five fave offers for the cube van

My five fave offers for the cube van, in no particular order: -I will give you a trailor house it is 80x20 feet it is a 2000 model the interior is pretty nice it has a blue kitchen with dishwasher it still is on wheels so you can move it. -I believe I have an offer that several people might be interested in. Do you sing in the shower? Chances are that if you do, you have once dreamed of being a famous musician. Unfortunately, not everyone gets the chance to be a rock star, only a handful of people actually have the opportunity to get into the spotlight. This is your chance to be in that spotlight. I am currently working on the audio for a movie to be filmed in Alberta this spring (www.sixreasonswhy.com), the only problem is that a lot of our equipment will have to make it's way from Ontario to Alberta and then back. It would be a lot less expensive to drive myself and the equipment in say a cube van, than it would be to have it shipped. For this cube van I am offering a recording contract. I will record and produce an entire album worth of material at MetalWorks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario (www.metalworksstudios.com) a professional recording studio, the best in Canada. I will have it professionally mixed, mastered, and pressed, ready for HMV. Most importantly, I will then take your album to Sony-BMG and pitch it to the executives through my contacts in the industry. And finally, since you have agreed to take trades internationally, I will throw in airfare and hotel accommodations if necessary. Personally, I can't wait until you get that house. Let me know what you think, this is a serious opportunity that would normally only be available to professional artists and usually costs record labels a lot of money. Not only that, but it just might be the break somebody was waiting for and it was all because of this web site. -i have a 4 bedroom house in newfoundland canada lot ruffly 60 x 200 would be interestd in trade for the cube van. the house about 400feet fro the ocean i wesleyville township north east side with view of ocean. It neds some work like roof and re drywall in side to live in it but if you interested i would trade. i don't need it i just bought another house in ontario. -Hey Kyle, Cool story. How far would you really go for your home? Out of town? Out of state? Out of the country? Out of the continent? Will you come to the Middle East? I am an American, moved to Israel a few years ago. Through different channels, I now own a small apartment. It's a nice place, about 7 minutes bike from the city (Tel Aviv, that is....). Would you move to Israel for a free home? Yours, scott free. it's a cute little studio in a small town, not far from Tel Aviv. Good neighborhood. Needs a bit of minor repair work. Due to certain clauses, I can't sell it. Or at least not without having to pay more money than I'd be making off the sale. I could live in it, but as I plan to sudy in the northern region of Israel (the IIT, in Haifa), I would really like to live in the dorms and if I own my own apartment, my chance of gettting a dorm would shrink drastically. I can give it away. It would be yours - your name on the title deed. You'd pay property taxes, water and electric bills. -Dream Maritime Getaway (Discover our secret) Airfare for two (From anywhere in North America) 5 Days 4 Nights (One of a kind, Beautiful Waterfront house...private patio touching the ocean), Historic St Andrews, New Brunswick http://www.standrewsnb.ca/ Included: -Guided Whale Watching tour on the beautiful bay of fundy -Overnight Trip in a Chauffeured Hummer to Saint John including accommodations in a Model Suite in an Exclusive Downtown Executive Loft. (www.grannanhospitalitygroup.com www.saintjohnalehouse.com) The day trip will include a guided excursion through the majestic Saint John River system aboard fresh water Kayaks. Dinner for two at your choice of the following restaurants...Grannans Seafood Restaurant, Steamers Lobster company, Saint John Ale House. Finishing the night in a premier night club on the waterfront in Saint John at Cougars Lounge, featuring VIP treatment including cover charge, coat check and complementary drinks. The remainder of the trip will include opportunities of relaxing days breathing in the fresh sea air and complimentary golfing in the premier Algonquin Golf Resort as well as small town shopping and fresh Atlantic lobster dinners!Trip Value $12,000 Understanding many offers come through, we would appreciate a response if you are interested as many of these options are time sensitive.

2 Week Hiatus - sign THE PETITION!

Yup, I'm gonna take a 2 week hiatus from one red paperclip.

It might not seem like it, but over the last month I've put in 12 hour days on this project. Lots of writing, trying to slap a book proposal together, a documentary film crew's followed me around lately, and I've done heaps of TV, radio, podcast and newspaper interviews the last little bit. Pretty hectic stuff. Hectic, but very fun. Yes, you could say it's fectic.

So, I'm gonna take a 2 week hiatus. Gonna spend some quality time with the family over Christmas. Spend some quality time with the folks. The folks are stoked. Nothing better than stoked folk. Try it sometime if you get a chance - stoke some folk - they love it.

But the project isn't on the shelf, oh no. Keep sending in your offers in for one trip to yahk! - I will still get the chance to update the offers page. The offers so far are great. Some real great offers.

If you're a journalist or reporter who wants to interview me about one red paperclip, yes, I'd love to talk to you about one red paperclip, but for the time being - please leave a message and I'll call back in January. If you're not a journalist and you just wanna call up and chat, it's all good -but you gotta wait till January too.

I’m kinda excited about the 2 week hiatus - I’ve never been on hiatus from anything before. Being on hiatus from something sounds like fun. Hiatuses are cool. Not as cool as going to Yahk with George Stroumboulopoulos, but cool enough. It's definitely maybe as cool as Yukon Cornelius tricking a Bumble with a pork ploy.

I’ll be back on Jan 1. Back with a vengeance. Back and ready to go to Yahk.

***SIGN THE PETITION !*** Last night on The Hour on CBC Newsworld, George Stroumboulopoulos did an awesome little bit about how I challenged him to go to Yahk. I think George is genuinely intrigued with the idea. I think George wants to go to Yahk! The only thing though, is that he might not be totally convinced that there's massive support behind the idea of him going to Yahk. I think the key to getting George to go to Yahk, is to get a massive number of people to sign the petition. A number that make him realize the reckoning force we are. A number like 2006. I think we should try to get 2006 names on the petition by Jan 1, 2006. Yeah, that seems like a good goal, 2006 people by Jan 1, 2006. 2006 names is a force to be reckoned with. There's no way George can deny that.

