Archive for December, 2006
Before the holidays, Charlene Prince Birkeland of Crazed Parent tagged me for a virtual cocktail party. In order to play, I’m supposed to reveal five things you probably don’t know about me, so here goes…
1. My first teenage job (other than babysitting) was working as a supermarket checker in New Jersey. That year, the store got this nifty new piece of technology some of you may have heard of — I believe they call it a Price Scanner. Bad news for me because now they could accurately track who was the slowest cashier on staff. You guessed it: moi.
2. About ten years ago, my credit card debt was greater than my annual income. And I’m not talking consumer debt — this was purely cost of living expenses I’d managed to rack up. Granted, I could have been less stubborn and gotten a roommate. Or lived in a studio apartment instead of a one-bedroom. Or gotten a job to supplement my paltry freelance income. But noooooo, I had to do things my own damn impractical way because I was — ahem — An Entrepreneur. Eventually I wised up and moved from San Francisco to Seattle for a lucrative high-tech temp gig. While I hated office life and the commute that came with it, I paid off my Big Scary Debt in just a year (easy to do when you double your income), made some stellar freelance contacts, and met my sweetie.
3. During my years of Sprawling Debt, I took a freelance job ghostwriting some audiotapes for this woman.
4. Although I’ve edited dozens of computer programming books and written piles of marketing copy about all sorts of software products, I am a complete and utter Luddite. In fact, I couldn’t be less interested in “optimizing” my computer or shopping for a new one, even though I desperately need to do both right about now. I would rather make 250 cold calls to potential new customers than figure out what type of computer to get. Seriously.
5. This has nothing to do with work, but… I heart musicals. Like freaking crazy. Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, The King and I, The Wiz, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Fiddler on the Roof, you name it. Last night I went to see the movie version of Dreamgirls and was happier than a little pink piggie in a vat of farm poop. Jennifer Hudson rocked it. Hard. I wept every time she opened her mouth to sing. Eddie Murphy kicked booty too. (Really.) If you love schlock and camp and Beyonce’s sweet butt (and don’t mind a whole lotta watered-down vanilla in your Motown), race to the nearest theater. I’m not promising you a great movie. But if you like this kind of cheese, expect to be wonderfully, mindlessly entertained.
But enough about me. To keep this virtual cocktail party going, I’ve also been charged with tagging five bloggers I’d love to ring in the new year with. So herewith, a handful of women whose careers I suspect I’d never tire of hearing about. Time to dish, ladies…
Also, I’d love to learn five things I don’t know about you, dear reader, seeing that TIME magazine named you Person of the Year. So c’mon and join this lil’ virtual champagne toast. Gimme the links to your own Five Things posts in the comments section below. You know you wanna.
Oh, and happy 2007.
December 30th, 2006
According to a December study, 75 percent of U.S. employees are looking for a new job. Their top reasons for bailing? Money and career advancement — and in that order. Not surprisingly, the majority of employees looking to trade up are lackeys (rather than managers).
This number may sound high, but it doesn’t shock me. In the past year I must have printed up a dozen of these disgruntled-employee polls, most of which stated that at least half of all workers were looking to jump ship at any given time.
Depending on what day you ask me, I might count myself among these ranks, and I’m a goddamned freelancer. It’s been said before, but that, my friends, is why they call it “work” as opposed to, say, “slacking,” “shagging,” or “knocking back a few cold ones on some impossibly gorgeous tropical island with [insert fantasy rockstar boyfriend here] at your side.”
How about you? Happy where you are? Miserable beyond belief? Like your coworkers but hate your boss? Love your gig but wish you could afford running water and electricity? Hate your gig but love the financial security it affords you?
Feel free to dish openly. I won’t tell your boss.
December 27th, 2006
Rather than break from all the holiday hoopla to rant about the wage gap, opt-out myth, or maternal profiling, I thought you’d enjoy this winter wonderland tidbit. Evidently in Colorado, teaching women to ski and board is a snowballing industry.*
This Rocky Mountain News article lists some of the women-owned, women-centric skiing, snowboarding, and backcountry clinics in the state. And if you check out the Babes in the Backcountry website, you’ll see that at least one of these companies has expanded into other locales, seasons, and sports. Yeehaw.
*Paging Jill Rothenberg: This post is dedicated to you.
