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Just another picture of flowers before I get too busy to blog.
I didn’t even have to go too far, as this tree is just outside our balcony. It was the last one to shed its bright red leaves in the autumn, and the first to show a white bloom now.
Sunny spring days make Cincinnati an almost bearable city. There are now blooming trees and daffodils all over the place, and the grass is green again. It’s nice to walk around and watch the colours. I hope I’ll get to see more of it, as the trees out of my windows will start showing some leaves.
However, the spring break is about the end, and in the past couple of days the weather has been getting grey and wet again. The next opportunity I will have to wonder around will probably be in June, when the flowers will be long gone and the air will be too hot to breath. Oh well… reality…
The morning after our holiday I started a new working week, waking up early in the morning every day. With Cincinnati being at the western end of the Eastern time zone, this meant that a sunrise out of my window is a common view.
The spring weekend we spent in Chicago was a very happy one, and it turns out we were not the only people thinking that way. This guy was strolling along the beach, playing his guitar and singing. He was either mad or happy – the latter option seems more suitable.
E. wrote his summary about Chicago today, with some pictures of the places we visited. I must admit that I agree with his conclusion on the last line of the post.
Finally, the winter quarter is over, the exams are behind me, and the sun is out (at least part of the time), to enable me to celebrate these facts. It was not an easy quarter. I’m happy to have all this behind me.
We took advantage of our short spring break and drove up to Chicago for a few days. The rest and a little bit of sightseeing were badly needed. It was great to finally relax, and enjoy the city. A city that had a noticeable skyline, indoor and outdoor art and real nightlife. I must admit that I did like the place, and I will be looking forward to visiting there again in the future.
A while ago I made a pledge to take part in the Ada Lovelace Day blogging. At the time, I only pledged because I thought it is a nice gesture for an important woman. Only later I realized how significant Ada was to what my life have become and to women in general. Ada was the first woman in technology, the first programmer and an intellectual, noted mathematical and analytical skills. Obviously, she was not afraid of trying new things, making her the first female geek long before being a geek was fashionable.
Since I consider myself to be a geek, I feel that if it wasn’t for Ada Lovelace there wouldn’t be women like me around. Ada’s abilities only prove the confidence women should have with technology, and that the hi-tech industry should have with women. Yet, for some reason, women are still a minority in the technology arena. I saw it in every company I worked for, and in every technical course I have ever attended, including the program to which I am enrolled now. I know more women that are afraid to “play around” with their computers than men, and it is something I cannot explain. Maybe the remnants of traditions that shouldn’t have existed in the first place.
I hope that this is the sign that the times are changing. Ada Lovelace may have been the first programmer, but she will not be the last woman to make her mark on the technology world. I am not arrogant enough to think that I will get such a title, but I do know a few women that deserve it.
In the last few days I’ve been seeing new blooms everywhere. They are hints of optimism during a harsh exams week. Looking forward to Friday
The horses are racing at Turfway Park. It’s beautiful, but I wonder if it is cruel. Are the horses happy?
