Kathleen McGivney

TriState LUG's next meeting, cookies included

As you may have noticed if you follow the TriState LUG Twitter feed (and you should!), there is a fantastic TriState LUG meeting coming up next Tuesday, July 21 in Newark, NJ, with great sessions by Akiba Saeedi about Sametime 8.5 and Declan Sciolla-Lynch about XPages. As you may also have noticed via recent blog posts by Jim and Mitch, an attendance challenge was issued. Somehow I got roped into baking cookies if 25 attendees registered, while Mitch merely has to don a tie if 50 attendees registered. I know how much you guys complain about ties, but I think it's at least slightly more effort to bake a few dozen cookies than it is to throw on a tie! At the next meeting, this disparity will have to be reconciled (Jim and Mitch, watch out)!

In any case, we already have over 25 non-IBM, non-organizer attendees registered, so it looks like I will be baking cookies on the day of the event and bringing them there for your enjoyment. I am currently planning to make chocolate chip (sans bacon, sorry bacon lovers!) and ginger butterscotch. I have been informed that chocolate chip cookies are mandatory, but I am flexible on the second cookie variety, so if you are attending, you may indicate your preferences in the comments from the following choices: ginger butterscotch, peanut butter, oatmeal toffee, or blondies (technically not a cookie, but hey! I'm accommodating like that). If I get no comments or there is a tie, it'll default back to the ginger butterscotch cookies, which is a pretty good deal if you ask me. They are delicious.

Be sure to register for the event - we need a list of names for building security - and we'll see you there. Feel free to leave cookie preferences in the comments, though revenge tactics for an attendance challenge for Jim and Mitch for the next meeting are welcome as well!

The TSA wants to know you better

I am a frequent traveler, and therefore I encounter the Transportation Safety Administration on a far more regular basis than I'd care to. I also frequent a number of frequent-traveler-related message boards, which is where I encountered this gem about TSA's Secure Flight Program. The following portion really caught my eye:

The second phase of Secure Flight begins August 15, 2009 when passengers will be required to enter their date of birth and gender when booking airline flights.

I'm sorry, but WHAT? I am going to be required to enter, along with my credit card number, my date of birth and gender? The only thing missing for complete identity theft is the SSN (but maybe I shouldn't say that, lest the TSA get the brilliant idea to require SSN for travel in their heads). Clearly, someone at the TSA is either really, really trying to prove that their job is necessary or they want to make it that much easier for identity thieves to steal travelers' information.

I'm sure some people will think this is necessary for "security". The TSA says they're doing this so they can better match travelers against the no-fly list. My opinion? If the people on the no-fly list are so dangerous, why not arrest them? If they can't be arrested for any crime, why are they on the no-fly list? What, exactly, makes these people so dangerous that they are not allowed to travel on an airplane, but are allowed to freely roam anywhere in the U.S. by any other means?

This, combined with the increasing use of whole-body imaging to perform a virtual strip-search at airports (take a look at the second image in the article), makes me just not want to travel anymore. But instead, I will write to my congresspeople and fight for the right to travel with my dignity and identity intact.

Giving back my birthday

The other night, Atom and I were invited to an open house at the offices of DonorsChoose.org, a charitable organization that I've donated to before. They help teachers get funding for their classrooms through individual donors, all facilitated through their website. I hadn't funded a project in a while, but was interested to meet some of the staff and teachers, so we headed over. As we chatted with the staff, one thing kept coming up - how mind-boggling it is that some projects even have to exist. For example, there are at least three projects currently in need of funding in NYC that are for basic supplies such as pencils and paper for students. Think about that. Pencils and paper. How screwed up is it that public schools cannot provide such basic supplies to students so that they can learn and succeed?

So, I decided to create a Giving Page at DonorsChoose.org to highlight some of the projects I'd like to see funded. I set it up as part of the "Give-Back Birthdays" campaign going on right now, but I thought I'd mention it early, since my birthday is in August and I've selected some projects that need funding right now. Some of the projects I've selected have matching funds promises from several foundations that partner with DonorsChoose.org, but I'll do them one better - I will personally match the first $2,000 donated through my Giving Page. If a project is fully funded, I will still do the match and apply it to another similar project.

