Inspiration Central: BlogHer Entrepreneur '12

This is one of those crazy mad busy and inspiring weeks and I'm sure it will take me a few days to process everything into blog posts. March 22-23 I'm so glad that I volunteered for Live-blogging and learning at BlogHer Entrepreneurs ’12!. The first day speakers were packed with useful information and insights. And at the evening reception I talked with so many fascinating entrepreneurs. I'm covering three sessions, so here's where you'll find my coverage of the first: The Valuation -- How to Understand Your Value.

Reality, Virtual Reality, and a Real Fight for Equality

"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.

Leaping Woman Lands!

"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

There is no cure

"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

Fun Fun Fun!

"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.