The Billion Dollar Couch Report

This will conclude the posts for this whole ordeal.

Townie Bastard called me cocky so, the Godfather has spoken!

Enjoy the link . . .

http://www.aptn.ca/pages/news/video/?/services/player/&bcpid=90674670001&bclid=76787578001&bctid=679183006001

IKEA FIASCO on A.P.T.N.

I got confirmation this afternoon that the piece about the IKEA couch is running tonight on the 7 O'clock news!

I haven't seen any edits or what the piece looks like but, I've been told it's humour based.

Let me know what you think if/when you see it!

IKEA REPLIES!

So . . . I've been rattling a few cages and barking up some trees. It just so happens that Iqaluit is getting a kick out of this "billion dollar couch"!

At Wings (Wednesday wing night at the Frob), the group in front of us in line were asking each other if "they'd seen this billion dollar couch thing". At the office, a customer asked me if I'D HEARD of it. Then, the traffic on the blog exploded and now A.P.T.N. contacted me to do a story on it. What started off as a joke, has now become somewhat of a conversation piece. Who knew?

Steph did.

This whole thing started off with her saying "Hey Jord, look at this..."

On the weekend I e-mailed IKEA and below is their response. Much to my surprise they just flat out admit it's a mistake.



"Hello Jordan,

Thank you for your response. Please note that the price noted on our website is a mistake. To receive a shipping quote on your items, please contact our Home Shopping department directly at 1-866-866-IKEA (4532).

In the mean time, your comments will be forwarded to the appropriate department to have this rectified.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for choosing IKEA for your home furnishing needs.

Best Regards,
IKEA Canada Customer Service"

You don't say . . .

The piece for APTN is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow night at 7pm if you feel like tuning in. It was filmed in our mansion during my lunch break today and features a guest appearance by a certain famous cat! You can guess which one . . .

To wrap up, if you want to get your "billion dollar" fun in while you can, I'd hurry up. IKEA are Swedish, and they don't mess around. This all comes at a great time seeing as how I'm reading "The Girl Who..." trilogy!

Let it Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Where did this ambition to blog come from?

I may woken mother nature up with my "Snow?" post, which was posted the day before all this snow fell but, I don't care, this is amazing.

It's mild, slightly windy, and a perfect resemblace to a snow globe. What else could you ever ask for from your first snow fall of the year? It's truly magnificient. If there were a few more trees and steeper hills NOT made out of bedrock then, I'd take the week off work just to toboggan. God, I love winter.

This makes all of last weeks headaches go away (see previous posts). Tomorrow I'm going to start putting gifts underneath the tree and searching for Egg Nog. Also, since we have a family up here now, I'm in the midst of planning a glorious holiday event. . . think Griswold's family Christmas . . . but Nothern!

I hope everyone is enjoying the weather and surviving the sheet of ice that covers Iqaluit at the moment. Drive Safe!

Christmas before Remembrance Day?

If I put up my Christmas decorations and tree up before Remembrance Day, does that make me un-patriotic?

Today I was poked, had a finger pointed in my face, and was told "you ought ta be ashamed" because I decorated for Christmas today.

By what standard does it so clearly state that I must wait until November 12th to begin enjoying the holiday season? Is this a "no white shoes after Labour Day" thing or did I miss something? Maybe I'm being naive, I don't know.

Look . .. there I go sounding un-patriotic. The truth is, I'm just as supportive of Remembrance Day as the next person. I had family who fought overseas and were a part of the sacrifice Canadians had to make for the safety of our country and I appropriately honour them by keeping them close to my heart on Remembrance Day. I also stand proudly beside others who may have similar circumstances and take comfort in keeping company with those who understand. That is how I've chosen to celebrate/commemorate that day and I can do so with or without a Christmas tree but I've chosen to do so with.

I'll tell you what I don't do. I don't take the paid holiday, sit around getting as drunk as I can at the Legion, lose my poppy getting cut off and thrown out at 2pm, pretend to be patriotic for an afternoon then forget about Canadian heritage for the other 364 days of the year. Give me a break.

It's prejudice to think that because I'm hanging a stocking in November, I'm not patriotic. Because who I am and the way I remember and honour those before me isn't up for debate, it's a choice I make. No one can tell me how I'm supposed to honour the dead and they most certainly can't tell me when my holiday spirit kicks in. Individuality is based on the idea that we're allowed to make personal, moral, and ethical choices without prejudice. If it's respect that's the issue here, then maybe we should respect what the soldiers were fighting for at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The bravely foung and died so we could find peace, understanding and . . . wait for it . . . tolerance.

