The Power of Women

It's no secret that I spend a lot of time with men being an IT professional. So it's truly a joy to be in situations where I am in the company of only women. I found myself in precisely this situation today at work. I am a part of the Women's Networking Group and they just kicked off a mentoring program. I signed up to get a mentor and also will be mentoring two women. I have done a lot of mentoring so far, not in a formal program. And I have never had an official mentor. I have been good about seeking out people as I have needed but I think it will be really helpful to have a dedicated mentor I can meet with on a regular basis.

The two women I am mentoring are just great! I get along with them and they get along with each other too. The meeting today ended and we spent about another half hour talking with each other until we all had to head back to our desks. I was actually happy to have been able to offer a bit of advice to one of my proteges already and am so thrilled at the prospect to do more. It was funny as my mentor was leaving she told my two proteges they had a great mentor in me. It was flattering!

This week was a busy one. Anytime I have an all day meeting it just throws me off my game a bit. Having a two day meeting this week just made me that much further behind. So it was very helpful to have the mentor meeting today. It was great meeting new people and also to be in a room full of women sharing their experiences, getting acquainted and having a few laughs. The candy on the tables was a nice touch as well. I feel energized and ready to take on the world again! Of course I have a slew of things to read as part of  this program but homework will wait until this weekend.

Long Weekend

I was glad to take some time off and have an extra long weekend. I am glad I did given how busy I was. I managed to visit five states in three days. (ME, NH, MA, CT, NY)and had I felt like doing more driving I would have thrown RI and VT in for good measure!

The reason for heading to Maine was a trip to York Beach where my Dad was vacationing. I have not been on vacation with my Dad and brother since I was in high school and my Dad was married to my first stepmom. So a very long time indeed. Though my Dad goes to York Beach every year, he would normally go with my current stepmom. Given she has wanted nothing to do with either my brother or myself for over a year, we got a chance to have some time with just our Dad. It was fun and the weather was great. Being at the beach of course I had to get some salt water taffy and have been eating it non stop since then. Also being the beach, I had a great lobster roll with some homemade potato chips. You can't go wrong with a lobster roll in Maine!

While Maine was fun, I had plans further south so back in the car I was. Luckily I just love driving my new car and it's so much fun! NYC is my adopted hometown and I always like going back, even for a day. I had lunch and hit the Union Square Greenmarket for more produce than I planned, like the Seckel pears in the above photo. One of the best things they have is cat grass. While grass is easy to grow, I can't keep up with the kitten who loves it and can wipe out a pot in no time. So I came home with three pots of grass for her and she has been grazing and thrilled all weekend! After all that driving, I was saving Sunday and Monday as days to just relax. It was nice to turn on the oven again and do some baking. I had a lot of produce so I made potato salad, roasted Romano beans, bacon (for a BLT), chocolate chip cookies and slow roasted cherry tomatoes that took a couple of hours and are heaven. I always figure if I am making a mess in the kitchen I may as well do everything at once. With all of that, I am ready to start the work week!