First Snow for the Couch!

The first snowstorm of the year came through today and my family and I took full advantage of the packing snow. What better way to start the winter season than to build a SNOWMAN! We got one going and once it was all together it was about 6' 4". I mentioned something about hooligan coming out at night and my 4 year old little girl started saying, "I hope the hooligans don't hurt the snowman."

We made a lazy snowman that did not feel like standing all night.....so we rolled out the couch. 'Frosty' chilled on the couch for about an hour before he "fell asleep" or passed out, depending on who you ask. I have heard that snowmen like to get sauced.

Before the snowman took his tumble, we were able to snag a pic of him for the blog. He said that he would be back some day to chill with us again. He by far was the coolest person to sit on the couch. He wasn't the friendliest guy though...he gave my daughter and I the cold shoulder.

Bk Boat n Sleds.com had their 1st annual snowmobile and swap show this past weekend. The couch was the the only piece of living room furniture in attendance. The weather was perfect so the couch hung outside all day.

The couch was right in the heart of things! Quite a few folks took a sec to hang on the couch and a few of them spent some serious time relaxing. I tried making some deals with the couch but no one was open to a swap. I tried trading it for a ladder, but DougsLadder.com just doesn't have the same ring to it.

After the crowd thinned and the camera's were put away....we had some fun with the couch. I had it all loaded in the truck with out it's strap and decided to perfect the "auto unload" feature. I tossed the truck in reverse and hit the breaks.... the couch dropped right out but the cap of the truck stopped it from unloading it's self completely. There was that split second when the couch hit the top of the cap that I thought to myself..."this isn't a good idea"...but it was too late.

Twitter

The couch has gotten a new tattoo. I added the twitter tag to the side of it to get some more attention out on the streets. The "honk for couch" gets some real attention so I figured I would add to it. I will also be adding the Facebook tag to it too. The more attention the better with this baby!


If you are using Twitter, come join myself and the couch. It is more of a live feed of whats up! If you are not on Twitter, you can catch the latest on the upper left corner of the blog, there are pictures and tweets.

White Star Auction, Bronson Michigan

The couch made the trek out to Bronson, Michigan this last weekend. It went with BK Boat n Sleds to the White Star Snowmobile Auction. I placed the couch on the open 4 place sled trailer for the ride out there. It was dark, but you still could not miss this thing in traffic coming through Chicago area.

It also got some time on the side of the Indiana toll road. We stopped to check lights and the make sure the couch was all in one piece.

The couch was not going to be alone for the ride home either. We picked up 2 sleds in the auction so the couch had to move to the front of the trailer. We came back through Chicago during the day on Saturday so, even though the couch was pinched in front of the sleds, other drivers still gave a "honk" when they saw it. We got about 5 honks in traffic that day.

The couch spent the rest of the weekend at the BK shop still on the trailer with the sleds. It will be back in it's usual spot in the back of my truck on Monday, where the adventure will continue!

Chicago Underground Social Media Society

This past week I got word that there was a social marketing meeting going on at the Hilton Double Tree in Downers Grove, IL. I learned of this event via Facebook and decided to check it out and learn something new. Of course, I brought the couch just in case.

Now... keep in mind that the couch has had dogs on it, a troll sat on it, it hit a stop sign, rolled through a campsite, has been by NUMEROUS bonfires, has had people sleep/pass out on it, has been on a car lift, has been stood on, has been towed beind a car, has had beer, vodka, Jack Daniels, Rum, and juice spilled on it, has been rained on and has been sat on by TONS of people. What I am getting at is that it has been around this past year and is showing it's age. That being said....

This is the REAR LOBBY of the Hilton DoubleTree.

I scoped out the path of the couch from the parking lot to the room that the meeting was in. The path consisted of passing through the lobby above, down a hall past the gift shop, then around the corner behind the main lobby and check in and into the bar/restraunt area. As cool as it would have been to wheel the couch right in there... I didn't feel like making that kind of scene that night.


I opted for a true couch picture in the parking lot! This is what the couch is all about. It isn't a "nice" couch because it doesn't have to be a nice couch. It doesn't fit in and it gets attention. It belongs in the parking lot hanging out of the back of a pick up truck...lol

You may also recognize my buddy Lubo from the camping visit and the Thirsty Troll Brew Fest.

I had a great time at the Underground meeting and will be back for next month's meeting. You will see some new ideas that I have thanks to speaker Ramon Deleon of Dominos.

SnowmobileCalendar.com

I met up with the gang from SnowmobileCalendar.com while at the swap last weekend. Bill and Amanda have a great niche going. They run a well known sled calendar that is all submitted photo's from YOU! I have run into them at a few swaps and Facebook...I actually went to Highschool with Amanda. It is so wild that we have crossed paths again in the snowmobile world.

I got a tip that the couch was up for the March 2011 picture. I have a feeling that it may have been a bunk one though. Maybe if I put some skis on it and laid out all sexy-like. Nah, no one wants to see that...

It's too bad that there isn't an audience for CouchCalendar.com
.....or is there?