Spread the word! We need 2006 names on the petition! Tell your friends to sign the petition! All 2006 of them, before 2006 arrives!

Have fun, and a have a Merry Christmas. Kyle PS 2006 is gonna be awesome.

BREAKING NEWS

Dec 13, 2pm:

I just got an email from Claire Adams, a producer at The Hour on CBC NEWSWORLD - the show hosted by none other than a Mr. George Stroumboulopoulos. I sent her a link about the petition set up by Brent L. to get George to go to Yahk.

Here's what she said:

To: "kyle macdonald" <oneredpaperclip@gmail.com> Subject: Re: George'll wanta see this >>make sure you watch the show tonight!

So, I guess we better watch The Hour on CBC Newsworld tonight. I don't have cable, so I'll have to dig up a TV with cable access somewhere in Montreal. I literally cannot wait to see what they say on air tonight. This is rad.

8pm, 11pm and 2am tonight Nationwide in Canada. Remember, CBC NEWSWORLD - the one on cable, not just regular CBC.

I can't wait to see what George says.

Dear George

The citizens of Yahk have spoken. go here: http://www.yahkkingsgate.homestead.com (lower right, in orange) Quote from the email sent to me by the Yahk-Kingsgate Rec Society: "Keep watching... someone picked the right community!" Yes they did. Click on the following link to sign a petition to get George Stroumboulopoulos to do a live broadcast of The Hour on CBC in Yahk, B.C. this January: http://www.petitiononline.com/orpc0001/petition.html This is such a giant step in the right direction.

one trip to yahk

Click on the link below to get the book about the entire adventure!
yahk2

The same week I traded the instant party for Michel Barrette's snowmobile, I was interviewed by George Stroumboulopoulos on The Hour – a national TV program in Canada. George asked me, quite succinctly, if there was anywhere in the world I wouldn't go to make the trade. I responded. “I will go anywhere in the world except for Yahk, British Columbia.”

Then I went home to bed. It was a Monday, after all.

The next morning the phone rang and tore me from a deep sleep. I answered. “Hello.” “Hello is Kyle there?” I cleared my throat, swallowed and answered. “Yup. That's me.” “Hey Kyle, how's it going?” “Good. You?” “Great. My name is Jeff Cooper and I work for a magazine in Cranbrook British Columbia called SnoRiders West. We're conveniently located forty-five minutes from Yahk.” “Nice! I guess you saw the show last night then?” “Well, I didn't, but a co-worker of mine, Kerry, told me all about it.” “Cool.” “Well, we've been throwing some ideas around, and well, we want to make you an offer for your snowmobile.” “Really! That's awesome. What's your offer?” “We want to offer you a trip to Yahk.” “Really?”

And he meant it. Return airfare for two people from anywhere in North America to Cranbrook, a day of skiing, meals, and of course, a snowmobile trip to Yahk. Jeff wanted me to come along on the trip as well, so that the official trade could be made in Yahk. This was big news: A trip to Yahk. I agreed with Jeff that this was an amazing offer. Jeff took a deep breath and then gave me one more piece of vital information,”But there's a catch.” “What's that?” “The catch is, you must make the trade in Yahk.”

Ouch. Here Jeff was offering me the perfect offer for the snowmobile, but I'd gone and said I wouldn't go to Yahk. How could I go to Yahk? I might be a lot of things, but a liar is not one of those things. If I went to Yahk, my credibility would be shot. People might think I wasn't serious that I'd go anywhere on earth to make a trade except Yahk. I was totally serious - Yahk was not an option. It's just that, well, I never really expected to actually get a trade offer from anyone in Yahk, it being a small remote community on the other side of the country and all. It wasn't like I had anything against Yahk or the citizens of Yahk, it's just a lot more fun to say you won't go somewhere really obscure, than just go around saying you'll go anywhere. Anywhere is boring. Anywhere is cliché. Anywhere is not Yahk. I had to do some crafty maneuvering to get out of this one unscathed. My reputation was at stake here. I thought long and hard, went for a run, did a little soul-searching, and realized there was only one way to accept the offer without being a liar: I had to tell a lie. I accepted the trip to Yahk in exchange for the snowmobile, then went over to the computer and wrote a message to the citizens of Yahk:

Dear Citizens of Yahk,

On Dec 5th 2005, CBC anchorman and body piercing fanatic, George Stroumboulopoulos put me on the spot on live TV and asked if there was any place I would not go to make a trade. For some strange reason, I told him that I would go anywhere on Earth to make a trade, except Yahk B.C. Don't get mad at me for this, get mad at George Stroumboulopoulos. Why? I'll let you in on a little secret - I think he hypnotized me. Yes, I think George Stroumboulopoulos hypnotized me on live TV with a double whammy of his extremely long, impossible-to-remember-how-to-spell last name and abundant body-piercings. He forced me to say that I would not go to Yahk to make a trade. I've been to Yahk before. Yahk seems like a very nice place. I'm sure you're a nice person too, it's just that George Stroumboulopoulos forced me to announce an official trade embargo with your town. I hope you can live with the stigma of being the only place on Earth I can not go to make a trade. We can still be friends, just not trading partners. Maybe the citizens of Yahk should boycott George Stroumboulopoulos in retaliation for his heavy-handed hypnotic prowess - seems like the most logical thing to me. Actually, I think somebody should start a petition to get George Stroumboulopoulos to do a live broadcast of The Hour on CBC from Yahk to apologize for his evil ways. Yes, if there's anybody out there who knows how to organize an on-line petition, can you set it up and forward me the link? Thanks in advance - this is definitely a step in the right direction.

