typical story

It goes like this: my group decides to go out to lunch. Everyone puts on their jackets (and scarves, now) and heads downstairs. While we wait in the lobby for everyone to gather, I realize that in our 10-person circle I'm once again the only girl; mostly, I realize this during lunch time because I never notice how short I am compared to the rest of them until we're all standing up and not sitting at our cubicles any more. I also notice because lunch time is when everyone starts talking about Dave Chapelle, and suddenly the conversation is totally lost on me.

The strange thing is, banking isn't hugely gender-imbalanced anymore. There are plenty of females in the field - just not in FIG (financial institutions, which is the sector I cover). There are also plenty of Asians in banking - again, just not in FIG. It's very strange.

Anyway, I've started making a mental list of recurring conversation topics which I can contribute exactly zero to:

- Dave Chapelle (as previously mentioned)
- Baseball
- Having a wife
- Sharktopus
- Fishing
- Fox News anchors

first ever m&a deal

Tells you something about how bad the markets have been that I haven't worked on a single (successful) M&A deal since starting over a year ago.

But my first one announced over night (after business close in Japan). Sometime when I am not late for work I will relay the more amusing anecdotes that came out of it.

But yay!!

Quora Community Party

Bumping party last night for the Quora community.

Great venue, well-stocked open bar, awesome people.
A somewhat meager but nevertheless fun attempt at a dance floor.
Lots of tech dudes but a surprisingly good turnout from the ladies too.
Only one awkward attempt at a pick-up! ("looking for a smart and nerdy girl who likes science"... gee thanks)

I seem to have lost my ability to write in complete sentences, so pardon my fragments :)

a five minute analysis of nyc

Favorites:
- Infinite number of good brunch places, feeding my infinite love for brunch
- Walking proximity of most of the places where I spend my time...even if it's sometimes a long walk
- All girls dress well
- Central Park
- Free museums!

Least favorites:
- Overpriced groceries
- Multi-hour lines for any remotely popular event
- Trash bags lined up on the curb at night

hi from the delinquent one

I am here to report that the ranks of my lovely startup have swelled to 13, and very excitingly that includes a second female engineer! My life has gotten, oh, maybe 10x better since she showed up.

friday nights

Friday nights used to be the night to go out. I remember during training, and in fact for the first six months I lived in NYC, how psyched everyone was when Friday finally came around. The first-year population counted down the hours from 9am until 9pm on Friday, when they could change into short dresses and bring out the cross-over purses, and head out for a night on the town.

I'm not sure when that ended - maybe when winter rolled around - but by now I can't even remember the last time I really went OUT on a Friday. These days Fridays are no longer the beginning of the weekend, but are the end of a week - a time to relax and unwind after a long five days. Typical activities = burgers in the park, a beer or two at a bar, a walk through half the city. No more clubs, dressing up, staying out late. A few hours of conversation with good friends, and that's about it. No one is ashamed to call it an early night on Fridays.

I think I like that.

ps. someone poke Tracy and tell her to post :)

the day after vacation

At least 3 people came up to me today and asked, "Don't you feel depressed being back at the office after being away for a week?"

Depressed? Not really. The worst day was last Friday, when I was relaxing at home just thinking about how much work I had to catch up on and how I'd have to hit the ground running again come Monday at 8:30am. That was depressing. But once I got back here it wasn't so bad. I kind of forget already what vacation was like.

Everyone is pretty grumpy in the office right now though. I think the lack of summer is starting to catch up...summers are supposed to be relatively light work-wise, but this summer has been a doozy.