The Good China April Residency

This month The Good China are doing a Tuesday night residency at The Evelyn. Tash is such a hard core fan that she drove down from Ballarat to see them play. She came by and picked me up and then we headed to Brunswick Street. We ate dinner at Bimbo Deluxe, sharing our $4 pizzas and then indulging in the chocolate dessert pizza (kind of a pain au chocolat).

We arrived at The Evelyn for the start of the second support act Mercury White. The lead singer switched between keyboards and a keytar! Though hard to pinpoint, the band have a bit of an Irish rock sound to them and some songs reminded me of New York City band Black 47. They got a group of people up on stage with them to play percussion and sing along for "Sticks and Stones." It was an energetic set.

The Good China opened the evening with "No More Maps." There were a few issues they had to deal with this week, including a leaking roof and some of the band members having the flu. However, they persevered and put on a solid set of old and new songs. It was good to hear my favorite "If Pain Persists" and "Turn the Page." Each week the band are taking requests from fans for a cover song to perform at the each show. This week we got Arcade Fire's "Rebellion (Lies)," which was a fitting choice because Arcade Fire was one of the bands that inspired them to form The Good China two years ago. They finished their set with "We Found 3 Whistles" and then came out to do "All Nothing" for the encore.

Pumpkin Bread

I made some pumpkin bread last week and it was a big hit at work. Using pumpkin in baking is not a familiar thing for Australians, so after explaining that it's like a spice bread they give it a try and usually like it. Or love it in my case. I'm currently baking a second loaf to use up the rest of the canned pumpkin. Here's the recipe if you would like to make it for yourself:

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350F/180C. Grease a 9 x 5 inch (8 cup) loaf pan.

In a medium size bowl whisk together thoroughly:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground Saigon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Combine in another bowl:
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl beat until creamy:
6 tablespoons butter
Gradually add and beat until lightened in color and texture:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
Beat in one at a time:
2 large eggs
Add and beat until just blended:
1 cup pumpkin puree

Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk mixture in two parts, stirring until smooth. Fold in:
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup raisins

Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on a rack.

Thunderstorms

Once again Melbourne has been hit by severe thunderstorms this afternoon, which resulted in flash flooding and a lot of damage around town. The sky went black around 2:30 pm and it started to bucket down. The rain was so hard it was almost like a blizzard whiteout and we even got hail that was the size of quarters. The street outside my apartment flooded, as did a lot of places in the Melbourne CBD. Elizabeth Street turned into a river as you can see from this video. We received over an inch of rain in one hour (and about 0.7 inches of that was in 20 minutes), and the storm drains just couldn't cope. It has calmed down now, but more thunderstorms are forecast for tomorrow.

Sydney Road Street Party

Because we didn't see enough of each other last night, Clinton, Kevin and I met up at the Sydney Road Street Party this afternoon. Joined by their friend Cameron we walked up and down Sydney Road a few times checking out the booths and food stalls. Unfortunately it seems as though the Muslim Women's Association has given up on selling their wonderful gozleme, which is so disappointing. We ended up eating chocolate croissants and sharing a lemon tart at Choukette and had our main meal from the Hare Krishna stall. There were lots of people out enjoying the street party and the various band stages, although we didn't find any music acts that grabbed our attention. After a few hours we decided we had seen everything there was to see and headed for home.

Hungry Kids of Hungary- The Air Sick Tour

Tonight Clinton, Kevin and I met up at The East Brunswick Club to see Hungry Kids of Hungary return to Melbourne on their "Air Sick" tour. The first band I saw for the evening was Boy & Bear from Sydney. I was really impressed by them and their harmonies and folk sounding music, which is a bit similar to Fleet Foxes. They are definitely a band to watch. Next up was Ernest Ellis, also from Sydney, who had a few songs that sounded good, but overall their set didn't really grab my attention.

Hungry Kids of Hungary came out to the nearly sold out venue and opened with their latest single "Let You Down." They then launched into a couple new songs that they've just recorded for their new album. The set list was a mix of old and new material. As always it was good to hear "Set It Right," "Lenny," and "Old Money." For "Scattered Diamonds" the members of Boy & Bear came up to play percussion and sing along. They ended the set with "Good Times" and then for an encore did a cover of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes." It was great to see them play once again and enjoy those harmonies and wonderful power pop songs. The new material sounds good, so I'm looking forward to a full length debut album.