Even if you don't want to fund any of the projects I have chosen, please take a look at DonorsChoose.org and find a project you want to support. You can easily sort by subject, location, and grade level to find projects that speak to you. You don't have to donate a lot - they take small donations as happily as they take large ones - and you'll be helping students get the education they need. Or, set up your own Giving Page and post it here in the comments!

Fig crostini with Stilton and honeycomb

Fig crostini w/Stilton & honeycomb, originally uploaded by kmcgivney.

It's been a while since my Break Your Resolutions party, and I just realized I'd neglected to post the recipe for the most delicious - and most challenging - appetizer at the party. Behold, fig crostini with Stilton cheese, honeycomb, port wine reduction, and honey.

I got the idea for this crostini from this recipe, but adapted it heavily - no puff pastry, no walnut crunch, no second baking step. The main thing I used from the original recipe was the cooking technique for the figs, which was fairly straightforward and turned out absolutely delicious.

This was the favorite at the party. One guest shouted, "ohmigod, the figs, the figs!" I'd probably tweak it a little next time and use a softer bread, but otherwise it was great - the flavors worked very well together.

Recipe after the jump.

Announcing the Tri-State Lotus User Group

As Mitch Cohen, Jim Casale, and Ed Brill have already mentioned today, we're happy to announce the relaunch of the New York Metro Lotus User Group, now renamed the Tri-State Lotus User Group. The kickoff meeting for the relaunch of the user group is on Thursday, April 21 at 6:00 PM at the IBM facility at 590 Madison Avenue in New York City. Ed Brill and Carl Tyler will be our featured speakers at this event. Registration and networking will begin at 5:30 PM, and there will be light refreshments and giveaways. As Jim mentioned, we're also running a logo design contest and the winner will be announced (and receive a prize) at the meeting.

We plan to hold quarterly meetings around the tri-state (NY/NJ/CT) area to accommodate more people, and we will be running an annual full-day meeting that will be like a mini-conference - multiple tracks, lots of guest speakers, vendor giveaways, lunch and snacks included - all FREE to attendees.

Registration is open for the April 21st meeting, so please register if you'd like to attend. The meeting is in three weeks, so please feel free to pass this information on to as many people as possible! We hope to see you there!

That's right, I said bacon

Bacon chocolate chip cookies, originally uploaded by kmcgivney.

The photo has been up for a while. There has been much discussion with friends about the unexpected deliciousness of this cookie. And now, it's time. It's time to discuss this cookie: the chocolate chip and bacon cookie.

That's right, I said bacon.

I got the idea to make a chocolate chip and bacon cookie after I had the bacon and chocolate bar from Vosges Haut Chocolat. I thought, why can't I do that... in a cookie?

So I searched online for a recipe, and heard tales of a restaurant that served a bacon cookie (with chocolate chips, pecans, and cherries, not just chocolate chips), but I only found one recipe, for a cookie that had bacon on top, not inside. So I decided to make my own.

I adapted it ever-so-slightly from, you guessed it, a Smitten Kitchen recipe (what can I say? Deb has amazing recipes). Essentially, I sub out really crispy crumbled bacon for nuts in a standard chocolate chip recipe. It's simple, and it tastes delicious!

Recipe and more photos after the jump.

Back in Antwerp

Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, interior, originally uploaded by kmcgivney.

We are currently in Antwerp, on a little side trip after spending a few days in London. With the Eurostar now doing high-speed trips between London and Brussels, we couldn't pass up the chance to drop by one of our favorite European cities - and of course, pick up some Belgian chocolates for our loved ones. (If you do not currently have "loved one" status and would like to inquire how to obtain it along with some Belgian chocolates, please inquire within.)

We were last in Antwerp in November, as part of our annual Thanksgiving trip to Europe. This started a few years ago when we both realized that we had no vacation days left, but that our respective employers declared both Thanksgiving and the following day a holiday, thus giving us a 4-day weekend to spend anywhere we wanted. So, naturally, we flew to Belgium to visit friends. The following year, we went to Italy to cheer on a friend running a marathon, and this past year, we just decided to explore Belgium a little more and get all of our Christmas shopping done early (with you guessed it - chocolates for everyone).

