Currently, I'm...
Watching: We're eagerly awaiting the return of "Scandal" tonight, and watching "True Detective" in the meatime. Also, "House of Cards"? Do you like it?
Reading: I'm going back and forth between The Goldfinch and Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection. I started The Goldfinch when we were in Montrèal last month and was immediately hooked. It's been a long time since I've fallen so in love with fiction. Donna Tartt's writing is incredible, inspiring, and totally captivating. I'm already sad that someday I'll be done reading this book.
Thinking about: Feminism and gender in the workplace. (Thanks, in part, to reading Wonder Women.) I realized this week that even though I was raised in a decidedly feminist household, attended one of the most empowering women's colleges in the world, and consider myself a proud and informed feminist, sexism (the patriarchy?) has had more of an influence on my life/behavior than I was aware of. My boss is an incredible mentor, and when she responded to my caution and hesitation about whether I was skilled enough to tackle a new project by suggesting I think about it from a traditionally male perspective, I realized if I'd approached it that way, I'd already have completed it (likely with success, because I do possess the taste, skill, and commitment required). She understood that I take shelter in over-preparation and caution, but I realized that this might come from an insecurity about the work I produce. Being female in the workplace puts a lot of pressure on my expectations of myself -- which I didn't even realize until we had this conversation. I strive to produce something perfect, above average, perhaps because I feel like I need to go above and beyond to compensate for my gender. Perhaps because I feel (subconsciously) that my work is already being judged as "less." And the surprise here is that (aside from a three-month-long hostessing gig at a chain restaurant) I've never experienced overt sexism in any workplace. Which means that maybe sexism and misogyny is so entrenched in our media and culture that I've been absorbing it all these years and never knew it. I feel kind of pissed about this! Whatever. I'm embracing the work project, signed up for a workshop to help me get better at it, and now I just want to watch this (pretty unrelated but it makes me feel better about life in general) video a million times and take a nap about it. Can you relate to this at all, or is this just me?
Celebrating: The year of magical travel! That's how we're I'm referring to this year (it hasn't really caught on yet at home). Planned trips include Maine, North Carolina, Provincetown, New York City, Hampton Beach, and hopefully San Francisco by the end of the year -- and more that I have the sneaking feeling I'm forgetting about -- and (if all goes according to plan) we'll be rounding it all out with a big trip in April 2015. I'm planning on sharing lots of photos and video, so stick around!
Making me happy: How warm Samson is all the time (it almost makes it okay that he sleeps in bed with us). Belonging to a gym. Mexican food for lunch today. The possibility of another snow day next week. Really truly loving a book. Drunk-texting with best friends. Making progress on a knitting project. Learning how much of the costs for this blog are tax-deductible!
Thank you Danni for the inspiration for this series!