December 27th, 2006
Welcome to the fourth and final installment of the Anti-Nine-to-Fiver’s Holiday Gift Guide.* In this Extreme Procrastination Edition, we focus on prezzies for expats, road trippers, and globetrotters.
(Since the jetsetters in your life are probably three continents away at this very moment and can only receive their mail by donkey every four to six weeks, they will have no idea that you purchased their gifts post-holiday season.)
OK, on with the recommendations:
Travel wallet. Keep cash and travel docs secure in one of these nifty stash belts from REI.
Hydration pack. For longer hikes, carrying your water on your back is the way to go. Besides, you can’t honestly tell me you’ve never fantasized about drinking out of one of those water bottles for pet gerbils. (I’m not the only one, am I? Am I?)
Hand repair creme. Whether she’s trekking through Nepal, putting out wildfires in the States, or picking grapes in some idyllic French countryside, chances are her hands could use a little love. Burt’s Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Creme gets the job done.
The ultimate guide to my neck of the woods. Headed to the Pacific Northwest in 2007? Seattle journalist Sally Farhat tells travelers where to go and what to do in the latest edition of Best Places Northwest.
Danger bag. This messenger bag isn’t recommended for airline travel (click the link to see why), but it’s infinitely cool for traipsing around one’s hometown.
*Thanks to my trusty assistant Traci, far lovelier than Vanna White could ever hope to be, for all her help with these gift guides.
December 26th, 2006
In yesterday’s Washington Post, fashion reporter Robin Givhan wrote that although office attire for women has become more casual and dresses are selling like hotcakes, nothing screams “take me seriously” like a good old-fashioned power suit.
I quote:
Mostly, though, even if the dress is tweed, gray flannel or glen plaid, it doesn’t resonate like a suit, which makes an unequivocal statement of authority. It designates who’s in charge. It says listen to me and obey. It says give me your money and your votes.
A suit can be sexy and feminine, but both characteristics are inexorably linked to its power. A dress can exude confidence. But fundamentally, it’s an expression of femininity.
Givhan is quick to point out that this unspoken dress code doesn’t suit all careers. So if you’re not a senator, lawyer, or the secretary of state you may be off the hook. Since I have always shied away from industries that require I fold any sort of drycleaning or ironing into my weekly routine, it’s hard for me to comment objectively on whether I prefer a power suit to a one-piece frock. (Truth be told, I prefer jeans and pretty T-shirt.)
How about you? In high-power career settings, do you prefer a sexy pantsuit or a sharp skirt-and-jacket ensemble or a smart ‘n sassy dress? What do you prefer to see on your CEO? Your state senator? And do you think “sexy” has any business in the workplace at all?
Discuss amongst yourselves. And happy holidays.
December 23rd, 2006
Ho ho ho, and welcome to Installment III of the Procrastinator’s Gift Guide.* Today’s compilation features a few of our top picks for all the crafty females, handywomen, and compulsive DIYers on your list:
A subscription to Make or Craft magazine. Some friends and I had occasion to check out both these fine publications at Seattle’s Urban Craft Uprising earlier this month. And let me tell you, it’s tough to say who’s going to flip out more — the gadget freaks you subscribe to Make, or the designing divas you subscribe to its new sister publication, Craft.
Power tools! Single women buy 20 percent of all homes today, which is more than men can say for themselves (no offense, men — them’s just the stats). And somebody’s got to fix those cute-but-crumbling bungalows. So why not buy the homeowning DIY diva in your life this cordless drill or cordless screwdriver from Tomboy Tools?
Be Jane’s Guide to Home Empowerment: Projects to Change the Way You Live. A DIY fix-it guide just for women, brought to us by the women behind the Be Jane home improvement site? Sign me up! (Dear boyfriend of mine, are you reading this?)
A stitch ‘n bitch handbook. Bust editor Debbie Stoller now has four gorgeous, full-color knitting and crocheting books for stitch ‘n bitchers to choose from. And all I can say is, if anyone makes me the handbag on page 157 of The Happy Hooker, I’ll gladly buy it off you and throw in a free book of my own to boot.
The Craftster Guide to Nifty, Thrifty, and Kitschy Crafts: Fifty Fabulous Projects from the Fifties and Sixties. The title says it all. From the folks behind Craftster.org.
*Merci, Traci, who helped whip this list into shape.