Racine Extreme Grass Drags

I took the couch out to the Racing Extreme Grass drags and swap last weekend. The couch has been out of the mix for a while. This was a great place to throw it back into the mix. There was a lot of people that recognized the couch from JohnDee.com and iBangDitches.com. There were even a couple folks that took pictures with the couch. It was a great time. I wanted to get Troy with Racing Extreme on the couch but he was all over the place that day. Maybe next year I will have a 800 liquid cooled liberty motor in the couch and I can enter the 800 open class for the drags. Smoke some Arctic Cats...lol

This was the spot that BK had at the event. The couch had a front row spot for the races. There was no missing it, that's for sure.

Avid sledder and Walla-Pa-Looza MC, Mike Betts, plopped down on the couch with his cigar.

The couch also got a temporary tattoo from the local Amsoil dealer.

Coming up next....
SnowmobileCalendar.com

FOTF Halloween Party

The "Dead End" Halloween party occurred this past weekend. I had 3 parties to be at that night so I made a tough decision. I left the couch at the Halloween party....unattended. This is the first time that I have "lent" the couch out for a party. It was left in the hands of the 'FOTF' members, but when you give a bunch of drunk people a famous rolling piece of furniture and tell them you will be back on Monday to pick it up.....you never know what is going to happen.

I dropped it off Friday night and there were all ready party goers 'pre-gaming' it. The warehouse the party was held at was decorated awesome! They had a video wall, severed heads, kegs, and a ton of cobwebs. It was so creepy looking.

The party was all ages up till about 9 pm. I ripped some of these pictures from the internet so we could see some of the celebs that sat on the couch that night. Here we have Mario and Luigi hanging out before the show.

There were witches.

Ninjas.

And others....

It was about 1 am when I got the text message that the couch was at the top of the hill... The next morning I got the news that there was damage and the pictures started to surface.

The couch has hit a stop sign. The board that the swivel wheels are mounted to came off. I knew that this was going to happen at some point. This was the weakest part of the the couch. I also envisioned the couch speeding down a grassy hill, that board coming off and the feet of the couch catching the ground....at that point the couch would either kart wheel, or the front side of it would rip off. Luckily, neither of those scenarios played out. I will be picking the couch up from it's wild weekend away tomorrow so we can see what damage has been done. The couch is a trooper, so I think it will be ok.

Blooper Reel

As a lot of you know, Bk Boat n Sleds has brought you a new website called iBangDitches.com. The site was created to support Bk's snowmobile season and advertise their used parts. The couch was in the shop for the shooting and played a special role. DougsCouch.com, another Bk creation, would like to present to you the blooper reel from the new commercial, 'I Bang Ditches'.

If you have not seen the new commercial, check it out at www.iBangDitches.com!

Bk Boat n Sleds

I brought the couch into the BK shop yesterday for a little check up. I filled the tires, 30 psi at 200lbs, and it is back to rolling smoothly. We also were suprised that the couch hasn't split in half yet. We have had HUNDREDS of lbs on it at a time, and with the lift on it....there is no longer center support. I hope I get it on camera when it folds in half like a taco.

While the couch was in, it was used in a brainstorming session for Bk Boat n Sleds's new commercial, "Ditch Bangers". The commercial has gone into final editing and should be released soon. DougsCouch.com will hold the "Outtakes and Deleted Scenes Video" when it is released. Bk also just purchased, IBangDitches.com. It will be a collection of stories from ditch bangers. Shirts are also available.

While the couch was in the shop, it caught a lot of time on the webcam. A few customers got to see the couch in action too.

Pecatonica Snow Show

The Tri County Trail Alliance had there Snow Show out at the Winnebago Fairgrounds this past weekend and the couch was able to make it with the BK team. BK was set up in the dealer hall surrounded by local dealers that brought NEW showroom snowmobiles and products. I was nervous at first about bring the couch out. It was a little intimidating. Then I thought about it and the couch gives us that 'normal' funny guys appeal. I rolled it out and it just did what it do....got attention!


My little girl was with me so I let her be the photographer on this shoot. She brought a ton of stuff to keep her occupied so the BK space looked more like a garage sale than anything.

Again, we got a ton of people mentioning the saw the couch on JohnDee.com. Another funny note was this was not the only couch at the event. I was walking through the swap meet section and some one had a flowered loveseat in the back of there enclosed trailer. I ment to get a pic but never got back out there.

If you would like to read more about what BK did at this event, please check out thier blog.

Bk Blog

You can also become a fan of the COUCH and BK BOAT N SLEDS on Facebook!

The "Suby" Hero Car

Today I stopped by Northwest Performance to see the "Suby" Hero car. Ian, the owner of N.W.P., shared the couch and the story of the car with me today.

The car belongs to Private First Class Adam Trost. Adam's 2004 Subaru STi arrived at N.W.P while he was on duty in Iraq. It was in need of a new turbo and a few other parts. While the "Suby" was at N.W.P, Ian got word that someting had happened in Iraq. Adam had been shot, nearly point blank, in the chest during a sweep of an abandoned building. If it were not for his vest and the force of the shot knocking him out, he would have been dead. As a battle insued over him, Adam lied on the floor unconscious...he awoke in the transport vehicle shaken, but alive!


