fewer compromises than women to balance professional success and personal fulfillment. That’s because the majority of housework and childcare still falls to women. If a heterosexual couple work full time, the man will do—the woman, sorry—the woman will do two times the amount of housework and three times the amount of childcare that her husband will do. From my mother’s generation to mine, we have made far more progress making the workforce even than we have making the home even, and the latter is hurting the former very dramatically. So it’s a bit counterintuitive, but the most important career decision you’re going to make is whether or not you have a life partner and who that partner is. If you pick someone who’s willing to share the burdens and the joys of your personal life, you’re going to go further. A world where men ran half our homes and women ran half our institutions would be just a much better world.
I have a six-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. I want more choices for both of them. I want my son to have the choice to be a full partner not just at work, but at home; and I want my daughter to have a choice to do either. But if she chooses work, to be well-liked for what she accomplishes. We can’t wait for the term “work/life balance” to be something that’s not just discussed at women’s conferences.
Of course not everyone wants to jump into the workforce and rise to the top. Life is going to bring many twists and turns, and each of us, each of you, have to forge your own path. I have deep respect for my friends who make different choices than I do, who choose the really hard job of raising children full time, who choose to go part time, or who choose to pursue more nontraditional goals. These are choices that you may make some day, and these are fine choices.
But until that day, do everything you can to make sure that when that day comes, you even have a choice to make. Because what I have seen most clearly in my 20 years in the workforce is this: Women almost never make one decision to leave the workforce. It doesn’t happen that way. They make small little decisions along the way that eventually lead them there. Maybe it’s the last year of med school when they say, I’ll take a slightly less interesting specialty because I’m going to want more balance one day. Maybe it’s the fifth year in a law firm when they say, I’m not even sure I should go for partner, because I know I’m going to want kids eventually.
These women don’t even have relationships, and already they’re finding balance, balance for responsibilities they don’t yet have. And from that moment, they start quietly leaning back. The problem is, often they don’t even realize it. Everyone I know who has voluntarily left a child at home
and come back to the workforce—and let’s face it, it’s not an option for most people. But for people in this audience, many of you are going to have this choice. Everyone who makes that choice will tell you the exact same thing: You’re only going to do it if your job is compelling.
If several years ago you stopped challenging yourself, you’re going to be bored. If you work for some guy who you used to sit next to, and really, he should be working for you, you’re going to feel undervalued, and you won’t come back. So, my heartfelt message to all of you is, and start thinking about this now, do not leave before you leave. Do not lean back; lean in. Put your foot on that gas pedal and keep it there until the day you have to make a decision, and then make a decision. That’s the only way, when that day comes, you’ll even have a decision to make.
What about the rat race in the first place? Is it worthwhile? Or are you just buying into someone else’s definition of success? Only you can decide that, and you’ll have to decide it over and over and over. But if you think it’s a rat race, before you drop out, take a deep breath. Maybe you picked the wrong job. Try again. And then try again. Try until you find something that stirs your passion, a job that matters to you and matters to others. It is the ultimate luxury to combine passion and contribution. It’s also a very clear path to happiness.
At Facebook we have a very broad mission. We don’t just want you to post all your pictures of tonight up there and use Facebook to keep in touch, even though we want that, so do a lot of that. We want to connect the whole world. We want to make the whole world more open and more transparent. The one thing I’ve learned working with great entrepreneurs—Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook, Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Google—that if you want to make a difference, you better think big and dream big, right from day one.
We try at Facebook to keep all of our employees thinking big all day. We have these posters in red we put around the walls. One says, “Fortune favors the bold.” Another says, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” That question echoes Barnard alum Anna Quindlen, who said that she majored in unafraid. Don’t let your fears overwhelm your desire. Let the barriers you face—and there will be barriers—be external, not internal. Fortune does favor the bold, and I promise that you will never know what you’re capable of unless you try.
You’re going to walk off this stage today and you’re going to start your adult life. Start out by aiming high. Like everyone here, I have great hopes for the members of this graduating class. I hope you find true meaning, contentment and passion in your life. I hope that you navigate the hard times and you come out with greater strength and resolve. I hope that whatever balance you seek, you find it with your eyes wide open. And I hope that you—yes, you—each and every one of you have the ambition to run the world, because this world needs you to run it. Women all around the world are counting on you. I’m counting on you.
I know that’s a big challenge and responsibility, a really daunting task, but you can do it. You can do it if you lean in. So go home tonight and ask yourselves, “What would I do if I weren’t afraid?” And then go do it. Congratulations, 2011."
"Thank you, President Spar. Members of the board of trustees, esteemed members of the faculty, proud parents, squirming siblings, devoted friends: congratulations to all of you. But especially, congratulations to the magnificent Barnard Class of 2011.
Looking at you all here fills me with great joy, in part because my college roommate, a member of your faculty, Caroline Weber, is here. Carrie, it means so much to me to be at your school, and in part because I work in Silicon Valley, let’s just say I’m not usually in a room with this many women. For the wonderful men who are here today, if you feel a little uncomfortable, we’re really glad you’re here, and no line for the men’s room. It’s worth it.
I graduated from college exactly 20 years ago. And as I am reminded every single day where I work, that makes me really old. Mark Zuckerberg, our founder and my boss, said to me the other day, “Sheryl, when do midlife crises happen? When you’re 30?” Not a good day at the office. But I am old enough to know that most of our lives are filled with days we do not remember. Today is not one of them. You may not remember one word I say. You may not even remember who your graduation speaker is, although for the record, Sheryl with an S. You won’t remember that it was raining and we had to move inside. But you will remember what matters, which is how you feel as you sit here, as you walk across the stage, as you start the next phase of your life.
Today is a day of celebration, a day to celebrate all the hard work that got you to this place where you can sit, kind of sweltering in that gown. Today is a day of thanks, a day to thank all the people that helped you get here, the people who nurtured you and taught you, who held your hand, who dried your tears. Today is a day of reflection. Excuse me, a little laryngitis.
