AMA

minskat30

Ok, I'm really sick and tired of looking up Christmas present ideas.  I've never done an AMA so shoot.  Also, if anyone has any good ideas for warm places to get away to for a long weekend kind of trip, could you let me know?  Its H's 40th birthday at the end of March so I could splurge and combine his Christmas/birthday present but I don't have a ton of vacation time (a weekend buttressed by two days would be it) because of my sucky maternity leave.  This may be a lame AMA since its already the afternoon but what the hell. 

labro

Charleston!!!!!

How did you meet your H?

Will you send me a sari if I'm your SS next year?

Any name ideas yet for Baby Minskat?

Swazzle

Miami! New Orleans! Savannah! 

When I become president and shorten the work week, would you prefer Monday becomes a part of the weekend or Friday? So a Tues-Fri or a Mon-Thurs work week?

What shoes are you wearing? 

What's your favorite and least favorite things about being pregnant?

What are you having for dinner tonight?

minskat30

Actually not a bad idea, @labro - I've never been to Charleston.  I was hoping for some place warm to hot and we'd probably go around the end of February/beginning of March.  Is the weather ok then?

How did you meet your H?
-H and I met at Webster's Wine Bar in Chicago.  Well, we actually met on Match.  I always forget if I told this story but I was browsing profiles while working and one of my friends from work barged into my office (she is known to barge), saw what I was doing and demanded I open my screen back up.    She saw H's picture...he had winked at me but not written a message so I was all "I don't know, that seems lazy to not bother to write anything".  She told me that was what her H had done on Match and I should wink back because she wanted to go to an Indian wedding.  I did, he wrote a thoughtful message, I replied, we talked then we met at Websters.  

Will you send me a sari if I'm your SS next year?
-You bet I will.  I won't be able to help you get it on though...I can't put them on myself.  My MIL is making my wedding rehearsal sari into a lengha so its easier for me to wear. 

Any name ideas yet for Baby Minskat?
-H and I haven't discussed it really.  I think we are waiting on gender.  Its going to be a little hard with our two cultures to find a middle ground.  I love Caryn for a girl (my grandmother was Karen and she pronounced it Car-ryn).  H likes it too.  We both like Karan for a boy too (pronounced more Car-rahn)

labro

Charleston is beautiful that time of year!! Late Feb./early March is still pre-heavy tourist season so hotel prices are a bit lower, but the weather is warm without all the excessive humidity.

wink0erin

When @labro said Charleston I got all excited since that's my city. Except I don't live in South Carolina.  

I did a long weekend in Savannah in August and loved it! I'll put in a vote for Sarasota, FL because it's one of my favorite towns. 

What is your favorite musical?

How many states have you visited?

Name three countries you'd like to visit (that you haven't visited yet).

minskat30

@swazzle - ohh, Miami might be fun.  I never think of places to go in the U.S. since we always go to Mexico.  I've never been to Miami.  

When I become president and shorten the work week, would you prefer Monday becomes a part of the weekend or Friday? So a Tues-Fri or a Mon-Thurs work week?
-I'm going with Tuesday - Friday.  H has Monday's off so I'd like to spend them with him.

What shoes are you wearing? 
-None...I'm home and in socks and PJs with Rajah by my feet.  

What's your favorite and least favorite things about being pregnant?
-Least: No wine, hands down.  I miss wine.
-Favorite: I think it still feels new to me and I'm still a little in awe of it, honestly.  I can't get over the idea that another little person is actually growing inside of me.  I think once I start to feel kicking it will become more real.  

What are you having for dinner tonight?
-Chicken stir fry with rice.  Or a chicken salad.  I haven't decided yet for sure.

jenna8984

Do what I do on a boring work day...pinterest the shit out of recipes!

Favorite movie theater snack?

Are you finding out the sex of the baby? Did you & H agree on that decision right away or did one of you need coaxing?

Shoe size?

Worst grade you got in a class/ which class?

