Day 7: Smashing It

Today I smashed the CD. It was pretty anti-climatic, to tell you the truth. I took a hammer to it. It's a burnt CD...no, I didn't steal it! I should have. But I actually downloaded it off iTunes. So, it's a burnt CD, and I think it would've been better if I had the actual CD they released, but I didn't. Also, I'm kind of a wimp because I have this irrational fear of glass and didn't want to get any CD shards in my eyes, so I wore big, huge sunglasses and didn't pound as hard as I wanted to. It still felt good, though. I wish I could do this to every Nickelback CD. Maybe break them all, or put them in a paper shredder. But I can't. So this works for now.

In other news, my sister and I spent an hour just listening to music today. It was really fantastic. And someone at my organization meeting tonight asked me how the "Honk if You Hate Nickelback" thing went, so I got to tell every curious person in the group about it. Even though the whole experience was really terrible, I'm glad I did it. I never do anything interesting, so at least now I have stories to tell. And being able to listen to whatever I want still feels so awesome. You have no idea.

Day 6: Still No Escaping

I just have to accept it. Nickelback is, and will be, everywhere I go. Always. Tonight at work, "Photograph" came on the radio. I looked toward it and said, "Are you kidding me?" I'm just never getting away.

Anyway, tomorrow I have the day off from everything, and nothing to do, and LOST is a re-run, so I'm definitely going to smash this CD. Just wait. There will be pictures.

Day 5: It's Not Done Yet

So, somehow, Nickelback still seems to haunt me. But in good ways this time. I talked to my old roommate today, and she told me that her friend saw me out there with my Honk if You Hate Nickelback sign. He didn't realize it was me! So, he told her about it, without knowing who it was, just like, "Do you know what I saw?" Just liked I'd hoped. Awesome! A lasting impression.

Then, just now, I was in my room folding clothes with the TV on in the living room. It was on The Soup and Joel McHale was talking about Tiger Woods. All of a sudden, I heard, "Seriously? Nickelback? This is the worst thing you've ever done." Then he went on about it for awhile, and then said, "Nickelback sucks." I love you, Joel McHale. Even more now than ever before. So if you get a chance, try looking it up on Youtube. Because it's funny.

In other news, my life hasn't gotten entirely better since ending the whole Nickelback thing. My computer power cord is broken, so it just beeps at me constantly as it becomes unplugged, without me moving the computer at all. It also has stopped doing anything most of the time. And the "A" key doesn't work half the time, so this post is getting very annoying to type. I never realized how many words had the letter "A" in them.

I didn't get a chance to wreck the CD yet. I know, I know, it should be my first priority. But it wasn't. But soon, maybe tomorrow, I'm gonna smash that thing.

Day 4: Old Music

Well, tonight, as we were driving back from home, my best friend found a mix CD of mine, which I thought I'd lost like 3 years ago. So that was beyond fantastic. I almost cried, I was so happy.

In other, more fantastic news, she also found out the Backstreet Boys are playing in Detroit in June, and we can get lawn tickets for $8!!!! EIGHT DOLLARS TO SEE THE BACKSTREET BOYS??!! I'm so there!

When my sister and my cousin and I were younger, we used to be OBSESSED with them. I mean, completely, creepily, obsessed! We used to pretend they were our boyfriends and stuff. Ok, well, we were like 8 years old, so that's fine. But anyway, we always said, all throughout our adolescence, that if they ever did a reunion tour, we'd go. And now we can! So I'm really, really hoping it works out!

BSB Forever!!

Day 3: Rock 'n' Roll

I just got back from the Pat Benetar concert. It was AWESOME! Her voice is just SO incredible. She's 57 years old, and she sounds the same as she did when she was in her twenties. Her high notes are unbelievable, and her voice is just raspy and wonderful. I also think it's awesome that she's been making a living doing this for so long, straight through her whole life. Props to you, Pat. Also, she and her husband/guitarist Neil Giraldo are adorable together.

Speaking of Neil Giraldo, he threw about a dozen picks out into the crowd, and one happened to land on the ground by my foot! So, I picked it up...haha, no pun intended! Crap, I do that all the time!...and I gave it to my friend Sarah! Because she was about dying, she loves Pat Benetar so much. So it was far more appreciated.

My favorite song she played was "Love is a Battlefield." This isn't usually my favorite Pat Benetar song, but it was great in concert. She also played, "Hell is For Children," which is actually one of my favorite songs by her of all time. I learned that since the day she wrote that in 1980 or 1981, she said she was going to play it at every show until there was no child abuse left. And I think it's awesome that she's still doing that.

So, tonight was very fun! I had a concert high and talked the whole way home. My sister almost killed me. The other two were too nice to do so. Tomorrow is a two hour ride I'm actually looking forward to, because I can roll the windows down and crank some tunes. Tomorrow is also the planned day to trash the Nickelback CD. So stay tuned.

Day 2: More Music!

I didn't get to listen to as much music as I would've liked to today. But it was a great day anyway. My organization, NAE, finally got our funding back! Which means, now we will hopefully be able to get some awesome acts, without missing out on them. So, Michael, if you're reading this, THANK YOU!!!

Also, my friend sent me a bunch of new bands he thinks I'll like, so I added all of their songs to a special playlist on my Grooveshark. By the way, that's an awesome way to listen to music online for free. And you can share playlists with people, which is awesome.

So, as I said last night, I stayed up late listening to music. But the funny thing was, I was doing my literature paper during that time. I wasn't able to finish this paper at all. It was crappy, and I just couldn't get into it. But when I started listening to the songs I love again, I actually finished the paper, made some really good points, and was able to hand it in, a day early! And here I thought I was just turning into a procrastinator. Really, it was just Nickelback! Glad that's over!

Anyway, tomorrow night's the Pat Benetar concert, which is a great way to celebrate my completing this challenge. I'll be rocking out with a bunch of middle-agers tomorrow night! But it should be awesome.

And Saturday, I'm taking the good ol' trip home, so I'll be able to speed (only 55, don't worry!) down the highway to some amazing tunes. Also, my friend, sister, boyfriend, and I are going to figure out the best way to destroy the Nickelback CD. It should be great.

DAY 1: IT'S SO GOOD!!!!!!

I just finished listening to "PAPERTHIN HYMN" by ANBERLIN!!!!!!!!!!! It was everything I hoped for!!!!! I was sitting here, grinning, laughing, even! I just feel genuinely happy. It's so, so, so, so, so wonderful!!!!!!!!!! I was nervous! My stomach had butterflies because I was so excited. And now, I'm listening to "*Fin" by Anberlin, and it's just making me really, really happy. I even have chills running down my body. If you've never heard Stephen Christian sing, please do. Honestly, this moment right now, I want to live it over and over. And it sounds so cliche, but it's true. I'm glad something this small can still make me so happy.

So here it is, the What to Listen to When You've Been Listening to Nickelback for 85 Days Playlist*:

"Paperthin Hymn" - Anberlin

"*Fin" - Anberlin

"Paperthin Hymn" - Again. Ok, so it just happened to be after *Fin on my playlist, and it replayed. I couldn't change it! Come on!

"Dethbed" - Alkaline Trio - This one just popped into my head awhile ago. It doesn't sound so happy, but it is a good song.

"You Found Me" - The Fray - A classic. I fell completely in love with this song when it was on the Season 5 LOST trailer. So beautiful.

"Thoughts Before Me" - Amber Pacific - I just belted this out in my car on the way to work for some strange reason, and had to listen to it.

"Right Na" - Akon - We need some dance music up in here.

"The Unwinding Cable Car (Remix)" - Anberlin

"The Resistance" - Anberlin

"Change" - Good Charlotte

"When You Were Young" - The Killers

"All Downhill From Here" - New Found Glory

"Girl's Not Grey" - AFI

"Hello Alone" - Anberlin

"Alexithymia" - Anberlin

*Can also be referred to as the Disregard the Fact Your Neighbors May be Sleeping and Belt it Out playlist or Stay up 'Til All Hours of the Night Drowning in Good Music, While You Should be Finishing Your Paper playlist.

Well, I guess that's it for tonight. Not because I want it to be, but because my iPod stopped doing anything, and my iTunes stopped working.

Until tomorrow...

