The subtle sexism of conferences

After waiting in a sea of the stereotypical engineer on the first day of the conference to register, I finally got a program of the talks for the week that resembled a small town’s phonebook and my name badge. As I tried decide the best place to clip the over sized badge to my shirt I came to the realization that those types of badges are really meant to be worn by men. They clip perfectly to suit jackets or the front pocket of a men’s collar shirt, they did not however clip well to any of the outfits I brought for the week (with the exception of the suit I planned to wear to my talk). As someone who is a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl I find it hard enough to put together a week of business-ish, conference appropriate attire. I only own one suit and I really don’t have the need (or money) to buy another one and I don’t want to be the stinky girl who wears the same suit all week. So not only was I stuck in heels for four whole days but I also spent the week trying to find the perfect place to display my name. BAH.

Fig 1 - yup, I look dorky. Stupid name tag.

I'm Crafty

So the past month or so I've been flexing my fine motor skills by crocheting what seemed like a million potholders. This week I've finally stitched those potholders together to form a full afghan. I will admit that I'm pretty proud and impressed with the end product. Crafting, in general, brings me pleasure and a big sense of accomplishment.

The yarn dust is just starting to settle on this project and I am already trying to figure out what my next project should be. I'll admit that my reinvigorated interest in making 'things' is getting a little out of hand. Proof: I really want to buy a sewing machine, soon.

Well anyway, no crafting for me this upcoming week. I'm headed to Philadelphia tomorrow for a week long conference. I'll let you all know how the cheese steaks are when I get back.

Blogonymity

So I’m having a little trouble with this whole blog thing lately. I started this blog as a way to share my ideas, my opinions and daily life with people who want to get to know me better. But what happens when my opinions and daily life involve negative views of work, of the scientific community and of social interactions? I feel that if I write honestly about my feeling that somehow it will come back to bite me in the ass. I can’t vent my frustrations about my research or academic interactions in this forum because a future employer might stumble across this blog and not like what she reads. We all feel a false sense of anonymity sitting in front of a computer. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t feel like I can be a hundred percent honest with this blog and I don’t like it.

Now where's my sticker?

I voted and all I got was this lousy piece of paper. Well, this piece of paper and hopefully Sen Obama as our next president. But I honestly do miss having the "I Voted" sticker to display to the world. I even chose my outfit today to with the sticker in mind. Well, regardless, I love voting and today was no exception.

Lucky for me, Illinois is not only the land of Lincoln but also the kingdom of Obama. Chicago has been the perfect place watch this election unfold and I really hope that the 'party' in Grant park tonight will be a joyous conclusion to election season. Mike and I don't have tickets to the actual rally but I think we are going to head down town to just see. Hopefully, I'll have pictures to share with you all tomorrow.

Things I am looking forward to this week:

1. Making a big pot of chili today and watching Mr Smith Goes to Washington
2. Voting. Hopefully my 0-3 voting record, 2 presidential and one primary, won’t continue and the person I vote for will actually win
3. Making progress on the afghan I’m crocheting (only a few more granny squares to go)
4. Mike’s mom coming to visit
5. Seeing Jersey Boys
6. More beautiful weather