A Free Man

I heard Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon” on the way to the post office today. It was a welcome change from the syrupy Christmas Muzak that the City of Adelaide has decided to pipe into Rundle Mall to inspire that festive spirit and loosen the purse strings. Every time I hear “Karma Chameleon”, I have a little giggle at myself. It’s a musical reminder of my inherent cluelessness.

In the autumn of 1983, Culture Club was red hot. Their sophomore album “Colour By Numbers” had hit number 1 in the UK and “Karma Chameleon” was all over pop radio, even in my backwater part of the U.S. And I loved it. I loved Boy George in all his transvesting glory, loved the band’s soulful synth-pop and the cheesy Margaret Mitchell casted by drag queens video of “Karma Chameleon” that was getting played to death on MTV. I was 13 that year and starting my first year of Junior High School. I was going to a new school and had a new opportunity at the ‘coolness’ that had eluded me up until that point. Some time early in the school year I decided that what I needed to demonstrate the kind of hipster I knew myself to be was to advertise my allegiance to one of the coolest bands on the planet that year.

I managed to find myself an over-sized Culture Club t-shirt somewhere - it certainly wasn’t my hometown, probably Gainesville to the south. It was the must have fashion statement for the discerning teenagers that fall. I was immensely pleased with myself and proudly sported my new shirt (I’m fairly certain that it bore the image at the top of this post) and headed for school on Monday morning.

Even if you’re as much as a social misfit as I was then, you probably can guess what happened. The thing that I missed, the obvious thing that I missed, was that the over-sized Culture Club t-shirt was the must have fashion item for the discerning teenage girl in the Fall of ‘83.  You see, in my little town near the asshole of Florida, only girls and ‘homos’ liked Culture Club. When I got off the bus, I was cornered and asked to declare which of these I, in fact, was. That, gentle readers, is a tough question to answer when you’re 13*.

The thing is, I sometimes still feel like I’ve just gotten off the school bus in an over-sized Boy George t-shirt. Walking back from lunch today, iPod turned up loud to try to drown out the sound of “Silent Night”, seemingly the only person headed west in a tide of people headed east, I felt just like I did at 13. But the difference today is that I just don’t care whether anyone laughs at me. I just wish they would turn off that damn Christmas muzak.

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* If you find yourself in a similar situation, the correct answer is not one that I tried a couple of years later: “Yes, I am a homo and so are you. We’re both Homo sapiens.” That answer is as likely as not to get you a sock in the kisser. Trust me.

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If you must, “Colour By Numbers” is available from .

 

 Culture Club - "Karma Chameleon" [4:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 5% [?]

No, not Christmas. Christmas can bite me. I’m talking about the time for end-of-year Top 10 lists. I love a good top 10 list and have always wanted a venue on which to present one. When I was thinking of starting a blog, and this is true, one of the things that motivated me to get it together was that I would finally be able to put together a list of my 10 favorite albums of the year. Just like the magazines. Except nobody cares about mine.

Bit of a twist this year. Because of my loosely enforced boycott of the major labels, this year’s top ten list will be the Top 10 Albums from Unsigned Artists or Artists Associated with Independent Record Labels.* Catchy title, eh? I don’t want to give any press to the Big 4, so I’m going to focus on the little guys. Guys that may not get the attention of an R.E.M. or a Kings of Leon but may be making better music. Now, I don’t own every album that was released in 2008, so this list is really just personal favorites. I’ll feature one of my Top 10 every couple of days until the end of the month.

Christmas blows but I’m not completely opposed to the Season of Giving concept. I’m working on a repeat of last year’s musical giveaways and am hoping to scale it up a bit this year. So, stay tuned for some reader rewards that will hopefully give me a chance to say thanks to those of you that enjoy the music that you find here at A Free Man.

So, we’ll start off today with the Honorable Mention albums:

The Pharmacy - “Choose Yr Own Adventure”: I fell in love with this cheeky Seattle trio earlier this year. I’m a sucker for the harpsichord as well as Kinky psych-pop and The Pharmacy has both. Their debut LP is a Buy it directly from Don’t Stop Believin’ Records or download from .

