Why did they let the turkey join the band?

Because he had the drumsticks. I am queen of corny jokes, and I love it.

Question: Did you know what you wanted to do when you were a sophomore in high school? I mean did you have any idea what you wanted to study in college, much less know what college was all about? Yeah, I didn't either. But I met 8 or 9 kids today that pretty much know exactly what they want to major in when they get to college. We had this great charter school from a not-so-great part of Boston bring students in to get an idea of what we do at Kaspersky. The mission of the charter school is to get each student placed into college by the time they graduate from the school. They each introduced themselves and said what they hoped to study in college. I was amazed that each of them knew what they wanted to do. From mechanical engineering to graphic design. Each one of them knew. I was just blown away honestly. They were polite. They asked questions. I haven't been out of high school for that long, but it just seemed like a lifetime ago that I was there. It's the little things we do at Kaspersky that make me happy.

Work this week was just all-around weird. Today, my teammates and I decided to have "Operation Plant Removal". What is this you ask? Well, since the beginning of summer, we have had these gnats/fruit flies around our office area and you will hear people clap every once and a while and then exclaim, "Got him" or "damn it!". It's a little game we have. But no one could figure out why the bugs were there until the groundskeeper mentioned it could be the plants that we have in our office. That was about three months ago. So earlier this week, we devised a plan to get rid of said plant. It needed to go. I was killing three to four of these bugs a day and so was everyone else. It was/is disgusting. So at 5:15, we placed the plant on a rolling chair and escorted it out of the building, down a hill, and disposed of the evidence. We shall see on Monday if anything is said. Operation Plant Removal = Successful!

Tomorrow, my roommates and I are having a Thanksgiving dinner for all of our friends. The roomie got a 25 pounder and will be cooking that beast all day. I'm going to make a couple of little side dishes. It's the first time I've ever hosted a Thanksgiving dinner so it'll be interesting. It'll be good to have everyone there though. Yoga in the morning to work off some stress and balance the eating that will ensue tomorrow.

I am sad that I can't get home for the Thanksgiving holiday, but luckily I have family up here. It's not like I'll be alone at a bar or anything. But it's still nice to be at home for t-giving, especially when it's one of the best meals. But I will be heading home in about a month and I can't wait to spend a full week at home with the family. I miss my nieces and nephews a lot and feel like I miss out on a lot being so far away.

Well, off to bed! Have a wonderful weekend and get excited for a short work week next week!

-Katie

Thanks to Publicity Club I'm Off to Russia!

I was asked to write a guest blog for an organization that I have been a part of for about a year now, The Publicity Club of New England. I have truly enjoyed and benefited from each event I have attended! Especially because they helped connect me to my current employer. I have been there for a year and I received a promotion and a raise on my one year anniversary and things are going great. And as the title says, I am going to Russia in a few weeks! I am very excited and very nervous! But it is going to be a blast. I will take plenty of pictures and video (with the new Flip I am getting for Christmas) and will drink lots of Vodka. Ok, not too much! Here is my blog post on how I have benefited from the PubClub.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2009

Thanks to the Pub Club, I'm off to Russia

By Katie Boucher, Kaspersky Lab

I am going to Moscow in December for work and it is all because I attended a PubClub event. No really.

I graduated from The University of South Carolina in May of 2008 and decided to move to Boston later that summer. After applying to over 75 jobs that summer to no avail, I still decided to move up here. I did everything my counselors, my teachers, my mentors told me to and I was feeling defeated. I never expected to be in that position. My sister was gracious enough to put the word out among all of her friends in the PR world- letting them know her little sister was a hard worker and willing to do whatever it takes to make it in the PR world.

One of her friends stepped up and took the place as my mentor. Thankfully, she knew people who knew people.

I attended a PubClub event with a really great panel, discussing awesome case studies. People on the panel represented companies from Lego to Dunkin Donuts. It was obviously a great panel because I still remember it.

During this event, I met Karen Reynolds, who is the now the President of the PubClub. We set up a time to meet to just talk. It was one of the first informational interviews I took. And as it turns out, it was the only one I needed. When we met, Karen helped me realize what I truly was passionate about. She insisted that I inject that passion into every interview that I would have in the future.

After we met, Karen also put the word out there. A week or so later, I received an email about an internship opportunity with a Russian owned Internet security company. They were looking to bring their PR team in-house and the company was growing at an alarming rate.

I really didn't know what to expect. I did my research, I was passionate, and I went into the interview with a new confidence I didn't have before.

Well, it paid off! The job started off as a three month internship with potential to turn into a full-time job. I worked my butt off. I did everything necessary to prove that I was worthy enough to be on this newly developed in-house PR team. I made a name for myself by developing the Daily Digest (pretty much a news clipping), but I added daily jokes and riddles, it was and is truly something that is still mine.

