Leaping Woman

2012-02-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

"Leap, and the net will appear." -- John Burroughs

In October 2007 I phoned Deanna Kosaraju and said, "I'm thinking about quitting my job and doing a service year at a nonprofit. Can you use me?" I started going in to the Anita Borg Institute office after the 2007 Grace Hopper Celebration, and five months later I was hired as their Communities Program Manager.

For the last four years it has been my honor to work for the Anita Borg Institute. I've learned so much from the exceptional staff, volunteers and community. It was fun to build the Institute's social communities on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and to see them fill with inspiring technical women and diversity champions. But a few months ago I started thinking about moving on. And then I started preparing: updating profiles, looking at job listings, talking to a few friends.

In that wonderful way fate has of giving us a nudge when the time is right, yesterday I was laid off. I feel extremely fortunate and grateful that my volunteer service turned into a four year paid position. I'm enjoying some time off for rest and play, and I'm excited by the possibilities of this new adventure.

As I did in 2007 when I started this blog, once again I leap into the unknown trusting that the net will appear.

I'm Geeky Because ...

2012-01-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

She's Geeky, the unconference for geeky women, opens with a circle. We introduce ourselves with our names and a sentence that begins, "I'm geeky because". I've attended at least one day of every She's Geeky Bay Area since the first one in 2007, and I've made it a personal challenge to give a different geek statement for every day of every event. And I haven't yet run out of reasons why I'm geeky.

This year I'm geeky because I took the day off from my full-time job supporting technical women to attend She's Geeky as myself.

It's Only Stuff

2010-02-27T20:31:00.000-08:00

I spent a leisurely morning offline, reading the newspaper over breakfast and then watching last week's Lost on Tivo while I laid out my pills for the coming week. Eventually I sent My Beautiful Wife a text message asking how her workday was going. She responded that she'd mostly been glued to Twitter following the "EQ and HI tsunami" reports. What?!?! I turned on the TV and booted up the Macbook and learned about the powerful earthquake in Chile and the tsunami warnings around the Pacific rim.

I checked in with Twitter friends in Hawaii and learned they were safely ensconced above the danger zone. Someone tweeted the URL for a CBS station on Oahu that was streaming live coverage. A Twitter friend in Santiago, Chile had posted "Terremoto en Chile" ten hours earlier. Another had messaged back to her in Spanish, "Can you phone my parents?" and later the tweet shown above, which translates as, "Now I know about my parents. Very scared but they're fine. The house is damaged but it's only stuff." Soon I was watching The Weather Channel on TV and both CNN and Hawaiian CBS coverage simultaneously on the laptop, mesmerized by the ocean's retreat in Hilo Bay.

I'd been absorbed in this for some time before I realized that this would be a perfect time to make my regular Saturday call to Mom. My mother was a Navy WAVE stationed on Oahu in World War II, which began her life-long love affair with Hawaii. She had just come in the door when I rang, and I told her to turn on the TV. We watched coverage of the earthquake damage, the aftershocks, the tsunami's advance; together, two thousand miles apart.

BayCycle 2009: Each to Her Abilities

2009-06-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

"I think I can, I think I can"
-- The Little Engine That Could

We circumnavigated San Francisco Bay, traveling through all nine Bay Area counties. My Beautiful Wife (MBW) rode 262 miles through 48 cities and towns, cycling 15 to 51 miles per day. I rode my recumbent trike in ten of those towns, cycling 3 to 9.5 miles per day.

As we had expected, the driving was harder for me physically than the riding, even though I drove many more miles than I rode. Fortunately some lessons were learned the first two days that made the rest of the trip much easier. For example, unless I really wanted to see something along the way it was a lot easier to take the fast route on the highway rather than the surface streets MBW was riding. My joints don't like repetitive motions, which is one of the challenges that had kept me from cycling for years (and the major reason why I wasn't riding every mile with my wife). On the highway, I can use cruise control. On surface streets, the constant starting and stopping irritated my ankle after the first two days. I spent the rest of the trip driving in an ankle wrap and took the freeway where possible.

I'd originally had a training target of being able to ride 10 miles/day. Although I did complete some training rides of up to 12.5 miles, it became clear I wouldn't be able to sustain that day after day. So I changed my training target to 6-8 miles/day. In the end, timing issues kept some of my rides shorter than planned. It took me most of the trip to streamline getting the trike off the rack and everything (safety flag and triangle, water bottles, backpack, etc.) strapped on and ready to ride. It also took awhile to get the rhythm of when I should to arrive in order to be ready to roll by the time MBW reached me. By the end of BayCycle, we had that timing down pretty well. She caught up to me at Crissy Field in San Francisco as I was getting the trike ready to roll, and we arrived at our destination in San Mateo within minutes of each other.

The sinus/ear infection turned out to be a bigger obstacle in many ways than any other physical issue. But I only lost one full riding day to it, after that rough night with the earache. Otherwise I was glad to ride off-road trails where possible. Most hearing was temporarily blocked in my right ear and that made me a little nervous riding along parked cars and through intersections. But I had come to ride and ride I did, saving my longest ride for the last day.

Now that we've completed BayCycle, we're starting to think about where we can take other cycling vacations. Future trips will likely be more leisurely, because MBW won't be trying to ride every mile as I drive. And we still want to go back up to Marin for that ride down Shady Lane.

BayCycle Day 9: Home Sweet Home!

2009-06-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

"Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."
-- from Home Sweet Home, lyrics by John Howard Payne

Today we woke up in our own bed, ate breakfast at home, and then loaded the bike and then the trike onto the car for the last leg of BayCycle 2009. We could have spent the night in San Mateo but it's so close we figured why spend on a hotel? So we drove up to San Mateo, where My Beautiful Wife (MBW) had finished yesterday's ride. Unmounted the trike in order to get the bike unloaded, then reloaded the trike. I kissed MBW and wished her a safe ride as she pedaled off in the wrong direction so she could use a restroom in San Mateo's Central Park before heading for home. Then I drove down to Menlo Park, parked on a side street, unloaded the trike once more, and pedaled over to my allergist for my shots. By the time I was done, MBW had arrived. We cycled over to Tootsie's, a new but already favorite cafe located next to the Stanford Barn, and shared a sandwich on a patio surrounded by a sea of blooming lavender abuzz with industrious bees.

From there we headed towards downtown Palo Alto and turned onto the Bryant Street bike boulevard, a tree-lined street of expensive homes that runs for blocks and blocks with no stop signs (yay!). At Colorado Street we turned towards Midtown Palo Alto where I had a 5:00 appointment with my chiropractor. Both she (the chiropractor) and I had expected me to be in much worse shape after driving and cycling around San Francisco Bay. We are both delighted with how well I held up (ear infection aside). Since she was running late, we had time for a latte a few doors down, and I left MBW there to amuse herself with the netbook.

After the appointment, it was time for the final leg of our ride. We took a less than direct route through another tree-lined neighborhood in order to avoid the commute traffic, but before long we were home. Home! The first thing we needed was dinner. But there was one more BayCycle task we needed to do (besides the final photo shoot): Drive the other car back to pick up the one I'd left in Menlo Park. So after a celebratory dinner at Chevy's (second choice since our favorite Thai restaurant is closed on Monday's) we headed back to Menlo where MBW hopped into the other car and we both headed for home.

There's more blogging to do. I need to write more about yesterday's fabulous ride in San Francisco, and post the photos from there. And I want to look at the miles I rode. But we're home and the journey is over, and tomorrow we both go back to work. It was great fun, and I totally admire MBW for coming up with the idea and for all the planning and all the riding. And I'm really proud of myself for going along and doing what I could do ... and then some.

Time for bed and dreams of rides to come.

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leapingwoman/sets/72157619415938070/
MBW's BayCycle blog: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/baycycle
(and here's her post on Day 9)

BayCycle Day 8: Tired and Happy!

2009-06-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

My Beautiful Wife (MBW) started her day's ride with a short steep uphill out of the condo parking lot, then rode through Sausalito and across the Golden Gate Bridge on a glorious sunny day. I updated my blog, then headed onto highway 101 and across the bridge. So far, so good. But when I hit Doyle Drive coming off the bridge, I hit a major traffic snarl. There was a triathlon, Escape from Alcatraz, ending on the Marina Green. I turned off at the first opportunity and called MBW to adjust our meetup plans. Then I headed away from the traffic onto the Presidio, and wound my way to the Crissy Field parking lot. By the time I had the trike off the rack, MBW was there.

We headed away from the water, past the Palace of Fine Arts, and over to Chestnut street to meet our friend Jan for lunch. She'd been following MBW's blog and that had inspired her to bring us a box of Kara's Cupcakes. We caught up over lunch, then headed back toward the Marina and towards Fort Mason. At that point MBW continued on towards the Embarcadero. I turned back for a ride into the wind along the Marina.

The wind wasn't as bad as I'd expected. It had been windy for the whole trip and we were getting somewhat used to it. I stopped for a cupcake break and watched a sailing race in progress, the crews climbing over the edge of the boat as counterweights. Along the shore people were watching the race and some were cheering on their favorites. It was such a beautiful day that I was smiling all the way down the Marina and along the Golden Gate Promenade. I knew that MBW was approaching her Third Street ride on the south end of town, one that she felt a little nervous about. I had half a mind to cut my ride short and get down closer to there in case she needed me. But she had told me to enjoy myself and take my time, and I knew she could take care of herself. So I rode down to the end of the big Crissy Field meadow before heading back to the car.

MBW had gotten out of San Francisco safely and we couldn't find a good place to sync up, so we both headed for San Mateo where we were having dinner with her brother and his girlfriend. She arrived literally minutes after I did, which amazed us and impressed our hosts. Here she is, exhausted, getting a welcoming hug from her brother.

I was too tired to blog that night so I initially I'd just posted this picture from my ride along San Francisco Bay. I'd been trying to take my own picture with the bridge in the background. A woman whose companion had left her sitting on a nearby bench offered to take it for me. Since she had crutches and her leg in a serious cast, I figured there was little danger of her taking off with my cell phone. So that helpful stranger gets the credit for this photo.

Here's My Beautiful Wife's post on Day 8.

BayCycle Day 7: The Shady Lane Decision

2009-06-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

"Life is not a bicycle ride down Shady Lane."
-- Overheard in Marin County

I had a decision to make on Day 7: Where to ride in beautiful Marin County. My first idea was to drive up Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to the Ross Commons, and from there ride my trike down Shady Lane, a lovely tree-lined street popular with local cyclists. Years ago while waiting for a bus on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard I'd heard a mother admonish her teenage daughter, "Life is not a bicycle ride down Shady Lane." Any local would have understood what she meant: that life is not always easy and pleasant. I had walked down Shady Lane and driven down it, but never ridden a bicycle there. And since I was in the area with my trike, it seemed as though I could finally take that ride.