MP3: The Pharmacy - “Black Ice Cream”

Motel Motel - “New Denver”: I get a load of music through my inbox, the bulk of which goes pretty rapidly into my trash. If something doesn’t make me sit up and take notice on the first listen then it rarely gets another shot. So, the unsigned bands that I feature on this site are the ones that make it to the second listen. Every now and again, one gets a third or fourth or fifth. One of those is Brooklyn’s Motel Motel. The album is kind of all over the place, but when these guys are good they’re damn good. Check out their debut LP, “New Denver” available from .

MP3: Motel Motel - “Coffee”

Cat Power - “Jukebox”: I love Chan Marshall. She is my rock and roll fantasy girlfriend. But her record company, Matador, has been heavy handed with bloggers. This is really a shame, because they’ve got some great acts in their stable. Matador, I’d like to be friends, really I would. But until you make an effort to be friendly to bloggers, I’m afraid I have to treat you as a Major label. At any rate, Cat Power put out one of the best records of 2006 with “The Greatest”, but this follow up pales a bit. It’s kind of a step backwards for Chan. Still pretty good, though and certainly worthy of mention. As Matador will send the sheriff after me if I link to a song from “Jukebox” here’s an excellent live version of”New York, New York”.

MP3: Cat Power - “New York, New York” (Live)

We Grow Up - “Night Kitchen”: There seems to be a real movement in music right now toward simple, almost primitive, melodic pop. I’ve got to tell you, this makes me happy. I ran across an unsigned Aussie band from right here in Adelaide a while back and was immediately enchanted. Their sophomore LP, “Night Kitchen” is just a joy to listen to and they’re surprisingly mature songwriters for a young band. They’ve signed with Half A Cow and “Night Kitchen” is available from the label.

MP3: We Grow Up - “Celia” 

The Mountain Goats - “Heretic Pride”: John Darnielle, the brain behind The Mountain Goats, has a discography stretching back to the early 1990’s but he just really got on my radar this year with the lyrically stunning “Heretic Pride”. Two of my favorite music bloggers are huge fans and convinced me to have a proper listen. Man, am I glad that I did. I’ve always been a lyrics man and Darnielle is a poet. Have a listen to “Autoclave” and if you like what you hear, you won’t be disappointed by the LP. Buy it from 4AD.

MP3: The Mountain Goats - “Autoclave” 

Bon Iver - “For Emma, Forever Ago”: Another folky, lyrical guy is Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. He’s making spare, slightly spooky and gently ethereal music that is perfect for lullabies, among other things. I have a bit of experience. But beyond its usefulness to parents, Bon Iver makes beautiful and subtle music and “For Emma, Forever Ago” (Jagjaguwar) is a treat. Buy the record direcly from the label. By the way, remember that name (Jagjaguwar) you’ll be seeing these guys again, they’ve got some fantastic artists in their stable.

MP3: Bon Iver - “For Emma”

Super XX Man - “Volume XII: There’ll Be Diamonds”: Must be something about the rain in Portland, because that city is home to some wonderfully wistful, lo-fi artists here at the end of the 00’s. The latest to make me long for the Pacific Northwest is Super XX Man. The musical vehicle for Scott Gerrard is prolific, with their latest “Volume XII: There’ll Be Diamonds” (Tender Loving Empire) marking their twelfth (or so) long player. It’s addictively and simply charming and is available from the band.

MP3: Super XX Man - “There’ll Be Diamonds”

The Bell - “Make Some Quiet”: One of the unexpected, and pleasant, surprises of spending so much time in Sweden over the last few years was the discovery that Sweden right now is to melodious, beautifully crafted pop music what Florence in the 1400’s was to religious painting. There’s just an amazing number of incredibly talented pop bands coming out of the frozen north. One of my favorites is Stockholm’s The Bell, an heavily 80’s inspired trio. Their debut LP, “Make Some Quiet”, made some noise earlier this year and if you’ve got a taste for some of the darker music from the totally awesome decade it may just be for you. Check out my interview with Matthias Strömberg and if you like what you hear, buy their record from .