Wait! A miraculous thing happened! The music came back on! My computer wanted me to listen to "Reclusion" by Anberlin! Rock and roll!!!!!!

Next is, "Forget What You Came For" by the Myriad.

And now, it's time for bed. I have to wake up by 8.

Day 85: This is Not a Reflection

...It's a celebration! I've done enough reflecting on this challenge, every single day, and I'm over it! I'm so sick of complaining about Nickelback, about going on about how they make my days suck. Well, in just 2 hours, that's all over! Pop open the champagne, everybody! At approximately 12:01, I will be cranking "Paperthin Hymn." And I don't even care if my neighbors are trying to sleep.

I've been thinking lately that I wish I would have done this for a whole year. Can you even imagine how exciting it would be to listen to my favorite music again, with 365 days without it? I know, I know, that's insane. I think that if I DID try to do it for a year, I would most certainly cheat. Which totally ruins the whole thing anyway. But I wish I were strong enough to do it and to not cheat and to not, ever, listen to anything else. But I'm not. And that's just too bad.

Today, since it is my last day and all, I wanted to make sure I had the CD playing constantly. It played over at least twice in my car, and looped back three times as I was just sitting in my apartment surfing the internet. I wanted to get a real big dose of the stuff before I quit it. So I did. In fact, I'm listening to it at this very moment.

And let me tell you, it's just SO BAD! Or should I say, "Too Bad?"

I put a bunch of my old music on my laptop, and I will soon be loading it to my iPod. Great, great, great times. I just can't wait! I don't even think you understand how excited I am for this!

Oh, and I have one thing to add about this CD. There's this one song on it, "Money Bought," which says, "Never pleasure from the treasure in the garbage can." And that is just disguting to me. I don't know what it means, but since I first heard it, all I could think of was like a baby fetus in a garbage can! I know, I know! It's so terrible! But imagine thinking of that EVERY TIME you have to listen to it!

So, garbage babies aside, I'm actually really glad I did this. I mean, I think I'm really going to appreciate my favorite music. I've been wanting to listen to CDs I listened to years ago, that I never would've even put in again if it weren't for this challenge.

So, thank you, Chad Kroeger and Cronies, for letting me appreciate GOOD, GREAT, FANTASTIC, LIFE-ALTERING music! I'll never forget you!

But, like I said, this isn't a reflection. So let's party!

Day 84: Published

Don't get excited. I haven't gotten my blog published. But I did decide to self-publish it. I have a bunch of blank notebooks, and I think I'm going to hand-write each blog post on each page, and draw some really awesome little stick figures corresponding with each day of my project. I'm going to call it, "My Lesson in Self-Control or: How I Listened to Nickelback for 85 Days Straight and Lived to Tell About It."

Something like this little book I'm making used to be called a journal. But now it's a self-published blog book. That'll be my project for the summer, which is quickly approaching.

Right now, there isn't much to talk about about Nickelback. I'm still on my high from yesterday, and if you still haven't seen the post, you have to read it and watch the videos. Please do me that favor. I'm not joking when I say it's the best thing ever. I didn't even want to cover it up with this new post. Anyway, tomorrow is my FINAL day of this project, and I couldn't be more excited! It seriously feels like Christmas. Better than Christmas! Christmas when I was five years old!

Alright, so I had this post up and everything, but then I saw this crazy article. Alright, not so crazy. But anyway, I went to tmz.com for, like, the first time in my life, because I was bored, and already checked the latest H'Wood news on people.com. So, right there, the first headline I see is this: Tiger Woods Parties at Nickelback Concert.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! I mean, Tiger Woods is allowed to party anywhere he wants. But, Tiger, you're FILTHY RICH! A NICKELBACK concert? Well, I guess he's really fallen off the edge. Anyway...

One. More. Day!

Day 83: Honk if You Hate 'Em!

Awhile ago, I came up with the idea to make a huge sign that says, "Honk if You Hate Nickelback" and stand out on the road with it. I was going to do it last week, but my plan was destroyed by an enemy in the form of a large rain cloud.

But I wasn't going to let that ruin my plan. It was too good to not do. So today, at around noon, my sister (the videographer) and I went out to the corner of Lincoln and Wright, and I held up my sign.


Let me just say, this was the best thing I've ever done in my life. Ever.

Not ten seconds after I held my sign up for the first time, somebody honked. Right then, I knew it was going to be a great time. I was afraid no one would honk. I was also afraid what I was doing might be illegal, though I have no idea what kind of law I would be breaking. As far as I know, there are no laws against picketing terrible bands. Anyhow, we saw a county police car, a state police car, and two public safety cars in less than an hour! So, just so that I didn't get ticketed for disturbing the peace or distracting drivers or anything, every time I saw a cop coming, I would say, "Police!" and put my sign down. I felt pretty rebellious.

Needless to say, I got a ton of honks. Now, it wasn't like there was a constant stream of honking, but it did sound like a wedding at some points. In addition to honks, I also got a bunch of thumbs ups from drivers, and someone even flashed me a peace sign! When I could, I gave them thumbs up back. Once, a guy was stopped at the stop sign, and we were very close to him, so I said, "Yeah!"

There was a maroon car that went past on Wright Street, and he laid on his horn. When he turned onto Lincoln, he laid on it again. He must've really hated Nickelback. It was really funny when a company vehicle in the form of a white truck honked at us.

The best part, though, was when a school bus pulled up to the stop sign. I stepped back, because I wanted the bus to be able to see cars coming. I wasn't planning on being responsible for a distracted driver and the death of dozens of kids. Before it pulled away from the stop sign, though, a teenage boy stuck his head out the window, started fist pumping, and said, "Yeah! Nickelback sucks!" Of course, we didn't get this on tape. Every time we put the camera down, something great happened, and this just happened to be the greatest.

It was really incredible to see how happy I made people. They would drive by and look at me, and just smile. I can't help but thinking they went to their class, or to their friends, and said, "I just saw the weirdest thing..." It made me very happy, too. I feel accomplished in life now. Oh, there was one guy, though, who wasn't happy. He was in a big, rusty truck, and when he saw my sign, he revved his truck up so it was really loud and took off. He was the stereotypical Nickelback fan I've been talking about.

Overall, it was a fantastic, marvelous time, and is really hard to put into words. If anyone saw me out there, let me know. We had a great time guessing who would honk and who wouldn't, and which people were Nickelback fans. Anyway, since writing doesn't really do this experience justice, here are a few videos. Please ignore my sister and I talking throughout them. We tried not to, but it was so exciting! And we're Italian, so, I mean, we talk. Oh, and please ignore the parts where it looks like I'm having a sudden seizure. That's just me laughing.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!




Ok, so this one is the wrong way, but this was the first honk I got! I was excited!




Oh, yeah, my battery picked a great time to run out of juice.




Oh, the end of this last one was when I saw the state police car. See how fast I moved?

So that's that. Lots of people hate Nickelback. Or they just like honking. Either way, it was great.

2 days left!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 82: Hockey

Today, I was watching the Stanley Cup Playoff game between the Red Wings and the Phoenix Coyotes. I cheer for the Red Wings. Well, this game was in Detroit, and the hockey DJ thought it would be a good idea to play a Nickelback song or two. Talk about pump-up music! Yeah! Luckily, I was in the bathroom, and I didn't have to hear it. The Red Wings ended up losing, and I blame it all on that DJ. And Nickelback, of course.

In better news, I'm currently ripping the Warped Tour '03 compilation my boyfriend gave me to my iTunes. My sister had this CD, but we listened to it constantly, and now I'm pretty sure it's so scratched, it skips constantly. So now I have all these good songs in perfect condition, all ready for my eager ears in just 3 days!

Day 81: One Last Hurrah

I drove home today, two hours, and listened to Nickelback. It was my final, long term of torture before this thing ends. And the ride home. But I'll get to that when the time comes. It played over and over, three or four times again, seeing as how the ride didn't get any shorter since last time. But to be perfectly honest, I think I tuned it out most of the way, and the ride actually seemed pretty short.

Anyway, when I got home, my boyfriend was in his storage room, looking for some of his old gangster rap CDs from, like, the '90s. So I walk in there, and he goes, "Here's a CD for you." Guess who it was?