As you leave Barnard today, you leave not just with an education, but you take your place amongst the fortunate. Some of you came here from families where education was expected and emphasized. Others of you had to overcome far more obstacles to get here, and today you become the very first member of your family to graduate from college. What an amazing accomplishment. But no matter where you started, as of today you are all privileged. You are privileged in the most important sense of the word, which is that you have almost boundless opportunity in front of you. So, the question is, what are you going to do with it? What will you do with this education you worked so hard to achieve? What in the world needs to change, and what part do you plan on playing in changing it?
Pulitzer Prize winners Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof visited this campus last year and they spoke about their critically important book, Half the Sky. In that book, they assert that the fundamental moral challenge of the 19th century was slavery; of the 20th century, it was totalitarianism; and for our century, it is oppression of girls and women around the world. Their book is a call to arms, to give women all over the world, women who are exactly like us except for the circumstances into which they were born, basic human rights.
Compared to these women, we are lucky. In America, as in the entire developed world, we are equals under the law. But the promise of equality is not equality. As we sit here looking at this magnificent blue-robed class, we have to admit something that’s sad but true: men run the world. Of 190 heads of 2 state, nine are women. Of all the parliaments around the world, 13% of those seats are held by women. Corporate America top jobs, 15% are women; numbers which have not moved at all in the past nine years. Nine years. Of full professors around the United States, only 24% are women.
I recognize that this is a vast improvement from generations in the past. When my mother took her turn to sit in a gown at her graduation, she thought she only had two career options: nursing and teaching. She raised me and my sister to believe that we could do anything, and we believed her. But what is so sad—it doesn’t just make me feel old, it makes me truly sad—is that it’s very clear that my generation is not going to change this problem. Women became 50% of the college graduates in this country in 1981, 30 years ago. Thirty years is plenty of time for those graduates to have gotten to the top of their industries, but we are nowhere close to 50% of the jobs at the top. That means that when the big
decisions are made, the decisions that affect all of our worlds, we do not have an equal voice at that table.
So today, we turn to you. You are the promise for a more equal world. You are our hope. I truly believe that only when we get real equality in our governments, in our businesses, in our companies and our universities, will we start to solve this generation’s central moral problem, which is gender equality. We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.
So my hope for all of you here, for every single one of you, is that you’re going to walk across the stage and get your diploma. You’re going to go out tonight or maybe all summer and celebrate. You deserve it. And then you’re going to lean way into your career. You’re going to find something you love doing, and you’re going to do it with gusto. You’re going to pick your field and you’re going to ride it all the way to the top.
So, what advice can I give you to help you achieve this goal? The first thing is I encourage you to think big. Studies show very clearly that in our country, in the college-educated part of the population, men are more ambitious than women. They’re more ambitious the day they graduate from college; they remain more ambitious every step along their career path. We will never close the achievement gap until we close the ambition gap. But if all young women start to lean in, we can close the ambition gap right here, right now, if every single one of you leans in. Leadership belongs to those who take it. Leadership starts with you.
The next step is you’re going to have to believe in yourself potentially more than you do today. Studies also show that compared to men, women underestimate their performance. If you ask men and women questions about completely objective criteria such as GPAs or sales goals, men get it wrong slightly high; women get it wrong slightly low. More importantly, if you ask men why they succeeded, men attribute that success to themselves; and women, they attribute it to other factors like working harder, help from others. Ask a woman why she did well on something, and she’ll say, “I got lucky. All of these great people helped me. I worked really hard.” Ask a man and he’ll say or think, “What a dumb question. I’m awesome.” So women need to take a page from men and own their own success.
That’s much easier to say than to do. I know this from my own experience. All along the way, I’ve had all of those moments, not just some of the time; I would say most of the time, where I haven’t felt that I owned my success. I got into college and thought about how much my parents helped me on my essays. I went to the Treasury Department because I was lucky to take the right professor’s class who took me to Treasury. Google, I boarded a rocket ship that took me up with everyone else.
Even to this day, I have those moments. I have those moments all the time, probably far more than you can imagine I would. I know I need to make the adjustments. I know I need to believe in myself and raise my hand, because I’m sitting next to some guy and he thinks he’s awesome. So, to all of you, if you remember nothing else today, remember this: You are awesome. I’m not suggesting you be boastful. No one likes that in men or women. But I am suggesting that believing in yourself is the first necessary step to coming even close to achieving your potential.
You should also know that there are external forces out there that are holding you back from really owning your success. Studies have shown—and yes, I kind of like studies—that success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women. This means that as men get more successful and powerful, both men and women like them better. As women get more powerful and successful, everyone, including women, likes them less.
I’ve experienced this firsthand. When I first joined Facebook, there was a well-read blog out in the Valley that devoted some incredibly serious pixels to trashing me. Anonymous sources called me a liar, two-faced, about to ruin Facebook forever. I cried some when I was alone, I lost a bunch of sleep. Then I told myself it didn’t matter. Then everyone else told me it didn’t matter, which just reminded me of one thing: they were reading it too. I fantasized about all kinds of rejoinders, but in the end, my best and only response was just to do my job and do it well. When Facebook’s performance improved, the trash talk went away.
Do I believe I was judged more harshly because of my double-Xs? Yes. Do I think this will happen to me again in my career? Sure. I told myself that next time I’m not going to let it bother me, I won’t cry. I’m not sure that’s true. But I know I’ll get through it. I know that the truth comes out in the end, and I know how to keep my head down and just keep working.