Thank you for your understanding - Kyle

Twenty minutes later, I got an email from a fellow named Brent who set up an on-line petition. It read:

To: George Stroumboulopoulos, CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) We citizens of Yahk, British Columbia Canada and by association, all residents of planet earth who do not live in Yahk -- hereby challenge George Stroumboulopoulos to do a remote broadcast of The Hour on CBC live from Yahk when Kyle MacDonald of www.oneredpaperclip.com will be present to "not to make a trade." If George Stroumboulopoulos makes the broadcast from Yahk, the hypnotic spell he placed on Kyle MacDonald on live TV will be reversed and future trades for the one red paperclip project will finally be allowed to take place in Yahk. Sincerely, The Undersigned

I posted a link to the petition on the website. By the time I went to bed there were already a few signatures, some even from people I'd never met. By the next day even more people had put their name on the petition. I started thinking to myself, maybe this might actually work. Anything is possible, right?

The controversy caused quite a stir in Yahk. Penny AP Anderson from the Yahk-Kingsgate historical society, and a self-described Yahktivist, posted the petition on the Yahk-Kingsgate community website and warned George Stroumboulopoulos that his hypnotic powers would have no effect on the citizens of Yahk. Penny sent me an email: "Keep watching... someone picked the right community!" I forwarded all of the goings on to Claire, a producer for The Hour. She fired an email back right away: To: "kyle macdonald" Subject: Re: George'll wanta see this >>make sure you watch the show tonight!

Dom and I didn't have cable so we went over to her sister's place and commandeered the TV. I was pretty nervous about what was going to happen. George came on the show and described his situation to the nation. He explained how I'd accused him of hypnotizing me - an obvious lie, I didn't accuse him of lying, everyone knew it was true, him with his hypnotic powers and all. He said that he was caught in the middle of “some sort of bizarro love triangle” between me and the petition and the citizens of Yahk. George said that he and everyone at The Hour would watch the petition and see how it went. George also added, “Unlike Kyle, I would definitely like to spend some time in Yahk, British Columbia.”

This made me nervous. I totally expected to get shot down. If George shot down the idea, at least we'd know George had a malicious vendetta against all citizens of Yahk and I'd look like a hero. Now I had to wait and see how the petition went. I hate waiting. Like Tom Petty said, the waiting is the hardest part.

I took some time off from the project at Christmas. When I returned, the petition had more than 1000 signatures. Not too shabby for a petition based on an outrageous accusation and an unlikely-to-come-true scenario. Not bad at all. But it didn't really matter if The Hour came to Yahk or not. I was going to Yahk anyhow. I could pull it off without being a liar – there was a loophole. You see, Jeff Cooper sent me some photos of Yahk and I'd discovered a technicality. There was a sign from Yahk that read:

YAHK – UNINCORPORATED

I figured that since Yahk wasn't incorporated as a city or town or village or hamlet pretty much opened up a giant grey area as to where Yahk actually begins and ends. I could theoretically say that I’m in Yahk right now, and so can you. Yahk is everywhere and nowhere at once, so I was free to go there because it doesn't really exist. Admittedly, an easy way out, but nevertheless, a loophole. I thought about my loophole proudly. It's not everyday you discover a loophole. There was a way to go to Yahk after all. But really, I wanted to coerce George Stroumboulopoulos and The Hour to go to Yahk. Loopholes are fun, but not nearly as fun as national newscasts being forced to travel across countries as the result of petitions based on lies. Stuff like that is way more fun than a loophole, any day of the week.

The signatures continued to roll in for the petition. A few days later I got an email from Claire at The Hour. I opened it with hope in my eyes. Claire had big news, they'd followed the petition's progress and had made a decision: The trip to Yahk was on. This was huge. The Hour was going to do a show live from Yahk. They were going to cover the trades. Yahktivism worked. I was more than excited. I fired off a blog post to tell everyone to book off their calendars for the first week of February. The Hour was going to Yahk. Everything was in place – a live national broadcast to cover the trade in Yahk! There was only one problem: I still had to find a way to get the snowmobile to Yahk.



How'd I get that snowmobile 
to Yahk, anyhow? Click here.



The deal stands. I will take the cube van anywhere in the world (especially Yahk BC) for the right offer.

Big thanks to George Stroumboulopoulos and everybody at The Hour on CBC Newsworld for showing up and filming the trades. You made my Mom's job way easier! Please don't throw her in jail for posting these here. I need her around to cut my hair.

Stay tuned for the video of my second trade on the show as well as those radical videos of Dan and I kissing goats.