MP3: The Bell - “Do You Know How To Feel”

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* Independent means really independent. No boutique labels, no distribution deals (see Sub Pop).

Popularity: 15% [?]

I’m quite pleased to host this month’s Mendel’s Garden - a blog carnival featuring the best genetics writing on the internets for the last month. Since it’s my party, I’ve picked out a few of my favorite topics to feature. But in the way of introduction for the neophytes in the crowd, let’s define our terms. The first question I ask my students on their first exam is “What is a gene and how is it regulated?”. I’m looking for them to talk about Mendel’s description of units of inheritance and the modern DNA based definition. Well, RPM of Evolgen thinks that it’s time to expand our definition or throw the word out entirely. He makes a solid argument, based on the fact that a lot of things that are transcribed in the genome wouldn’t be considered ‘genes’ by most of us. But if we trash the word, what would geneticists call themselves?

For a perfect example of the beautiful complexity of genetics illustrated, check out this father-son photo from Not Afraid To Use It. About says it all. Without further ado, a few of my favorite things genetical:

I found a couple of great posts about the genetics of autism. Now, to clarify, I’m not a big fan of autism per se, but I got embroiled (in a minor way) in the controversy with this post on the autism-MMR vaccine sham. Since then, I’ve followed the new research on autism with some interest. A post over at Highlight Health describes two genome-wide genetic analyses that identified five genetic loci that contribute to autism susceptibility, lending more support to the argument that autism is largely a heritable disorder. Kristina Chew, of AutismVox, thinks that geneticists sometimes go a bit far, however. Her response to a “sweeping” new theory that an evolutionary tug-of-war between parental genetic contributions is astutely skeptical. And of course, As is the case with any genetic disorder, there is an environmental component to consider. Reviewing an odd study out of Cornell, the Great Beyond details an assertion that autism rates are higher in rainy parts of the world. Take of it what you will, folks.

I’ve become increasingly fascinated with human evolution and in the genomic era research into our roots is just burgeoning. This month, Daniel McArthur at Genetic Future writes about one of the new tools available to evolutionary geneticists and gives an example of its use to look at positive selection at certain human genetic loci. One of the more interesting stories from this field is of the pair of skeletons found in a mass grave in Germany locked in an intimate embrace. The Great Beyond describes the DNA analysis that revealed that the 4600 year old remains were of a parent and child  and appear, with fractured skulls and an arrowhead in the spine, to have been unfortunate victims of humanity’s penchant for genocide. Of course, none of this may matter according to UCL’s Steve Jones (as reported on Dick Dawkins dot net) who says that human evolution is done due to a dearth of older fathers. Jones argues that genetic variation comes, in part, from mutations that men accumulateas they get older. Don’t worry, Steve, I think there are plenty of toxins about to keep us mutating.

Speaking of junk science,  there was some new junk on junk DNA released as a press release from the Genome Institute of Singapore. As Bayblab points out, this is a new and disturbing way of publishing your results - skip all the hassle of peer review and editing and just throw it out there to the mainstream press. Shame really, because this is my third topic of choice - epigenetics. Yann Klimentidis, on his blog, recounts some recent research looking at epigenetic changes in utero brought on by environmental stress. Zamp Bionews has more about epigenetic control of offspring fertility, which in this case is regulated by small RNAs apparently passed on maternally. Alex at The Daily Transcript has RNA, if not epigenetic, regulation in his post describing how each RNA binding protein in yeast tends to associate with mRNAs of a particular type. He hypothesizes that the expression of entire classes of genes may be subject to coordinated regulation at the level of mRNA metabolism.

And finally this month, a technical brief for those of you doing the hard work of science rather than just writing about it.  Sandra, who blogs at Discovering Biology in a Digital World, tells us about a new BLAST feature that allows users to create a custom database. Sandra goes through a step-by-step tut and generates a viral phylogeny. For those Ph.D. students out there in the “Nothing Works Doldrums”, Nick at Bite Size Bio has some reassuring words for you - sometimes things just don’t work. That’s biology.

Next month’s Mendel’s Garden will be hosted by Another Blasted Weblog. If you’re interested in submitting, you can do so here.

