Me at the WTC?

Edit: No, WTC in this instance is not the World Trade Center. In the Triathlon community, it stands for World Triathlon Corporation.

Wouldn't that be interesting! Roman posted about the opening, and good ol' Spokane Al sent me an e-mail (luckily, since I hadn't seen Roman's post yet) with the link in it. Not having a degree in Journalism or any PR experience, it was difficult to fathom having the qualifications necessary for the position.

But I'm an all-round good guy with some time on my hands, and it got me to thinking...I've got plenty of journalism experience. There are people out there who like what I write, right? Of course, I imagine that writing in "blog" style would be different from writing for a magazine or a company PR program, but as far as the content, perhaps not so much.

So I applied -

Interestingly, I applied just a few minutes ago thinking how great it would be to work in the world of fitness, but that I don't have a degree in Journalism nor have I worked in public relations for the specified times set out in the job requirements. Then I remembered http://clydesdaleshavebigbikes.blogspot.com – my blog of nearly 3 years, where I’ve wrote consistently about our great sport of triathlon, and of life in general. I also nearly forgot about the podcast I’ve co-chaired for just over a year, The Tacboy and Bigun Podcast (http://bigun86.podbean.com/ ), in which we also cover topics in the world of fitness and triathlon, albeit with a bit of tongue and cheek. So while my “work” resume hasn’t changed, perhaps my years of relating to the public – my “creepy internet friends” – would act as either an internship or on the job training in the world of journalism and multi-media entertainment.

One of my most read blog postings was a review of the Zipps I rode at IMCdA:
http://clydesdaleshavebigbikes.blogspot.com/2008/07/clydesdale-zipp-808-review.html

and my second submission is a bit of comedy about flip turns:

http://clydesdaleshavebigbikes.blogspot.com/2006/12/flip-turns.html

Thanks again for considering me for this position. I know I can be an asset to your organization!

Yes, as is customary with the M-dot Bigun, I acted before really thinking, and sent out my resume without so much as a cover letter or the required 2 pieces of material. Duh. It's difficult to go back into your own blog and pick something that you think is good and that others think might be good too. From the other world. The "real" world. We all read each other's crap all the time, and aside from boring dribble that occasionally passes by our fingertips, we find interest because we are FRIENDS with the person writing. It's all "I" and "me" and a lot of "we" - where I doubt that's accepted much in official journalistic prose.

They also asked about salary requirements. How much do you think a PR Coordinator makes these days? After all, I can't pay my car note with free IM entries....although it would be fun to try!

The Race is ON

Yep, IMUT10 is the place to be in 2010 - and I would like nothing more than to hop in that lake with 2000 of my best new and creepy Internet friends for IM #2.

So the race is on. Bigun gets a career job before the race sells out, and I'm IN. That's the deal. That's me being responsible.

Human Resources can kiss me right in the middle

What is this country coming to?

"I liked him in the interview, but his psych profile test that he did, well, he really scored low and we just didn't think he'd be a good fit...".

Crimeny! Hows that for a blow to the self esteem? A friggen on-line HR 350 question test that I somehow scored badly on, according to their criteria. But I aced the interview. You gotta be kidding me.

That was the Las Vegas deal. Seems like a big 'oh well' for that one. Now we still have the New Orleans thing going on. I think I did really well in that interview, but I also had to take a quick on-line personality test for that job. I'm scared to even think about it.... It hires by April 6th, so I've got time to agonize over this one too.

Personality tests. Crap! Am I doomed to flip burgers for the rest of my life? I pretty much suck on the grill - as anyone who's been over to the Bigun's for a cookout can attest to. Bad, Bad, very Bad. The only thing left is the guy who holds the stop sign at construction sites. I hope they don't require a personality test for one of those. How I got into West Point and somehow made it into Special Forces... I'll never know.

If you're scared...

(warning, this post has very little to do with Triathlon. I mention the word once, but that's it - oh, and I say, "Ironman" too...)

say you're scared. I'm scared. Not about the economy. I know that's tit's up. Foregone conclusion. I'm scared 'cause I know what I want to do, and it seems reckless. Even for the M-dot Bigun.

I want to go West. The Mountains. The Rock. The weather. Things in my own country I've never seen before. The Grand Canyon. Yosemite. Salt Lake. Deserts and high mountains. Low humidity. Ghost towns. Stuff like that.

Weirdly, at 45 (in a few days) I'm at a reset point in my life. I can go anywhere and do anything without any more (read MORE) negative effect on my career or financial standing. A big giant ditto for my wife's situation. Together, we have little to lose no matter where we go. It's sad and exciting at the same time.

At 45 you'd hope to be in cruise mode. You'd hope to be on the career path with the train having left the station, all the cars lined up in a row. Safe. Not so much. What's even worse is that in a highly specialized world (if you don't believe that it is, just try to look for a job these days) I'm a very un-specialized guy.

