Bounder Moustache Wax, by Mr. Wax

Are you a Gentleman?  No seriously, are you a real MAN?  Does everyone around you know that you are a MAN?  If you are questioning whether or not you are in fact a MAN, you are most likely not a MAN.  You are probably a person with male genitalia but lacking in some respect.  I will say that it is probably due to the lack of facial hair on, or around, your mouth that speaks to the rest of the world that you are truly a MAN!

I, myself, am a Man.  A man with the upper lip coiffure that is highly regarded as "stellar", "bad-ass" or "KILLER".  Not to toot my own horn, but I was hiking yesterday with my lady and what she refers to as my "facial flair".   Upon the peak of the mountain we were climbing I met a man with a t-shirt that read, "Guns don't kill people, people with Mustaches kill people."  He offered his shirt to me as a token of his respect for my stache, but seeing as the Sun was going down I figured it would be best for him to keep his shirt.  (It gets cold up there!)  Had I another T that I was willing to exchange it would have been a great trade, alas I was wearing a shirt that was given to me as a gift.  Sadly, I had to decline the gesture of facial hair envy.

I attribute this story to two things:
1. Baller Genetics
2. Bounder Moustache Wax

Over the past couple years I have tried my hand at many different types of moustache styling treatments.  Some have been decent and others quite horrible.  Recently I was on the old Twitter and mentioned something about the stache.  I was greeted with an inquiry by Mr. Wax about whether or not I had tried the Wax Industries male grooming product.  I requested a sample of the product and within two weeks the package arrived.

I immediately went to the water closet and took my post exercise evening wash.  I trimmed the stache and applied Bounder Extra Firm Mustache Wax (Tested on Gentlemen, Not Animals).  The tube took a minute to warm in my hand before being able to apply, but once it had softened it went on smoothly and with little to no weight.  The hold was firm and was very shapable.  I applied from the base of the hairs to the tips and the Bounder did its thing.  The most considerable difference that I have noticed between Bounder and other wax products is that Bounder is made with Fine Caribbean Navy Rum and Vanilla Extract providing a simple yet delicious amount of fragrance.  The application was quite pleasant, and so were the reactions of the evening.

Over the course of the evening I noticed that the shape of my mustache was completely intact.  The tips were kept together without further shaping or care.  Beer on the stache?  No worries.  The Bounder held up to challenge of Boundary Bay Scotch Ale like a champion fighter kicking ass until the ring of the final round bell.  Even the next morn I was happily greeted in the mirror by smashingly shaped vibrissae.    A few small droplets of water and the tips were back in line for the bike ride home.

Important to note:  the Bounder held perfectly, but didn't change the color of my mustache like many of the other beeswax products on the market.

So, if you are in fact a MAN - get yourself over to Wax Industries and order up a tube of Bounder to turn your less than heroic facial hair into the thing that dreams are made of: a Valiant Moustache!

CarrotMob Bellingham 2010: A Work in Progress

The idea was started as a class project.  We organized the plan, created our time-line and expectations for our prospective business partner, and executed the plan.  Having our sights set on working towards the purchase of renewable/ green energy we encountered some problems.

As we spoke to local businesses we saw that some businesses are not capable of offering a portion of their energy consumption because they share the cost with the other businesses in the building.  Some businesses weren't even excited about the promise of a promotional event and the positive PR that would come from doing their part for the community.  (I won't name names, but the management was actually quite rude when we submitted our proposal.)

Possibly the most important concern that we encountered came from Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro.  They brought up the point that due to their large building and the operational costs a 25% bid on their part could equal a 100% bid from the competing businesses.  This information makes complete sense and highlights one of the issues of renewable energy:  it does have a price-tag associated.   At a rough average of 4 cents on the dollar profit margin for restaurants that increase in invisible energy with a very visible bill makes for a tough sell.

This did not mean that they were not interested in doing something.  All it really said is that we need to come up with an efficient and cost effective alternative.  Going back to the original model the SF CarrotMob provided we contacted Sustainable Connections to see if they might be able to help us out with an Energy Audit to figure out where and how the business could benefit the most from retrofits and efficiency improvements.  They have staff that is knowledgeable about energy efficiency and will be able to advise the management of the business how to best spend the revenue from the Mob.

At this stage in the process we aren't going to be able to accomplish the goal of completing the organization and execution of the CarrotMob by the end of the scholastic quarter.

This does not mean that the Mob is Dead!  

The organization and communication is still in effect and moving ahead towards achieving rewards for local businesses taking action and improving their operations  As progress moves ahead stay tuned to the Bellingham CarrotMob Facebook page for further updates and information.