DanBailey.net cyclist, writer, font designer, geek

Strange Days

It's weird times -- lots of people losing jobs. And it's just...weird. I went through the dot-com bubble, so this isn't a new experience. The oddity for me lies in the fact that I am relatively secure -- a contractor, a workload twice what it was last year, and a low level of replaceability. So I see all these people getting the axe, and I get this thing like survivor's guilt. Like I should feel bad that I still have a job that pays awesomely and that I know I can make rent.

I'm also in a position where I'm grateful that I didn't hang my ass in the wind and open the bike shop this year. I know, I know -- bike sales were up huge last year. But that was when gas cost like $4000 a gallon, and now that consumer confidence is down and gas prices with them, I cannot see those numbers being maintained.

Strange, though, that I can already see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just like the fallout of the Dot-Com Bubble caused smart groups of people to glom together and start a new evolutionary path (Web 2.0), the fallout through all industries will do the same. In another few years, we're going to see huge changes in automotive, retail, finance, and so on. A bursting bubble causes its victims to rethink their plans.

The first bubble got me to rethink mine -- that's where the bike shop idea came from. The second bubble is causing me to refine my goals and really think deeply about what I'm doing.

I suspect we're a year or two away from coming out of this, but I think we'll be in better shape once we're on-track again.

What're your plans for coming through the down economy?

How to Be Cool

Everything you need to know on the subject of being cool can be taught to you by this short article, detailing the actions of Eddie Izzard.

Take notes.

2008 In Review

So my New Year's Resolution for 2008 was the same as 2007: "be more awesome."

That's not an indication that I thought I was awesome at the time. I just wanted to make sure that the year was one of self-improvement and becoming a better human being.

I failed to do some things that were on my to-do list for 2008, including "buy a house" (and thank god I fell short on that one) and the plan to write and submit a short story every month.

I did manage to get a big chunk of debt paid off, and started in with the classes -- I learned to swim -- and both of those are things I want to continue to do in 2009.

Things that were awesome in 2008:

Experiences/events: falling in love with Kate and moving in together, my new job at $FORTUNE_500_COMPANY, attended Obama rally, attended Obama acceptance speech, my TV catching fire while powered off (exciting, plus a new 42" plasma to replace it), iPhone!, paid off my alimony early, the Blackwood family camping trip, two great novel ideas that are being acted upon, learning to drive a snowmobile.

Bike: built a Surly Cross-Check commuter that's hella fun, bought a Cervelo P2C and fell in love with carbon frames.

Movies: Iron Man, WALL-E.

Music: got to poke fun at GNR's Chinese Democracy garbage, rediscovered Jedi Mind Tricks.

Books: Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi, Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds.

TV: Battlestar Galactica.

Video Games: Rock Band 2, Legend of Zelda: the Twilight Princess, Battlefield: Bad Company, Tiger Woods 09.

As for 2009? I plan to make it my bitch. The following will be accomplished:

1. Getting fontosaurus.com back up and running.
2. Racing in three disciplines this year -- road, track, and cyclocross.
3. Continue to work on my swimming skills.
4. Get Bubble completed and in front of an agent.
5. And most importantly: propose to my girlfriend.

I think that's a reasonable list for the year. What're your plans?