Almost there - Relaunch!

As many of you know we've been slaving away and getting everything for the relaunch this Friday. Working on the website, and the whole experience for all of our customers to make the process of getting your mitts on a new shirt an easy and fun one.

So for today's blog (sorry I know it's not Tuesday but who can keep track of days anymore) it's going to be a short one. I will give you the origin of April Fools Day, which coinsides with our relaunch, but no we are not fooling.

April Fools' Day is celebrated in the Western world on the 1st of April of every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a legal holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day which tolerates practical jokes and general foolishness. The day is marked by the commission of good humoured or funny jokes, hoaxes, and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, teachers, neighbors, work associates, etc.

Traditionally, in some countries such as New Zealand, the UK, Australia, and South Africa, the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool".[1] It is for this reason that newspapers in the U.K. that run a front page April fool only do so on the first (morning) edition.[2] Elsewhere, such as in France, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S., the jokes last all day. The earliest recorded association between 1st April and foolishness can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392). Many writers suggest that the restoration of the 1st of January as New Year's Day in the 16th century was responsible for the creation of the holiday, but this theory does not explain earlier references. (Source: Wikipedia)

Yes we know, took the easy way out by sourcing Wikipedia, but hey I wasn't there for the first office prank. Hope everyone is having a swell week, and that you are getting ready for the relaunch!

Until next time, (next time will be better) Arnie

Road Trips - Rules of the Road

Road trips to the cabin are unlike anything else. You and your buddies making your way up to the lake, excitement coming out of your ears. But there some rules of the road that one must abide by. Here is my list of rules for both drivers and passengers.



Drivers:
1) Be sure you have enough room in your car for everyone and all the gear, nothing makes a trip worse than 6 guys in a little car with 6 fishing rods and all the gear

2) Have a few options for music choices, once you get into the rural areas your favorite radio station might not be working. So bring an iPod or a few CDs to make the ride enjoyable for everyone

3) Be hydrated but not do hydrated, drink water, pop, Gatorade or whatever wets your whistle but you don’t want to have to take a leak every 30 miles

4) Grab beer and snacks that will be consumed at the lake prior to arrival. Better yet, grab a cooler and dump some ice in there. But DO NOT touch until you have reached your final destination. One it will be as cold as the Rockies and two it is illegal…

5) If the trip is longer than 2 hours, don’t be afraid to stop at the famous eateries on the way. (Tobies Caramel Rolls or a Mexican Pizza from Zorbaz)

Passengers
1) Never control the music or radio unless requested by the driver, it is his music. If you wanted your underground reggae to listen to you should have drove

2) Same with the driver, stay hydrated

3) Offer to chip in for gas, even if the driver refuses at least you won’t be the guy who didn’t even offer

4) Pack light, you’re going to the lake. You don’t need your tux, 7 pairs of flip flops, and a full sized stereo

5) Never and I mean NEVER go to sleep if it is just you and the driver. Unless you are driving cross country, a quick nap can wait

Well there you have it a quick little list of rules for those road trips coming up. Take it with a grain of salt though, if you do need to pack that tux go right ahead. Just don’t expect a ride from me.

*Another note, the website will be launching April 1st and as noted before the limited edition shirts could go quick, very quick. So if you want something snatch it up quick. We will also be offering free shipping the first weekend. YAY for free shipping!


Later,

Arnie

Forever Limited - The Way We Do!

As last week was hopefully the most entertaining thing you’ve read since Everybody Poops. This week we take a more informative route. Let me first give you some background.

As Paris Hilton says, Limited Edition is the way of the world (not sure if she actually said that, but she should have).

Some time ago, our good friend and now business partner Ryan “Kurtzy” Kurtz received a special hat from us, there was a limited run on these hats and he really liked this. As with a popular guy like himself, people started noticing this hat and began requesting this ‘limited addition’ hat. We decided to produce these hats and began selling them, which really pissed Kurtzy off. He liked that it was a limited edition hat and that few people had something just like this.

Fast-forward 10 months later; in a brainstorm session we ran through different scenarios to make our ‘comeback’ (Don’t call it a comeback!). We wanted to offer our customers something different every month while continuing to offer our core shirts that have been a staple of our brand from the beginning. We decided to have monthly releases. A few new shirts every month, could be 2 could be 3. You’ll never know until we know! Once the month is up or the shirts sell out, we will no longer produce that shirt. Forever becoming a ‘vintage’ limited run item. The shirts will differ from being our creative artwork shirts to some very new and very clean text shirts.

