Why Australia?

Well I've gotten alot of questions about of all the places in the world, why did I choose Australia? First off I've always thought of Australia as some kind of mystical place where kangaroos box people and dingos eat babies. Who wouldn't want to go there? Plus they have the Great Coral Reef and they had the Crocodile Hunter. Then there's Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts and Hugh Jackman...and then there's Men at Work. So it had its pluses and minuses. But really, I figured if I have 4 months I might as well go to a place that I may never get back to. Places like Ireland or Italy I could go to for a two or three week stay. The flight isn't exactly two days long like it is with Australia. Another good and bad thing about Australia is that they speak English (or sorta english, right mate?). It would have been nice to go and immerse myself in a culture to learn a language. Overall I decided that Australia would be a great experience on the other side of the world...with summer weather.

Now there was also the decision of what program in Australia to choose. There are about three or four offered by Northeastern and my top two choices were Sydney and Bond (at the Gold Coast). Bond is the popular program that is right on the beach and about 30-35 students from Northeastern go every semester. Sydney on the other hand is a major world city with easy access to the beaches. This program is a little less popular with more like 5-10 students going every semester. I decided I wanted to apply to the Sydney program because I love city life and just wanted to experience more than just sitting on the beach. I can do that in Florida. (I know it's not the same ocean or beach, but you know what I mean) So I went with Sydney and now there are five Northeastern students going. Me and four girls. What's nice about this is that I don't have to worry about constantly feeling like I have to go out with Northeastern students and it forces me a little bit to go out and experience the city and meet other people. Although honestly we all know I don't need encouragement to go out and meet people.

Because I'm the only guy on the trip from Northeastern I also lucked out and have a single room. It's a cool suite with a bathroom, kitchenette and lofted bed. I post some pictures of the sample room.

So that's why I chose Australia. Hopefully it will be everything I expect and more. From people who have been I believe it will be. Two weeks til departure. Can't wait.

Currently Listening To: Ray LaMontagne - Till The Sun Goes Black

Ahhh only 16 days

Okay so 16 days is going by too quickly. I just want to thank everyone who made it to my going away party this weekend. It was really good to see everyone. I know I will see a few of you between now and when I leave, but those I don't it was good to wee you. Now it's crunch time. I made copies of all my documents today and now I have to start getting my clothes together and make a list of what else I need to get. I have to go and exchange some money so I have it when I get there. I'm at the library now and its telling me I have to get off the computer. I'll talk more tomorrow...I'm getting very excited

Congratulations to Adelle who gave birth this morning. Good Job waddles!

Currently listening to: Dave Matthews Band - Best of Whats Around Vol. 1 (Disc Two)

21 days til lift-off

So in exactly 21 days from now I will flying high above middle america on my way to Los Angeles. Its insane how soon it will be here. There are still alot of things that I need to get ready before I go. Hopefully I'll have some time this weekend to organize stuff and start packing since it's mostly summer stuff going with me. Tomorrow's high temperature in Albany, NY is 11degrees. That I will not miss while I am away.
Sunday I am having a going away party. I know its early but I have a big family and there are always things going on so this is really the only weekend that we could do it without overlapping with someone elses party. As it is, Sunday is my Uncle Jim and my cousin Allison's birthday.
Lots of good music out now. I'm listening to Mika who is a really unique artist. Kinda of Queen/The Darkness type music but really good. You can hear him on the promo's for MTV's Monday night lineup and some Motorola commercials. While we are talking about music, why is the year that I decide to leave the country the year that I know people going to Coachella and Bonnaroo two huge festivals that i've been trying to go to for years. If you haven't seen the lineup for Coachella check it out at www.coachella.com Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine reunites, Mika and alot more. Maybe I'll fly back to Cali for the weekend...

Currently Listening to: Mika "Grace Kelly"

Everyday a little closer

Every day i get closer i get a little more nervous about what its going to be like. I think I've said before that I've yet to leave the country besides Canada, which doesn't really count. It looks like I'm going to have a laptop over there to use which is going to make a huge difference. Means I can bring all of my music over (not just the 4gb's on my iPod) and I'll be able to update the blog and send pictures more easily.

