Aussie mojo

If you're an Eskimo Joe fan and missed out on their show tonight in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then sucks to be you because not only did they play a great but short (around 35 mins) gig, but they hung out and mingled with the crowd afterwards. That's right, I was literally rubbing shoulders with Kav, Joel, Stu and the others.

The venue was TT the Bears, a small grungy venue with a tiny stage that puts the audience right up close to the musicians. The turn-up was small, no more than 50 odd people, and I'd guess that at least half of them were Aussies. It was kinda bizarre that Eskimo Joe, a famous band in Australia who have played to tens of thousands of people at major festivals like Big Day Out were playing in such a dingy place. The crazier thing is that they weren't even the headline act, but were supporting some totally crappy American band called Stars of Track and Field. After Eskimo Joe finished their set, about half the audience bailed (presumably the Aussies), and Lulu, Bing and I followed after hearing two awful songs from the supposed headline act. Even the band prior to Eskimo Joe was better than Stars of Track and Field, I'm sorry but they really sucked. To see the Eskimo Joe band members setting up and carrying their own amps etc. was sobering in outlining the divide between musicians 'making it' in Australia and the States. I wonder what they must think about it all.

I'm not a die-hard fan of Eskimo Joe but of their performances I've seen, this was easily the best. The intimacy of being about 5 metres away from the band with almost no-one surrounding me (i.e being able to really enjoy the music and not being distracted by mosh survival maneuvers), combined with the very professional and tight set of grooving tunes, plus the fact that Joel is very talented (I've seen him play guitar, bass, drums and keyboard) and cute, made tonight a good one. Good mojo was definitely flowing. 8 bucks well spent I'd say.

Update 25/10/07: What impressed me immensely, was that even though they were subjugated to support act in a not so glamorous venue, E. Joe were energized, looked to be having a blast and totally rocked in general. This write-up of the gig in the Boston Herald hits the nail on the head with "Exuding confidence and attitude, Eskimo Joe perhaps has a simple lesson to teach Stars of Track and Field: If you’re not having fun, neither is the audience.".

Flatmates again

Sure I'm in dire need of a liver transplant, and my brain has been significantly pickled in a bath of alcohol-infused cerebrospinal fluid, but it's been a helluva past few days!

Ex-flatmate has since left Boston but his brief stay with me has been the highlight of my six months in Boston so far. It was a surreal experience to see Ex-flatmate in Boston, showing him around and introducing him to my new friends and life here. Detailed blogging of his stay will hopefully eventuate in the coming weeks, but highlights include: 'leaf peeping' in Maine; getting a flat tyre on a major freeway on our return from Maine; playing tour guide and taking Ex-flatmate to my favourite eating haunts; exploring new bars and pubs; chilling out to awesome live music at Matt Murphy's pub; and seeing the Isabella Gardner Museum. Also, Ex-flatmate missing his flight out of Boston and being forced to stay another day was not quite a highlight, but certainly memorable.

Boston is a great city to live in, it's small and easy to get around, has quaint, quiet neighbourhoods that gives the city character and charm, and has a decent selection of places that can be spent dancing, drinking or hanging out during the night. Despite all this, pangs of homesickness have inevitably hit, occurring when things at work have gone pear-shaped or when I'm forced to spend nights solo. These are dangerous times where the mind dwells to dark thoughts and pines for the good old days back in ever so distant Sydney, a familiar home where the comfort of family and close mates beckon. When Ex-flatmate departed it triggered a new wave of homesickness as I know that it will be many months before we'll hang out together again. Sure we can share laughs over the phone or even email, but how can one compare musing about life and love over a beer in a cosy pub to chatting via Skype? You just can't. The saving grace is that I've made some good friends in Boston and we have loads of fun together, but sometimes it's not just quite the same as going out with Ex-flatmate et al.

Back in Sydney, I know Ex-flatmate will miss the States. Prior to Boston he had partied his way through San Francisco and New York in a frenzy of random fun events, chance encounters with interesting people and generally had a blast doing what we all seldom really do on a day-to-day basis, that is, taking time out to enjoy life and be happy. It's been a life-altering experience for him on many different levels and he tells me that he'll start a blog and write about it, so when the time comes I'll link to him if he wants. Should be an intriguing read and I'm looking forward to it.

Now my tourist guide stint is over and it's back to business as usual. My flatmates now again are just my pets, 'Fetch' the turtle and my (unnamed) Siamese fighting fish. But that's OK because there will always be the next visit by Ex-flatmate. Besides, I can look over the photos we took during his stay, remember, and laugh.

Fetch the turtle. Despite the looming close-up shot, Fetch is still a baby and only 2 inches long.

My other flatmate is a Siamese Fighting Fish (they call them Bettas here in Boston).

PhD 101

Ex-flatmate requested a photo of my PhD thesis after reading a previous post where I was rambling on about how chuffed I was with its cover colour, and since he hasn't seen it before here it is mate:

Friend on a jet plane

Travelling solo overseas can be a tough gig. You're in a foreign environment, far from home, lost more often that not, and utterly alone. It's solely your resilience, confidence, organisational skills, charm, inventiveness and luck that will either make it a trip to forget, or savor. It's like a small personal test of your abilities in coping in a stressful and potentially rewarding environment. If you're travelling alone, be pro-active, take a risk now and again, chat to strangers and foremost be confident. Chances are you'll meet some interesting people and have a great time.

Ex-flatmate is currently en-route by himself to the States. It'll be 2 weeks until he makes it to Boston for a few days to visit me, so until then, if you live in San Francisco or New York and happen across a solo Aussie traveller, be kind, say g'day and buy him a beer! In return, you'll be regaled with laid-back charm, rugged outback looks, heroic tales of how we dispense with all the lethal creatures we encounter on a day-to-day basis, and of course you'll be treated to the irresistible Aussie accent that all Americans, deep down, absolutely adore.