It wasn't Silver Side Up, but I'm sure it was just as bad. It had a child or something on the cover, I think. Or maybe I'm just mixing that up with Nirvana. Either way, I never knew he was a closet Nickelback fan. Don't worry, was is the key word. He isn't anymore. At least, I don't think so. That's the whole point of being in the closet, isn't it?

Four...what's that? Four...days left! I never would have guessed this would come.

Day 80: Singin' in the Rain

So, it was raining today, which made me think of "Singing in the Rain," which made me think, wouldn't it be crazy if there was a Nickelback musical? I mean, it would open with "Never Again" or "Too Bad," and there would be an abusive husband, and a broken family, and it would be really, really depressing, but might possibly win a Tony, because sometimes depressing plays are the best, or so they say. But anyway, this play would progress along, bit by awful bit, with this little boy watching his family fall apart, and then, all of a sudden, Chad Kroger himself would appear at center stage and sing "Hangnail."

Alright, so I'm not high or anything like that, but going back and reading what I just wrote, I wouldn't be mad if someone thought I was. Maybe I should write this musical. I mean, even though it seems like everyone and their brother hates Nickelback, they're clearly selling a TON of CDs. So, this musical would be bound to sell some tickets, wouldn't it? Maybe that should be my first project, my claim-to-fame. I could hire a really great musician, who could change all of the songs into a capella, or opera harmonies (I really know nothing about music), and it could be just like that Green Day musical. Only worse.

Anyway, I'm watching the most intense Red Wings game ever...which just so happened to be experiencing technical difficulties...oh, good, it's back. As I was saying, since this game is so exciting, I should probably stop writing about my musical, and watch it.

85, 84, 83, 82, 81, 80, 79, 78, 77, 76, 75, 74, 73, 72, 71, 70, 69, 68, 67, 66, 65, 64, 63, 62, 61, 60, 59, 58, 57, 56, 55, 54, 53, 52, 51, 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5!!!!

Day 79: The Never-Ending Music

So I had plans for my super-secret Nickelback extravaganza activity today, but it was hindered (haha, Hinder, like that other band that sucks) by the rain! Don't get me wrong, I love rain, and thunderstorms, so I'm not that upset. I'll just have to plan this for another day. :( But it started raining just as I was preparing for it. Dang. Couldn't you just have held off for a half hour, rain? Couldn't you? So anyway, I'm all set for when I choose to do it. Maybe tomorrow.

But this is weird. When I got out of my car this morning, and I shut my car off and opened the door, Nickelback was still playing. Usually, when I shut my car off the music will stay on for like 10 minutes, as long as the driver's door isn't open. But when it opens, it's supposed to turn off. Not today, though. It did the same thing later in the day, and I had to hit the button to just shut it off, because it was freaking me out. Apparently, Nickelback knows I'll be leaving them soon, and they really don't want that to happen. It would probably be very disheartening for them to know that the only person who listens to their music this much really isn't a fan at all. Exactly the opposite, actually.

6 days, fools!

Day 78: ONE WEEK! And a Tease...

ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK!

Wow, this look really strange after you see it so much. Weird words. Anyway, there's only A WEEK LEFT of this terrible, terrible torture! I'm so excited! Unbelievably excited! Even my sister and my friends are excited, so that they won't have to listen to this crap music in my car anymore! So, everyone's excited, and it's great. In just seven days, I'll be able to listen to music to calm down, instead of getting more angry and worked up. I'll be able to run outside and listen to my Workout Playlist. I'll be able to...well...the possibilities are endless!

Anyway, so there's only seven days left, but I got quite a tease earlier. I was sitting outside on my stoop, reading Through the Looking-glass, since it's so nice out, and I try to take advantage of the very few warm days I'm gifted with, and this car went past, windows down, music blaring. Music that just so happened to be by Senses Fail. I only heard a couple of words and the background music, but I knew it was Senses Fail because I really, really like that band. I couldn't remember which song it was by them, but it was on the tip of my tongue. So now, that's driving me crazy. It was just a little tiny taste of what I'll be able to listen to again before I know it. But I still wanted to run into the road and shout, "Come back! You don't know what I've been through!"

But, despite that tease, it feels great to be at this point. Before I started this, I hid my visor CD holder, and all the CDs in it (my favorites), inside my glove box. I opened it for the first time yesterday. I stared at them, and I swear my mouth was watering. I was thinking about starting on a list of what I'm going to listen to when I'm done, but I'm finished with structured music listening. I want to listen to whatever the heck I want, whenever the heck I want to listen to it! And, I'll tell you right now, the first song is going to be "Paperthin Hymn" by Aberlin. Woo-ee. I CANNOT WAIT! So, instead of making a list, I think I'll focus on putting every single song on every single CD I own onto my iPod. And planning the damage I'm going to do to this Nickelback CD come next Wednesday.

Day 77: The Only One That's Grown On Me

I have to be honest. There is one Nickelback song that has grown on me. Despite its cryptic lyrics, "How You Remind Me" really isn't...gulp...THAT BAD!

Oh my gosh, you have no idea how much will power that took to type that. Whew. That was bad. But, really, that song isn't horrible. I mean, it's still really, really stupid, but it's Nickelback's turn at emotional, nice music. I think. But anyway, throughout all of this, that's the one that came out on top. I just thank God it wasn't the whole CD...

Day 76: Hallucinations

Tonight, when I was driving home from work, I was listening to my favorite song, "Never Again." There was one guy in the car in front of me, and I swear he was swaying back and forth to the exact music of "Never Again."

Maybe it was because I was really hungry, or because I've just had way too much brain disintegration from these past 76 days. Or maybe it really was because the guy in front of me was rocking out to the same song I was, reluctantly, listening to. Either way, it was a very strange sight.

The countdown begins. Only 9 more days! And I have one more Nickelback-related, real-life adventure planned. It's gonna be legend....wait for it......dary!

Day 75: TEN!

There are only 10 DAYS LEFT of this project!!! 10 DAYS!!! I can't even believe it. Good thing days seem to go by much faster these days. Although I do have a feeling these are going to feel like the slowest 10 days of my life. It's really incredible I've held on for this long.

Now is the time when I should start making CDs and ripping all of my CDs I've ever owned to my iPod. I'm ready for it. 10 days, you've got nothing on me. Lets bring it on.

Day 74: How to Clear Out a Bar

Long ago, when I started this project, my boyfriend had an idea. He said we should go to Stucko's and play every Nickelback song on the jukebox. I thought it was a great idea, but I never got a chance to do it. Until now.

Tonight, my boyfriend, my friend, and I went to Stucko's. We waited awhile and played some trivia. Then we jumped on the juke box. There were three songs in the queue, but I put in my dollar, ready to see what would happen. Instead of picking every song, I thought I'd spare everyone, and only play a few by them. I expected to get four songs or so for my dollar, but instead, I got 7 credits! So, I went through and picked all the classics: "Photograph," "Something in Your Mouth," and four others. Then, just for good measure, I scrolled up and picked a random medley by Neil Diamond.

Not five minutes after my boyfriend and I went back to our seats at the table, a girl went over to the jukebox and said, "NICKELBACK?!" She was shocked, and obviously disgusted. Her mouth was hanging open. Anyway, this girl started calling her friends over to look at the jukebox, complaining to all of them. "Somebody picked eight Nickelback songs!" she said. Actually, I wanted to tell her, it's six. But I tried to stay discrete, because I was afraid she, or someone else, really might beat me up.

So this girl keeps whining about the Nickelback songs, and Danielle of Monster Care, came over to me, and said, "I heard someone say that someone picked eight Nickelback songs." I told her that was me. She said she saw me walk in, and thought it might have been me. She was right, but we tried to keep it on the downlow.

After this girl complained for awhile more, and had some employees over there looking at the jukebox, the last song in the queue before mine were to start, began to play. It was "Sweet Caroline." But soon after that, they shut the jukebox off completely! I MADE THEM RESET THE JUKEBOX! I felt so powerful.

We left right after this, and as we were leaving, I heard the girl say to her friend, "You'd rather listen to eight Nickelback songs?!" She really hated it. So, in conclusion, I'm really glad that girl was there, because she made this experience really, really great.

