Odometer Stats for 2008

At the end of 2008 the odometer on my yellow Fuji Roubaix road bike read 2261.1 miles.
Today I reset it, before taking a ride. 33 miles is a good start to the new year. Here is to safe happy peddaling.

a footnote (sic):
This does not include a ride I took earlier last week in which the cyclocomputer was not working. I rode from Tukwila train station to Puyallup train station. I'll post that after then next time I do the same ride. Count them as hidden miles that will be a footnote on this years distance.

a krafty response

**** aside****
it appears my idea got a nice smile from the people at Kraft consumer relations. Seems like this one comes to a screeching halt at the front door of inovation. Read on...
******

Thanks so much for taking the time to contact us with your suggestion. We're always delighted when people care enough about our products and packaging to offer their own creative ideas.

As you might know, we have a new "unsolicited ideas" policy that allows Kraft to consider some types of ideas (mainly for new products and packaging innovations) submitted by consumers. However, our policy does not cover unsolicited ideas regarding: product line extensions, packaging changes, advertising, promotions and recipes ideas.

So, those types of ideas are not sent along to our new "Innovations Team," who is responsible for analyzing unsolicited ideas under our new policy.

But, we do want you to know that comments shared by our consumers can be very helpful to Kraft. Various Kraft teams do review comments such as yours, which help us identify consumer trends, preferences and needs.

Again, we appreciate you contacting us and applaud both your creativity and loyalty.

It was great hearing from you, and remember we're always updating our site so visit us again soon!

Kraft Easy Mac

ask me about my million dollar idea for Kraft. all I'll say now is:

Your information has been successfully uploaded and your submission is complete. Kraft and our Innovations Team sincerely thank you for choosing to share your ideas with us. You can expect to hear back from someone on our Innovations Team in about 6 weeks.

Selling stuff on CraigsList

Its really kind of spooky to sell stuff on craigs list. 

I'll do my best to describe it.

when ever possible I sell things away from home.  My wife does not allow me to invite strangers over.  But thats where it gets interesting. 

it goes like this.  Find something that you thought you needed a long time ago.  Its been sitting around the house for a while. a very long while. Its not been used in forever, and so it sits in the closet, or on a shelf collecting dust.  taking up space.   So some restless Saturday morning the urge to clean up the garage, the back room comes along.   vows are made, oaths on graves are sworn, convictions are high.  and something like Shermans march to the sea takes place, or Ceasars conquest of Gaul.  Its an epic campaign that ends, sometimes good, and sometimes defeated, and sometimes on CraigsList.   The stuff that is.  the things that are cluttering up the rooms in the house.  the physical stuff that surrounds and consumes us.  Its time to haul it off.  

(you know, I am not really sure what we did before ebay, amazon, CL and other internet sites that allow us a way to sell our attics, and basements full of stuff.  I think it was something called a Classified, or a garage sale.  Thats so last Milennium....)

anyway.  So the most marketable, cost effective marketplace in the world is now at our fingertips.  amazing huh?  bringing people, stuff, and money together.

a nice thing about selling is that the buyer is typically close to home.  I say that because I have driven 50miles to buy a drill press.

but here's the cool thing.  the transactions are always the best. 

I find something not worth keeping.

create a posting, set a price, take a picture, write up an advert.

wait for someone on the other side of my LCD screen to look at it think about whether they need it and send an email.

it can be simply,  I am interested in your, <insert random item here >   call me.

or a story, or a comment about how desparate the need is, or not. or whaterver.

if it seems like a potential match or more questions need longer answers a number is exchanged a call is made.

introductions are made, explainations are given, ruminations and mullings take place, storys are told.

a bid is made and maybe its accepted.   otherwise the dance ends and thats it.

but if its a match then you find a place to meet.  and you meet.

To me, its cloak and dagger stuff, james bondish,   theres a parking lot,  cars idling with a driver waiting under a streetlight

true i guess you never know what to expect from the other party, Be alert and be patient.  But there is enough trust to keep and other people around in the area to make it legit.   The whole transaction takes about less than five minutes.  a few times I have thought to myself, so this is what its like to be a drug dealer, or, "Bond, James Bond".  or  "the bird flies at midnight only if there's a  full moon"

there is another step to this. and thats the trade. 

it I think of the stuff I have bought from people and what it was of value to them, and how it outlasted its usefullness to them.

there is usually about 10 seconds of story or less that goes along with a sale.  "it was my sisters.  I got a bigger vise.   The guy is retiring and moving to Arizona."  its all kind of fun stories to think about. and my brain feeds off of the fragments and scraps of history.

and thats it.  just 10 seconds to tell a story about yourself or what something ment to you, or why this thing is being sold.

money changes hands, maybe a handshake and back in the car heading for home.

thats how people, sell stuff to each other on the internet.