 

 R.E.M. - "Gardening At Night (Alternative Radio Sampler Version) [4:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 21% [?]

…but these things don’t.

1. Recycling, South Australia style.

2. History podcasts. Two of my favorites are Dan Carlin’s “Hardcore History” and Mike Duncan’s “The History of Rome”. The latter is up and running again after a hiatus that went on far too long. Check out my interview with Duncan from a few months ago and look forward, hopefully, to one with Carlin in the not to distant future. These guys tell history the way it should be told.

3. This weekend, while driving through the beige plains of South Australia, I had an epiphany: the music that I enjoy the most, the stuff that always turns my crank when it pops up on the iPod, is Americana. Call it Country & Western, alt*country, hick licks, whatever - if it’s got a bit of twang, strong songwriting and a loping beat, I dig it the most. Runaway Dorothy is a Tarheel quartet that ticks all the right boxes for A Free Man. They were kind enough to send me their debut LP, “The Arc”, a while back and the more I listen to it, the more I like it. They’re unsigned and blogger friendly, so check out the track below and if you like what you hear buy the record!

4. Saxondale. A new Free Man commenter (and old friend) introduced me to this BBC comedy starring the incomparable Steve Coogan a couple of years ago. Watching Season 1 again on my iPod has been making my commute shorter for the last couple of weeks. Got Season 2 Captain Sensible?

5. To rip off Time Magazine - you. For inexplicable reasons, your underwhelming correspondent has been the recipient of a flurry of blog awards lately. Thanks to Father Muskrat, Strange Scottish Girl, My Boyfriend Is A Pirate, Mongolian Girl, and Trooper Thorn (though his was misguided). Thanks a lot to these guys and all of you that take some time out of your day to waste it with me.

6. A day off with this monkey.

That’s not Timmins, Boy Z.

Back with you properly soon, I’ve got all sorts of good things planned for you. Why, oh why, did I give them essay questions on their exam?

 

 Runaway Dorothy - "Abilene": Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 21% [?]

Absolutely exhausted after a long drive home from the southeastern part of the state and thrown into a panic about a sooner than anticipated deadline for my grades to be submitted, so we’ll keep it simple today.

A Free Family is just back from a long weekend spent here…

…which is about 350 km down the coast from Adelaide. I was really looking forward to the drive - a chance to see more of Australia. I saw a lot. A lot of this…

Boy Z came down with a touch of a stomach bug which meant that he expelled his stomach contents a couple of times in our new car. This resulted in much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth and scenes like this…

Between the funk of vomit coming from the back seat and the stench of the 150km long Coorong - which I’m fairly certain is the Aboriginal word for stagnant, fetid, shit smelling lagoon* - our new car now notably lacks that new car smell.

But the long, smelly drive was worth it. I got to see the pink lakes of the Murraylands (which are apparently an ecological disaster, but still cool)…

…what I’m pretty sure were fairy penguins on the wild Southern Ocean…

…and a much needed dose of time alone with my two favorite people in the world.

It was such a nice trip, in fact, that the bad news I discovered upon our return just didn’t matter that much. Boy Z took it a little harder…

….but then both Courtney and, by proxy, her Yellow Jackets are admitted haters of children.

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* The Coorong was the source of the best mullet I’ve ever tasted, so it’s not all bad.

I’m not a huge Dave Matthews’ Band fan, but it is damn good driving music. This live version of “Crush” is from The Central Park Concerts available from .

 

 Dave Matthews Band - "Crush" [11:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 30% [?]

Well, gentle readers, you’ve been incredibly tolerant of my college football obsession this season and for that I’m grateful. Many of you will be happy to hear that this weekend marks the end of the regular season and thus, the end of Deep South Smack Talk. But we’re going out with a bang - it’s Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate week, the annual stomping of Atlanta’s North Avenue Trade School by their betters to the east in Athens.

Speaking for the Nerd Herd this week, I have one of my favorite bloggers. Courtney can flat out write, but she has questionable allegiances when it comes to college football.