If you think big, if you own your own success, if you lead, it won’t just have external costs, but it may cause you some personal sacrifice. Men make far fewer compromises than women to balance professional success and personal fulfillment. That’s because the majority of housework and childcare still falls to women. If a heterosexual couple work full time, the man will do—the woman, sorry—the woman will do two times the amount of housework and three times the amount of childcare that her husband will do. From my mother’s generation to mine, we have made far more progress making the workforce even than we have making the home even, and the latter is hurting the former very dramatically. So it’s a bit counterintuitive, but the most important career decision you’re going to make is whether or not you have a life partner and who that partner is. If you pick someone who’s willing to share the burdens and the joys of your personal life, you’re going to go further. A world where men ran half our homes and women ran half our institutions would be just a much better world.
I have a six-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. I want more choices for both of them. I want my son to have the choice to be a full partner not just at work, but at home; and I want my daughter to have a choice to do either. But if she chooses work, to be well-liked for what she accomplishes. We can’t wait for the term “work/life balance” to be something that’s not just discussed at women’s conferences.
Of course not everyone wants to jump into the workforce and rise to the top. Life is going to bring many twists and turns, and each of us, each of you, have to forge your own path. I have deep respect for my friends who make different choices than I do, who choose the really hard job of raising children full time, who choose to go part time, or who choose to pursue more nontraditional goals. These are choices that you may make some day, and these are fine choices.
But until that day, do everything you can to make sure that when that day comes, you even have a choice to make. Because what I have seen most clearly in my 20 years in the workforce is this: Women almost never make one decision to leave the workforce. It doesn’t happen that way. They make small little decisions along the way that eventually lead them there. Maybe it’s the last year of med school when they say, I’ll take a slightly less interesting specialty because I’m going to want more balance one day. Maybe it’s the fifth year in a law firm when they say, I’m not even sure I should go for partner, because I know I’m going to want kids eventually.
These women don’t even have relationships, and already they’re finding balance, balance for responsibilities they don’t yet have. And from that moment, they start quietly leaning back. The problem is, often they don’t even realize it. Everyone I know who has voluntarily left a child at home
and come back to the workforce—and let’s face it, it’s not an option for most people. But for people in this audience, many of you are going to have this choice. Everyone who makes that choice will tell you the exact same thing: You’re only going to do it if your job is compelling.
If several years ago you stopped challenging yourself, you’re going to be bored. If you work for some guy who you used to sit next to, and really, he should be working for you, you’re going to feel undervalued, and you won’t come back. So, my heartfelt message to all of you is, and start thinking about this now, do not leave before you leave. Do not lean back; lean in. Put your foot on that gas pedal and keep it there until the day you have to make a decision, and then make a decision. That’s the only way, when that day comes, you’ll even have a decision to make.
What about the rat race in the first place? Is it worthwhile? Or are you just buying into someone else’s definition of success? Only you can decide that, and you’ll have to decide it over and over and over. But if you think it’s a rat race, before you drop out, take a deep breath. Maybe you picked the wrong job. Try again. And then try again. Try until you find something that stirs your passion, a job that matters to you and matters to others. It is the ultimate luxury to combine passion and contribution. It’s also a very clear path to happiness.
At Facebook we have a very broad mission. We don’t just want you to post all your pictures of tonight up there and use Facebook to keep in touch, even though we want that, so do a lot of that. We want to connect the whole world. We want to make the whole world more open and more transparent. The one thing I’ve learned working with great entrepreneurs—Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook, Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Google—that if you want to make a difference, you better think big and dream big, right from day one.
We try at Facebook to keep all of our employees thinking big all day. We have these posters in red we put around the walls. One says, “Fortune favors the bold.” Another says, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” That question echoes Barnard alum Anna Quindlen, who said that she majored in unafraid. Don’t let your fears overwhelm your desire. Let the barriers you face—and there will be barriers—be external, not internal. Fortune does favor the bold, and I promise that you will never know what you’re capable of unless you try.
You’re going to walk off this stage today and you’re going to start your adult life. Start out by aiming high. Like everyone here, I have great hopes for the members of this graduating class. I hope you find true meaning, contentment and passion in your life. I hope that you navigate the hard times and you come out with greater strength and resolve. I hope that whatever balance you seek, you find it with your eyes wide open. And I hope that you—yes, you—each and every one of you have the ambition to run the world, because this world needs you to run it. Women all around the world are counting on you. I’m counting on you.
I know that’s a big challenge and responsibility, a really daunting task, but you can do it. You can do it if you lean in. So go home tonight and ask yourselves, “What would I do if I weren’t afraid?” And then go do it. Congratulations, 2011."
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
It's Come to This, AGAIN
So here I am again, 7+ months pregnant, haven't been able to leave my desk yet (it is 9:20PM), haven't eaten anything all day except for a smoothie and 1/2 piece of toast this morning, and about to blubber openly in my office. It won't really matter if I do, though, because everyone else has left the office but me. I have a crazy client calling me at the office, on my cell and at home. I have another one for whom I have been abandoned by the people who matter and I am left to deliver bad news and is now sending snarky grams to me. And I still have about 2-3 hours of stuff left ahead of me. And after I just had to work straight starting on Sunday from about 5 PM to Monday 3:30 PM (that's right, almost 24 hours). I am feeling pretty sorry for myself at the moment. Thought I would share, and take the time to whine on my personal blog because it sure as hell doesn't seem like anyone at work cares or is going to care. And then go get something to eat out of the vending machine...
On the other hand, my baby Emma is the cutiest ever.
On the other hand, my baby Emma is the cutiest ever.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Surprise!
It's been a long time since my last post. Things have been really, really hectic around here for a few reasons. For one thing, on the work front, my project that I worked on for a whole freaking year FINALLY wrapped up and closed in early February. I couldn't believe it when it happened. It felt surreal and also very anticlimactic at the same time. I had a really large role in this project and this one is for the books. I can't tell you how many times this project made me cry. This project made me work until dawn so many, many, many nights, and the client and other people on the project were notoriously ornery people. But, I definitely learned a lot and it made me a stronger corporate peon for sure.
