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Syracuse

#MeToo

November 30, 2017 by Rachel 20 Comments

I’ve gone back and forth about publishing this since the original #MeToo movement started. Truthfully, there are about a million other holiday-themed posts I should be posting right now. But this is just too important to put off for any longer.

A part of me hasn’t wanted to share this story because, well, it’s hard revisiting some of these things, ya know? Because once I opened the floodgates in my memory, the memories came pouring back in. And there are plenty of #MeToo memories.

But in light of some of the recent allegations of men in positions of power, I decided to finally share the one story that feels most similar.

...in light of some of the recent allegations of men in positions of power, I decided to finally share the one story that feels most similar. #MeToo Click To Tweet

In 2005, while I was still an undergrad, I started a sales job at a large cable company in Syracuse, New York. I loved my job, I loved the people I was working with, and I loved being part of a team. Oh — the excellent money and full benefits were a huge perk! I was leaps and bounds ahead of the job game with a ‘real job’ before graduation!

At the time I lived in a small 1.5 bedroom apartment by myself. Well, my puppy, Oscar, lived with me, too. I would wake up at 4am, go to the gym for two hours, head home before going to class, and go straight from class to my job until 10pm. I had weekends free and, since I was in my early 20s at the time, would head out with friends after work to the local pub on occasion. Basically, I was living the 20-something dream.

Since I was a non-traditional undergrad, many of my friends came from work instead of school. It was no big deal, but most of my friends were also about 5-10 years older than me.

Well one night I had a couple of friends over for wine and laughs — one school friend (female) and one work friend (male). Eventually my girlfriend had to leave to go see her boyfriend. Again, no big deal. Well minutes later, while hanging with my male friend, I had a knock on my door.

It was a male supervisor from the sales department.

He was not invited.

He looked up my address in our work billing system.

He drove to my house.

My (male) work friend and I were… shocked. I didn’t know what to do. The supervisor asked if he could come in and just hang out while he was waiting for his friends to meet up. Again, intimidated, I didn’t know what to do. So I let him in.

The supervisor asked if he could use my laptop real quick to look something up about where he was meeting his friend. I said sure.

He didn’t look up his meeting spot. He looked up porn instead.

At this point I pretended to be really exhausted and nodded to my male friend like “Dude, please get him to leave.” So my male friend suggested to the supervisor that they both leave so I could get some sleep. They both left. My male friend waited with his car running so that he could come back in and check on me, but the supervisor just waited in his car with it running, too.

My friend drove off in hopes that the supervisor would follow.

He didn’t.

He walked back up the stairs and let himself in my apartment (which I hadn’t had a chance to lock yet, as I was ‘playing asleep.’).

He came into my bedroom.

He whispered in my ear.

I pretended to still be asleep.

And I’m lucky that he thought I was asleep and decided to leave.

And I'm lucky that he thought I was asleep and decided to leave. #MeToo Click To Tweet

I’m one of the lucky ones.

But I was shaken. Visibly shaken. I called my friends and told them what happened and they were baffled.

One of them gossiped about it at work and told my coworker, Tracey. Tracey went to HR for me. I am so grateful for this gossip, because I don’t know if I would have had the courage to do so myself.

HR took swift action. They questioned me. So did the VP of the department. They made me feel safe.

But the rest of my coworkers lashed out at me. They didn’t understand why I would “try to get him in trouble.” All they saw was that *I* was doing this to *him*.

In the end, he was fired. He had to face his wife and make up some lie about how he got fired for throwing a beach ball at someone and they complained (no joke — this was his story for his [eventual] ex-wife).

But the backlash continued for me for a while. It made going into work — a place I considered to be fun and safe — a nightmare. The taunting, the verbal harassment, and the workplace discomfort was awful. I eventually transferred.

All of this is to say that my #MeToo story had a semi-happy ending with a not-as-traumatic beginning. Things could have gone way worse. But it’s still sickening that these stories are all too common. Heck, it’s likely happened to someone you know and gone unreported. Or maybe to you?

We need to continue to speak up. Certainly not all men are guilty of these crimes; but almost all women are the recipients of them. Because offenders are often repeat offenders. They use power and position to keep us quiet.

But I urge you to speak up. Speak up and speak out. Be loud. Tell your story. Heck, tell your stories — as uncomfortable as they may be. The only way to stop this is to bring attention to it as it’s happening.

Because I don’t want the next generation to be able to say #MeToo.

Because I don't want the next generation to be able to say #MeToo. Click To Tweet

Thank you for listening. xo ♥ ♥ ♥

For statistics on harassment see here. 

