Please rain on my parade

Overcast days are some of the best days of the year. Most people stay indoors, and leave all of the fun things available for those of us who are not afraid of a little precipitation. My last weekend in the DC/VA/MD area was one of these times.

Mike and I went to Annapolis, MD, once this past summer and I absolutely loved it. This town (as a NYer, I refuse to call anything else a city) reminded me so much of the coastal towns in New England I have fallen in love with in the past. We walked around the water, sat at a coffee shop, looked at a new Ducati (obviously,) and had an amazing meal at the Federal House Bar & Grill. Being that we were in Maryland, I ordered a crab cake and was more than pleasantly surprised. I am not one who enjoys mixing my foods, and there were no peppers or extra nasty things in the cake. The server even gave me a double order of veggies, so I was in heaven. Mike... was in another kind of heaven, eating his sweet potato fries and buffalo chicken sandwich with cheese and bacon. The town seemed quite different than it did during the summer in the mid-Atlantic humidity and scorching sun, but in a much better way. With less tourists (like us,) tons of people walking their dogs, and even some sailors from the nearby naval academy/base, it appeared to be much more of a quaint coastal town than a touristy state capitol. It's nice to know you can have a pleasant day exploring a familiar place in a new light (literally.)

#adbowl #brandbowl

This year's Super Bowl was pretty fantastic-- the team I was rooting for won (not that I am a fan or anything,) the halftime show was pretty awful, Christina Aguilera flubbed the National Anthem lyrics (keep in mind, she has been singing at sporting events since she was 7 years old,) and -- the best part -- there were a TON of really great auto industry commercials.

My personal faves were the two Volkswagen commercials: "The Force" for the new Passat, and "Black Beetle" for the as-yet-unseen, iconic Beetle!
"The Force" had the cutesy and geeky factors, which I think helped it win among the general population. The commercial showcased, what I think is, exactly what Volkswagen needs to showcase: affordable 'luxury.' This is especially crucial if they want to accomplish their goal of selling 800,000 vehicles in the United States by 2018. Many say this is unrealistic, but if VDub wants to sell like Toyota... they have to market like Toyota and make cars that are kind of boring. Like Toyota. This is a major downside for all of the VW enthusiasts who have fallen head-over-heels for cars like the sporty GTI and Touareg. However, it is too early for these enthusiasts to start turning their backs on their beloved VW. There is talk of the Golf R and other fun Dubs making their way stateside, which would be great for the company to get some more of the ol' faithful VW fans on their side.
"Black Beetle" was my favorite of the bunch. I have been so excited to see the redesigned Beetle since I first heard of it being... let's say... less "feminine." So the new commercials giving the viewers a sneak-peak of the side profile of the car made me schoolgirl-giddy with anticipation. The ad run during the Super Bowl showed even more of the profile than the YouTube video, which had been uploaded earlier in the week, so that was an extra incentive to sit through the horrendous screeching of one of my fave Guns N Roses songs, "Sweet Child o' Mine," provided by --the very sparkly-- Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. While on the subject of awesome songs, the use of the classic "Black Betty" in the commercial was pretty much perfect. If VW wants to spark the male buyer's interest in the Beetle, I think they were pretty succesful in doing so with this commercial.


As for the other commercials...


Chevy's ad for the Camaro, which featured two insanely annoying "ad agency" dudes describing the action in the commercial was awful. Just awful.

Chevy's ad for the Cruze, a car which apparently is able to update your Facebook status, was awful as well. And who posts status updates about their dates?

Chevy had another spot (for which car, I cannot recall) which starred the Glee cast, and it was also awful.


CHRYSLER. My second face advertisement of the night. How do I describe thy coolness? You gave me more Eminem (after he had already appeared in a Brisk commercial in the same evening,) you gave me Detroit (a city I have never visited, but love nonetheless,) and you gave me the I-am-about-to-cry-at-a-commercial-and-then-don't-because-I-feel-kind-of-stupid feeling. I wasn't interested in the car whatsoever, but I really dug your tagline. And I don't know how I feel about the workers in your factories who go drink and smoke weed on lunch breaks, but I really liked your commercial.



This is really all I remember, apart from the game itself, so my snarky, scatter-brained post will end here.

Xmas Gifts

Now I'm not sure... but I think everyone on the planet loves the holidays. Everyone.

I may be projecting, or I may be completely and totally right. Regardless, I think most would agree there is no better way to celebrate the holiday season than to give the gift of shred and snow fun.

Below is a list of awesome gifts any rider would cherish or, at least, appreciate:

SNOWBOARD VIDEOS

Whether in physical or digital format (so you can watch on your iPhone or... whatever other phone plays video,) these are awesome gifts for anyone who appreciates the art of shred. Whether the recipient is into background metal, hip-hop, or girly hipster bands, there is a movie for them. My personal fave is Peep Show's "Let's Make Better Mistakes Tomorrow" but that's just because I have a ridiculous obsession with all things Peep Show.

JACKETWhile most may wonder why this is here, as most already have their winter gear on lock by late December, I am of the mindset that one can never have too many clothes... especially when it comes to outerwear. Like it or not; so much of snowboarding is about your style-- the way you ride AND the way you dress. People judge you on all of it, and you should put your best gear forward.



PANTS ARE COOL, TOO.


GIFT CARD FOR NEAREST RESORT
Example: Killington Gift Card
This is pretty self explanatory. You can usually use them on lift tix and if not, you can use them on food/drinks/lodging/gear/knickknacks/whatever. This is probably one of the most useful gifts, and one you can prolong over time.


MONEY


Let's be honest... most people who ride are broke a lot. Not quite sure why this is; if riding is the cause of such brokeness, or if people who are broke are naturally attracted to boardsports. This is a large question which would require much more thought and research, so I'll forget it for now. But my main point is that money-- whether in cash, check, or money order form -- is a SWEET GIFT. You can do whatever you want with it: legal or illegal, snowboarding-related or not. And that is what Amurrika is all about! You wouldn't want to be a un-American, now, would you?




I know there are cooler things out there, but I wanted to post this before Christmas.




And it's the thought that counts, anyway.