Then, in even bigger news (which we've kept pretty quiet around here), we are expecting baby #2! This baby is a surprise baby. Husband and I were thinking we would like to have a second, but perhaps not so soon after Emma. Oh well, that decision was taken care of for us.
We already know that surprise baby is a baby boy. It will be nice to have one of each, a boy and a girl (although, I guess we will have to face new challenges with raising a boy vs. a girl). He is scheduled to make his entrance into the world in early July. Everything looks good so far for surprise baby.
I have to tell you that this pregnancy has been different and a lot harder, actually. I remember with Emma that once the first trimester passed, things got a lot easier. But with surprise baby, there was a lot of nausea, headaches and tiredness way past the first trimester, and all these symptoms still appear occasionally even though I am at week 19. It also wasn't easy working those long nights until 3 AM on the above mentioned project while trying to fight all these symptoms! I just hope that the rest of the pregnancy goes a little better than these first few months.
I wonder how Emma will do with her new sibling. She is such a ham. She just loves being the center of attention. She has actually picked up a really bad habit of pinching and biting me if I don't pay attention to her when she wants me to. Those little fingernails and teeth are sharp, and her pinches and bites can be very painful. We are trying to break of these bad habits, but it is an ongoing process. Once again, I am so grateful that my mother is here with us. I really don't know how we would be able to balance Emma, our jobs, and baby #2 without her here.
Then, in even bigger news (which we've kept pretty quiet around here), we are expecting baby #2! This baby is a surprise baby. Husband and I were thinking we would like to have a second, but perhaps not so soon after Emma. Oh well, that decision was taken care of for us.
We already know that surprise baby is a baby boy. It will be nice to have one of each, a boy and a girl (although, I guess we will have to face new challenges with raising a boy vs. a girl). He is scheduled to make his entrance into the world in early July. Everything looks good so far for surprise baby.
I have to tell you that this pregnancy has been different and a lot harder, actually. I remember with Emma that once the first trimester passed, things got a lot easier. But with surprise baby, there was a lot of nausea, headaches and tiredness way past the first trimester, and all these symptoms still appear occasionally even though I am at week 19. It also wasn't easy working those long nights until 3 AM on the above mentioned project while trying to fight all these symptoms! I just hope that the rest of the pregnancy goes a little better than these first few months.
I wonder how Emma will do with her new sibling. She is such a ham. She just loves being the center of attention. She has actually picked up a really bad habit of pinching and biting me if I don't pay attention to her when she wants me to. Those little fingernails and teeth are sharp, and her pinches and bites can be very painful. We are trying to break of these bad habits, but it is an ongoing process. Once again, I am so grateful that my mother is here with us. I really don't know how we would be able to balance Emma, our jobs, and baby #2 without her here.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Knuckleheads
So, what knucklehead decided that it would be a good idea to hold a mandatory training session on Saturday, starting at 9 AM, to last 4 hours, in a location that would require half of the attendants to drive an hour to the training site? Oh, wait, that would be my knucklehead bosses. It was the best Saturday morning ever.
Friday, August 27, 2010
One Year Check Up
Here's Emma at her one year check up this past Wednesday:
At the lab, the phlebotomist couldn't find a vein in Emma's arm. She acted like this was a surprise, but really now, small arm, layers of baby chub, how is this outside the realm of possibility?? She kept tightening a rubber band around Emma's arms, switching from one arm to the other, while Emma just cried and cried. The phlebotomist had to call for back up, and another phlebotomist was requested. It took forever for the second phlebotomist to show up, and Emma did not stop SCREAMING the entire time we waited. At this point, I want to call the whole thing off, but realized that we would only have to do this again if I called it off...Finally, when phlebotomist # 2 showed up, she chose Emma's left arm, and pulled out a regular adult sized needle for the blood draw and stuck Emma. GOOD LORD! The screams that ensued. Emma cried like I have never seen her cry before, and I had to hold her down while phlebotomist #2 JIGGLED the needle around in Emma's tiny arm because it didn't exactly hit a vien. By this time, Emma is almost hyperventilating and struggling so hard that she is slipping out of my arms. Both phlebotomists comment on how strong she is, and if she is going to be ok! The blood finally started flowing, and the process was over. Emma was so bright red, so sweaty and so traumatized, that both phlebotomists were worried and tried to give her some juice. I rushed out of the lab, went into the waiting room to hold Emma until she stopped shaking and hiccuping. I am sure the people in the waiting room thought we were murdering my baby in the back! In any case, so glad THAT is over!!!!
On a separate corporate peon note, work has been almost intolerable of late. I realize I work in a tough profession, where people are generally not very sympathetic about personal lives and schedules. I once had to go to New York for a work related meeting, and I was the youngest in the room, and the only woman. For god's sake, they had to get a receptionist to show me where the women's restroom was because none of the men in the room could tell me where it was in the building. And I have previsouly posted how even when pregnant I had to work 30+ hours straight and how that type of schedule isn't that uncommon in general. So yes, I know what I am dealing with. However, I can't think, that even in this profession, and even knowing that I work with a bunch of assses, that yelling over the phone to someone "This isn't that hard! F**K!!!" is very productive or professional. And this comes from someone I work with all the time. And I had to endure this ridiculous call for over an hour on Thursday. I know we are all under pressure, but honestly, this is a serious WTF moment.
Additionally, I can't stand getting calls or emails all the time at home on my technical "day off" since I am supposedly part time. People don't seem to understand that part time doesn't mean I just pick up my office and move it into my home. I need and want to spend quality time with Emma. So today, while juggling Emma with one hand, and the phone in the other, several co-workers got an earful of Old MacDonald and Do Your Ears Hang Low playing loudly in the background. I don't even care anymore whether THAT is professional or not.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
It FILED!
