I’ve been at Tulip for five months now, which is hard to believe. Tulipians are super bright, highly collaborative, and not at all territorial, which is magical for people working in IT. Being technology experts is required for delivering great IT, but it isn’t sufficient. Great IT has to consider the people using it; the data they’re working with; and the implicit or explicit processes they are executing to deliver value. So you kind of have to get up in people’s business to be a good partner in designing, developing, and delivering technology solutions. So it’s really nice to work with people who are excited to work together (instead of giving “stay in your lane, IT Witch” energy.)
It’s been really nice to be able to offer my perspective or feedback and have it met with appreciation. Still, I have to remind myself that I’m still relatively new. Offering feedback and suggestions is best paired with a good relationship and an established level of trust. While the right culture can make it easier, there aren’t shortcuts. I messed up recently by scheduling an RCA (Root Cause Analysis) for a process that went off the rails. I think it would have been fine with engineers, but some of the colleagues who were part of the process were on business teams. Because the relationship and trust weren’t there and I suspect there wasn’t experience with blameless RCAs, I think the scheduled meeting landed as a “let’s publicly shame some people for messing up” instead of a “how can we learn from what happened and improve together”? I should have seen that coming, but here we are. 🤦🏼♂️. My hope is that vulnerability and sincerity can transform this mistake into a relationship building opportunity.
The other thing that’s been interesting to observe is my occasional moments of imposter syndrome. At edX, I had years to make mistakes, learn, and build relationships. I also had some fantastic mentors and managers who helped me to build my confidence and an amazing therapist who helped me to work through what was going on below the surface. So, when imposter syndrome shows up today, I’m good at spotting it and managing it. I catch the thought patterns, talk myself through the evidence to demonstrate why it’s not true, and go talk to my manager or another colleague when I’m not sure about how I’m performing. I have also noticed that Tulip has a culture of appreciation. It’s been helpful that colleagues tell me that they appreciate the viewpoints, skills, experience, and thoughtfulness that I’ve brought with me. It’s also really nice to see leaders be candid about what they don’t know – but they plan on learning together with others.
It is fun to start a new company and see how all of my past mistakes and successes turned into valuable experience that I can share. I think I chose the right company at the right stage in its maturity journey. There’s a good balance of things that I can bring and so, so many things to learn.
I haven’t been able to get into the groove of a good workout routine. I think some of this has been related to a 9-5 work schedule that isn’t quite aligned with my biological sleep schedule of ~02:00-10:00, so I tend to be pretty exhausted at the end of the day. I’ve been pretty good about keeping up with Yoga because there’s a social aspect to it. And I get at least 30 minutes of cycling in each workday for my commute. It’s nice to have at least a little exercise built in to my day. One of the things that’s been on my mind is how eating and nutrition are likely getting in the way here. Matt and I have been ordering in a lot because we’re exhausted by the time we’re both home. I’ve also been prioritizing things like exercise and ceramics over things like grocery shopping. So, we’re trying out ordering groceries for delivery. It’s more expensive than going to the store, but hopefully will be less expensive than ordering out so much and will have the added benefit of eating healthier, which will in turn remove one of the things in the way of more regular gym time.
Thanks to bout of COVID, I have had some time to play the new The Legend of Zelda: Echos of Wisdom. While this isn’t my favorite game so far, my queer inner child has been absolutely delighted to play as a magic-wielding princess. The “echo” mechanic is pretty fun. I do like being able to summon a bunch of monsters to fight on my behalf. My qualm is really with the echo management experience. Scrolling back and forth with over 30(?) echos (so far) is a little tiresome at times. Also, I can’t help it: it’s interesting that Zelda doesn’t do hand-to-hand combat in her princess form. She has to (basically) do drag in her swordfighter form in order to get her hands dirty. What’s with that?