The other option was to drive down to the north end of Sausalito and ride the bike path to Mill Valley along Richardson Bay. It's a beautiful part of the Bay Trail and a favorite walk when visiting MBW's sister, whose condo overlooks the path. It would be easier to ride with My Beautiful Wife (MBW) since it was on her planned route. I could park at the end, ride up the path, meet her, and we'd ride back to the car together. From there we'd mount both bikes on the car and drive them up the long steep hill to the condo. But I was having trouble letting go of the idea of Shady Lane, so all morning I dithered, unable to commit to one ride or the other.

We were treated to lunch in downtown San Rafael by MBW's aunt and uncle. After eating we walked down the street and checked out this double arch of bicycle wheels, joking that it was placed there in honor of BayCycle 2009. This weekend is San Rafael's annual Italian Street Painting Festival, a fundraiser for Youth in Arts. So we strolled through the festival and checked out the works in progress.I've posted more photos of the festival in my BayCycle 2009 album on Flickr.

Then it was decision time. Shady Lane was not on MBW's route and we really wanted to ride together, so we decided to save Shady Lane for another time and ride the Richardson Bay bike path. MBW climbed on her bike and headed south. I followed an hour later in the car, trike on the back. By some quirk of fate we both took wrong turns in Corte Madera and, in the process of getting back on track, crossed paths unexpectedly at an intersection. I honked and waved, and continued on to Sausalito.

It takes me a while to get the trike unloaded from the car and loaded up with water bottles, backpack, etc. So once I got out on the path I didn't get far before meeting up with MBW. She turned around and we pedaled all the way up the path and back. It was a glorious sunny afternoon, a little cool and breezy but pleasant. The path has great views of Mt. Tam and the surrounding hills.

Having spent most of the last thirty years without a bicycle, one of my favorite things about the trike is being able to ride with MBW. She's had so many great adventures on her recumbent, including riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles twice with AIDS/LifeCycle. On this trip I get to have some of those cycling adventures with her. And when I'm riding with My Beautiful Wife, life is a bicycle ride down Shady Lane.

P.S. Here's MBW's post on Day 7.

BayCycle Day 6: Petaluma to San Rafael

2009-06-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

While the love of my life cycled the scenic hills from Petaluma to Novato on Friday morning, I had a leisurely breakfast, tidied up, and loaded my trike onto the car. Then I took the fast route (highway 101) to Novato, and turned onto Novato Boulevard hoping I wasn't too late to catch her coming the other way. Within a mile I saw her, but she didn't see me. I pulled off onto a side road and called her cell phone, then instructed her to look back. A short way down the road we pulled over and went into Sam's Place, what looked like a solid local establishment and a change from some of the fast food we'd been consuming. The menu included everything from BBQ and oysters to falafel and enchiladas. The food turned out to be disappointing, but we had a really great latte afterwards at the Marin Coffee Roasting Company, a drive-through cafe located in a former gas station.

From there I drove to the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin County Civic Center, a local landmark. It's got a great view of the Terra Linda area of San Rafael including a copper-clad building in which I'd once worked as software engineer. I stopped in at the library and was pleased to see a couple of book displays for June 2009, LGBT Pride Month. I spent 30 minutes on the computer, met Kathleen at the Embassy Suites, and we went for a 3 mile ride around the surrounding neighborhood.

When MBW* and I were new, she lived in the East Bay and I lived in Marin. When we tired of driving back and forth over the Richmond Bridge, we moved in together in San Anselmo. We both still love Marin County and it's beautiful open spaces and rolling hills. It is always such a joy to be back there. So after checking into our hotel we went for a ride around the Marin Civic Center lagoon and the surrounding neighborhood.

Our next stop was a Long's Drugs where my doctor had phoned in an antibiotic prescription for my sinus and ear infection. As I waited I was struck by the choice of merchandise next to the pharmacy counter: Vitamin Water and Coors Light. Okay, maybe Coors Light is a healthier choice than regular Coors (is it?) but selling alcohol right next to the pharmacy just doesn't seem right. And selling it side by side with Vitamin Water seems downright weird. Watered-down beer next to overpriced water. Beer with a vitamin chaser. Or maybe a lighter take on a boilermaker? The mind boggles.

Then we had dinner with one of MBW's work friends, her almost-done-with-second-grade son, and a friend who helps take care of him. These women are no slouches. One runs the ICU at a nearby hospital, and the mom just finished police academy. After lots of crunchy fried foods seasoned with great conversation, we headed back to the hotel as the sun set and the fog rolled in over Mt. Tamalpais.

* My Beautiful Wife (here's her post on Day 6)

BayCycle Day 5: On the Fifth Day, We Rested

2009-06-12T14:05:00.001-07:00

"Petaluma, California! What a great place to live, work, raise a family, and enjoy life!"
-- from Petaluma.org website

MBW* and I thoroughly enjoyed our day off in Petaluma. To begin with, she got a break from cycling town-to-town around San Francisco Bay. We both got to sleep in, instead of just me. We were staying with her cousin Mike and his wife Pat in their beautiful and comfortable home, much better than a hotel.

After a leisurely morning we got in the car (with MBW driving for a change) and ran some errands, then headed to the historic part of downtown Petaluma for lunch. As we walked down the street we ran into Pat and a friend on their way back from a weekly lunch date. They were coming from Cafe Zazzle, one of the places MBW had in mind, so we popped in there and had a fabulous lunch: fish tacos, Italian sodas, and a shared slice of key lime pie (sublime) for dessert. It was heavenly after some of the fast food we'd been eating on the road.

In the afternoon we did some laundry, uploaded photos and caught up on some blogging. I realized how much energy this ear infection had been sapping when I could barely blog anything and instead opted for a nap.

Pat and Mike and other friends and relations from as far south as Sausalito have been gathering for weekly Friday night dinners. In honor of our visit, the dinner was moved to Thursday and the dining room packed with 12. It was great seeing everyone since we don't get up this way very often.

* My Beautiful Wife (here's her (very brief) post on Day 5)

BayCycle Day 4: So Good in Sonoma

2009-06-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Sonoma Bike Bath is a converted railroad right-of-way that runs through a history park with preserved buildings like the Victorian style (and adobe insulated) home of General Vallejo. The history park even includes this beautiful meadow within the city limits. My beautiful wife* and I rode the path together and it was glorious, particularly after the clouds cleared.

I've got more photos posted at http://is.gd/ZfvQ and http://twitpic.com/photos/leapingwoman.

* Here's MBW's post on Day 4.

BayCycle Day 3: A Ringing In My Ears

2009-06-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

"It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop."
— Confucious

The night before we embarked on BayCycle I left a message on my allergist's cell phone. I had a budding sinus infection, and it made me glad we weren't flying on our vacation. But I prayed she wouldn't direct me to the nearest urgent care clinic, where I feared I would contract something even worse in the waiting room. To my relief she said to just keep doing what I'd been doing, and within a day my sinuses seemed to have recovered. However.

However, when we arrived at Denise & Kim's last night and started to set up our things in their guest room, I had an allergic reaction to their cat. First I started coughing, but my asthma inhaler took care of that. Then my ears started plugging up, and by the time we were ready for bed I had the most painful earache of my life. Warm compresses helped but I couldn't keep that up all night. It took a long time to get to sleep and in the meantime I was up and down so many times that no one in the house got a full night's sleep. Well, except maybe Louie the cat.

In the morning, warm compresses and decongestants calmed the earache but did not clear the congestion. Instead of riding by the Richmond Marina as planned I spent the morning running errands (pharmacy for more ear ministrations, bike shop about the wobbling wheels, etc.). I caught up with My Beautiful Wife (MBW) in Pinole for a cupcake break, lingered over a latte in Hercules, and caught up with her again in Vallejo. She had ridden up and down huge hills and across the bridge over the Carquinez Strait. And since she had not had a good night's sleep either, she was running out of steam and out of patience for Vallejo and its commute traffic.

We looked for a decent restaurant but ended up with fast food, then loaded MBW's recumbent onto the back of the car above the trike. After checking into our room in Napa, I applied more warm compresses to my ear and then crashed and slept for an hour and a half.

The ear? Still ringing, but I think the pressure may be going down. If it's not improved in the morning I'll call the doctor again. In the grand scheme of things, it's not so bad now that the pain has subsided. Nothing that should keep me from completing BayCycle 2009.

Here's MBW's post on Day 3.

BayCycle Day 2: Accepting the Mundane Gift

2009-06-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch."
-- Orson Welles

On Day 2 of BayCycle 2009 I was delighted when MBW* offered to go for a ride with me around the San Leandro Marina before striking out on her own. We did a loop around what turned out to be a dead end, then headed towards the road along the golf course and the marina. I thought of a park with winding trails that I'd seen on the map in the opposite direction and asked, "Which would you rather do: ride along a manicured golf course or go explore the trails in the park?"

So we turned and rode up to Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline. We took the paved bike path up to a sculpture on a bluff overlooking the bay and the Oakland Airport. Then we rode around the perimeter, and back through the park on winding gravel trails.

Finding our way back took longer than expected. By the time we had the hotel in our sights again, MBW was starting to stress about her delayed start. She also realized she was hungry, and that wasn't helping.

If you're open to it, what you need often just appears in front of you. Sometimes you don't recognize it. We were riding right past an El Torito, a chain restaurant, right by the water. I hadn't even noticed it when we'd ridden past in the other direction. "Let's go in here and have some lunch," I said. She looked dubious. "It's right here." "No," she said, "that will take too long. I need to get going." I bit my tongue, not wanting to argue. Then she took a second look and saw the Lunch Buffet banner over the door. What could be easier or faster?

The food was decent. The corn tortillas were freshly made. We were in and out of there in short order. It wasn't what we'd planned or what we'd have looked for, but at that time and that place it was a total gift.

*MBW = My Beautiful Wife (here's her post on Day 2)

BayCycle Day 1: Driving Around with k.d. lang

2009-06-09T21:49:00.001-07:00

"Out of nowhere this gust of wind
Brushed my hair and kissed my skin
I aimed to hold a bridled pace
When with love itself i came face to face"
-- k.d. lang, Ben Mink

As I started up the car that first morning of our BayCycle adventure, A Prairie Home Companion was beginning its broadcast from Los Angeles with a start-studded guest list: Sheryl Crow, Martin Sheen, k.d. lang. I'd tuned in just in time to hear Garrison Keillor sing a song about a teenage boy driving around L.A. with the top down. The topic seemed appropriate enough for starting out on a road trip. I left the radio on that station so I could hear k.d. lang. The next day was going to be MBW* and my 18th anniversary as a couple. k.d.'s song Pullin' Back the Reins had played an important role in our early days, describing so well the wild and heady rush of our new love. Hearing the "driving around" song and k.d. lang on the first leg of the journey seemed an auspicious beginning. I chose to accept these as good omens as I drove around the southern tip of San Francisco Bay to catch up with the love of my life.

