Tara Hunt
knows what it's like to fade into the background if one has a
partner in crime. I don't really have that problem, probably because
people are, like, “Ooh! a girl!” Kinda.

I like being a girl. I like turning up to tech conferences in dresses
and earrings. I like hacking my computer T-shirts into something with
more style. I like being me.

I like sneaking into tech get-togethers like the Linux Users Group or
Ruby Users Group without worrying about technical credibility. I blend
in. I'm part of the woodwork. People will just assume that I'm
someone's girlfriend.

I like playing up my social aspect. I like connecting with people.
Most people find it hard to reach out. They think it's easier for me
because I'm a girl. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. Maybe I just use
being a girl as an excuse to get over my nervousness. =)

If I have to bat my eyelashes at people and bribe them with homemade
cookies, so be it.

If I have to jolt people out of their stereotypes by asking
well-thought questions, I do so with great gusto.

If I have to bring out my laptop and do some console work in front of
them to show them I've got the chops, fine.

And when the shadows in my head whisper that I'm not as good as the
others, not as geeky as the others, I drown them in Emacs Lisp. ;)