I’ve been enjoying the third season of Dungeons and Daddies (a D&D podcast, not a BDSM podcast). The Lovecraft Horror / 50s post-war mash-up is really fun. I continue to appreciate how the cast is dedicated to making interesting, story-driven, character-driven choices rather than smart choices as they play. The risk is so much higher in the Call of Cthulu system, but I think the reward is too.
If we’ve talked over the last 6 months, you’ve almost definitely heard me go on about how much I love Normal Gossip. I’ll just lift the flavor text from their website:
Normal Gossip delivers juicy, strange, funny, and utterly banal gossip about people you’ll never know and never meet. Host Kelsey McKinney discusses reader-submitted comedic gossip with guests, diving into the lives and decisions of complete strangers. The second-hand truth really is stranger than fiction.
The stories are never mean-spirited and are always unhinged. They’re indispensable for long car trips or helping the time pass as you’re doing mindless chores you don’t care for.
Matt and I started a watch-through of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer a few months ago. He’s seen it before, but I could never get past the first two or three episodes on previous attempts. Since we made it a thing we did together (and he convinced me it would get better), I’m happy to report that we recently started the 6th season. I do wish that I’d gotten to it earlier than… checks notes… over 25 years since it started. But here we are. The first season was okay. Seasons two and three were great. Seasons four and beyond are totally off the rails. Should we keep going? Or is there a point where we should stop so I don’t ruin it for myself?
I just started my fourth semester at Mudflat, and I’m continuing wheel-throwing, this time in the Intermediate class. While I will miss being in Kate Kuligowski’s class, I’ve really been enjoying Steve Murphy’s class. It’s super valuable to learn from different people and get different kinds of feedback. I’ve started experimenting with making bowls with angled exteriors, which has been fun. The first one came out pretty well, but the celadon glaze I used didn’t quite break over the angles in the way I wanted. I’d like the toasty brown of the brown stoneware to peak through just a bit. Pictures to come!
I recently got started on Jane Richmond’s Men’s Classic Raglan Pullover after some encouragement from another knitter friend. You can view my progress here on my Ravelry. I wanted to do a single color sweater that was less ambitious than the Icelandic wool sweaters I’ve knit previously. It has been a lot less complex! I just reached the point where I put the sleeve stiches on scrap yarn, cast on some new stiches for the under-sleeves, and am in the Knit Forever™ stage of the sweater where I can carry on a full conversation or listen to and half watch a TV show.
I’ve been feeling so helpless as I watch the government of Israel continue a system of apartheid and perpetrate a genocide in Palestine while expanding a war into Lebanon and beyond. And ashamed for not saying more or knowing what to say or how to say it or that I’ll get a fact wrong. And afraid that saying anything will look performative. And worried that saying the wrong thing will hurt people I care about. And even more ashamed for worrying about how saying anything will affect me and my security.
I want my elected officials to stop enabling the apartheid and genocide and crimes against humanity and the expansion of this war – a war that I worry the United States is so close to being pulled into directly. I don’t want my tax dollars to fund this. Criticizing the policies of the United States is not anti-American. Criticizing the policies of the State of Israel is not anti-Israeli or anti-Jewish. I want everyone to live in safety and security. No apartheid, no genocide, no bombs, no oppression, no terror, no hostages.
Ceasefire now.
If you’ve been getting involved in action that feels like it’s making a difference, please drop me a line – I’d love to learn more. In the meantime, I’m going to write my elected officials and find some relief funds to donate to (would also love suggestions).
Whether we’re acquaintances or good friends, if we know each other and something resonates with you (or hurt you), please please please reach out and let’s talk.
Update on 2024-10-07: I keep coming back to the phrase, “Many things can be true at once.” I hope it goes without saying, but I’ll say it explicitly: a lot of people were killed and many were taken hostage a year ago. Their friends and families and communities are scared for them – and for themselves. They still hurt. They still grieve. They still wonder if they’ll see those people again.
One can hold space and compassion for those affected by these acts of violence while being curious and critical of the systems that created the conditions for these acts of violence. One can seek accountability without seeking revenge. One can benefit from a system without being responsible for the system.
