I might be "Jen"

I didn't start my career in IT. In fact, I started about as far away as I could from Information Technology as the government relations/communications manager of the Chamber of Commerce in a small town in Colorado.

Fast forward 13 years and I find myself not only leaving marketing and communications, but working in the one area that used to make me lose my shit as a kid trying to program the Commadore 64 to make a flappy bird appear in the left hand corner of the TV screen as I sat on the floor in the living room.

Thats right; I'm a young professional with an extensive background in communications and marketing living in the basement of a government IT building who often finds herself answering the question, "How did the Marketing Manager for the Planetarium end up in IT?"

If you've seen the IT Crowd, this post will make a lot more sense. So if that's lacking from your watch list, stop here and go watch a few episodes....or at least watch the linked clip.

I traded in my multimedia deadlines and camera interviewing skills for a new opportunity. Websites are my passion. Websites are created in IT. I go where the websites are.

Image courtesy http://balancedscorecard.org/

But that's where things get a bit tricky.

Like my initial struggle to follow the litany of acronyms and the ITIL certification that I struggle to complete. The first time I was asked what the Deming cycle was, I responded with, "A setting that does not exist on my washing machine." Not that I'm trying to make light of the importance of the lifecycle process, there's just an interesting learning curve when you're used to SWOT, PMS, CPM and HIPPO in daily conversation.

I do, however, understand the importance of technology in a government setting and how customers expect services to be available to them 24/7. Long story short; I'm where I want to be at this point in my career.

But every now and again I pull a strange-ass maneuver that goes down in the books as a reference point for why my coworkers enjoy my being in their arena.

It's called entertainment value.

Case and point. During a meeting today I heard what was presumed to be incessant knocking on the conference room door. At first we all looked at each other waiting to see who would make the first move. With my mad social skills and over-eager personality, I decided to get up and let whomever was knocking into the room.

When I whisked open the door. It was promptly met with a "thud."

The noise was the force of my hand forcing the door into the carpet guy's head. It wasn't knocking we were hearing at all. It was the sound of the carpet guy installing the baseboard strip NEXT TO THE DOOR.

Squealing, I jumped back with many apologies as my coworkers looked on in amazement. "I am SO SORRY! You thought you were here to lay baseboard, instead you got hit in the head!"

After awkwardly backing up to let the door close, I sauntered back to the conference room table and sat staring at the rest of the group, speechless. One of my coworkers piped up, "I nominate Dani to open the door....always."

Which was followed up with, "You know why we keep you down here right? Entertainment value."

"This is your peace of mind Jen, and I'm going to pop it....but I'm not going to tell you when.......http://www.sleazeroxx.com/)

Yup, I just might be Jen.

But you know what? I'll take it. Because at the end of the day, when you take yourself too seriously, it's a long and lonely trip out of this ride called life.

Incoming!

Dear Google,

Thanks for keeping the Vertical Inhibitor intact.....since 2009. I haven't forgotten you, in fact I hadn't really missed you, until recently.

But after a lengthy and inspiring conversation centered about the "why" that has been staring me in the face, I'm coming back. And I'm doing so with a vengeance.

Have I thought about

• The right thing?
• Unapologetically putting myself out for the world to see?
• Standing on top of the mountain and screaming?
• All of the fun we can have?

The answer is yes. I'll move forward with sharing the clumsy, the funny, the moving, the harsh and the little demon that sits on one shoulder egging me on just to "see what happens."

Why? 

I'll tell you.

In the words of one of the the most beautiful woman I've known who's memory I cherish every day, "She believed she could so she did."

So I will. 

Summer adventures abound

Where have I been?

A little bit here:














Antelope Island, SLC, UT. I'm quickly developing a fondness for this place, some pretty good ST and beautiful scenery.


And here:




















Yellow Fork Trail, Oquirrh Mountain area UT. Nice and steep. However, it's a shared trail with horses - which combined with rainy weather can lead to copious amounts of horse poop and mud getting jammed in SPD pedals - hence the 'turtle' action in this pic.


And here:




















Peek-a-boo Slot Canyon, Escalante UT. My first attempt at canyoneering. Ever. Gorgeous, but this trip was a bit scary for me. Looking forward to another attempt at climbing around in slot canyons to see how I fare.

And, very briefly, here...




















Another nice shot from Escalante, UT at the Spooky slot canyon entrance...


I do feel compelled to write about my summer adventures, but when it comes to writing my stories, I find myself driven to the outdoors rather than the computer screen. So I give to you the ADHD method of documentation. That's right, PICTURES! And thanks to my good friend, Jared Hargrave, video.

When I take the time to slow down a bit, I'll do a better job of telling you about where the good stuff is; because trust me - I'm finding it. In the meantime, surf my links.

Today's lesson, "B"

It occurred to me this weekend while peddling up switchbacks on Antelope Island, that this season, all my favorite things start with the letter "B."

1. Bikes
2. Beers
3. Boy (Jason, of course!)
4. BBQ
5. Beauty

It makes for a very nice mantra as I'm plodding along through life.

Staying Alive - with Mike

I've blogged about Mike before. He's part hero, part funky but mostly a good excuse to party like a chicken with your head cut off. Literally.

I wasn't going to miss Mike the Headless Chicken Festival this year. Too many years had passed since I had stood in the square outside city hall to "celebrate a long history of open minds."

The air in Fruita was a sweet mix of Russian Olive trees, desert dust and cheap beer, but the festive vibe of hundreds of people gathered for disco influenced line dancing with a man in a chicken suit was the perfect backdrop for the eclectic experience this town is known for....It was good to be home.

I sat back and reminisced with Sally, my talented aunt who is one of the founders of the festival and the hired guns behind the artistic themes for each year, trying to guess how many Peeps would be consumed and how the festival has grown. Stopping buy Mike's Store, I made sure to pick up a Mike Wear tank top with the official USDA Funky Chicken Grade trademark stamp.

My camera did not make the trip this year, so I was forced to try and capture the evening with my trusty iPhone. The results, not as I'd hoped.

But even if I did have a commercial grade camera at my side, this is an experience that could never be captured with a lens. This trip is a must do.

And if you are going to venture to Fruita to celebrate Mike, do yourself a favor and take your bike to experience the best mountain biking in the west. Or go see my friends at Over the Edge Sports and rent one. You'll be glad you did.