In Haliburton, It's SBM not GTL

SBM you ask? Well... that means SUN, BEER, MEAT not Gym, Tan, Laundry... sorry J-WOW.

After a wild Friday night in downtown Toronto, (Roosevelt Room/Ultra) what better a way to nurse the hangover than a 4 hour drive North? Lemme tell ya, it was an epic cruise. The road wound through massive rocks, lakes and nooks around every corner, sweeping turns and... no police to issue speeding tickets.

This, is my trip in photos. The names have been changed to protect their identities. ha. The best part of the cruise was the historic HWY 118 off the equally famous HWY 11 (the longest road in the world!) Here's a map - check out the 118

With a lil' luck, we arrived in Haliburton without hitting traffic - to park the car and throw away the keys for the next 48 hours.

Here are some photos of the Lake, Cottage, Peoples, and Sightings :)

Some may need an explanation,

That's J-WOW and AT checking out the amazing waterfront of the cottage // and DG saying hi from the fantastic deck // J-WOW and AT on the deck... it begins...

I saw this on the wall and had to take a photo of it... it's pretty great eh? Knitted.

This is a classic photo from the end of my favourite cottage/drinking game, "Pile-Up on 'Lermo"

And a photo of my bud passed out with his motorcycle helmet on :) Awesome. AT working the fire while DON VITO gives his endorsement of the activities.

After the night's ruckus, we decided to rent a pontoon boat for the day... seemed like a good idea at the time. Who knew those suckers could sink?

We almost sunk it and drowned. Twice. Thank goodness for my boat knowledge :)

Did that sound like fun? Heck ya it did!

Join me next time...

I've Got World Cup Fever // Umbro scores!

7 Champions from 7 Countries. 7 Artists. 7 Crests.

7 Beautiful Women. Lovely video from Umbro demonstrating the brand is back on top and well represented for the upcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

If this isn't viral yet, it will be soon! Here's a link to Umbro's YouTube channel where you can see more of your favourite... um, Champion ;)

My money (and heart *sigh*) is on Argentina... but I'll be cheering for the Greeks!

9 more days...



Special thanks to @ReggieRamone (and @gotstyle) for the headsup!

Cheap Thrills. Selling crap tires since forever.

So lemme tell you a story.

Roughly two months ago I was in a bit of a situation… I had my winter tires on my Bullitt and with the spring weather came a period of two weeks where we had great, warm sunny days. You know I can’t fault Mother Nature but as I was still rocking soft winter tires the poor things were basically melting away each commute to school.

Relying on these wonderful and expensive winter tires to last another season, I had to change ‘em up. Now, for those who don’t know… I’m a student. I do not have the ‘budget’ to buy the tires I really wanted nor the heart to put something sub-par on my baby. I decided to go to Cheap Thrills in Milton.

You know that saying “You get what you pay for”? Well, at first it was a pretty decent experience. The guy helped find a pair of 255/40/17s for the front and 275/40/17s in the back (wider back tires). If I had known a little more about tires and more importantly how to ‘date’ a tire I would have avoided buying tires that were indeed cheap and thrilling, if by thrilling you mean 12 years old and after a few weeks of use, cracked and split open. Hm.

How someone could sell 12 year old tires is beyond me.

What if something had happened? Would they be held accountable or is there some sorta loophole these guys are operating within?

I learned my lesson and after a failed attempt to rectify “the situation” (another story) at the Cheap Thrills shop, I will never, ever do business nor recommend ANYONE to buy tires from them. I should have known better by their name.

Today, I went to J&D Tire in Milton, a tire shop my dad has been going to for our vehicles for the last twenty years. The experience was amazing, the shop crew was friendly and my problem was solved.
Yikes. Whada siduation! A situation that could have been avoided. So, if I can leave you with any wisdom it is this:

The two most important things for your car are your tires and brakes. Period.

Also check out this article on used tires

What’s your worst auto shop experience?

Hockey's Next Step

How many of you are frustrated by the lack of Canadian teams competing for the Stanley Cup, the new rules/policies/practices of the NHL and.. Gary Bettman. Whether it's labour disputes and lockouts or moving Canadian teams to deserts, the Americanization of the game continues.

Who can forget the glowing puck on FOX? Who else is inspired and impressed by the KHL in Russia? The game is under ATTACK. Here's what I'm thinking ... let them have it and take Bettman with them.

I suggest to you, my 6 point plan to change the game of hockey.

1. Get rid of the NHL and let's focus on the game here in Canada. 10 Canadian teams, creating a true CHL / Canadian Hockey League.

Including: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, *Winnipeg, *Quebec, *Hamilton and *Halifax.

*I shouldn't have to go into detail about bringing/maintaining Canadian teams BUT... click here for an example

2. American teams can choose to assemble the AHL resting in the 4 of the "Original 6" i.e. Detroit, Boston, New York and Chicago AND open to other clubs.

3. Like the KHL in Russia, (the strongest hockey league in Europe) teams must be representative of the country, allowing 5 international players max.