Many things can be true at once.
]]>💼 Consulting: With a new full time job, I’m shifting focus away from The IT Witch 🧙🏼♂️ for now.
🧘🏼♂️ Exercise: My job is a 15-minute bike ride from home, so I have some exercise built into my day each weekday. I’ve also been enjoying Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday yoga classes at the Boston Bouldering Project and, of course, Heather Brittain’s online studio.
📚 Reading: For pleasure, I picked up The Great Gatsby. Somehow I never read it in school? For professional development, I’ve been reading Just Enough Research by Erika Hall. It’s been a really helpful guide for, well, conducting “just enough research”. I’m looking forward to applying it in my job at Tulip to build better IT experiences for my colleagues. I also came across this design research framework, which is a great companion.
🎮 Video Gaming: I haven’t spent much time gaming recently. It’s absolutely for the best that Hades 2 isn’t out yet, both for summer and starting a new job reasons.
🎧 Podcasts: The first episode of the third season of Dungeons and Daddies (a D&D podcast, not a BDSM podcast) just dropped, and I’m excited to listen! I’m also seeing them in a live show in June.
🏺 Ceramics: I just started my third semester at Mudflat, and I’m back to wheelthrowing. The studio is a 2-minute bike ride from the Tulip offices, so I’m hoping to get there after work at least one other day during the week each week.
A Head of IT role at a growth stage, SaaS climate tech company in Boston or remote.
💼 Consulting: On January 1, 2024, Coven Collaborative LLC came into existence in the State of Massachusetts. That was kind of cool! I’ll still be doing business as The IT Witch for now, but wanted some flexibility if I decide to change up the name. More importantly, I brought on my first few clients. It’s been a fun (and challenging) learning experience to navigate the world of starting a business. I’m looking forward to helping other organizations over the coming months and years. Next up is adjusting my marketing materials. If you look at The IT Witch now, the information is technically true, but I don’t think it speaks the language of my target customers. People don’t care about IT per se, they care about solving problems.
🧘🏼♂️ Exercise: I’ve been enjoying Heather Brittain’s online studio over the last few months. My favorite class is the 75 minutes “Yin & Meditation” session on Sunday evenings. It’s a sleepy yoga situation where we’re mostly on the floor, working into fascia and connective tissues. It’s gentle, but it’s still challenging. Other than that, I’ve been at the Boston Bouldering Project a few days a week for yoga and indoor rowing. My goal is to get some strength training back into the mix.
📚 Reading: I’ve been reading The Secret History for fun and Just Enough Research for professional development – and fun. Of course, there is also Never Search Alone, which I’ve been reading as part of my job search.
🎮 Video Gaming: I’ve been spending more time on my job hunt and other activities, so haven’t been gaming as much. I’m doing a slower second play-through of BG3, and I’m playing a monk for the first time. I’m enjoying it a lot more than I expected!
🎧 Podcasts: I just finished up the second season of Dungeons and Daddies (a D&D podcast, not a BDSM podcast). It’s hard to believe that the second season has been going on for over two years! I love the team’s commitment to building fun characters and telling an interesting story, even if that means losing characters that you love or making silly decisions. I’m also wrapping up The Big Dig podcast, by WGBH. It’s a really fantastic exploration of how the project came to be, the politics, and the impact. I’d highly recommend to just about anyone.
🪵 Woodworking: I finally finished constructing my Shaker Hall table. It still needs some final sanding and then a stain, but you can see pictures of the (mostly) finished product on my Other Projects page.
🏺 Ceramics: I’m finishing up my third semester and first handbuilding class at Mudflat. I didn’t get to spend as much time in the studio as I would have liked this term because of consulting and job search work, so I don’t think I gave handbuilding all the time it deserved. It’s been fun learning the foundations of handbuilding and I’m excited to take what I’ve learned and incorporate it into my wheelthrown work. If you’re interested in seeing some of what I’ve been working on, you can check out my Ceramics Portfolio page. I just signed up for wheelthrowing classes for the Spring / Summer term. I’m committing to taking Fridays afternoons off from job search and consulting time so that I have at least studio day per week.
