Happy Easter

Happy Easter

 

* It's the closest thing I have to an Easter can

I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here

Two months ago I made a post about my job and how they are moving my department to a different building and closing our current building.  I wondered how working at the new building could affect my can collection.  Today I found out during a visit to the new building.

While exploring the break room, I found  an entire fridge stocked with free soda for employees.

And a nearby storeroom revealed the stash of soda to stock the fridge.  It took a few minutes to wipe the smile off my face.  And so I partook in my first soda at the new building...

A Sprite can I didn't have yet.  I'm not sure yet what can set this belongs to, but now I'll be watching for more NBA Sprite cans.

And by the way, a couple of my former co-workers who lost their jobs in this move found immediate work at another company.  So I'm glad for them.

And about this new building for me, I think I'm gonna like it here...

Joe Weider (1919-2013)

I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to the wide world of sports.  So when I woke up this morning and saw on CNN.com that bodybuilding icon and fitness innovator Joe Weider had died at the age of 93, his name rang a bell not because I knew who he was prior to that CNN article, but because I have two cans with his name on them.

If you're like me and not very familiar with him, it's worth a few minutes to read about all the things he did. 

As a side note, after I got those two cans I wondered who Joe Weider was but hadn't looked him up.  So now I know.

My Newest Batch of Cans

Last week a fellow collector contacted me and asked if I was interested in some cans he found.  Of course.  I said I'd take whatever he didn't want.  I got the package yesterday.

It's a really good batch for me.  Some of the highlights:  a New Coke can, a Pepsi ad for the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing (I'm a space nut), two versions of the Pepsi bicentennial can from 1976, a Pepsi Challenge can from the UK, and my first 8 oz Coke can.

Thanks G!!!

A Trivial Find

I helped set up for a trivia night yesterday at a local school.  While walking down the hall, a sign that read "CANS" caught my eye.

 

I stopped and opened it.  There weren't many cans in there, but there were a few I didn't have!

I grabbed the three I needed (and yes, I did replace the ones I took with some other cans.)  Unfortunately, one of them had been drunk by a "squeezer," the term I call someone who squeezes their can when they're finished.

I performed an emergency "reflate" surgery on the can when I got home and now have three new cans for my collection.

That's more payment than I expected to get for my three hours of work. 

Missouri Valley Conference

Last week was the Missouri Valley Conference in St Louis.  My company does some work for a few of the events throughout the week.  One of my co-workers was onsite at the Scottrade Center and was able to score this 2013 MVC Pepsi can for me.

It's another example of others watching for cans for my collection. 

Thanks Tammy!!!

Can I Have That Can?

So, what do you do when you're on a business lunch with your Regional Vice President of Operations and you notice he is drinking from a can you don't have in your collection?

You ask, "Can I have that can when you're done with it?"  That's what I did earlier today.

I am used to the funny looks.  I am used to explaining that I have a can collection.  I am used to the awkward silence after asking someone for their trash.  But it's that awkwardness that helps them think of me the next time they have a can in their hands.  I have had the conversation about my collection with several people that have come back to me at a later time with another can and asked if I have that one yet.  I think it makes people feel good when they feel like they've contributed.

So if you're ever in public and someone comes up and asks if they can "throw that can away for you when you're done," it just may be me you're talking to.

The Can Fairy

I got home from work today and found this can on my front porch:

I brought it in and tried to clean it up.  Here it is after I messed around with it:

Not much better.  It's an extruded steel can with a tab top.  The can dates back to 1982-1987, those were the "Pepsi Free" years before the "Free" was dropped.  Since 1987 it's just been known as "Caffeine Free Pepsi."

There are a few people I think it could have come from, but until I find out for sure I'm going to assume it was the Can Fairy.  You're never too old to believe in the Can Fairy, right?

ShowYourHeart

I've posted about Diet Coke's "The Heart Truth" campaign before, but last week at the store I noticed the new can design.

 

All of the previous cans have had the red heart as the focus of the design, but this is the first to have words inside the heart:  #ShowYourHeart  (Twitter)

I'm not sure if this is the first in a new set or just a one-off, but it's good to see a fresh design nevertheless.