hello darkness my old friend

woah.... so i made it back to aus. and my my aus is still how i remember it but never how i knew it. i learn something about this place every now and again and aussie this time round is a really remarkable place. the australian accent can be out there, crude, in your face... but someone reminded me that you gotta love it, and although i did, being away for so long, i had confused myself between the attitudes and the accent... something which shoudnt be done. sometimes the accent reminds me of bigots and ignorance. but this is a poor excuse i realised cos this association was biased and founded only on uneven examples from negative exceptions. generally, the aussie attitude is really proud of life, accepting, fun loving and very often insightful and gracious. aussie is a place so far from other places, yet still it remains humbled to the greater way of things but uniquely and positively confidant (and this perseveres without John Howards long sought after 'values'). anyway, that's my quirky patriotism. a word i never use, up until now, in an affirmative manner.

but nice to talk with you again. i saw the guy from wolfmother the other night. i dont wish to brag about people i dont even know and really only appreciate cos the artist in them is easier to access, but these stories seem to interest people and give me a social card i can use when deemed appropriate. so for those of you who care, i was neatly dressed up in my polished black shoes, suit pants, shirt, waist coat and cravette. anyway, i found myself beside a door when a girl opened it and asked me if i was working there. my sharp wits told me to tell her i did, but when she dragged me in, stood me next to 'wolfmother guy' and told me to get him a bucket of ice, my sharp wits proceeded to fail me pathetically and i refused on the grounds of exploitation and a righteous rejection of anything 'a-list'. after a couple of minutes and a number of demands to get the bucket i was seen for the normality that i usually inspire (although pretty nicely dressed) and shoved back out the magic alice in wonderland secret door.

i stand by my decision to this day (btw, it only happened 2 days ago), but always wonder which personality would have fallen in love with me had i found a way to stay in that the red carpet room of wonder.

oh then... the following day i got into the blues and roots festival in freo. just caught the end of john mayer and a couple other crazy blues bands, then got up close for ben harper. enjoyed a number of tracks and sneaked off to catch bo didley. HEEEEYYYYY BO DIDDDLEEEYYY! amazing guy and awesome music. he's like 80 yrs old or something. the keyboardist looks like your middle aged auntie but grooved the shite outta us all anyways. her solos were crazy. same with the bassist. after a quick set rejoined ben and his huge numbers of fans and danced away the last coupla songs before waiting an hour for a cab ride back to stueys place (who btw never gave me the $50 for entry that he owed me when he bet i wouldnt get in to the fest - but we forgive him cos of the hospitality, food, drink, pool and table tennis that i have taken advantage of at his place).

and thats not to mention jases bucks and wedding and all the rest of the fun i have had over here in perth and freo with all the crew. next time...