Ada Lovelace Day

Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to draw attention to women excelling in technology. (hashtag #ald09 on twitter.)

I didn't have to hestiate when I thought of the woman whom I admire the most in technology. She was my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Ruth Joslyn.

Mrs. Joslyn had a computer in the back of the classroom. I would come in after school or between classes to see if she'd let me use it. What's funny is that what I wanted to do most was play a game called Little Computer People.

You controlled a little man on the Commodore 64 and sent him food, rang his phone, asked him to play the piano, and other games. Sometimes he'd humor you and sometimes he ignored you. I loved it.



Mrs. Joslyn didn't tell me to stop playing computer games because that wasn't what girls did. Instead, she let me come back as much as possible and would play the game with me. I couldn't believe she was as interested as me!

As I grew up, I stayed in touch with Mrs. Joslyn. She would tell me of the projects she was working on - all technology, although at the time they were too fun for me to even think of it that way. She would do amazing projects with her class, edit videos of her family with computer animation. She always encouraged me to pursue my interests in technology.

One weekend when I was in high school I ran into Mrs. Joslyn at the mall. She had a scarf on over her head and no hair. I was too embarrassed to ask about it; I'd never met someone with cancer before. My dad told me later that she had breast cancer.

I kept in touch with her and invited her to my high school graduation and my college graduation. I would email her and tell her all the things I was doing in technology and I ended up volunteering on a website for a non profit she also gave her time towards. She never let cancer slow her down even when it came back.

When I got my job at the Lance Armstrong Foundation, I let a couple of months lapse before sending her an email to tell her about it. When I remembered to check in, I had a real bad feeling about her. I checked the local paper and she had passed away a few months before from cancer. She became my personal inspiration in the fight against cancer.

Ruth Joslyn was more than my 4th grade teacher. I admire her for her influence on technology in my life not because she had a high level job in the technology sector, but she was my teacher. She showed me it was okay to like technology. She will always be in my heart for the encouragement to discover more about what interests you, and the love she showed me even in her darkest hours. She is still missed.

Panic! at Sacramento

(You should read my post on my panic disorder first.)

We decided to go to the Amgen Tour of California as an opportunity to see Lance ride competitively since it was his only U.S. race this year, and we can't exactly afford a trip to Paris. To challenge myself, I decided that we would stay two nights.

I didn't expect any problems when I planned the trip. My panic disorder was nonexistent in Las Vegas, and I really wanted to watch Lance race. We did all our homework, had a great itinerary, and were good to go.

On the Sunday before we left, I got Very Bad News (VBN). In a way, the VBN came from no where, and I was upset for days. (I can't talk about the VBN yet but I will soon.) I considered changing our trip but I thought I could deal.

We left for Sacramento and saw one of my co-workers on the flight. I had anxiety but I was expecting it since two nights is a HUGE deal for me. (I haven't stayed two nights away from home in about ten years.) When we got to the hotel, I suddenly wanted to go home because I felt trapped.

We checked for flights and found nothing that would get me home that night, which cascaded into panic. (You can follow the panic stream on my Twitter.) I resolved myself to being able to stay one night but we'd go home the next day, even though that was the big day of the Prologue.

In the morning we walked around the course and downtown Sacramento. Downtown is beautiful and very organized. We checked out the Capitol, where they were setting up for the race.



And on a rare chance, even though I had made the weekend crap, we found someone to take a picture of us.



So what happened? A part of me thinks I failed and ruined another trip, and some of that is true. But I'm also not realizing what a huge step that was for me. I always try to jump ahead instead of working my way towards a goal. All the anxiety of the week with the VBD did weigh on me, no matter how much I tried to ignore it, and I need to listen to the clues my brain is giving me.

So total waste? Naw. Disappointment? Definitely. But I'll use to keep working on my panic and will make it up to Aaron soon.

Welcome Madelyn Ruth!

If you aren't addicted to Twitter like I am, then I'm glad to share with you the arrival of Madelyn Ruth! My sister and brother-in-law welcomed her into the world on January 21. My sister was induced to avoid any serious complications, and our families decsended on Seton.

(You can, of course, read their blog for direct updates, but hearing it from someone totally not involved is more entertaining.)

My sister called early in the morning on January 21 to let me know that her doctor decided that it was best to induce her immediately. I ran out of work and changed clothes at home because I wanted to be comfy if I was going to be there all night. Aaron met me and, being the saint he is, went to San Antonio to pick up my mom.

I was at the hospital for about two hours before family started arriving. I was trying hard to stay out of Kel and Brian's way and just did some work on my laptop. (Thank you Seton free WiFi!)

After a few hours, everyone arrived. Just look at how many aunts this girl has!



It was getting late and we were all getting excited/worried. A tour of expectant parents came into the wing, and my mom snuck in with the group into the maternity ward. We couldn't exactly figure out her motivation, but she came back out an hour later and said, "They wouldn't tell me what was going on." (Later, the staff congratulated her - she's the only person who's snuck onto the floor.)

Madelyn arrived at 7:49pm, weighing 5 pounds and 5 ounces. I hear Brian was a great coach and Kel was a hell of a trooper.