If you could move to any city (jobs and money no object) which would you choose?

minskat30

@TwoDimes

How many babies do you want? How many babies does H want? Whose opinion is more important?
-I want two.  H would be ok with one or two.  My opinion is clearly more important.    We have talked about having this one and then maybe adopting a second one as well.

What is your dream job? (Assume money doesn't matter)
-Would I be good/successful at it?  If so, actress.  I loved acting and singing growing up and throughout high school and college.  I'd hate to be an out-of-work actress though.  If I had no guaranty I'd be good at it, I would love to own a tiki bar in Ixtapa Mexico.  I'm good at pouring drinks.  

What is your biggest regret?
-Well, its long but you asked.  I sort of screwed things up for myself when I was going out for the Rhodes Scholarship.  I made it pretty far in the process but my grandmother was very sick and I had been taking care of her with my parents for about 7 years at that point.  I didn't want her to die alone and I pretty purposefully made it clear to my interview panel that I didn't want the scholarship if they weren't 100% certain I was the right candidate.  That was a terrible thing to say to them and I felt like I had the interview in the bag until then (but who knows).  She ended up passing a few months later before I would have even left for England had I gotten it. Sadly she also passed right after I had left the hospital (I spent my spring break in the hospital with her and she passed about two hours after I left to go back to school).  I was honestly WAY more upset about leaving that night before she passed than the scholarship but I regret both.  

minskat30

@wink0erin

What is your favorite musical?
-Phantom of the Opera, hands down.  I memorized the entire soundtrack at one point.

How many states have you visited?
-Gah, I've never counted.  I pulled up a map and I think its about 27 states.

Name three countries you'd like to visit (that you haven't visited yet).
-Uganda has always been on my bucket list (to see the mountain gorillas).  Bora Bora and Indonesia are on that list too.

minskat30

@jenna8984 - ETA - Fixed formatting

Favorite movie theater snack?-Popcorn with lots of butter.  No shame.
Are you finding out the sex of the baby? Did you & H agree on that decision right away or did one of you need coaxing?-We are finding out.  H didn't want to but he caved eventually on that decision (I negotiate for a living after all).    There is no way I could not not find out...I need all the information about this baby NOW as it is and have no patience.
Shoe size?-7 1/2.  
Worst grade you got in a class/ which class?-I was a very good student.  College was a 3.97 GPA (one damn class I got an A- in).  I don't think I've ever gotten anything lower than a B- honestly.  I think it was in law school...likely Civil Procedure or some other deathly boring class.  I remember the moment I got my first D on a paper though.  I was in 3rd grade and we had those desks where the top opened up and you could store your stuff in the base of the desk.  I got my paper back and promptly put my head in the base of the desk, closed the top and started sobbing.  It was pathetic and the teacher felt terrible and ended up consoling me.  
If you could move to any city (jobs and money no object) which would you choose?-Anywhere in the world?  I love Ixtapa, Mexico and would move there in a heartbeat.  H and I would love to retire around there.  In the U.S.?  I adore Austin.  I went to law school there and didn't have nearly as much fun as I should have because I was such a good student.  Its a great city. 

wink0erin

minskat30 said:

Worst grade you got in a class/ which class?

-I was a very good student.  College was a 3.97 GPA (one damn class I got an A- in).  I don't think I've ever gotten anything lower than a B- honestly.  I think it was in law school...likely Civil Procedure or some other deathly boring class.  I remember the moment I got my first D on a paper though.  I was in 3rd grade and we had those desks where the top opened up and you could store your stuff in the base of the desk.  I got my paper back and promptly put my head in the base of the desk, closed the top and started sobbing.  It was pathetic and the teacher felt terrible and ended up consoling me.  

speakeasy14

@minskat30 we booked our vacation through Cheap Caribbean, it was 4 days & 3 nights. Or you could come to Pennsylvania and go to one of our awesome indoor waterparks.

My questions will be in the form of gifs... I expect responses to be the same:

bethsmiles

What was your favorite part of your wedding? Anything you would change?

Favorite ice cream flavor?

minskat30

@speakeasy14 - Oh my actual Lord.  The GIF questions are hilarious.

