           |
|
 Your Hey Mercedes weblog. The Cast: Robert Nanna Damon Atkinson Todd Bell Michael Shumaker Dan Keehn Chris Bickert Norman Arenas Ryan Snyder 
Ebay: Bob Damon Todd Mike Ryan Go Clock Go: absolute punk all music guide alton brown art of the mix awkward pirouttes bipolar braid heaven c & c drums cadmium chicago shows! critical darling dullest dvd file ebay google news grandtheftautumn invisible city kempa look like kenny michael moore my friend goes left the new top ok plus three panaphobic pirate smiles pitchfork punk news quoc machinery recwreck rocket fuel the scout theme park thieves trouble vagrant weasel manor who would buy work of fiction you look good hallelujah it's the indieblogs webring list random previous next |
November 18, 2000
dan: It's snowing sideways here in west bend..yes, I'm at work trying to compose a somewhat interesting blog. I went to see shiner last night at the cactus club and, as usual, it was awesome. The atmosphere was comforting and the hospitality was, well, how hard is it to get someone a drink? Overall the comradery was ever present and effervescent. Today i'm going to go home after work and sit down for a change and cuddle up with my remote in hand and slippers on and drink a bottle of VODKA and smoke cigarettes and "what not" ! There go my creative writting skillz! I would like to thank the blogger for getting my walleye blog published and also Bob for putting up with these finely placed segments of words that i choose to use.
dan: apparently my other blog didn't get blogged.....I'll sum it up in a few words. FRIDAY NIGHT FISH FRY BABY.YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHTASTY WALLEYE!!YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM...burp! #%*! "that's right, I eat."
Robert: So, the contest went very well. The winner was Jack Saturn. It was actually pretty amazing. Within 10 minutes, I had gotten 6 correct answers. I didn't think many people would know what the lyric was. This just means I'm going to have get a little obscure sometimes... especially if the prizes are big ones... So, I think i'm going to have a (week)daily Name That Tune contest. I have so much junk in my room to give away, what better way to send it to big winners round the globe! I'm not going to say what time each day the contest will be, because if i do it everyday at work at 2, all the people who are at work without computers (you poor souls) won't have a chance! So I'll mix it up. Let's have some fun. Off to Milwaukee.... I'd also like to say that the opinions stated by team members do not reflect the opinions of AYWAW? proper! November 17, 2000
Jan: Games. Who wants to play a Friday game? Name that tune? The winner will get a Hey Mercedes T-shirt (size and design of your choice)... I'll give you a lyric. You tell me the title of the song and the artist. First email i get with the right answer is the winner! Here is the lyric: "Well the night weighs heavy on his guilty mind, this far from the borderline." Good luck. **** SOMEONE HAS WON. PLEASE REFRAIN FROM EMAILING THE ANSWER, which is "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring. *** I'll announce the winner shortly.
Jan: Kiss me! Please kiss me! Kiss me out of desire... baby no consolation... We are in the interim between lunch and plateau... I made it to Subway today. I braved the frigid cold and the powerful wind that hits you as you cross the river. I ordered, I ate, I did a crossword, I came back. What a big fat joke. Jeff is singing Mojo Pin. He's at this point: "SCREAMING down from heaven." Chills, i tell you. Chills... And again I have to think about what a creative and talented person he was. And how he probably had tons of songs that we will never hear. And how he probably would be working on album #3 now and the songs would be gorgeous, of course. And now I'm sad. It makes me sad to be here. I wish I was in Florida. I wish I was in Australia. I wish I was at home by a humming radiator, in pajamas, drinking coffee, writing a song about Jeff Buckley.
Jan: This is just depressing. You know, the whole thing makes me feel like i've got my mouth taped up. Technology... BAH humbug. I'm starting to feel like i should just send manual letters every day to every single person who reads this. They will all start like this: This is what I would have posted on 11/17/00... Much like Katherine Harris, I have set a deadline. It is 12 noon. If it's not working like a well oiled machine by 12, it's hands-on time. Don't make me do it... I want my blog. I want it now. I will stop at nothing.... and another thing, why does the DVD for the excellent movie, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles devoid of any special features and with a hefty price tag? It hasn't been my day.