So, anyway, it turned out to be better than I expected. I thought that maybe Nickelback would start playing and people would be like, "What the heck is this?" But I never, EVER thought that they would just shut off the entire jukebox and restart it. Ultimate power. Awesome. I hope Chad Kroeger and Co. knows the effect their music has on people in a bar.

Day 73: "We Can't Disgrace the Jetta!"

While sitting here trying to think about what to blog about tonight, my friend came up with an idea. My boyfriend just got a new car, a Jetta. And my friend said, "You can blog about the Jetta!"

So then my boyfriend said, "We can drive around in the Jetta and listen to Nickelback!" There was a moment of silence, during which we all started at each other, with strange looks on our faces. "No," he said. "We can't disgrace the Jetta!"

That's right. I'll keep the poison OUT of the new car.

Day 72: Nickelband

So apparently, when I added all those Nickelback love and hate groups on Facebook, I added one called Nickelband- The Ultimate Tribute to Nickelback. It's this Nickelback tribute band, apparently, the ULTIMATE one, and the only reason I know that I added them, is because it came up on my newsfeed the other day saying they're looking for a guitarist. Maybe I should apply. I just might suck enough to play their music.
I did some further research, and Nickelband was apparently formed in 2009 "on request by a booking agent representing a radio station in Trinidad for a Halloween concert." I still have no idea what that means.

Anyway, I went to their website to check out more about what I think might be the most pathetic idea ever, and on the homepage, I saw a picture of them. I was like, "Oh my gosh, this guy looks just like Chad Kroeger!" and I thought it was crazy that he would make himself try to look like him for this tribute band. And then I realized that some photoshop magic was done, and each member of Nickelback's hair was just photoshopped onto the Nickelband members' bodies. Or something like that. Check it out. It's pretty freaky.

Here's some more about my new friends. The members are also in bands called Aeromyth, Disco Freaks, and Monsters of Rock. One of the guys from the band does their booking, and they're currently scheduled for a motorcycle rally in California. Figures. After that, they have two shows scheduled in Oregon. I think I'll stay away from the West Coast for awhile.

Ok, so I'm just being biased. Maybe they aren't that bad. There's no place on the internet I could find to listen to them, though, so that might be a little hint right there...

But anyway, here you have them. Nickelband! Possibly the second worst band the world has ever heard. Or, hasn't heard...

Day 71: In Balance

So, with all this Nickelback, and all the whining and complaining I do, you'll be happy to know, I'm having a GREAT week so far. Well, maybe you really won't care. But I do. My life is finally in balance again. It only took 71 days to get there.

I walked around work singing "Time and Confusion" by Anberlin, which was great, because the guitar solo popped into my head. It's great to know that this music is still embedded in my brain, when I haven't even heard a snippet of it in over two months.

Why is my week so good? First off, I only work 3 days this week, when usually I work 5. At first, I was kind of disappointed. But I finally learned to enjoy my days off work. And here's why.

My sister and I used to play this computer game, Titanic: Adventure Out of Time. And I kid you not, it was the BEST game ever created. But it only works on Windows 95. Or so it SAYS. We got it when I was probably 8 and she was 11, and we tried installing it on all of our computers since we got rid of our Windows 95. It never worked. It always said "Bad Star File," or didn't do anything at all.

I got to talking to a guy I know from high school one day, and he had the same game. So he tried it on his NMU lap top, and IT WORKED! Stoked beyond belief, I tried it on mine. Nothing happened. But today, TODAY, we tried it on my sister's desktop she has had since she graduated high school 6 years ago. Why had we never tried it before? Who knows? Maybe we did, but it just wasn't the right time yet.

BECAUSE TODAY IT WORKED! And we played it, and at first we couldn't see anything except a black screen, and we had to uncover the graphics by clicking, and it was like some kind of crazy puzzle. And then, we got it all uncovered, and it was like a quarter screen image. But then, when the atom bomb crashed through the window and we had to insert disk 2, it worked, and it wasn't half screen, but full screen! And it was WONDERFUL!

If anyone knows what I'm talking about, please, PLEASE let me know. I have to share this excitement with somebody else.

So, yeah, the week's great. And now I say to Chad Kroeger, "Thank you!" Because he let me realize that even though I can't always have what I want, and maybe I can't listen to the music I want, and maybe I can't work all the days I want to work, I can still have a fabulous time. Aww.

Day 70: You'd Better Come In

Just a little bit ago, there were these two guys outside my window playing catch, who later turned out to be my neighbors. I can't help it; I don't really know what they look like. I've only seen them each a handful of times, and when we both leave our apartments at the same time, it's so awkward, I can't even look. So anyway, these guys had to be out there playing catch for a good ten minutes or so. My window was open, so I could hear everything they said. It sounded like they were having a great time.

And then I thought, "I wonder what would happen if I turned Nickelback on?" Since I could here them, I was sure they would be able to hear what I was playing in my apartment. I wanted to try to get a rise out of them; to see if they would say anything about the music.

That plan kind of backfired, since I was on my laptop, and the music was coming from my laptop, and it just drowned out anything the guys were saying at all. So I would just stop it periodically or turn it down, to see if I could hear anything.

I didn't. Apparently, they weren't bothered by Nickelback. At least, that was my theory. And then they got really quiet. So quiet, in fact, that I couldn't hear a thing.

Then, like two minutes later, I heard them outside my door, going into their own apartment. And it was either just my ears hearing things, or they threw their baseball at my door.

Had I forced them inside with Nickelback? Who knows. Incredible things can happen when music like that is forced out into the once-peaceful universe.

In other news, I was watching 30 Rock last night, and Tina Fey's loser boyfriend called her at work from a payphone and said, "Can you get on Ticketmaster? Nickelback just added another date to their tour!"

And right there, that's the type of people who care if Nickelback adds another date. If you watch 30 Rock, it was Dennis who said that.

I'm not the only one who's onto the type of people that listen to Nickelback. Tina Fey and I must share the same mind. Or, so I wish.

Day 69: Silence

As I said before, I usually hate silence. It's awkward and when I'm in silent situations, I just pray that the other person will say something.

But there's nothing better than the silence that occurs after the Nickelback CD is finished playing. Of course, right after that, I have to loop it back to the beginning again. But for those few seconds, it's incredible.

Today I went super crazy with the Nickelback. I rode my bike to and from class and listened to my iPod during that, and then I worked out for around an hour and listened to my iPod all through that, too. Plus, I was in my car for awhile running errands. So today was definitely a day when I could appreciate that silence.

I was riding my bike back home from school, and I got into my parking lot, and the last song of the CD had just finished up. All I could hear were chirping birds and my bike spokes turning around. It was so relaxing. I was actually tempted to go for a longer ride, without the music, just to chill out. But I didn't.

If this project is teaching me anything, maybe it's that silence isn't really that bad sometimes. Maybe I should stop talking, or listening to whatever it is I'm listening to, and just enjoy those chirping birds.

Day 68: Easter Break?

There was no Easter break from Nickelback tonight. However, I did eat a ton of food and candy.

I listened to Nickelback while I did the dishes this morning. I have to confess, I had it down pretty low. At first, it was so low that when I turned the water on, I couldn't even hear it. But I'm so dedicated to this project, I actually turned the water off, wiped off my hands, and went out in the living room to turn the music up. That's right. When I said I was amping it up, I meant it. I'm gonna finish this thing hard.

Only 17 more days!

Day 67: High-Fives for Haters

Last night at work, a guy I work with gave me a high-five because I said I hated Nickelback more than any other band on the planet. It was nice. It's always nice to know I'm not alone. Then, another co-worker and I proceeded to laugh about the time Nickelback got rocks thrown at them while on stage. I still think this is really sad, but it's them, and I've honestly stopped caring about their feelings. After all, they're ruining my life.

Ok, so that might be a tiny bit my fault. But still.

The last two nights I've worked, some song by Nickelback has come on the radio. It's inescapable. It really is.

So, on my "It Could be Worse" post, I forgot to mention Creed. Creed may possibly be the worst band ever. Worse than...dare I say...Nickelback? It's a close one. I have to say, though, Creed is more fun to mock-sing to. Just clench your teeth together and sing like a ventriloquist, and that's Scott Stapp.

