Fun fact: I was born on the island and married on the island. Galveston, Texas holds a special place in my heart, and I visit as often as possible. I love its history and its quirks. Unlike other well known beaches, our waters are brown. They’re not dirty (per se), it’s just that the choppy […]
Other Geeky Things
No Photoshop, No Problem: How I Make PowerPoint My B!tch
I do ALL of my drafting and designing in PowerPoint. I just never had the opportunity or the resources to work in Photoshop, so I made PowerPoint work for me. From maps and other technical displays early in my career at small oil & gas companies to designing my logo, business cards, banners, Pinterest pins, […]
Tunnel Geology: A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Downtown Houston’s Buildings (Red Loop)
I’ve worked in the oil & gas industry in Downtown Houston for over 15 years. Like many others, every day I walk through tunnels on and surrounded by lovely rocks, minerals, and fossils without a second thought. Though we may not have mountains in this part of the state, we have a stunning skyline and […]
Exploring the New Wiess Energy Hall at HMNS
A couple weeks ago some coworkers and I (remember: I work in Oil & Gas in Houston) took a long lunch field trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science to check out the newly renovated Wiess Energy Hall. I don’t usually mix work and blogging (except recently I’ve been scouting Downtown Houston building geology at […]
Starting a Blog: Why and How-To
I started Red Shoes. Red Wine. in 2015 with the vague purpose of broadly sharing information, travel adventures, costume/cosplay builds, and really anything I felt like writing about. Why? Because I do a lot of fun things worth sharing. The downturn in 2014 hit my energy industry hard and I felt a creative gap in […]
Skyline Geology: A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Downtown Houston’s Buildings (City Hall Loop)
I’ve worked in the oil & gas industry in Downtown Houston for over 15 years. Like many others, every day I walk past buildings covered in lovely rocks, minerals, and fossils without a second thought. Though we may not have mountains in this part of the state, we have a stunning skyline, and I will […]
Geology Basics: For the Casual Observer or Amateur Enthusiast
Twice a year my running partner and I, both of us geoscientists, teach geology for Texas Parks and Wildlife Becoming an Outdoors Woman program. I created the course in 2014 by condensing an entire semester of freshman level physical geology into a 3.5 hour workshop (~1 hour lecture, ~1 hour lab, and ~1 hour spent in the […]
Finding DNA: Additional Testing
These past few years have been full of science and serendipity with all the DNA testing my mother and I have participated in in search of ethnic lineage, not to mention being matched with BOTH her biological parents’ family members (she was adopted). As we navigate through our new relationships with newfound family members, I […]
Finding DNA: An Adoption and Ancestry Success Story (Part 2)
Those closest to me know that my mother was adopted. It’s no secret, never has been. Her parents (my grandparents) are incredible people who raised her (and me) in a loving and structured home. My grandmother is my hero and my grandfather(s) encouraged me to put myself through college and succeed like they did. We […]
Finding DNA: An Adoption and Ancestry Success Story (Part 1)
Those closest to me know that my mother was adopted. It’s no secret, never has been. Her parents (my grandparents) are incredible people who raised her (and me) in a loving and structured home. My grandmother is my hero and my grandfather(s) encouraged me to put myself through college and succeed like they did. We […]