I was hired on full-time in February and I have now been with the company for a year. A year that has truly proven to be something awesome. Oh, so back to the Russia trip. The four person PR team is going to Russia for a global PR summit. I already have my parka and my fur-lined boots packed! So thank you PubClub for helping me connect with people and my lesson learned from this is: talk to people, listen to what they have to say. Then talk to more people.

serial hi-liters

i was riding on the subway the other day in to town to meet with a reporter and i was people watching as always. and that's when i spotted it, the serial highlighter. what in the world am i talking about? oh you know. the person who is studying/reading with highlighter in hand and cannot keep from highlighting every single sentence they read. why? you know that every single sentence isn't that important, but you never know... it could be. i am (or was) plenty guilty of this practice/sickness. my favorite was when i highlighted the crap out of something, completely filled the page with yellow and pink and my favorite blue, and then you don't even go back to that page to ever look at it again. and then you just have a useless page with highlighter thrown up on it and when you turn to the page, your eyes go into like epileptic shock and you can't see correctly for the next couple of hours. it's a strange thing and something i am not sure i will ever understand.

I am a phantom blogger

I'm back for another round of rambling! However, I'm just going to do some bullet points to lessen the pain.

- Go see The Hangover! You will thank me after you do! It is by far one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. I definitely laughed more than I have in awhile, and I needed it!
-The weather here is miserable. It's June and today, it was like 55 degrees. Maybe cooler. Not cool! I'm ready for hot, hot weather! I miss the South, believe it or not.
-The job is still going great! Even though it is really weird because this is my first summer not in college and having a real job. Like there really isn't a summer break. But it's alright. I'm still having my fun, just have to prioritize things, right?
-My apartment is great as well, just wishing I could use the rooftop more, but again with the weather!
-I signed up for my first 5K the other day! July 23rd my roommate and I will be running the HarborView5K! I'm pretty pumped. I've been running a lot since I moved here and I love it. It's just a matter of actually doing it. I am running about 3 to 4 times a week!
-I was feeling a craving for Southern food, so my friend from Aiken who lives up here too, came over and we made mac and cheese, cornbread and sweet tea. Mac and cheese and cornbread was good, sweet tea, fail. Maybe it will be better tomorrow. We will see!
-I am obsessed with Twitter and Texts From Last Night! So funny! I've decided that Twitter is very useful when living in a bigger city. There is so much going on and if you are following the right people, they help you figure out what is going on!
-And finally, trashy as it may be, my guilty pleasure right now is Desperate Housewives of New Jersey. It's so terrible it's great.

Alright. I'm done for now. I hate being a phantom blogger, only blog every once in awhile. Maybe I shouldn't even blog at all, I don't really have anything too interesting to say. But oh well, until next time when I decide to appear again.

I thought about sitting back and reading my book, A Might Heart, but my blog just seemed to intriguing to pass up. I couldn't wait any longer to write all about San Francisco.
The flight out there was long... very long and I was in the middle seat. That started the trip. We took a cab into the city and I wasn't quite sure we were going to make it. The cab drivers out there seriously have a death wish. For the first time, I was honestly scared for my life while riding in a car.
I think I'm going to have to time-line the trip around food. It was all so great. The first dinner I had was at Bistro Aix, and I had roasted chicken with green beans and roasted red potatoes. The chicken was cooked just right with just the right amount of crispiness to the crust. We had a wonderful Napa Valley Zinfandel, from Neal Vineyards in California. For dessert we had a warm chocolate cake with whipped cream and a creme brulee. Delicious. This dinner rating, +8 (on a scale of 1-10)
Then we worked the conference a little. For lunch we went to this local fresh deli with all types of wines, olive-oils, cheeses, meats, everything. It was awesome. We had a fantastic Caprese salad. It was so fresh and delicious. Was in heaven.
That night we went to an all organic restaurant and brewery, Thirsty Bear, and had some awesome beer. All the brewed beer was organic as well as the food. It was such a good feeling eating all organic. I had a Brown Bear beer, which had a perfect malt taste and aroma. For dinner we had artichoke, black olives, chick pea puree, manchego and white truffle oil flatbread; patatas bravas. fried potatoes with spicy brava sauce & lemon aioli; and dungeness crab-stuffed piquillos, lemon aioli, parsley oil & micro cilantro. Let me tell you, I didn't think i was going to like any of it, but it was all delicious and I loved every bit of it. This dinner rating, +8.5
Next Night: Hawaiian Asian fusion food. The apps were pretty good. The wine was good. But the entrees were a little plain and so so. Not my favorite meal. But that's alright. Rating: 5.5
After that the meals blended together and it nothing stood out.
The last night, we went to see the Golden Gate Bridge. It's just a bridge, but then again it is so much more. It is massive. Standing to the side of the bridge, you just feel so completely minuscule next to this thing. It really is a piece of work. I love pictures and took about 1000 while were there. But loved the one above the best.
Overall, I had a really wonderful experience in San Fran. But I have to tell you my favorite part may have been all the tranny's that live there. I was in Old Navy one day and there was this guy with full make-up and woman's clothes but totally not hiding the fact that he was a guy shopping in the woman's section. He was holding a shirt up to him, to like see if it would look good on him, and I really just wanted to be like, "It looks fabulous." But I couldn't spit out the words. It was fun though.
I have to say the other thing that really stood out about San Fran was the architecture. It was brilliant. So diverse and awesome. Every building had its own character and every building was different from the next. I love that. It reminded me of the type of architecture in Boston.
I highly recommend taking a trip to San Francisco when you get the opportunity. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. I plan on going back as soon as I get a chance.
I moved into my new apartment yesterday and it is definitely different but it's a good feeling. I am slowly getting things into places. I am excited and will add some pictures soon of the place. The location is perfect. The view from my rooftop deck is awesome and I am just really excited about it all!
That's all from me!
-KT