Ian and others have now found a way to say thank you to a solider that nearly lost his life for his country and all of us here. A "Suby" Hero fund has been created to make this STi everything Adam wanted it to be and more! Enough money has been raised to get a new Turbo and a few other parts. N.W.P. is donating all of the service work and all the parts at cost. Every dime that is raised is going into this STi.

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so by sending a check to:

Suby Hero Campaign
NorthWest Performance
27992 W. Rt.120 Unit 34
Lakemoor, IL 60051

OR

Suby Hero Campaign
Harris Bank
1712 N. Richmond Rd.
McHenry, IL 60050

If paypal is easier for ya, you can send a donation to
ian@nw-performance.com

Boone County Sled Show

I went with the Bk Boat n Sleds team out to the 16th Annual Prairie Riders Snowmobile Club's Snowmobile Show in Belvidere, Il. This is a show that is getting bigger and bigger every year. We opted to use this event as a marketing venue and went strictly with what we do best....ADVERTISING! We handed out about 150 koozies with flyers.

Not only did BK get a lot of recognition, the couch had some attention too. There is a snowmobile site that I keep updated about the couch, Johndee.com, that has really helped in spreading the word about the couch. I had about 4 people walk by that said, "Thats that couch from JohnDee!". It was pretty cool to actually see people that have seen the site on line.

Thanks to eveyone that stopped by our booth at the Boone County show and I also want to give a shout out to all the JohnDee Fans! BRRRRAAAAAP!

NIU Tailgating

I met up with some friends this weekend (all fellow NIU Alumns) for NIU Homecoming Tailgating. We have made it a yearly get together for the group. I had big plans for the couch that weekend, but the weather had other plans. We got there early so I was going to wait for a nice crowd to get some attention for the couch.

While the lot filled in, we started ripping into the food. I took the BK trailer grill out that day too so we had plenty of space for grillin. As usual, we made TOO much food and I ate it all...lol.


We got a lot of compliments on our set up. I wish I had these tailgating tools in College, I would have had a totaly different experience!

Once again, I can't keep the ladies off the couch. What more do you need; women, food, and a couch.

This is when the plan got foiled. Just when there was a large enough crowd to start rolling the couch from tailgater to tailgater....the ski opened up and the wind started whiping. I am glad that we just came for the fun part and were not going into the game!

Harpo Studios

The couch made it's first trip into Chicago today. It went with the guys from Bk Boat n Sleds to Amanda Hein Photography for a photo shoot. While we waited for Amanda, we made the 4 block walk over to Harpo Studios, home of the Oprah Winfrey Show.


We walked the couch right down the sidewalk and barely got any attention. It wasn't a crowded part of the city, but we did see a lot of people on the walk. Don't get me wrong, we heard the website muttered a couple times and people looked.....but it is a very different response than what you get in the burbs.

Once we got to Harpo, I parked it right under the sign like true tourist. I also noticed how many security cameras are around the Harpo Studios. With that much surveillance and an eight foot couch rolling around the parameter, someone HAD to have seen it on the inside. I got the shot that we headed over for and there wasn't any suprises this time. Maybe someday Oprah will sit on the couch, but until then, the sign will do.

"Freaking Genius Marketing" Interview

I was contacted by Lori Gertz of Freaking Genius Marketing about the couch. FGM is a marketing firm that caught word of the couch and LOVED IT! Lori asked if I was available for an interview and I could not pass THAT up....so I said yes. We haven't met yet so we will have to wait on a couch pic, but the interview is up on their blog. Please take a second to check it out. I am very excited and hopeful about the exposure that this interview will do for the couch! This is the first interview that I have had about the couch too, so that's exciting. Those of you that have followed us from the begininng can probably see the growth.

We have come from a picture of me in front of Bk Boat n Sleds' Lakemoor, Il location, to an interview about marketing. This is gonna be a wild ride! Sit down, pull the computer close and see what happens.... "Life is Better on A Couch"

Thank you to everyone that reads the blog and follows the links!

The Interview with Freakin Genius Marketing

Worlds Largest Corn Maze

The couch made the trip out to Spring Grove, Illinois to visit the Worlds Largest Corn Maze at Richardson Farm. The corn maze is a local hit! Every year since 2001, the Richardson's plot out a maze in 28 acres of corn. And each year the maze is different and more detailed than the year before. It certainly takes more planning and skills than I could ever give. If I created a corn maze, it would be more of a corn hallway than anything...lol.

As always, the couch got taken over by randoms. We barely got past the front gate when a few girls jumped on the couch. They went for a short couch ride down a little hill and then it spun on them. That was the end of that..lol


We met a few of the Richardson's while we were there, including one of the owners; Wendy Richardson. We met her at one of the campfires late that night. I was celebrating my 30th birthday and was not in the clearest state of mind at that moment.... I may have to "remeet" her before the season ends.

Thanks Richardson Farm for allowing us to come out and hang. It is always a good time and we will se ya next year!

I also want to thank the girls for loading the couch. Again, I was not in any state to be in control of the couch.