Thoughts from an American Female

Yesterday I worked remotely and had the TV on in the background, as I usually do. It helps me focus on my work, oddly enough. Anyway, I decided to watch Jaws followed by Jaws II and then Jaws III (which never happened btw).  It struck me as odd that Mayor Larry Vaughn (Vaughn is my maiden name) was re-elected after the shark attacks that took place due to his lack of action in closing those beaches. Yeah, it's fiction, but is it really that far off? We are sitting here with the biggest damn fool as president and he got there, in part, because 62 million Americans voted for him. That is a staggering number. Sure, 12 million MORE people voted against him but because of our weird American ways, Trump is president. So, is it so far fetched that Larry Vaughn was re-elected mayor after a psycho shark massacred innocent beachgoers? Nope. Simon Cowell of American Idol fame had an affair with his best friend's wife and got her pregnant. Because he came out and said, ...

As many of you know, I don't belong to any political party. I don't believe we need more ways to divide ourselves, I believe we do enough of that without any additional categories. When I vote in the Primary, I'm given an option of which ballot I'd like to vote on. It keeps me able to vote for the candidate that I most align with, not just on policy, but also on character. Character is one of the most important things a person possesses. Without it, without character and conviction, we are nothing but a kite with no string, left to mercy of the wind, to float about with no direction or purpose. Back when I was a hiring manager I always wished that interviews were longer, or more casual instead of the pretend production that they are. We rarely see who we are getting until well into a person's employment. The campaign trail is nothing more than a job interview, a long one, with debates, media appearances, etc. Given what the American people saw, what they hea...

Every woman of childbearing age has had that awkward experience of being asked if they are pregnant, when they aren't. This happened to me in March and it jumpstarted me into my fitness regime, so maybe it was good motivation, but it happens all too often and I want to talk about it. Pregnancy is a deeply personal thing. It isn't something that should be pried out of someone, it should be willingly shared. Even if a woman is asked, and she is pregnant, she might not want you to know, otherwise, perhaps she would have told you. I have two children, but have had three pregnancies. Miscarriage represents 25% of all pregnancies and is a part of being pregnant. In fact, miscarriage is medically classified as "spontaneous abortion" because that's what happens. Women started to become uncomfortable with the term because of the negativity surrounding abortions as a whole. When this woman approached me in March, she touched my stomach, which made it worse, and said...

Many of you know of my personal afflictions, depression and generalized anxiety disorder, and if you suffer with these illness like I do, then you know how hard it is when a curve ball comes hurtling toward you at breakneck speeds threatening to derail the train of normalcy. Sometimes it's super minor, like someone asks for something that isn't part of the normal routine. Other times, the cars transmission shits the bed and you find yourself needing to buy a new car when you were not planning to. I'm in the latter category this week. Stress and I have a complicated relationship. Sometimes, I find myself staring down at it daring it to conquer me, other times, I find myself crippled under it's intense stare. I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit crippled today. I looked at Donald Trump's Twitter this morning. I rolled my eyes, and closed Twitter entirely. I'm sick of him. I need to look inside myself and find my own personal bliss. I've realiz...

Months ago, I submitted a Reasonable Accommodation request to my employer requesting to work from home three days per week due to anxiety. They denied the request claiming that "as a Project Manager" I need to be present in the office every day but they are open to alternatives. I went back to my doctor who said I need either, a) the ability to work from home up to one day per week as needed, and/or b) a private office. She cited all of my issues, none of which are physical impairments but that manifest in physical ways. As a person who has been suffering with depression and anxiety her entire life, I work hard to overcome it, and asking for help is not an easy thing to do. So, today when they again said, "no" I found myself annoyed beyond comprehension. This is the conversation as I recall it: HR Rep: We don't have any open offices to give you, and since you are required in the office we can't allow you to work from home. Me: I see plenty of open ...