Jan: More worries on the way in. Work is it's usual mind-numbing experience. We've just entered into the 10:00 pre-lunch drone. We have just exited the 9:00 caffeine-fueled-check-email-and-every-website-i-can-think-of hour. In 60 minutes, we start the pre-lunch-getting-hungry-and-anxious jitters. At 12:00, lunch starts, even though i don't start eating till usually about 1. Then at 2:00, we have an hour and a half plateau, where the work thins and my patience nears an end... But then at 3:30, things start getting warm and fuzzy during the last-minute-web-loose-ends-tie-and-wonton-abandon-for-anything-work-related half of an hour... Being a Friday, all of the feelings multiply, however, seeing as though some two bit judge in Tallahassee said the recounts don't have to, um, count... I've gotten the anxious jitters pretty early... I think the judge was actually the crazy guy that hung out at the Cowhaus in disguise. Did anyone else notice the Crocodile Dundee knife the judge pointed at the lawyers during the verdict? Suspicious. This is going to be another whirlwind of a weekend, spanning many counties, and two states... bars, warehouses, nursing homes, and trains. I'll probably eat some pizza. I'll probably play some guitar. I may even sing Happy Birthday. Who knows? I may organize a massive Yahtzee tournament. I may plant a bonsai tree. I may fly a kite shaped like Robert Plant. I may rob a kite manufacturing plant. I may manufacture a tree tournaquet. I might quit. Who knows?
Robert: Doo doo doo doo, is anything happening? Probably nothing. It's Friday and i'm digging it. While everything works out here, i'll be glued to CNN. November 16, 2000
Oewihnc: Work just sucks. I was commenting yesterday to the gang about how much we could all get done if we didn't have to waste our time at work. I think of myself as working on someone else's dreams while i'm here. Whomever started this company, God rest his soul, had a dream. He acted on it and now many people are reaping the benefits... Well you know what? I have some dreams, too. So why the hell am i here neglecting them? There will be plenty of time to work for someone else's plan, but now is the time for MINE. And i don't feel selfish saying it... because when i/we write songs and tour, we're not just doing it to amuse ourselves, we're doing it for everyone... I've recently been listening to Jeff Buckley and sakes alive, what an angel. How less exciting would my life be without his music? What if he got stuck working at some office or wherever, and blindly made the decision to settle down... to fit in... to join the team. That would really be fucked, wouldn't it? Everyone who has listened close to Jeff Buckley has been touched in some way... and it's certainly not exclusive to him, i mean, add your own source of inspiration: Ricky Martin, Operation Ivy, Shania Twain, Fugazi, Yanni, whatever floats your boat... and the equation still applies. I'm not saying that we should be counted along with all of these great musicians, but for the love of God, we deserve a chance... and every single day when we get up in the morning, that chance is WASTED. I've been working here for over a year, which in itself, at 40 hours a week is 2080 WASTED HOURS. It sickens me to think of what we could have done in 2080 hours. Hell, in 4 hours last night, we polished off 2 songs! And you know who just wanted to start a conversation with me... wondering if he should get involved with the Knights of Columbus. Somebody. Send help quick. The following entries were also posted on 11/16/00, without Blogger assistance.... [11/16/00 11:44:11 by Oewihnc F'Dequcnoun] It's no secret that this lack of a blog machine has got me down. Especially after seeing such passionate posts sit in limbo as i constantly get these "page unavailable" messages... But i'm a professional and i can rise above these things. Working around the system for the time being. Sticking it to the man, so to speak. What else could possibly go wrong? I'm not sure if i should even say that, since it usually leads to more problems... but seriously, forks, what is up? I'm getting hungry and i'm thinking hitting a Subway now. With my luck they'll slap a big slice of turkey on my veggie sub. I know... woe is me, blah blah blah. Poor old Oewinhc, always complaining about something... [11/16/00 1:30:11 by Oewihnc F'Dequcnoun] I exited the building and hung a right, in the direction of Subway... However, I was blasted back by a huge gust of wind along with little speckles of snow. Figuring somebody was trying to tell me something, I quickly turned around and walked the other way... So instead, I hit Pita Ria - a Mediterranean joint. I am happy with my decision, and may the wind be always at your back. At least I'm not the only one having troubles with the big B. I got a few emails already about it. I'm glad I found a way to keep it real... even if all of the margins don't line up... oh hell, like it matters! I'm still using the default template, for chrissakes. The day is flying by, kind of like the cow i just saw pass our second floor window. So that's great news for a change! I'm looking forward to getting home and taking a well deserved nap. (You can never nap enough, if you ask me). My room is a little less drafty, thanks to the plastic... so the tornado outside won't bother me none. In fact, it's sweet hum will lull me into a deep... deep... sleep. Wow, there goes a green lady on a broom! [11/16/2000 2:32:30 PM by Oewihnc F'Dequcnoun] Sorry for getting so excited back there. I think i'm just a little loopey from the lack of sleep and the sunrise i was forced to watch from a train! I'm actually quite a positive fella, it's just a shame you only get to see the negative side of things when i'm here... Sigh. I try and brighten things up a little. Maybe I should change the colors of the template... it may still be "default," but i'd give it my own bit of charm... you know, liven up the place. Does anyone know the code for some nice earth tones? You know, something like Ikea-khaki, for example. The two songs we finished last night: "If You Were Me" and "Haven't Been This Happy in Minutes." I figured i'd let you know so as better to reference them on Napster. Ha. Ha. Are they there yet? I think I heard some sinister tape rolling at the practice hole... An hour and a half to go go go. [11/16/2000 3:36:30 AM by Robert Nanna] Goodnight sweetheart, well, it's time to go. There's some yellow curry soup with my name spelled out in it with straw mushrooms, and there's a nice bottle of merlot waiting for me to buy it at Broadway Liquors, and there's a bound-to-be-hilarious comedy show tonight that's just waiting for me to get there. Let the wonderful night begin. Oh, the weather outside is frightful... but my love to that special someone who always makes the weekends start on Thursday!