*MBW = My Beautiful Wife (here's her post on Day 1)

BayCycle Day 1 Mountain View to San Leandro: Is That Possible?

2009-06-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
-- Lewis Carroll

When we checked into our San Leandro hotel tonight, the desk clerk began to list the hotel's amenities: complimentary breakfast, pool and hot tub open until 10, bicycles ... She didn't get any further because we broke up laughing at the mention of bikes. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

"I'm the pace car," I joked. My Beautiful Wife (MBW) was ready to head out on her recumbent this morning so I climbed onto the trike and rode with her out to the stop sign. Then I went back in to linger over my tea, finish packing, load my stuff (including my 65 lb. trike) into and onto the car and head out in pursuit. We met at a bakery in Fremont for French toast and then headed towards Coyote Hills, a favorite hiking and birding spot of mine but one I'd never cycled in before. I pulled over at a cherry stand that seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere, at the edge of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The cherries were grown in Stockton, so fairly local, and they looked gorgeous: plump, dark and tempting. I bought a box and hid them under a towel on the floor of the car to stay cool.

Once I reached Coyote Hills I pulled into an unpaved lot and rolled the trike off its rack. It took me a few minutes to put everything back on the trike that I'd removed for the drive. Harness and reins for pushing, if needed, up hills or where bikes can't be ridden. My backpack full of stuff. Water bottles, binoculars, etc. Then I folded up the rack and rode on a nice paved trail just off the ride of the main road until I reached the visitor center. I had some time to kill before MBW made it there on her bike, so I puttered around taking pictures and taking in the fresh air. Two families of barn swallows had built nestss right over the center's door and I sat on the trike watching the parent take turns feeding their gape-mouthed young. Then I rode down toward the rode and sat just gazing out into the hills and over the marsh, checking out birds. American White Pelicans, mallards, red-winged blackbirds, cliff swallows, coots, white-tailed kites hovering over the hills.

Eventually MBW rolled up hungry and tired of fighing the afternoon wind blowing off the bay. After a snack she recovered and we headed up a paved trail toward Alameda Creek. And I do mean up, because most of the ride was, though with some downs, primarily climbing, wntil we reached a vantage point that looked out over the southern end of the bay. From there we cruised down a steep hill onto the Alameda Creek trail where the wind blew us inland, the broad seatbacks of our recumbents acting like sails. MBW had ridden here before but this was a new experience for me: sail-triking! Halfway down the trail we split up. She continued on, and I took an unpaved trail around the marsh and back toward the car. I've walked this trail before and always love the sights and sounds of birds, water, and wind rushing through tule, mustard, grasses, scrub. When I discovered that a trail I'd planned to take was closed, I didn't really mind backtracking. I knew where I was and where I needed to go, and enjoyed the extra time there.

Just as I pulled up to the car, MBW called. She was tired and hungry and didn't want to deal with any more wind. We agreed to skip Hayward Regional Shoreline and head for San Leandro, to visit some of MBW's large and loving extended family. She explained where she was and I headed up to meet her in Union City for a late lunch. When we reached the house in San Leandro they fed us watermelon and homemade cookies, and we shared the cherries I'd bought at the stand. They were watching the Lakers game so we watched the end with them, not caring about the game but happy to be off the bike (for MBW) and out of the car (for me). Then we tucked the bikes in their garage for the night and headed for the hotel. My Beautiful Wife had ridden 51 miles since she set out this morning, six more than she'd planned. I had ridden not quite 5 miles, a little less than I'd planned, but in the right ballpark.

Now, back to that desk clerk who had offered us the amenity of borrowing bikes. MBW explained that she had ridden to the hotel.

Clerk: "From where?"
MBW: "Mountain View."
Clerk: "Is that possible?"

More laughter. I imagine that MBW will have at least one of those conversations every day on this trip. And she'll probably document them all at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/baycycle.

BayCycle 2009 Here We Come!

2009-06-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

"I think I want to ride my bike around the bay."
-- My Beautiful Wife (MBW)

That's how it began one day last fall. MBW came up with the brilliant idea of riding her recumbent bike all the way around San Francisco Bay. She figured it would take her about a week, and that she could stay with friends and family along the way. But that was before we got the Hitch Rider, which meant that I could come along (in the car) and pick bits of her route to ride with her. After months of planning and training and customizing my trike we are finally ready to go. MBW is blogging at Crazy Guy on a Bike (where she calls me MBW) and I'll be blogging here after months of neglect while hanging out on Twitter. See you on the road!

Goin' Back to She's Geeky

2009-01-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

In October of 2007 I left my software industry job and went immediately to two back-to-back conferences for technical women. The first was the fabulous Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC), presented by the nonprofit Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI). The second was a fiesty little unconference for technical women organized by Kaliya Hamlin, also known as Identity Woman. I had a fabulous time at both of these very different events and got to know many very smart, accomplished, interesting and, yes, geeky (and I mean that in a good way!) women. I now work at ABI and get to help produce GHC, and I'm totally looking forward to this fall's conference in Tuscon, AZ, Sept 30-Oct 3. But that's months away, so I'm glad that She's Geeky is returning to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA on January 30-31.

If you're scratching your head and wondering what an unconference is, it's a facilitated, participant-driven event. The attendees put together the agenda at the unconference itself, based on their interests, expertise and needs around the event theme. It's a popular format for technical conferences in the Open Source, Linux and Web 2.0 spaces. I've been to a few now and found them to be fun and productive networking and learning experiences.

As with any other technical conference, at technical unconferences women often find themselves in the minority. Enter Kaliya Hamlin, an experienced unconference organizer and facilitator, and the She's Geeky, the technical unconference for women who self-identify as geeks. She and her friends have created an event for women with a wide range of interest or experience in using or creating technology to gather, share, and learn from each other. Not only do I consider She's Geeky worth attending for its own sake, but I think it would be a great place to get familiar with the unconference format if a woman was a little shy about diving into the Bar Camp scene.

Registration is open now at http://shesgeeky.org/. I'm geeky, and I'm goin' ... how about you?

Join The Impact: San Jose

2008-11-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

This was originally posted to Calitics California Politics Blog.

About 2,000 people gathered at San Jose City Hall today as part of a nationwide day of protest against Prop 8 and for equal rights. We started by gathering in four locations - the San Jose Museum of Art, Metropolitan Community Church, St. James Park, and the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center. I'd carpooled in with my friend Ms. V and a friend of hers, and we started at St. James Park, handing out extra Vote No on Prop 8 signs left over from the campaign. Although we could have gone to the Mountain View rally closer to home, we'd chosen San Jose to be part of something bigger, and to be with our community from the DeFrank Center and the South Bay No on 8 campaign. Almost immediate we ran into Nan Coley, a friend and former colleague who had provided the inspiration for my blog post last night, Waiting for Proof. We continued handing out signs until we ran out, when I found more friends, the Shmilas, who I had introduced 12 years ago, and who were married on November 2. Ms. V ran into her ex and they caught up on their lives. And we ran into a straight couple active in PFLAG, who we'd met through the campaign. His sign (photo right) was so popular people kept asking him to pose for pictures and videos.

Then we were given the signal and started walking, and as we spread down the sidewalk we started to get an idea of how many of us had gathered. A news helicopter circled overhead as protestors converged on City Hall from the four starting places. The crowd included LGBT and straight, young and old, parents and kids, teachers and students, leaders and members of faith communities, Hispanic Americans, African-Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders, the full diversity of the San Jose community. We surrounded the fountains on the City Hall plaza as barefoot children played in the water. We chanted (2-4-6-8 Love does not discriminate! What do we want? Equal rights! When do we want them? NOW!). We strained to hear speakers like DeFrank Executive Director Aejaie Sellers, and cheered when cars passing by honked their horns in support.

The mood was mostly upbeat. Although I'd been nervous about a possible counter-protest, we met no resistance on our march to City Hall and we found none on the plaza. I later read in the San Jose Mercury News that there had been a handful of Yes on 8 protestors across the street, but from our vantage point at the bottom of the fountain they could be neither seen nor heard. The messages were positive. Although it was sorely disappointing that Prop 8 had passed, it had been defeated in Santa Clara County where the Knight Initiative had passed. Although many in the LGBT community had been stunned by the election results, that had mobilized our community across the country. Volunteers from the DeFrank Center circulated with clipboards to sign up volunteers ready to commit to fighting for marriage equality. They invited us to a community meeting on Monday night to plan next steps. As we stood in the sun and cheered and waved our signs, I forgot to be angry at those who had waited to volunteer until after Prop 8 had passed. We can only move forward, and this crowd appeared ready to do the work. Now if we can only hang on to that energy.

Waiting for Proof

2008-11-14T17:32:00.000-08:00

"I also was deliriously happy when Barack Obama won the election. During his victory speech, I was awestruck at the eloquence and grace of this man who we need so much. He reminds me of Dr. King and a bit of JFK both of whom I greatly miss. I wept knowing this is an event of our times that matches no other."
— Nan Coley

My friend Nan went on to note that in those moments of victory an entire people, after generations of struggle, was lifted up. "I couldn’t be more proud and relieved right along with them." What she wrote next completely choked me up: "We, too, are waiting for our proof of belonging to the whole. One day it will happen and I hope I am here to experience it."

When MBW (My Beautiful Wife) and I first met almost 18 years ago, we never dared to think that we would be able to legally marry in our lifetimes. But when we stood in line all day in the rain on President's Day in 2004, and when we finally reached the San Francisco City Hall rotunda and heard those words, "By the power vested in me," we realized how much we wanted the rights, privileges and responsibilities of marriage. And when we were at last legally married in July of this year, we felt what we had been longing for: we felt equal.

Tomorrow is a national day of protest. Simultaneous rallies will take place all over the country in support of marriage equality and in protest of the same-sex marriage bans passed on November 4. We hope for a day of peaceful protest, solidarity, and engagement. And I personally hope we will focus on moving forward rather than on blame.

Nan has words of wisdom that apply here as well. "It is up to us to embody the measure of grace and pride that will show we will not quit and will not fail in our quest for equality with respect and decorum befitting citizens of America who deserve no less than anyone else."

I will try to keep those words in mind tomorrow as we walk to City Hall to show our resolve. But I know I will keep coming back to this one thought that Nan so perfectly expressed: "We, too, are waiting for our proof of belonging to the whole."

Nine Days in November: Tales of a No on 8 Volunteer

2008-11-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

“First you talk to one person, then you talk to another person, then you talk to another person ...”
— Cesar Chavez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, on how to organize

Saturday, November 1: Attended a large training session for No On Prop 8 election day volunteers in Palo Alto. Helped pass out materials and, afterwards, prepare materials for next session. Several of us went from there to Mountain View to join a rally organized by local high school students. We held up our No on Prop 8 signs at a busy intersection on El Camino Real as the rain came down harder and harder. We took pictures of each other, smiling and sodden, as cars drove by honking their horns in support. We could tell that it was much quieter a few blocks down the road where Yes on 8 proponents were holding their own rally. It gave us hope.