4. Competitions like the IIHF Championships, Olympics, World Juniors and Spengler Cup are left uneffected.

5. By creating the CHL, Canadian teams would play against each other in the regular season with the top 6 teams competing in playoffs. There would be a CHL champion along with the top 3 teams progressing to the World Stage, a Champions League for hockey.

6. The Champions League will include the top teams from the KHL and all European elite leagues and run concurrent to the regular season. The format could follow Champions League of European football (soccer).

Sounds like a logistical nightmare BUT it seems the game needs a new global direction. Similar to football, I think the the game should welcome it's global audience and progress to the next level. Maybe I'm just a sour Leaf fan but I know that something fishy is going on within the NHL under Bettman's control. I'm not the first and certainly not the last to criticize... but come on! It's our game.

I'm not saying... I'm just saying.

See you in the .. FUTURE

Today we had a special lecture in our social and digital media class that emphasized social capital (check this too) and connectedness through our network we’ve developed in the last four months. It was presented thousands of years ahead of 'now' ... in the future. My HumberPR social media gangsters introduced “Future Camp”, led by Zack Sandor-Kerr and Jenna Stothers, where we discussed how we’ll stay close when our course is done and we are let loose in the real world.

Ideally, I hope to stay connected through the random phone calls and texts that we share, but also to utilize some of the social media platforms we’ve discovered to keep in touch. Our Facebook group will remain; we’ve also developed a new Twitter hashtag (#) that we could use to mobilize monthly events. Our favourite, Why Not Wednesdays will be converted into the hashtag #YnotW.

With another semester ahead of us, I’m sure the sinking feeling of our time together coming to an end will hit in the not too distant future… But I feel confident I’ll be able to reach out whenever, wherever, to the future generation of PR practitioners and the current best buds in the universe. Good luck to all and don’t forget… @JaymesBeatty.

Special Shout-Outs to HUMBER ON TWITTER! (click to connect to their fantastic blogs)

Patrick @PatHPR
Jeff @ChefDeafJeff
Sarah @LatishaFlash
Zack @ZackSandorKerr
Jenna @Jenna Stothers
Sarah @SarahLongPR
Laura @LauraTeed
Kathleen @KathleenNapier
Kiel @KielCulture
Amanda @AmandaLeone
Deborah @DeborahWaines
Zofia @ZofiaSzaflarska
Ben @BWylie1
Michael @MichaelCayley / @MemeticBrand


and follow the trend #humberpr #YnotW

Good Day!

RISK: my game in photos

RISK... quite possibly my favourite board game of all time! Who doesn't like a game based around world domination?? No friend of mine. Here are my tactics through 12 pictures - taken after my turn was completed. I'm the Blue Team ~ The Africans are strong.

Charlie is Red, Grey is Steve and Black is Aaron... like his soul. As you can see, I'm concerned with Brasil, Southern and Western Europe invading N.Africa and Egypt :( no bueno.

I make my move into the Middle East Into INDIA! Building up a massive defensive shield to protect Africa from invaders! Fortify! Things are coming to a boiling point... It fcuking GO TIME! Africa is like a compressed spring. Population of the world takes a hit... Blue Empire is RUTHLESS.I took a run at it. My quest to defeat ended in Iceland. I had broken all networked alliances. With so many troops I had to make a move... plus it was getting late.

The results... the Blue Empire is stretched too thin and everyone around the world is dead. Blue influence has extended from Africa to modern day Vietnam and throughout Asia, Russia and Europe.

Nobody wins due to de-motivation.

Old Spice Reintroduces the Man's Man.

Old Spice. The scent is familiar and wraps your mind… you think… Grandpa? Well, not anymore.

The brand is iconic when American gentlemen think about male grooming products. When faced with new competitors and the rise of social media, the Proctor and Gamble brand has adapted and grown to successfully challenge the new guys, particularly AXE and the multitude of ‘metro’ man grooming products. Old Spice assessed their primary audience’s online activities and met them on their grounds.

Using a website, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to manage their online presence has brought the “Old” Spice back into significance. Branding a new line of products that will “make you smell like a man, man” paired with hilarious marketing and advertising has rejuvenated the Old Spice brand and introduced a new female fan base.
Their Twitter account is just one of the many tactics Old Spice has used to further their branding strategy and engage with their audiences. The account is updated daily and creates a true dialogue with other tweeters through replies, video links, funny quips and other nonsensical man things that you can’t help but laugh at. Their fan base is rising and in regards to other major competitors, Old Spice has a leg up as they have more Twitter followers than AXE. Old Spice has successfully extended their market reach through this medium.

Old Spice has created a relaxed and entertaining branding campaign, reiterated through all mediums and producing consistent content that unifies their social media presence into something really… mountain fresh. An opportunity Old Spice could capitalize on could be to extend their tweet content to include what their competitors at AXE have done including: contests, giveaways, events and news.

Old Spice may not have reinvented the wheel, but they have adapted to the ideals of PR 2.0 and done it so very, very well.

Take a look at Old Spice through a different lens. See what my co-conspirators Pat, Eva, Ben, Ginger and Laura have to say about Old Spice and corporate social media.