-Do you know the muffin man?



-Mary's little lamb....



-Two Witches with watches...



-Favorite color...



Woodchuck..

minskat30

@bethsmiles -

What was your favorite part of your wedding? Anything you would change?

-That moment right after we got married we just sort of looked at each other like..."Hey! We did it!"....we were so happy.  Photographer sort of caught it here...  



Plus H kissed me three times instead of once.  Since that's my "thing" I thought it was pretty sweet but he probably doesn't even realize he did it.  

-I think I would have been far less stressed leading up to the wedding if I knew how much the little things didn't end up mattering (seating charts, RSVP drama, etc.) but I don't think I would change anything that day (at least anything that I could have changed within the realm of possibility).  

Favorite ice cream flavor?

-Mint chocolate chip with whip cream.

bethsmiles

@minskat30 - aw, your favorite moment is so sweet

AuroraRose41

Super late again but here goes. Normally I would recommend San Diego/SoCal, but it has been freezing here lately thanks to El Nino. Seriously, it's colder here than in NY at night recently (and sometimes during the day too!). 

Anyways, just one question (as someone contemplating it still): What made you decide to go into law?

minskat30

@AuroraRose41 - I thought about taking H back to San Fran (it was our first trip together as a couple).  He loves California and lived there for several years.  I'm sorry the weather has been uncooperative of late.  

As to law?  My grandmother told me "You are going to be a lawyer or a doctor, choose" and I believed her.  She always had high aspirations for me (I'm the first in my family to go to college, much less graduate-level school).  I took AP Chemistry in high school and hated it and was worried how I could get through years and years of science to come if I went the doctor route so I just ended up doing law.  I think I took the easy way out...the reading load never bothered me, I loved the logic and reasoning and, while I hated (and I don't use that word lightly) some of the people I had to go to school with/work with/work for, I have the type of personality that can adjust to crisis-management well.  As I type that out, I realize that is a terrible reason to go to law school though.  I'll warn you now, if you are a people pleaser (I can be), big law is not a great choice.  I practiced in big law for almost 8 years and I agonized constantly over how there was no way to please some of the people I worked with/for.  Some of them (usually the most successful) were down right terrible people.  

What are the pros/cons in your contemplation of law right now?

AuroraRose41

@minskat30 it's funny you say that. You pretty much listed the cons I am worried about to a T. I am a people pleaser, and run into a lot of not being able to please everyone in my current job now (and I absolutely hate it). In fact, I think I like the actual engineering work, but the politics are really turning me off from continuing to do this for the rest of my life. 

That, and I don't want to switch careers and go through (and pay for) 3-4 more years of school just to end up feeling the same way I do now (love the work, hate the politics). The pros are that I love the work, and think I would be really good at it, and could potentially double my current salary with the field of law I want to go into (IP/Patents). Plus, apparently there is a huge demand for lawyers with my background (EE) in IP law.

minskat30

@aurorarose41 - People pleasing is agonizing in big law.  Not to trash big law completely but I knew very few partners who I would look at and respect/admire.  Very few.  I think that ended up being one of my biggest problems in law...if I couldn't admire the people  I was supposed to look up to and aspire to be, what the hell was I doing?  

I will say, the atmosphere is likely better at a mid-size firm and I know it is better in-house.  I really respect a lot of my colleagues at my in-house job now.  Politics are inevitable in any legal department though.  No getting away from that unfortunately.  While in-house jobs are hard to swing right out of law school, with your IP background you might stand a better chance.  IP lawyers are not thick on the ground so there is a high demand for qualified ones.

The money/time drain is rough though the money draw on the flip side is hard to deny.  Time drain you can't get around but are scholarships an option for you?  I went to UT-Austin and they offered me a scholarship of in-state tuition (vs out-of-state, which I was) plus a few other scholarships... the loans weren't too horrifying at the end.    Again, however, I knew I was going to go into big law (with all its stress, no one can deny it is big pay too) so I felt comfortable with that risk.  

Let me know if you ever want to bounce ideas/concerns/thoughts around.  I'm happy to help.