Sunday, November 2: Having signed up to volunteer all day on Tuesday, this was my day for resting and preparing and conserving strength. I know my physical limitations and knew that I couldn't afford to be sick or in serious pain on election day. I stayed home and spent much of the day studying campaign materials and surfing the No on 8 Twitter stream, passing along information about rallies and tweeting encouragement. I was still hearing stories of voters confused about what No versus Yes would mean ("You mean if I support same-sex marriage I have to vote No?"). I felt vaguely guilty about not doing more -- rallying, calling voters -- but also knew that if I didn't take it easy I would not be able to work for twelve hours straight on election day. I am already looking forward to getting that over with.

Monday, November 3: Chris, the San Jose field director for No on Prop 8, called in the morning with an urgent need to have someone courier campaign materials from the San Jose office up to headquarters in San Francisco. I called My Beautiful Wife (hereinafter called MBW) back from the brink of tabling in San Mateo. We drove down to the office on Gish Road where we picked up a box of donations, maps, and other materials, got instructions for delivery, then drove up to the Castro in SF. At headquarters we doled out the materials to their rightful recipients and introduced ourselves to Moya, the voice behind the San Francisco portion of the @NoOnProp8 twitstream. It was exciting to see the headquarters, to say hi to the incredible Kate Kendell, and to feel we were making a unique contribution. We loaded stickers, buttons, and a few hundred yard signs into the car, grabbed lunch at Cafe Flore, and headed back to the South Bay. First to a busy corner in Palo Alto to deliver materials to the rallyers there, then back to the San Jose office with the rest of the signs. Once there we helped organize the poll captains for the next day, lining the walls with colored Post-It notes. And finally, back home to stay out of cars the rest of the day.

Tuesday, November 4: MBW rose early to start work at 6 a.m., leading a team of volunteers talking with voters outside the 100' perimeter of a Mountain View polling place. At 8 a.m. I headed down to Patrick's Sunnyvale home where we were running a campaign hub out of his garage. I had never been this involved in a campaign before and it was alternately exhilarating and frustrating. For the volunteers at the polling places, it was an emotional roller coaster ride. Every citizen who said "I'm voting No" gave hope, and each one who said "I'm voting Yes," was a kick in the gut. Meanwhile, Patrick and I were in his garage troubleshooting and cheerleading by cell phone. "No, you don't have to leave, you are within your rights to be there." "No, it's the church lady's problem that she told the Yes on 8 people they couldn't come." "No, you won't be arrested as long as you are outside the 100' perimeter and following the rules." "You ROCK!" By 7:30 we had packed things up in the garage and moved inside to watch the returns and handle any remaining calls before the polls closed. When the news channels called the presidential race for Obama we popped open a bottle of champagne. I had 3 tiny sips because I was exhausted and still had to drive home. MBW was already home and resting, discouraged by the voter interactions of the day and wishing she had a thicker skin. I drove home listening to McCain's concession speech, feeling much relieved about Obama's win. I was expecting the Prop 8 race to be close and not to know until the next day, and I was trying not to get my hopes up too high.

Wednesday, November 5: Shock and numbness at the news that Prop 8 passed, along with similar initiatives in Florida and Arizona and a ban on adoption by unmarried couples in Arkansas. Bewilderment that the U.S. could take such a big step forward for the civil rights of African-Americans and such a big leap backward for the human rights of gays and lesbians on the same day. It's difficult to get excited about Obama's victory, my primary feeling is still one of relief. MBW is crushed, grieving and furious, and there is no way for me to comfort her. She takes a personal day, unable to face a cheery potluck planned at work. I work from home, distracting myself by catching up on the accumulated email from the last four days spent focused on the campaign. In the afternoon we go out for a ride around the neighborhood to blow off some steam. It's a beautiful day, and I see again the many No on Prop 8 signs in our neighbors' yards. But on the other side of the neighborhood we pass a Yes sign and a pickup truck with a large home-made sign mounted in the back. It says "What would he vote on Prop 8?" and there's a face, but we do a double-take as we pass and see that the face is not Jesus but Osama bin Laden. MBW thinks the sign-maker is equating us with terrorists, but frankly it doesn't make any sense to me from any angle. Back home, email from the No on 8 campaign says the votes are not all counted yet and they are waiting before making a statement. We are in limbo, perhaps we have equal rights; perhaps not.

Thursday, November 6: We've lost, Prop 8 has passed, legal challenges have been filed. Still feeling numb, much of which is physical exhaustion. On the drive to work I have to fight back the tears. Then I realize I am more angry than sad. Angry at the lies and deception of the Yes campaign. Angry at the influence of religious institutions on our state constitution. Angry at our initiative process which allows that constitution to be so easily modified. I try to tell myself that I have done everything I could; I'm almost convinced. I work, but it is hard to concentrate. I cannot keep my eyes and voice from the stream of outrage and sorrow online. I want to be a voice of comfort and moderation, to say it is as wrong to hate the Mormons and the Knights of Columbus as it is for them to hate us. I think to myself that we have a lot of people we're going to have to sit down and talk with, calmly, to move our rights forward after this. I think of Cesar Chavez and his description of how to organize, "First you talk to one person, then you talk to another ..." I look at the growing list of rallies but don't have the energy to attend yet. I pick out a couple of events on Sunday and Monday and put them on my calendar.

Friday, November 7: More rallies. I pass the news along through Twitter, updates about new events and news from the events themselves. There are alarming stories of No on 8 rallyers being abusive to African-Americans because as a group the majority voted in favor of Prop 8. I'm horrified and frightened by this response. This is not the time to alienate; this is the time to communicate. "First you talk to one person ..." I'm relieved to see this is the message coming from campaign leadership. Still there are more rallies and candlelight vigils. I keep twittering, gathering new No on 8 friends and followers. I receive an email with photos of us smiling in the rain at last Saturday's rally. I can barely remember why we looked so happy.

Saturday, November 8: Slept late, blowing off a day-long event I'd signed up for. Started catching up on my life: washing the CPAP hoses, loading and running the dishwasher, getting a long overdue haircut. Remembered a Buddhist story I first heard in an undergraduate course. A disciple asks the master what he needs to do to achieve enlightenment. The master asks the disciple if he has eaten his breakfast yet. "Yes, master." "Then rinse your rice bowl." I tell myself this story so I will keep putting one foot in front of the other, doing what's next.

Sunday, November 9: MBW and Ms. V and I go to the Billy DeFrank Center for a post-election marriage equality gathering. MBW and Ms V find seats while I help get people signed in. I'm glad to help out because it gives me a chance to hug some of the volunteers I'd worked with at phone banks and on election day, and to see some old friends. The room is overflowing with people. We squeeze more chairs into the room and there are people sitting on the floor, standing in every available space, spilling up the stairs and out the door. Some want to talk and air their feelings, some want to march and rally. The group agrees to do both ... first meet in the room and then take to the streets. When the group heads outside, MBW and Ms. V want to go home. They know I would march, but they are both in similar funks and not up to it. We head home, sit in the living room and talk about the election results, the legal challenges to Prop 8, and about our options for what we can do now. We talk about which candlelight vigils to attend tomorrow night. We will rest and recover. We will continue to fight for our rights.

My No on Prop 8 Heroes

2008-10-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

“I don’t see why anyone on the planet would want to deny you a marriage.”
— Norma Watson to her daughter Moya

I'm not 100% sure how two months went by without a blog post. True, I was incredibly busy at work before, during and after the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC), which had me on Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter and the GHC blog and, there you go, two months just like that. Today I finally broke down and moved the Twitter feed to the top of my blog in recognition of the fact that I'm more likely to post there than here.

Before GHC I started volunteering for the No on Prop 8 campaign by making calls at phone banks. After GHC I took another leap and started training and coaching and running phone banks. Working the phone banks is something I'd never done before, never wanted to do, and never ever imagined myself doing. But this is too important to sit by the sidelines and just donate money. So I held my nose and jumped in.

What's truly wonderful about the phone banks is the volunteers who come to make the calls, every type of wonderful fair-minded person. Gay and straight, young and old, they volunteer because they know it’s wrong to single out one group of people and exclude them from having the same rights as other citizens. They come with their parents, their children, their spouses, boyfriends and girlfriends. Like me, most of them have never done anything like this before. They are my heroes.

My family, too, are my heroes. With my birthday coming in a few days, they knew that there's nothing I want more than to defeat proposition 8. So everyone in the family sent contributions, the perfect gift!

The next couple of weeks will also blow by quickly. There is still so much to do both at work and on the No on Prop 8 campaign. I'm sure you're busy too. But this election is really important, and it's going to be really close. If you are not registered to vote, don't delay! Here in California the deadline is this coming Monday, October 20. Then vote, and don't stop with the presidential race. Every vote will be important. Make yours a vote for fundamental fairness, and vote No on Prop 8.

Of Marriage and No on Prop 8 and Republicans

2008-08-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

"The institution of marriage can only be strengthened by allowing everyone to participate in its rights and responsibilities."
— from the Republicans Against 8 web site

Wow, August blew by and we're getting seriously into September. Mrs. Leaping Woman and I have been thoroughly enjoying our marital bliss. We set up our No on Prop 8 fundraising wedding registry and I started volunteering for the campaign. Last Tuesday I went through phone bank training. They gave us all lists of names to call but told us to start with the numbers on our cell phones. I was able to sign up a phone bank volunteer and get some donations from friends, but unfortunately I'd forgotten to bring my phone headset. My gimpy arms gave out before I could get to the calls to strangers, and four days later I've almost recovered. So next time I'll be sure to bring it.

When K and I were married in July, our best friends P&R played a big role in our small ceremony. Tomorrow, we are "best women" for theirs. I've been practicing writing my Hebrew name and my parents' so that I can witness the ketubah, the Jewish marriage contract. It took a little research with my sisters and the Internet to nail down the right names and their spellings, and it's been fun to learn. As a culinary Jew (i.e., primarily I eat my favorite foods that go with each holiday) this is something I've never had to do before.

The November election on Proposition 8 is going to be extremely close. If you support marriage equality, here's how you can help:

First and foremost, if you live in California vote "No" on Proposition 8 this November.
Make a donation to the No on Prop 8 campaign.
Talk to 10 people and ask them to talk to 10 people. You'll find talking points in the No on 8 FAQ.
Click on Vow to Vote No to have your commitment to marriage equality counted.
Visit http://noonprop8.com/action/ to learn more about what you can do to protect marriage equality.

