At my job, one of the things we do is send out technical newsletters to programmers and other such computer-type people with riddles in them. The happy people answer the riddles, and the first three with the right answer get a prize (a t-shirt, woo hoo). It never fails, that in the answers I get from each of these mailings (we do several a week) at least one person will assume that I am a man. Even though it clearly says “Send your answers to Erin.” Alright, alright. I can see that some dimwitted people might get “Erin” and “Aaron” mixed up, thinking that “Erin” might be the male way to spell it. Well, let me clear that up for you now my ignorant little pretties, if someone spells their name “Erin,” that person is female. But that isn’t what my smart contestants limit themselves to. People actually change my name, in order to make it male! I’ve gotten Aaron (Yes, they have corrected the spelling of my name for me. Of course I’m a man, I just forgot and spelled my name the female way!), Eric, and Ed. After many months of chuckling and shaking my head, I must speak out. Females are capable of solving riddles! I know what is going through the minds of these men as the send off the answer and see the name “Erin.” “Erin? As in a female? Oh, that must be a mistake! Everyone knows that females aren’t smart enough to solve riddles! I’ll just happily correct that mistake and send my completely wrong answer off. There. They really should be more careful about proofing. Erin? What a joke!” Well, I hate to throw a wrench in the incricate machine that is the male programmer’s mind, but women can and do solve these riddles everyday. In fact, there is a woman that sends in the right answers consistently! What do you think about that?

So please, in the future, before you start thinking, “A challenging task headed by a woman? There must be a glitch in the time space continuum!” Remember: Women can think, contrary to what your wives and mothers demonstrate.