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...

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?

PR, Social Media and Ford: The battle for the 5.0L

Ford’s public relations is on the ball. This much I know. With all the talk about Toyota and Honda recalls, little has been mentioned about Ford having the most recalls in 2009. Issuing recalls seem to be the ‘it’ thing right now, apparent throughout the media and Ford is capitalizing. Toyota is going to Twitter (literally, not tweet) to combat the problem… but that’s another conversation.

Okay, -believe it or not- we are faced with an energy crisis, rising gasoline prices and mobs of environmentally concerned folks pushing for hybrids, electrics, bicycles and social responsibility. And I’m okay with that.

The reality is that we are living through another horsepower war, reminiscent of the late 1960’s, where big engines, big power and cheap gas was plentiful. While those days are long behind us, those kids have grown up and auto makers are again competing for their dollars. The ultimate American sports coupe war has been raised from the dead and is hotter than ever. It has been ignited by the rebirth of the ChevyCamaro, the Dodge/Chrysler HEMI anything, and the Ford Mustang...

This places Ford in a very difficult position. While pressured to produce efficient vehicles (which they have done) Ford’s marketing and PR continued to ask its customers - the die-hards - what they wanted. In yet another solid example of PR and social media, Ford embraced the fan pages and groups on Facebook, the Mustang and Ford enthusiast websites, forums and clubs.

They joined the conversation…

They connected.

The audience spoke. They (we) wanted the notorious 5.0L back in their beloved Mustang. So what did Ford do to juggle this issue?

Ford built a new media website, promoting the 2011 Mustang’s 5.0L and “unsurpassed fuel efficiency” (…for a 5.0L engine). Ford balanced what we wanted and a lil’ something for ‘them’. Genius. The buzz on the internet suggests that Ford will be selling the 2011 Mustang as fast as they can make them.

I find it interesting that amidst the age of environmental consciousness and awareness that we still seem to play naïve between our actions today and its impact tomorrow. Guilty as charged, but mannn I want one.


Laugh now, Cry later.



What do you think about Ford’s actions? Awesome or Irresponsible?