🔎 Job Search: The job search has been a slog. So many highly qualified people have been laid off and the market is flooded with a lot of amazing talent. It also seems that companies are hiring for more specialized roles and looking for people who have a lot of experience with specific technologies. I’ve spent most of my career at small companies where I’ve needed to be a generalist in IT. As a Director, I was spending less time with the technology and more time with the business and setting my team up for success. I’ve been working on expanding my search to other roles where I could be successful with the transferable skills one develops as a generalist. I’m starting to look at Chief of Staff and Business Operations roles, which I’m hoping will make it easier to find a job at a climate-oriented company too. To be honest, I expected the search to be challenging, but didn’t anticipate it being this challenging. I’m very open to and appreciative of advice, connections, and commiseration.
💼 Consulting: I started planning a consulting business in the Fall and am thrilled that I’ve started talking with a few potential customers. The IT Witch helps organizations make IT magical and individuals grow and hone the skills they need to succeed in their career. If you’ve done consulting or coaching before, I’d love to talk! The entire process has been really helpful in making me reflect on what I enjoy most about IT and refine my value proposition (which is a continual process!)
🧘🏼♂️ Exercise: The amazing Heather Brittain left Boston Bouldering Project to move to another city with her partner, which is devastating (though I’m looking forward to her online Yin classes!). I’m trying to embrace the change as an opportunity to spend more time practicing with other instructors and learn new things. It’s also opened up more gym time for weight training and rowing, which is probably good for me anyway! The added time and prioritization of exercise has helped me to get so much stronger, which I’ve seen especially in the balance forms in my yoga practice.
📚 Reading: No major updates here, though it’s a good reminder that some friends recommended The Priory of the Orange Tree as a complete story in the Fantasy genre that is queer and wonderful. I think it’ll be a good book to have on my “fun” list and get me back into the habit of reading regularly.
🎮 Video Gaming: I played through Baldur’s Gate 3 since my last update. Oh boy, what a game! There were so many moments where I stopped to appreciate just how intricately detailed the game is. The studio put so much love and care into building a vivid and expansive world where there are so many options to play as different kinds of characters. I love that you can customize your characters’ appearance and identity (and change it throughout the game as they develop!) and you can cultivate different kinds of relationships with NPCs. I’m spending less time with video games these days as I spend more time on the job hunt, developing my consulting business, and throwing pieces at the ceramics studio.
🪵 Woodworking: So I keep making decisions that push out the completion of the Shaker Hallway table I’ve been working on since February. And I’m okay with that. This past session I focused on preparing the parts for my two drawers and hand-cutting the dovetail joints. Woodworking has been a really lovely opportunity to learn new skills and have a physical representation of my development over time. A joint takes a lot of time to prepare and hand cut, but each one went a little faster, fit a little better, and looked a little nicer. And that is really satisfying.
🏺 Wheel Throwing Pottery: I finished up my second semester at Mudflat. When I started classes in May, I started looking for ceramics videos on Youtube so I could work on some of my throwing skills. I really came to enjoy Florian Gadsby’s videos because of his careful, thoughtful instruction. I also loved his art, especially the angular forms that show up throughout his work. It’s been wonderful inspiration and a great starting point for experimenting and developing my own artistic voice. If you’re interested in seeing some of what I’ve been working on, you can check out my Ceramics Portfolio page. In January, I’ll be taking a handbuilding class at Mudflat. I’m looking forward to trying something new and exploring how it can help me grow as an artist.
🏡 Moving: Matt and I settled into our new place in Somerville in September. We certainly miss the old place. Having good friends living upstairs was really wonderful – and the apartment itself was just a lot nicer. The move has been a good opportunity to downsize and donate / recycle stuff that we have collected. And it’s been nice having a place that’s new to both of us as we work on decorating it together.
