Here's Your Bio

As part of my job, I’m running a program for female leaders. One of the things the group is doing is sharing their “bios”. Not their resumes or vitas, but rather a more fun bio that allows us to get to know each other better – in the grand tradition of Dewar’s profile ads (see here and here).

So I thought I’d post my profile – with a few additions. In green are the answers that I wrote up for my official bio, and the tan text is what I would say if my work filter was off.

HOME: an old house in Clintonville – Actually, this one would stay mostly the same. If I was feeling particularly sentimental, I might say home was wherever SRH and Zane were, but I’m not feeling particularly sentimental today. They’re both getting on my nerves.

AGE: 32 – For cripes sake, way too old to be cute. I’m totally digging the 30’s – I feel respectable but still full of possibility. Which probably isn’t true at all. Didn’t I hear somewhere that your prospects die as soon as you breed?

PROFESSION: advocate for women – this has taken many shapes over the years. Right now, I’m the Assistant Director of Agency XYZ. I won’t be here for long. This is an okay environment for now, but I’m a fish out of water, and I’m thinking about what’s next. Typically this would give me all sorts of anxiety, but I’m actually kind of excited about knowing that this job isn’t a forever thing.

HOBBY: Yoga, Reading, Writing, and Hiking – and well, duh, celebrity gossip. It’s not so much a hobby as a passion. A sick, sick passion. Also, I like to shop and decorate my house – both fairly shallow pastimes which nullify my anti-consumerism longings, but it’s where I am today. Also, I know some mamas would feel compelled to say that spending time with their children is their favorite hobby. For me, not so much a hobby as a responsibility. A joyous one, to be sure, but still not in the hobby genre.

LAST BOOK READ: Foxmask by Juliet Marillier – I’ll read anything by this woman. She is just a masterful storyteller. Really, that’s the last book I read. I have the feeling that people will really lie on this one to make themselves seem more learned than they are. I love to read, but I do not read great literature with any regularity. I rarely read things that are based in modern times – reading is an escape for me, I’m not bogging myself down with reality. That pretty much torpedoes my reading of any non-fiction as well.

LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Starting to share my writing with other people. Starting this blog is my latest accomplishment. While I certainly couldn’t share this blog with folks I work with, I have rarely let others read anything that I’ve written – unless it’s a manual or report – so this was a HUGE step for me. I have to say that this writing “out loud” is agreeing with me.

WHY I DO WHAT I DO: I love being around women and working to end gender inequity. It’s my passion. My mother always had strong friendships with other women, and I find strength, humor, and endurance from being around the energy of other women. I could have put: working to end violence against women is my life’s calling, but since that isn’t what I’m paid to do right now, I decided that saying this would probably just alert someone to the fact that my current job is not, shall we say, the job of my dreams.

If I was completely honest, I would have put: I am passionate about engaging in the struggle to end sexism and other oppressions and want to help other people walk that road with me. Therefore, this hierarchical power structure that we’re all struggling to make it in, I say we burn the fucker down.

WHAT I WANT OUT OF LIFE: To have a happy and healthy family. To live fully and presently. To always stretch and grow. Blah, blah, blah. Really, I want a healthy child who grows up to be deliriously happy. I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with SRH. Oh, and I want to be independently wealthy.

QUOTE TO LIVE BY: Right now I’m really inspired by the following quote: If you hear a voice inside you saying, “You are not a painter”. Then by all means paint – and that voice will be silenced. - Vincent Van Gogh. Yep, that’s the one that’s working for me now.

HOW OTHERS SEE ME: Energetic, positive, knowledgeable, devoted to my family, and intense. I clearly don’t have a clue what other’s think of me (SRH had to clue me in to “intense”). Feel free to add other adjectives to the comments if you’d like.

ROLE MODEL AND WHY: My boss – she has so much integrity and such a “can do” attitude. She knows our environment – warts and all – and is committed to making it a better place for women. This – which is NOT brownnosing because my boss will never see the bios – is absolutely the truth. The woman is amazing – she’s brilliant, honest, and self-made. There are tons of others, but for work, right now, she’s the one.

PET PEEVE: People who chew with their mouths open – I know, I should just get over this one, but I don’t seem to be able to. Just close your mouth already! I swear, that one just kills me. Also, I hate mixed metals (gold and silver on the same piece of jewelry), more than one meat on a sandwich, and any clothing that is asymmetrical. Not that I’m crazy or anything…

PROFILE: Mother. Partner. Woman. Friend. Activist. I think that’s good for today.

“SCOTCH” (or, a must-have to get you through the work day): Some time alone in my car – to listen to loud music, tune in to NPR, or just be alone with my thoughts. Any time I can get alone in any location is always greatly appreciated. Today I think I got exactly 12.5 minutes alone in the car. It was bliss.