Also, about that post, I'm sorry if I offended anyone by saying I hate Nirvana. But I do. I feel like if I had to listen to them for 3 months, I'd get really depressed. Their music just depresses the hell out of me, and I'd rather not listen to anything by them. Ever.

On the topic of Nirvana, I read something the other day where Miley Cyrus said she doesn't listen to Justin Bieber because she doesn't listen to "that kind of music." She sings that kind of music! But that wasn't the most ridiculous part of what she said. She also said that her dream boyfriend is Kurt Cobain. KURT COBAIN?! Let me just say, there is NO WAY that girl listens to Nirvana. Plus, I'm sorry, Miley, but I think he's a little unobtainable at the moment.

Day 66: Amped...

Today, I made a point of listening to Nickelback more than usual, just as I said I would. I find, though, that when I listen to them in close range, like inside my apartment or inside my ears, I physically cringe. I played them in iTunes this morning while I was on my laptop, and I thought I might puke.

But I did it, and that's all that matters. I took a bike ride, listening to them. It was strange, as I was taking that bike ride, because it seemed as if no cars wanted to wait for me to cross the crosswalk before turning. Instead, they just wanted to turn right into me. I think this Nickelback stuff is bad luck. I made it all the way home, though, without getting hit.

I think it's getting a lot harder to keep this up. I know there are only 19 days left. 19 days! That's less than 20 now! I'm getting down into the sassy adolescent age of this project. But it's so hard to keep it up. I always get like this toward the end of doing things. Especially writing. I once wrote 85 pages of a screenplay, and couldn't, for the life of me, write 15 more. After 85, you'd think 15 would be simple. But not for me. Just like this. After two months, you'd think 19 days would be NOTHING. But I have a feeling these last 19 days are going to feel like the longest of my life.

Day 65: Things Could Be Worse

So, now that I'm going to be listening to Nickelback hardcore for the next 20 days, as in more hardcore than usual, I got to thinking: there are worse things I could listen to. For example:

Metallica. I hate them. I understand some people like them, but I think they're hardcore d-bags. Really. And not to mention, their music sucks, and is depressing, and just terrible in general. Boo, Metallica.

Nirvana. Kurt Cobain. Enough said.

Godsmack, Disturbed, any other metal band. I prefer growling from dogs, lions, tigers, and bears. Not long-haired, goteed men. Thanks.

Radio static. I've done it before. Trust me, it sucks. Talk about ears bleeding.

So, now that I think about it, things could be worse. Right? Optimism. The glass is half full. With Nickelback. Drink up.

Day 64: It's Getting Closer...

Two things: 1) The end of this ridiculous challenge! Only 21 more days of Nickelback! I feel like, after all this is over, if I hear them on the radio again, it's going to be even more annoying, and even more unbearable than before. I officially hate them more than ever. Which is a little surprising, since I thought I might actually get used to them. False. You can't get used to Nickelback.

And 2) SUMMER! Ok, I won't speak too soon. BUT, it feels warm out. And I can handle it if it's warm for the rest of the week. This means it's warm enough to wear dresses. I live for dresses. They're my vice. So I just searched "vice" to make sure I had the right word here, and this is a definition for vice: a bad habit, as in a horse. What the heck does this mean?!

Anyway, starting tomorrow, for the last 20 days of this blog project, I will be amping up the Nickelback. It won't only be in my car, but it'll be in my headphones wherever I go. It will also be playing whenever I'm sitting in my apartment. Maybe I'll even change my ringtone or learn a song on guitar. Stay tuned. I'm going out with a bang.

Day 63: PAGE 2!!!

This just in! My blog's on page 2 of Google search, right smack dab in the middle! Just search "Diary of a Music Hater," and you can link to it!!! This makes me super happy. I'm not sure if anyone else has read it, or gone here (I'm still working on figuring out the "Visitors" widgit), but it's still awesome. It makes me feel like I have a larger audience that I'm torturing myself for.

On a totally different note, I think Keanu Reeves and Elizabeth Mitchell should get together and make the worst movie ever. The script would say "with feeling," and they would deliver the line like this:














Sorry, that V countdown that was superimposed over the bottom of the screen during Lost tonight was really getting on my nerves. But, I did realize something, watching all the clips for V. Maybe it wasn't Juliet I hated on Lost, but just Elizabeth Mitchell. So, I'm sorry, Damon and Carleton, for covering up the screen every time she came on. I really, truly apologize. And my face actually moves, so you'd know I'm truly sorry.

Day 62: Early Morning Nickelback

This morning, I woke up around 8 to the sound of birds chirping. It was wonderful, and I couldn't get back to sleep. Once it gets nice outside, I love getting up early, but today, I didn't know what I would do. Usually, in the summer, I wake up and go outside and write a screenplay or something. But today, I decided to wash dishes, clean my apartment, and work out.

To challenge myself, I decided I would skip "Party of the Pounds" and go for Abs with Nickelback. So before even 9:00, I cranked up the tunes and did some ab workouts I remember way back from my high school track days.

I ended my workout on the song "Woke Up this Morning," which I thought was pretty funny. Could Nickelback be becoming the soundtrack to my life?

I surely hope not.

But I feel good now. I could just imagine my neighbors being woken up by Chad Kroeger's growl, though. So, neighbors, I deeply apologize if you had to hear this when you woke up this morning. It wasn't meant to affect you.

Day 61: '80s Love

I love '80s music. I always have. It really makes me happy, and it makes me want to dance. Lately, at work, we've been listening to '80s music. I must say, it sounds exceptionally good nowadays. Give me some Madonna, and work gets 100 times better.

I'm interrupting this for a great message.

I'm watching The Soup, my favorite show (well, one of them), and they have this scene from Cops or something. The cop is talking to this totally wasted woman and goes, "What's your birthday?" And she says, "5/25/66." And then he goes, "Do you have a phone number?" And she says, "5/25/66." I just laughed. You'd have to see it.

Anyway, '80s music is great, and should always, always be celebrated. It should always been sung to, and it should always, ALWAYS be cranked up to the highest sound level possible.

In other news, I had this really scary dream that John Locke from Lost kidnapped me, this random guy I work with, and some other people, and tried to kill us. It's too weird to describe.

Day 60: They Need to Be Stopped

Tonight I went to the Rogue Wave concert with my BFF. I was really impressed. I'd never even heard of them, but they were really good. Even the openers were good. Maybe at a different time in my life, say, two months ago, I wouldn't have enjoyed this concert as much. But tonight, it was great. I guess this experience has really opened my mind up to things.

What I was not so open to was the people dancing like lunatics in front of me. Ok, I can't really talk, because when I love a band, I jump around and scream and shout. But it's fitting. But this was so not jumping around music. Swaying music, maybe. But not jumping around or dancing like Uma from Pulp Fiction. So my friend said to me, "They need to be stopped."

And, yes, they really did.

But they weren't stopped. They just kept it up. It's ok, though, because we ended up getting too hot with all the people around and moved way in the back on our own.

Overall, the night was great. Really, really fun. Thank you, Rogue Wave and friends, for making this a good night of something different.

Day 59: CHAD

So I went o babynames.com today, a site I visit often to find names for my writing, and I saw, at the bottom of a page, a new thing they have. You can post a picture of a person who has whatever name. For example, I looked up the name Desmond, and there were a bunch of cute babies named Desmond. Then, I thought it would be fun to post a picture of Chad Kroeger under the name "Chad." So I went there and looked at the pictures that were there already.

And then I formed a theory.

I've met a couple of Chads in my life. Maybe only one in real, but Chad Kroeger and I have become pretty intimate in the last couple of months. So, anyway, the Chad that I did know was kind of a jerk. We were partners for this class project, and when I met with him one day, all he kept talking about was how all the girls he works with "kind of have a thing for him." Ew.

So that, in a nutshell, was this Chad kid.

And these Chad guys on babynames.com all had either super gelled hair, backward hats, or wifebeaters. And, just judging by Chad Kroeger's music, I'm going to say I can draw the same conclusion about him.

So I've come up with an acronym. Or a Chadcronym, if you will.

COMPLETE,
HARDCORE,
ABSOLUTE,
DOUCHE-BAG.

I'm sorry if you know a Chad who's really nice. I'm just being super prejudice and jumping to conclusions here. But, given my theory, I think Chad Kroger's name really fits him. Maybe he's nice in real life, and I feel kind of bad making these conclusions about him, and all these other Chad's I've never met in the world, but it's just a theory. I've yet to prove it positive.

