The Fine Line of Business Casual

I'm not an overly formal person. I could never work in an office where I would have to wear a suit every day. I've always been the jeans and t-shirt kind. I'm working on expanding my wardrobe to include outfits and things that are a little more put together. But that doesn't mean I've progressed to heels and suits. This has always made the thought of work attire daunting to me.

When I got my first job out of college, I was nervous. What was I going to wear? I tried to find what I thought would be appropriate without compromising my desire to remain comfortable. However, I soon discovered that no one there really cared what anyone wore. People mostly wore jeans and polos and half the time one of the two, if not both, had holes. It wasn't hard for me to look nice. I didn't wear stuff with holes. But it did mean that I could wear jeans any day of the week and for days in a row. The environment there was overly casual and inspired casual behavior as well. I found myself slightly taken aback. I hadn't expected to end up in a place where it was stiff and formal but the opposite end of the spectrum was almost as bad. I never really thought of dress as a way to remind yourself how to behave but I think perhaps that's part of the reasoning for business attire.

Fast forward to my new job--it's not formal but it's definitely business causal. I can wear jeans on Fridays. But I wouldn't dream of wearing a t-shirt. I had to go shopping once again to find nice, comfortable, fashionable, yet business appropriate clothing. Mostly I find myself wearing nice pants (dress, khaki, or cords and sweaters or fancy tops). It's not just the clothing though that is business casual, it's the people too. I can't imagine hearing some of the things I heard at my first job here. There would be huge reprocussions and possible law suits. For example, I remember sitting in a meeting and as usual I was the only woman in the room. I don't remember what we were discusssing but one of the men was talking about meeting somone at a conference. They named the man they met and then said, "Oh yeah and Hottie. What was her name?" And they proceeded to try and remember "Hottie's" name. I was offended. I mean really, in a meeting, with a woman in the room? Could you not have some tact and at least try to describe her and maybe mention the company she was from. I'm sure she doesn't want to be remembered that way. If you can remember the man's name, you can make the effort to remember her name. I don't think that would ever fly at my new job. At the same time, the new job isn't up tight. I mean we can have personal conversations; that's okay.

I just think that the middle ground is the appropriate place for business. I think you should feel comfortable and like the people you work with are your friends. But I don't think you should feel so comfortable that comments about someone's sexuality are appropriate. I knew from talking with my friends that my first office was somewhat disfunctional. No one else had the stories I did. But I never really realized how off the mark it was until now. It's a subtle choice of words and audience. The show The Office is not off the mark. That  stuff Michael does happens in offices. I had days where I thought I might be living in an episode.

Two Weeks In

Tomorrow completes my first two weeks at my new job. It doesn't seem like it's been two weeks and at the same time it feels like longer. The first week was a lot of introductory material. I met the other staff in the Seattle office. I video conferenced with HR in Redmond. I met with my supervisor and the girl who got promoted from my position. Fortunately, she sits next to me and I can ask her questions whenever I want.

I did get a few assignments last week. I'm working on writing some news pieces and a case study. These are mostly items for the website, both external and internal. There are about four of these; however, I'm really focused on two: Nisqually estuary restoration and ground source heat pumps. Those are the topics that I was able to get ahold of people for.

I'm actually finding myself really fascinated by the work we do. I'm learning things again, which is one of the main reasons I missed school. While it's been challenging, I feel like I'm accomplishing things.

Yesterday I got a draft of the estuary restoration piece back from the engineer who worked on the project. I thought I had done a really good job. I felt good about the story and my supervisor and given me an okay on it. But as it turns out the engineer thought I had missed the point altogether. The thing is, he never actually talked about what he wanted me to focus on. I kind of laughed it off as a good learning experience. I just have to be more clear when asking about projects. Engineers don't like to talk so, sometimes you have to pick at them.

It's been an overwhelming and interesting two weeks. I'm hoping the interesting part continues and the overwhelming subsides..

Making Home

My boyfriend has currently set up an obstacle course for Mufasa in the living room. I'm watching him try to get Mufasa to leap from chair to chair to ironing board. He's got a feather on a stick and has the kitten chasing after it. This is the man who doesn't like cats. He has also spent the last few days trying to teach Mufasa to play fetch. He has been surprisingly successful. He will occasionally return the toy to you. It's pretty precious. There is nothing like a man playing with a kitten.

I also have a new job, which is partly to blame for my lack of blogging. I've now spent a full week as the Marketing Assistant at GeoEngineers. The hardest part has been learning about geotechnical engineering. My assignment last week, along with all the introductory first week stuff, was to work on a news item about an estuary restoration we took part in. I think I'm moving in the right direction but it's dificult to explain something you don't know anything about.

