Done yesterday (20120403 Tu)

[mdlbear]

A pretty good day. Liz came over to help Colleen with the sewing room, and Belen came over and took away several boxes of culled fabric. I polished up my resume/profile text, redid my personal business card, and got a callback from the outplacement firm my former employer set me up with. I'll start the Monday after next.

I also took a walk, though much shorter than I'd planned. I stopped to help a young woman (teens or 20s; hard to tell) who'd gotten the belt of her sweater wrapped around the rear sprockets of her bike. It was complicated by the fact that the bike had coaster brakes, so we couldn't just back it out. It required bending over, so I was sore enough by the time I finished that I didn't want to risk a full 2-3 miles. Good anyway.

Cool stuff via N: The 'I Don't Pay' Movement - a successor to Occupy? Started in Greece, but seems to be spreading to other places in Europe. We may be seeing the start of a revolution.

Oh, and Finally, Android breaks 50%. Pretty good day.

0403 Tu
  * up 7ish; W=193.6; d, n, t, dishes, garbage
  @ The 'I Don't Pay' Movement - a successor to Occupy?
    Lack of fear is the road to truth,
    Truth is the basis of information,
    Information is the key to power.
    Do not be afraid.
  * Lee Hecht Harrison 888-913-7366x85 Quick Start Plus program 408.453.7722
    2001 Gateway Pl. Suite 440W  http://lhh.com -* will call back w. info
    1-2:30 pm Monday Apr 16
  * worked on personal card.
  @ RiSource.org (via the WayBack Machine, captured 20070205)
  * walk: d=.8, s=2.9, t=17m, c=82
    Cut it short because I'd stopped to help a young lady disentangle the belt
    of her sweater from her bicycle.  Would have been easy except that the bike
    had a coaster brake, so couldn't back up the chain.  Sore and tired from
    bending over and working on it.
  @ The smartphone Wars: Finally, Android breaks 50%
  : sewing room closet hasn't been this clean in 15 years.  YD is gleeping.
  * updated LinkedIn and StackOverflow profiles from resume/website text.

Comments

Coaster brakes

[idea-fairy.livejournal.com]

As I recall, it is possible to back up the chain on a coaster brake bike, but it's a bit tricky.

You turn the rear wheel backwards, either by walking the bike backward or by lifting the rear wheel off the ground and turning it by hand. Then while this is going on you very gently push the pedals in the forward direction. Push harder on the rear wheel than on the pedals, and the chain will move backward.

Since the chain is trying to move the wheel forward, the brake won't engage but the normal clutch will. So turning the wheel backward will back the chain.

Or at least it did the one time I tried it back in the 1950's. Your bike may vary.

Re: Coaster brakes

[mdlbear]

Thanks! I'll have to remember that one!

[egoldberg.livejournal.com]

Hey Steve!

One thing I forgot to mention: it looks like you dropped the "I bring a half-century experience in software engineering" line. If it were me, I'd consider keeping that in my back pocket when working with the career coaches as a potential hook.

For one thing, no recruiter or hiring manager will have *ever* seen that on a resume, no matter how many tens of thousands they'll have reviewed in their lifetime. It'll get people's attention. Depending on how you end up positioning yourself (and it feels like you're going with something like "I bring really deep and broad knowledge and wisdom that young people don't have, the ability to mentor people to learn skills they don't even know they need yet, and I really love software engineering - this isn't just for a paycheck."), that could be the killer hook to complete your narrative.

Or it could backfire and make you look old. But you can be the one to make the calculated decision there, and to make sure it's situated to complete your personal brand.

And just wanted to say: from the clarity and confidence you speak about the work you've done, I think you will be a natural at technical interviewing. The career coaches will probably help with preparing in advance for situational questions (that I think are harder for introverts).

Eli

[mdlbear]

Thanks for the tips.