California! Here we come!

I get to go to California next week! For work! I am really excited to go. I've never been to the west coast and I have to say I am ready for the adventure. I am ready for warm weather and I am ready to work! My company is attending the RSA Conference in San Francisco. We have developed a new site- Threatpost- and for all those who are not security nuts ( I am expecting no one that reads this is) you can learn all about security news there. It's a great resource, if I do say so myself. Anyways, I will be working the Threatpost Bloghaus... a booth for bloggers to come and hang out and write about what they are seeing at the conference. It's going to be a great networking opportunity and I think it's going to be an awesome overall experience.

I can't wait to wake up in the morning, go for a run and see all there is to see in San Fran. If anyone has been there and has any suggestions of what to see on my run, please let me know! I don't know how much free time I will have outside of the conference, so I have to squeeze as much in as I can on the runs.

Also, I found an apartment! I will be moving to Charlestown, not Charleston, May 2 and I am really excited. It's all a little nerve racking but it is going to be a great experience. I think this will be the first time that I am truly 'on my own'. So here I go and I am sure there will be plenty to blog about once I move. But so far when I tell people that's where I am moving, I get a great response and a 'oh you are going to love it'. I hope they are correct! There is a rooftop deck on top of my building with the greatest view of Boston. If I could live up there, I would. It's absolutely gorgeous! Can't wait for the wonderful 4th of July fireworks from the roof! If you are ever in Boston, you have a place to stay! Mi casa es su casa.

The new Dave Matthews Band single, Funny the Way It Is, is awesome! Even if you don't like DMB, I really think this album is going to be liked by everyone. There are also a couple other songs that are on YouTube, Spaceman and Why I Am, and they are old school DMB and it is a refreshing sound. Being a tribute album to Leroi, who passed away in August of last year, adds so much more to the album and makes it that much greater! RIP Roi. They are coming to Boston and playing at Fenwy Park May 29 and 30. Phish, Warren Haynes, and others will be joining them on stage, or so the rumors go. I really can't wait!

Well, I am going to quit blabbing for now.

Have a great night,
KB

Do MANners still exist?

So, here I am in this wonderful city of Boston. One would think there are endless possibilities to find an attractive male to share fun times with, laugh with, have a coffee with, you know the usual. Like I said, one would think. But guess what, it turns out there isn't. ( I'm sure there is, I just haven't found any yet, so I'm going with there are none, hang with me).

It all started a two weeks ago when my cousin and I went to a math geek and athlete theme party. Yes, I am a fan of theme parties and obviously I dressed as a geek (ruler in hand). So at this party, an attractive male lurked next to the table. I being a weak one for the lurking sort, made eye contact then looked away, not making anything of it. I am making conversation with my cousin and one of her friends from work and when I turn around, lurker is there and still cute. Naturally, I introduce myself. I have to say he was a little shorter when he was in front of me than when he was lurking next to the table farther away. Anyway, conversation was good, music was good, my drink was even better. As the night wound down and people started leaving, the cous and I decided it was probably time to head out. Mr. Lurker asked for the number. I felt like being nice that night and allowed him my number.

He called. On Monday (waited the whole two days to call). Anyways, he asked if I wanted to go out. blah blah, long story short, we did... we went to an awesome restaurant. However, the part that makes this story all worth the back story, this kid had NO and I mean absolutely NO table manners. How does a guy ( I forgot to mention he was much older) not have table manners with a girl he is trying to impress. I was appalled. One, he reached across my plate to grab something, that he could have easily asked for with a please and thank you. I really wouldn't have minded the interruption. Then, he scarfed his food down. I was barely finished with one bite before he was on to the next dish ( we had Tapas). It was by far the most disheartening date I have been on in a long time. The only good thing was is that he paid even when I offered to split. So we are leaving and my car was parked far away so he drove me to my car... the inevitable awkwardness pursued and he tried to go in for the kiss, don't worry, I slid the cheek in there right in time. I know, I am a pro!

Do manners exist anymore? Is it something that I have to get over and accept that guys don't have manners? I hope not. I really hope not. So until the next date, match.com it is. JUST KIDDING.

Hasta Pasta,
Katie