#Ladyboss

Yesterday I felt like a #Girlboss (or #Ladyboss, if we want to be a bit more flattering).

A few weeks ago I was asked to step in for a presenter at a seminar for an industry group meeting. Did it take a few people saying "no" for them to end up with me? Obviously. I nailed it, though. Not to toot my own horn, but people were engaged, they laughed at my jokes, and I networked like a champ. This isn't why I felt like a #Ladyboss, though. (Is the hashtag getting annoying? Too bad.)

I declared the day a success because I stepped far outside of my comfort zone and did something I felt completely unsuited for.

About a Boy

I've been in London for a bit over two weeks now. I find myself settling in, falling into patterns, and enjoying my new normal. For several months I've been anticipating the panic to set in, realizing the magnitude of what I am doing, and to freak out just a little. It hasn't happened yet, so I'm just going to go with it.

The KU Big Read program has punctuated my first few weeks here. Essentially, Kingston University sent every first year graduate student, staff member, and incoming freshman a copy of About a Boy by Nick Hornby (a KU alumnus). Nearly 12,000 specially printed copies were distributed with lots of social media chatter, pictures on Twitter tagged with #kubigread, and events on campus. One of my lecturers developed KU Big Read (this being the inaugural year) and, as a publishing student, we received lots of information about the program prior to arriving on campus. It was a great, natural conversation starter with my new classmates, and it encouraged me to read a book I may not have picked up otherwise.