This photo of the interior of the cathedral in Antwerp was taken in November with a Canon 5D (first version) and a 17-40mm f4 lens. There are several more photos in my Belgium set on Flickr, which includes photos from our first trip to Belgium as well. Since we have the 5D Mark II with us this trip, I expect there will be a few more there in the next few days.

Kudos to American Airlines

On Saturday, we were traveling from New York La Guardia (LGA) to Phoenix (PHX), connecting through Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW). I booked the flight through DFW because the other choice was Chicago (ORD), and flying through ORD in February is always hit-or-miss due to weather. We were heading to Phoenix to see my very ill grandmother, so I was hoping for no delays, but I know from experience that flight delays are to be expected. So when we pulled back from the gate at LGA, started an engine, and stopped after a few feet, I figured we'd be stuck there for a while and miss our connection at DFW.

The problem turned out to be a faulty APU (auxiliary power unit, used to power the climate control in the plane when the engines are off and start the engines) and it was fixed quickly. We were off the ground about 45 minutes after scheduled departure. The problem? We had a 45 minute layover in DFW. We fully expected to miss our connection and spend a few hours in DFW for the next flight. However, the pilot made up some time in flight and we pulled up to the gate at DFW 30 minutes before our connection was to take off. The problem? We arrived at gate C30 and needed to go to D40. That's a loooong way in DFW, and even with the SkyLink probably would take around 20 minutes. We were sure we'd miss the flight.

This is where AA customer service took over. As we deplaned, a gate agent paged us along with 5 other passengers and directed us out the side door of the jetbridge to a waiting van. After she had all seven of us, we zipped across the tarmac to the connecting flight's gate, and made it with a few minutes to spare. As we got to the gate, the agents welcomed us, and informed my husband and I that our upgrades had cleared. It was a very pleasant experience and was impressive customer service as well.

So kudos to AA for helping us all make our flight! My grandma thanks you too.

Double trouble brownies

Brownie, originally uploaded by kmcgivney.

My husband really loves chocolate. Last week, while we were at Lotusphere, he was very helpful and ran out to get me things and took care of me when I got sick, so I decided to bake him some brownies when we got home as a thank-you. Not just any old brownies, mind you, but these super chocolatey gooey ones with lots of cocoa and big chunks of bittersweet chocolate.

I adapted this brownie recipe, but only slightly. I also don't have a round cookie cutter, which makes the brownies look totally amazing, so I tried cutting a few out with a glass. However, they stuck to the inside of the glass, so I ended up just cutting them in regular squares after vowing to go buy a set of cookie cutters posthaste.

More photos and recipe after the jump.

The scoop on Sakura Consulting

Back in July, I started Sakura Consulting as a way to continue sharing and expanding my expertise with the Lotus family of products. As many of you know, I have over 13 years of experience with Notes/Domino and related products, and am really passionate about the technology I work with. I'm happy to continue sharing that passion and expertise at venues such as Lotusphere, and also directly with IBM/Lotus customers who use those products.

One of the things I liked about working in consulting roles in the past, both as an IBMer and for other business partners, is the ability to take a fresh look at an environment and help customers see how they can improve their use of the products. That is Sakura Consulting's focus - to assist you, the customer, with getting the most out of your software implementation.

To that end, we offer services such as systems audits, to help you get a handle on best practices and whether your environment is adhering to them, as well as assistance in bringing your environment in line with recommended best practices; systems architecture, whether it is for a fresh implementation or revamping an existing one; troubleshooting and performance tuning, to help you get maximum stability, efficiency, and performance from your systems; and education, for everyone from systems administrators to end users. We have a much more detailed list of services, of course, and you're welcome to contact us if you would like to inquire further about them.

And again, I'll be here at Lotusphere all week, so stop by one of my sessions if you want more information, or just stop me in the hallways and say hi!

(By the way, since someone asked, Sakura means "cherry blossom" in Japanese. I really like cherry blossoms and go to the Cherry Blossom Festival at the BBG every year, and that's why I chose that name.)

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