It's a bad habit formed from my military days. Every two years or so, sometimes less, in the Army you change jobs. I'm not talking a quick change from, say being the guy making the widgets to being the guy supervising the guy making the widgets. An Army infantry officer could one day be leading a platoon of dudes specialized at firing mortars to the next day being the head Human Resources (S1) honcho of the "Corporation". The next year you could be the maintenance HMFIC (BMO) and then spend a year managing logistics (S4). Just enough time to get good at the job they throw at you, but not long enough to become an expert.

That was cool, back then. I never got sick of a job. Since leaving the Army, my resume is splattered with varying jobs and duty descriptions. My sales career of 7 years is the longest I've ever done anything on a consistent basis - oddly, it's the least favorite job I've ever had. What a dumb ass!

I've been asked, "what do I want to do"? I struggle with that daily. The best job I ever had I gave up 12 years ago, and nothing since has come close to it's coolness. To say, "I miss the Army" is an understatement. But that's all water under the bridge.

I've tried to supplement my lack of satisfaction in my work life with challenges in my free time. Triathlon. Ironman. These things were (are) awesome and were great achievements but unfortunately do not put bread on the table. The fiddler is on the doorstep, and he's got his hand OUT! And you know what, it's not about becoming rich for me. I'm not looking for the crazy huge house or expensive cars or whatnot. I think it boils down to three things: Be challenged, make a difference, and do it honorably with honorable people around me. With that, pay me fairly for what I do.

If I keep looking, something like that will come up. I'm pretty sure of it. Just not here in Tampa. Lets face it, I don't fish. I don't lie on the beach. I don't sunbathe. I'm not a boater. I hate lawn work. Exactly - what in the heck am I doing here? Uggg. As spontaneous and as carefree as Di and I seem to be, I'm still one to have a plan. At least a fall back plan. In the past, I've been places that I was able to stay with family while we regrouped. In the past, Di's expertise was highly sought after - now, it's not. I think that Di's efforts at her career and passion for what she did made just doing the "sales thing" tolerable for me. True, there are lot's of "I's" up there, but it is not all about me. I have a feeling that Di does like it here, and that adds a dimension of suckitude to the moving equation.

Perhaps I'm over thinking all this. "Just do it", right? Can I get a big, "quit 'cher bitchin' Bigun and do something" from the crowd? Gosh, when did I become such a puss?

Shots heard round the World

Bullet comments. First you think they are harmless. Trite. Succinct. Not so much. Interestingly enough, I got hood-winked (read...I'm a dumb-ass). Turns out that my work's IT department has a Google search going for any time the company's name is mentioned over the World Wide Web. NICE. In a prior post I had written that I wasn't entirely happy about going back to work with this former employer. If you can imagine, a large and distasteful amount of crow was eaten by the M-Dot Bigun before, during and now after reapplying, re interviewing and then reaffirming my reentry into the world of luxury sales. Oh yea. The CEO of the company read my comments, forwarded them to my manager, and a conversation ensued that was not easy to take part in. So a word to the wise: never mention your company in the same post that you mention a job hunt. For all I know, my CEO now reads my Blog. Voluntarily. Egads.

Did you happen to watch Obama's address the other night? Remember Elkhart, Indiana? RV production capitol of the world. The whole city unemployed. Looting and rioting in the streets. I couldn't have gotten back into selling RV's a moment too soon. I got my brand spanking new Name Badge this morning before going home with a fever, so I guess I'm officially "in" again. Nothing like a name badge to make you feel like you belong. Lovely.

So, do you think they will actually have a 2010 May Ironman in St. George, UTAH? I checked it out on Google Maps, and I could hardly find a body of water big enough to support a 2.4 mile swim. Perhaps at the reservoir north east of the city? It's just too bad it's so far away, way out there near Las Vegas, all the way across the country from where I WORK. You folks out west, like in Phoenix and in Salt Lake and Ogden, ya'll have fun with that one. I'm really, really jealous.

Bullet Update

• Working on Episode 18 of the Tacboy and Bigun Podcast. We got a coaching lab rat. We got Otterbox reviews. We start the new new year with some good 'ol fashioned jib-jab.
• Still looking ahead to the Minnesota Border to Border. Every other race is crap-shoot as to my participation or not. Actually, so is MN B2B...
• Which brings me to my next note: Still Job Hunting. If I land a job, particularly the one I want out in Las Vegas, then the race schedule will REALLY be up in the air. Who knows what kind of time I'll have off then, especially for a week-long race.
• In the mean time, still working the Installation Biz. It's been reduced to part-time since that's about all the business I get from all my sources. Unbelievable, but then I hear of friends in other industries losing 75% of their business, and I guess it makes sense.
• As a fail safe, I've started working at the RV place again. Selling RV's. 100% Commission. Not at all what I ever wanted to do again, but these are tough times.
• Training is an afterthought at this point. Getting in about one hour of running a week. Can't really call that training. 4 weeks until the Gasparilla half-marathon.
• Blink and Christie will be here (gosh, I'm sure I spelled her name wrong... crap...) for Gasparilla, as will my Mom and her husband Bob, and who knows, maybe even the Tac and Trimama. At least I've got the spare bedrooms ready! I'll be mostly concerned with jogging the half mary, and having a great weekend with friends and family. Gosh, maybe my Mom will beat me! I'd better get out there and run a bit more....
• Still lurve the Facebook.
  

