Hettie’s Reflections – Blog Posts

A Busy Monday

Monday ended up being another overloaded day. There was a lot to do at work (no missed workday goes unpunished!), and I also needed to visit our prospective conference site (planned for 2027). I loved it when I visited for the first time, and now that another Organizational committee member was in town, I wanted to show it to him.

He also loved it and shared my excitement, so I think we made up our minds for the next season, although we still need to make sure this year’s conference is a success 🙂

Later on Monday, I went to pick up the first batch of conference t-shirts. I’ve under-estimated how far the place was from the Roosevelt Red Line, so it took me way longer than I planned (and I still needed to see my mom afterwards).

Still, I am so happy that I could feel and touch them!

And here is a Prairie Postgres Elephant – our future speaker’s gift!

The best thing happened when I finally got home: a letter from the Illinois AG office informed me that our organization it finally officially registered and can solicit donations in the State of Illinois!

Daylight Time Change After a Sleepless Night

I had an overnight flight from LA, and it was also a day of switching to DST, which resulted in a 3-hour time change. With the flight lasting less than four hours, I slept so little that my Apple watch didn’t even scream at me, but made a sad face: bad nights happen!

Also, I didn’t realize that the CTA was doing something on the Red Line Lake station, so when I exited the Blue Line at Washington, and walked to the Red Line, I found everything closed and a CTA worker explaining to me that I needed to return to the Blue Line exit, get out to the street and walk to Wabash where the Red Line was rerouted for a day. And if I knew, I could just get off at the previous stop and transfer! Another 30 min without breakfast 😂

Finally, I got home, ate breakfast at 9:30 AM, started laundry, talked to Boris, visited my Mom, and went for a short bike ride. Yea, I know!!! But that was not it!

I had a ticket to the Drowsy Chaperone at Theo that night, and I was going to go there with my friend MaryAnn, so there was no question of not going.

Don’t take me wrong, I liked the show, it was something very unexpected, and very well done, but MaryAnn was crazy about the show, and kept telling me how much she liked it. And I was happy that she was happy 🙂

Unfortunately (and as always!), they do not have any pictures and videos from the show yet, because it was just a preview weekend, but I will update this post later!

Educational Track at SCaLE: Listening to John “maddog” Hall Talk

Listening to John “maddog” Hall at SCaLE x23

Talking To People at SCaLE

This conference was very productive: I reconnected with many of my existing professional and personal contacts and established many new connections. I know very well that out of ten people who express interest in my projects and my conference, not more than one will end up coming back to me or participating in my events. Still, I need to talk to everyone, because that’s the only way to find new partners and allies.

It was work. Both days at the conference were work and work. Today, I spent more than 10 hours emailing and messaging people solely about conference-related topics: sponsorship, volunteering, promotion, and participation. I’m tired. My head is heavy. But I am happy I’ve expanded my network, and that I did it in real-life, not following the LinkedIn algorithm :).

It’s insanely difficult, but I am building trust and recognition, and I hope that all of this contributes to community building.

Super-interesting Article About Biking In Chicago in the 1890s

Read how Chicago became the manufacturing hub of the nation’s bicycle industry — a city that produced a quarter of all U.S. bikes and claimed more than 200,000 riders at the height of the boom. It was also a place where women defied social expectations on two wheels, and where cycling clubs organized one of the country’s first powerful transportation lobbies.

Full article here.

At SCaLE in Pasadena

This year, I came to SCaLE for two days only, and I am busier than ever! It’s nice, warm, and sunny outside, but I was barely out both days, trying to catch up with a couple of dozen people, building new connections, and doing the outreach.

That’s me talking at the educational track! But overall, I talked to way more people!

I am still at the conference, taking a Red Eye flight back to Chicago tonight!

Tax Returns Reflections

I know that the title sounds weird, to put it mildly, but let me explain.

