So, it’s Friday, the week of Barack Obama’s election, Dave Obey holding his seat, Donna Seidel holding hers, and Nate Myska making a very, very impressive first run. The blisters on my feet are healing, I gave back all the flyers from the back of my car, and I feel pretty great about the effort. On Monday when I looked at the maps, I had such a hard time finding a way for my candidate to get to 270 electoral college votes. It was so tough.
I hope personally that you took part in process. Next, we must all give blood. Or something. I think we can all use a week off really, so I am going to Minocqua. Who’s coming with me?
Let me ask you something totally random, with no serious overtones.
1. Do you put cream and sugar in your coffee? Cream and not sugar? Sugar and not cream? In college I roasted coffee for Stoney Creek Coffee when it was a start up, and I became a coffee purist. I have always looked down my nose at the cream and sugar people. Why not make milk with caffeine?
2. What is your neighborhood haunt? It does not have to be a bar, but let’s be fair – this is central Wisconsin, so it might just be. Why do you like it? How often do you go?
3. I recently met Jeff Thelen, and I have to say he was surprisingly handsome in real life. So, if you had to pick a most attractive newscaster who would it be? Who is the most journalistically advanced, like Edward Murrow or Cronkite? Who will be the next one to leave for a bigger market?
4. Can you change your own oil?
5. Do you own steel toe shoes? Why?
6. Have you seen this dude in the kilt? He is like at every party? And he hides beers in his kilt? Have you seen this dude?
7. If someone was going to have an all-day music fest, how much should it cost?
8. If you were going to fix the Fillmor, what would you do?
insurancesitesfind » Blog Archive » Back to Life after a Week of Fear and Joy
11:01 am on November 7th
[...] I recently met Jeff Thelen, and I have to say he was surprisingly handsome in real life . Read more [...]
Jim Rosenberg
11:57 am on November 7th
1. I put milk or cream in my coffee. I don’t generally sweeten it unless it is very strong or it is straight espresso. Be a purist if it suits you. I’ve caught plenty of trout on worms, too.
2. I get into Allister Deacon’s several times a week.
3. Since I talk with a lot of them on a regular basis, singling out journalists is just a bad place to go for me. I like journalists and the whole journalistic scene.
4. I CAN change my own oil, but I don’t.
5. No steel-toed shoes. “Beware enterprises that require new clothes,” said Thoreau.
6. I’ve seen the kilt man. They’re not cheap, but you can get one on sale at:
http://www.scottishclansman.com
Remember: If it isn’t Scottish, it’s CRAP!!!!
7. All day with Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Neil Young and Madonna? A few hundred bucks. All day with Da Yoopers? Much less. We charge $18 for an all-day ticket to the Big Bull Falls Blues Fest. That’s cheap.
8. I would probably close off the large performance area on nights when there isn’t live music to give the place more intimacy and zone the climate control to cut overhead. I would spend the first year working night and day in the place so I could get to know my business and my customers. I would train my help to understand what good service and relationship-building is all about. I would figure some kind of food offerings. I would set up an effort to capture an after-work crowd. I would set revenue goals. I would work to establish an identity and get some kind of media presence. I would ask myself what makes people want to come back. I would pay a lot attention to how women regard my business because I think failing with that group eventually means failing outright.
Mohawk Matt
12:34 pm on November 7th
1. Don’t drink coffee.
2. I hang out where I work, Sam’s place or Cruise In. I hate my neighborhood.
3. Don’t watch the news
4. Yep
5. That’s what I wear on a daily basis. Worn ‘em for about 10 years now. Saved my foot when it got ran over. Boot was destroyed, foot was fine.
6. I know a few guys that wear kilts. Myself included. Don’t know who you’re talking about though.
7. I’ve been to fests that cost nothing with good bands.
8. I’m not even touching this one. Don’t want anyone stealing my ideas.
8.
Timothy Pickett
12:41 pm on November 7th
1. I drink maybe three cups of coffee a year for the caffeine. A little cream to cut the bitterness seeing that this coffee usually is from a gas station or instant. An ex-girlfriend was a member of a coffee club and she tried to get me to drink it more often but I didn’t really care for the “hot bean juice” as my father used to call it.
2. I do not have a regular place to hang out but I have been frequenting Intermissions after work for a cold one from time to time. Met a fellow named Boogenstein there on Election Night, he was very happy.