Greetings and happy post-Thanksgiving, readers of A Free Man. Courtney here, proprietor of Malfeasance and die-hard Georgia Tech fan, born and bred. As such, it’s in my blood to believe the University (sic) of Georgia is nothing less than the gaping maw of hell, and all those who enter it are illiterate hillbillies who don’t know how to properly spell the word “dog.” No doubt you all think A Free Man is quite the thoughtful and intelligent blogger, and I agree with you a vast majority of the time. But on those 11 to 12 Saturdays a year when he cheers on his pathetic alma mater? Illiterate hillbilly.

As rivalries go, the GT/U(sic)GA one is rather lopsided. Ask your average Georgia fan who he or she considers to be the school’s biggest rival, and no doubt that person will answer Florida or Tennessee (not this year) or possibly Alabama. Georgia Tech may be its in-state rivalry, but let’s be honest — Tech hasn’t been much of a threat for the past few years. If memory serves me correctly, Tech has lost this game for the past six years straight.* It has effectively ruined the past six Thanksgivings for me. And when U(sic)GA was seeded #1 at the beginning of this season, it looked like the Yellow Jackets’ hopes would all but certainly be dashed again this year.

But they won’t. Not this year. Georgia Tech is going to beat the wrinkles right out of that smush-faced dog’s jaws on Saturday, and if you’re doubtful, I’ll now outline a five-point plan to convince you of the Jackets’ superiority.

1. The losses of the past six years all came under the leadership of Chan Gailey. Gailey was fired last year, and new coach Paul Johnson has whipped the Jackets into shape this year. The Curse of Gailey is gone, and in its place is the Age of Bulldog-Stomping.

2. Tech beat No. 23 Miami last week. And looked damn good doing it, if I do say so myself. If we can beat Miami, we can beat Georgia.

3.  Three words: Triple option offense. Call it old-school if you must, but it’s been working for Tech this year. Seventh in the nation in rushing yards per game, people. If U(sic)GA’s defense wants to stand a chance against it, they’d better wake up and quit daydreaming about the turkey their sister-cousin made in the double-wide yesterday.

4. Georgia is crazy overrated. And unholy. Just sayin’.

5.  Barack Obama. That guy successfully based his campaign on change, and damn if this isn’t a change I can believe in. Make it happen, Mr. President-Elect.

I think this should effectively seal the deal: Jackets rule, Bulldogs drool. In a big way. Seriously, it’s disgusting.

My prediction: Georgia Tech 42, University (sic) of Georgia 21.

“Oh, if I had a daughter, sir, I’d dress her in white and gold And put her on the campus to cheer the brave and bold. But if I had a son, sir, I’d tell you what he’d do: He would yell, ‘TO HELL WITH GEORGIA’ like his daddy used to do!”

GO JACKETS!

And in response, you underwhelming correspondent…

For most of my time at the University of Georgia, I didn’t really get the Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalry. Not being a Georgia native, I didn’t have the historical perspective, the years of intra-state feuding that . The Florida Gators were, and still are, my natural enemy. But that all changed on Thanksgiving weekend 1998. I had to be back for classes on Monday and started the long drive to Athens from north Florida about midway through the game. I figured it was pretty safe, I mean we had beaten the Gnats seven years in a row, how likely was it that they would pull something out this year? I listened to the game on the radio as I drove back towards school on I-75.

Well, that game didn’t go as planned, the Techies won on a last second Brad Chambers field goal that was set up under extremely dodgy circumstances. Circumstances that made me so apoplectic that I had to pull off at one of the free orange juice stands that litter south Georgia lest I crash into the median. Of course, we’ve since learned that Tech coach George O’Leary was using ineligible players that year. That about sums up Tech, the only way they beat us is by cheating.

Since that Thanksgiving I’ve developed a healthy loathing of the ‘Dawgs in state rival. It’s true that Tech is probably the best trade school south of the Carolinas, but that only goes so far. Have you ever been unfortunate enough to be seated next to a computer engineer at a dinner party? You probably don’t remember because you drank yourself into oblivion to try to assuage the boredom. The University of Georgia offers her students a well rounded educational opportunity, preparing alumni for not only their careers but for a full and joyful life. A UGA graduate is the complete package - intelligent, interesting, and damn fine looking examples of humanity. These, my friends, are the advantage of a liberal arts education.

