DHL – Doesn’t Honor Literacy

28 November, 2008 Brian Mc 3 Comments

I’m not one to complain a lot. Complaining can be annoying if performed constantly so I try to avoid it at all costs. Well, not today…I have to complain about this because honestly I am peeved about what I am dealing with right now.

J-Day is less than a month away. I take full advantage of the internet during this time of the year and stay out of the stores for fear that someone might annoy me to the point where I might try and knock them out with a animated reindeer display at the local Wal-Mart… That would actually be pretty awesome.

Anyways so I ordered some product from a website for gifts for my loved ones. The company took my money and shipped the package via DHL. I tracked the package daily just to make sure it would get to my house safe and sound.

On Monday I saw that it was en-route. Tuesday it was in Pennsylvania. Wednesday it was delivered to my front door at 11:15am, so I thought.

I came home and there was nothing there. First thing I thought was that some punk kid saw the box and grabbed it. I then thought maybe it was not delivered so I tracked the package online and looked for any indication on how it was left at my house.

I saw that it was delivered at 11:15am and there was a signature. I clicked on the link for the signature and noticed that it said LD FD ABAB (ABAB is actually an address but for the sake of privacy I have changed it to letters). LD FD looks like it meant “Left At Front Door” but the thing that got me was my address was not ABAB, it is ABBA (ha, abba…just read on…).

I called DHL and asked them if they would tell me the address the package was delivered to.

Not to copy Matt at his USPS extravaganza (hey Matt, check out my category for the post), here is my conversation with the nice DHL lady:

DHL: Sir, the package was left by the carrier at ABAB at the front door.

ME: Can you tell me the address that was on the package please?

DHL: Sure… The street address is ABBA.

ME: You said it was left at ABAB right?

DHL: Yes Sir. Oh….

ME: Yeah… Now what?

DHL: Well on Friday we can have the carrier attempt to reclaim the package and they can deliver it to your house.

ME: What if they can not retrieve the package?

DHL: In the event the package can not be retrieved a claim may be opened through DHL.

ME: Great.

DHL: I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We will call you on Friday once the carrier has tried to retrieve the package. If the package is retrieved it will be delivered to your home.

ME: Fantastic.

So I waited. As promised DHL called me today to let me know that they were unsuccessful in retrieving the package. I was not surprised at all. I was almost tempted to ask them if they even sent someone. They instructed me to contact the company that shipped the package to me and to file a claim. I emailed the company this morning and hope to heard back from them soon.

I could have gone to ABAB and knocked on the door but I did not. First, I have no idea who lives at ABAB and second I really should not have to do such a thing. The only way I will go to ABAB and knock on their door is if the claim can not be filed and I am threatened to lose the money I paid for the gifts I bought.

Since they were sweet gifts I would not be shocked if the people who live behind the door at ABAB would have a case of amnesia if I asked them if they received a box on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Let’s hope this gets taken care of correctly. I would have to have to complain again.

I hope everyone had a great holiday. Family, friends, food, fun… The things that make those memories so special….especially the food……

DIY, Hip Hop, Live Shows, Music, Music Video

MC Chris Putting On The Brakes???

26 November, 2008 Brian Mc 1 Comment

I saw this yesterday on one of MC Chris‘s daily bulletins on MySpace (click the picture to go to his MySpace profile):

Looks like the one man show is going to be taking a break. Rightfully so, the guy has been touring mad crazy ever since I have first heard about him. In the last 3 years I have seen him 3 times and was supposed to see him just a few weeks ago but could not get off of work.

Are you wondering who I am talking about? The best way to describe MC Chris is nerdcore even though the artist tries his hardest to stay away from that scene. Nerdcore is hip hop beats with nerdy lyrics. Imagine a sweet beat layed with rhymes about Star Wars or robot dogs and you have a hint of nerdcore. Mind you not all of MC Chris’ songs are in fact nerdcore, but still many associate him with it. Aside from songs MC Chris also likes to throw in a few little comedy skits and trust me some of it is hilarious. It’s hit or miss, you love it or hate it, and of course I love it.

The one thing I admire about the man is that he has done it all by himself. He used to work on the Adult Swim show Sealab 2021 as well as on Aqua Teen Hunger Force and opted to leave to persue his own passion, music. He tours with just a merch guy and handles everything himself. One man show indeed.

He has released 6 CDs since 2001 and not one has been on a record label. He is an internet addict posting blogs daily and is very personal with his fans. I love reading his blogs as he just talks about random things from dates he went on to the newest Xbox 360 game he got sucked in to. He is real and does not act like a rock star at all. Yet another reason why I like this guy so much.