Visiting Regional Victoria

This morning I caught the train from Southern Cross Station up to Ballarat. It was my first time on V/Line and the nearly hour and a half train ride was a comfortable one. Michelle picked me up at the station and then we headed over to get Tash. Her little cottage house is very cute. After a bit of a chat we hit the road for Hepburn Springs to have lunch at Chowder House. Co-owned by an American chef, we had been wanting to try out this place for a while now, and Michelle thought it would be a good way to celebrate my birthday. They have about six different chowders on the menu. I had a traditional clam chowder, Tash had a seafood chowder and Michelle went with the chicken and corn chowder. All of them came with a piece of homemade cornbread as well. The big bowl of chowder tasted fantastic and although not too thick was quite filling. It definitely met my expectations.

After a quick drive around Hepburn Springs to check out the many mineral spring spas in the area, we went to neighboring Daylesford to have a walk around downtown and visit some of the shops. In one of the first places we went into I spotted this necklace and really liked it, so I bought it as a gift for myself. After a while we ended up finding an ice cream shop and stopped in for some dessert. Once we returned to Ballarat we had a drive around the city and the now dry Lake Wendouree (a victim of the drought). One of the great things about many of the towns in the region is that they still have a lot of their historical buildings from the gold rush era in the mid-1800s. We stopped by Michelle's townhouse so I could have a look at it before she dropped Tash and I off for the train ride back to Melbourne. While Tash went off to watch the Tropfest short film festival at Federation Square, I headed for home.

One Year Older

It is now officially my birthday in both Australia and the United States. The day began with a phone call from my parents. I was good and did not open the present they sent me until today, which was a photo book of my life that my Mom made. It's really awesome. They also got me the bouquet of flowers you see in the picture. I have received some lovely birthday wishes from friends and family throughout the day. Chantal and I went out to lunch at Shuji Sushi and Clinton treated me to a mini chocolate mud cake at Treasury Deli in the afternoon. After working off the cake at the gym I returned home and I'm spending the evening watching Gossip Girl and RuPaul's Drag Race. All in all it's been a pretty good birthday.

Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

After work Clinton and I grabbed a quick dinner and then met his partner Kevin at the Kino Cinema to see Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. The movie, set in Harlem in 1987, is about a 16 year-old obese, illiterate girl named Claireece Precious Jones who lives with her dysfunctional mother, Mary. Precious has been impregnated twice by her father, Carl, and suffers long term physical, mental and sexual abuse from her unemployed mother. Despite the grim storyline, it is a tale of trying to make a better life for yourself and not giving up.

All of us had prepared ourselves for the movie to be difficult to watch, but it wasn't that graphic and at a lot of the worst moments in Precious' life, it would switch to her having a dream sequence. Gabourey Sidibe is great in her first acting performance as Precious and Mo'Nique is amazingly brutal as Precious' mother. This film definitely deserves all the awards and Oscar nominations it has received.

The Good China at St. Kilda Festival

Today I headed down to the St. Kilda Festival to catch The Good China playing the Main Stage on the beach. They won the opening slot by being voted best band on the New Music Stage at last year's festival. A small but enthusiastic crowd gathered to watch them play their half hour set. They started with a new song and then played one of my favorites "If Pain Persists." Other songs in the set included "No More Maps," "Turn The Page" and "All Nothing" (complete with hand claps). They finished off the day with a rousing rendition of "We Found Three Whistles" that had the crowd dancing. It was very exciting to see the band playing on the big stage, and I'm sure it would have been a huge thrill for them all. Since it was a fairly warm day and there weren't any other acts I was dying to see I headed back for home.

The Cuckoos

Last night Belinda came and picked me up and we headed off to Brunswick Street as a bit of a farewell since she will be moving to London in about a week. We had dinner at The Vegie Bar, dessert at Trampoline and then headed to The Evelyn to see The Cuckoos. The first band we saw for the evening was The Alcorettes, who had a much more alt-country/early rock 'n' roll sound that I was expecting. Next was The Revels, who have that classic Aussie pub rock sound and good energy on stage.

The Cuckoos played a fun set and had a group of people dancing at the front of the stage. They played a mixture of new songs and ones off their EP. It was good to hear "Sweet Tooth Sally Malouf," "Clementine" and my personal favorite "Lovely Day." They even sang their own version of "Happy Birthday" for someone in the crowd (and I'll take it as early birthday wishes for myself too). It was good to see Tom and Quang playing live again, as Little Red don't seem to be doing much these days.

When Thunderstorms Attack

Around 3:30 pm the thunder and lightning started and then the rain began. By 4:30 pm parts of the city were under water due to flash flooding and a couple people were even spotted swimming down Flinders Street. It was the heaviest rain I have ever seen in this town, and the lightning was very close to the CBD. Thankfully by the time I left work for the gym things had calmed down, and more importantly the temperatures have finally cooled after a hot week.

