It has been raining since last Friday (technically wintery mix then), but yesterday I rode into work anyway. Light rain, no problem. It didn’t rain a SINGLE DROP from 9AM until about 3PM, and then it started to rain more and more.

By 5PM it was steady; by the time I was on the highway it was a downpour :)

I really enjoy riding in the rain, but it adds a few layers of complexity to an already sketchy commute. I have to allow for extra space between cars, worry about putting my feet down on painted surfaces, etc. I also have to worry (particularly on the way into work) about water getting through my gear. I kept a status check looping through my brain: car in front of you, car behind you, car to the right, gauntlets are covering sleeves, visor clear enough to see, neckline still dry, car in front of you, car behind you, car to the right ….

It becomes meditative. I think that motorcycle riding puts me in a trance anyway, which is probably why I think so clearly while riding, and why I am happy when I get to work. Riding in the rain also plays on that traditional motorcycle spirit of being independent. I didn’t see another single bike out yesterday. I really enjoy riding in the rain, as long as I am prepared and am traveling a short distance.

My gear did very well: my Rev’It Cayenne Pro jacket was fantastic, and the Motoport mesh kevlar pants were watertight, too. I wore my Teknic Speedstar gloves, although I probably shouldn’t have; they are great gloves and I don’t want to shorten their lifespan by wearing them in the rain too often. I have some Aerostich waterproof glove covers, but that will have to wait for another entry. My Sidi OnRoad boots kept my feets dry.

The Gmax helmet is still very comfortable, but it doesn’t vent for shit. All of those vents on the top didn’t keep my face shield from fogging up. I had to decide between a partially fogged visor or getting blasted in the face from wind and rain. I split the difference on the highway, and ran with the visor three clicks open once I got back to the surface streets.

It’s supposed to be less rainy today, so I will be riding again. Hopefully this time without the free bike wash. ;)

on days like today there is no good news, but I will retain my job. the best I can say is that I will continue to work the best as I can to honor those that did not make the cut.

I have been in the Web business for almost thirteen years. I’ve seen and done a lot in that time, and one of the things you never really get used to are the layoffs. People and companies keep making the same mistakes, and we see the same dot-boom and dot-bombs over and over again. Switching jobs and getting laid off (or doing the laying off) are just as much as .com as JavaScript and XML.

Still, that doesn’t make it the process any easier. With some bitterness and some pride I tell people I work with what it’s like to be on both sides of the axe. You see, my employer is going to let about 1500 employees and contractors go world-wide between about two weeks ago and possibly today. In fact, by the time you read this, I might have been “right-sized” as well.

Here are some tips on how to survive a layoff, just in case you may experience a similar situation in the near future. If you already have a bunch of cash in the bank and low debt, most of these won’t be applicable to you.

Here’s the short version:

1. Start saving cash.
2. Reduce any debt payments or 401(k) contributions.
3. Update your resume.
4. Backup your work onto a private repository.
5. Reduce reoccurring monthly expenses.
6. Don’t panic.
7. Call your lenders.
8. Take at least a week off.

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Part of working in the dot-com industry are layoffs. My buddy BushPutin’s employer Pandora suffered some cutbacks about a month ago. Fellow Richmond-based company Circuit City filed for bankruptcy protection, which explains the sheer number of CC applicants that have come our way in the last three months.

Based on the rumblings around the campfire at my work, we’re due for some layoffs, too. Oh, sorry, that’s reductions in force.

At this point in my career, I know there’s nothing I can do to prevent or delay a layoff. I’ve been directly involved in or survived at least a half dozen layoffs and closures. There was never an instance where I said, “I wish I would have done XYZ,” or “I should have done a better job” or whatever. It’s business. Strategies change, products get spun off or killed, and companies shut their doors.

So, what can you do when a layoff may be in your future? Keep working hard, and daydream about what you’d do if you got shitcanned.
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I never thought I would be this disappointed to drive my Mazdaspeed3, but it’s true. I have to break my motorcycling streak in order to take Kaylee in for a 12,000 mile service. The streak was 39 work days in a row, almost two months of working! I don’t know what’s more impressive: riding to work that many days in a row, or the fact I haven’t been fired yet ;).

Today will be the twenty-third day in a row I ride my motorcycle to work. Not a bad streak, eh? There’s only one problem: tropical storm Hanna is expected to hit my area sometime this evening. With weather prediction being as flaky as it is, that could mean it could show up early while I am at work, or not at all. It is high sixties and clear right now: should I ride or not? If so, should I take the more nimble Cylon or the more protective Raptor?
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That’s about the last thing you want to hear on an airplane, right after “ALLAHU AKBAR” and the sound of a dead man’s switch being activated.
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Last of my ongoing photographic and gibber-acular tribute to my home office, now that I’m moving back into a cube farm.
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Part of my ongoing photographic and gibber-acular tribute to my home office, now that I’m moving back into a cube farm.
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Part of my ongoing photographic and gibber-acular tribute to my home office, now that I’m moving back into a cube farm.
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