Girls of Summer 2012

Girls of Summer 2012.

Corporate Whirrled

I had another job interview with a major corporation yesterday. It never ceases to amaze me at how disorganized some of these companies are.

I should have known from the get go. The story goes like this:

I’m sitting at home tip tappity typing on my blogs while taking a break from the daily job hunting and real estate law studying grind when the phone rings.

“Hello, this is Camille from Major Corporation. I found your resume online and I have an opportunity that I think would be a perfect fit.”

Camille continues to explain the job role and I say that yes, I’ve done most of that, and the stuff I haven’t done I can learn. It’s just a different version of the software I’ve used in the past.

She then asks me what prompted me to apply for the job.

“I didn’t,” I say. “You called me.”

I mean, we just had this conversation 5 minutes ago…

Phone interview, blah blah blah…. Fast forward a few days and I receive an email from Camille stating that they are looking for someone with more specific technical experience. I say thanks for the interview and please keep my resume for future opportunities….blah blah blah……

About a week passes by and I receive another call from Camille. She says the company has revamped the requirements and now they want me to come in for an in person interview. I say “what a great turn of luck. Sure I’ll come in for an interview.”

I drive up to the east side yesterday afternoon for the interview.

The first question is “What is your experience with X Software?”

I tell them (again) that I have none, but I know it’s similar to software I’ve used in the past and it should be easy for me to pick up.

“If you don’t have X experience, why did you apply for the job?”

Again: “I didn’t. You guys called me.”

I don’t why I go into these corporate interviews thinking that things will ever be different. They never are. It’s all the same and it all seems bad.

Get hyped for Zlogcat this Weekend

Get hyped for Zlogcat this Weekend.

Give Me Money

The Pacific NW has the highest rates of MS in the nation. There is no known cause. There is no known cure.

   The Pac NW has the highest rates of Multiple Sclerosis in the country. No one knows why. Nobody knows what causes it.

All I know is that I have a friend from college who was diagnosed shortly after graduation, about 10 years ago. In addition to my volunteering with Outdoors for All, I make it a point to participate in the MS Ride (previously titled MS150) every year to raise money for MS research in hopes that we’ll find a cure for this terrible disease.

Please take a moment to visit my donation link. Even if you can’t donate, I encourage everyone to learn about MS.

Also, please “like” our MS team (Team Pro Bono) on Facebook.

Thank you,

fatguyonabike

Alleycat Life

With alleycat racing season in full swing here in the Pac NW, I have created a new blog focusing on our “outlaw” racing culture here in the Emerald City.

Please take a few minutes to check it out!

http://alleycatlife.com/

–Keep It Rubber Side Down–

-fatguyonabike-

My new blog focusing on the “outlaw” lifestyle and spirit of the alleycat race.

Hello Whirrled!

FatguyonabikeSeattle here.

This is my new blog focusing on the Seattle area alleycat racing scene. Alley Cat Life

Please enjoy and keep it rubber side down!

Girls of Summer Alleycat

Greg from GoMeansGo contacted me regarding the video I made of the annual 9 to 5 scavenger hunt ride last week. Apparently he liked it, which is cool, but he also volunteered me to film Menstrual Monday’s “Girls of Summer” all female race this upcoming weekend.

I never turn down the chance to ride in an alleycat and film. Monica from Menstrual Monday assured me that they’d introduce me at the starting line so the ladies don’t think I’m just some kind of perv following them around with cameras.

Should be fun. So if there are any ladies in the Seattle area reading this, come on out and have some fun this Saturday!

FGOAB (Seattle)

2012 9 to 5 on my 925

I rode GMG’s annual 9 to 5 all night scavenger hunt this weekend. Fun stuff!

The weather called for rain, so I pulled the full fendered Redline 925 (appropriate bike name, too!) out and hit the road.

We started at Gasworks Park at 9:00 PM. Greg from GMG gave a quick perfunctory speech from under a double rainbow (what does it mean??) and handed out the 1st of 3 manifests that we would have to collect throughout the night.

With odd things on the list such as a business card from a total stranger; photos of a team member onstage with a band; a rootbeer barrel candy;a tutu we had all night to collect items and photos from anywhere we chose from around the city.

I formed an impromptu team with Tom from the Seattle Bike Blog and a pair of his friends.

As we rode through the Fremont area, we heard a house party with a live band from the street. We crashed the party for a quick photo with the band and headed out. On our way through Fremont, we stopped a random pedestrian and inquired if she had a business card. As luck would have it, she had a whole stack of them in her car!

A quick stop at Hale’s for some coasters and photo ops. One employee even drummed up the courage to sing Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” while we videotaped him for extra scavenger hunt points.

We also crashed a psychedelic “bar mitzvah”  taking place in a temporary geodesic dome where Matt convinced a drunken party goer to part with his tutu. And thus, our team name “the Bar Mitzvahs” was born.

This guy was running security at the psychedelic Bar Mitzvah!

The Bar Mitzvahs made our way to Dick’s Drive In in Wallingford to collect receipts from late night customers.

We hit Trabant for one last shot of late night espresso and we were off!

There was a mandatory midnight check in point at the I-5 Colonnade mountain bike park where we refueled on snacks and energy drinks. We received a second list/manifest and were free to wreak havoc!

After a few stops around the downtown area (including the jail….one of our riders works there), we rendezvoused with fellow participants for a photo at Pike Place market at 1:30 AM. Then we shot over to west Seattle for a photo op and extra points. There were some antics involving a team member climbing atop a Honey Bucket for a picture as well….

Then it was back to the U District for the last mandatory stop. Somebody suggested we ride on the I-5 Express lanes to save time. Since the lanes are closed all night long, we had a 4 lane highway all to ourselves. One lane for each bike!

We met up at Ly’s Donuts (one of the few 24 donut and coffee shops in the city) where we received a third and final manifest.

The Bar Mitzvahs pulled back into Gasworks Park at 4:45AM to tally our points from the evening. 225 points.

While we didn’t win, we still had a lot of fun riding all night and the rain held off. I’m definitely looking forward to riding again next year.

Here’s the video footage.

Seattle Screening of Lucas Brunelle’s Line of Sight

Trying to put together a Seattle area screening of Luke’s upcoming video in conjunction with the guys from GoMeansGo.

Any help in securing a venue would be much appreciated!

Line of Sight

Ryan at GoMeansGo is not only a tour de force in the Seattle cycling community, but he’s also a darn nice guy who throws his support behind hair brained ideas involving bikes. One of those hair brained ideas happened to be mine. 

Anyone who has participated in, or even knows about, alleycat racing knows the name Lucas Brunelle.  The undisputed king of the alleycat, he travels the world filming these highly intense, sometimes illegal, street races. For the last decade Lucas has been filming and stockpiling footage from places exotic and not-so-exotic in order to put together a feature length film.

Lucas and I come from the same college fraternity. So I thought I’d use that connection and reach out to him for the possibility of a Seattle area screening of his upcoming DVD (scheduled to drop July 1st). 

Even though Ryan is up in Alaska for the summer, he’s certainly helping from afar. I’m doing what I can on my end to make this happen. 

So who’s in?