Oh, and about the quote at the top... I'm not a Republican but I am happy to know that there are marriage equality advocates among them. Republicans Against 8 was founded by the Log Cabin Republicans, a coalition of LGBT Republicans and their allies. Although it makes sense that there are LGBT voters in both the Democratic and Republican parties, I'll confess that the Log Cabin Republicans have always mystified me, as does their statement that "Gov. Palin is an inclusive Republican who will help Sen. McCain appeal to gay and lesbian voters." I see abortion rights and LGBT rights as inextricably tied. The same people who want to deny women the right to make our own decisions about whether and when to carry a pregnancy to term want to deny LGBT citizens the rights to love and marry the people we choose. I don't understand how anyone who thinks that abortion should be illegal even in cases of rape and incest can appeal to any lesbian voter. Not this one, anyway.

North America Bridal Tour 2008

2008-08-15T12:41:00.001-07:00

"Love at first sight is easy to understand; it’s when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle."
— Amy Bloom

Our dear friend MGH paraphrased this quote when she officiated at our wedding ceremony. After 17 years together, we find it exciting to be legally wed at last. My wife (I love writing that!) and I are on vacation now, taking what we have come to call our North American Bridal Tour. It started when our dear friends Les Gals recast a planned outing one week after the wedding into a champagne tea at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco. We donned our wedding outfits and Jan made sweet wedding favors with pink and white Jordan almonds. The tea was fabulous, and afterwards we posed for a group photo in the lobby and talked about Photoshopping them into the wedding photos.

Next stop on the tour was Chicago for dinner with family and a night at the Ardmore House B&B. Then off to Mishawaka to see Mom, my sister E and niece H. We modeled our wedding outfits for them, showed the wedding ceremony video, and took a family picture, pondering the best poses for Photoshopping them in. Back to Chicago for another family dinner, and then to Aunt P's apartment. Again we donned our wedding finery and showed the video, took more family photos, and dug into a two-tier "wedding cake" that my sister F and niece G constructed from a cheesecake and a decadent chocolate affair from Whole Foods.

Now we're in Halifax for K's family reunion. We're planning to do it again (outfits, video, photo), probably before Saturday's barbecue. I'm hoping everyone will participate but won't be surprised (disappointed, yes, but not surprised) if not everyone does. I've been accepted into the family (it's been 17 years now, after all) but there are some religious beliefs that still present barriers. But I hope everyone will come. I still love hearing the ceremony, to which MGH had also added this powerful quote from the civil rights movement:

"The right to marry whoever one wishes is an elementary human right compared to which "the right to attend an integrated school, the right to sit where one pleases on a bus, the right to go into any hotel or recreation area or place of amusement, regardless of one's skin or color or race" are minor indeed. Even political rights, like the right to vote, and nearly all other rights enumerated in the Constitution, are secondary to the inalienable human rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence; and to this category the right to home and marriage unquestionably belongs."
— Hannah Arendt in Dissent, Winter 1959

Words to Love By: Wedding Excerpts

2008-08-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Usually I like to open with a quote and then move on to writing the blog post. Today, still coming down to earth from our wedding just over a week ago, most of the post is quotes. Here are a few readings that opened our wedding ceremony, read by friends and K's sister. That turned out to be a wise choice, because we were immediately too choked up with emotion to speak any more than our vows.

"Lazy loved Pubah and loved loving her. Out past the edges of the world's agreement, beyond even her own standards, her own approval, the rules of her childhood, beyond even her own mind, she loved her and loved loving her. The loving brought forth in her all of her courage as well as all of her limitations, all of her blind desire to be like the others, to melt in, to be invisible. It took her out of the roles she thought she would grow up to fill. It took her away from her automatic stream of pictures of what life should be and forced her to create her own version of what life could be. And beyond all of that was the woman she loved, living a life made from nothing more than her own imagination, and she was beautiful."
— Andrea Carlisle, from The Riverhouse Stories: How Pubah S. Queen and Lazy LaRue Save the World

i carry your heart with me
— ee cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

"Is the key to love in passion, knowledge, affection?
All three—along with moonlight, roses, groceries,
givings and forgivings, gettings and forgettings,
keepsakes and room rent,
pearls of memory along with ham and eggs."
— Carl Sandburg, from "Honey and Salt"

Our Wedding

2008-07-27T21:39:00.001-07:00

Reality, Virtual Reality, and a Real Fight for Equality

2008-07-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

"If you don't create your reality, your reality will create you."
— Lizzie West

Reality

Our wedding is just a little over a week away! The plans are coming along, in spite of how busy everyone is. We changed our minds and decided to get married at home. Our dear professional Green Thumb friend Ms. V is generously donating her labor to pretty up the neglected garden. We've bought our wedding clothes, which will become our party outfits for the next N years. I still need shoes since my usual boots and beat-up sandals simply won't do, and maybe a sun hat. We've got the license. MG has been deputized as a marriage commissioner. The texts for the ceremony have been selected but the arrangement needs to be set. Etc., etc. There are so many details, and checking each item off the To Do list has been both satisfying and a relief. But mostly we are just deliriously happy that we get to do this. We can hardly wait to hear those words, "By the power vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you ..."

Virtual Reality

I wasn't able to attend BlogHer, the conference for women bloggers, in San Francisco today and tomorrow, but I registered for BlogHer in SecondLife (SL) instead. To prepare, I'd gone inworld for some pre-conference office hours where Gidge Uriza, a BlogHer08 volunteer and SL fashion blogger, graciously gave me a few fun pointers and a free makeover: skin, hair, shape and clothes. I picked up some free BlogHer t-shirts for my avatar to wear with her new jeans, and checked out the virtual conference schedule. This morning a shorter-than-planned meeting left me enough time to attend the "speed dating" style networking session where I got to credit Gidge for my avatar's new cuteness and meet a number of the other bloggers. We were all exchanging blog URLs, so I figured I'd better get in here tonight and get back to blogging. But first, at the end of my RL (Real Life) workday I popped back into SL for the evening festivities of dancing and chatting with Gidge and the gals. Great fun, and I finally figured out how to make my "Click to see my blog" button point here to Leaping Woman.

A Real Fight for Equality

The No on 8 campaign is getting underway. Last night I went to another meeting at the DeFrank Center and learned more about the campaign strategy, the areas where volunteers are most needed, and what we can do now. Of course the main thing to do right now is tell everyone I know that K and I are getting married and that California Proposition 8 on the November ballot threatens our right to marriage equality, and tell them how they can support us.

So I am telling you now. K and I have been together for over 17 years, through sickness and health, for richer and for poorer. As a matter of basic fairness we would like to keep the fundamental right we now have to choose who we marry, and to marry who we choose. If you feel that we should keep the right to marry, here are the things you can do:

Go to http://equalityforall.com/ and sign up as a supporter.
Volunteer for the No on 8 campaign. You can help even if you don't live in California.
Donate money to support the No on 8 campaign (we're still working on that registry).
Vote in the November election and, if you are voting in California, don't stop with the Presidential race! Vote No on Proposition 8 to say Yes to marriage equality.

My bride-to-be and I thank you.

The Fight for Love

2008-06-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

"The California Supreme Court did not simply rule that we had a right to marry, they ruled that any discrimination in state law based on sexual orientation will be subjected to withering scrutiny by the Courts of this state."
— Kate Kendell

Monday night my bride and a friend and I went to a community meeting on marriage equality at the Billy DeFrank LGBT Center in San Jose. The always-inspiring Kate Kendell of the National Center for Lesbian Rights was the guest speaker who laid it all out for us: how groundbreaking the CA Supreme Court ruling really was (see quote) and what it will take to beat the same-sex marriage ban on the November ballot in CA. We signed up to help with the campaign against this state constitutional amendment. I signed up for e-groups, of course.

So I was playing with Jonathan Feinberg's very cool Wordle, which generated this image from my tag cloud on delicious. Right now marriage and equality are almost impossible to find in the cloud. That will be changing, so it might be interesting to watch over time. Images created by the Wordle.net web application are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Taking Another Leap!

2008-06-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

“In light of the fundamental nature of the substantive rights embodied in the right to marry — and their central importance to an individual’s opportunity to live a happy, meaningful, and satisfying life as a full member of society — the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all individuals and couples, without regard to their sexual orientation.”
-- Chief Justice Ronald M. George, the California Supreme Court ruling

This blog began when I took the big leap of quitting my job. My next notable leap will be into legally wedded bliss. Of course after 17 years together, we already feel like an old married couple. But it stung when our previous marriage (San Francisco City Hall, President's Day, 2004) was nullified by the state, and we've been longing ever since to hear those words again, "By the power vested in me ..." So we're taking the leap and will be married in late July. And we're really excited about it!

Of course, there is work to be done. We've selected and reserved a meaningful location, settled on the scope (very small), picked a date and (a few hours ago) the time. Our dear friend MG, who notes she will be the only person (other than me) who has been at all of my weddings (1987, 2004, and 2008), will be deputized to officiate. A very few close friends and KJ's two local siblings will join us. We've done a little clothes shopping, knowing that whatever we buy will become our dressy outfits for the next n years. The question has arisen of the vows, but I am mostly in denial about that.

All this is goes on while my family is in a bubbling cauldron of change, with both my elderly aunt and my mother planning moves, one sister changing jobs, miscellaneous health problems, etc.. Keeping the wedding plans simple reserves time, energy and money for these other transitions. For me, planning our wedding is a joyous bright spot that helps keep me centered through all the turmoil.

We still have plenty of work ahead to defeat the November ballot initiative, so we've chosen to keep our wedding small and low-cost and put our money into the fight to keep our right to be married, and to extend that right to other same-sex couples. I'm starting to get questions about which charities are the most appropriate for wedding gift donations. I have a couple at the top of my list (Equality California and National Center for Lesbian Rights) and am open to suggestions of others. I'll include donation links in a follow-up post when I have more information and when we have one or more registries set up.

Leaping Woman Lands!

2008-03-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

"Leap, and the net will appear."
— American naturalist John Burroughs

That was the opening quote when I started the Leaping Woman blog on October 26, 2007. I had quit my job after 26 years in the computing industry, and volunteered for a service year with a nonprofit. I chose the Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology (ABI) because I had benefited from its programs over the years and because I believe in its mission: to improve technology by involving more women at all stages, and to improve the lives of the world's women through technology.

I had no idea what I'd do after that service year. The quote served as a mantra, warding off any fear about the future. Everything was open to exploration; everything was an option; even as I knew at that some point I'd have to start thinking about that next paying job.

The net began materializing when one of ABI's staff moved on to a new position. I volunteered to cover the online communities work she'd been doing, until the dust settled. Everything I'd been exploring, reading up on and playing with online suddenly was of practical daily use. I learned to use social networking tools with funny names that made my friends say, "Huh?" I started to form a vision, and come up with new ideas to try. I bounced out of bed in the morning, looking forward to the day's work. And I started talking with the staff about joining their team.