My life can somewhat return to normal, at least for a little while. After a long series of fits and starts, the IPO that I was working on filed today at market close.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Oh, the Irony!
I have been working like a madwoman for the past 10 days. In fact, while I had this morning "off," as a "reward" for my good behavior, I have to go back to work again tonight, most likely until dawn. What makes this particularly difficult is that right now, the work is located offsite, about an hour's drive from San Francisco. So for the last 10 days, I have been working about 16-18 hours straight, not counting the 2 hours drive time to and from the site. So if you calcuate: very little sleep+very little family time+ very little Emma viewings = very bitter woman.
The irony of all of this lies in the fact that last month, I asked if I could move to a part-time schedule so that I would be able to have more time for Emma and family duties. Ha! So here I am, being paid for part time, but doing more than full-time work. And having to cancel plans, and having my first mother's day as a mother myself being ruined, since I have already been told that we will be working all this weekend from morning till dawn.
I know this post sounds so complainy, but honestly, I can't help but feel this way at the moment. I know that others say that this is the profession I have chosen, and it comes with the territory. Hell, I tell myself the same thing, too. But, somewhere, there has got to actually exist this elusive notion of balance between work and life. I guess the good news is that this is only temporary and the end is in sight. Once this passes, I will (I hope) be on my part-time schedule and have more sanity in life. I am crossing my fingers.
The irony of all of this lies in the fact that last month, I asked if I could move to a part-time schedule so that I would be able to have more time for Emma and family duties. Ha! So here I am, being paid for part time, but doing more than full-time work. And having to cancel plans, and having my first mother's day as a mother myself being ruined, since I have already been told that we will be working all this weekend from morning till dawn.
I know this post sounds so complainy, but honestly, I can't help but feel this way at the moment. I know that others say that this is the profession I have chosen, and it comes with the territory. Hell, I tell myself the same thing, too. But, somewhere, there has got to actually exist this elusive notion of balance between work and life. I guess the good news is that this is only temporary and the end is in sight. Once this passes, I will (I hope) be on my part-time schedule and have more sanity in life. I am crossing my fingers.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Sometimes I Wonder
Sometimes I wonder if my workplace exists in some sort of alternate universe or strange bubble. Here's what happened this morning in the office kitchen:
Someone: There's no coffee! (Flashing look of genuine rage.)
Me: Well, it looks like Mr. X (our office services guy) started some new pots. (Looking over to the coffee machine where two new carafes of coffee are just waiting to have the lids popped back on. They are the kind that look like cylinders with a lever pump on top.)
Someone: Well, let me go call reception to get Mr. X to set this all up. (Mr. X floats between three office floors, so this would mean paging him, then waiting.)
Me: Uh, well, here. (Take the carafes, snap the lids into place, which is very easy, since the lids are hinged and attached to the actual carafe, and move the carafes less than 1/2 a foot to the pouring station.)
Really? Many people I work with seem to have a hyperactive sense of hierarchy and entitlement. The above scenario is just one of the ridiculous situations I come across daily. It happens all the time that someone cannot walk literally two feet to a garbage can to throw away dirty napkins or paper plates, and just leaves these things in random places for Mr. X or office services to pick up. Honestly, I wonder how these people handle things in their own homes.
Someone: There's no coffee! (Flashing look of genuine rage.)
Me: Well, it looks like Mr. X (our office services guy) started some new pots. (Looking over to the coffee machine where two new carafes of coffee are just waiting to have the lids popped back on. They are the kind that look like cylinders with a lever pump on top.)
Someone: Well, let me go call reception to get Mr. X to set this all up. (Mr. X floats between three office floors, so this would mean paging him, then waiting.)
Me: Uh, well, here. (Take the carafes, snap the lids into place, which is very easy, since the lids are hinged and attached to the actual carafe, and move the carafes less than 1/2 a foot to the pouring station.)
Really? Many people I work with seem to have a hyperactive sense of hierarchy and entitlement. The above scenario is just one of the ridiculous situations I come across daily. It happens all the time that someone cannot walk literally two feet to a garbage can to throw away dirty napkins or paper plates, and just leaves these things in random places for Mr. X or office services to pick up. Honestly, I wonder how these people handle things in their own homes.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
This Can't Be Normal
So, I have held a corporate peon job before this one, although it was in a totally different industry and field. And I don't remember this ever being tolerated or normal, but maybe I just don't have enough experience out there in corporate land. But, I can't think it is normal to see or hear co-workers sobbing uncontrollably due to workload or because of the way they are treated at work. It happens way too frequently around here. I (knock on wood) have yet to be pushed to that point, but I have been close many, many times. I just can't think that this is how it is at other places.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sleeves - The Bane of My Knitting Existence
It's been going like gangbusters at work, and I have been putting in some very, very long days indeed. The higher ups complain about how they can't get any help, but perhaps they should have thought about the consequences of laying off half of your group during slow times, then expecting the remaining people to pick up twice as much work during the busy times, all for less pay. With work and little baby Emma, this means limited time for other pursuits, such as my knitting. It also didn't help that for about a week, poor Emma and I were sick as dogs - we just couldn't shake off whatever bug we had.
In any case, I have decided that it is time to finally finish this baby sweater, before it becomes too small for Emma.
The entire body is done, and all I have left to do are the sleeves. I don't know why, but when it comes to sleeves, I just hate them. I once started a sweater for husband (which I later ripped apart), but in the middle, I told him from now on all he would ever get are vests. No sleeves!
In any case, I have decided that it is time to finally finish this baby sweater, before it becomes too small for Emma.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Surprise!
Just arrived in time for the holidays...two CDs chock full of documents to review by this weekend. Ho ho ho!
Friday, December 4, 2009
I Spoke Too Soon
Sigh. As the subject line reads, I was too quick to think that all would be fine and dandy upon return to work. I had imagined a nice slow December, allowing me an easy transition from maternity leave to the office, but I was so wrong. It has been crazy busy at work, and it feels like going from 0 to 60 without any warm up time.
