missing my family

While John packs the house alone, I am working between 11 - 13 hour days as we near our move-in date.  Five days and counting.

And tomorrow is Tiffy's birthday.  I should be hanging out with the family as they gather to talk about memories, history, songs... but will be at work until late at night instead, speaking at a Women's Networking event.  If I wasn't a co-leader of the Women's Networking circle, if I wasn't speaking at the event... there would be no way you could keep me away from my family that day. Even letting that stop me makes me feel pretty pathetic.

So tired. Through no one's fault in particular, there is peace no where to be found right now.

our storm

Pictured is a piece I lettered for my mother-in-law, someone who I find to be amazingly inspirational and woman-centered.

She encouraged me to learn all I did of anti-hierarchy and respect for my fellow human beings. The peice is hung from a stick of driftwood I found on the beach by my house. It's a little blurry, but it reads:

Speak to me of your power. Speak to me in riddles, in a woman’s tongue. This day is coming into being and I need no translation. I can feel you breathing, sisters. The calm static before this long-awaited storm.

Our storm.

This is a stanza in a poem written for my mother-in-law by another woman, whom I only know as "allecto". If anything else is known about this person, I would be happy to give credit as due, here. It's a wonderful poem.

helping women succeed in the workplace

I had the opportunity yesterday at work to stand up and take a leadership role in the creation of a women's networking/mentoring group for the Seattle office. Though my company has many awards and recognition around Diversity efforts, these nationally driven efforts can apparently be neglected on a local level. The creation of this group has been something I've agitated for since I transferred from Los Angeles--where this network was stronger. I couldn't understand after my transfer why Seattle was lagging--we're tough chicks, sure, but that doesn't replace the affect of the good ol' boy network.

I am extremely excited to not only take a leadership role in which I would have some say in the direction the group takes--networking for mentors and educational panels vs. spa-days, pls thx--but also to see who around me was similarly inspired to take this on.

Opportunities, opportunities. :D