3. I do not know any of the journalists here in the area as I watch very little television.
4. I do not drive but on occaision I will change the oil at work although I really don’t have to. Teamwork and all that jazz.
5. Nope, no steel toed boots.
6. I have seen this man once at a Citizen Wausau get together. I didn’t judge him by his wardrobe. If he wants to wear a kilt, a dress, a bikini, a bedsheet or a tuxedo… doesn’t matter to me. Can’t judge a book by its’ cover.
7. As said, depends on the entertainment. I’d pay much more to attend a blus/jazz show than I would a country or nostalgia concert. I paid quite a bit to see Aretha Franklin, wouldn’t pay the same for Diana Ross tickets.
I used to love the big all day shows, not so much anymore, I get tired and bored. I’m officially old.
8. Divide the bar area/ stage area like Mr. Rosenberg stated.
Get a friendlier door guy/bouncer. He was very rude.
I truly hate white walls at a music venue.
Get better entertainment. They seem to be getting better at this lately (Scott Holt, Corpse Show Creeps, Tony Brown) so I’ll be patient.
They seem to lack something that makes them stand out from any other place to watch music shows except for the sheer size of the place.
Way too much NEON!
Cheryl Mathis
6:58 pm on November 7th
1. When I make my coffee at home, I drink it black. I don’t make overly strong coffee, so it’s just the right balance of rich flavor for me. If I’m drinking coffee away from home, I always add sugar or it’s just too bitter.
2. It’s just three blocks away from our front door. The Blue Willow. It’s our default place. I used to go to The Mint at least once a week, but haven’t for a while. We like walking to breakfast.
3. I have no real opinion, though I agree that Jeff Thelen is a bit of a hottie.
4. Um. No.
5. No, but I used to in the old days when I used to be a … oh look! A boundary! Neat!
6. I’ve seen him around, and I’ve even shaken his hand. Kilts are HAWT.
7. I can’t afford more than 25 bucks for a day’s entertainment, no matter how good the acts are.
8. I like the idea of closing off part of the room for intimacy when there isn’t music. Ditch all the neon. Host organization nights… like a ladies’ club night, a jaycees night, a Citizen Wausau night, a WDH night, etc. I’m more likely to go back to Malarkey’s because they hosted a CW night. The Fillmor should coordinate stuff like that rather than wait for the orgs to contact them. Oh. And I don’t think that bar owners or managers should ever drink while they are on duty representing the bar. Ever. Especially if they are prone to making an ass out of themselves when drunk.
Boogenstein
7:41 pm on November 7th
1. No coffee for me, but if I did it would have a wee dram or Irish in it!
2. The Glass Hat but it is closed right now for renovations and removal of parasites so The Pollack Inn and sometimes the Coppe shop, Intermission, B&Rs, Fanta’s Highview, Chili Corners, or when in Baltimore it has to be Mums on Hanover St. I go as often to all of them as life and finances let me. I’m not just sociable, I’m thirsty!
3. Never heard of him and very much doubt that I would fancy him! TV news in this country is so biased that I wouldn’t buy any of them a beer. That Huffington woman is surprisingly sharp.
4. Yes, but I can and have changed my own camshaft so oil is easy.
5. Yes, because I am allergic to huge pieces of steel when combined with gravity. Mine also have metatarsal protection.
6. As much as I would like to wear a Scottish kilt, they are somewhat impractical, uncomfortable and expensive. The link that Jim posted is for a cheap copy. A true Scottish kilkt will cost you many times that amount. The kilts that I wear are pure USA. They are made in Seattle and although not particularly cheap, the crotch never wears out! I have 3 and Mohawk Matt has served me beer while I wore them. I also wear pants and would do more often if somebody could design a pair that had a pocket capacity of 22 bottles.
7. Too many variable and too fuzzy a question for an answer!
8. Give the owners alarm clocks, they need a wake-up call! Thier advertizing is pathetic. If you are going to have unknown bands play you should at least have audio on the website. Please have them make the website easier to find and worth the search. Right now they would be better off using Facebook. Get the barstaff alarm clocks too. The dude at the bar near the stage is cool but the main bar was so poor that the last time I was there I ended up just using the stage bar.