"Leap, and the net will appear. " On March 3, 2008 I became an employee of the Anita Borg Institute. Leaping Woman has landed, and with a big smile on her face.

Readers of this blog are already aware that as my involvement with ABI has increased, my activity on this blog has decreased. I expect to do most of my writing now on the ABI website. Thank you for reading the Leaping Woman blog. And thanks for all of your support while I made that leap. One more quote, before I go:

"All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail."
— poet Dorothea Brande

Comfort Karma

2008-02-27T19:45:00.000-08:00

"As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, keep it."
— Mahatma Gandhi

We've just finished day one of ABI's TechLeaders: Power and Influence workshop featuring the fabulous Jo Miller, CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching. I'm so energized by the great group of women, the amazing collective wisdom in the room, and the generosity with which it is shared. One of my conversations at the reception this evening turned to the subject of how to get yourself — or a friend — out of a funk. That reminded me of this list we brainstormed in a Success for Women workshop at a former employer:

How to Break Out of a Downward Spiral

Brainstorm alternatives
Find support
Consider the worst possible outcome: How realistic is it?
Recognize that you are stuck
Persistence
Take baby steps, and own each success
Take away the safety net
Address fear and get it over with
Take action
Just take "10 minutes"
Know yourself and your priorities

Of course, what works for you or for me is personal and can vary widely. Certainly the third bullet is not for everyone. The idea is that when you stop and think about the worst possible outcome, often you'll realize that it's not so horrific — you could handle it. But if thinking about the worst possible outcome is what makes you go into a downward spiral, try another method.

Just take "10 minutes" requires a bit of explanation. This wise woman's method was to give herself ten minutes to wallow in whatever she was feeling, and then move on. If I recall correctly, she may have even set a timer. I've since heard others recommend this method.

Years before that Success workshop, another group of women had offered their advice on how to get through a difficult transition in my life. One said, "Make a list of things you can do when you're wide awake at 4:00 in the morning." On the next occurrence of such a night, the first thing I did was sit down and draft that list of things I could do in the middle of the night. Then I picked an item off the list and did that until I'd calmed down enough to get some sleep.

Another said, "Make a list of friends you can call at 4:00 in the morning." Some of them offered to be on that list. I never actually called anyone at 4:00 in the morning, but knowing I could helped me through some very rough nights. It was so helpful to me that I've made the same offer in return and to others. Call it comfort karma.

That transition was completed and the paper with the list is long gone. But I have saved the How to Break Out of a Downward Spiral list for years. Partly because it's comforting just knowing that I have such a list. Partly to share with others in need, which I have on more than one occasion.

To use the list, it helps to think of the unwritten first and last items on it:

1. Remember to look at your How to Break Out of a Downward Spiral list.
...
n. What else could go on this list?

There is no cure

2008-02-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

"If you can't be a good example, you'll just have to be a horrible warning."
— Catherine Aird

Recently I confessed that I've been untrue to my blog. I've been off gallivanting with Twitter, Facebook, SecondLife, and more, while my poor blog sits with the wind howling through the gaping holes between posts. Half-written entries sit twiddling their thumbs awaiting cleanup and completion. A draft I call the Quote Silo sits jam-packed with quotations at the ready — selected for topics I thought I might blog — longing for their soul mates. And while I haven't exactly fallen into the depths of blogging decrepitude, periodically it occurs to me that I should blog more often, as a record for myself and interested others of what I've been up to since I made the leap. After all, I haven't actually landed yet.

But there is simply so much to explore! There are identities to try on, ideas to try out, more logins and passwords than I ever wanted, and so much to read. I love the reading and the learning and I find myself following link after link and the time simply passes. KJ and I recently read a short and hilarious little book called An Uncommon Reader. The premise: what would happen if the Queen of England suddenly became a voracious reader? I'm doing my own version (except I'm not a queen etc. etc.).

Now the purists among my friends will argue that web surfing is not the same as Reading Books, and I won't argue with them. But I'll close with another quote.

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."
— Dorothy Parker

Best Practices for Non-Profits in SecondLife

2008-02-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

"... Second Life has the killer app, which is community."
- Connie Yowell, MacArthur Foundation

Friday morning I attended a panel discussion on Best Practices for Non-Profits in SecondLife (SL). Or rather my avatar attended, since the meeting took place "inworld" at the Nonprofit Commons in SecondLife. At least 86 avatars attended the meeting. (click here for pictures). The panelists were from Global Kids, Alliance Library Systems, InWorld Studios, and TechSoup (which runs the Nonprofit Commons in SecondLife). These were some of my takeaways:

TechSoup's Nonprofit Commons project provides free SecondLife office space to nonprofits. They've outgrown their current SL space and they're creating a second one.
SecondLife is not suitable as a nonprofit's sole community outreach effort.
Several panelists emphasized that it is not necessary for a nonprofit to have office space in SecondLife. But if you do you then need to staff it for regular office hours. It's helpful to have scripted objects that report back to staff who has visited the space.
A large event takes a lot of organizers and volunteers and a lot of planning and preparation.
You have to both plan ahead and improvise for SL technical challenges. For this event there was an external website where you could listen if your audio stream wasn't working inworld, but the number of listeners maxed out the server and not everyone could get in. So some of the attendees typed highlights of the discussion in the text chat for those who couldn't hear. And of course the audio was recorded so a podcast could be made available (although it doesn't seem to be posted yet).
You have to plan ahead for those who don't have prior SL experience. One best practice is to hold preliminary events in SL, like dance parties, where people can learn and practice their inworld skills. And don't require particants to register inworld; buying Lindens is too complicated for newbies.
Avoid too much text on notecards; text is better on the web than in SL.
Publicity: Big nonprofit events in SL get lots of press. Document compulsively to get attention outworld. All press, positive or negative, can create useful dialog. Machinima videos are great promotional tools. And don't forget to tag with 'npsl'
The best way for a nonprofit to get started in SecondLife is to start attending the Nonprofit in SecondLife (NPSL) weekly meetings (of which this was one).

I plan to start attending those weekly NPSL meetings there to get a better idea of what other nonprofits are doing and ideas for what's possible. Added benefit: much of the discussion was useful for thinking about online communities in general.

For more information, check out:

Podcast from this event (probably under Library; it wasn't up yet last time I checked)
Chat transcript from this event
NPSL: Nonprofits in Second Life blog and wiki
Nonprofit Commons blog
Rik Panganiban's report "Best Practices for Non-Profits in SecondLife" based on nonprofit track from last year's SL Community Conference
Article about Macarthur Foundation's investigation into philanthropy in virtual worlds

Girl Geeks Unite!

2008-02-02T19:13:00.002-08:00

A few hundred girl geeks and their dates attended the first Bay Area Girl Geek Dinner , organized by Angie Chang (one of the founders of Women 2.0) and sponsored by Google. I had recovered from my cold enough to go by the ABI office for a couple of meetings and to pick up some flyers and GHC posters. Took a quick nap at home and hopped over to Google for the event. I thought it went very well. Because it was raining the reception was held in a big tent with a bar, lots of food, and great swag: Google/GGD mugs:

I got to catch up with some of the gals I'd met at She's Geeky. Mary Trigiani told me about foldier, the cool startup she's working with. We also talked with Susan Mernit about the challenges at Yahoo with a large layoff looming. It brought back many memories of layoffs I've managed through.

The program itself was pretty good. Ellen Spertus kicked us off with her top 10 reasons why it's great to be a girl geek. There was a panel on building reputation and credibility. The moderator was Katherine Barr, with panelists Irene Au (Director of User Experience at Google), Rashmi Sinha (CEO of SlideShare), Leah Culver (cofounder of Pownce), Sumaya Kazi (founder of The CulturalConnect). As far as geekdom goes, Ellen and Leah have the highest geek cred but the panel was interesting and there was a lively enough Q&A session.

No Title, No Quote

2008-01-26T18:27:00.000-08:00

I've been sorely neglectful of this blog lately. I've been working a lot at ABI and, I admit, playing around other Web 2.0 media. Last weekend I spent several hours in SecondLife at the fabulous Sloodle Moot (see photostream). Then on Monday I succumbed to a monster cold that had been toppling one person after another at the ABI office.

The timing for this week's nasty cold turned out to be not half bad. First, because the weather all week was suitable primarily for arctic ducks. Second, because KFOG was playing World Class Rock A to Z where they go through their music library in alphabetical order. They started January 14 and are in the Ws so I suppose they'll wrap up over the weekend -- although they just started the What's and still have all the When, Where and Who songs to do. Not to mention all the songs that must start with You. As soundtracks go, it felt just right for my recovery.

Is America Ready for a Female President?

2008-01-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

"The future depends entirely on what each of us does every day."
– Gloria Steinem

Great discussion on NPR this morning (you can replay this at npr.org)
with Gloria Steinem, around her excellent Op-Ed piece in the New York Times earlier this week:

Women Are Never Front-Runners

By GLORIA STEINEM

Published: January 8, 2008

Gender is probably the most restricting force in American life, whether the question is who must be in the kitchen or who could be in the White House.

No matter how you feel about Hillary Clinton, Gloria Steinem remains as brilliant and articulate as ever.

Strategies and Techniques for Implementing Social, Collaborative, and 3D Learning

2008-01-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

"As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it."
— Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I'm belatedly posting some notes from an eLearningGuild online forum, Strategies and Techniques for Implementing Social, Collaborative, and 3D Learning, December 13 & 14. There were a lot of great and notable speakers from the cutting edge of technology-assisted learning. These are kind of long so I'm breaking them up into several posts, which will primarily be of interest to my colleagues in the learning professions.

The first morning the keynote was by Ray Jimenez, CEO of Vignettes for Training, Inc., who spoke on How to Integrate Social Networking and Collaboration to Impact Learning and Performance. He opened by talking about the variety of exciting tools that Web 2.0 provides (e.g. wikis, blogs, etc.) to help learners perform on the job and the common tension, in enterprise environments, between formal structured training and informal Web 2.0 learner-as-author content. He encouraged his audience of learning professionals to nurture the content creators among our learners. Ray posted some additional reference material to his blog including a free downloadable report with some case studies.

The next session I chose was Getting Serious about Virtual Worlds by Christian Renaud of Cisco. He cited some interesting figures from a study done by Pearn Kandola for Cisco on effective communications for geographically dispersed teams. For example, that it takes 4 times long to communicate a message electronically versus face-to-face. In SecondLife (SL), Cisco has a public-facing virtual campus, with meeting rooms, office space, a training area, and a theater-in-the-round. See http://blogs.cisco.com/virtualworlds for more information including virtual event dates. The major drawback of SL: there's no security system to speak of, so they don't use (or recommend) it for confidential information. The Virtual World Interoperability Forum working to de-risk this space.