Despite all these great things, I felt a little homesick today. I love Seattle. But Blacksburg was my home for five years and it's sad to move on. I know I've said and do believe, I feel at home here. And maybe part of it is the portion of my life I spent in Blacksburg was so foundational that I will always miss it.

So, here's to home.

*photo by Chelsea Greemore

Going to the Market

I've never liked grocery shopping. Actually, I've always hated it a little. The florescent lights, the overwhelming rows of product after product all make me feel claustrophobic. I particularly dislike when I can't find the normal product and all I see are the "low-carb" or "reduced fat" versions. The only grocery shopping I ever did enjoy was going to the farmer's market. I got to get outside, get fresh foods, and interact with people. In the grocery store, the customers are harried and impolite and the workers simply don't want to be there. Overall it was an unpleasant experience.

Today, however, I realized how much over the past month and a half I've found myself enjoying grocery shopping. I've been walking from my apartment to Pike's Place to get fresh fruit, veggetables, and even more. I suppose this is because Pike's is more like a farmer's market and indeed has farmer's stands on most days. Even on the chilly or wet days it is infinitely more enjoyable to walk through the market. Everyone there appears to be enjoying themselves. I no longer dread getting food each week. I see it as an outing, a way to join in society, and connect myself to the world around me.

Perhaps grocery stores represent many of our issues with food. It has become a chore and a missed opportunity for social interaction rather than enjoyable (eating as well as gathering). The grocery store holds processed products that have become more and more distant from the foods we find in farmer's markets. For me at least, enjoying the process of purchasing the food I eat has made the eating more enjoyable. I imagine that extends further when you harvest the food yourself. However, until I have outdoor space I'll enjoy the market.

Own Your Climate

As I'm sure many of you know already, it's BLOG ACTION DAY! The topic this year is Climate Change. I thought I'd take a moment to point out that we often think of climate and environtment as external phenomena. The environment is what we live in, not what we are part of or not what is part of us. I disagree with that notion. We are in the environment, we are part of the environment, we have the environment in us, we are our own environment.

We cannot separate our bodies from the world around us. What happens to the environment happens to us. When fish populations begin to die out, we begin to loose a precious source of food. Not only that but the food chain begins to break down in other ways too. Now I'm not a biologist but I know the basics. The food chain is intricate and delicate. When you remove any one part of it you affect the whole thing, including our bodies. When you take a deep breath of seemingly clean air you inhale all the toxins and chemicals we have put into the environment with factory farms and pesticides. Those toxins and chemicals are just as bad for our bodies as they are for the earth. Why do you think we have such a high rate of cancer?

My point is we act like polluting the earth affects the planet and not us. However, pollution is everywhere. I found this newsletter piece from Seventh Generation and it really draws attention to how intricately connected to the environment our bodies are, especially women's bodies. Take a look at the facts they've listed there and tell me if that doesn't drive you to take a big step forward for climate change. We need to clean up our act because if we don't then we all suffer. It's not just the planet that is suffering from pollution. It's not just the weather or the height of the oceans. It's us. It's in our bodies that things are changing.

So, take a minute and think about what you put in your body. Look up your favorite foods online if you have to and see what is actually in them. Find out what is going into your body and then tell me if you want those chemicals there. Try eating from the farmer's market for a week and see how much more energy you have and how much more healthy you feel. Reduce your footprint so that you can live happily into old age and the rest of us can too. Own your body, your environment, and your life.

Eat Real Food, Not Twinkies

I had my first day at the Rocky Moutain Chocolate Factory yesterday. It was fun and kind of tiring. Everyone there seems really nice and the customers appreciate that you are giving them chocolate. However, one of the things that we did during our training was try a few items. And one of those items is called the "Tiger Tail." The Tiger Tail is a Twinkie dipped in chocolate. In case the Twinkie wasn't bad enough for you to begin with, they dip it in chocolate.

Now, I'm not sure I've actually ever had a Twinkie, well until yesterday. I've never really thought they looked all that delicious. So, because this is work and I need to know about the product, I tried a small bite. It was not great. I mean if you like Twinkies, you'll probably love it. But I think I probably don't like Twinkies. And that just proves that dipping something you don't like in chocolate does not make it eddible.