They put cover charges on bands that have barely become known locally. The same thing goes for Malarkeys. This is Wausau, not downtown Chicago. Where do you people get off charging big city prices for beer and cover charges on top? I am in the business and know what the beer costs. Since the demise of Scott Strett, the downtown live venues, with the exception of the Intermission, are ripping us off!
Jim Rosenberg
8:08 pm on November 7th
I didn’t know kilts even had a crotch, but it certainly adds some substance to the whole thing. I mean, hey, they’re like really ornate SHORTS then, right? I’ve certainly seen more expensive versions than the website offers.
But my real reason for posting again is to revise and extend my remarks. In fact, I DO have a favorite journalist:
http://www.waow.com/Global/category.asp?C=136198&nav=menu1360_9
(Click on “About the Author” and it will all begin to make sense to you.) ;)
Alex
9:41 am on November 8th
1. Snub me if you must, but it’s coffee with Italian Sweet Cream every morning.
2. I don’t really have one anymore. I guess Sunday at my friend Chris’s house for football would be pretty close.
3. Erin Andrews ESPN
4. I can change my own oil.
5. No steel toes.
6. I have not, although when you mention hiding beers I can make a pretty good educated guess.
7. It should be free and sponsored by rich people like Jim Carlson and given to the people as a gift.
8. From what I have heard, perhaps a match would go a long way.
Grinning Soul
1:19 pm on November 8th
1~I take my coffee with half & half only. I do this shamelessly.
2~After a particularly bad day at work, I will treat myself to sushi and a couple glasses of wine at Kobe Tepanyaki. It is probably the only place I feel comfortable drinking or dining alone. Decadent, simply decadent.
3~The Onion video newscasters do an excellent job playing the part of actual newscasters. (that’s the best I have, sorry)
4~No, I can’t change my own oil. I might be able to figure it out but I prefer not to.
5~No, I do not own any steel toes but I do have a pair of women’s heavy duty industrial shoes just in case. I am an office drone at a steel fabricator.
6~I work with this guy, at the same company, but not directly. We talk pens and commiserate on occasion.
7~25 smackers or less seems fair.
8~Hugs and warm fuzzy feelings.
oldwoodchair
10:14 pm on November 8th
1. Have 3 cups of Folgers medium roast every morning & I stir in a teaspoon of fat-free coffeemate & 2 packets of Splenda. That’s how I like it & I refuse to be ashamed.
2. Treu’s Tic Toc for Friday fish, and for lunch at least once a week.
3. I like Thalen’s sense of humor…always has that “slightly amused by all of this” twinkle in his eye.
4. Yep.
5. Nope.
6. I think I spotted him at the recent CW get-together, but I didn’t get to meet him…I am clueless.
7. I have no answer for this as I can think of nothing I’d want to do for an entire day.
8. Oh, man, lots of things. Everybody here has had good suggestions, & I’d like to see the place survive. Definately get rid of those white walls…it feels cold and vast wasteland-like in there…get some color to warm things up. I’d also take advantage of the history of the building to define some character…I expected to see old movie posters, vintage signs…needs to be funked up…get a little artwork in there – something with a little edge & bite to it. I’d be looking for pictures of the building from the old days..blown up in black & white would be great. And take advantage of the ghostly presence…give “Bob” his own table. But the biggest thing is the staff personality. Everytime I’ve been there, I’ve never experienced a “friendly” atmosphere..you order, you get your drink, they walk away…no smile, no welcome, nuthin’…feels like your bothering them. They need to mingle around, look to your comfort, chat, smile, crack a joke, make a comment, ask “how you doin”, seem glad you’re there….people don’t go where they don’t feel welcome. Just my suggestions, for whatever they’re worth.
Rob Mentzer
2:22 pm on November 10th
1. I take my coffee black as midnight on a moonless night. Except for the terrible vending-machine coffee I am always buying at work, which I take with cream and sugar to make it bearable.
2. I have one! I have been to Wausau Comics a couple of times and it is a really fun place to get into a good-naturedly heated argument about popular culture.
3. Lots of hot newscasters in town, no doubt. How I envy the broadcast media their fabulous cheekbones and pearly smiles!
4. I know how to do it but I don’t have the stuff. Maybe now that I have a garage I will. Probably not, though.
5. Unless Jay-Z comes out with a steel-toed line of Reeboks this style is probably not for me.