My Idea of a Songline, part I

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Originally I was going to comment on this article I saw about the John Cage composition "organ2/ASLSP" which is a 639-year-long opus.

Also, I wanted to comment on my brother’s blog which eludes to my new blog.

However, I am settled on writing about my karaoke night at Bonner’s. Bonner’s is this watering hole about a block away from my house. It’s an Irish bar that does karaoke on Thursday nights.

I was out with a group of co-workers, celebrating someone’s last day, and, of course, all of us encouraged each other to sing. In the mix, as a friend of friend, was an Aussie from Melbourne. They called him up to sing; he had chosen "Land Down Under." Of course he did, any Aussie worth his weight in opals would have picked that.

This triggered a great memory of mine. I had been in Australia for over a week. Everyday since I landed, David and I would hop a bus, usually the 288, and leave North Ryde and head to the QVB. We crossed Harbour Bridge. We walked around the Opera House. We stopped to watch Aboriginals play didgeridoos. Once, we even trekked out to Featherdale Wildlife Park, and I got photographic evidence of my petting wombats, koalas and kangaroos. However, it was not until after watching a match of Australia Rules Football, when the Sydney Swans lost to the Melbourne Demons at the Sydney Cricket Grounds (located on ANZAC Parade) and venturing into the Flinders Hotel, on the corner of Oxford and Flinders Streets and hearing a local Aussie band play a cover of "Land Down Under" did I actually feel that I was in Australia.

We ordered two Tooheys and drank the irony all in.

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