⌛️ Career Sabbatical: I’ve been enjoying some time off from my professional life since October 2022. You can read more about it on my Sabbatical page.
🔎 Job Search: I’ve started to look for new jobs actively. It’s been a grueling process and the layoffs in the tech sector haven’t been helpful. There’s a lot of great talent out there and I suspect that it’s emotionally exhausting both for people who have been laid off and their networks. I’m looking for a Director of IT or Senior Manager of IT role, but I’m starting to explore other possibilities too.
💼 Consulting: I’ve started to put together a business plan for a consulting business. I’m considering offering a few services: 1) a “Fractional IT Director” to help small companies with IT strategy before they’re ready to hire someone full time, 2) mentoring IT Admins and IT Managers who don’t have a great support structure because their supervisors aren’t IT experts by trade (I wish I had this earlier in my career!), and 3) focused engagements to help teams with assessing exisiting IT capabilties, creating roadmaps to achieve particular goals, or building out specific IT capabilities that they need to be successful. If you read this and have any feedback or want to talk, I’d love to hear it!
🦠 COVID: Matt and I got COVID at the end of July. It wasn’t as bad as the first time we got it, but it wiped me out for a good two weeks. Sadly, it also meant I wasn’t able to go on a trip to P-Town with some friends. I’m hoping to find some time to go before it gets too cold.
🧘🏼♂️ Exercise: I’ve been on a few longer bike rides, which have been really lovely. Aside from that, it’s still mostly rowing and yoga at the Boston Bouldering Project.
📚 Reading: I picked up a CISSP study guide and have started to work through that. I started reading Virgil’s Aeneid back in June, but haven’t finished it. 🙈
I’m on a short hiatus from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but have been enjoying it a lot. Sometimes it’s just fun to build things with Ultrahand and forget about the quests.
I’ve been revisiting Hades, and slowly working up the Pact of Punishment.
I just pre-ordered Baulder’s Gate 3 for PS5 on the recommendation from some friends who say that it’s amazing. I do love a good RPG with a rich story.
🎲 Gaming: I haven’t played any new board games, but have continued a multi-year D&D campaign over Zoom with some friends. Our DM is running “Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frost Maiden” with a lot of delightful touches (e.g., a network of Tea Witches throughout Ten Towns). I’ve been trying to channel the energy from Dungeons and Daddies and make choices that are narratively interesting for my character, even if they’re not always the best choices for my character.
🪵 Woodworking: Oh boy. While I’ve made great progress on my Shaker Hallway table, I had hoped to finish it by now. Still, I’m learning a bunch of great skills and missing a few classes because of COVID didn’t help. I did finish gluing up the main table and the tabletop, so the next session will allow me to focus on drawers.
🏺 Wheel Throwing Pottery: I finished up my first semester at Mudflat. I’ve made a handful of fruit bowls, some small plates, a bunch of small cups, some espresso cups, and even some janky mugs (pulling handles is haaaard.) I successfully enrolled in the Advanced Beginner Wheelthrowing Class starting in September and have continued practicing during an August session. It’s been a really rewarding experience. I’m delighted to continue learning and developing my own style. I’ll be documenting parts of my journey on Instagram (bleh) and on my Ceramics Portfolio page.
⌛️ Career Sabbatical: I’ve been enjoying some time off from my professional life since October 2022. You can read more about it on my Sabbatical page.
🧘🏼♂️ Exercise: Right now I’m on a pretty good schedule of doing yoga 4-5 times a week, including a Yin class which I’ve really enjoyed. I’ve also been enjoying indoor rowing since January. I’ve been blown away by how much I’ve come to look forward to rowing sessions along with how it’s improved my balance, strength, and cardiovascular fitness so quickly.
📚 Reading: I recently finished Homer’s Illiad and am currently reading Virgil’s Aeneid, Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey, and Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman.
👨🏼🍳 Cooking: We’ve continued to work through Melissa Clark’s Dinner in One, which continues to be excellent.
