Today is the last day of our fiscal year and in this sales world that I have stumbled into this is what the call pressure sales time. That term always reminds me of the story of the guy who sold Slippy his '74 Mustang. Slippy had stopped by this used car lot and his choices, I assume, were between a big perv van and the vintage 'Stang. He made no decision that day but made the mistake of giving the salesman his number. So as the end of the month neared Pete got a call and Jonny Salesguy actually used the line "It's pressure sales time Peter". He then went on to claim he needed this sale to make his number, keep his job, feed his kids, etc. Whatever it took. Pete's the nicest guy in the world and genuinely like the mental picture of him cruising in this car that was the same age as him, so the pressure sales pitch paid off.I think, looking back, Pete would tell you it was a good decision. Until I wrote it off...but that's a story for another day.
As for me...well I am right now waiting for what will be my biggest sales deal to date to fall. I still have a hard time thinking of myself as a sales guy but can't deny that this is a little exciting. If only for the wonderful excuse that this will be to party this weekend. That and the paycheck. Sell out they'll all say. Eat me, I'll say.
I think even more then my own birthdays Will's birthday's mark the passage of time for me. Likely because, thanks to those repeated blows to the head, the early years of my life are foggy at best. I was 12 when Will was born and every year I am amazed that he is now XX. The XX is now 21 and even writing that now is mind boggling. As time eats away at my memory going to meet him at the hospital becomes one of my earliest memeories.
Since then he grew up. He is now my big "little" brother. He has more musical talent in his pinky then I do in my entire body and sucks up knowledge like a sponge. Most of it is about how to play bass and make beer but a former rugby coach always liked to preach that the first key to getting ahead was action and the second key was direction, so he's got the first one down. His mother would be very proud of him.
His band, the Tallest Band on Earth is playing at the Cellar on Thursday night and I look forward to practicing my own theories on inertia.
With this latest cold snap the mid-winter blues might be starting to play for some folks it's very happy news that the EMCA's are only two weeks away.
I've been excited about the ECMA's coming to town since they announed - I'm picturing something on par with the Blues Festival only with more on an influx of welcome outsiders and in the cold of February; Rock hard to stay warm - but at the same time I've been having a hard time figuring out what I was going to plan on seeing. Well that little problem has been solved; this week I got a call from a little (God) birdie who dropped an all-access pass on my lap. I no longer need to worry about trivial things like cover charge. All access! no limits! Freedom!
As a follow-up to yesterday's post; I watched Running Man on Wednesday night and the break out scene in that movie reminded me immediately of the jailbreak from AC/DC's Jailbreak video:
This is also particularly relevant for a Friday because this is exactly how I feel every Friday at around 4.
This song is as old as and it still rocks the walls.
Last week, when watching the promo for Fox's new reality tv show Moment of Truth, my buddy JC mentioned that we might as well just get it over with and get the Running Man show produced. Running Man, you'll recall was the 80's Schwarzenegger flick based on a game show where prisoners are hunted live on tv. It's a cult classic, based mostly on the outfits (a lively debate about who would play who if we did the Running Man as a group Halloween costume - as usual Normy was the big black guy).
Moment of Truth's basic premise is killing the contestents more sublty. They hook the contestents up to a lie detector and then ask questions that will inevitably break up the relationship of the contestant and their significant other, who is invariably seated nearby. Here is a good summation from Deadspin. I can't say that this particular show signifies the demise of Western culture but it's definitely a step in the direction downhill - next stop Running Man?
A young Hollywood star died yesterday in Manhattan under circumstances that are not yet entirely clear. Whatever the case it's a sad reality that a talented and acclaimed actor is gone. It's sad but I would likely never have brought it up simply for the fact that thousands of other lives were lost around the world yesterday and all people are created equal.
I couldn't really place Heath Ledger beyond A Knight's Tale and The Patriot but the I remembered he delivered one of the most chiling scene I've seen in recent years in Monster's Ball when he shoots himself in front of his father.
I've never seen Brokeback Mountain but the good people at the Westboro Baptist Church have now given me a reason. Anything to piss them off.
To lighten things up a little here is a little nugget from the great moments in advertising files:
I saw this a few weeks ago and thought it was effed up. Then today one of the girls from work brought it up and a little searching showed it was all over the web with my favourite description for the ad being Canadian Porn.
In honour of Martin Luther King Day in the US here is an excerpt of his most famous speech:
An incredibly brave man who, were he still alive today, would probably tell you there is still much to be done. And pretty timely after this past week honouring Willie O'Ree, particularly reading about his experiences travelling in the South.
For the a longer version of the speech click here.
In continuing with a recent theme around here, last week Freddy Beach was named one of the world's top seven smartest communities. I don't really have a concept of how they determine such things but wouldn't doubt that it has something to do with my recent scores on travel triva sites.
It would also appear that the supposed 'brain drain' for the promised land of Alberta is working in reverse; my friends leave town and we are named on of the world's smartest cities. Concidence? I think not.
I would also guess there is a correlation between this and Saint John being named one of the countries happiest cities. Ignorance is bliss as they say! Hiyo!