December 21st, 2006
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that many independently owned businesses rely on the holiday shopping season to bring in a significant portion of their annual sales. Bad news for those Seattle area stores that recently found themselves closed for days on end due to flooding and power outages.
ParkPlace Books in Kirkland, Washington, is one such store. According to an email from the two owners (both women), the store was flooded and in the dark for many days. But they’re up and running now, back to business as usual — except for the fact that they have a lot of sales to catch up on. So if you’re near the east side and have some lit gifts to pick up, show ParkPlace Books some love.
Store coordinates:
ParkPlace Books
Kirkland’s Community Bookstore
348 Parkplace Center
Kirkland, WA 98033
Phone: 425-828-6546
Fax: 425-739-6876
parkplacebooks [at] integra [dot] net
December 21st, 2006
Welcome to Installment II of the Procrastinator’s Gift Guide.* Remember, those who dole out prezzies after the new year aren’t late — they’ve just made a concerted effort to have their holiday gifts stand out from the pack.
Today’s installment of the gift guide features some of our top lit picks for anti-nine-to-fivers:
The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube. I think you’ve heard of this one by now. If not, see what two Very Important Authors had to say about this impending classic. (Sorry, my publisher put my up to that.)
amBITCHous. Written by the founder of the Women’s Business Alliance, this brand-spanking-new book is for women who want to make more money, nab their fantasy career (without feeling like an imposter!), and learn to better juggle their professional and personal lives. Sign me up.
Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women. Who says successful careerwomen make crappy domestic partners? (Yeah, Michael Noer — I’m talking to you.) According to author Christine Whelan, “Smart, successful women marry at the same rates as all other women, and once married, they have children at the same rates as well.”
This Is Not Chick Lit: Original Stories by America’s Best Women Writers. The brainy backlash continues. Not only can women balance a career with getting laid and finding love, many women choose to read stories about something other than accessorizing and, well, getting laid and finding love.
A subscription to your favorite quasi-escapist yet undeniably brainy women’s indie pub. Perfect for your morning commute or midweek lunch hour. Not sure which to pick? May we suggest Bust, Bitch, Swivel, or Venus — all downright enjoyable, not to mention inspiring.
And finally, a “Reading Is Sexy” T-shirt or messenger bag. No brainy broad’s collection would be complete without one.
*As always, special thanks to Traci for helping put together this list.
December 19th, 2006
If the holidays snuck up on you like they did me, you may be scrambling for gift ideas for your star clients or fave freelance pals. To help, we here in anti-nine-to-five-land have assembled a handy-dandy Procrastinator’s Gift Guide.* We can’t guarantee that if you order these gifts today they’ll arrive by Monday, but hey, didn’t we already discuss the beauty of the new year’s gift last week?
Desk makeovers. The See Jane Work site is brimming with desktop accoutrements for every budget, from these retro-looking file trays to this precious mousepad. And if you need help picking out the perfect gift for a business associate, check out their office gifting etiquette guide.
Business card holders. You can never get one of these too soon — or have too many. Whether she’s no-frills or fancypants, there’s a card holder with her name on it at See Jane Work. (Geez, I should write copy for these people.)
Boss Lady products. What fempreneur can resist a lunchbox, compact, or bottle of bubble bath emblazoned with the words “Boss Lady” and a feisty cowgirl graphic? Not I. And probably not the sassy self-employed women on your list either.
Not your mother’s day planner. With their 2007 pocket calendar and slightly-larger spiral calendar, the rabble-rousing folks at Slingshot Collective don’t just give you 52 weeks of scheduling fun. They also give you DIY tips for homemade hygiene products, advice on dealing with Government Repression, and a great recipe for vinaigrette. A must-have.
Digi-greetings. Not only are these simian-happy e-cards free, they’re hysterical. Great for last-minute holiday wishes. Warning: Not suitable for humorless clients.
*Special thanks to my ever-resourceful pal Traci for helping assemble this list. More installments to come throughout the week.
December 19th, 2006
I am probably the last person on earth to realize this, but the Washington Post recently featured a special section on home-based careers, with emphasis on twentysomethings and moms who want to start their own service-based businesses. Other topics include how to spot a scam (hint: the ad reads something like this, “Make $$$$$$ from home!!!!!!!!!”), the joys of eBay, and fun with franchising. You’ll also find nifty tips on everything from researching a business idea to setting up shop. Check it out.
December 19th, 2006
Previous Posts
