Drinking with the Presidential Candidates

So I checked out the “beer caucus” at Flying Saucer in Raleigh last night to see which presidential candidates patrons most wanted to drink a beer with. I spoke with Dean Plunkett of the North Carolina Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association who clarified that he hoped people based their vote on something more significant than who they’d like to drink with.

If you missed the event, you can still vote online.

Which candidate do you think I picked? I’ll let you know if you get it right.

Guess Who’s Going to be in a Circuit City Commercial

It’s Hank! He’s the local Golden Retriever I blogged about that was competing to be “the next Firedog,” a contest put on by Circuit City. I have no personal ties to Hank, but I thought it was cool that the Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue (a local nonprofit that does exactly what its name implies) stood to win $50,000 if Hank won. That’s because Hank found a home through the organization. Hank was the only North Carolina dog in the contest.

As a side note, it’s pretty cool to think that the NRGRR will be $50,000 richer simply because of the power of the Internet. Organizers say people cast online ballots for Hank from not only the states, but also from Canada, Singapore, Venezuela, Grandy Cayman, Poland, Russia, England, Germany, France, India and other countries. 

50 Places You Might Not Expect to Find a Gnome

When I’m online and feel the need for a smile, there are a few places I turn to. One of them is the “Gnomadic Gnome” blog, which my co-worker introduced me to a few weeks ago. The photo blog features pictures of Gilbert — a garden gnome sporting an Ohio State outfit — in various places you wouldn’t expect to find a lawn ornament, such as Bourbon Street or a men’s restroom.

Since I work with the photographer behind the gnome-themed blog, I thought I’d let him tell you in his own words how it all got started.

As for the other entertaining things I turn to on the Internet to make me smile … three words: Charlie the Unicorn. What do you turn to on the Web to make you smile?

Want a Free Pretzel from Auntie Anne’s?

Auntie Anne’s, the pretzel chain located in malls across America, is giving away pretzels on Saturday to celebrate its 20th anniversary, according to a news release I spotted this morning. Locally, you can snag your free pretzel from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Streets at Southpoint, Triangle Town Center and Crabtree Valley Mall.

The pretzel makers also will be launching a new feel-good campaign:

“Free Pretzel Day” will also mark the beginning of Auntie Anne’s What a Difference a Family Makes: A New Twist on Giving Back, a grant program that will recognize 20 families who volunteer together to make a difference in their communities, and reward them with grants of up to $20,000. Interested families can nominate themselves or be nominated by others at www.aTwistOnGivingBack.com.

John Edwards Dropping Out of Presidential Race

That’s according to MSNBC, which is blaring in the background.

I guess that means you won’t be able to drink a beer with him tonight.

Edwards has said that he was going to stick it out, but looks like that’s no longer the case. Are you surprised?

Update: This Associated Press article was just posted discussing the end of his presidential bid.

Which Presidential Candidate Would You Rather Have a Beer With?

So you’re at the bar, and in walks the remaining presidential candidates. They each plop down at a separate table, and you’re allowed to join only one of them. Who do you pick?

That’s what the folks at the North Carolina Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association want to know. They’re planning a “beer caucus” at the Flying Saucer in Raleigh from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Those who attend will be asked which candidate they’d prefer to have a beer with in 2008. They’ll count the ballots and declare a winner.

“With all of the rigors of a campaign - attack ads, phone calls, direct mail - Americans know sometimes it just comes down to who you want to have a beer with,” said Dean Plunkett Executive Director of North Carolina Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association (NCBWWA). “We hope this campaign reminds voters that at the end of the day, while issues are very important, so is friendly conversation and good-natured debate. Having a beer with someone represents getting to know someone better, and that’s what the campaign season is all about - getting to know these candidates better.”

I think the event sounds like fun (especially since I’m a member of the Saucer’s U.F.O. Club and am working on drinking 200 different beers so I can have my brass plate added to the wall). But I think Mr. Plunkett’s suggestion that “sometimes it just comes down to who you want to have a beer with” is ignorant.

Maybe it is a sad but true reality that some Americans do cast ballots based on who they’d rather sip a beer with instead of a candidate’s stance on important issues (isn’t that how some say Bush got elected?). But that shouldn’t be the reason you vote for any particular candidate. It’s our duty as Americans to research the candidates and enter the voting booth with, at a minimum, a somewhat legitimate reason for why we’re voting for someone.

I don’t care who you vote for in the upcoming presidential election. I don’t care if your vote cancels my vote out. Just please, do not base your vote on who you would rather have a beer with.

That being said, which presidential candidate would you most want to chug a lug with?

Check Out How Much Cooler NBC17 Just Got

Tonight marks an extremely exciting day in the NBC17 newsroom. We’re launching our new set. If you’re reading this blog from outside the NBC17 viewing area, don’t worry, you can still see the changes on our daily Web casts.

Our new set allows us to bring the news to you from many different angles, including this one:

Here’s a sneak preview of our new set:

Cheers to the State of the Union

I’ll be watching President Bush’s State of the Union address tonight like a good little American. For the past four years, I’ve found a way to make sitting through the speech a lot more fun. It’s called “The State of the Union Address Drinking Game.”

Basically, you take a drink every time something somewhat predictable happens such as the use of the word “freedom” or anytime the camera shows a special guest introduced by the president, Ted Kennedy or some other political character.

If you’re just playing with a few people, you can just print out the list of drinking rules from http://www.drinkinggame.us/ and keep it handy. Or, if you turn it into a party like my friends and I have, you can write the rules on some poster board so everyone can keep an eye on them.

Do you plan to watch the speech? Do you have any of your own State of the Union rituals?

Twitter 101 and More Scenes from Krispy Kremes

Here’s my final clip from Saturday’s Krispy Kreme Challenge in downtown Raleigh (see below for more details). It features my co-worker Wayne Sutton, who introduced me to the world of Twitter.com, and another local Twitter user named Ryan.

You’ve probably noticed my Twitter feed in the left-hand column of my blog. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Twitter is a Web site that asks users to answer one simple question: “What are you doing?” You can do this by posting updates on Twitter.com or you can even text your updates from your cell phone directly onto your page.

I usually post my updates via text, so you’ll sometimes see that I’m “grocery shopping” or “drinking beers at Flying Saucer” or something else Ginny-like. Having my texts, Twitter account and blog synced up allows me to stay plugged in all the time (not sure if this is cool or lame, but it can be fun).

Anyway, you can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/ginnyskal or by constantly checking the lefthand column of my blog. You can follow Wayne at twitter.com/waynesutton and Ryan at twitter.com/theRab.

And now for the Triangle Twitterholics at the Krispy Kreme Challenge:

Are you familiar with Twitter? Would you consider joining? Already a member and I don’t know about it?

Krispy Kremes Can Make You Puke

I took my camera to the Krispy Kreme challenge Saturday in hopes of capturing some amusing scenes from this wacky fund-raiser. If you’re not familiar with the event, here’s how it works: Runners start at the N.C. State belltower, run two miles to the Krispy Kreme on Peace Street, scarf down a dozen donuts, and then run back.

The first video I’m posting features an overview of the event. *Warning* If you have a weak stomach, you may not want to watch.

Stay tuned. Later today I’ll update this post with footage of my co-worker and social media mavin Wayne Sutton and with an interview of the Durham Beaver Lodge Local 1504.

Here’s an interview with members of the aforementioned Durham Beaver Lodge Local 1504. It’s a neighborhood group that was formed after a beaver in Durham’s Duke Park neighborhood caused a stir because it was clogging local drainage pipes.
So, what do you think, are the people who participated crazy or adventurous?