I started playing Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla in April. The game mechanics are varied and creative, but, as you might expect, it involves a lot of killing and pillaging. Most of the games I’ve played that have included combat and violence have been in a fantasy setting. This feels a bit different. On one hand, it’s an interesting vehicle for bringing to life what previously felt like an abstract and distant part of history. On the other hand, like many similar games, it glorifies violence largely in an uncritical way. To be clear, the violence wasn’t at all surprising, but how real it feels was unexpected. I’m trying to sort through how I feel about continuing to play. I’d love to chat if you’ve had a similar experience!
I just started to play The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom a few days after it came out. Breath of the Wild is a difficult act to follow, but the introduction of some of the newer abilities and the expansion of the world has been really fun to explore. I think the biggest disappointment comes from this game being a lot bleaker. BoTW was very, very pretty to just explore for hours.
🎲 Board Gaming: We finally played Love Letter: Princess Princess Ever After and had a lovely time. I enjoyed the fast-paced play and the simplicity of the game. It’s a great addition to the library for lower-energy evenings where we might not want to embark on a multi-hour game.
🪵 Woodworking: I’ve now completed two terms of Woodworking classes at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and will start a third in late June. The class only meets for three hours a week and I don’t have equipment at home, so progress is slow. I’ve learned how to use a tablesaw, jointer, planer, table router, hand router and some hand tools. I’ve made great progress on my Shaker Hallway table and expect to finish the core table in the next two to three class sessions before spending the rest of the term on building two drawers.
⌛️ Career Sabbatical: I’ve been enjoying some time off from my professional life since October 2022. You can read more about it on my Sabbatical page.
🧘🏼♂️ Exercise: Right now I’m on a pretty good schedule of doing yoga 4-5 times a week, including a Yin class which I’ve really enjoyed. My upstairs neighbor also put a rowing machine in the basement over the holidays, and I’ve started to use it for about 30 minutes each morning. Between these two, I’ve seen a marked decrease in back pain, increase in upper body strength, and improvement in balance during yoga which is pretty great!
📚 Reading: I’m currently reading The Illiad. I somehow graduated with a B.A. in Classics without having read it (🤷🏼♂️)️, which I think was largely due to my 8th grade teacher saying it wasn’t really worth it. I’ve been alternating between enjoying finally getting to read an important part of Western Literature and being horrified with the casual violence of all kinds.
👨🏼🍳 Cooking: We’ve been trying out recipes from Melissa Clark’s Dinner in One, which we received back in September. Fun fact: It was supposed to arrive in March 2022, but the container it was on fell to the bottom of the ocean on its way from East Asia.
🎮 Video Gaming: After sinking a bunch of time into Elden Ring, I realized that it was bleak and gross and I just wasn’t enjoying it. Instead, I made a donation to Trans Lifeline and started on Hogwarts Legacy. I really enjoyed Harry Potter while growing up, so it’s been fun to explore the universe in game format. It’s also been weird and unsettling to revisit parts of the universe now that I’m an adult. For example, seeing the protagonists benefiting from the house elves that they’ve enslaved with little to no critical commentary on this relationship is pretty awful. Likewise, there’s some narrative about some groups of characters being irredeemable and so deserving of death and that doesn’t sit well with me either.
🎲 Board Gaming: I haven’t played any recently! Though – I did get a copy of Love Letter: Princess Princess Ever After, which I’ve only played once and would love to play some more. It’s very cute. I’m so happy that queer stuff like this is readily available now.
🪵 Woodworking: I took a woodworking class through the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and learned how to use a tablesaw, jointer, planer, and router and some hand tools. While I didn’t finish the Shaker Hallway table I started on, I did learn a lot along the way, both about woodworking and about my default approach to dealing with uncertainty. I’ll be taking the class again in the Spring so that I can finish it.
Thanks to Jeramiah Lee for the inspiration of the Now page, which was an idea from Derek Sivers. ↩