Episode 17 - 2008 Wrap

Somehow we did it... we wrapped up 2008 on New Years day, and I'm just now getting it edited and published on Itunes. Hope you enjoy our last show of the year - we hope to do more in '09 and keep the laughs coming. Sometimes it's hard to find stuff to laugh about. But when you're good, you're good, right?

MN B2B is shaping up!

Holy Moley!  The Minnesota Border to Border, or MNB2B, is turning out to be quite the hotspot in the world of Blog-land.  Ok, it's got a few folks coming at least.  The teams are far from confirmed, but organization of the teams is developing.  Tentatively (and please please please read that last word - TENTATIVELY) it looks a bit like this so far:

Girls Team:

TriMama

Iron Jenny

Momo (who is still unconfirmed)

****open****

Boys Team:

Bigun (that'd be me)

Taconite Boy

Blink

***open***

Minnesota Mixed:

Jumper 2.0

Iron Girl Nyhus

Borsch

***open***

So there you have it.  3 teams so far with open spots on each one of them.  I'm sure there will be others wanting "in", and some who may have life get in the way.  It happens.  Some concern of logistics and transportation was mentioned...I'm sure that we'll be able to keep the "Team Vans" or RV grouped - I mean, how far apart will the teams get?  Plus, we'll be staying in the same hotel as each other each night - so the festivities will be very much a group thing.  

I don't know.  TriSherpaDi will undoubtedly be Super Sherpa-ing one team.  Perhaps with help from none-other-than Commodore.  Big J will undoubtedly cater the girls team.  Not sure who will Sherpa the Minnesota crew.  Obviously the names of these teams will need to be determined - they need to make a statement.  They need to be Bold!

Speaking of Bold, wouldn't it be a coup if perhaps the legend.....ary Bolder came out of retirement and joined a team?  I really hope we get enough interest to put more teams together.  Keep in mind, the teams can be 2, 3 or 4 man teams.  Just how big a stud or studette are you?

Base Canoe II

You guys think I'm funny!  This canoe shizzle is some serious stuff.  There are, like, races - marathon and ultra type races - across the country in canoes and kayaks.  There's an event that takes you AROUND FLORIDA....seriously, all around Florida - at the top, you have to do a 40 mile portage.  Portage, btw, is when you carry the boat, not paddle it.  Oh yea, I'm "in the know" now.

Since it turns out that this canoe aspect of my multisport career brings so much hilarity and entertainment to my triathlete brethren, I'll continue to enlighten you with exploits of my dry water exercise.  I think I've found a one stop shop for all my canoe training questions - believe it or not, there is a web site called Fitness Paddling.  I'm just excited to have yet another thing to train on - three just wasn't enough.  Sure, I could have picked darts, or horse shoes - but now that I don't have my lawn business anymore, I need to spend more time outdoors. 

And for those of you just tuning in - what is the need to do this canoe training?  Well I'll tell ya - the Minnesota Border to Border.  At the end of that 4 day relay, we have a 50 mile canoe leg.  And by "we" I mean - Me, Taconite Boy, someone else and someone else.  Yes!  That's right.  It turns out the girls we had on our team had decided to go "ladies only" (I know what your thinking - yes, I'm thinking it too...but stop).  TriMama and Iron Jenny may be teaming up with Momo and some other yet to be unnammed tri-hawtie.  Of course, there is no limit to the number of teams - the more the merrier.  I'm not in charge - I'm just bringing YOU, the interested reader, all the latest and greatest on what is sure to be an epically fun week.

If by fun, you think I mean lots of racing AND drinking / eating - you'd be right!  TriSherpaDi will be showing off her mixology AND driving skills as LEAD Sherpa of one of the teams.  If Momo throws her hat in the ring then Big J would likely bring the RV and head up the Sherpa duties of the all girl squad.  Lucky bastard.  Now I've heard rumblings of other folks that would be heading up and joining the fun (like Blink - who's not joining a team; he's just riding and running with us), but there has to be some semblance of rumor control (by control, I mean the only rumor will be of Momo and Big J's participation so far...) so I'll wait for more rumors before I leak any more possible participants.