Hearing he is taking a break is good and bad at the same time. It’s good because I know he was at one time was trying to have his own show of sorts on Adult Swim. Details about his project are unclear but I know it will be entertaining as his music.

Also if you are wondering what Black Friday 2 is, it is MC Chris’ sale of the year for his merch on his very own website. Head over to www.mcchris.com if you want to buy some gear at pretty good prices.

Here’s a bad quality video I took at him at one of the shows I was at (WARNING: Cussing Will Happen):

To clarify what was going on in the video: There was a drunk kid who was being drunk and dumb and MC Chris asked the kid to come up on stage and stand in the corner. When said drunk kid kept dancing and mocking the main act, MC Chris helped the kid exit the building. The quality of the video was crap, but it should give you a small taste of the sold out show that night…

Music, Music Video, Rock

The Vines Announce Cancelled Shows Due To Frontman’s Illness

22 November, 2008 Brian Mc 1 Comment

Taken from guardian.co.uk:

Australian rockers the Vines have canceled their live commitments due to a deterioration in their frontman’s mental health.

In a disarmingly frank website post, the band confirmed that they were withdrawing from live and festival appearances indefinitely.

In 2004 Craig Nicholls was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, after his behaviour became increasingly erratic. He received treatment and the band were able to continue recording, even returning to the road.

But the situation appears to have deteriorated. The band wrote: “It is with a great deal of regret that the Vines today announce that they have cancelled all of their Australian festival appearances – Homebake, Pyramid Rock and Big Day Out – and their forthcoming Japanese tour, scheduled for late November. Craig Nicholls’ mental condition has deteriorated to the point where he requires immediate help over an extended period of time.”

According to the NME, drummer Hamish Rosser added: “On behalf of the Vines, we would like to extend our sincerest apologies to those of you who have bought tickets to see us perform and will not get to do so. We are all absolutely devastated that we’ve been forced to cancel all our upcoming shows as there’s nothing we love more than playing on stage before an enthusiastic audience.”

I don’t know about you, but I loved The Vines’ debut release Highly Evolved. There was a certain high strung energy felt from the lead singer Craig Nicholls throughout the whole mainly 90’s alt rock inspired CD. I had no idea that he was suffering from such complications. The fact that he did not give up when he wass first diagnosed is amazing yet I can only imagine how hard it is now for Craig Nicholls now that he finally has to take a break for the time being. The band was touring for their latest release Melodia that was released earlier this year.

Art, Artist, Cleveland, Derek Hess, Movies

American Artifact Movie

21 November, 2008 Brian Mc 1 Comment

I don’t know about you, but I am excited about this. I love rock concert prints. This movie/documentary looks to be real interesting…

Cleveland’s Derek Hess is in it as well (w/ Jose the dog). Sweet. I see Coop & Frank Kozik are in it as well. I love all three artists so needless to say I can not wait till this comes out.

For more info check out http://www.americanartifactmovie.com/

Music, Music Video, Pop, Punk, Reunion

Blink 182 Might Be Back

20 November, 2008 Brian Mc Leave a comment

This morning during my morning ritual of reading random blogs and just catching on on current events I found myself checking out +44‘s lead/bassist Mark Hoppus’ blog site. The former Blink 182 member had updated it for the first time in months. He explained where he has been, what he has been doing, and most of all reconnecting with friends from the past, more specifically Blink 182:

in the midst of everything else that has happened lately, tom, travis, and i have all spoken together. first through a number of phone calls, and then a couple of weeks ago we all hung out for a few hours. they’ve all been great, very positive conversations. we’re just reconnecting as friends after four years of not talking. it’s a good thing. obviously the first question for a lot of people will be “does this mean a blink-182 reunion?” the answer is none of us know. we haven’t talked about it at all. right now it’s just good for the three of us to see one another, reconnect, and let the past be the past. the events of the past two months supersede everything that happened before. life is too short.

Two months ago Travis Barker was involved in a terrible plane crash that left four dead. I posted a blog about it the day after it happened as I as a fan felt terrible about what happened. He luckily survived along with pal DJ-AM but it was still a horrific event and a real eye-opener for many. Seeing Mark Hoppus’ blog just proved more how the crash started to make people think about life and values of friendship.

It’s great to hear that the three members of the once power pop punk rock act are speaking. Blink 182’s break up was just dumb in my opinion. The guys had a good thing going and tossed it to the side for the sake of what seemed personal stardom. Each side had their story but once Blink 182 broke up it was clear that the three were not what they used to be. I would love to see Blink 182 reunite not for the music aspect but just to see the three together again. The band was a group of close friends and I myself liked them more because of that.

Whether they actually start up Blink 182 is still to be determined but at least they are hanging out again as friends.