Robert: There was an alarm set for 5:30 AM this morning for me in Milwaukee. When it rang, I rolled around on the bed, exhausted, thinking to myself.... i would give anything for just a little more sleep. (We practiced late last night.) I get up and angrily try and wake myself up. I throw some water on my face, I walk around, I go to the freezer and grab a toaster waffle (waf-full). As it's toastin' up nice and i'm starting to become coherent... i notice the clock in the kitchen. 4:30. i run to the clock in the living room. 4:30. i go back in to look at the alarm clock. 5:30. Dammit! All i wanted was a little more sleep, and i could have had it, but now it's too late... i got breakfast in the toaster, for pete's sake! I eat the waffle as fast as i can and jump back into bed and set the alarm for 6:30... but it's a fruitless effort. I lie, eyes wide open for an hour, thinking about tofu and Katherine Harris and Gene Wilder and a dancing cactus plant and how i need to get some new gym shoes... but i just can't get to sleep. The moral of this story is: Never kiss a rodeo clown. i mean: make sure you change all of your clocks for your visitors! Or else, they may be late for work, and you know how much they love work! November 15, 2000
dan: I have been really bothered today and it all started this morning!!!!!!!!!!!!AAAHHH.. I've got a stupid toothbrush stuck in my toilet! I know you're probably wondering why I brush my teeth on the shitter..but I don't! The people that lived there before me obviously had kids..Lemme tell ya that there's nothing more annoying than a toilet that won't FLUSH, I mean it'll flush sometime but otherwise it's been really buggin me..I guess I really took my morning ritual for granted when I get annoyed like this.. I just had to let out this final woosh of hot air before I go home and think about getting that brush out..I spent close to 2 hours trying to grasp that thing and finally blew up and threw my mirror and grabber thing down and stormed downstairs...Why does this happen to me?! It seems like I have the stupidest stuff happen to me..I get a d.u.i on my BYCYCLE in coronado ca, I get electricuted and have a certain part of me ripped open and have to drive myself to the ER and now a stupid toothbrush is caught in my G.D. TOILET what gives with these ridiculous circumstances that have plaqued my life..I guess I could've been dead in both cases but a toothbrush!!!!!!!! I gotta go find my che.
Drunk: Real busy around here. I don't like it... I have, however, thought of a new game to brighten my day. It's called "scare the annoying new guy." You see, he's on the internet more than i am during the day, so now, when i need to get his attention, i sneak around a corner and loudly say his name as i make myself visible... he gets all flustered, trying to close his chat window or whatever. it's hilarious.... I'm doubled over in laughter. Back to work, Henderson!
