Wednesday Helmet-Cam Filler + I Need Your Business Advice

I’m probably not going to get another serious post in before the weekend. Though I’m not traveling this week, my new boss and about a dozen of my new colleagues are out at our office this week for our 4-day “Q1 Ops Review.” I’m still coming up to speed on my new employer’s terminology, but about a day and half into the meeting I figured out that “Ops Review” means “Really, Really Long Meeting.” We’re on all day, and then have dinners in the evening, so I’ve got pretty much no time for research.

Business Advice Tangent: No, I’m not giving any. I’m asking for some. This one’s really for Wasatch Front readers who are Red Iguana fans*. I need your advice. First 2 nights I took them to “nice” restaurants. Tonight they want Mexican. The best Mexican on the Wasatch Front is of course the Red Iguana, but they don’t take reservations, and there are 12 of us, and I know we’ll end up waiting at least 25-30 minutes. But it’s one of the few really great meals they could get in Salt Lake that they couldn’t get back in Connecticut. Should I do it?

*And if you’re not, why do you live here?

I mentioned to a couple of them that I was thinking about taking them there, but that there’d be a wait. They said, “Oh we don’t mind, we can have a few drinks at the bar while we wait…” but of course they don’t understand that the wait is outside on the benches, under the heat-lamps. So here’s my wacky idea (these guys like to knock back a few.) I could send our admin over to Wal-Mart* across the way this afternoon and have her pick up like a dozen (non-clear) water bottles, and a couple of six packs. Then I could decant the beers into the water bottles, and when we get there, hand them each a water bottle/beer which they can drink under the heat-lamps while we wait, without getting busted for Utah’s strict open container laws.

*This is another variable: I’ve never asked our admin to by me beer before. But she seems pretty cool. I bet she’d do it if I asked nicely.

Is this a bad idea? Or should I go for it? I know it sounds kind of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but the thing is, I know these guys will be patient if they’re drinking…

In fact the only non-work time I’m spending this week is pre-dawn frozen singletrack rides, so I thought I’d just do a filler with some quick helmet-cam clips. First up is a piece of Sunday’s Emigration road descent, which I’m including specifically for Enel, who told me he loves road-biking. Actually this was the first time I ran the cam on the road bike. Gives a good feel for the speed, and mid-way through you can see my shadow, with the cam silhouetted atop my helmet.

Next up is a follow-up to a post from last Spring, when I did this graphic, explaining S-Curves on a mtn bike.

At the time I remember thinking, “Man, I wish I had a helmet-cam to show what S-Curves look like…” Finally, 10 months later and 300 miles North, here’s my clip:

Finally, remember the very first helmet-cam video I posted, 2 months ago, right here?

Here’s the same stretch yesterday morning. It’s still cold, but that higher sun angle is starting to do its thing. Spring is coming. The world is about to wake up again. Yeah.