Filed Under: activisim, beliefs, feminism, health, life, Syracuse Tagged With: #MeToo, activism, beliefs, feminism, health, health and beauty, life, mental health, Syracuse

5 iPhone apps I’m loving right now.

February 5, 2015 by Rachel 2 Comments

A girl and her iPhone are never apart. Am I right!? As someone seeking balance, I try not to have too many unnecessary apps downloaded on my phone. Yep, I’m one of those nearly OCD people who clears out apps and keeps them in nice little “folders.” If only I was that organized with my physical things! Ha!

But really, it’s so simple to get lost in the neverending sea of apps. Here are my fave 5 apps right now!

    1. Podcasts. I can only listen to SO MUCH music. I find talk radio soothing. And I like my mind to be stimulated while I’m running or driving. We all have favorite podcasts. I, myself, have like 18 favorite podcasts. I suppose it’s a good thing I have a lot of running to do these days.
      podcasts

 

    1. Road ID. It leaves “e-crumbs” to keep you safe in outdoor runs. You’re able to set up notifications, or “e-crumbs,” to be sent to friends/family to keep them updated as to where you are. It has a stationary alert so that if you are stopped for 5 or more minutes, it sends out an alert to your friends. We have had several runner attacks in the last year and this app makes me feel so much better on my solo runs! But in general I prefer to run with a partner.
      roadID

 

    1. Life 360. At this point it may seem as if I’m obsessed with safety, but we recently had our home security system installed and it includes Life 360. In our area and climate, you can never be too safe. Sure, it’s a safe area; but what if you run off of a snowy road and don’t have access to your phone to call someone for help? Where that’s where Life360 comes in. It’s location-based and doesn’t require a subpoena or court order to find someone. And you can personalize alerts
      life360

 

    1. Plowz and Mowz. I found out about this app at random. But it is my newest saving grace. We are just so far south in Northeast Ohio that we don’t get the snowbelt snow, but we get some snow. (PS. This is totally weird to me. I grew up in an area that gets crazy amounts of snow; and I went to school in Buffalo & Syracuse, which get crazy amounts of snow. When I lived in New York, I always had someone to plow my driveway every day. Every.DAY. That’s crazy! I’m so happy to live in a place that gets less snow… but still a significant amount. So just a couple of times this year we have “ordered” we have been satisfied with our driveway clearing services! 🙂PS. Here’s a $20 off code for your first plow — use code Y5H515 to get $20 off! That’s right – our first plow was only $10! TWENTY DOLLARS OFF!
      plowz

 

    1. Camera. Simple, easy, and my way of documenting life. Yeah, I post a LOT of personal stuff on Instagram, Twitter, and FB. But honestly? I take a LOT of photos on my phone. And video, for that matter. Moosh is always doing something cute and I’m always trying to document it.
      iphone camera

 

That’s it. It’s simple. Well, kind of. We all know there are photo apps and whatnot. And obvy GMail runs my life. But these apps? THESE are what run my life. 🙂

Filed Under: bloggers, goodies, life, Ohio, review, running, social media, Syracuse, Twitter Tagged With: bloggers, life, links, New York, ohio, review, running, social media, Syracuse, twitter

officially almost there.

April 23, 2010 by Rachel 13 Comments

It’s official.
I am no longer a part of corporate America!
Today was my last day.
I cried.
Partly because I was sad. Mostly because I am excited.
Leaving today signifies this huge step that I’m ready to take in my life.

One more sleep until BF comes to Syracuse.
For the last time.

But before he gets here, I’ll be going out with some friends for happy hour.
Before that I have a gazillion errnads to run.
And things to get ready for our trip to Maine.
We leave on Monday.

Part of the awesomeness that is was being in sales for a big company is the perks.
Some of our perks were incentives.
Based on sales performance, you get points.
Points get you, well, stuff.
Luckily my points came through just a few hours before my final moments.
And boy did I order stuff.
Stuff which included a Clarisonic Skin Care Plus:

{Image here}
And a BOSU Balance Trainer:
{image here}
And three different Philosophy products.
As well as Lacoste cologne {for BF, obviously}.
& a Harry & David box of treats!

Speaking of Harry & David.
Have you ever had one of their pears?
Even if you’re not a pear person.
Which I wasn’t.
Try one.
Oh.

My.
Stars.
Amazing.

Filed Under: friends, goodies, job, life, links, Syracuse

my weekend wrap up.

April 19, 2010 by Rachel 11 Comments

I had an awesome weekend.

