A Free Man

…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

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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

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It was a perfect Spring Sunday in South Australia today.

In the spirit of rebirth and new beginnings, I thought it would be a graceful gesture to make peace with my avian adversaries. Some of you may remember that winter was awash with bellicose encounters with our fine feathered friends. Well, it has been a long and - for both sides - relatively fruitless campaign. Both birds and Free Men still occupy the same turf, neither cowed, neither beaten. I thought it was time to step up and be the bigger man (or bird) and to extend an olive branch.

Boy Z marched onto the field with a peace offering…

…which was gratefully received by the opposition.

Former combatants joined together in a veritable feast of love and peace.

Unfortunately, there are apparently a few dead enders left out there.*

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This track is one of my favorites from Patti Smith’s seminal “Horses” which can be purchased at or, even better, your local independent record store.

* Comments about my hair - or lack thereof - are unwelcome.

 

 Patti Smith - "Birdland": Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Popularity: 60% [?]

Just a wee break in the 90’s flashbacks this week, stay tuned for more…

It rained yesterday - Australian drought my ass. It rained on A Free Man and Boy Party Day, which meant that we were house bound for the bulk of the day. Boy Z has risen to toddlerhood proper and I just want to say that I now have sympathy for all you stay-at-home-parents. The boy is an insubordinate destructicon (he gets it from his Mother). Here’s hoping that this mythological Australian summer kicks in soon or I may go back to working five days a week.

My sanity was preserved by  the arrival of two overseas packages yesterda. First, in the morning mail, was a box of Georgia schwag from Just Jessie containing more paraphenalia to make Boy Z the best dressed Little Dawg in the Southern Hemisphere. Even better, though, was DVDs of the first four games of the year - back when we still thought we were good. Watching the Bulldogs run all over Georgia Southern kept Boy Z quiet for a good two minutes.

With the afternoon post, my sanity was at a breaking point - the terrorist was on the verge of winning.  Then my hardworking postman rang the bell again, this time with a box full of Obama paraphernalia kindly shipped my way by Alice of 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera - her campaign leftovers. It was a veritable treasure trove of all things Obama, including some t-shirts, stickers, buttons, posters (one of which is my favorite campaign image) and even Democratic mints. There was a notable shortage of Obama gear in Oz, so Alice’s package was a great treat for a fervent supporter of the president-elect. Plus, the stickers and pins distracted Boy Z for a fair few minutes. Although, I suspect that I’ll be finding Obama-Biden stickers stuck about the place for a few days.

My most heartfelt thanks to both Jessie and Alice!

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In lieu of an accompanying track, I’d like to point you to the Aquarium Drunkard who has a whole album of a show played by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash in 1969. Two of my favorite artists of all time - magical. Check it out here.

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I’ve literally got students coming out the wazoo today, so I’ll keep things short and simple…

After ranting about premature Christmas decorations and my general disdain for the holiday, I’ve been tasked with coming up with a personalized message for my company’s Christmas cards. This is, by far, the most difficult three or four sentences I’ve ever had to churn out. Any suggestions?

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I’m pleased to be the host for Mendel’s Garden #26. Mendel’s Garden, the genetics blog carnival, is looking for the best genetics posts in the blogosphere. I’m hosting the December edition and am actively looking for submissions. Everything from transcription to evolution to genetic counseling and social implications of genetics research are welcome. I’m particularly interested in non-specialists, so if you’ve got something that you could tag with “genetics” send it my way. If you’d be interested in having a post featured, please e-mail me your latest and greatest to chris (at) afreeman (dot) org.

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Finally, when things have gotten harried this week, I’ve turned to this video for a dose of serenity. The internets are awash with cute kid videos, but I have the cutest kid (and possibly the most patient dog) around.

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Image Credit

I’d never heard of The Bouncing Souls until this track came my way, but I can’t stop listening to it. They’ve been around for ages and I’m thinking of checking out more of the New Jersey quartet’s music. Buy the self-titled record that featured “Serenity” and other records here.

 

 Podcast Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Bouncing Souls - "Serenity" [2:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Starting today and continuing until my karma wears out, I have Mondays free. Which means that Mondays have become the best day of the week. No teaching, no writing, just me and Boy Z free in the world. This was always the plan when we moved to Oz and after six months of hard work, the plan is hatched - Monday is Boy Z and Papa Party Day. Life just gets better.

It’s a sunny and balmy 82F in Adelaide today, any guesses where we’re headed?

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This track, by Philly’s Canadian Invasion, has nothing to do with that post. But it’s catchy pop licks give you a musical idea of my mood today.  And it has one of the best song titles of all time. Canadian Invasion has a new album upcoming, so if you like what you hear, support blogger-friendly artists by buying their music.

