or "how to lose a race and still go out in style"

I took part in my first alleycat yeaterday with the Dirty South Messenger scene. I got to Vickerys around the time it was scheduled to start so of course I sat aound for an hour or so as about 30 people I didn't know dirfted in and partook in dollar PBRs. South Fulcrum eventually showed up as he said he would so I knew at least I'd have someone to keep me company in last place. After a while we went outside, got our trick-or-treat bags and manifests and headed off. Southie and I hung together and tried to stay with some others but quickly lost them. After the first two checkpoints, we were basically alone and struggling to find the locations on the manifests. The rest of the race was mostly just us and invloved two more manifests (they told me it'd be a short race when I first got to the bar, I think we were out for about 2-2.5 hrs), a head-bath in a garbage can filled with ice water, and a failed attempt at a cartwheel that someone has on video. Anyway, we came in in that horrible position somewhere in the back of the field but not bad enough to get recognized as DFL. After the race we sat in Piedmont Park drinking beer. Some gracious soul eventually showed up with some vegan hot dogs. Southie left to go to the after party I think. I hung around waiting to see if there would be a skid contest, which there was. My first attempt was crap, on my second I was weaving all over the place. My third started well and I thought I was going to pull something out that was fairly respectable, until I saw the concrete rushing rapidly toward my face. I scraped up my right arm, seriously messed up my left wrist, and broke a spoke. I got a few claps, but it would have been better if I had something bloody to show for my effort.
So that was it. Anti-climactic. Learned a few things, such as the locations af a few more bars, and that there are 88,000 people burried in oakland cemetary. Can't really figure out if this is the beginning of something good, or something horribly wrong...
And thanks to South Fulcrum for riding with me. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have been able to find half of the check points.

tim