I also just finished reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. This is a fabulous book. It's really informative. It really helps you realize what is in "food." I am putting that in quotes because it's not food it's product. For example an apple that you get at the farmer's market from a local nursery is food. It's real and full of goodness. Twinkies are product. They don't deserve to be called even fake food. It's so far from food. Anyway, trying the Twinkie got me thinking I'd like to know what is in a Twinkie. So, I did a little Google search this morning. It's really not food. Twinkies have ingredients in them that come from petroleum and are used in rocket fuel and shampoo. I recommend reading this article. Not only are there all those weird ingredients, but the fact that they have 37 ingredients should be a red flag. Pollan says, in In Defense of Food, that you should look for foods that only have 5 ingredients. They should be ingredients you know and can pronounce. I mean a Twinkie is supposed to be a cake with cream in it. It's everything but that.

Why I Love Seattle

I've never met anyone who has been to Seattle and didn't like it. I've never met anyone living here who doesn't love it. I think this is one of the many really unique things about this city. I think Seattlites are in love with Seattle. And I'm falling right along with them. Here are just a few reasons why I love Seattle:

1. The month of September was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shinning the temperatures held around the 70s with a few hotter days. So, phooey on everyone who asked me if I like rain before I moved here. I know it will get grey and it will rain. But Seattle is more than that. In fact, the sun is coming through my window now.

2. Pike Place Market has everything. The produce from the corner is absolutely delicious. I've never had peaches like the ones we got there during the season. And it's fun to just go and walk around, great free entertainment. Not to mention I could watch them throw fish or check out Beecher's making cheese all day.

3. First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square and downtown, including the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) is free. It's a wonderful way to spend a Thursday evening or afternoon. I even got to see the Andrew Wyeth exhibit at SAM on Thursday.

4. The Lusty Lady on First never fails to amuse me with it's signage. The most recent says, "All Clothes 100% Off." Yup. LOVE IT.

5. Most Seattleites don't carry umbrellas when it rains.

6. The library here is cool. It's not just a library; it's an architectural marvel. Just going in is a treat. And well worth the hike up to 4th Ave. The gift shop is really cool too.

7. You can get beautiful flowers from Pike's for $3. Max bought me some the other day. :)

8. I have yet to have bad Chai from any of the coffee shops.

9. The bums are creative. Well some of them. One wanted to write poems with our names for food.

10. Dressing is an art, sometimes it's better done than others. I saw a guy wearing long johns and combat boots. He had saggy pajama butt going on. And there is a store that sells kilts. I like to catch glimpses of the store associates in their kilts. It makes me giggle.

When Your Boyfriend Looks Like Your Brother

The first time I came to Seattle was about a year and half ago. Max and I came out for spring break my senior year. One of the many things we decided to do while here, was shopping. I was looking for some work appropriate clothes so we went to Macy's. Max sat in the waiting area while I tried on dresses and blazers and paraded around in front of him. We were having a pretty good time until the obnoxious sales lady came up to us trying to sell more. But the worst part was the way she tried to establish raport. She asked, "Are you brother and sister?"

A couple of days ago, Max and I went to Ital Tea Leaf on First. This is the place where you sit and they give you samples of tea. I was in heaven. The lady serving us tea was an absolute trip. She was chatting away saying everything she thought. She asked how long we'd been together, why we weren't married yet, and then said, "You know you look like brother and sister."

I know that we are both short and dark haired. We probably do look a little similar. But it's really awkward to be asked if your boyfriend is your brother and even more awkward to be told your boyfriend looks like your brother when the person talking knows he's your boyfriend. I've heard it from other people, not just those in Seattle. Next time maybe I'll just say, "Yes, we are incestuous." And then kiss him passionatly on the mouth. That ought to make them feel uncomfortable.

Fighting for a Public Option

I have to admit, I'm disappointed. I knew that our decision makers would not pass a bill with a public option. But I hoped it would have a little more kicking and screaming behind it. I think a public option is genious. How many of our lawmakers actually understand what it's like to not have health insurance, to be dropped suddenly, to have to make a choice between health insurance and food on the table? How many of them really get it? I'd wager few do.

A public option would provide competiton, as they've argued. But more importantly it would provide a basic right to all citizens. We would all have access to decent and more affordable healthcare with a public option. A public option does not mean we are on the brink of Socialism. It means we are on the brink of actually caring what happens to our neighbors and ourselves. If my neighbors are ill than I am ill. What affects this county and its people, affects me. I cannot succeed if my country is sick. And we are sick.

What does it say about us that we are so concerned who is getting the health care, who is benefitting from our precious tax dollars? The truth is none of us are until all of us are. I once heard a man say to his child, "Obama is a bad man because he want's to take Daddy's money away and give it to someone who hasn't worked as hard." How cinical is that? Most of us work just as hard, we may just not get paid as much or have the option to choose better health insurance. Actually, most women still do not get paid as much as men do for the same position. We are still discriminated against on the pay scale and in the work place.

We need a public option. And when we realize it, we are going to look back on this year and say, "How stupid could they have been?"