I’m sure the technology and powertrain are much improved over the old model Ford Escape, pero no me gusta the design.  I think it’s very European-looking.  And the back is pretty gross.

As an Escape-driver I think I’ll pass on this one.  Compare the handsome GMC Terrain.  Pretty surprising after a string of design improvements at the Blue Oval:

The Focus:

The Taurus:

The Explorer:

The Fusion:

What say you?

-Nick

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A good time was had by all at the Toby Keith show last weekend.

A little trivia to share.

His summer tour this year is called the American Ride tour, after his recent single, and appropriately sponsored by Ford Trucks.  Before the show he appeared in an extended Super Duty commercial highlighting the truck’s capabilities, comfort, and technology — including the hand’s free Sync system.

The best part of this pic is the real-live cowboy singing karaoke in the background.

Ford and Mr. Keith have a long relationship.  In fact, he said they have launched 7 new F-Series together.  He appeared in the training DVD we presented to dealers over and over again, and we got to see him live in Dearborn once too.  I believe the sponsorship began shortly after his 1994 single about a “Big Ol’ Truck:”

Nice mullet.

A Ford Service Manager at a tiny dealership in rural Georgia told me a story about how he and his buddies somehow acquired the truck featured in the music video and it was awesome because they “got so many girls.”  Not sure what distinguished the truck from any other big red Ford truck, but who am I question it’s authenticity.

The store was so small he was also the lead technician, shop foreman, and service advisor.  When giving instructions on how to get to the store, he said, “We’re off 75, ’bout halfway between Cordele and Tifton.”  Thanks for that.  When the thriving metropoli of Cordele and Tifton are your landmarks, you know you’re out in the boonies.

The Service Manager (Chris maybe? I forgot his name), was a super nice guy.  He’d offer profound nuggets of wisdom on fixing cars, throwing in the towel by saying if he knew what else to do he’d “have done done it.”  That’s deep.  He also said he was in a band called Five Dollar Shake, which apparently is a reference to a line from Pulp Fiction.  His town of Ashburn GA made national news in 2007 for holding their first-ever integrated prom.  Yes, 2007.

So long story short, those are the random associations that come into my head when I think Toby Keith.

-Nick

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This was about 4 years ago in Atlanta.

It was a rainy Friday evening on my way home from work.  I stopped to get gas at the gas station about a 100 yards from my condo complex.  That’s how close to home and the weekend I was.

I need to make a left hand turn out of the gas station parking lot.  There are 2 right-bound lanes and the closest one is full and stopped back from stoplight.  There is no one in the second lane.  A driver in a Lincoln LS has left the gas station driveway open, and waves me to make my left turn.

Following his advice, I get T-boned in my driver-side door by a Pontiac Aztek coming up second lane.  Very scary.

And then…

It’s crazy all the things that have time to run through your head in the split second before an accident.  Holy shit that guy’s coming fast.  Dude that guy in the LS told me to go.  He’s going to hit me.  Honk.  This might really hurt.  If I die, Bryn’s going to kill me.  Honk.

Crash!

The airbags go off and I’m still laying on the horn when I realize I’m ok.  My driver’s seat area is noticeably smaller but I don’t even have a scratch on me.  I’m shaken up but the car makes it the final few hundred feet to my complex.

My door wouldn’t open so I crawled over the console to the passenger side to get out and inspect the damage.  It was at that point I became very thankful to have been driving such a solidly built and safe car.  It was pretty much a direct hit!

The best part was it was this cashmere colored Explorer.  It was a company car so I call over to the office that’s just 2 miles down the road to see if anyone is still there.  Ten minutes later my friends Jen and Heather pull up, in two identical cashmere-colored Mountaineers.  “Here’s your new car, Nick.”  The kids in the Aztek and the guy in the LS must have been like, “Who is this guy?”

Ford’s insurance ended up totaling the car (sticker price $42k), and I was cited with a $200 “failure to yield” ticket.  Ouch!

Bye-bye, first company car.  I hardly even got to know you!

-Nick

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This is a pretty well done video thanking our veterans for their service to our country.  Oh, and spoiler alert — it’s a Ford ad.  Not sure it ever made it on the air since it’s really long, but they’ve got a story to tell that wouldn’t fit in a 30-second or 60-second spot.

Thanks mom for sending.

-Nick

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I think this is a cute story, and appropriate this week after Ford’s $1 billion Q3 profit.  Nice job guys!

Over 100 years ago, Henry Ford was tinkering in the shed out behind his house.  He was building his first car.  But when he finished, he realized he’d made one critical mistake: it was too big to fit through the door.

Undeterred, Ford actually knocked down a wall of his shed to take his new invention for a test drive.

Moral of the story: If you’re out to the change the world, you might have to knock down a wall or two along the way.

-Nick

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I’m happy to report mine is.

It still works after a spin in the washing machine and dryer.