Drunk: Dammit! As far as DVDs go, I think i'm all ahead of everyone, but really i'm far behind. Not only will the Kubrick films most likely be re-released w/better quality (i got the box set), but next year will see a re-release of the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factoy DVD w/ COMMENTARY from Gene Wilder and ALL FIVE KIDS! It's like they read this blog or something, cause i was complaining about this a week or two ago... but now i have to rebuy the blasted thing. Great. Just Great.(info here)
Drunk: I'm not usually a huge fan of the meal course called dessert, but holy smokers, i really gotta give a shout out to all of the pumpkin farmers. You make my Thanksgiving season a little sweeter... Today I eat dessert first. There's something incredible about moving into a big brand new city alone. Not that I would ever desert my favorite city in the world - Peoria. (Just kidding. I mean Chicago!) But i have to wonder exactly how that feels... There are 2 people in my life that are going through it right now, and i plan on hounding the both of them for all of their thoughts and experiences. Maybe a part of me wants to live vicariously through them, but the whole to-do just fascinates me... Perhaps I can coerce one of them to share with the rest of the class... On a sad drunker note, I'm feeling very uninspired for the second day in a row. It's gotta be the cold. Hopefully it won't carry over into the evening, cause i'm heading up to Milwaukeetown tonight for a little you know what. They drink a lot of beer up there, don't they?
Drunk: Coffee #1, down the hatch. On to coffee #2... Remember how i was saying how much it sucks when you are unwillingly put into a situation where you care less about your health? Oh man. My least favorite associate just walked in wearing... and i kid you not... a hardcore poncho - i'm talking about basically a heavy rug with a hole in it for his head. It's just getting ridiculous around here. He's not Mexican or anything, he's just wearing it to say "hey look at me." And now he's talking to me in a Mexican accent... And it may be the alcohol talking, but now i want to go eat some donuts. Pumpkin muffins seem too healthy for me this morning. You know who else is getting on my case? Katherine Harris. Her and Karen Hughes could and should form a tag team and join the ranks of professional wrestling. They would be a fearsome bunch. I am losing my mind... and if it wasn't for Jeff singing to me in French right now, I'd calmly put on my jacket, button up, gather my belongings and run as fast as i could for the door.
Robert: Jeff Buckley. The guy gets me every time. I created a special mix CD of his greatest hits for a friend that had never heard him... and now i don't think i want to give it to her! It's such a great feeling - actually getting excited about something this early in the morning... and on the El on the way to work, i was excited to hear all of these great songs one after the other... i didn't want the ride to end! So here i am at work, and i'll be spinning the CD all day on my little wussy speakers... humming along and i don't care who hears me... The songs: i want someone badly, everybody here wants you, mojo pin, lilac wine, nightmares by the sea, morning theft, last goodbye, hallelujah, dream brother, the man that got away, the sky is a landfill, yard of blonde girls, j n'en connais par la fin, vancouver, lover you should've come over, jewel box, satisfied mind... Now there is another amazing song that i wish i could put on there, but unfortunately i only have it on vinyl. It is the song "Gunshot Glitter," which is on the vinyl verison of Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk. Please people, if you dig Jeff Buckley, find this song, cause it's the damn cat's meow... Adam wanted to know about the rarest / most prized record in your collection. That is mine. The vinyl of Sketches with "Gunshot Glitter." I thank you. November 14, 2000
Robert: To clarify, in 212 days i will be 212 days older, but it will be exactly one more year from the day i was born... and a certain weblogging device is giving me the beeswax again. But that's OK... the posts will all come in good time, my pretties.
Pumpkin: Oh hells bells. I'm finding a positive correlation between the low temperature and lack of brain activity... making work an absolute joy, as you can imagine... and there's no escaping it at home, either. My apartment, when the heat is on, feels like the inside of a volcano, yet since there is no radiator in my room, I am subject to dangerous Arctic chill. I feel the problem is my old faulty window... so I plan on covering myself up today with some nice plastic wrap. If there's any left, I'll put it on the window. By the way, I didn't have the time last night to utilize the drill, but as i mentioned yesterday, this can only be a good thing, when taking into consideration my safety and the safety of others...
Pumpkin: This morning, my lack of cash money kept me from purchasing and enjoying a pumpkin muffin. Instead, I opted for an extra cup of coffee and a smattering of nuts and brownies from the "holiday" display downstairs. I am one healthy boy, i tell ya. I think it was Tsunami in the song "Kidding on the Square," where they say: "You know it... coffee isn't food... and although you try to tell yourself you never sleep, you always do!" Truer words were never spoken in this case. It's a shame that Tsunami didn't cause much of a wave in the grand scheme of things. Underrated... and you can't even give their CDs away these days. I've been glued to the CNN page. A co-worker here has told me that it's all over. He found out this morning on CNN that a judge has enforced the deadline and Gore is expected to concede later today. What the? What kind of inside information does this guy have? I haven't seen anything about this anywhere... and in our wonderful digital age of information, dammit, i should know these things... So until it's posted and toasted, i am standing my ground. One group of people who would be thrilled by a "W" win would be comedy writers. I tell you, a GW presidency is comedy gold. I've been told that they already made light of this on Letterman, but it's so true. I've already said that I just can't get enough of Will Ferrell... I'm feeling very uninspired today and that scares me. You know what else scares me? Skulls. I may be using a default template, buddy, but at least there are no skulls to be found! I'm just kidding. I'm a kidder.
