Later this month I’ll be traveling to beautiful Center City Philadelphia. Catch me haunting the Reading Terminal Market and maybe some museums!
Texas!
Late April 2022, I will be visiting the general Dallas area. It’s the first work trip for my new job, and I’ll get to see my team in person for the first time! Work meetings will eat up a lot of the hours but on the subject of eating up… tell me about the best BBQ and anything else I shouldn’t miss while I’m there!
What’s new around here
I’m happy to announce that I’m participating in the Emerge Pennsylvania class of 2022! Working as Citizen Advocate gave me extensive background on government services and where they were falling short, and then several friends gave me a final push to apply.
One important aspect of training is fundraising. So, hi! You there, reading this. Would you make a donation today to fund my tuition, please? Here is where you can do that and I’ll get credit: Fundraising Page for 2022 Emerge Class. Look at the amazing women I get to learn from and (hopefully) meet in person in a couple of months! We’re planning to gather in Philadelphia later this spring if it’s reasonably safe.
Now if you don’t like the idea of donating to Emerge specifically, but you’d still like to help offset travel costs or otherwise support me? You can do that through Buy Me a Coffee. It’s the kind I can’t spill on myself. A win for everyone within range.
Thanks incredibly much to everyone who supported me so far, and in particular to my special agitators. You know who you are.
Meet Me – September/October
In the last week of September/beginning of October this year, I will be in Kansas City, Missouri for the NIC Tech Conference. I’ll be giving a presentation, Intro to Dataviz! I’d love to meet folks from nearby to talk shop or find interesting restaurants. What are the best spots in KC? Who’s doing interesting work? Get in touch!
Meet Me – August 2019
In August 2019 I will be attending WordCamp Lehigh Valley! I’m so excited to see the lineup of great speakers and presenters, and learn everything I can in one short day!
Why I Left You: A Love Letter to State Government
What is the one idea that haunts you and won’t let go?
In December 2018, after the flurry of activity from Code4PA, I applied to work for the Wolf Administration. The cover letter I included referenced pie.
Continue reading “Why I Left You: A Love Letter to State Government”
Conversations from the Roof
I returned from a two-hour meeting to find six missed calls from my dad’s cell phone. All within two or three minutes of each other.
Meet Me – May 2019
In May 2019 I will be attending the CEM Conference in Los Angeles, California. I’m super excited for the tour of CalPERS! What a friendly looking website. I hope it’s as fun and informative as the session in Indy.
I’ll also be haunting various sushi and oyster spots! Do you have a recommendation?
Music, Wandering in Circles, and Presence
I had a big interview coming up, and I was deep in my own head. Did you know that when people are lost, they tend to walk in circles? Uncertain of my direction I was wandering in anxious-brain wilderness, distracted and unproductive. Around and around, retracing my steps. Continue reading “Music, Wandering in Circles, and Presence”
Meet Me – January 2019
In January 2019 I will be in Washington, DC, joining the Womens March. Do you have an amazing protest sign? Come say hi.
It’s amazing to think it’s 2019 and we’re still marching for things like equal pay for equal work, reproductive rights, and an end to violence. And yet here we are.
60 years ago, my grandmother was afraid.
In the hospital after delivering a sixth child. A complicated pregnancy, much like the previous, and each more difficult than the last. Her doctor said, Millie you must stop. This has to be the last. Your body cannot handle another.
What was she afraid of?
As a devout Catholic she was afraid to tell her priest, afraid he’d tell her no: the Lord’s will was more important than her health, superseded her doctor’s orders, more important than ensuring she’d be around to care for six little children.
This is a real person. This is the true story of someone who lived and breathed and taught me to drive. She’s as real as the table I’m sitting at right now.
It’s 2019.
It’s a little rattling that I hesitate to even post this, considering that equal pay, reproductive rights, and ending violence are considered politically charged topics.
Let’s change that. If you’re reading this, it’s YOU. It’s you and me and all of us. We’re better than this. GO.