have fun,

kyle

offers for one trip to yahk

Send your trade offer to: oneredpaperclip@gmail.com ********** Please post a comment at the bottom of this page to say which one I should take! ********** OFFERS: ********** dear kyle, I will trade you the trip to yahk for free and unfettered use of my name. -kyle Finally, I thought you'd never make the offer. ********** Hey Kyle, I'll trade you my husbands bowflex and the free dust to go with it. And you can stay free in Knoxville Tn anytime you like for the next year. We listned to you on the radio this morning. Good luck. S. Hensley Dust and a blowflex? Are you sure? ********** Kyle I offered you a complete wardrobe from my store Dress to Suit in Edmonton. Yesterday I was able to trade a sweater here for a lot in Alaska. If you are thinking of a smaller home in Alaska with the wardrobe I will include Lot 30D of Block 18. I have the deed here in Edmonton. The lot measures one sguare foot and there are others available if you were thinking of putting both feet down. These titles were issued as a promo for Alaska. By the way if you need to learn how to tie a tie for your clean new shirt, instructions are on our website www.dresstosuit.com. have fun ron Wow. And I do need to learn how to tie a tie. ********** Hi Kyle. I see I've got some pretty stiff competition. I guess you need tangible goods to be able to continue your trade-up to a house. I can only offer something to help you along the way. I offer the driver's seat in our car ( # 33) for the annual demolition derby in Salmon Arm BC, this coming August. Of course, since I also operate a sign and graphics business ( Signs That Work !) There will be a HUGE red paper clip logo on the side of the car. ( And on the Roof!) And additional signage around the arena that seats about 3000. Crowd is better that 6000. (there's a lot of standing room..) We usually run a Lincoln Town car. Last year we made it through to the end but got wiped out in the last heat. It is ..."too much fun...". I'm thinking this is a GREAT photo-op for you ( and me)..no doubt there will be some camera crew following you here. Can send photos of last years derby if you like. And yes...there are some interesting ladies here in the Shuswap... Could also do a full-wrap graphic on your tour bus ! ...lol Good luck, Ken Beyer SIGNS THAT WORK ! Eagle Bay, BC kbeyer@jetstream.net 250-675-5380 Hmmm, this is a tough call, I obviously think this is the greatest thing ever, but I need to re-trade this "opportunity" to somebody else in order to trade up to the house....does anybody else out there have something to trade for a seat in a demoltion derby? Let me know, it'll be much easier for me to make my decision if you do! ********** My name is Robert, i am 12 years old. i will trade your trip to yahk with1 size 9, black and red Converse Allstar high top shoe Converse Allstars are my fave. Is it only one shoe? Left or right? ********** Kyle, I would like to trade the trip to Yahk for A Guest Appearance on our future National/International TV show The 24hr HERO. The show will be similar to Extreme Makeover Home Edition, but we will go one step further and makeover the locations of charitable foundations. Please check out our website and let me know! Thanks, Jason Mielke Creator/Producer The24hrHERO www.The24hrHERO.com 24hour Ah yes, potentially trading one trip to Yahk for one TV appearance. A TV appearance for a good cause to boot! Things seem to be escalating quite nicely! ********** OK Kyle, here is my offer. Do you like Art? Large Paintings? Well what about a penny ap original acrylic or plasticine painting? I will offer you "Dog Daze" existing painting or I will create one specifically for you. I have some idea's in mind. Take a look at my website http://www.pennyapanderson.com/. Oh by the way, I am a multi media artist and I will be in Yahk Documenting You being documented by Your documentary crew, being documented by George's "The Hour" on CBC (when he releases the Spell!!). We have plans for you and George!!!!!! Penny A.P. Anderson 403-880-6396 AB 250-424-5596 BC pennyap@telus.net http://www.pennyapanderson.com/ DOG DAZE 4ft X 5ft (approx.) acrylic on canvas dog daze Penny, I love it. This is one of the most amazing pictures I've ever seen. Maybe I can trade for it, cause I'd like to give it to my brother. But as it stands, I'm not allowed to make a trade with anybody in Yahk. Maybe George will come around and break the hypnotic spell. (Whatever happens, we might be able to work something out on the side. I am VERY interested in this painting.) ********** Dear Kyle: Here's the offer: return airfare for TWO from anywhere in north america,central america or mexico to Sunny ACAPULCO Seven nights on a very cool and comfy (and big) beach house Lunch at the beach and Dinner in various cool restaurants on the bay. For the duration of the stay. 1 night in Deluxe Condo (for boat trip) 1 Sailboat trip sightseeing and cliff divers sunset trip (totally unique to see those guys jump from the cliffs right next to your boat! Lunch and drinks included 4 hours surf lesson by local surf pro with board rental 2-4 hours powerkite lessons by local instructors or 1 tandem skydive (with video)* *All of above for two people except tandem skydive (1 person), if swapped for either the surfing or powerkite course jump available only for one of the two travelers. 1 bottle of Mezcal Trip to be made on mid to late feb 2006 cheers Emilio Nader Wow. This is gonna be tough to top. You had me at the 1 bottle of Mezcal. ********** Hey, I am just a poor farmer from Wallaceburg, Ontario that would like to trade you for your trip to Yahk, BC. I am not much of a skier but I could get into resting my tired bones in the hot tub and going snowmobiling. Never been anywhere big and Yahk sounds like a great place to start. I'll trade you a Ford 8600 Diesel Tractor with cab and snowplow. Great working condition - I use it everyday. I'll send a picture if you are interested. Let me know, Farmer John Seys A tractor isn't just a thing. A tractor is an investment. An investment in making money. Making money by farming. ********** i have a 1991 toyota privia van that I have no use for anymore it is in good running condition and its metalic blue...lol Nice. Anybody want a Metallic Blue Previa? Where is it? I have it in my drive way in ottawa A capital city Previa. Does it get any sweeter than that? ********** hey their, i have this to offer as a trade. mint taylor made r7 left hander golf driver. (retail 500 us) + ipod shuffle 512 mb ...for the trip to yahk golfing and rocking out ... together at last! ********* I will trade you all of my mom's outdoor christmas decorations. they will look good on any house. several wreaths, large candy canes, 2 thousand lights, 50-60 feet of garland. and also 1/2 a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey... cause it warms you up and Yahk is very cold. Todd Washam Lima, Ohio I never thought garland would ever enter the equation. This changes everything. ********** hey ..i can offer u a 2004 dainese safety jacket in good conditions or a pair of red shiny hugo boss high heels.