I went back to babynames.com to upload the picture. I had to create a log-in, so for our purposes I'm Sally Herschburger from Atlanta, GA. If it happens to be illegal to post a Googled image of Chad Kroeger on a website, I'm not getting caught for it.

Alright, so this lovely picture is awaiting approval on the Chad page of babynames.com. I'll let everyone know if it makes the cut!

Day 58: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

I'm so tired. Hosting a concert is pretty hard work. I just want to sleep for a day and a half. Know what isn't so nice when you get off work, and you're so tired you're almost falling asleep on your feet?

That's right, you guessed it!

Nickelback!

Da, da, daaaaaaaaaa.

That was doom music. I don't know if you got that. Probably not.

So I've realized lately that every song that isn't by Nickelback gets stuck in my head. Even this ridiculous "Snape, Snape, Severus Snape" song got stuck in my head. Then the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" theme. If someone sings one verse of a song, it materializes in the crevices of my brain and stays there for awhile. It's crazy.

Only 27 days to go!!!!! Hey, 58 is 85 backward. What a concept!

Day 57: Live Music

Yesterday, my student organization put on a Third Eye Blind concert. I was at the venue from 7 a.m. to about 12:30 a.m., meaning I'm very tired, and I was way too tired to update last night when I got back, or this morning, rather.

I was the runner for the band/crew, which means I was sent on ridiculous tasks around town, the most ridiculous being finding four large black fedoras. I had to go back to different stores 3 different times, because the first ones were too girly and the second ones were too large, so I had go to back the 3rd time to get smaller sizes. I didn't know what they were for, but I assumed they were for the band to wear as part of a costume or something. But, no. They were for the crew to wear, to walk around in. Awesome. And then their road manager gave me a 2-page list of food and travel dental hygiene equipment to get at the store, and told me she needed it there before the band got to the venue. Which turned out to be 10 minutes after I left. So that definitely didn't happen.

The concert was OK. I was kind of bored, since I really only know around 4 songs by Third Eye Blind. But it wasn't Nickelback.

But this concert just made me want to see more concerts. Really bad. I'm really excited for the Pat Benetar concert, and I'm really excited to make a list of bands I plan to see in concert. I'm making a list, and I'm going to search the tour dates. I'll travel all around the country this summer if I have to, stalking my favorite bands. Just kidding. But I should.

Day 56: This is Mindblowing

I have something very serious to say. There's been an epiphany. A brain-shattering, mind-boggling discovery.

Long ago, my boyfriend once referred to Nickelback as "country." Obviously, he was wrong.

I think I like country better.

Day 55: Envy

Today I saw a girl jogging with headphones on, and I suddenly got jealous. I know, I know, it's my own fault I'm doing this. And I'm glad I am, because the challenge really has been interesting. But it still sucks.

"You don't know how lucky you are," I thought.

Later, this girl I work with was washing dishes, listening to her iPod. I wondered what she was listening to. Sure, there's a radio at work that just saves my life, but I still want to have the freedom to listen to my music, you know? There's something about an iPod, and having earphones in, and drowning in your favorite songs that's just really, really appealing. You know what I love most about headphones?

Two things: 1) Music is always louder in headphones. When I really love a song, I squeeze the headphones over my ears so that it's the only thing in the world I can hear, and then I just live in it. It probably sounds really cheesy, but I really get lost in it. Whatever's going on at that point in that song, I'm there, and that's it. And 2) When the music switches from ear to ear. It's something with the channels when recording, I'm not quite sure, I'm not a producer or anything like that, but I love what it does. Like, one word will come from the left, and then the next from the right, and so on. I can't get enough of that. You just can't hear music like that without headphones.

And who would want to listen to Nickelback like that?

Here's how it is: I used to love music. A lot. It was all I cared about, and I listened to it all the time. Then I think I started liking movies a lot, and music kind of fell into the background. I mean, I still loved it, of course, because who doesn't like music? But I didn't listen to it nearly as much as before. But now that I'm not listening to it, I've really realized how much I want to, and how much I should have kept on listening to my favorite songs, in every spare moment I had. So I promise, that in 30 more days when I'm done with this, music will occupy every open second.

Day 54: Concert Talk

I love concerts. I went to my first concert in 9th grade, and I've been to about a million since then. Everything sounds better live.

Lately, I've heard about several concerts, and all of them sound very, very appealing. I guess anything would sound appealing after 3 months of this. Anyway, I'm making it a point to go to a concert after this. I'll go to Brazil if I have to.

I want to go to an Anberlin concert, but I'll settle for anything. There's this one with Relient K (who I've already seen twice), Paramore (who I don't really like), and FUN (a great, little, semi-unheard of band), but it's downstate. I'm not sure I want to pay to drive down there, or drive down there, period. But we'll see.

Anberlin is playing downstate on April 24th, but I'm going to the Pat Benetar show the day before that, and it's my cousin's senior prom, and she really wanted my sister and me to go. Hopefully I'll be able to catch something soon. I think I deserve it, after all this.

If anyone hears of a good concert, preferably in Wisconsin or Minnesota, let me know!

Day 53: A Lyrical Comparison

A vicious dog just barked at me from my neighbor's apartment while I was unlocking my door. It scared me, and I almost dropped my keys. This was strange, since, as far as I know, my neighbor doesn't have a dog. Or, at least, I hope he doesn't. We aren't allowed to have pets, and his, mine, and another guy's apartments are the only ones on the same floor as the landlord's office. They aren't here on the weekends, so maybe he has a weekend dog. Anyhow, it surprised me.

In other news, my cousin's basketball team didn't win their semifinal game, in case you were at all invested in that tidbit. It sucks, but that's just how it goes. Sad.

Contrary to what you may believe, this post is not about angry dogs or sad high school sport news. What it really is, is a comparison between a song by my favorite song writer, Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday, and a song by Chad Kroeger, of my favorite band.

I'll be comparing "Carpathia," from the newest Taking Back Sunday CD, New Again, to "Hangnail" from Silver Side Up. Now, "Carpathia" is not, by any means, my favorite TBS song, but it's the first one that came into my mind when I thought of clever songwriting. As compared to terrible songwriting, in which "Hangnail" popped up.

First, a history lesson. The RMS Carpathia was the ship that rescued the survivors of the Titanic in 1912. In 1918, the Carpathia was sunk by a German U-boat. That's all you need to know.

Now, for the lyrics. I'm not posting all of them, because that would take up a very, very large space. But here are some lyrics of each.

"Carpathia"

I don't worry half as much as I did
When I was an experiment
Your resident tourniquet
Lax now about your neck waiting, just waiting
I am a mantle and you are a painting
Come rest your frame on me
I was a tower and you were an airplane
We happened before we knew what was happening

That's the verse. Now I'm skipping to my favorite part.

When oh when will this sinking feeling
Feel like, "Man, that was ages ago"

Alright, so you may not think this is brilliant songwriting. And it probably isn't anywhere near the best, most clever writing Adam Lazzara has done. But I just love it because it's about a boat that sunk and it says "sinking feeling."

Anyway, now let's take a look at "Hangnail." Negative one for the title, Mr. Kroeger. You're blowing it already.

"Hangnail"

It's not worth it for me, gets harder every time call you
This life you lead, like swimming in a shiny ballroom
Next time you bleed, right about this time tomorrow
Next time you steal, better ask before you borrow

And I don't see too well, don't sing too well
And so I settle to scream
Just grab your shit, and leave with it
They won't make no statues of you

Ok. "Swimming in a shiny ballroom?" "Just grab your shit and leave with it?" Really, now.

Maybe I'm just biased, I don't know. But to me, it seems like Adam Lazzara realizes that good lyrics isn't about rhyming anything that can rhyme, just for the sake of rhyming. I, for one, think that someone should take lessons from the other.

Does anyone agree?

Day 52: Census Fail

I've waited my entire life to fill out a census. Ever since I heard about censuses in about the fifth grade, I've been super excited to fill one out. So this year, I got a letter in the mail saying, "Your census is coming. Please fill it out right away," or something like that. So I was excited. A week later, I got my census.

WHAT A LET DOWN!