The bossman got a sub-woofer for his pc this afternoon so we have been treated to non-stop music here in the office. One of the first songs he played was this little gem that had been completely stricken from my memory:
It's not quite "My Girl" and it's certainly ain't Loverboy, but it's one of those songs that I likely listened to on CIHI, played air guitar and vocals to, and taped from the radio when I should have been doing that book report on Treasure Island. And thus began the downhill slide of my academic career. Blame Chilliwack mom...do not, I repeat DO NOT, blame Loverboy.
Yesterday couldn't have made for different circumstances in two arenas in New Brunswick. In one a community gathered to mourn an unthinkable tragedy and in the other a community gathered to honour a sporting hero. The tragedy of lives cut short and the triumph of a life well lived.
Here is Freddy last night the city officialy unveiled its new arena with a celebration to honour its namesake Willie O'ree. As I mentioned a few weeks ago Willie is the Fredericton raised (Charlotte St at that!) hockey player that broke the NHL colour barrier 50 years ago tomorrow. I met Willie a few years ago and saw him speak at the city council meeting on Monday (on TV). I was struck by his humility even in the face of a week's worth of adulation. He tried to deflect his accomplishments from 50 years ago, instead focussing on the opportunity his current work is giving to a new crop of hockey players in his role as an NHL Youth Development Director. This Arena should be as much a result of his continuing work as it was for his barrier breaking first game with the Bruins. Here is the best story I have found on Willie. My favourite quote - "Growing up in Fredericton, O'Ree says he had no idea what prejudice was before he ventured into professional sports. There were only two black families on his block, but "no one treated us any differently than the white kids.""
Meanwhile in Bathurt 6000 people packed into the KC Irving Arena to attend the funerals of 7 high schools basketball players that died in a crash that I'm sure everyone has heard about. Nothing I can say can add to what has already been said but no story has affected me quite as deeply as this one in quite some time. I can't see a picture of those kids without getting a lump in my throat.
In a recent study Canada was ranked as the 10th happiest country in the world. The study incorparated a wide range of criteria to come up with the list. There are not too many surprises; the expected quasi-Socialist Northern European countries, the Luxo-Swiss-trian yodel triangle, and the two countries where drunks are treated the best - Ireland and Canada. They all share low crime rates, four distinct seasons, and liberal prescription drug policies. That appears to be the recipe. The suprises among the top 10 are The Bahamas, Brunei, and Bhutan. Besides the letter B they have little in common. I tend to think any tropical paradise nation would rank higher if they bothered leaving the beach to answer a survey (Bula! Fiji) and Brunei is basically an tropical paradise with oil so the only surprise is that they don't rank higher. Bhutan is the only real surprise but I don't know enough about the country to offer an informed opinion beyond saying it's amazing what a little coercian can make people say. Either way, I am happy to live in any country included in this list. Now let's aim for those plucky Danes' knees!In a related story, in a recent survey on the Quality of Life in Canada showed that those of us in the East were the happiest in the country (Thanks to Chris at The Perfect Balance for pointing this out). The factors that the top cities had in common appeared to be a sense of community so it shouldn't be surprising that the smaller communities were at the top of the list while Canada's biggest centers were left out. Initially I was disapointed that Freddy Beach didn't make the list but then realised it probably didn't earn a spot in the voting. I'm not the least bit surprised Saint John won; I've always said that it is the city in which you are most likely to talk to a complete stranger or get punched in the face by a complete stranger. Happily, I've only ever experienced the former (note - if you punch me because you read this you are no longer a complete stranger). It's easy to generalize but I lived on the West Coast and it was the people on the East Coast that drew me back. Now I just wish I could convince some more friends to move home...
Well my wish came true; the warm weather left over the weekend and the new week brought a snowstorm. We lost alot of our snow during the rainy spells so this will replace some of that, PLUS, give me something to write about.
It's sitll coming down hard and it's predicted to keep up over night. That being the case there might be a day off for students and teachers tomorrow. There is nothing like a snow day! If you are looking for something to do on your snow day I would first urge you to take on the elements and get out in the snow. It is white gold after all. Go sliding, go skiing, make a snowman/snowfort/snowangel/snowball to hit jerks like me in the head with. If you aren't feeling up to heading outside, might I suggest reading a good book, watching a good movie, becoming a famous artist, reconnecting with old friends, or just submitting to the glory of youtube:
I will be in the office because time waits for Snowman....I think that's the right quote.
My Kiwi buddy at work came in today with his All Blacks jersey on. When asked why he had his colours on he told us that he was sporting his Kiwi Tuxedo because New Zealand lost an icon when Sir Edmund Hillary died today.
Hillary was one of the first two people to summit Mount Everest. He and his Sherpa partner Tenzing Norgay accomplished the feat in May 1953. This was his claim to fame but he lived an extraordinary life beyond. He was an adventurer throughout his life but what's more noteworthy is his work as a philanthropist and his efforts to see that the indigenous peoples of Nepal get the benefits of the tourism that the Himilayas draw. He was also selfless; the only picture of the successful first ascent is of Tenzing because only Hillary knew how to operate the camera and "the top of Everest was no place to start teaching".
