Krispy Kreme Challenge 2012
[singlepic id=7291 w=320 h=240 float=right]The premise sounds simple - run from the belltower at NC State to the Krispy Kreme eat a dozen doughnuts and return in under an hour. Approximate distance 5 miles give or take. This isn't the first time we're been to or participated in the challenge and while it is much harder than it sounds - it is likely the most fun race in Raleigh. Congrats to Mark, EdG, Eileen/iLean, BobG 11.75, Zach, Nick, Lisa, Bentley, the rest of the DC crew and anyone else I may have missed that we saw. Special congrats to those runners ...
Rembrandt in America at the NC Museum of Art
The Rembrandt in America exhibit at the NC Museum of Art uses the slogan "You know the name. Now find out why." And much in the same way that I had heard of Genghis Khan I could have told you very little about our other museum guest in the city. Namely he may have been French (not true) and he didn't have a Ninja Turtle named after him (this one is true). Rembrandt in America is the largest collection of Rembrandt paintings ever presented in an American exhibition and the first major exhibition to explore in depth the collecting history of ...
Genghis Khan at NC Museum of Natural Sciences
[singlepic id=7209 w=320 h=240 float=right]The name Genghis Khan is probably a familiar one even if you don't know who he was exactly. Before going to the exhibit at the NC Museum of Natural Science I had a very vague idea of who Genghis Khan was and something of a concept of who he was historically but knew very little about the role he played in history. Genghis Khan is famous as the ruthless Mongol warlord who conquered half the known world. Under his rule, the Mongol Empire grew to be four times the size of the Roman Empire at its largest ...
| BobG on Our float needs a theme… | I drive a Dodge Stratus !!! | [READ MORE] |
| Anthony on Guess (Photo from BobG) | I assume you are speaking from personal experience? | [READ MORE] |
| BobG on Guess (Photo from BobG) | that's cuz when idiots get locked up there, they're gonna yell "DAMN!" | [READ MORE] |
| Nick on Guess (Photo from BobG) | Well I would have never guessed that. It really does look like a dam though. | [READ MORE] |
| BobG on Guess (Photo from BobG) | Wow that took a while. (yes, thats what she said...) This is from the 10th floor of the current Wake Co ... | [READ MORE] |
Great video. Discovery returning to earth today – watch it live from 11:45AM-12:15PM here.
Continuing the countdown to the Raleigh St. Patrick’s Day parade brings us to our 2007 entry. We co-opted the musical group Daniel Harris Live (starring Daniel Harris and Eric Doyle) to play on the float and covered it with hot-glued green balloons. A miracle of modern engineering it wasn’t but it does qualify as the most talented float we’ve ever entered into the parade. This float was also the first to have a fully functioning sound system on it. It was a huge step forward from the previous year and is still extremely unique in our floating history.
The design of this float was largely accidental. The concept was to hot-glue close to 1000 balloons to the trailer to leave the illusion of a green cloud. Conceptually hot-glued balloons seems like a great plan. Logistically it was a nightmare. It is easy enough to do but the balloons require the right amount of air and you can’t touch them with the hot glue gun – the tip will make them pop.
A critical piece is making sure they are adequately fastened to the trailer. As we learned on Tryon Road leaving the house – they will fly off the back of the trailer if you haven’t done this correctly. Fortunately we we able to get everything back together and make it work. We lost a few balloons along the way but overall the plan worked.
This was the last float to fly under the ARTMUSIClife.com banner and represented the last time we operated without a real theme. It is one of the most memorable floats for the build team because of the increased level of difficulty caused by the balloons.
We are counting down to the Raleigh St. Patrick’s Day Parade with a look back at the floats we’ve had over the years. The first one dates all the way back to 2006 when we decided at the parade’s annual fundraiser to answer a call to participate. The genesis of our involvement was Guinness inspired and spearheaded by myself, BobG and Anthony P. While we probably aren’t the brain trust one would expect to engineer such a concept we did pull things together and with a little chicken wire, hula hoops, newspaper, green paint and a trailer.
The first float was an experiment and a guess because none of us knew what we were doing. It is my favorite among some very good floats and very well thought out ideas that followed. As we’ve become more of an institution in the parade it remains one of my favorite memories. We had a great group of riders and it was a first for most of us.
Over the years we’ve made changes but one thing remains constant. We’re still chasing what made this float great.
The first two floats were the end of the ARTMUSIClife era and were themed accordingly. The hope was to drive more traffic to the online community. The reality was closer to who really sees a domain name in a parade and visits the site? Not many people unfortunately. Maybe we should have tried for a Superbowl commercial.
I like big butts and I can not lie
You other brothers can’t deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
And a round thing in your face
You get…
Easy grandpa! This is a family site. I’m not entirely sure why but I see a future for BobG in this entertainment sector. Word up! Word up indeed.
We found these for the first time in Starbucks and immediately saw the overwhelming utility in the small plastic device. I wondered why no one had thought of it before now. The best way to describe it is a short (maybe 4 inch long) stick that will block the tiny hole that you drink from while transporting your coffee. Yes – I know BobG just said “that’s what she said” and even I am not sure why.
I know these aren’t new. A little poking around the internet showed me that they date back to at least 2008. This might be the first time I noticed them but I am shocked that I am not seeing them everywhere that serves coffee. No – I don’t spill much and unless the drink is unusually hot I don’t have to worry a lot about it splashing out. That being said anyone picking up coffee for someone else would likely appreciate having the “splash stick” in the cups they are carrying. Again – maybe late to the party but no less impressed with this innovation. Other coffee places should take note.