But back to the task at hand - the game. We’re in a similar place this year as we were back in ‘98. Georgia has again won seven in a row against the Gnats. The Nerd Herd has put together a cute little season and is ranked in the Top 25. But the difference this year is that the ACC is battling with the Sun Belt for the honor of worst conference in Division I college football. So, a 4-4 record in ACC play is kind of a dubious honor. Yes, the Techies put a hurting on Miami, which may have been impressive if it was 2001. The Dawgs on the other hand have put together a 9-2 season in the toughest conference in college football, with losses coming to two potential National Championship contenders. And, the game is on our turf and we don’t let the Techies win between the hedges.

Let me just break this game down plain and simple. I know that Techies deal with numbers better than words, so here’s a seven point response to Courtney’s five point plan:

1. 2001 - Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 17
2. 2002 - Georgia 51, Georgia Tech 7
3. 2003 - Georgia 34, Georgia Tech 17
4. 2004 - Georgia 19, Georgia Tech 13
5. 2005 - Georgia 14, Georgia Tech 7
6. 2006 - Georgia 15, Georgia Tech 12
7. 2007 - Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 17

Shall we go for #8? I’m fairly certain that is what is going to happen between the hedges on Saturday. Bring on the yellow bellied whipping boys.

Oh, and Courtney, Barack Obama is a ‘Dawg fan.

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Georgia Tech at Georgia kicks off at 12:00 Eastern (3:30 a.m. Sunday in Adelaide) on CBS. Expat fans can watch the game online by using a loophole to get around CBS’ U.S. only regulations. Send me an e-mail (chris[at]afreeman[dot]org) if you want to know how. A Free Family is going away for the weekend, so chances are I won’t have a chance to watch this one, but I’m pretty sure that everyone except a few delusional math majors on North Avenue know what is going to happen.

Green Day’s 1997 record “Nimrod” is available from .

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* It’s actually seven years in a row, Courtney.

 

 Green Day - "Platypus (I Hate You)" [2:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 41% [?]

A Free Man is taking the day off from the internets to do some of that tedious work stuff, but I didn’t want to leave my gentle readers high and dry. Some of you may remember that Chris of Formerly Fun was kind enough to give me the day off last week with her guest post. Well, she somehow coerced me into a discussion of a topic that I typically avoid like Somali pirates - female body image. Check out my self-immolation over at Formerly Fun’s place.

I’ll be back here later for the last Deep South Smack Talk of the season - the Clean, Old Fashioned Hate edition.

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I have no idea what Canadian artist Richard Marchand’s illustration “Gone Fishin’” has to do with fishing, but it seemed dead appropriate for my guest post today.

Popularity: 38% [?]

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s the one holiday that is about gratitude, the one holiday that hasn’t been contaminated with rampant consumerism (although I imagine turkey farmers do pretty well this time of year). It’s all about friends and family and cooking up an indulgent dinner in the gloomy tail of autumn. For the last four years as an expatriate living in countries in which the fourth Thursday in November is just another work day I’ve managed to celebrate Thanksgiving. Usually it involved a group of hastily assembled Brits who were slightly confused as to why we were eating turkey in November.

But this year, I screwed it up. I’m still getting used to the Southern Hemisphere seasonal reversal and as November ticked away the days got longer rather than shorter, sunnier rather than cloudier and warmer rather than colder. I knew that Thanksgiving was coming up, I mean I can read a calendar, but I procrastinated my way into a hole. I didn’t make plans. So, A Free Man’s Thanksgiving will be notably lacking in turkey, stuffing, pumpkin, football and fellowship this year.

But one of the endearing things about Thanksgiving is that it is in large part a state of mind. I’ve got a lot to be thankful for, I’ve got a lot of gratitude. I’ll spend the day being grateful for all the wonderful things in my life rather than flagellating myself for procrastination.