The Basics Record a Live Album

Last night Tash, Mary and I made our way to the Northcote Social Club to see our beloved band The Basics record songs for an upcoming live album. After signing our names in paint on the boards that will be used for the album cover, we entered the sold out room. The band played a range of songs spanning all their releases throughout the two hour set. The evening started with just Wally, Kris and Tim on stage, and then they were joined by David Bramble on keyboards and other musicians as the evening progressed.

There were a fair amount of songs from Stand Out/Fit In, with "Lookin' Over My Shoulder" having a more reggae sound. "Three Cool Cats" had the audience clapping out the rhythm and Tim played a lively version of "Have Love, Will Travel." There were only a few songs played from the new album Keep Your Friends Close, including our favorite "The No. 1 Cause of Death Amongst Youth Today" and a completely new and faster arrangement of "Home Again" that was inspired by Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)." I was really excited to hear the unreleased track "What It Feels Like To Be Loved," which was played at The Evelyn residency in 2008 but didn't make the album.

It wouldn't be a Basics gig without covers, and we got a few throughout the evening, including The Police's "Roxanne," Neil Young's "Old Man" and New Kids On The Block's "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" complete with dance moves. To finish off the night they played a medley of Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" and Eric Clapton's "Cocaine." It will be interesting to see what songs end up making it onto the live album.

Here's the video for their brilliant latest single, "The No. 1 Cause of Death Amongst Youth Today"

Happy Birthday Danny

After our big shopping excursion last week today was the day for Danny's American/Australian-themed 30th birthday party. A group of us gathered at Princes Park in Carlton this afternoon on what was a very hot day. We set up a table in the shade with a variety of American foods as well as some Kool-Aid. Surprisingly a lot of guests weren't big fans of the Kool-Aid, which I guess is an acquired taste. Ruth braved the barbecue grill in the sun and we had hamburgers, hot dogs and sausages along with some salads. I contributed a classic macaroni salad, which came out just as I remember it from my youth (it was the first time I had made the dish).

Danny had brought a variety of balls, so while some people kicked the footy we were throwing around a football. I think we had people throwing spirals after a few tries. Danny's attempt at an American accent contest didn't really take off, so we sang happy birthday and had some of Ruth's chocolate ripple cake, which was in the shape of the number 30. It was a fun afternoon and as darkness descended on the park we cleaned up and headed for home.

Americana Australian Style

This morning Danny and Ruth picked me up and we drove out to the USA Foods store in Moorabbin. Danny is having an American/Australian themed b-day party next week so he was looking to pick up some items for the event. The shop was smaller than we were expecting, but I did find some great stuff to buy:
- Jello
- Jello pudding
- Libby's canned pumpkin
- Bulls Eye Original barbecue sauce
- Honey Maid cinnamon graham crackers
- Marshmallows
- Jiffy Corn Muffin mix

So inspired were we by our American purchases that we decided to head to Costco in Docklands for some further shopping and to go in together on a joint membership. Walking into the store made me feel like I was back in the States because the layout is practically identical to the one in Novato. Warehouse stores are a new concept in Australia so they are allowing people to sign in and walk around if they aren't members (although you can't buy anything). I picked up some bagels and a gigantic bottle of Saigon cinnamon that was priced the same as a small bottle of ground cinnamon at the grocery store. It was a successful shopping excursion and if I ever feel homesick I will just go hang out at Costco. I'm now going to make some Rice Krispies Treats with the marshmallows I bought.

Brushes with Greatness

Tonight I exchanged smiles and waves goodbye with Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the Teach For Australia celebration at Melbourne Museum. Maybe she thought I was a TFA Associate? Yesterday Victorian Premier John Brumby walked by while I was at Treasury Deli. Unfortunately, I have yet to run into Prince William while he's been in Melbourne.

Team Conan

Before I left the States last week news broke that NBC was going to shaft Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show by moving Jay Leno's failed 10:00 pm show to 11:35 pm after the Olympics and push The Tonight Show to start a half hour later at 12:05 am. I have been really angry that Conan is being treated this way and was glad to read Conan's statement today that he is not down with it either. Who knows what will happen now, but the ball is in NBC's court.

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over “The Tonight Show” in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004, I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my “Tonight Show” in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the “Tonight Show” to 12:05 to accommodate the “Jay Leno Show” at 11:35. For 60 years, the “Tonight Show” has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the “Tonight Show” into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The “Tonight Show” at 12:05 simply isn’t the “Tonight Show.” Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the “Late Night” show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard, and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of “The Tonight Show.” But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet, a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the “Tonight Show,” I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,
Conan

The Temper Trap

Tonight Tash and I headed to The Forum for a sold out show by The Temper Trap. Even though they are from Melbourne the band are probably bigger in the UK than in Australia. The opening act was UK band The Boxer Rebellion, who played a solid set of indie rock music.

