ironrap

A love story based on frequent flyer points? I’m in love already.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/upintheair/large.html

I came up with two great promo ideas for my bbq company. I don’t think either are really worth doing, so I present them to you here on the internet for your review and opinion.

Meats I’ve Eaten (Facebook App)
This is a facebook application like the popular Places I’ve Been, except instead of places you’ve been to, it’s all the different cuts of meat you’ve eaten. As a bonus it will even calculate your average trophic level.

Eat Your Heart Out Valentine’s Day Sale
Buy a BBQ, get a dozen roses for free.

I’ve been having a tough time sticking to my daily 2009 requirement to do a good deed everyday and take a picture of it.

Doing the good deeds is not a problem, sometimes I do two a day. Like yesterday, I told my neighbour that he left his keys in his door and last night I gave a ride home to a complete stranger because it was cold. It’s the photograph I always forget.

The only one I’ve managed to make any progress on is my hole-free sock wardrobe. Twenty days and still no holes!

In case you didn’t know, I run a bbq business with some friends. We sell outdoor kitchens that can be customized with all kinds of goodies like ice makers, warming drawers, smokers, pizza ovens, and of course absolutely massive bbqs.

In the past I was hesitant to post anything about this publicly because of the effect it might have on my day job, however I have come to realize there is very little overlap between a broadband wireless company and selling bbqs, so it’s a non-issue. You can expect to hear a lot more about barbecues around here from now on.

Here is some of our handiwork;

and:

This year we’re expanding to become the Canadian distributor of an Australian line of grills called BeefEater (not to be confused with the gin). Check us out! Makes a great Valentine’s day gift!

T.I.F.R.

Things to note, missing cup in the first photo and Simon’s awesome guitar hands in the second photo.

This is a follow-up to my seminal 2008 list of requirements for the new year. This is a new list for 2009.

• Learn the Names of 10 Neighbours – Right now I don’t even know the names of the people I live right next door to and share a wall with. I’d like to develop a better sense of community in my life if for no other reason that it will be easier to borrow a cup of sugar, or get back inside if I lose my keys.
• Do One Good Deed a Day – I’m generally a pretty nice person, and I’d like to think that I already do at least one good deed a day, and sometimes two. My goal for this project is to do one good deed a day and document it with a photograph.
• Expand my Cooking Repertoire – I can handle my self well in the kitchen – but my menu is limited to about ten dishes that I make with extreme regularity. I want to expand my cooking repertoire in 2009 so that I buy stranger things at the grocery store and generally know more about wine.
• Become a Better Minnesota Fan – This year I watched entirely too much football. Because I didn’t have a favourite team, I followed all of them. Now that I’ve decided to be a Vikings fan, I can focus my efforts on following a single team next year.
• Use More Vacation Days – I need to use up more vacation days throughout the year.
• Maintain a Hole-free Sock Wardrobe – I was recently criticized for having holes in my socks. This is why I pledge to never wear socks with holes in them again.
• Start Volunteering in Some Capacity – I used to volunteer at a theater close to where I lived. After moving it is no longer close to where I live and I stopped.

This is a part of what I hope will become a regular feature on this blog. It’s where I take song lyrics completely out of context and present them under a common theme. This week the theme is: Great First Date Ideas.

I’ve been planning this feature for quite some time; but it’s been delayed because it turns out it’s really hard (I only have four entries this week) I have a few other lists in mind, and I hope I can make this a weekly…or at least a monthly occurrence.

Great First Date Ideas from song Lyrics:

Stay out super late tonight
picking apples, making pies
put a little something in our lemonade and take it with us
The National – Fake Empire

This sounds like a great idea, except you need access to an apple orchard to truly get the full experience. If you don’t have an orchard nearby, I recommend getting blitzed on Mike’s Hard Lemonade and picking up some hot apple pies from McDonalds.

swim out past the breakers
watch the world die
Everclear – Watch the World Die

Good first date, but after the world is dead you may not have much of a chance at a second date.

When you get off work tonight, meet me at the construction site, and we’ll write some notes to tape to the heavy machines,
The Weakerthans – My Favourite Chords

Don’t forget to bring a pen, and a notepad… and some tape.

Just put me in a wheelchair get me to the show
Hurry hurry hurry before I go loco
The Ramones – I Wanna be Sedated

Is there anything more fun than being whizzed around in a wheelchair? Probably not.