In celebration of Martin Luther King Day here in the U.S., the Glass Hammer will not be publishing today. That gives you more time to go along with today’s theme, “A day on, not a day off,” and do something to commemorate or demonstrate for civil rights.

In the future, The Glass Hammer will be publishing some articles on the outstanding accomplishments of women of color, and the unique challenges still faced by minority women in the workplace. If you are interested in seeing more coverage of this area, please write in and tell us what you think!

Additionally, The Glass Hammer is now following a new editorial calendar, which looks like this:

Mondays– Voice of Experience interviews- we interview women who have broken the glass ceiling and have made it to the top. What advice do they have for our readers? Mondays are also a chance for us to interview outstanding human beings who contribute to society greatly (as well as being excellent in their careers!). Look out for these articles under Spotlight on People.

Tuesdays– Work/life issues. How to have it all. We also cover Returner Programs on Tuesdays- so if you are looking to off-ramp or perhaps return after a career break, then watch this space!

Wednesdays– Career advice on to “how to” get to the next level. Expert answers from career coaches, lawyers, peers and mentors.

Thursdays– Industry news. We get deep into the functions of different parts of the sellside and buyside. We cover industry events.

Fridays- Fridays is when we can all have a little fun. Tune in for some hilarious true life tales from our writers and readers about what its like to work in financial services. We also cover ” passions” and we would love to hear what you live to do on the weekends! Evolved People have interesting lives.

As always, we love feedback. Write to our editor at erin@theglasshammer.com to let us know what you love, hate, or can’t get enough of.

Every year, I host a traditional holiday party called the Black and White Soiree. It’s a gathering of about 60 friends in my small vintage apartment. My friends Alanna and Megan help with the cooking because, as my mother would say, I am domestically challenged. I managed to make cookies but I told people they were for only decoration. They didn’t look edible although they managed to disappear, along with the other hors d’oeuvres.

Each year at the party, we raise money for a different charity. This year, we asked our guests to make an optional donation to breast cancer research. In honor of our charity, Megan found light pink M&Ms that I put out in crystal cocktail glasses. Then we also served Oreos, marshmallows and Hershey kisses to follow the theme. It was a classy affair made even fancier by the dress code. I requested black and/or white attire, no jeans.

The party took place on Saturday, December 15th, and Chicago had a horrible snowstorm that night. I remember looking out the window around 3 p.m. wondering if anyone would show up because of the weather. In the end though, I was impressed with the turn out. Inside we stood in my warm orange-spiced kitchen while a blizzard spun snow around us. I kept the keg on the porch so we never forgot how nice it was to be indoors. The room was filled with the scent of cloves and wine.

Most people drank sangria, except for those who braved the cold to get a beer from outside. We all raised our glasses and toasted to recent engagements, promotions and babies on the way. Our black and white outfits were decorated with light pink ribbons in the name of breast cancer research.

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Yes. There are endless free lunches, dinners and drinks if you do the conference circuit.

Are trade shows and conferences really worth going to? Every day there seems to an invitation in my inbox to be somewhere.

Last week the SIBOS show hit Boston. SIBOS is to men in financial technology what Christmas is to the rest of us. Gifts and drunk people.

Squeezy stress balls, free cocktail vouchers, karaoke hosted by Norwegian or Swedish banks. All in the name of straight through processing, clearing and settlement and all things IT for finance.

The topics discussed at SIBOS are not really life changing at all, but people in the office are ready to poison their co- worker’s coffee to make sure they get a spot.

The best thing about it is that it’s a traveling circus so some years you can get a really good vacation out of it. Sydney, Singapore, San Francisco and Stockholm have all been memorable. People have had to take many sick days after to recover from the jetlag and the booze.

Did Boston deliver the SIBOS experience? If you went, let me know who won the karaoke contest.