Friday night I went out for Mexican food & margaritas–YUM!

Needless to say, I was asleep before 9PM. You might think it’s super lame, but it was the highlight of my week!

Saturday I woke up before 8AM slept in! It was incredible. I spent the morning relaxing & packing up boxes.

Saturday afternoon I took a little adventure with Emily to Rochester {PS. You should totally check out Em’s blog! She has a great sense of style & is always posting great gluten-free vegan recipes!}.

We went to Breathe, a Baptiste power studio {the type of yoga I practice in Ohio}, to do a little shopping at the Lululemon boutique and take a class.

Technically I was shopping for my new job, so I felt absolutely zero buyers remorse for my purchases!

{Wunder Under Crop Pant}

{Power Y Tank}


After our class we ate the most delicious food from their cafe! Exactly what my body was craving after class.


It was so nice to spend some time with Em, and to go to a yoga class with someone. I almost always end up going to classes alone {with the exception of, like 3 classes total}. It’s nice to know that the person next to you has your back 🙂


After my busy little Saturday, I was beat! I passed the heck out was asleep by 10 PM {which is relatively late for me!}.


This morning I drove all the way to Erie, Pennsylvania {a 3 and a half hour drvie from Syracuse} to meet my dad & trade vehicles with him {I had his car for a week while he repaired something on mine & I packed his up with a lot of my belongings}.


Now I am truly exhausted. Seven hours of driving in one day is far too much! But I know that this will all be over soon {the moving that is}.


So I’d say it was an absolutely successful weekend!

Filed Under: Baptiste Power Yoga, food, friends, Lululemon, Rochester, Syracuse, weekend, yoga

weekend plans? no plans = perfection

February 26, 2010 by Rachel 12 Comments

Thank Goodness It’s Friday {even though I’m snowed in and BF can’t make it up this weekend as planned. not that I’m complaining. Kind of.}

Like every week, this week has had it’s challenges. I’m still restricted from the gym, which has been insanely difficult. And last night we got slammed with snow. Like pretty much seven inches by the time I got home from work {and a foot & a half overnight last night}. But that turned out to be the least of my worries because Oscar puppy had an accident in the house {for the record, this is not at all like my little angel, so I fear something may be wrong with him. Fourth time in 6 weeks. I’ve made an appointment with a vet later today. hope my little man gets better.}.

After I cleaned up the mess, I went downstairs to battle the snow shovel my walkway and driveway. For those who don’t live in the arctic that is known as Syracuse places that get tons of snow, you may not be familiar with the kind of snow that is super wet and heavy. This kind of snow? Not my friend. I shoveled the seven to eight inches of snow on my walkway {just to get to my driveway} but I wasn’t getting anywhere.

In comes my newest hero… my neighbor, with his snow blower, to save the day. What would have taken me {literally} hours to do, and he just did it in 3 minutes. I’m so grateful to the kindness of people. For real.

Now that I’m sure I’ll be mostly snowed in this weekend, I have planned to do much of the following:

Sleep.

Watch movies. {on my to watch list: Law Abiding Citizen & Jesus Camp}

Pack up my belongings into boxes. {I dread this, but it must be done!}

Sleep more. {this is obviously a given}

Take care of Oscar puppy {this includes a lot of playing and snuggling}.

Read both books & blogs.

Bake some treats for my kind neighbor who cleared my driveway.

Talk to BF via Gmail video chat. {next best thing, I suppose}

Take a nice, long, relaxing, Lush Bath Bomb bath. {note: my new place doesn’t have a tub! must use these bath bombs quickly!}

So what are your weekend plans, kids?

Filed Under: baking, BF, Oscar, Syracuse, weather, weekend

{weekend wrap up & mantra}

February 22, 2010 by Rachel 11 Comments

Happy Monday to all (or something like that)! I had a super low-key weekend. Which is always nice. I did manage to take a picture of the new apartment I will be moving into mid-March! So here’s your sneak peak:


So yeah, that’s not my stuff in it. I was going over to measure the windows. Thank goodness I did because there are SO many! I’m really excited. Can you tell!?

Ok, without further ado, here is this weeks Monday Mantra! Enjoy your week!
This week will test me. I know it.

I believe in the power of thinking positively!

I’m addicted to sleep. I always will be.

I wish for a good, relatively stress-free week!

I’m jealous of people who are not supposed to get hammered with a crapload of snow this week.

Soundtrack/Mantra for the week: “Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” -Oprah


Filed Under: apartment, mantra, Syracuse, weekend

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