(u think the trip would include a flight from germany aswell?)all the best with the house.bianca (munich,germany) Hmm, I could probably twist the arm of the Mighty SnoRidersWest to fly you in From Germany...dainese safety jackets and hugo boss highheels are pretty hot right now. ********** I am prepared to offer you 1 week, thats right 7 days and 6 nights in glorious newport RI for your trip to yahk. You will enjoy the famous sights of newport while staying at one of its signature landmark residences, the cornelius house on rhode island avenue. Minutes walk from fabulous beaches and a bustling downtown area. Check out gonewport.com for pictures and other activities. Hope to hear from you soon, Andrew Burlingame P.S. Includes complementary tour of the international tennis hall of fame and free surfing lessons. Is Newport very far from Quahog? I think the one red paperclip project needs to visit Quahog sooner or later. Also, will you throw in a complimentary towel? - I tend to get wet when I go surfing and work up a pretty hefty sweat on tennis-related tours. ********** I'l offer up "Aus Poof" my 1985 Mercedes Benz Turbodiesel. I'll include a full tank of Biodiesel. Anything to get out of America for a couple days. Seriously. Dean Biodiesel. There's something you don't get offered every day! Do I need to become a mad scientist to develop my own biodiesel after the initial tank runs dry? I have been meaning to get into mad science. ********** I will trade an all access backstage pass for the Mugwump show on Friday January 13th in Portland Oregon, at the Roseland theater. We will pick you up. You can be the guitar tech and engage in all the debauchery that we do. You will be able to come out and direct the band in any fashion you want for a 4 minute musical explosion of your choice. After the show, we will drive to Sc10, Oregon and record the podcast that follows the show for the Fellaheen Radio Networks podcast. CrittendenIV will put you up in the Studio Tank C Section D for the night (at most 2 days), make you exquisite omelette's, homemade rye toast and bloody mary's for breakfast, then we will record your first professional song for your own CD. You will more than likely have the chance to see any of us get involved in a bar fight too.Thanks for the chance to make a trade :) CrittendenIV of the Fellaheen Radio Network Okay, I'll pass on the barfight, but I won't pass on the Mugwump. Mugwumps are definitely IN. ********** hey kyle, well never been to yak, but from lethbridge alberta, not living there anymore but happened to see you on TV down....in Honduras...yes honduras, i work down here right on the beach, and heres my trade......dont need to go to yak...to cold....but if your interested i'll offer you a months vaction free on charge....beach view everything.......getting closer to that house...... cheers leroy la ceiba honduras Wow. Honduras. Now we're talking. Does this include airfare to/from Honduras? ********** I have to trade; 13 Pioneer 41" videowall projection cubes Imtech processor,decoders,dvd player,cables,computer w/ software and manuals In other words a complete videowall system, with spares. Perfect for sports bars,conventions, ski magazines etc. All gear is in excellent working condition and on wheels for easy transport. Will Include 1 day of training / installation assistance. And you can stay In my guest house overnight. There it is : a house (but just for 1 night) and a videowall (forever) (or until your next trade) www.forestfalls.com That's a lot of video wall! Can you bring it up to Yahk to make the trade? transportation= no Since I will be flying to Yahk for a swanky weekend I will already have my carry on bags and skis packed so I won't be able to bring the 3000# of gear with me on the plane. It does however fit nicely into a 16' Ryder rental truck and I will toss in a 1 day free rental coupon. And the gear is but 1 hour from the entertainment capital of the world "HOLLYWOOD" ********** Hi Kyle, I heard you on FM 107 with Ian & Marjorie in Minneapolis this morning. I have a snowmobile tilt trailer that is taking up space in my garage (well, it is my husbands!). Anyway, we have never owned a snowmobile and we reconditioned it for brief business use. All new axel and tires and many new other things that I don't know what they are called. I thought this would go great with your newly traded snow mobile. My husband or I ( we would have to fight it out but given that it is his trailer that I am trading out from under him, he may be the one to win) would love a trip to Yahk! It sounds absolutely amazing and my husband deserves a good respite. Cheers to your project! Regards, Brenda Thanks Brenda! Now if only I can find a way to get the trailer out to Montreal and a vehicle to tow it, with the snomobile, to Yahk. Does anybody want to drive with me from Montreal to Yahk - towing a snowmobile on Brenda's trailer? This might be fun. ********** Hi I am 10 years old and live in Abbotsford BC. I love your site. I haveone slightly used wheel of cheese. Plus one Iguana ststue from Thailand on100% wooden log. I will also include 5 game boy games.Thanks,Dylan Used Cheese wheel, Thai Iguana statue and 5 game boy games - together at last! ********** Ok Kyle, Here's the offer: You want to meet the people and experience the trade..... A 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix SE plus 3 days accommodation in our home. We live rural style, on a hog farm & I would expect you to visit the barn as well. Lotsa people & animals....but all loving and willing to educate you in true Canadian work & life. The car runs well....we run harder. We also love to play harder;-) I very much admire your mission and it's conception.....I hope that if you can be part of our family for just a few days....my own children can see what is possible! ( I have a 24, a 20 & a 16 year old sons...and a cute 2 year old girl!) Kudos, Anita Wow. I've never stayed on a hog farm. Where are you located?