Just waiting to hear where I'm going to be living and if I'll be living by myself or with another student. Either way I'm not too worried about that. I've lived w/ two guys (my brothers/then my frosh year roommates) and by myself, so either way I'm sure I'll make out okay.

What else am I nervous about? Umm I guess being able to do everything I want in a short period of time. Four months isn't that short amount of time, but it'll fly by I'm sure. I'm excited that there are alot of concerts going on in the area while I'm down there. Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Damien Rice, Snow Patrol, Beastie Boys, and whole bunch of other ones. Hopefully I'll be able to get to a couple of those shows and also some small local bands would be cool.

I have to get my camera ready make sure its working well so I can talk all kinds of pictures. I'll make sure to set up a site so I can link them when I upload them.

Until laters...

Listening to: John Mayer - Continuum

Just over a month until I leave

Happy New Years

I guess its really starting to kick in now that I will be heading to the complete other side of the world in just over a month. This weekend I'll be traveling to NYC and Boston wrapping up a few things and saying my goodbyes. My grandparents just put up and atlas so they can see where I'm going to be and where my cousin Christopher is. He's heading to Sicily with the marines where he'll wait to be deployed over to Iraq again. Thursday night I had dinner w/ a bunch of the guys from high school and one of our teachers. It was good to talk about some great high school memories and realize that we are just as ridiculous as we were back then. The weirdest thing about Northeastern is that I still have a year left and all of my friends are graduating. When we left a couple said "the next time you see us we'll be college graduates." Its baffling how quickly four years has gone by. I can only imagine how quickly my four months in Australia are going to be. I've been looking at all kinds of guide books and Top 10 lists of things to do and I hope I have time to do half of what I want to.

I thought i was going to make it all year without snow, but we got about an inch this week in Upstate NY. The weather has been so abnormal lately that the cold feels abnormal now. Down in Sydney its summer. Can't wait to break out the shorts again and get into that ocean.

35 days.

Listening to Mat Kearney...look for a post about him soon

The difference between a singer and a songwriter

Tonight I had the pleasure of witnessing Corinne Bailey Rae live at NYC Town Hall. My first time at the venue was a great one. The setting and the acoustics were great (except for a few sound glitches towards the end). Going into the show I only knew "Put Your Records On" and didn't know what to expect from the show...but I was blown away. Although there were 10 people on the stage there was no doubt that Corinne was the center of it all. The band and backup singers were the perfect accompaniment to Corinne soaring and soulful voice.

The difference between someone who gets their songs and sings them and someone like Corinne who writes them isn't always evident on an album, but it is clear in a live show. The amount of emotion and energy that was put into each and every note of every song was moving. She was able to connect with the crowd and draw her audience into the palm of her hand.

ALthough it seemed effortless when she sang, the in between banter and praises is where she got flustered. Whether she was clapping along with the audience ("thank you for thanking me and enjoying me so much, perhaps?) or talking just a bit too much, it seems that is the only thing she needs to work on.

"Put your recods On" was played somewhere in the middle of the set and everyone was still there at the end of the show. At the encore she came out and said..."I only have 11 songs that you know, so i guess you're getting the whole album."

A great artist and one who is sure to be around for a few years.

Corinne was also recently nominated for several Grammy awards.

Hodges

So the newest musician I'm hooked on is Hodges. This guy is a singer/songwriter originally from Fort Worth, TX. He moved to LA where he started playing coffee houses, open mics, etc. Got booked to some festivals, was named one of Hollywood's "30 under 30" and continues to expand his fanbase. He is currently finalizing a record deal and the record should be out the first half of 2007. This guy is going to be big in 07...mark my words.

here at MTV i just gave my presentation to my department on him and I think it went really well. if you want to check out some of his songs you can visit is myspace page www.myspace.com/hodgesmuzik or his website www.hodges-music.com. Also you can check out a short clip of him on www.citysessions.com Go to Los Angeles and scroll down to Hodges...and i'm sure theres some live clips on YouTUbe if you search for them.

Tonight going to see Corinne Rae Bailey at Town Hall in NYC. Look for a review later.

Check out: Blink of An Eye by Hodges