Robert: Note: If I ever go over two hours without posting, it means that i'm having some Blogger issues. Just wanted to pass that along, given this morning's issues.
Robert: There is an amplified conversation going on down the hall about who would win a drinking contest between Gore and Bush. I'm pretty sure they don't realize that the whole place can hear them... They are laughing uncontrollably. I, on the other hand, am not. Why? Guess... I wish i could wear headphones. Mr. Kozelek would be drowning them out at volume level 6. Things mean a lot at the time... don't mean nothing later. In about an hour and a half, there will be a ruling as to whether the 5 PM deadline for Florida recounts will be enforced. In about three minutes, I'm going to go refill my coffee mug. In 18 days, Hey Mercedes will be playing at the Fireside Bowl. In 212 days, I'll be one year older. Someone at the window. In a minute, I'll go and see what they want. Can't... wake... up. November 13, 2000
Robert: Grab that winter apparel cause it's COLD in chicago. It even snowed today in the windy city. I will be shivering all the way home today... Someone emailed me yesterday about a dream they had, featuring me as a stealer of gloves. How i wish that dream was true. I have no gloves. No hat. No scarf. No earmuffs. No snowshoes. No dogsled.... But I don't care. It's quarter to four, so i'm outta here. Brrrrrrrrrrrr. Adieu Adieu... to you and you and you.
Jackson: You know you're bored when you look up your Pokename. Mine is Lovee. I can spit tahini. My natural enemy is Drowrino. I am sick of my job and wish i was somewhere else. (I added that last one myself.) ...thanks to Charwad for the link.
Jackson: I am well into the 2:00 blues. "Well" is a good word for it. A nice deep, dark well. Fortunately, there's a light beyond Troy's bucket. It will come to fruition in exactly an hour and a half when i shake the dust of this office from my shoes... and i'm gonna see the world! Actually, I'm just heading over to the parents' house (Mr & Mrs Browne, of course) to borrow a drill to hang up an Ikea shelf and cabinet. (I know, I'm not my khakis.) Keeping in mind my previous experience with assembling Ikea furniture, tomorrow's posts will most likely be coming from the nearest emergency ward. I'm all thumbs. I can hardly assemble a cheese sandwich, much less a cabinet that comes with instructions in Swedish. So we'll see how that goes. I've also gotten some feedback saying that the blog is hard to follow, which is why i added the simple instructions at the top of the page. They will be valid at all times, except for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 3 and 5 PM, when they will have to literally be read backwards in an as-yet-undetermined secret language, which will require a special AYWAW? decoder ring, found in specially marked boxes of AYWAW? cereal. You see how this place corrupts my usual train of thought? I'm surprised i get anything done up in here. Y'all gonna make me lose my mind. The evil scoundrel to my right seems to spending all of his time in chat rooms lately. I think he's trying to find that special someone. I even thought i may have heard him speak of placing some "personal" ads. I should tell him to put his mug up on Am I Hot or Not, and we'll see what happens. I shudder at the thought. 2:42 and all's still "well."
Jackson: Problems, problems, problems. There are always problems here at work, and today is no exception. You know that song "I Don't Like Mondays" by the Boomtown Rats? I like that one. It's relevant. There were no pumpkin muffins left by the time i got down to the bakery and i had to settle for a vanilla longjohn and some old coffee. The weekend went by too fast. The good news is: the weekend was well spent. I went out to eat about 8 times. I spent Saturday in Milwaukee, practicing and then watching (a pretty darn funny) SNL. Yesterday, I came back, took a well deserved nap, packaged up some stuff and then went to see The Exorcist and Best in Show, using the patented "AMC switcheroo." I laughed like crazy during Exorcist and was scared out of my mind during Best in Show... or at least I think I got the order right on those. And as for this Florida recounting thing, since I think that a vanilla longjohn would do a better job of running the country than George W Bush, I would like to make my plea to whom it may concern... recount the votes until Gore has more. Then you can stop. I thank you.
Robert: As I said last week, today is the day - i'm going to be away from my desk for a few hours... But i've got a lot to say, so i'm sure I'll squeeze it all in somehow. Thanks. |