 

 Canadian Invasion - "Standing on the Shoulders of the Carcass of John Mayer" [3:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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…and Boy Z and I will take it.

Go Dawgs!

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Boy Z has started to form some understandable words. His favorite? “More.” More of what? Everything. I was hoping he’d miss out on your underwhelming correspondent’s behavioral genes.

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Boyhowdy turned me on to banjo diva Alison Brown. Her cover of “Everybody’s Talkin” seemed just about perfect as an accompaniment to this post. Brown has an album of holiday music due out on Compass Records. Buy that one and her other records from the label.

 

 Allison Brown - "Everybody's Talkin'" [3:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Three reasons I voted for President Barack Obama:

“This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth — that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can.”

Here’s his Election night speech as an MP3 file. In case you want to hear it again…

 

 Barack Obama's Election Night Speech - November 4, 2008 [16:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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In my obsession last week with an impotent hatred of the State of Florida, I missed out on a couple of significant dates in my expatriate journey. As of last week, it’s been four years since we left the U.S. and six months since we arrived in Australia.

A lot of the expat bloggers who I read have written lately of the things that they miss from “home”, of the visceral homesickness that often strikes  fast and dark like a midwestern thunderstorm. I’ve found that the longer I’m away the less I’m affected by that storm - the fewer the things that I miss from the States. Most of the day-to-day bits of life can be replicated abroad. The world is a pretty small and increasingly homogeneous place these days. If I want a Big Mac, I go and get a Big Mac. If I want to watch a bad American TV program, chances are that it, or an Australian replicate, is on Channel 7. There are a few things that are so much a part of me that I think I will always miss, but they are mostly trivial - things like comfort foods and secret places (most of them no longer existent in the form in which I remember them).

And my family. This yearning is getting worse rather than better. Australia is incredibly far away from anything else, moreso than I really understood before I got here. The sense of isolation is tangible here, even the distances between Adelaide and other cities in Australia is daunting. Britain always felt cozy and tight. If worse came to worse I could hop on a flight from Gatwick and be back on the East Coast of the States in six hours or so. The trip back to North America from Adelaide is a journey. Both Dr. O’C and I occasionally question our decision to move here, when we think about how far away family members are.

But it’s the decision we made and the die is cast so to speak. We are in Australia for the long haul. I wouldn’t say I’m never coming back to the States, never say never. But after four years away in two different countries it’s becoming clear to me, at the risk of being labeled one of the G.O.P’s “fake Americans”, that for me the American dream is increasingly more accessible from outside of America. I find it difficult to imagine living in the U.S. now, raising my son there. Right now, Australia is the Land of Opportunity for my family.

Which leads me to that second significant date - six months in Australia. I can not complain about how things have gone for us in a short time in Oz. Let me rephrase, I should not complain about the state of things in Oz. I’m not thrilled with our living situation and in self-pitying times, complain voluminously about it. But with a sane attitude, things have gone incredibly well for us Down Under. Both Dr. O’C and I are employed and making more money than either of us ever have. Despite having two jobs, I’m about to cut down to four days a week and have an extra day free with my son every week. I have a beautiful son and a beautiful partner, both of whom bring a smile to my face when I see them after a day at work. Boy Z is happy and healthy and loves to be outdoors in the balmy Australian sunshine (I’m told it gets a bit less friendly come January and February). We’re on the verge of buying the first new car that either of us have ever owned. A home of our own is not too far out of reach. We’re  a short trip to either the beach or the country while living in a manageable urban area. We’ve made friends easily and reasonably quickly.  Australia is offering me a life that is beyond my wildest dreams.

The homesickness - no that’s the wrong word, my home is here. My home is where I and Dr. O’C and Boy Z are on the day. The inborn tie of blood, the almost painful longing to be in the same room of my family - that is something that I just have to deal with on a daily basis, that I have to accept as a consequence of the lifestyle that is available to me here, one that I firmly believe would not be in Britain or America. Skype and e-mail and phone calls are great, but they always leave you hungry for more, sometimes even makes the longing worse. I guess this just gives us more motivation to save money for those long trips abroad.

I try and focus on the day at hand and to appreciate all the wonder and beauty that surrounds me. It’s springtime in Australia and even though actuarial tables would put me more at midsummer, I feel like it’s the springtime of my life.

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Damien Jurado’s latest record, “Caught In The Trees”, is out on Secretly Canadian. Jurado’s an exceptional artist and one who doesn’t get the attention that he deserves. He makes stunningly crafted Americana with lyrics that just make your jaw draw open with their  Both Jurado and the oustanding Secretly Canadian label are blogger friendly, so if you like this track then buy the album here.

 

 Damien Jurado - "Gillian Was A Horse": Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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