I am so excited to have this little girl a part of my life. I hope Kel and Brian can handle us being over more often, because she is such joy!



(Brian took this photo - no fair he gets more time with her!)

Heartbeat

Aaron and I are training for the MS 150 - check out our shared training blog linked on the right at taulman.wordpress.com. Oh, and give us some money, too.

Best Moments of 2008

As I look back at the things we've done in 2008 (thanks to the help of Google Calendar), I can't believe how much we packed into a year.

Drafthouse's Justin Timberlake Sing-Along

Who knew I was such a fan of JT? The Drafthouse celebrated his birthday but putting together probably my favorite sing-along ever. There was dancing in the aisles, the hawtness of JT, and my premiere of dancing with "It's Gonna Be Me."



Valentine's Day

Aaron went all out to transform our house into a romantic haven. That's all I'm going to say about it but I have my work cut out to beat him next year.



Voice Lessons

I overcame a little of my self-consciousness and took voice lessons for the first time, both solo and duets with Aaron. I learned how my voice can betray how I'm feeling, how I can rarely squeeze out a good sound, and that Aaron's really good when he's not shy. Someday, I'll be good enough to sing in front of TWO people.



Washington, D.C.

The trip that didn't happen because I didn't know that you had to get your boarding pass early, but taught me that I was ready to commit.

LIVESTRONG Day

I coordinated with many offices and the hospitals in Victoria to host LIVESTRONG Day events. It was great to see how each place made the event their own to show their support for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and to meet local survivors. I was proud to represent the Foundation in my hometown, even if I do give crappy TV interviews.



Eddie Izzard

One of the sexiest, funniest men I've ever seen. Seeing him back stage after the show let me see how cool he was, and still funny even without a polished show. I love this man.



Girl Guitar

I bought a guitar on a semi-whim (it ended up being a New Year's resolution I forgot about) and while we were at the shop, a girl recommended Girl Guitar to me. It was a great class for women only to learn a song per week and finish the series with a performance. Being the fantastically left-handed person that I am, I was the slowest in the class and did not complete it, but I plan on going again when I get some damn chords down.



Padre Island

Aaron planned our summer vacation with a trip to Padre Island to Padre Balli Park at Bob Hall Pier. (It was wiped a month later by Hurricane Dolly.) We brought Boomer, who made herself sick by eating the waves. I forgot how much I love the ocean and I learned that Aaron can plan trips without my "helpful" tips.



Tattoos

Aaron and I got matching tattoos of mitsudomoe, showing the balance of heaven, earth, and mankind. I believe it shows other balances in my life too and seeing it reminds of that and of his love.



Las Vegas

We went to Las Vegas for one night as a test trip and to attend SOE's Fan Faire. I had no problem with the plane or the trip, and we visited Star Trek: The Experience two weeks before it closed. We got our photo taken on the bridge which was really a dream come true. I'm the captain.



The Swell Season

Seeing the Swell Season in concert made me fall in love with Glen Hansard. I think my favorite part was at the start of the show he came out and stood on the edge of the stage, in front of the mics. He sang "Listen to Me Now" with the theater completely silent and has such an amazing voice it filled Paramount Theater. We met him afterwards and I have a new crush.



Thrill the World

Ten months. One day. 881 zombies. After months of practice, I danced with Austin to Michael Jackson's Thriller. I want to be more involved if we do it again next year and get even more dancers.



Rikku, the Pocket Ninja

We thought that giving the cat that my sister-in-law rescued to my mom would be a great idea. My mom did not. We now have a new addition to our cat family.



Of course, many other moments have been blogged or Tweeted, but looking back at my calendar and thinking about all we've done makes me appreciate Aaron and my friends and family. I love them very much and they are what made all these things special and memorable. I can't imagine what 2009 holds. Happy New Year!

Another Way To Die

There are some months that I spend way too much money at the Alamo Drafthouse. (Aaron would say that's every month.) But this month was WAY too cool when they introduced their ASSASSINS OF SOLACE game to coincide with the new James Bond movie.

The rules were simple. We were assigned a single target and given a dossier file with their home and work address and a photo. We had one week to hit them with water (anything but spit, gratefully clarified) and would confirm our KILL with the Drafthouse.

It's standard for Aaron and I to stand in the driveway in the mornings before work and talk before we leave. We'd been peeking out the windows looking for someone standing there with a water gun, but after a few days I figured my assassin didn't want to play the game as much as I was thinking. So with my guard down, I was telling Aaron to have a good day when I heard a loud noise then swearing from the sidewalk.

A guy was standing with a fertilizer (I assume) pump which he had just dropped. I dashed into my car, and he had recovered enough to try to spray me. No joy. I couldn't believe he dropped it, otherwise he would have totally had me. Aaron casually chatted up the guy trying to kill me, waved goodbye, and headed to work. The assassin got in his car, and decided to follow me to work. I lost him with some crazy movie high speed chase driving. (Very bad of me.)



Since he put so much work into it, I figured I had to return the favor to my target. I went to her workplace, an apartment complex, and tried to look as if I was waiting impatiently for someone as I looked inside. I was hoping that she showed apartments but she wasn't in the front office. Walking back to my car, I saw her in the back office, and assumed she was a manager.