Christian's thoughts on picking the right tool for an interaction:

talk to a colleague quickly: telephone
sensitive meeting: video conference if you can't meet live
board meeting or close a big deal: telepresence
pitch an idea: Webex
disseminate your idea to 100s or 1,000s: webcast/podcast
intimate gatherings with people you may not know: virtual worlds

One tool doesn't fit all, but they're working on integration between these so you can segue as needed. He said the best business use of a virtual world is when you have an intimate audience of people who can't meet physically and who either already trust each other or who don't require a strong trust relationship for the task(s) at hand.

He also mentioned the Mozilla-based Flock social web browser, and I'm giving it a try. But I'm so accustomed to automatically deleting all my personal info (cookies, etc.) when I exit a browser that it's hard to take the best advantage of its built-in features for social networking tools. I do like how easy it's to see status updates from Facebook and Twitter.

Also in attendance for this session was one of the other speakers: Tony O'Driscoll.

The next session I participated in was A New Model for Informal Learning: Communities 2.0 by Eric Sauve, founder and CEO of Tomoye Corporation and an author on trends and issues of Communities of Practice. Some highlights of his talk:

Workplace trends driving social and informal learning

Forrester says "More than 80% of adult learning takes place in informal settings outside the classroom, leaving only 20% for formal learning situations. In spite of the disparity between informal and formal learning in the workplace, corporations invest most of their budgets in formal learning."
Eric noted we're just starting to find effective answers to this problem but it will change.

Learners as source of content (YouTube-ification)

Using the model of the Long Tail: while training organizations take on the low end, learners turn to their peers as the "Long Tail" of learning.
The low end is time-consuming and costly, the long tail is fast, cost-effective, and validated by users.
The learning environment, with best practices and supporting technology, becomes bottom-up and learner-centric.

Validation Concerns

For example: Are we creating value or compounding ignorance? Does the best or worst rise to the top?
Collective Intelligence as a community validation method (The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki and Howard Rheingold's Smart Mobs) says that a large group of peers is more effective at complex problem resolution than a small group of experts because in aggregate, the large group has more perspective and experience -- if you can capture it

Linkages between formal and informal methodologies:

as part of a blended learning strategy
using community subject matter experts (SMEs) to validate courseware development
point learning solutions for capacity building

Biggest barrier to facilitating user-generated content: people untrained in instructional design have to think about how to be effective at generating learning content.

Starting the New Year Right

2008-01-01T19:24:00.001-08:00

ShorelinePark010108
Originally uploaded by leapingwoman

"The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man."
— Iris Murdoch, The Red and the Green

When I first got the trike in August, KJ and I set a goal of riding together in Shoreline Park. We had a plan for achieving this: First I would slowly build up strength riding around the neighborhood until I could do a few miles and handle some uphills. Then we'd load KJ's recumbent on a bike rack, and I'd drive it over to the park while KJ rode my trike over. We've been working up to this since August, and I completed my first 5 mile ride a few days ago. So today was the day, and it was glorious!

The park was sunny with no wind. There were a lot of families out walking and biking, so it was a bit crowded. But people are curious about the trike and tend to make way for it. It was exhilarating to finally ride along the salt pond and look out over the water and all the wintering birds. Then we ditched the crowds and rode back behind the golf course. We only did about 2.5 miles, but we'll go back when it's less crowded and cruise around some more.

I like the twist of starting the new year by achieving a goal, rather than facing a list of new resolutions.

Fun Fun Fun!

2007-12-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."
— E.B. White

The Black Bar glasses strike again: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1707052930. Thanks to Roxanne Darling (Beach Walks with Rox) for turning me on to this silly holiday fun. Note: Elf Yourself is spreading virally, so their server is a bit slow. If you get a server error, try again later. Or not, as your mood dictates. For more giggles check out JibJab including their musical year 2007 wrap-up.

Usually the holiday season is stressful with shopping and shipping to be done for both Chanukah and Christmas. This year, with more free time on my hands, it's been more fun and I'm enjoying making some of the gifts — using my quote collection for inspiration.

I generally have more fun reading online than writing. I'm up and running on Facebook now and hooked on Scrabulous and other applications. I poked around SecondLife some more and ended up becoming (even though I'm a newbie, just by getting there early) an officer of a new guild. It's hard to make myself stop and blog. I have the two next weeks off so I hope to catch up a bit on both learning SL and on my blog.

More on Strategies and Techniques for Implementing Social, Collaborative, and 3D Learning

2007-12-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

"Potius sero quam numquam"
— Livy

Okay, I'm cheating and using a quote the second time (the first time was the English translation, "Better late than never" using Livy's Latin name, Titus Livius. But I couldn't find a more appropriate quote because I was going back over some notes from the eLearningGuild online forum Strategies and Techniques for Implementing Social, Collaborative, and 3D Learning, on December 13 & 14, 2007 and found more that I hadn't posted.

Intelpedia: Intel’s Use of Wikis to Support Collaboration and Enhance Learning
Josh Bancroft, Intel (his blog: http://www.tinyscreenfuls.com/)

Some of the best practices Josh used to get the internal Intel community to use the Intelpedia wiki (which probably work as well for other collaboration tools):

Take advantage of naturally occurring opportunities to be a cheerleader for your wiki. When people complain about other collaboration tools in use, tell them why the wiki doesn't have that problem. When people email or mention a document, ask whether they'll put it on the wiki. And encourage others to advocate for the wiki so it's not just your voice.
Any time you make a subjective rule about what can go in the wiki, i.e., what's "good enough" you dampen the wiki spirit that people own it and can make it what they want. Encourage people to submit useful stuff, organize it, garden to improve it and make it better.
All information on the wiki has to be useful to at least one person, but because they want it to be encyclopedic, even vanity pages belong.
All company security and IP policies apply to Intelpedia content as well, but they encourage employees to post everything that won't violate security concerns on the wiki so it will be encyclopedic. So as long as it's not breaking a rule they welcome people to add.

He talked a bit about why they chose Mediawiki ("it was good enough for Wikipedia") and recommended http://www.wikimatrix.org/ for comparing both open source and product wikis.

What the Heck is Facebook? Using Popular Tools to Train New Learners
Kristin Kahlich and Shon Bayer, Enspire Learning

Many companies have embraced elearning and sometimes simulations but not that many have embraced games, wikis, virtual worlds. Their main point was that employers and those responsible for developing training need to overcome those barriers, because the composition of the workforce will dramatically change as baby boomers leave the workforce and Generation Y enters.

Exploring Enterprise Virtual Worlds and the Metaverse
Ron Edwards, Ambient Performance, Ltd

A few highlights from Ron's talk ...

Corporate collaboration tool context: widely distributed teams, travel as both an expense and an environmental issue, recruit and retain 'digital natives'. Some of the solutions:

Sun's mixed reality virtual conference room with both people on video and avatars online.
Cisco partner network is now 3d; see http://blogs.cisco.com/virtualworlds/

Benefits of virtual seminars & conferences in SecondLife:

You can see who's in the room in a richer way than a phone conference.
Supports virtual breakout rooms.
For security in enterprise collaboration you need a dedicated non-public platform or your own server inside a firewall.
For identity,wrap 2D photos around avatar faces and wear avatar name tags.

For training, any one tool should be part of a mix:

Virtual worlds are good for practice, role playing, sharing
A blended approach might also include a SCORM trackable mobile procedural reference, hand-held tools with data analysis, decision support (e.g. Decisionability)
Role playing is a sweet spot in virtual world collaborative learning.

There was some discussion of accessibility and the areas in which virtual worlds aren't there yet -- especially for those with visual impairment. One group had success with those who have hearing impairment. Training in a virtual collaboration environment can be more accessible than, for example, a ropes course. He showed an example of a real course that required learners to wade waist-deep across a stream.

In his opinion, the ramp up time to learn to use a virtual world application is about 20 minutes, less if you're a gamer. My own experience in SL has been that it takes longer to become either comfortable or proficient.

One of the attendees says there are some good YouTube videos by Torley Linden on building and getting around in SL. A bunch of us shared SL avatar names and got some momentum for an eLearning Guild presence in SL. There are lots of education activities in SL including AECT in SL (Association for Educational Communication and Technology).

Check out Wolf Quest, a learning-based game released by the Minnesota Zoo in December, as an of applying these tools for learning. And one more link of interest: Serious Games Institute, UK.

Ron feels virtual worlds will dramatically change the way we work and interact, but today's virtual worlds are like the horseless carriages that were the first automobiles. Gartner says 80% of us will be using virtual worlds by 2011.

Tempus fugit

2007-12-08T20:40:00.000-08:00

"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."
— Groucho Marx

It's been three weeks since my last post. Well, I started some, but never finished. After I got home from my Thanksgiving travels, I finally got a badge for the ABI office and my own login. That made it easier to go in and work, so I've been spending a lot more time there. I helped TechLeaders program manager Kim McLeod put together materials for two back-to-back workshops, and started assisting with management of the online communities in Facebook and LinkedIn.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday I participated in the second of those workshops: Senior TechLeaders: Leading Across Cultures. There was an amazing group of accomplished and experienced women in the room. ABI Research Director Caroline Simard blogged her notes on the workshop:

Wednesday night KJ and I joined ABI staff, trustees and advisors at their holiday dinner. We had a wonderful time in such great company. I feel so privileged to be working with this group so committed to positive social change.

Then last Thursday and Friday I attended a great online forum from the eLearning Guild on Strategies and Techniques for Implementing Social, Collaborative, and 3D Learning. Inspired by Caroline I blogged my notes but have to clean them up before posting. It was a fun way to bridge my technical training background with my current explorations and ABI work with social media.

There was plenty of fun over the last 3 weeks. I was glad to get home and back on the trike, and KJ and I have been riding to the Y and around the neighborhood. Latkefest 2007 was fun as always. And one of my nieces sent a stunningly silly pair of Black Bars glasses, modeled here. These may prove useful, since Leaping Woman is still (for now, at least) an anonymous blog.

Trains, Feminists, and Symphonies

2007-11-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

"When I care to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid."
– Audre Lorde (1934-1992)

I've always enjoyed train travel, but even more so now that flying has become such a drag. So I'd planned to blog about the sights and sounds of yesterday's ride on the Wolverine line from my big sisters in Chicago to my kid sister in small-town Michigan. It was a mellow and relaxing ride brightened by late autumn leaves and the mingled soundtracks of the train and my iPod. But when I had settled in at her place and logged on, my plans were derailed.

Before settling in to blog, I thought I'd catch up on email and some of my favorite web sites. While doing so I ran across yet another woman who felt the need to declare that she is "not a feminist" in order to make sure no one thinks she's one of those threatening man-haters. I'm going to make a big assumption here that if you're reading my blog you can understand why those words were like fingernails on a blackboard to me.