Seeing the All Blacks jersey worn in tribute to a fallen icon definitely made me appreciate what he means to New Zealanders (he appears on the 5$ bill) and made me wonder what Canadian would prompt me to wear my Canadian colors if I found myself in another country upon their death. The only one's that came to mind were Gretzky and Gord Downie.
It's Friday and I'm heading out for Happy Hour - I'll have a beer for Sir Ed and a life well lived.
That has to be like the mascot's dream...to save the day and make a kick ass scoop tackle in a packed stadium. Even the brief awkward 69 position was bareable for the adulation he got. I love that he got straight up, forgot about the streaker, and broke into the worm. He must have played some rugby at some point.
On Monday night I sat and sulked to Normy about how the writer's strike in the States would kill our Monday night 24 ritual. I will admit that last season wasn't quite up to the standards of season's 4 and 5 which got me hooked but we still rushed home from basketball to tune in. It doesn't look like that's going to be necessary any time soon.
But as much as this is a painful situation for me, it is a boon for the CBC and the lineup of shows it's trotting out for the New Year. While I don't think I will be tuning in to MVP - The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives, I was happy to stumble across jpod, which is the CBC's adaptation of the Douglass Coupland novel. Despite the fact that North like him, I am a fan of Coupland's and despite my aversion to most Canadian TV, this one looks very promising. It's set in Vancouver so it lacks the typical rural simpleton stereotyps that Corner Gas plays up and is actually much more up to speed then any American comedy I've seen. Yet there is still the feeling that I relate a little better. Maybe it's because I've worked close to programmers; although, that being the case, I can say that they are less geek chic and more sweatpant chic...and there are definitely fewer hot girls. Nevertheless it is tv and I wouldn't want them to put my guys on tv so I'm happy with the stretch. I didn't watch the whole episode (that's not how people watch tv in the google age) but I liked what I did see and will watch again. I particularly liked the fact that Alan Thicke did a 180 from his Growing Pains role and plays a boozy skirt-chasing father. My other favourite part was that there was a kickass soundtrack including a nice interlude featuring the Hip's Flamenco...a great backround song if there ever was one.
Given the dearth of new American shows this is a golden opportunity for the CBC to reach a larger audience. This show should help and I would recommend checking it out.
So just three days after I post about the winter wonderland that is Freddy Beach a warm wind blows in from the west and, quite literally, rains on my parade. I got out skiing yesterday so that fulfills my yearly quota but I hope to surpass that once the rain stops. Luckily there is too much snow for even a lot of rain to get rid of in the woods. But enough about the weather....
In an effort to brighten my mood I went looking for the funniest site on the web and was given not one but ten in this list of The 10 Funniest Sites on the Internet. I am particularly enthralled by The Subserviant Chicken, which they tell me is somehow a Burger King spokeperson...or spokeschicken.
Crabbe Mountain's website is showing the year to date accumulated snowfall to be at 194cm. Typically I would not have any clue what that meant in feet but it just so happens that's the one metric lenght measurement I do know; it's 6'3", just like me. In other words that's a lot of snow. That's more snow then has fallen in the last 3 winters combined (so I heard someone say). And the craziest part is that it's only the first week of January. This picture may look the same as the one from mid-December but it's actually from the New Year's Eve storm. Another storm followed on Wednesday and as of today we are still digging out.
This much snow reminds me of two things: 1)my youth, I'm sure this is the kind of snowfall that I grew up with. I bet that there are kids out there who don't even konw that King of the Mountain is, and not just because of PC safety BS. 2)Ski Towns - I remember visiting the ski bums in Fernie or Nelson and being amazed at the sheer amount of snow. Well that's what Freddy looks like right now - a little ski town. It's awesome.It made for the best Snow Bowl in recent memory too!
One...day late.I had hoped to post on New Year's Day but the Snow/Chili Bowl got in the way. So there goes the first of my resolutions; improved punctuality. No matter, I prefer to make resol-options as opposed to resolutions. Purely optional, which is why I don't make any personal promises I will feel guilty about if I can't keep.
First and foremost I am going to learn to be more forgiving. This is actually a resol-option I made on New Year's day after I initially resolved to kill the families of the chili cookoff judges who deemed that my chili didn't even deserve a top 3 finish. You can see the rage on my face here:Izzy slept through the photo, and judging by his entry, likely through the cooking process as well. Sorry, I'm a work in progress.
My other resol-options may be easier to stick with. I want to read more; three nights a week before I go to bed is the benchmark. I want to be able to play rugby this year and to do so I need to lose some weight. I want to do something every week to make my house more energy efficient; I have an efficiency advisor coming next week so that's a start. I want to leave the province at least once a month. And finally I want to try and make sure I keep the pace of three posts a weeek. Time will tell.
I think that's about it - maybe get a degree, visit the West Coast, go horseback riding, plant a garden, learn to fly and change the world; you know, the usual.
I hope the New Year finds you all well and happy in 2008. If you are reading this, your resol-option should be to leave more comments, dammit!
I think, looking back, Pete would tell you it was a good decision. Until I wrote it off...but that's a story for another day.