In any case, as promised, here are some pictures from Thanksgiving weekend and Emma's Red Egg and Ginger and 100 day party. Emma's grandparents threw her the party. Emma met a ton of new faces, and received lysee (money in little red envelopes) and cute gifts to celebrate her entrance into this world.
(Check out my mad photo collage skillz, yo! Just kidding, it is all Picasa. Thanks, people at Google. Now, if only I could figure out the damn spacing of picture on Blogger...)
Prior to the party, on Thanksgiving, she took a little plane ride.
Then, after the party, she felt like cooking a little bit.
Overall, my little girl had a busy and fun weekend, and her mommy and daddy ate a ton. I have to admit publicly that we fell off the vegetarian wagon on Thanksgiving and at Emma's party. It was just too difficult with already planned menus, and we might have starved. We were pretty careful (or tried to be, at least), and Lance did not suffer any deleterious effects. We are, however, back on our veggie diet now, and it feels pretty good.
** I find is hilarious that everyone at daycare calls me "Mama" and my husband "Daddy." I am not sure that they even really know our first names at all. They know Emma's name, though, and are good with her, so that's the important part, I guess.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Back to the Coal Mines
Well, today was my first day back in the office after taking maternity leave. It wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be, although I had a weepy moment when we dropped off Emma at daycare this morning. True to her little self, she had a big poop right as we arrived at daycare. We were getting ready to change her ourselves, but her caretaker, Ling, came out and said, "Oh, let me handle of that!" She took Emma to the changing table in the infant room, changed her and brought her back out to the reception area for mommy and daddy to say goodbye.
We picked Emma up from daycare in the evening, and apparently, Emma had a very good day. She drank almost all her milk, smiled at the caregivers, did some rolls during tummy time, and didn't cry much. I am slightly offended that my baby girl didn't seem to miss me very much, but also very proud that she is such an easy baby (well, at least for now).
We returned yesterday after visiting husband's family to celebrate Thanksgiving and Emma's Red Egg and Ginger/100 Day party. Emma turned 100 days on November 22, 2009. There is a special significance to turning 100 days in Korean and Japanese culture, probably because way back in the day, many babies did not survive past 100 days. The red egg and ginger portion of the party celebrated Emma's Chinese heritage. We took lots of pictures, and I will post those over the next day or two!
We picked Emma up from daycare in the evening, and apparently, Emma had a very good day. She drank almost all her milk, smiled at the caregivers, did some rolls during tummy time, and didn't cry much. I am slightly offended that my baby girl didn't seem to miss me very much, but also very proud that she is such an easy baby (well, at least for now).
We returned yesterday after visiting husband's family to celebrate Thanksgiving and Emma's Red Egg and Ginger/100 Day party. Emma turned 100 days on November 22, 2009. There is a special significance to turning 100 days in Korean and Japanese culture, probably because way back in the day, many babies did not survive past 100 days. The red egg and ginger portion of the party celebrated Emma's Chinese heritage. We took lots of pictures, and I will post those over the next day or two!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
More Layoffs
Here we go again - round two of the official layoffs happened today (this is not counting the stealth ones that happened before the "official" layoffs). People from other departments and floors came by and poked their heads into offices to see who survived the layoffs. I felt like saying to those rubberneckers, "I am still here, you, motherf-rs!". But, I didn't. I am trying to remain zen about this whole thing, since I could fall victim to round three (I bet there will be one if the economy and business not pick up). I mean, none of this stuff is really in my control. The decisions are made waaaaaaayyyyy above my corporate peon level. Best not to stress with just a month left in my pregnancy. Ironically, however, even with the slowdown, I have been really busy at work recently and quite a few late nights have been required.
I just hope that those who were let go today land on their feet and are able to move on to bigger and better things. I don't know if this is a case of the grass being greener, but when I meet up with those who have left, they seem healthier and happier (of course after they have gotten over the initial sadness) and many of them have told me that it seems like a big weight has been lifted off their shoulders. I just wish that those people would have been allowed to choose the way in which they left, instead of being forced or asked to leave.
I just hope that those who were let go today land on their feet and are able to move on to bigger and better things. I don't know if this is a case of the grass being greener, but when I meet up with those who have left, they seem healthier and happier (of course after they have gotten over the initial sadness) and many of them have told me that it seems like a big weight has been lifted off their shoulders. I just wish that those people would have been allowed to choose the way in which they left, instead of being forced or asked to leave.
Friday, May 29, 2009
I Am a Woman of Many Contradictions
Even though I am adamantly against having baby dressed and accessorized in all pink, I myself tend to gravitate towards all things pink. My friends have been quick to point out this fatal flaw in my logic many times now. Perhaps if my mother had fended off all the pink stuff early on in my life...ah, well, too late now.
As hinted, my birthday surprises arrived, and lo and behold, I am now the proud owner of a pink netbook, the Samsung NC10, courtesy of husband, and a hot pink iPod Nano, courtesy of the in-laws. The Nano is a replacement for my "ancient" pink iPod Mini, which Apple does not even make anymore.
(The picture of the netbook was taken my husband at his office, where he was setting it up prior to delivery to me. I like how the Fruit Guys box is so prominently featured in the photo.)
Can I tell you just how much I love the new netbook (and Nano, too, just in case in-laws are reading this)?! It is freaking awesome. So compact, and perfect for its intended use. It isn't meant as some super powerful laptop, but it fits my needs perfectly. Internet surfing, blogging, downloading pictures/videos/audiobooks (more on audiobooks later), keeping our budget spreadsheets, simple word prcessing, organizing my knitting patterns and recipes, etc. Netbooks don't come with Microsoft Office pre-installed like most regular laptops, but it is easy enough to get a copy of Open Office, an open source program, which, again, is perfect for my needs. I can even log into my office remotely using this thing. This means I don't always have to drag out my standard issue corporate peon laptop when I have to work from home. I love my pink netbook, and I highly recommend getting one (doesn't have to be Samsung, and doesn't have to be pink!) if you are looking for either a replacement for an old laptop, or a second/third/whatever computer for the home.