If this blog were about the double standards that go on up here, it'd be a never ending catalogue of examples that would inevitably end with comment wars that undermine the value of the content and the place on which we're discussing... like YouTube. But this isn't about race or equality, this is about being human, being an individual, and being a proud Canadian; sorry, but I won't stand for this. Most of all, I love Iqaluit and this whole ordeal takes away from that.

I was raised Anglican Catholic, born in Canada, and as soon as I see snow I think of Christmas. It's no disrespect to anyone or any part of Remembrance Day, and if anyone has a problem with the tree in my window . . . look away, turn away, or keep it to yourself. Because as I wrapped up the rude intrusion on my personal space, I apologised for offending this middle aged man. I offered to shake his hand as I apologised for my unintentional actions. He pulled his hand immediately away and left with a bold statement: "...you white people think you know everything ..."

This town does it to itself sometimes . . .

Sorry everyone. Please have a Happy Remembrance Day in any manner you wish. Because at the end of the day, we're all Canadian.

Je Me Souviens.

My First Bonspiel

Curling is my new obsession.

Steph and I curled all last year and really enjoyed ourselves. We met new friends, developed better relationships with co-workers and really had a great time trying out something new. When mass registration came around this year, I knew I was only signing up for one thing and one thing only: Curling.

A Bonspiel is an open Curling tournament. Iqaluit has a loyal and dedicated group of people who run the Curling Club. They work year round to develop the game and earn the attention Iqaluit curlers deserve. Their passion is evident and gets well demonstrated with every step the club makes. The Tournaments are well organized, the league is perfectly set up, the help they offer and provide is outstanding and no matter where you see them, they are always sporting their club jackets. It's honourable.

We missed last years bonspiel because of work last year, which I regret more now after being to one. This year, with our team full of our Iqaluit family members (Ty, Lacie, Karen and I) we enjoyed the camaraderie, the game play, and the events of this years first bonspiel. Sure, we may have been brutally beaten in each of our 3 outings but, it was such a good time.

Ty, who is from Texas, not only is skipping the matches now, he won the door prize of 75kg of freight from First Air. Which is more like finding GOLD here in the north. Team Grenke will return stronger and better next year, you can count on that.

Last year I wrote that getting involved with local activities is crucial. I have to reiterate that. I've noticed that the acquaintances I made last year are turning into friendships this year. I have a front row seat to watch Ty, Lacie, Brian and Karen make their new acquaintances which I now know will turn into great things socially. You can't survive up here living like a hermit. Between the isolation and the often brutal weather, it's hard to find outlets for energy or social needs. Getting involved in new things like curling, darts, badminton, euchre, anything, it opens up the opportunity to make your time up here last and makes it even more worthwhile.

Here are some pics from the BONSPIEL:

The Ultimate Shipping Rate.

Who in Iqaluit has mouthed the words "that would cost like a MILLION dollars to ship here"?

Well . . . if you'd like something from IKEA shipped to you in Iqaluit they will actually charge you a BILLION dollars. I'm dead serious. I was in the neighbourhood for buying a leather sofa...I couldn't believe my screen . . .











It seems though, that their delivery would be somewhat timely . . . "billion dollars" timely though? I mean, for the love of god, the GST is 50 Million alone!

Try it for yourself. Especially enjoy the hilarity you experience when you go to order just a desk lamp, or just a power bar!

Amazing.

Snow?

This time last year we couldn't believe how cold it was and we marvelled at how much snow Iqaluit had in October. This year, there isn't even a hint that there even is a winter this year.

I took a dive through some old pictures and payed close attention to when they were taken/posted and there were tonnes of snowy-white pictures. To be honest, and I know this sounds crazy but, I miss the snow. Hell, I even miss the COLD. This city looks incredible under a blanket of ghost and it seems to almost feel warmer. . . yes, warmer.

I think the biggest let down is that our friend from Texas (Ty) has never experienced winter in Canada, let alone an Iqaluit winter. So, I'm anxious to see his reaction and what he thinks if the snow should ever arrive. We've been teased a few times but without any lasting snow. A friend of mine who has lived here his whole life made a comment to me over the weekend, he said "I think this is the first Hallowe'en in Iqaluit without snow."

If you don't buy into the whole "global warming" idea, I'm living through the proof.