I hate writing about violence against women and sexual harassment. I would rather write about my cats. But when people in power do shady things, it reminds me of aspects of my own life. Let me share a piece of my story with you. I didn’t realize the first time I was sexually harassed. I was…
It’s the Tuesday after Labor Day. I can’t get into the groove about my career, my cats or my life. I am about to embark on a 12-week journey into hell with a ton of travel and conferences. Holy crap. When will I write? When will I see my family? How will I stay sober…
My marathon training is great. I am to the point where I can run over 13 miles without any complaints. As long as my nutrition is okay — and by okay I mean not just grilled cheese and ice cream — I feel fine. No major aches and pains. Earlier this year, I strained my…
I wasn’t looking to fall in love with Scrubby Ruettimann. Back in 2006, I had a full-time job and three cats. I was working for Pfizer and trying to save a struggling animal rescue. And I had a private desire to start a family. Ain’t nobody got time for another cat, I told myself. But…
I just read an article called, Customers in Their 20s and 30s Are Defecting to Fast-Casual Restaurants Like Chipotle, Five Guys. First of all, people in their 20s and 30s are part of three cohorts. People in their mid-to-late 30s are late GenXers and Carter Babies. The definition of “millennial” changes every time someone wants to make…
Nearly two months ago, SHRM published an interesting article. Base Salary Rise of 3% Forecast for 2015 U.S. workers can expect a median base salary increase of 3 percent in 2015 across all main employee categories and most industries, still below pre-recession levels, according to separate research findings by pay consultancy Hay Group and WorldatWork, an…
It’s week four of marathon training. This isn’t my first rodeo. I know how the training schedule works, which is why I broke down and bought some new shoes. I know this seems like a boring blog post, but buying shoes isn’t a simple thing. Not only are there a bazillion products on the market,…
This has been the travel week from hell, but it was worth it. I spent time with friends. (I mean real friends who exist in real life.) We sat in cars and talked about life. We sat in parks and watched squirrels. I had dinner with kids. We visited shopping malls, sat at dingy restaurants, and talked about stupid shit like…
I travel for a living. I’ve been on planes since I was 25 years old. When I see people walking through airports with therapy dogs, I roll my eyes. You better be a veteran with PTSD or I’m calling bullshit on your small, adorable animal. Except I keep having these horrible experiences at airports, and…
Facebook brings out the worst in all of us, including me. I lived in St. Louis for seven years. My first HR job was at Leaf Candy Company. We made Switzer, Good & Plenty and Chuckles. It was a busy and vibrant factory, later featured in a Michael Moore movie when Hershey USA purchased the…