On to audiobooks. Husband and I recently joined the San Francisco Public Library. I don't know why we waited so long to do this. What really prompted me to join was that our local branch hosts sing alongs for babies and new moms, but once I joined, boy oh boy! Public libraries have changed since my school days! Did you know that lots of local libraries let you download audiobooks? There are probably some of you out there saying, uh, yeah, dumbass, that's been around for a while...but, whatever, I was slow to catch on. So, with new netbook and iPod in hand, I downloaded "O Jerusalem" by Laurie R. King, a mystery novel where the protagonist is a strong, young, female detective who works alongside Sherlock Holmes. I have been into the mystery novels lately. I try to avoid the sensationalist ones, but it is kind of hard to tell which ones will be good and which won't. For the most part, I have been sticking to the classics as well, since I just haven't been able to find a good recently published book for me to read. I also avoid all things that would be classified as chicklit, in which the women only seem to care about shopping, money, marrying rich men, and being thin. (Again, I am a woman of many contradictions because I also happen to love shopping, but I digress.) So far, the book I am "reading" is very engaging. The reader, Jenny Sterlin, has a great English accent, and reads very well.
It has been very relaxing to "read" on the couch at night, while mindlessly knitting a new baby blanket in all garter stitch. It is way better than just vegging out in front of the TV, especially since we are entering summer and nothing really great is on anyway. I am using Knit Picks Swish Worsted yarn in Lawn, Gold, Fired Brick and Allspice for my blanket. This blanket calls for so much yarn, I went with Knit Picks, so that the blanket could remain affordable. I hope this yarn works out ok. So far, it is pretty soft and nice to work with. I hear that some people have had problems trying to wash it. Even though it is a superwash merino wool, some people have said it FELTS. Oh well, nothing to do but soldier on and be careful when I do have to wash it.
The only bad thing has been, that for the past three days, poor husband has felt a little left out. He told me sadly this morning, "All you do is listen to your new iPod, now..." Well. This weekend we are finally going to see a movie. In the theater. With popcorn. Can't tell you how long it has been since we have done that!
NOTE: Edited to remove affiliation between Open Office and Microsoft. Don't want the Microsoft police to come get me :)
As hinted, my birthday surprises arrived, and lo and behold, I am now the proud owner of a pink netbook, the Samsung NC10, courtesy of husband, and a hot pink iPod Nano, courtesy of the in-laws. The Nano is a replacement for my "ancient" pink iPod Mini, which Apple does not even make anymore.
(The picture of the netbook was taken my husband at his office, where he was setting it up prior to delivery to me. I like how the Fruit Guys box is so prominently featured in the photo.)
Can I tell you just how much I love the new netbook (and Nano, too, just in case in-laws are reading this)?! It is freaking awesome. So compact, and perfect for its intended use. It isn't meant as some super powerful laptop, but it fits my needs perfectly. Internet surfing, blogging, downloading pictures/videos/audiobooks (more on audiobooks later), keeping our budget spreadsheets, simple word prcessing, organizing my knitting patterns and recipes, etc. Netbooks don't come with Microsoft Office pre-installed like most regular laptops, but it is easy enough to get a copy of Open Office, an open source program, which, again, is perfect for my needs. I can even log into my office remotely using this thing. This means I don't always have to drag out my standard issue corporate peon laptop when I have to work from home. I love my pink netbook, and I highly recommend getting one (doesn't have to be Samsung, and doesn't have to be pink!) if you are looking for either a replacement for an old laptop, or a second/third/whatever computer for the home.
On to audiobooks. Husband and I recently joined the San Francisco Public Library. I don't know why we waited so long to do this. What really prompted me to join was that our local branch hosts sing alongs for babies and new moms, but once I joined, boy oh boy! Public libraries have changed since my school days! Did you know that lots of local libraries let you download audiobooks? There are probably some of you out there saying, uh, yeah, dumbass, that's been around for a while...but, whatever, I was slow to catch on. So, with new netbook and iPod in hand, I downloaded "O Jerusalem" by Laurie R. King, a mystery novel where the protagonist is a strong, young, female detective who works alongside Sherlock Holmes. I have been into the mystery novels lately. I try to avoid the sensationalist ones, but it is kind of hard to tell which ones will be good and which won't. For the most part, I have been sticking to the classics as well, since I just haven't been able to find a good recently published book for me to read. I also avoid all things that would be classified as chicklit, in which the women only seem to care about shopping, money, marrying rich men, and being thin. (Again, I am a woman of many contradictions because I also happen to love shopping, but I digress.) So far, the book I am "reading" is very engaging. The reader, Jenny Sterlin, has a great English accent, and reads very well.
It has been very relaxing to "read" on the couch at night, while mindlessly knitting a new baby blanket in all garter stitch. It is way better than just vegging out in front of the TV, especially since we are entering summer and nothing really great is on anyway. I am using Knit Picks Swish Worsted yarn in Lawn, Gold, Fired Brick and Allspice for my blanket. This blanket calls for so much yarn, I went with Knit Picks, so that the blanket could remain affordable. I hope this yarn works out ok. So far, it is pretty soft and nice to work with. I hear that some people have had problems trying to wash it. Even though it is a superwash merino wool, some people have said it FELTS. Oh well, nothing to do but soldier on and be careful when I do have to wash it.
The only bad thing has been, that for the past three days, poor husband has felt a little left out. He told me sadly this morning, "All you do is listen to your new iPod, now..." Well. This weekend we are finally going to see a movie. In the theater. With popcorn. Can't tell you how long it has been since we have done that!