I had a feeling she didn't leave the office often, and that was off-limits, so I had to think of a way to get her out. I saw the mailman getting ready to leave when I figured this was my only chance before having to camp out all day.

After I told him the truth about the game, he went inside and told her that I was having problems with my mailbox. I had the watergun in my left hand, and I was digging my keys into one of the mailboxes when she came out. I did one spray (she was wearing a nice outfit, and being doused just wouldn't be cool) and eliminated my target.

I was eliminated the afternoon of the casino party and screening. Since I didn't know that I was supposed to take my target's target, I had been on the lookout for my original assassin. But while working from home, I heard a knock at the door. I never answer the door because 1. I'm paranoid and 2. I'm too lazy to tell all the people trying to sell me something no.

But looking out the peephole, I saw a guy with a baby AND a dog. I looked at his hands for a watergun, suspicious, but deciding I was too paranoid I answered the door in case he needed help. He had a great story about... BAM water gun! He mostly sprayed the door but he did get me. I was the third person he'd eliminated.

The night was great. I was relaxed because I was finally shot and could stop being paranoid. But let me tell you, I was totally Internet-stalked by this guy, and it was very impressive.

Antonia came over bearing shawls (since I own nothing girlie) for my new white dress and went with me to get my hair done and a manicure. I was going for kinda 50s Hollywood glam and was pretty happy with the results.



We went out with Stephen and Antonia for dinner at Tomo Sushi, our favorite sushi place.



At the party, I went to the game I'm trying to learn right now, which is craps. When were in Las Vegas I lasted ten minutes because I didn't want to gamble real money, but fake money is much more fun. I acted like I knew what I was doing, and I think the martini helped.



We ended the evening with a screening of the movie and got home late. It just makes me look forward to going to VAMPIRE PROM with Aaron...

Thriller

My sister and I used to dance with Michael Jackson's Thriller music video in our living room when we were kids. My mom had the VHS, the FULL version, and we thought it was the coolest thing ever. We'd stomp around as zombies and fall on the ground giggling.

Henri at the Drafthouse discovered the Thrill the World event early in the year and it sounded like a dream come true. Learn the Thriller dance and try to break the world record of everyone doing it at the same time? Sign me up!

I was a woman on a mission. I ordered the teaching DVD so I could learn it at home. Aaron listened to me play that DVD over and over starting in May. It seemed like I was the only person interested in learning, but if I'm going to achieve a childhood dream, I'd work on it, damn it!

So I tried to spread the word. I told people at work. I told family. I told Aaron. And I was alone dancing in my living room.

Henri knew I was working on it, and a few months ago he emailed to let me know that there was going to be a press conference on it at City Hall and if I'd be interested in dancing. I showed up, and for about 15 minutes it was just me and Henri. I'd never done the dance in public before, much less without the cueing, so there was no way I'd do the dance. But the great guys from Ballet Austin came out, the Mayor jumped in, and MANY newscasts later I was famous and the event was off and running.



By this time I'd suckered Aaron into doing the dance both through guilt and getting the song stuck in his head. We attended one of the organized group practices and I was blown away with the amount of people there. I wasn't alone in the living room running into the chair! Or getting rug burns practicing my zombie rise from the grave!

I went to Goodwill to put my costume together. I decided I'd go as a Ramalama zombie, really because I love that dance so much, but that's another story. I got everything - shoes to gloves - for $50. Goodwill rocks.



Here's my zombie-outfit instructions.

1. Rip carefully. Remember that the zombie was buried, not killed by a cat, so shred the ends to show wear. We used a letter opener for the ends.
2. Tear, don't cut. We cut small holes then pulled on the fabric to make it more realistic.
3. Accessorize. The tears won't show up unless you go crazy, so add some details like gloves or one earring.
4. Make it dirty. I went with "grave dust" because I didn't want to wear dirt all day, but the dust was a combo of flour and baking soda. Know that you're commiting to wearing whatever it is all day.
5. Go light on the makeup. You can use white to be pale and black under your eyes, but any more than that and you look close to a monochromatic clown.
6. If you have a theme, go all out. My theme was the Ramalama zombie, but even ones like the Waldo Zombie are awesome because they are recognizable, and damn funny.

Thrill the World was set on October 25 at 1pm. We showed up, in our zombie best, and did several practices before we danced. Henri and I were very scary zombies (and you can see how my costume turned out).



Aaron corrected me on one move a bazillion times, so I thought of it as his signature move. Air guitar to the right. He came as an 80's preppy zombie.



Aaron recorded our first practice without cueing, which is starring me of course.



The event was amazing. We had 881 Austinties show up and do the dance for the record. The whole thing went so well, both with the dancers and the organization of the event. I hope we do it again next year and get even more people involved. Because it doesn't matter if you suck at the dance, I know I did; what matters is that you're looking stupid with a bunch of strangers and still having a fantastic time.

As a side note, I wanted to share Aaron's pumpkin, the Mayor of Halloween Town, because he's awesome.