This new model will give you the customers something to look forward to as we get closer to the summer. Because who isn’t sick and tired of this weather?

So come April 1st you can expect:
• Brand new, never before seen limited edition shirts
• A few new shirts every month (snatch em up before they are all gone!)
• Designs, artwork and fabrics never before used by our brand (Our new shirts are so soft and comfortable)
• Website makeover – you’ve probably already seen bits and pieces but our new site will be easier to navigate and use

So there you have it, now you are up to speed on all things Lake Life. We can’t wait until April 1st, and we can see the excitement in your eyes, you’re just as excited as us!

Next week, we’ll talk about “2-ski” water skiing. Funniest thing on water.

Later,

Arnie

Johnny Tsunami - Coming to Minnesota

I was having a hard time thinking of a good topic for this week. I was considering writing about winter lake activities, and decided to hold off on that one for at least a week or two. For some reason, all I could think about was Disney Original Movies. You know the Brink, and the Alley Cats Strike’s of the world. And I thought what if Johnny Tsunami came to Minnesota in the story instead of Vermont.

As I started to day dream about the endless possibilities of Johnny coming to Minnesota, I started to put together a short plot in my head. Now for the first time released to the world; Johnny Tsunami – Coming to Minnesota.

Johnny Tsunami is a teenager in the small town of Honolulu, Hawaii. Being the active teenager that he is he surfs and hangs out with his buddies. But when his parents decide to move to Golden Valley, MN he has a hard decision to make. Start a new life in the Twin Cities or stay in Hawaii with his grandfather. After taking in some traditional Hawaiian food with Sarah Marshall and Peter Bretter (they were still together at this point), Johnny decides to head to Minnesota with his family.

After a month of tough school work at The Breck School, Johnny ventures on his first Minnesota summer. Not understanding what kids do around the cities, Johnny makes his way to the shores of Lake Minnetonka. He meets up with Prince and shoots some hoops although Prince appeared to be wearing a blouse, Johnny didn’t mind it.

After a hard nose game of bball, Johnny looks out onto the lake. Seeing a large island with so many boats he couldn’t believe his eyes. The locals call it Big Island and Johnny wanted a piece of the action. He found a small marina on the northwest part of the lake and starting working, trying to buy his own boat. After a month and a half of working 12 hour days, Johnny finally had the money to buy a boat. A 13-foot Lund with a 90hp outboard engine. He got in and headed out to Big Island, when he arrived he learned quickly that he wasn’t in Honolulu anymore.

Johnny meets a local girl by the name of Judy. She is named after Judy Garland, commonly known as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Judy and Johnny become familiar and Judy introduces Johnny to some friends. Johnny sees them riding something that looks like a surfboard but is attached to the feet and holding a rope connected to a boat, called Wakeboarding.

Johnny gave it a shot, and with his first try failed miserably. Everyone on the boat laughed, especially Judy’s ex-boyfriend Kevin. Johnny went home that night embarrassed and missing Hawaii. After a few days of moaning, Johnny decided to give it another shot. He called Judy and she arranged the meeting with Kevin and his crew. Kevin was already laughing when Johnny stepped onto the boat. Johnny pointed his long, tanned finger in Kevin’s face and said you against me – winner gets Judy. Judy still had feelings for Kevin but was intrigued by Johnny and always liked a good battle for her love.

Kevin was up first, pulling some nasty moves but eventually taking a wicked spill and was picked up by the boat. Kevin gives Johnny a sarcastic good luck and Johnny was in the water. Thinking back to his days in Hawaii, he just pretended he was out surfing. And he loved this Wakeboarding thing, Johnny showed his skills by pulling some McTwists and 900’s. After landing a backside 9 with a method grab. Johnny knew he had won Judy’s heart. She leaped into the air and jumped into the water, meeting him on the sandbar.

They embraced each other with a kiss. Kevin had taken the boat back to land while Judy and Johnny stayed in the water. And they were there forever. Still living in the water. They have two kids, Joe and Justin.

So that’s my story. Pretty ridiculous I know.

Until next time,
Arnie