Spring(ing) forward into April — Maybe?

First of all I want to say that this spring is not springing the way it should. It was still so cold that it drove me nuts. My highlight for April was the at home cafe I organized for my house warming party.

I had seen so many of those that I knew I had to do one. It was so much work because I had several moments of insanity where I wanted to make some things from scratch but it turned out to be so much fun.

I had some friends from the hall over and we chatted and got to know each other a little more. I totally loved the vibe Roberta brought. Girl, you’re the best. We learned some bachata, merengue and salsa to end the evening, everyone left and I went to bed tired but happy.

I will definitely be doing it in the fall again. Think apple pie, pumpkin spice flavors etc.

A “too motivational” Women Techmakers IWD event

There was this lady I met trying to locate the venue for the IWD event. I have lived in Toronto for about 3 years but there are still areas I have never been to and this was one of them

We were both headed to the same event so we decided to search together. To be honest, it was more like I decided to tag along.

After a few wrong turns we finally found the hall and got seated. It was a relatively diverse panel and there was a lot of discussion around AI and how the panelists are using it in their secular and personal life. It was not a show and tell demo or a practical experience and I think it put this lady off.

She left within 10–15 minutes of arriving saying it was ‘too motivational’.

I’m inclined to wonder what is wrong with being motivational? I was pleasantly surprised to find that one of the speakers even though she acknowledges the role AI plays in their selection process for startups as a VC, she had reservations about really good pitches slipping through the cracks for not matching the ‘criteria’. There is also the issue with biased data which could lead to discrimination against minorities.

All in all, I enjoyed the conversation. I also got to connect with new professionals and that motivation was a great boost for me.

I am not going to lie, I had so much to say when I started this draft but it’s all gone with the wind now since this has been in a draft state for more than a month.

I’ll wrap up now and I’ll see you in the next one!