"The Long Necks"

Tonight I went to see "The Long Necks" aka The Living End at the Corner Hotel. This concert was part of the Corner Hotel's 10th anniversary celebrations under the current ownership. The boys played for an hour and a half, and the set list was a mix of old material and five new songs off the upcoming album, which is due out early next year. My favorite of the new ones was "Nothing Lasts Forever." As always, The Living End rocked- they are one of the best live bands out there. If you want to check out the latest single and video for "What's On Your Radio," click here. I can't wait to see them again this Saturday at Homebake in Sydney. Yes, I am heading up to Sydney for a few days. Should be a fun trip.

Art Show

Last night I attended the opening of an exhibition for artists Alice Byrne, Peter O'Doherty, and Susan O'Doherty at the Span Galleries, 45 Flinders Lane. Michelle, Will, and Helen came along as well to check out the art and enjoy the free drinks. My favorite pieces were all of the different trams that Peter O'Doherty had painted. Too bad they aren't in my price range. Susan O'Doherty's work is much more abstract, but still interesting and also not in my price range. After the exhibition we had dinner and then Michelle and I headed for home.

Kalorama

Today I helped Peter and Mark move some boxes to their new house in Kalorama, which is located in the Dandenong Mountain Ranges. It was only about a 50 minute drive from Prahran, and the place is gorgeous. It was built in the 1920s and was a boarding house before it became a private residence. The photo above was taken around 1940. The grounds are beautiful and lush, with lots of birds flying around- including parrots! The inside of the house is huge. The top level will be their residence and the bottom level the office. They will officially be living there as of Tuesday when the movers come to take all the artwork and furniture out of Greville Street in Prahran. I hope to be able to visit them and relax on the veranda.

Living Room

The good people at Freedom have finally delivered all of my living room furniture. I have a couch, tv stand, coffee table, side table, and desk chair now! At last I can lounge and watch the telly. Happy day indeed. I'll put up some pictures soon so you can see what it looks like.

Walk About

Today was a lovely day in Melbourne- perfect weather. My friend Matt is in town from Canberra for a conference this week, so we spent the day walking around town. We met up for lunch on Lygon Street in Carlton, and then walked downtown, going past Medley Hall, where I lived when I was at Melbourne Uni, and also where Matt and I first met. We went through stores in Melbourne Central and Bourke Street (I refrained from buying anything). Next we hit Southgate along the Yarra River. They had a little market on there with various crafts. In search of coffee and dessert, we headed back to a cafe on Little Collins Street.

After our break we walked back across the Yarra to the Royal Botanical Gardens. If you are ever in Melbourne the gardens are a must see. It's just beautiful and there are many places to lay out on the grass and relax. You forget you are in the middle of the city as you look at all the plant collections and see the wildlife. Oddly, we did not spot any fruit bats this time (where have they gone?).

Around 7:00 p.m. the sun was starting to disappear, so we walked back to downtown and had Chinese food at the Post-Mao Cafe Chinese restaurant on Little Bourke Street. How can you resist eating in a place that promises to serve you Chairman Mao's mysterious recipes? There were statues and posters of Chairman Mao all around the restaurant. After dinner we hopped on the tram and I headed for home while Matt caught the train to get to his friend's house. It was a fun day.

Democratic Republic of San Francisco?

Conservative pundit Bill O'Reilly is at it again. He feels that San Francisco should no longer get federal funding just because voters passed propositions on Tuesday against handgun ownership and military recruitment in public schools. Oh, and the City shouldn't expect any help if terrorists attack. O'Reilly said, "And if al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead." Can you feel the love? And people wonder why I left the US. Read more details here.

On a completely different note, I had no idea that the video for Night Ranger's massive 80s hit "Sister Christian" was filmed at my old high school. I wish I could see the video again to spot locations. Read all about it here.

A Day At The Races

Today was the last day of the Spring Racing Carnival in Melbourne, so I decided to head to the races. I walked over to Michelle's house in the morning and we packed up a picnic basket with lots of yummy food. Fashion is very important and Michelle was kind enough to let me borrow a hat to wear for the day. Once we were ready, we headed out to catch the tram.

It was Emirates Stakes Day at Flemington Race Course, and we arrived around 12:30 p.m. and met up with Felicia, Donna, and her husband Brenton. After buying a bottle of champagne, we staked out a place on the grass near the finish line. The weather was perfect- not too hot and a breeze blowing most of the day. I placed bets on horses in two different races, but didn't win any money. The others were luckier than I was though. Race 7 was the Stevie Nicks Plate, and yes, Stevie Nicks was there to award the winner. It's the most unique way of promoting yourself that I think I've ever seen.

Besides the horse races, it was amusing to check out what other people were wearing. There were a lot of girls in some unfortunate Paris Hilton-esque dresses. We also had a sunburn watch going on as some people became lobster red as the afternoon went on. I did pretty well and only got a bit sunburned on my shoulders. It was good that we had sunblock and a parasol to keep us protected.

After the last race we packed up our stuff and headed for the trains. After a bit of a wait we got onto the platform and traveled to Flinders Street Train Station. From there Michelle and I hopped on the tram and headed back to Brunswick. It was a great day even though the horses let me down.

Melbourne Cup Day

Who would have thought that a horse race could cause a public holiday, but that is the case today with the Melbourne Cup. They say that it is the race that stops a nation, and today was no exception as Makybe Diva became the first horse in history to win three Melbourne Cups in a row. It was an exciting race with 24 horses competing for the $5.1 million purse. Over 100,000 people turned out at Flemington race course in their finest dress to enjoy a day at the races.