-Nick

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It’s pretty exciting to have made it a full year on my own without having to look for another job.  Still, with the Internet and the economy changing so fast, nothing is certain.

Last summer for example, I fell victim to the “Google Slap” and lost 75%+ of my traffic and revenue for three months.  Stressful.  Hopefully we’ll stay on better terms this summer… maybe I should have bought something from their gift shop.  Either way, that’s why I’m working on diversifying the business and investing for the future.

I miss the people I used to work with, and my company cars.  But the work itself, not so much.  The self-employed lifestyle affords too much freedom to go back.

With any luck, I’ll be able to add a “Celebrating Two Years of Retirement” post next year.  But I’m probably jinxing myself by writing this, so until then, I’ll just take it one day at a time.

-Nick

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I saw my first Ford Fiesta the other day driving across the San Mateo Bridge.   The car doesn’t go on sale here until next year, but Ford held a contest where lucky drivers won a 6 month lease with gas and insurance paid.  The only catch — they have to blog about their experience.  Over 4000 people submitted video applications, but only 100 were chosen to be Fiesta Movement “agents.”  Given that the odds of seeing one of these cars on the road is pretty slim, I thought it was kind of cool.  To give you an idea of what it took to win, here is one agent’s application video:

In terms of marketing, it’s easy (but incorrect) to see this as a risky move for Ford. Just a few years ago it would have been hard to imagine the meeting in which some executive suggests putting 100 influential social media, web 2.0 experts behind the wheel of a new product a year in advance of it’s launch.  He would have been laughed at.  Especially when you consider the car is sized and priced as a subcompact, typically known for loud rides, cheap interiors, and underpowered engines.  And when they’ve positioned the Fiesta as a critical vehicle in terms of global platform sharing, fuel economy, styling, and Ford’s return to profitability, it would have seemed too risky to allow the demographic most opposed to domestic car manufacturers to shape the public opinion.

But it makes perfect sense.  The very fact they went ahead with the Fiesta Movement mitigates 99% of the risk.  It proves Ford is confident they have a winner on their hands, and I think they’re getting the message out to their target market in a very savvy way.  Since these drivers are posting real-time feedback to YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, and other outlets, their is no opportunity for the company to filter the messages.  The authenticity of the feedback is what makes it great — and believable.

Plus, who’s going to seriously blast it when they get to drive a 2011 model year car free that only 99 other people in the country have?

-Nick

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Bryn and I are engaged!  No immediate plans for a wedding, but at least she’s got a shiny ring.

This is a fun timeline. Watch as she just gets prettier and prettier, while I just lose more hair.  Good thing I’ve got her locked in now!

1999 – Hanging out back in the day

2000 – College visits, with a side-trip to Disneyland

2001 – The prom, graduation, co-valedictorians, Hawaii, starting UW.

2002 – Go Huskies, College Works Painting ruined my life (in a good way).

2003 – We lived 3 floors apart in Terry hall

2004 – Europe trip, Bryn interning in CA. Shoe biz in infancy.

2005 – Florida trip, UW graduation, I went to Costa Rica, then moved to DC for Ford.  Bryn went to Nor-Cal for work, then back to Seattle for her Master’s program.  In December I got transferred to Atlanta.

2006 – Long distance relationship all year. Lots of flying: many Seattle trips, plus Vegas and DC.  Other people are starting to get married. Shoes ‘R Us went live.

2007 – Got transferred to Nor-Cal, finally removing the “long-distance” from our relationship. Bought a townhouse with incredibly poor market-timing, went to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate.  Bryn brought home a little bundle of joy called Mochi.

2008 – Big year… skiing in Utah, Vegas and Detroit again with Ford, “retired” at 25, got shut down by Google the next day, fought back in time for the holidays, went to Peru with Chris, and Dad joined us in Chile for some August skiing in the Andes. Went to the Netherlands in November to visit Charlie.  Weekend trips to Tahoe, Monterey, Sonoma, and Southern Cal along the way.  Then drove 19 hrs up hwy 101 to get home for Christmas.

2009 – New Year’s Resolutions to floss and to shave my head.  So far I’ve kept both.  Vegas, Tahoe, and Phoenix, with lots more travel planned. And I managed to keep a secret for once and surprise the girl in Cabo for our 10 year anniverary.

Looking forward to many more years of memories together.  Who knows, maybe in another 10 we’ll really tie the knot.  I obviously have committment issues.

-Nick

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March 1st, 2007 was the “effective date” of my transfer to sunny California.  The time really has flown by!

After moving from Seattle to Virginia to Atlanta to here over the course of just 20 months, it’s kind of nice to be somewhat “settled.”  And thanks to the real estate market, we’re not going anywhere for a looooong time.

Looking back, moving in with your significant other was built up to be a major life decision.  But even after a year and a half of long-distance relationship, it was a huge non-event.  Like moving in with your best friend.  And thankfully, two years later, we still get along ok.

-Nick

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