Rest day from running today, I went for a 42km bike ride instead, not really in the mood for cycling today so I just cruised along taking it easy.
A pretty uneventful day otherwise, just catching up on some sleep and taking it very easy. When I have a 3 day weekend I tend to just bum around on the first day, I have some jobs around the house to keep my occupied for the next two days.
It’s Australia Day today. By in large most of my family earned free passage out here courtesy of the British Government 
.I am not a demonstrably patriotic person but I certainly feel privileged to live in a country like Australia, especially when I see the various citizenship ceremony on the news and understand the reasons why so many people choose to come and live here. We have quite a few Sudanese families that have settled in my area and whenever I see the mums with their gorgeous little munchkins on the bus I think “thank god those children will be growing up here” and count myself damn lucky that despite my parents problems I still had a safe and happy childhood and I never had to see or experience some of the unspeakable things kids in many other countries have to. Having said that we still have plenty of work to do to clean up our own backyard and ensure that our indigenous kids get a better lot aswell. They deserve the same healthcare and educational opportunities as all Aussie kids, both born and migrant and that includes the right to be exposed to and be educated in their own culture and to expect the same life span.
PS – JJJ’s Hottest 100 winner this year, One Crowded Hour by Augie March, I voted for it and a damn deserving winner in my opinion. A band that have been around for a while but really put out a mighty fine album last year, in fact I had trouble narrowing down my vote to this song because I love Cold Acre as well. Last year was a great year for Oz music, I think my 10 votes included 5 Aussie Bands and JBT (Funky Tonight) and Gotye (Hearts a Mess) were also in the top 20. As well as The Hilltop Hoods, who I didn’t vote for only because I knew they would do well regardless. Great to see Australian music going 1, 2 and 3 this year, even if I wasn’t overly enamored of Black Fingernails Red Wine, still a decent song and The Hard Road was probably the best from the HTH last year (OK, Clown Prince was my favorite). And of course I can’t forget to mention The Grates at number 10, so that was 5 Oz bands in the top 10. I think our alternative music scene is much stronger than the cookie cutter Australian Idol mainstream scene. Though I am loathe to call it alternative, let’s try vibrant, original, exciting, thoughtful, fun and just downright better than the bland R&B crap we get on the Top 40.
OK, I can stop streaming the countdown and go get some dinner now 