So my reaction – after "Arrrrrrggghhh!!!" – was to go surfing for inspiration and hope and counteractive definitions of feminism that would make it so obvious that every self-respecting woman of any age would immediately want to buy one of those great t-shirts that say "This is what a feminist looks like" and that a goodly number of men would do so as well. My surfing led me to 1001 Feminist Quotes (e.g, "Feminism is for everybody." - Bell Hooks and "In my heart, I think a woman has two choices: either she's a feminist or a masochist." — Gloria Steinem) and I started to feel a lot better.

Then my sister came in and got me giggling by reading aloud a timely passage from Ivy Briefs, True Tales of a Neurotic Law Student by Martha Kimes, on how difficult it is to keep one's attention to one's studies, and I was reminded that I had intended to write but instead had spent all my time web-surfing. I signed off without blogging and watched a video with the family instead.

Fast forward to this evening when my niece played clarinet in a symphony performance. It was a great concert; she had fun and played well, and then we all went out to dinner. As we drove home, I thought again about why I'm a feminist. Not only because I'm a woman but because I have sisters and nieces and because there is a world full of wonderful and inspiring women and girls who should not ever be considered or treated as second-class citizens. I sat down to get back to my blogging but first went back to the source of the "not a feminist" comment that I'd followed off-track last night. A lively discussion had followed that comment and it had resolved fairly well. I breathed a sigh of relief. Leaping Woman would not have to leap into the fray. After all, I'm on vacation.

Thanks to my sister for the boost I got when, while sighing with relief, I looked down and saw my blog bookmarked on her desktop. Sisterhood is powerful!

Tomorrow, I'm back on the train to spend a couple of days with Mom. When I fly, the trip is just a means to an end. When I take the train, the journey is part of the fun. Maybe I'll tell you about it when I get there. Maybe.

Shifting Gears

2007-11-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

"You should always know when you are shifting gears in your life. You should leave your eras; they should never leave you."
-- Leontyne Price

Today it's been exactly one month since I packed up my office and voluntarily left my job. It was a good job in many ways: It was challenging and I was always learning. I worked with some fine and delightful people with whom I accomplished a lot, and who will remain friends and valued colleagues. Leaving my job was more about what I want to move towards than it was about what I leave behind. I made a conscious choice to leave that "era" of my career, so no regrets.

The last month has been somewhat chaotic, as most transitions are. It's been a mixture of catching up on sleep and doctor appointments; enjoying more time with KJ; riding, playing and exploring (offline and online); organizing the stuff I brought home from work; and getting started at ABI. My mind is filled with ideas and new information, and overflowing with possibilities.

Today I'm heading East to visit my family over Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for, foremost of which is KJ's complete support for this leap I've taken. And I'm grateful to be working with the fine folks at the Anita Borg Institute, and to have this opportunity to give back to the technical women's community from which I've drawn support. I could go on and on, but I have a plane to catch today, so I'll stop here.

Tales of a Tech Woman

2007-11-10T17:52:00.000-08:00

"Don't wait for something big to occur. Start where you are, with what you have, and that will always lead you into something greater."
-- poet Mary Mann Morrissey

Things are getting rolling at ABI now. I spent several hours there on Thursday and Friday, and I'm so thrilled to be working with this nonprofit led by the awesome CEO Telle Whitney. Telle and I talked about my goals and interests and agreed on the primary project that research director Caroline Simard had selected for me. It's a great fit based on my interests in and experience with corporate women's groups (and my own experiences as a technical woman) so I dove in and started reading up on background materials.

At home, I kept sitting down to blog and getting distracted by other cool, interesting and relevant stuff on the web. Now that I'm part of ABI I'm paying closer attention to my incoming Systers email, where there are often pointers to articles about or resources for technical women. And I've been reading a lot about social media and nonprofits. Between Systers and reading Beth's Blog (that alone seems to send me off to a dozen other useful blogs, videos, etc. every time I read it) I've been doing an awful lot of tagging on del.icio.us.

Big Day on the Trike

2007-11-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

"Nothing compares with the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
— John F. Kennedy

It was a beautiful sunny day and I spent the first half of it online. After lunch, KJ and I got out our wheels and pedaled over to the Y. Round-trip we did four miles — which made this my longest trike ride yet (albeit with quite a break in the middle). Also it was the most traffic I'd been out in. But the drivers behaved and I didn't stress. We must have been quite a sight on our two recumbents, bike and trike. I was smiling the whole way.

At my last job, I used the company's on-site gym primarily for Pilates classes, which were offered only intermittently. Outside of class, I found it hard to tear myself away from my desk to workout. So one of my goals in quitting that job was to establish new habits around exercise before I start the next one.

So, not only did we ride over to the Y, but we went in and added me to KJ's membership. And whether we ride or drive over, the option of going together is likely to get both of us there more often.

Isn't it delicious?

2007-11-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

Better late than never.
-- Titus Livius (59 BC - 17 AD)

I finally made the leap and signed up for del.icio.us. What pushed me over the edge was the exponentially increasing numbers of bookmarks I've accumulated lately. So I spent this morning tagging those links and removing them from my bookmarks folder. Of course it's perfectly obvious to me now that I should have done this a long time ago.

Monday Afternoon Play Date

2007-11-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

While I didn't quit my job to be a slacker, I'm definitely enjoying my unscheduled days (until I have a badge and a place to sit at ABI). This afternoon, our plans to see a matinee fell through so KJ and I went to play mini-golf instead.

Freedom to Browse

2007-11-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

"Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense."
-- Gertrude Stein

I'm always looking for quotes from women since most of the web (and print) collections are dominated by men. I also look for quotes on learning that are relevant to my work in training. But sometimes the search for the right uplifting, thought-provoking, entertaining, or at least relevant quote becomes such a time sink that I have to let it go.

For example, I went looking for something for my previous post, Freedom to Learn and Play. My search spread, intermittently, over a few days and took me to several sites with quotes by women:

Four days later my browsing and searching had led me, by a delightfully circuitous route, to this quote:

"We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn."
-- Mary Catherine Bateson

But not before I'd spent hours reading blogs such as Beth's Blog on social media for nonprofits, watched a few educational videos, signed up for Sloodle, browsed a Second Life virtual bookstore, and grazed many other sites including a LifeHack article Learn Something New Every Day that tempted me with links to more great sites.

I suppose that roundabout journey could be considered "losing my common sense" as Gertrude described. But I had so much fun and learned so much (Sloodle!) that it could as easily be considered "coming to my senses." Still, Gertrude's quote describes modern information overload so well that it's hard to believe she died in 1946. And to get the hang of blogging I may have to start partitioning my reading time from my writing.

Freedom to Learn and Play

2007-11-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

One of the great benefits of quitting my job has been time to play with more flavors of Web 2.0 technology. In addition to creating this blog I've been reading the fantastic blogs of women I met at She's Geeky, and playing with Flickr, SlideShare, Second Life, etc. In my last job I'd been working a lot with the Confluence wiki, and towards the end had linked up with 150+ connections in LinkedIn, but hadn't had a chance to play with much else.

One of the other pleasures of not having a 9-5 job is riding my Sun EZ3 USX recumbent trike around the neighborhood in the middle of a week day when there aren't a lot of cars on the road. I hadn't been on a bike for years (long story) and although I can't ride far or long yet, it's lots of fun tootling around. The EZ3 USX is almost a comfy chair with wheels. Note the under-seat steering.

Of course all this leisure is about to change as I start my service year with the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI). Today I attended my first program team meeting, and got a sense of what I'll be working on, at least initially. More on that later, however. Right now my sweetie is home and it's time for dinner.

The Power of 1600 Screaming Girls

2007-10-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito."
— Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop

Still basking in the afterglow of Grace Hopper and She's Geeky, today I made this a three-week estrogen spree by volunteering at the Girl Summit. There is nothing like the energy of 1600 preteen and teenage girls screaming and dancing to wake a body up in the morning! The girls gathered at the San Jose Convention Center to share, have fun, and learn about creating social change together.

This fabulous event was the kickoff to the Girls for a Change (GFC) school year program. GFC is another of my favorite nonprofit organizations, with a program that empowers girls to become social change agents who have a real impact in their schools and communities. After the Summit, many of the girls join Girl Action Teams through their schools or other organizations. Last year I co-coached one of these teams, and it was great to see some of the girls from our team at the Summit. Here's a short video clip on the Girl Summit from CBS channel 5 News.

Since my last day on the job I've done several short volunteer stints: Grace Hopper, the She's Geeky registration desk, today's Girl Summit and, last Friday night, the Haunted Lake at Palo Alto's Foothills Park. Thursday, I head over to the Anita Borg Institute to get started over there.

She's Still Geeky

2007-10-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

I finally got some notes posted for the sessions I scribed at the She's Geeky (un)conference. But it took me quite a while because I got so wrapped up in reading all the great notes and blogs others had posted. And looking through the Flickr slideshow (yeah, I'm in a few). And some of the slides that were posted on SlideShare. Not to mention the She's Geeky confession video (no, I'm not in it):

I See Tech Women

2007-10-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

"Helping one another is part of the religion of our sisterhood."
— Louisa May Alcott

Providing support and empowerment to women and girls is one of my passions, although to date that has not been the work I'm paid for. I scheduled my departure from work so that I didn't have to return to the office after the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC) in Orlando. Although I've only been able to attend sporadically, GHC has always been one of my favorite conferences. For starters, there is the sheer pleasure (and rarity) of being at a technical conference where we women are in the majority. Then there are always the great programs (the TechLeaders for Social Innovators workshop was awesome) and the wonderful role models (like the Award Winners and Fran Allen, the first woman to win the Turing Award!).

This was also the first time I've ever moderated a conference panel and with the help of my awesome panelists it was great fun. I came back from GHC with lots of notes, urls to check out, business cards and ideas -- so many that it will take me awhile to process them all. The Grace Hopper Celebration is a program of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. You'll hear more about them in later posts.

On Monday I was off to She's Geeky : A Women's Tech (un)Conference in Mountain View, CA. Again, a great program and more awesome female role models. This conference was much smaller (GHC had 1408 attendees; She's Geeky had an intimate 175-200). The Open Space unconference format on Tuesday, faciliated by Kaliya, was perfect for this group of women. I only wish I had a clone so I could have attended more of the sessions!

The Leap

2007-10-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

"Leap, and the net will appear"
-- American naturalist John Burroughs

I've just quit my high-tech management job in order to redirect my career to more meaningful work. For the foreseeable future I'll be doing volunteer work, exploring various options, and learning all I can. Family, friends and colleagues asked me to keep them posted on what I'm up to, so I've started this blog.

I have a little catching up to do since this new adventure started 12 days ago when I left the office after my exit interview. So there will be a flurry of posts while I catch up, then things should calm down a bit.