NOTE: Edited to remove affiliation between Open Office and Microsoft. Don't want the Microsoft police to come get me :)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
RN74 - San Francisco Restaurant and Wine Bar
So, as a reward for the crazy all nighter we had to pull, our team went to a lunch at the relatively newly opened RN74. It is a new "casual" restaurant opened by the celebrity chef Michael Minna.
The restaurant's theme is that of "train station." There is a large wine board hanging at the back of the narrow restaurant that is modeled after one of those train schedule boards where the numbers and letters flip. Our waitress explained that the board was custom made in Italy for the restaurant and that each wine listed on the board is the restaurant's last bottle of that particular wine. When someone buys one of the listed wines, the board changes, just like at a train station, and makes that clack-clack-clack noise as it flips. I looked at the board and saw quite a selection, with the majority of the prices at $100 or over. The crazy thing is that during our LUNCH, the board started to flip, and I noticed that a bottle listed at $195 was no longer there. Someone bought a $200 bottle of wine for lunch. Let me be the first to say (perhaps, shamefacedly) that I can understand the purchase of a fine bottle of wine, and have been guilty of paying a lot for wine, but somehow in this economy, and at a lunch, it seemed a little excessive...
I know that the original idea was to be a wine bar with small tapas-like plates of food, but apparently, that idea did not work. RN74 has already had to undergo a menu change because people were complaining about the tiny portion sizes. Even when it was supposed to be "small plates" the people complained about the tiny portions!
In the end, all I can say is that I was glad I was not paying the bill. For a LUNCH for 4 people, I think the bill was over $200 bucks (without tax and tip), the portions were still tiny, and none of the food blew me away. Maybe we were there on an off day. I know that when we go to places like these in San Francisco, you can't expect huge portions, that you are paying for the atmosphere, the experience, etc., and we did not order any wine, which is supposedly the whole raison d'etre for the place. And, again, let me be the first to admit (shamefacedly, again), that my husband and I have paid what many people would think is an excessive amount for food and fancy dinners, but honestly, I don't think I would go back again. I can think of many other places I would rather go to for that price.
The restaurant's theme is that of "train station." There is a large wine board hanging at the back of the narrow restaurant that is modeled after one of those train schedule boards where the numbers and letters flip. Our waitress explained that the board was custom made in Italy for the restaurant and that each wine listed on the board is the restaurant's last bottle of that particular wine. When someone buys one of the listed wines, the board changes, just like at a train station, and makes that clack-clack-clack noise as it flips. I looked at the board and saw quite a selection, with the majority of the prices at $100 or over. The crazy thing is that during our LUNCH, the board started to flip, and I noticed that a bottle listed at $195 was no longer there. Someone bought a $200 bottle of wine for lunch. Let me be the first to say (perhaps, shamefacedly) that I can understand the purchase of a fine bottle of wine, and have been guilty of paying a lot for wine, but somehow in this economy, and at a lunch, it seemed a little excessive...
I know that the original idea was to be a wine bar with small tapas-like plates of food, but apparently, that idea did not work. RN74 has already had to undergo a menu change because people were complaining about the tiny portion sizes. Even when it was supposed to be "small plates" the people complained about the tiny portions!
In the end, all I can say is that I was glad I was not paying the bill. For a LUNCH for 4 people, I think the bill was over $200 bucks (without tax and tip), the portions were still tiny, and none of the food blew me away. Maybe we were there on an off day. I know that when we go to places like these in San Francisco, you can't expect huge portions, that you are paying for the atmosphere, the experience, etc., and we did not order any wine, which is supposedly the whole raison d'etre for the place. And, again, let me be the first to admit (shamefacedly, again), that my husband and I have paid what many people would think is an excessive amount for food and fancy dinners, but honestly, I don't think I would go back again. I can think of many other places I would rather go to for that price.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Recovering
Dudes, I think I set a new corporate peon record for myself. 36 hours straight, no sleep, while 6 months pregnant. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, after the last ridiculous all nighter, I asked my doctor about effects on future baby. His response: "Well, baby will be fine, it is just you who will feel like shit." I know my dr. friends did this stuff all the time when they were pregnant, so can't really expect too much sympathy from a doctor, I guess!
I am looking forward to getting out of the office early today, a nice relaxing weekend of recovering and maybe even going to see a movie...suggestions?
I am looking forward to getting out of the office early today, a nice relaxing weekend of recovering and maybe even going to see a movie...suggestions?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Monkey Scribe
http://www.kinsellalaw.com/audio/VoiceMessage.wav
Don't listen with small children around. It's a old message that went viral, but you get the drift. These types in my profession still exist.
Don't listen with small children around. It's a old message that went viral, but you get the drift. These types in my profession still exist.
Friday, May 1, 2009
San Francisco Food Bank
Yesterday, as part of a volunteer program, husband and I and a group of people from my office went to volunteer at the San Francisco Food Bank. The Food Bank runs a really great program in which large quantities of food are shipped to local community organizations (including schools), and in which local people can also come in once a week to shop for and pick up food for home preparation. This lets people who wouldn't normally have access to fresh fruits and vegetables get these products and cook healthful meals at home. 
Ummm, some of the apples weren't so nice...hence, the sorting.
It was a worthwhile experience and husband and I will definitely be going back again to volunteer!
Walking in, the place looks like a huge warehouse/Costco:
We were given the task of sorting apples that a grower from the Central Valley in California donated. With the help of other volunteers, we sorted over 16,000 pounds of apples that are being shipped out today! Here is a picture of me putting on some gloves (note, the large pregnant belly - for the record, bending over large crates with a 26 week pregnant belly not so easy...):
Ummm, some of the apples weren't so nice...hence, the sorting.
It was a worthwhile experience and husband and I will definitely be going back again to volunteer!
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