And I’ve got Arlo Guthrie. And I’ve got the masacree in four part harmony. My Dad subjected me and my sister to Guthrie’s twenty minute Thanksgiving epic every year for as long as I can remember. That is a Thanksgiving tradition that I can handle. So, to amend for my laziness, this year I’ll play Boy Z “Alice’s Restaurant”, make up a batch of turkey curry and make a Thanksgiving resolution to get my shit together next year. To my American readers - have a fantastic Thanksgiving. And remember, if you want to end war and stuff you’ve got to sing loud:

You can get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant
You can get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant
Walk right in it’s around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant.

Maybe if you sing it with me in four part harmony and with feeling I’ll be able to hear it from Down Under.

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Image Credits:

Turkey Australia

Arlo Guthrie

Get Arlo Guthrie’s classic album “Alice’s Restaurant” from .

 

 Arlo Guthrie - "Alice's Restaurant": Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 50% [?]

Today is my birthday. I’m sure that your gift is on its way Down Under and I’ll give you a pass on it being late due to the long travel time from the rest of the world. I’m officially in my late 30’s as of today and I’m beginning to see some of the inevitable effects of age. Nonetheless, I’m happier today at 37 than I ever was at 27, 17 or 7. That being said, I wouldn’t mind paring a few years off - 33 was pretty good…

Now that my brain has recovered slightly from a day at home with a toddler/terrorist, I’m going to try to put together a proper post. I don’t want to talk about myself - did enough of that last week. But the combination of my one say a week as a SAHD and a post that People In The Sun wrote last week got the rusty gears in my mind slowly grinding. Like him, I spend a fair bit of time on my Dad on this site, but not so much about my Mom. I think the reason for this is, as a new Dad, I can now relate to my own Dad’s experience. This was certainly not always the case, but we’ll leave that aside for now.

So, on my birthday I want to talk a little bit about my Mom, who had a minor role in my birthday. My Mom was a stay-at-home parent for a good part of the 70s and early 80s - making our lunches, getting us off to school and greeting us at the end of the day. Once we got a bit older she went back to work part-time, starting off as a receptionist in a doctor’s office and over the years moving her way up to become the office manager for another group of doctors. In the spirit of building a better mouse trap, Mom decided at some point that working for other people was for suckers. She set up her own medical billing business amongst disused exercise equipment and spare computer parts in her spare room. Writing as someone who tried (and failed) to run a home-based business I know just how difficult a gig this can be. Mom however, had the determination, organization and work ethic that it takes to run a business, she took to it naturally. She worked hard and the business started to grow slowly.  She expanded it to the point that she began to take on employees and then moved out of the home office and into a building downtown. She expanded it to the point that when my Dad was laid off/made redundant/offered early retirement that she was able to employ him full time. For the past several years, both of my parents have made their livings working for the company that my Mom started in her spare bedroom.

A year or so ago my parents made the decision that it was time to retire. They put the business on the market, hoping for a modest addition to their retirement savings. After a few months of nibbles and deals falling through, Mom is putting the finishing touches* on a deal that approaches half a million dollars. That will be a nice little retirement nest egg and will buy lots of flights to Oz to see their grandson.

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*I hope I’m not jinxing it here - I’m pretty sure that the sale has gone through.

** The photos for this post are gifts that I’ve received for my birthday this year. I’ll be sure to put a photo of your’s up when it arrives.

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Brooklyn, New York’s Oxford Collapse released their fourth LP “BITS” back in August. Buy the CD here.

 

 Oxford Collapse - "The Birthday Wars" [2:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 56% [?]

All of you stay at home parents have my respect. One day a week of it leaves me feeling like I’ve been lobotomized with a butter knife. Don’t get me wrong, I love it and am grateful that I have the time to spend with the boy. Call me a masochist.

Thanks for the finger painting idea, Jennifer. Although, the dog is blaming you for his new blue coat.

Back with you all when my brain regains the capacity for cogent thought.

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I’m not a huge Herbie Hancock fan, but this track is as close a musical approximation of a day with Boy Z that I can imagine. Get more music by Hancock (for free) from eMusic.

 

 Herbie Hancock - "Finger Painting" [6:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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