Financially, I had very different periods in my life, both very high and very low, both while living in Russia and in the USA. I frequently think about how much it has changed in my life, and what things money can or can’t buy. When I was sitting at the Lyric Opera watching Così fan Tutte, I remembered how I was watching this opera for the first time, many years ago, at the same Lyric Opera House, but from somewhere very high above. It was the same opera, with a similarly funny and cynical Despina, but I could barely see what was going on onstage, while this time I could see the singer’s facial expressions. And even this upper balcony ticket was not an ordinary thing back then.

So what about tax returns? After two turbulent tax seasons, when, due to some planning mistakes, I ended up owing taxes, I ended the 2025 tax year with a sizable surplus, largely due to my total donations amount. And it’s not only about me having more to give, but also about me knowing what can be tax-deductible.

During my first two or three years in the US, I was able to take the kids to the Field Museum or Aquarium only once or twice a year. And if I had bought a family membership back then, it would have paid off in two visits, but I never had enough money “right now” to make the purchase.

Moreover, what I didn’t know back then, and even later, was that all these memberships were tax-deductible, so there are even more savings which I never tried to utilize.

The same goes for different benefit events. Not only are you paying for a fancy dinner at the fundraiser, but you can also claim a tax deduction, and I take advantage of these opportunities very often. For the past two weeks, I was contemplating “to go – not to go” for the Night Ministry Gala. I usually go, but this year, since it’s the 50th anniversary, the event will be held in Gerardy (the same place as our corporate Christmas party), and it costs three times as much as usual. After looking at the price tag for the third time, I was about to say no when I realized this ticket would be tax-deductible, which switched me to the “why not”? Still thinking 🙂

Also, the advantage of “buying in bulk.” It’s not only about buying larger packages of food, which makes each unit cheaper, but it also applies to cultural events and entertainment. Subscription tickets are significantly cheaper than single tickets, but the one-time subscription price is out of reach for many, if not most, people. I remember what it took me when I bought a CSO subscription for the first time – the cheapest tickets in the house, the last row of the gallery!

I guess the moral of the story is that it’s great that many Chicago museums have free days, many have free access for SNAP recipients, and that anyone can borrow a free family museum pass for a week at the Chicago Public Library. But it’s definitely not enough.

ACM Meetup, and What’s Next

Today was one of the rare occasions that I was able to attend an ACM meetup in person. Most of the time, they are scheduled at the last minute, and I almost certainly have conflicts (no matter how many times I ask to schedule in advance).

Today’s meetup was very interesting; the speaker talked about data visualization and appealed to the broadest possible audience. I believe we have his presentation slides available, and if so, I will share. For now, just two pictures as examples:

Tomorrow, I am going to Pasadena to SCaLE. Usually, I go there for three and a half days, but this time it will be just for two, and the number of people who want to meet with me definitely will not fit into these two days.

***

I do not want to repeat the same thing again, namely that the workload is unimaginable, but it is still the case. I had a very difficult problem at work, and I couldn’t figure it out all day yesterday. The problem was urgent, but even if it wasn’t, I won’t be able to stop thinking about it or trying to resolve it. I finally figured it out today, along with two other problems (but these ones were way easier).

When I was able to figure it out, there was nobody around who could share my joy, and no one wanted to listen to the details. I ended up calling Boris, although it was rather late for him, but at least he understood the level of my happiness – he knew how much I was annoyed by this problem.

There is no pleasure in the world that could be compared with a techinical puzzle being solved, I am convinced! At least, that’s true for me :). The most potent drug 🙂

The Day Iceland Stood Still

There was a free screening for the Gene Siskel Center members of this incredible movie, The Day Iceland Stood Still. I was in yet another work emergency, and would opt to skip if I didn’t have prior plans to go with a friend.

This documentary is so timely in many ways! It is yet another proof that everyone has to fight for their right, and that a good fight pays off :). Looking at Iceland nowadays, youwould never imagine that it was lagging in women’s rights until fairly recently! And what beautiful people all these women are! It was such a delight to listen to them share the memories of this day fifty years ago!

A documentary about women, made by women, and a message to all of us!