Drew Robbins sent me this earlier and I felt obligated to post it, simply because it’s absolutely hilarious…
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=13985588
I bet you can’t watch it just once 
Archive for January, 2008
31
Jan
Squirrel Launcher
30
Jan
Homeless Bodyguard
There are a ton of homeless people in downtown Seattle, so I expect to get hit up a couple times every time I walk anywhere near my apartment. The funny part is that each person has a different “intro” where they try to make the confrontation seem like a friendly/random encounter. Two people that just happened to cross paths in the same dingy back alley of a major metropolitan city. If that’s not fate then I don’t know what is!
As I was walking to the grocery store this evening I was blessed with the opportunity to have a homeless man provide his security services for me. What do I mean by that? Well I was simply walking down the street, minding my own business, and this dude comes out of nowhere and just starts walking alongside me, making small talk. Eventually he tells me that it isn’t safe at night for a “young kid” like myself, and he wants to make sure I get to my destination in one piece. I couldn’t believe my eyes, I had somehow stumbled upon the most selfless vagabond of all time. While other folks in his same situation are out begging for cigarette money, this guy is looking out for the well being of innocent bystanders.
We get to the store (the fact that I had to write “we” there gives me the creeps), and I’m about to bid him farewell, as his lets me know he’ll be waiting outside until I come out. What a gentleman! Apparently chivalry isn’t dead. I finish my shopping and exit the store, pleasantly greeted by my knight in dirty sackcloth. He proceeds to “escort” me back to my apartment, asking me if I have a girlfriend, and if not, would I like him to get me one. As appealing as his offer sounded, I let him know I’m happy with my ongoing streak of not catching an STD, so I was going to have to pass.
I realized this little charade was going to go on for as long as I kept walking, so I noticed a video store up ahead and decided to cut this chit chat short. As I’m walking into the store I’m telling him to take it easy, and thinking how horribly awkward this entire experience has been. All of a sudden, right when I think I’m off the hook, he throws out the “Hey man, could I snag a couple bucks from you for some smokes”. What?! You mean this man’s motives for tagging along with me this whole time weren’t based on neighborly concern? My faith in humanity is now completely lost…
Experiences like this make you really appreciate the homeless people that just cut to the chase and ask you for money. The next time someone on the streets hits you up for cash, tell them thank you for being forward about what they really want, instead of following you around for 30 minutes.
I must admit I love having stories like this. I’m not sure why but I seem to attract odd scenarios
28
Jan
Seattle Code Camp
Being new to Seattle, I’ve been anxious to find out what the local developer community is like. I got the chance to present at the Seattle Code Camp yesterday on the Entity Framework. There was a great turn out for the session, and I was really surprised by the awesome questions I was getting from folks in the crowd. The Seattle community seems really open-minded and excited to try new things, which is great for someone promoting new technology
This area is really spoiled, because their code camps are littered with Microsoft speakers. My homeboy Drew Robbins gave a great session on IIS7, Phil Haack and Chris Tavares were representing MVC, and Adam Kinney was doing his thing with Silverlight. All in all it was a great day, and I’m really glad I went.
First off, I haven’t been lazy about posting this week, I just haven’t gotten an internet connection setup in my apartment yet, and blogging from an iPhone is less than ideal. The cable guy is supposedly coming on Friday, at which point I will both leap for joy and begin reguarly posting again. Seriously, try going a week without the internet and see what that does to you.
Anyways, so I’m now living in Seattle, specifically in a neighborhood called Belltown, which is where all the cool people live. I’m pretty sure there are more high-end hair salons, clothing boutiques and art galleries in this neighborhood than any other neighborhood in the US. I’m also pretty sure that everyone in this area owns a dog.
My apartment is located a few blocks from the Space Needle, which is pretty cool. I’m sure that novelty will wear off eventually but I have to admit I enjoy lying in bed at night watching the elevators go up and down, there is an odd serenity about it.
I appreciated the fact that before I moved up here everyone told me it only snows a couple times a year at most, then on my third day being here, it snows. Walking to and from the bus stop everyday is pretty much a freezing experience right now, so hopefully I’ll get used to that after a while (or maybe I’ll be a sissy forever).
Finally working on campus at Microsoft has been great. Working remote for a month was kind of a drag, and it’s nice to finally be able to chat in person with folks.
Keep it real, and stay tuned til the next episode…
One of the biggest questions I’ve received from folks is when they can begin to play with the ADO.NET Data Services bits within a Silverlight app. Well the time is now! I’ll post some info about how cool this is in the future. In the meantime, download the Silverlight add-on for ADO.NET Data Services.