In response to the car & hog farm offer..we are in Southern Ontario....along the shores of Lake Huron. Fantastic beaches in summer...but now...Great snow trails :-)

********** Hi. I've been watching since you were on the fish pen, and thingshave sure taken off recently! Boy would I love a trip to Yahk - andI've always wanted to ski Fernie. I don't own many 'things' as I'm alittle low on the materialist scale (33rd birthday tomorrow and neverowned a car), but I do have some stock in a little company that's gotthe hottest gift item this year - are you interested in trading thetrip for a small chunk of Apple Computer Inc. ? say, a dozen shares -valued at about $1,000 today... not bad for a red paperclip. ;) Andcertainly liquid. You could sell it and buy iPods, or whatever. Orhold out for a month and see if it'll double again. I'll even includein a 1st generation iPod, purchased in Oct. 2001, 3 days after theiPod was announced. Kevin Kevin, I can't believe you're only the second person to offer an ipod yet in all of the offers - I think. I'd love to do a full-on investment analysis on the project. Maybe this would be a perfect benchmark trade to establish value to the tip to yahk. Or maybe the value of the trip to Yahk is immesuarable. ********** We are a high end mens wear consignment store in Edmonton Alberta. We will make sure that you are Dressed To Suit for any occasion and include a New Swiss Military watch and a new pair of Serengeti Sunglasses. Yes a total oufit of Boss, Prada, Versace or whatever fits and you a new watch and serengeti glasses. Nice, I only wear my sunglasses at night. ********** I have been keeping up with your story via your blog. Not making much mainstream press down in South Carolina. I thought I would make trade offer. The trip for the following:My boat named Dangeresque 2 "This time it's not Dangersque 1"1971 Fabuglas Tri-Hull1984 Evinrude 70HP outboardBimini TopSeating for 6TubeTow Rope for tubing6 Fishing Rod HoldersFish FinderDual 6 gallon gas tanksTrailerIt runs great and has caught many fish. For pictures, check the flickr set: http://flickr.com/photos/justinshearer/sets/1567018/ It'd be pretty cool to get some mainstream South Carolinian media exposure while fishing in a South Carolinian stream. ********** I own the Kootenay Country Comfort Inn In Cranbrook BC. I will trade you 60 nights of accommodation in my motel that can be used during the 2006 ski season. These rooms come with continental breakfast . For a look at all amenities check out our website www.country-comfort.com Wow. 60 nights? Now this is an offer. 2 months of funtential! ********** Hi Kyle, If you trade for the 60 nights of lodging in Cranbrook (the offer listed on your website), then I will trade you for 10 of those nights. I run a barter exchange, and would trade you a whitewater rafting trip in Quesnel BC for 4, including lodging, for 10 of the 60 nights in Cranbrook. In addition to that, have a look at my website at http://obe.dobarter.com/ to see some of the other things that you could trade your trip for. Send me an email and I will give you a guest login to that site. There are over $80,000,000 worth of items to trade for. You pick what you want, and I will make the trade happen. Cheers, Hal Tagg This has the potential to get so complicatedly awesome. ********** Hey. I just watched you on Canada AM... awesome job! Suppose your're not interested in trading that trip to Yahk for an autographed picture of Rex Goudie?...lol... let me know: Cheers and best of luck! Josh Yes, I just googled Rex Goudie too. ********** Hello Kyle, I saw you on Canada AM and I think that you are very original ! I would love to go on a trip with you but I don't have too much to trade. I play the guitar and have a extra one to trade with you but would like instead to trade my company and my songs to take along with you on your trip. I promise that you will not be dissapointed as I am very good company and sing and play fairly well. I also know quite a few French songs that I know you might enjoy as well as a few Native songs. I thought that you might appreciate my originality as well *S*. Well, take care and good luck to you. Safe Journeys ! Wolffy Theme music! The trip to Yahk definitely needs theme music. ********** Hey, How's it going...Saw you on Canada AM this morning, figured I'd check out the site. I think I might have something to trade for your trip to Yahk. I have a 1991 Cheverolet Beretta. It needs some minor body work, no big dents or anything, and could use some paint, but it's a good ol' car. Oh, and it's maroon! :) Anyhow...get back to me...Yahk sounds exciting. Thanx and good luck in your quest for a home, Chris Sweet, my favorite colour is Maroon. Is it a 5 speed Beretta? Do you listen to Maroon 5 while driving your Maroon 5 speed Beretta? ********** I'll give you a big blue paper clip for the trip to yalk. How big? How blue? ********** I'll trade you my sisters broom... it's faster then any snowmobile..... I bet. **********

new website layout

Big thanks to a fellow ‘kmac’, Keith MacLeod, for setting up the new layout for this website. My original layout was a duct taped ball of scavenged html I left out in the rain. This is waaaaay better. I haven’t met Keith yet, but I already like him based on the description on his computer services website: “Hi, I'm Keith. I'm your friendly geek around the corner. Actually, I'm not really all that friendly, and depending on where you live, I'm probably not around the corner, either.” Luckily for me, he does literally live just around the corner. Go check out Keith's site: kmacleod.hostingisfree.com Another site I've come across is www.subnixus.com. It's run by a guy named Eric who's attempting to quit his day job by running a blog. Most sites like this are a souless cash grab, but Eric is differnet. He tells the story about his attempt to quit his 9-5 and is doing this because he likes it - a feeling I share with him. My site has shot off in popularity recently, and it's a lot of fun, but I would still be doing this if only 10 people a day came to the site - which was the case from July to November. He continually stresses the importance of creating unique content, like a story that people can follow along with, rather than just a series of links or ramblings. I believe in my quest to turn one red paperclip into a house, and I thank you for coming here to hear my story. I hope you enjoy this site - I'm blogging about it because it's tons of fun, not because I'm trying to make money. However, things like eating and having a place to sleep at night come in handy when you're trying to up-trade, so there's a few ads on this site. If I had a day job, the content would suffer, and if I didn't have ads, I'd starve - so I hope we can live with things the way they are. If you can give me a free place to stay and feed me, I'll drop the google adsense link boxes in a second. If you want to quit your 9-5 job, for real, and create fun blog content instead, go to subnixus and do everything Eric says. His advice is free and it works. Thanks Eric.

