OhMyGod. Amy took the BEST picture of me hugging B1 from the Bananas in Pyjamas! Seriously, I look like I’m in love with that banana. She also got a nice one of me and Miss Fee knitting and a close-up of us three girls.

A Prime Birthday
A couple weeks ago I asked the Snook where he wanted to go eat for his birthday. “Let’s eat meat,” he said. “It’s time to drink the Grange.” I gasped. “Are you sure? Is it a special enough occasion?” “Whenever you open the bottle,” he said, “that’s the occasion.” And so it was. We ended up heading out to Kingsleys Steak House (the King Street location) in search of prime beef rich enough to pair with a 29-year-old $700 bottle of wine. (His brother-in-law gifted him the bottle some years ago and it’s been in storage ever since.) That first picture is me and the Snook right before we left the apartment. I have to say though, my first impression of the restaurant wasn’t that great. We were seated right in front of the staircase – prime traffic area – and it seemed kind of busy and touristy. Like, there were kids eating there. (Fair enough, but when I go out for a special dinner I don’t expect to see sprogs.) The food was pretty damn good though, and our service – though not exceptional on a Neil Perry level – was unpretentious and attentive. Normally they don’t allow you to BYO, but we’d made prior arrangements that we were “bringing something special” and the waiter seemed to know what he was doing with the decanter. While we waited for the Grange to “breathe,” we tucked in to damper roll (home-baked bread) and shared an entree platter of Oysters Kilpatrick, Chicken Liver Terrine, and Deep Fried Camembert. (That’s the second picture.) For the mains, I had the filet mignon and the Snook had the ribeye with prawn. My only real complaint about the food as that my filet was way, way redder than it should have been for a medium-rare. It was just plain old rare. I ate it anyway, as it’s not a big deal for me, but I definitely didn’t expect it that bloody. (The Snook’s medium-rare ribeye was much more to my liking.) It was excellent beef though, and the wine – much to our relief – hadn’t turned in to vinegar. I’d like to say that the subtleties of such an expensive wine weren’t wasted on me, but in reality all I can remember was that it was pretty nice and I got pretty tipsy pretty quickly. For desert I had the creme brulee and the Snook had ice cream, which the waitress was kind enough to bring with a birthday candle in it. Wasn’t that sweet? And now I’m full as a tick so I’m going to bed. I have a feeling that I’ll be using my “Get out of Weigh-In Free” card this week…

Note for the fashion conscious: What do you think about the colour of my top? I just got it the night before and I’m terrible at shopping for myself. It’s a very light teal blue and I just thought it made an interesting contrast with my hair. I was also skeptical of the boatneck, but it seemed flattering in the changing room so I went with it. Please be brutal with your assessment; I need to learn.

Stitch ‘n’ Pitch: Now that is a brilliant idea! Of course, if they ever officially introduce it at the cricket I’m going to take credit. (Link courtesy of Jeff.)

Sorry Sis, but I just found a great site discussing the ending of Half-Blood Prince and I have to share it. It’s in the comments though, so you won’t be tempted to look at it. (Don’t even mouse over the link. The URL is a massive spoiler.) And if anyone wants to discuss it, let’s remember to include spoiler warnings to keep the home page clean…

Australia has officially banned the sale of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas… which actually makes me want to finally play it.

Damn. ParkerWatch 2005 is officially over, and I have lost. The fabulous Ms. Posey has managed to elude me. According to my sources, she showed up at the shop yesterday to collect her fugtastic tapestries… right about the time I was at home, up to my elbows in homemade chocolate birthday cake for the Snook.

Happy 29th birthday to Snookums, my geeky little scientist. There’s no one else I’d rather stare down the barrel of thirty with. Here’s to many more years of pancakes, laughter, and snuggles…

Me: So what kind of “experiment” were you conducting here?
Him: Ah, nothing. I was just burnin’ sh*t.

Awww, isn’t that the cutest picture EVER? Baby Ruth is wearing the sleeping bag I knit her. Unfortunately the Baby Norgi sweater – as feared – is too small to fit over her head. (I’ve given Nat instructions on how to have a knitter add a slit neck and a placket.) But didn’t the sleeper turn out cute? I love those bear ears. Maybe someday I’ll forget how awful that yarn is to knit with and do another one.

Spotted! Evidently I was visible on the live video feed from the Knit In this morning, as Mary-Helen reports that she saw me! I did not, however, get interviewed or anything. (For once, I was restrained with the famewhoring.) They must have spoken to someone that sounds like me though, because I got at least one SMS from a friend who thought she heard me…

Okay, you’re not allowed to click on this link if you haven’t finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yet, but if you have… The Alternative Potter. It’s a contest that the Guardian ran where people rewrote the climax of the book in the styles of various other authors. My favorite is the Irvine Welsh (who wrote Trainspotting). I like the idea of Voldemort as Begbie. (Link courtesy of Kevin.)