A leisurely swim…
… toweling off in the snow
brenda michelson's technology advisory practice
Zephyr doing his part for the family business…
Posted via email from brenda's posterous
[Note: This was a test of the Posterous Service for use with my to be launched (redacted) project.]
As I considered what to write for today’s blog action day on poverty, I couldn’t help but think of how fortunate I am to be contemplating ‘poverty as an issue’ from behind a keyboard as opposed to as a life circumstance. Going down that path for a minute, I’m grateful my grandparents had the foresight and fortitude to reach Ellis Island and that my parents instilled in me the importance of education, working hard and living within means (savings good, debt bad). Essentially, my family provided me the circumstance and tools to reach towards success.
At this point, it became clear to me what my blog action day ‘action’ should be. Give others an opportunity to create their own success. This led me straight to Kiva.org, a micro-lending site that brokers loans between individuals and (working poor) entrepreneurs in the developed world.
I just made my first loans, one for bigger fishing nets and another to transport a child to school. Check it out, do what makes sense for you.
Sunday, Jeff Pulver started a game of "blog-tag" in which participants are asked to share 5 little known things about themselves, and then tag 5 people on their blogroll. This morning, I saw that Anil John tagged me. So, in the spirit of continuing the meme, here’s my list:
1. I started in technology as a COBOL programmer. My first "hot-skill" was IDMS/ADSO. I could probably still traverse an IDMS database network if pressured.
2. Prior to IT, to pay for school, I was a waitress, short-order cook, and an inventory service counter. Imagine the fun of hand counting bins of razors in department stores!
3. In high school, I was an all conference tennis player. I now use that "lollipop" shaped racket to hit tennis balls to my golden retrievers.
4. One of my goldens, Blaze, was an L.L. Bean catalog cover dog. He was part of a "dogs sell" test in 1996.
5. The one monthly print publication I always read is Vanity Fair.
And now, my tag victims from my blogroll… Sandy, Jeff Schneider, JT, Patty, and Steve Jones.