Thanks, Justin

Okay, yesterday was officially the most surreal day I’ve ever lived. I’ve had a lot more crazy and rowdy days before, rest assured, but yesterday was hands down the most surreal. If only last week you had told me that reporters for TWO of Canada’s National newscasts would be in our apartment only an hour before a live interview on CNN, I would have looked you straight in the face and said, “Buddy, you’re on glue.” Big thanks to Nancy Wood from CBC, Mike Armstrong from Global and Kyra Philips from CNN. It was super awesome to talk to you. I’ve uploaded videos of their reports- you can see them by clicking on the link above that says "VIDEOS". Their reports were all great. I really think they captured the true idea behind one red paperclip. Sure, I’m trying to make a series of trades from one red paperclip to a house, but at the end of the day, it’s not about the stuff I trade for, it’s about people. It was very fun to hang out with Michel Barrette yesterday on radio 98,5 FM here in Montreal. Michel offered his snowmobile for all the right reasons and it was a pleasure to spend time with him. He’s going to give one instant party to his buddy that he was going to give the snowmobile to anyhow. He looked at me with a mischievous grin and said his buddy will be “choked” for not getting the snowmobile, but will get over immediately when he sees the keg of beer and bar sign on his doorstep. He’s also gonna throw in some other goodies into the instant party package to up the ante. CNNthe guys from Global tv CIMG4761CIMG4764 CIMG4759CIMG4760 Speaking French on-air was like my Quebec experience coming full circle. I only moved here last year. When I first met my girlfriend’s parents a few years ago, I hardly spoke a word of French. Learning French has been the hardest, most humbling experience of my entire life. I’ve worked on oil rigs in –40 degree weather in Northern Alberta and slept on a rock in the middle of the outback in Australia, but nothing compares to standing at the dinner table in front of your girlfriend’s family unable to understand a thing or join the conversation. Us English first-languagers are so spoiled we don’t realize it. It’s one thing to not be able to communicate; it’s another thing entirely to be totally invisible. In 2001, when I was staying at Noah’s Backpackers Hostel in Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, I walked into the kitchen and met a guy by the name of Justin Derosiers. Justin was from a town called Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. Like me, he came to Australia to have fun and see the world, but unlike me, he was there to learn English. We were both Canadians, but because I was from Vancouver, and he was from Quebec, we could hardly understand each other. I remember thinking about how incredible it was that two people exactly the same age who’d grown up in the same country could hardly communicate. I remember imagining how hard it must be for somebody who spoke only French to go to a linguistically-challenging place like Australia, and make do. It was easy for me, I just said ‘mate’ all the time, substituted “how ya going” for “how’s it going” and faked whatever aussie terms I didn’t get, like ‘sheila’, ‘root’ or ‘tucker’ - often to comedic and self-defacing public humiliation. But Justin was in a different league. He couldn’t fake anything. I imagined how hard it must be to learn another language. When I first came out to Quebec in 2002, I came to Dom’s village, St-Alexis-Des-Monts and got a taste of what Justin was up against. St-Alexis-Des-Monts is located about 2 hours from the US border. About 3000 people live in St. Alexis - 3 of whom speak English. Dom is one of those people. It was tough to say the least. I talked to Justin the other day, and he mentioned that he could probably store the Snowmobile when the trade was made. So yesterday, in my trademark ‘if there was no such thing as the last minute, nothing would ever get done’ fashion, I kinda forgot to call Justin and arrange the snowmobile pickup from the radio station here in Montreal. I sort of thought it was one of those things that would work itself out. But it didn’t. I pulled out my phone, and with cameras of two of Canada’s national newscast rolling, I asked Justin if it’d be cool if the guys from GoJit dropped the snowmobile off at his place. Justin, you came through huge. Thank you. You’re so getting an awesome dinner for this, PS Justin owns a concrete/cement contracting company near Montreal. If you’re in the Metro Montreal area and need some concrete work done, look no further! Cimentier Desrosiers Inc 450-278-0585 - 450-773-0495 justin fishin

CNN - GLOBAL - CBC TELEVISION

Okay, this is officially out of hand. Yes, more out of hand than Corey Hart Driving a Fiero. Today I'll be on: CNN - 1:30pm EST - LIVE! National Post Global National CBC 'The National' TVA 98.5 FM Montreal The Chris Pirillo Show I hope you enjoy it - I'll be wearing Ricky's shirt and the Eagle shirt. Finally, these two amazing garments will get the attention they deserve!

Trade for one famous skidoo Dec 8th 2:30pm

It's finally set up. I will trade one instant party for one famous snowmobile: Date: Thursday Dec 8th Time: 2:30 pm Location: 211 av. Gordon Verdun Montreal Quebec Show up if you'd like! The keg is still empty, if you're in the Montreal area and have the ability to fill it with beer, call me: 514-448-2678 I'm also looking for a tap and a bucket of ice. I will appear live on-air on 98.5 FM after about 4pm EST. (listen here: http://www.985fm.ca/) It looks like Michel Barrette is going to open up the phone lines. You can call the show at 514-790-9850 or 1-866-790-9850 It's a French station, so if you can speak French - great. If you don't speak French, call anyhow! This will be the first time I'll speak French on the radio. My first language is English. I didn't learn French until last year. My French is super rough. Rough like a snowmobile belt. Should be fun. See you there , Kyle

This just in...

I'll be on LIVE TV tonight: The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos CBC NEWSWORLD **ADDED DEC 6th** You can watch a VIDEO of our chat here. CIMG4717 The show airs three times, Check here for the schedule: (page set to Montreal / EST) http://www.cbc.ca/programguide/schedule/dailySchedule.jsp?network=CBC%20Newsworld It's on cable here in Canada - I've got no idea if you can get it elsewhere. Good luck!

pic from site en espanol

noticiaslocas Man, that is such a rad picture. Noticias Locas rules. If somebody wants to translate the initial one red paperclip page into spanish, that'd be awesome. Until then, this super-awesome link will do the trick.

start your own one red paperclip trading game!