The Temper Trap got a great reaction from the crowd for their anthemic music and Dougy's angelic voice. There were large sing along for many of their songs, including "Sweet Disposition," "Fader," and "Down River." For the encore they sang Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" and finished the night with "Science of Fear."

The Never Ending Journey...

Greetings from Auckland Airport where I am currently stuck for the day while waiting for my flight to Melbourne. The fun started yesterday when my San Francisco to Auckland flight was delayed 5 hours due to a late arriving plane (it was 12 hours late!). We didn't leave until after midnight, so I knew I would miss my 8 am connecting flight to Melbourne this morning. Conveniently the Air New Zealand people had already booked me on the next available flight. Unfortunately, that flight doesn't leave until 7:30pm tonight. The only other flight to Melbourne is at 3:30 pm, and that is fully booked. To add to the fun, since I am "in transit" I am stuck at the airport.

So how does one kill time at the airport? I have been purchasing access to the wi-fi hotspots so I can have some internet time. I will have a wander around the terminal, although there isn't much too see in Auckland. SFO did have this crazy pinball exhibit on in the terminal, so that was interesting. I managed to convince the Air New Zealand people to give me a food voucher, so that will be my lunch (I had received a dinner voucher from them at SFO). I will also have a bit of a lay down, read a book, and listen to music.

Being delayed 5 hours had added an additional 12 hours to my travel time on this trip home. I'm not going to get to my place till probably after 10 pm, and I am supposed to go to work tomorrow! We'll see what happens, but considering how hot it is supposed to be, an air conditioned office may be the better option in my exhausted state.

California Academy of Sciences

Today my parents and I headed to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. This was one of my favorite places to come on day care field trips when I was little, and my father used to spend his childhood summers going there too, so we were excited to see the recently renovated Academy. The building is now a lot lighter and airier with floor to ceiling windows and many of the exhibits have been updated or changed. There is also an even greater focus on education and interactive displays.

We started with the albino alligator and then headed into the Steinhart Aquarium. Different focus areas included the marine and plant life along the Northern California Coast and in different coral reefs throughout the world. The tide pool where kids can touch things still exists, and there were many cries of "Nemo" heard at the main tank viewing area. The sea dragons and coral life were my favorites in the aquarium.

Next we wandered around the various exhibits of the Kimball Natural History Museum and into the African Hall. Besides the dioramas of mounted animals they now have a live colony of African penguins. The penguins were entertaining to watch and they jumped in and out of the water and swam around.

One of the fantastic brand new exhibits is the living 4-story Rainforest which is contained within a 90-foot diameter glass dome. Animals and plants from Borneo, Madagascar, Costa Rica and the Amazon are represented as you walk up a spiraling path from the forest floor to the canopy. The temperature and humidity levels in the dome also add authenticity to the experience.

Our last stop was The Living Roof on top of the Academy. The Living Roof´s 1.7 million native plants were specially chosen to flourish in the climate of Golden Gate Park. Since it's winter there is not much going on, but it would be cool to be up there in spring when things are blooming and there are more animals and insects around.

On our way back home we stopped for lunch at Marinitas on Sir Francis Drake Blvd in San Anselmo. This Mexican and Latin American food restaurant opened nearly a year ago and is owned by Heidi Krahling, who also runs Insalata's down the street. We had the chicken and vegetarian enchiladas and I thought the food was decent but not spectacular. The restaurant decor is nice and I would imagine probably draws a good crowd for dinner.

Cartier and America

Today my mom and I headed into San Francisco to see the Cartier and America exhibition at the Legion of Honor. Here's the press release for the event:

Cartier and America covers the history of the House of Cartier from its first great successes as the “king of jewelers and jeweler to kings” during the Belle Epoque through to the 1960s and 1970s, when Cartier supplied celebrities of the day with their jewels and luxury accessories. Derived mainly from the private Cartier Collection housed in Geneva, the spectacular array of more than 200 objects includes jewelry of the Gilded Age and Art Deco periods, as well as freestanding works of art such as the famous Mystery Clocks. With an extensive variety of jewelry forms—ranging from traditional white diamond suites to the highly colored exotic creations of the 1920s and 1930s—Cartier made its mark with the ingenuity of its designs and its exquisite craftsmanship.

The exhibition was fantastic with some pretty amazing pieces of jewelry on display. Besides those from the ultra elite of the early 1900s, they had small jewelry collections from the Duchess of Windsor, Grace Kelly (including her 10 carat diamond engagement ring), and Elizabeth Taylor. One thing I found interesting was the versatility of many pieces, which could be worn as necklaces, multiple bracelets or in other configurations. Some people even had their jewelry redesigned over the years to reflect the times. If you are in San Francisco you should definitely check out Cartier and America, which is on through April 2010.