Talk about getting my hopes up. I only had to answer, like, 2 questions. I thought it'd be really cool and ask my address, or maybe where I work. I don't even know. Maybe something about my hair color? Do I go to school? What's my major? Just kidding about all of those. But, come on!

How many people live with you?

What's your name?

What color is your skin?

Are you a Latino?

Come on, government. Get a little creative.

On another note, I brought Bo & Co. back to the airport this morning. After moving the mini van I had to drive about 3 different times, I finally decided to go in and see if they were downstairs yet. I was right at the front door, when Bo Burnham barges out and spits in the grass. Lovely.

The ride to the airport was silent for about a quarter of the way there. Bo sat in the front this time. It was nice, because I didn't feel so much like a chauffeur, but kind of awkward still, because he just sat there typing on his iPhone the whole time, and all I could think was that he was updating his Facebook status about what a crazy driver I was. I mean, of course he wasn't doing that, I'm sure, but that's what popped into my head.

Then, he started telling his girlfriend about this teacher he had in high school that apparently looked like an ostrich. His description was pretty funny, and I wanted to laugh, but I wasn't sure if I should, because I didn't want to look like a big ol' eavesdropper.

I had the radio on a little (gasp!) so that it wasn't so quiet. Come on, people, I need noise! At least a little background noise. See, I love talking. I talk all the time, whether it's appropriate or not, whether it's annoying or not; I just can't help it. But I'm absolutely terrible with small-talk. So I needed something. I hate silence. When I was little, and my family and I used to sit out in the living room, and it would be quiet, I would yell, "Why is it so quiet?!" So, yeah, that's me.

Anyway, the radio didn't give me any happiness. Miley Cyrus came on. "Party in the USA." Great. I hate that song, and I remember Bo Burnham making fun of Miley Cyrus in his show, so I just sat there wondering if I should change it. But I didn't. I suffered through it.

I have to say, it was a pretty fun experience. It sure doesn't sound fun, probably, but it's pretty cool. Gives me some good stories, I guess.

PS: The title of this post, Census Fail, is a play on words. One of my favorite bands is called Senses Fail. Ha Ha. Hilarious, right?

Day 51: PAT BENETAR!!

I just found out that Pat Benetar is going to be playing at the casino in April!!!!! This may not be so exciting to all of you, but to me, it's INCREDIBLE! I've been listening to her since, like, 7th grade when I stole my mom's CD.

I love, love. LOVE her! So I'm super excited.

I heard the announcement on my way back from the airport, from picking up Bo Burnham.

Turns out it wasn't as awkward as I expected it to be. I mean, it was weird, and silent, but not quite what I imagined. This is a good thing.

My friend, Sarah, and I were picking him up. He and his girlfriend got of the plane, and he went straight into the bathroom. So we walked up to the girl and said, "Hi. Are you Bo Burnham's girlfriend?" Awkward. But she laughed, at least. So that was that. I mean, how else do you approach a stranger's girlfriend?

The ride was pure quiet, and the happy couple just sat in the back and whispered to one another, which was actually pretty sweet. The ride back from the venue to their hotel wasn't half as bad, because I finally felt like I had stuff to talk about.

Sarah turned on the radio on the way to the airport. I couldn't stop her. The Fray was the first band on. It was great. Then, lo and behold, a Nickelback song came on! Imagine that. I can't even get away from them by breaking the rules.

Day 50: Possible Awkward Silence in the Near Future

Tomorrow, my student organization is putting on a comedic show. The comedian is named Bo Burnham, and since I'm 21 now, I'm old enough to drive the NMU van to pick him up from the airport. Three other people in the group are coming with me, so that should be fun.

But I just realized that I can't listen to music. This could potentially be a problem.

I mean, for one thing, what do you do when you pick up someone you've never met (and his girlfriend, by the way) from the airport, and have to drive at least 15 minutes back to town? They'll be talking, him and his girlfriend, I'm sure. But can the four of us from the organization talk at the same time? Or will it turn out all chaotic and mumble-jumbled, like my family Christmas dinners?

Should I put the radio on? I mean, obviously I can't, but maybe if I'm coerced into it by everyone else, then I could make an exception. I just don't know how it's going to go. I'm excited, don't get me wrong. I mean, what if this guy gets super, hugely famous one day, and I can say I drove him? I would have rather driven Seth Meyers, sure, but this will do. It just has the potential to be very, very awkward, or really, really strange.

I'll let you know how it goes.

PS: Still crossing your fingers??

Day 49: The Best Roadtrip EVER!

This post is about yesterday, but I couldn't post yesterday, because I was in Sault Ste. Marie and didn't get back until around 12:30, and I was exhausted. So here it is today.

It's 3 hours to the Soo, and it was a very great 3 hours. My cousin, who's a senior in high school, was playing in the quarter-final state championship games. We took my sister's car, and she promised me I would have good music.

"I made 3 awesome CDs for the ride there," she said. "Unless they play Nickelback at the game, you won't have to hear them at all."

And it was great. The CDs had Taking Back Sunday, Bon Jovi, "Wonderwall!" Anything I ever could've asked for.

And I did hear Nickelback at the game. Believe it or not. In a mash-up of pump up hip hop, here comes Nickelback's "Too Bad." But it was ok. Just a little funny.

On the way there, we stopped in Christmas and got a picture with the gigantic Santa Claus. We also had to stop in Newberry, because Terry O'Quinn, who plays John Locke on "Lost" is from there. We played a game, guessing if every person we saw was his brother, or if every house we saw was his old house. It was amusing. We also found out that Newberry is the Moose Capital of Michigan. How's that for something new?

The best part of the night was the nerve-wrackingly close game. The biggest point difference of the entire game was 11 points. We were either ahead of the other team, or tied the whole game. In the end, good old Ontonagon pulled through, and won 50-47! Crazy! So, for the second year in a row, my cousin's team is going to state semifinals in Lansing! They play tomorrow, and I've got my fingers crossed! Everyone keep yours crossed, too. It took Ontonagon 20 years to get into the semifinals again, and now it's two years in a row. Can they get to the finals? I surely hope so!

Day 48: Musical Break

I'm currently in the LRC selling tickets for the Third Eye Blind my organization is putting on. Everyone was just walking past, minding their own business, and not looking at my ghetto, sharpie-and-typing paper sign. So I decided it'd be a good idea to put on some Third Eye Blind. I went on Youtube, and am currently playing every song by them I can find. This is a perfectly good exception to the Nickelback Code. Kinda like "Harry's Code." That's how I'm referring to these rules from now on.

Anyway, so I'm sitting here listening to Third Eye Blind, and it's making me very happy. It's so old school, but I really do enjoy it. Especially now. This leads me to believe that I'm going to have an awesome time at the concert, even better than usual. Live music and live music that isn't Nickelback! It's going to be great.

The whole point is, I'm going to be doing this Wednesday and then Monday and Wednesday of next week, so I'm going to be getting some breaks from constant Nickelback, which can only be a good thing.

Day 47: Restricted

This title reminds me of Harry Potter, and the Restricted Section of the library. Restriction always ends up leading them to good things in those books. However, it's not leading me to anything. Well, nothing good at least.

I realized that the thing I hate most about this project is the restriction. I've lately come to the realization that I hate having to listen to only one thing. I love being able to just turn on my iPod and pick whatever I want to listen to. And, if it isn't on my iPod, I can just download it! Or I can go in my car, put in a CD, and rock out. Whatever I want, whenever.

But now, I'm confined to a certain CD by a certain band that plays a certain genre. I have no freedom, whatsoever. I can only do what's been lined up in these guidelines I've set for myself.

This must be what Communism feels like.

Day 46: Freedom Playlist

It really amazes me that I can not listen to certain songs for 46 days, and still get them stuck in my head. By "amazes me," I mean makes me really, really happy. I'm not sure what it means yet, that I can still sing and hear them in my head without listening to them, but whatever it means, I like it. Maybe it means that I don't have to listen to the song to hear it. What a concept!