The OFFICIAL one red paperclip trading post can be found here: www.1redpaperclip.com/stuff/forum Go ahead! Steal my thunder! Find yourself one red paperclip and start your own trading game! You can live up to your full funtential! We can have races! We can make blog postings with too many exclamation marks! I'll only give you two hints to start your own trading game: 1.Start small 2.Think big You can get a totally free website/blog with a personal domain name at www.blogger.com The barter section on craigslist.org is an excellent place to post your current item. other traders: USA logcabintrade.blogspot.com/ http://oneyellowpaperclip.com oneharleyride.com paperclip2house.wordpress.com onerobotdog.com PaperReality.com bbqtv.blogspot.com illtradeyouthis.blogspot.com onepurpleeraser.blogspot.com onexbox360.blogspot.com biggernbetter.blogspot.com oneflyingmonkey.blogspot.com lazerpen.blogspot.com geocities.com/secretidentity@sbcglobal.net/index.html geocities.com/deltaforceusa4/TradersSpot.html wanttotrade.blogspot.com Canada fancyblackpaperclip.blogspot.com onebluepaperclip.com Stuffed Monkey oneredgelpen.blogspot.com littlebluecar.blogspot.com cfox.com/shows/oneil.cfm trademestuff.blogspot.com tradingforengland.blogspot.com griffstradingpost.blogspot.com kw-trading.blogspot.com gabbr.com/tradeup Spain: cambiozapatoporvivienda.es Venezuela losfosforos.com Denmark supermaya.dk Netherlands eenrodepen.nl UK 2redpaperclips.blogspot.com wotyougot.blogspot.com round-toit.blogspot.com drumaid.blogspot.com onewebsite.blogspot.com tradeingforglory.blogspot.com New Zealand theedge.co.nz/Default.aspx?tabid=65

The Book

Yes, I am a writer. Yes, I have a publisher. My publisher is Kinkos. You can read my short stories here: http://kylemacd.blogspot.com/2005/10/stories.html I've had a few literary agents and publishers contact me about the idea of making a book about one red paperclip. I was like, "Cool, but who wants to read a book about one red paperclip? - it's just a paperclip." They all replied, "No, not a book about one red paperclip, but a book about your story about trading from one red paperclip up to a house." "Ah, I see. Cool." As an aspiring writer currently published by Kinkos and funded by my credit card, this is extremely awesome. Seeing how I haven't traded up to the house yet, it's safe to say that the book won't hit the shelves until 'sometime in the future'. No idea on the format either. With all the offers I'm getting for each object, it's kind of like living inside a Choose Your Own Adventure Book. Choose Your Own Adventure books are awesome. Maybe it'll be a Choose Your Own Adventure book where you get to choose different objects to trade and get different outcomes. Maybe it'll be an investing book. Maybe it'll be a Harlequin romance. Maybe it'll be a pop-up book. Maybe it'll have scratch-'n-sniff pictures in it. Yes - that's it - it will have scratch-'n-sniff pictures. I can't wait to have a scratch-'n-sniff picture of 'one instant party'. That'll be so rad. In the meantime you can continue to read stories about each trade right here on the blog or check out these short stories I wrote. Heck, you can even go and pick up another book to satisfy your literary appetite. I just finished reading Tom Green's book, Hollywood Causes Cancer. It's got 'surprisingly-good', 'smart', 'funny', 'very interesting', 'real' and 'lived in his parent's basment 'till he was 26' written all over it. It totally satisfied my hunger. Here's some of my favorite books - I highly recommend them all:

Podtastic Funtential

Yes, I'm very interested in appearing on your podcast, no matter how small, or big! home: 514-448-2678 cell: 514-833-3980 skype ID: kylemacmac Call me *ANYTIME *(I live in Montreal, Canada - click here for the current time of day in Montreal. If you wake my girlfriend up and she's angry it'll be your fault! You can deal with her! - Now that I think about it, it might make for an interesting podcast.) I've also got a pretty sweet long-distance plan, so if you'd like me to call you to keep your phone charges down, I can probably help you out. If you'd like to contact me first via email: oneredpaperclip@gmail.com You can also use audio clips from my podcast if you'd like: http://odeo.com/channel/33789 This site is getting thousands of visitors every day and I'd be more than happy to link to your podcast here and on the press page. I'll even write a blog entry about it! We can chat about anything you like! one red paperclip, trading, fun, podcasting, ninjas...anything. Podcasts I've appeared on: Dec 8 - The Chris Pirillo Show Dec 6 - The Unsigned Podcast Network - Paul Puri Dec 4- The Kurt Copeland Show - Kurt Copeland Dec 3 - The Sound of Young America - Jesse Thorn

Go Dutch

You might say that my idea to trade from one red paperclip up to a house is one way to "go Dutch". And that'd be perfectly fine by me if you do. My sitemeter feed tells me that a few hundred people an hour are coming to this site right now via a link from Flabber, a Dutch site. If you are Dutch, you probably know about Ramon Stoppelenburg and his project/adventure called Let Me Stay For a Day. I got quite a bit of the inspiration for one red paperclip from Ramon. He had a very cool indeed. Hopefully I get an offer from the Netherlands so I can wear wooden shoes and take pictures of windmills on dikes. That'd be fun, I'm getting kinda bored of chasing beavers out of my igloo every time I come back from playing hockey with my toque on. Looks like a few days until I trade for the snowmobile. It's snowing outside right now. Perfect.