I don’t think I really need to go into too much florid detail about the events leading up to me declaring this the Year of the Toaster. This pretty much speaks for itself:
Last May I won the NRA toaster at an NRA fundraiser auction here in Gardnerville for $50. Toaster was an immediate hit with everyone (mostly along the lines of ”WTF it brands NRA on your TOAST?!?!!”). Posted a pic on Twitter and FB. I’m cool. End of story.
Nope, not the end of the story. Mid-December I get a bizarre message on Formspring from a reporter at Bloomberg asking if they can take pictures of my toaster. At first I thought it was a whole new level of Nigerian scam, and then I considered it may have been the worst pickup line on the planet. After some careful Google searches I determined the guy messaging was a legitimate reporter, so I emailed him.
Two emails and three phone calls later, Bloomberg sent a local photographer (David Calvert) out to take pictures of my toaster. David came in with a loaf of bread and shot pictures of my toaster from every angle. A week later they appeared in the NRA fundraising article on Bloomberg.com.
The moral of the story is: NRA toast is delicious and photogenic.
I really have nothing more to add, other than acknowledging I’m a total failure at keeping my site up to date, and I promise to do better. Honestly. Not like that other time I promised. Or that other time before that.
Things I learned this December:
Your 15 minutes of fame can and will be taken by your toaster
It’s easy to find a job working from home after you buy a 4WD car specifically for commuting to the Bay Area in winter.
Having a 4WD car will also prevent snow in Northern NV, and ruin snowboarding.
Running in < 25 degree weather is not awesome, no matter how many layers you put on.
Working from home is the best when you like where you live.