Anyway, this post isn't about me singing songs that I haven't heard in months. This post is about what I'm going to listen to when I can listen to songs that I haven't heard in months. Here's my Freedom Playlist:

1. "Paperthin Hymn" - Anberlin
2. "*Fin" - Anberlin
3. Probably every other song by Anberlin ever recorded.
4. "Set Phasers to Stun" - Taking Back Sunday (The only Star Trek reference I ever enjoyed.)
5. "Timberwolves at New Jersey" - Taking Back Sunday
6. "Stupid Kid" - Alkaline Trio
7. "Private Eye" - Alkaline Trio
8. "Seasons" - Good Charlotte (I have NO idea why I want to listen to this. It's from their very first CD, and I haven't even listened to Good Charlotte, period, in like, over a year. Maybe more.
9. "You're So Last Summer" - Taking Back Sunday
10. Ok, so probably every Taking Back Sunday song ever recorded as well.
11. "Wonderwall" - Oasis
12. "Right Now" - Akon
13. "Fire Burning" - Sean Kingston
14. "The Emergency" - Run Kid Run
15. "Pet Semetary" - The Ramones
16. "I Believe in Miracles" - The Ramones
17. Not every other Ramones song ever recorded, because I'd be there for years.
18. "Alexithymia" - Anberlin (Which I just found out is the word for "without words for emotions." I know I already said I'd listen to every other Anberlin song ever recorded, but this one is too good not to mention by name.)
19. "The Taste of Ink" - The Used
20. "All Downhill from Here" - New Found Glory

And this is just the beginning.

I realized, through this experience, that I really don't have hardly any of my music on my iTunes or my iPod. I have tons of CDs I burnt in high school, and I happen to still listen to the same music, that I never ripped onto my laptop. So I'm definitely going to do that.

Day 45: WONDERWALL!!!

Tonight at work sucked. I only made $40 in 8 hours and I'm so frustrated right now, I feel like it was just a waste of time. This comes after making only $60 over the entire spring break. But now I'm just venting.

Anyway, there was one good part of work. Well, 2 if you count the 3-pound omelet the cooks made me for dinner. Ok, so I don't know if it was actually 3 pounds, but there was at least 1 pound of stuff inside it. It was the largest omelet I've ever seen. It was gigantic. I didn't even eat half of it and I was stuffed.

So that was fun.

But the best part of work tonight-- the only good part, if I'm being honest-- was when I walked into the kitchen to wait for said enormous omelet. "Wonderwall" by Oasis was playing on the cooks' boom box. As you know, if you've been reading my blog (even just once in awhile), I've been dying to listen to "Wonderwall."

It's a pretty strange phenomenon, since it's not my favorite song in any way. At least, it wasn't. But now that I can't listen to it, I'm finding that I want to listen to it very, very badly. It's like I never listened to it enough before, like I didn't appreciate it enough. Let me say, after this is over, I'll be listening to "Wonderwall." I'll play it over and over until I exhaust it. Maybe it's gonna be the one that saves me.

Day 44: Music on the Brain

In 5th grade, we sang this song in music class called "Pizza Love."

Now, you might expect "Pizza Love" to be the dumbest song you've ever heard, just because of its title. You would be right.

But this song, "Pizza Love," had a few words that just recently popped into my head. Yes, it's getting so bad that I'm getting 5th grade photocopied force-fed music class jingles seeping up into the crevices of my mind. Anything except "Hangnail" for a 17th time.

Anyway, the words, as I remember them, go like this:

Pizza, Pizza,
On my brain,
Make it Pepperoni,
Or Make it Plain

I don't remember any of the rest. Those are bad enough.

But right now, I'm sitting here thinking:

Music, Music,
On my brain,
Anymore Nickelback,
And I might go insane.

I might be able to market that.

Poetry and crappy lyrics aside, I've got music on my brain. That's all there is to it. I was writing the English Department newsletter (which is my work-from-home-type job) and I came to an announcement about this student that got some work published in an anthology. Except instead of typing "anthology" I typed "compilation." And although I'm sure this term could be used to mean the same thing as "anthology," I wasn't thinking of that. I was thinking of a nice mixed CD with jamming guitars and lyrics that make sense and some nasally-voiced guys singing them.

This might not sound appealing to anyone else, but it's exactly what I need.

41 to go.

Day 43: Safe Haven

Work is now my safe haven. Well, it has been since I started this challenge. Because usually, at work I can get away from the music I most hate. Listening to the radio usually means Akon and Lady Gaga and Boys Like Girls, music fit for a dance party. But not tonight.

No, tonight "You Remind Me" or "How You Remind Me" or "This is How You Remind Me" or whatever ungodly long name that song is called. It came on the radio. I actually smiled, because what are the chances of that song coming on at work? That song that I have so many problems with. That song that just happens to be on the one Nickelback CD I've been listening to.

Sure, I've heard Nickelback on the radio quite a few times since the beginning of this, but this is the first time I've heard something from Silver Side Up outside the confines of my home, car, iPod, etc. This CD is nine years old. It's not Bon Jovi, it's not classic rock. So get over it, people! It won't be any better a decade later than it was when it was released.

Wait a second! I was just looking up the release date on Wikipedia, and it says the CD was released on September 11, 2001. I call your bluff, iTunes CD review. It told me, way back 43 days ago when I first downloaded the CD, that this CD was inspired by September 11th! This whole thing has been based on a lie!

Day 42: Road Trip!

My sister and I went on a road trip to Kingsford for my cousin's basketball game. She's a senior in high school, and they're in the tournaments right now, so it's really exciting. We took my aunt and her husband with us, because we're good nieces like that. Plus, they helped pay for gas.

On the way there, I made sure to turn my CD player down very low. I was still technically listening to it, but I didn't have to hear it.

At one point, my aunt said, "Stacy, I hear you're listening to Nickelback."

She knows about my challenge. But her husband doesn't, so he started asking me about it and I told him.

It later came out that this aunt of mine doesn't mind Nickelback either. Ugh.

Nothing else really came about today. But I have been realizing that I'm building up will power with this whole Nickelback thing. I never force myself to do anything. If I don't want to work out, I don't. If I don't want to finish a story, I don't. But I'm forcing myself to complete this challenge, and it's really weird. It just really makes me feel like I have a ton of will power. It's nice to not feel like a pushover to myself.

I'll end this by saying that this horrible new-age boy band is on the Disney Channel right now. Yes, the Disney Channel. Anyway, it's called Allstar Weekend, which might be the stupidest band name ever. Either way, I'm thoroughly enjoying this song, even though I'm 95% certain it's terrible.

Day 41: Wednesday...

So apparently I started this on a Wednesday. So I'll end Wednesday the 21st, which will be 85 days of Nickelback. Sounds good enough to me.

Today the weather was so nice, I just had to walk to class. It's only about a mile walk, but I haven't walked all winter, because I get cold really easily and don't like to traipse through ten feet of snow. But today it was a must. I wore my Converse, which I haven't worn since fall, and stomped my way through puddles to class. Before I left, though, I checked my iPod, because I was going to bring it, and listen to Nickelback on the way there to see what kind of reaction that could bring out. However, when I looked at it, it was dead. I've never been so happy to see a dead iPod in my life.

Actually, now that I think about it, I may have just pushed it off of "Hold," and may have not even tried to push the button to turn it on. Clever. I didn't even realize that until now. My subconscious is coming up with schemes.

Day 40: I'm Dying Here...

You have no idea how much I want to listen to Anberlin right now. I should be walking down the street with their music bumping through my headphones. I actually had to get out of my house earlier so that I wouldn't do it. This must be what withdrawal feels like.

I'm going to start listening to my music again on April 20th. That means only 44 more days of this. I started on a Tuesday, so it's only fair that I end on one. That will be 84 days. I wanted to shoot for 100, but I just can't. That'd take me into, what, the end of May? And I just can't do that.

So only 44 to go. It can't come soon enough.

Day 39: Cheating

Chill out! I didn't really cheat on my project. But I wanted to. If anyone stepped outside today, you'll see why. It was WAY too nice out to contaminate my ears with Nickelback. My sister and I went swimming at the Y and had a great time listening to our usual spring mix. Later, we had to run some errands. I was going to drive, and we were in the driveway of my parking lot, just waiting to turn to leave.

"I really want to cheat right now on my own rules," I said.

But I didn't! Because I have more will power than that. So instead, we backed up, parked, and switched to her car. So I got the music while still keeping my dignity.

Today was a great day.