Puzzling Coca-Cola Can

My parents went on a vacation over the summer and this is the souvenir they brought home for me.

And what makes this can so special? I thought as I removed it from the gift bag.  And then I noticed it was a puzzle.  I took the can out and removed the plastic from around it and the can looked remarkably real.  It even had a fake tab on the top.

I wasn't sure how a can could be a puzzle, but when I removed the first few pieces I saw the puzzle was just a shell around a central core.

Each piece has a recessed circle which fits snugly on the pegs around the core.  Although this puzzle only has forty pieces, it's still a challenge.  

As with any other puzzle, it's easiest to start with a border.  In this case, either the top or the bottom edge of the can.

Pepsi Skinny Can

The Pepsi "skinny can" was introduced in early 2011 during Fashion Week.  It was described as a "taller, sassier" version of the traditional can, made in "celebration of beautiful, confident women."

OF COURSE that was going to cause controversy.  Some critics said it promoted the idea that skinny is better.  The National Eating Disorder Association said the new can's image was "thoughtless and irresponsible."  Others complained it conveyed the message, "If you're confident on the inside, you'll be skinny on the outside."

Pepsi replied by saying, "We are sensitive to this interpretation, and that is definitely not our intent."  They said the can and its campaign were focused on design.

Blah-blah-blah...

Last week a co-worker handed me two new Pepsi skinny cans.

The patterns on the cans could easily be missed, especially on the blue can.  But I thought they were really interesting.

What will they think of next?  Skinny jeans?

Three Cheers

Ok, Three Cheerwines. 

You know how someone will give you a soda that you don't feel like drinking at the time, so you put it in the fridge for later?  And then someone gives you another one and you put that one in the fridge for later too.  And then it happens again.  I recently took inventory of the sodas I've been given and discovered a nice little Cheerwine collection. 

One is a can labeled "Local Legends National Treasures" which requests stories of local legends be submitted to the Cheerwine website.

Another one is a glass bottle also sporting the Cheerwine Legend label.

The third one is a plastic bottle of Cheerwine Kreme, which is a combination of Cheerwine soda and a Krispy Kreme donut.  I haven't tasted it yet, but that sure does sound SWEET!

Three cheers for Cheerwine!!!

Assassin's Creed Origins

Back in September I wrote a post about an Assassin's Creed Origins Monster energy can someone gave me.  Here's an update...

The game released on Friday, October 27.  I had pre-ordered it for the Playstation 4, so when I got home from work that day it was waiting for me on my front porch.  I've put in several hours so far and I can say it's a great game!!!

And since my September blog post, the other two Monster cans in the set were given to me.

fronts

The 16 oz. cans were just advertisements for the game.  Each of the three flavors (above) featured a different character from the game (below.)

backs

But the larger 24 oz. can came with a code inside the lid.  I signed into my Playstation account and redeemed the code.  The next time I played the game I had a bundle of crafting materials waiting for me.  Those materials are collected and used to upgrade your combat abilities.

So if you are interested in ancient Egypt and want to be able to walk around and observe the daily lives of the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans in that part of the world and see what the architecture possibly looked like when it was newer, grab a copy of the game and start assassinating.

And grab a couple of the larger Monster cans while you're at it so you can upgrade those combat abilities quicker!  It'll come in handy and it'll quench your thirst.