How babies are made… in Germany. HOLY COW. (Probably not safe for work, by the way, even though it’s apparently an actual children’s book.) I still remember just enough German to follow the text. And, um, I just learned a lot of words that I never learned in high school Deutsch.

From Wikipedia:

From the moment he wakes up with gum in his hair, things just do not go Alexander’s way. At breakfast, Alexander’s brothers Nick and Anthony reach into their cereal boxes and pull out amazing prizes, while all Alexander ends up with is . . . cereal. His teacher doesn’t like his drawing of an invisible castle, he loses his yo-yo, there is no dessert in his lunch, the dentist tells him he has a cavity, there is kissing on TV, and he has to wear his railroad train pajamas (he hates his railroad train pajamas). No wonder Alexander wants to move to Australia! The book ends with his mother’s assurance that everyone has bad days, even people who live in Australia.

Even people who live in Australia. Indeed.

ESPN has a really nice article about Notre Dame interhall football. I played for my women’s dorm (GO P-DUB!), but it’s not taken quite as seriously as the men’s version. I mean, the players themselves take it seriously, but since the girls only get to play flag football the cost and insurance issues aren’t so great. Also, I don’t remember that we ever cut anybody from the team. It was more of just a fun thing to do, rather than some fulfillment of a childhood dream or anything. (Link courtesy of RT, who played Defense.)

The “broken windows” theory of crime is correct. That’s neat! I’d heard that rule before but it’s cool that someone actually put it to the test. There’s a burnt trash bin around the corner from our house (no idea whether it was lit deliberately or accidentally by a cigarette butt) and every morning I see it I just mentally recoil. It makes the whole street look so junky. I hope they get rid of it soon.

More veggie box goodness tonight! We got celery, pak choy, a leek, onions, potatoes, carrots (real ones with the tops still on!), a sweet potato, a monster zucchini, lemons, oranges, apples, nectarines, and half a dozen organic eggs. Phew. I used up some of the potatoes and eggs making a Provencal salad. It also had cherry tomatoes, tuna, olives, capers, parsley, and green beans (including four from my garden!). The dressing is white wine vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, and garlic. I served it on a bed of endive and baby silverbeet. If you liked the previous tuna pasta dish I made, you’ll like this one!

Weekend Update: It was grey and horrible the whole time. Do I need to say more? Friday started promising with beers and Japanese food after work, but I was dreading Saturday morning. I had to go to the Knitters’ Guild Executive Committee meeting and give a report on the state of the website. Which isn’t too bad in and of itself, but I knew that there was also going to be quite a bit of discussion about the Ravelry Incident. (Basically, two weeks ago somebody started a discussion thread on Ravelry to air some gripes about the Guild. The Guild didn’t like this AT ALL. The first rule of Knitting Guild is you do not talk about Knitting Guild. Seriously. The whole thing blew up into this huge scandal with the non-Internet using folks feeling very attacked and defensive towards those Ravelry people.) And since I was going to be there, I knew the chances were good that I’d end up trying to defend The Entire Internet to a bunch of aggrieved old ladies. I wasn’t wrong. After three hours of that – I wish I were joking – I headed off to Newtown for SSK. Ahhh, to be around people who get it. That was a nice time. Sunday morning I got up early to head to IKEA with Miss Jane. I’m proud to say I was quite restrained. I got a lazy susan for the pantry, a coat rack for the entry hall, and another Benno to hold our DVDs. (Of course, I haven’t put any of it together yet.) After getting home, I came down with a wicked sinus headache that’s been kicking my butt ever since. My nose is relatively clear but somehow there’s still pressure making me feel nauseous. Standing in the shower clears it momentarily, but I can’t do that 24-7. Any suggestions?

Photos from the Tim Tam production line. *drool* What I wouldn’t give to work in that QA department…

A Room With a… WHAT?
I just watched A Room With a View, the recent TV version that I recorded last weekend. I was prepared for it to suck compared to the Merchant Ivory production, but I was pleasantly surprised! It was less arty, but I think the story was simpler to follow. I really, really liked Rafe Spall as George Emerson. (I didn’t think anybody could top Julian Sands, but I think I prefer this earthier, sexier George.) But wait – did they insinuate that both Mr. Beebe and Cecil were gay? I could’ve gone along with that departure from the book… until the surprise ending. WHAT. THE HELL. George dies on the battlefield? Right after we see them triumphantly getting it on in front of the view of the Arno? And the final scene is her in the field with the carriage driver? That was the weirdest thing ever. Weird and depressing.

The complete screenplay for Wall-E. Just reading the ending made me cry again. (Link courtesy of kottke.)

Red Lantern in Surry Hills
For our anniversary dinner last night, the Snook and I finally got to try out Red Lantern in Surry Hills. I’ve been wanting to go there ever since they were featured on Heat in the Kitchen on SBS a few years back. They do authentic Vietnamese cuisine, and I was in the mood for some seafood. (For those that don’t know, I was a confirmed pescaphobe for most of my life. I *never* ate any seafood at all – not even fish fingers – until I moved to Australia. Suffice it to say, I’ve gotten over myself.) The service was great, friendly and attentive from the start. I was a little disappointed that we couldn’t get the tasting menu – it’s only available for parties of 4 – but our waiter was able to recommend his favorites from the normal menu. We started out with the Goi Cuon (traditional rice paper rolls). They were very good, with lots of mint and large prawns peeking out. There was a spicy peanut-based dipping sauce too. (Truth be told, I think I prefer the Lime & Garlic from Chop Chop, but this was still very nice.) We also went for one of the entree specials: grilled scampi (i.e. langoustine). I’d really only ever seen these on Iron Chef before. ZOMG, SO GOOD. Sweet, creamy meat – not fishy in the slightest – with luscious butter and black pepper and coriander on top. Between the two of us, we were scraping the shell clean in our desperation to savor all of it. For the main, we had the house speciality Cha Chien Don, whole fried snapper with fish sauce, lime, and ginger. It was BEAUTIFUL. The meat came off in juicy hunks, and I even found myself scrabbling after the crispy skin. (Me. The pickiest child in the world eating FISH SKIN. My mother’s head will be spinning, I tell you.) We were too full for dessert, so I finished the night with a Vietnamese liqueur coffee that was so strong it’d curl your hair. So in summary, I had three courses with seafood and I loved all of them. That’s pretty much the highest recommendation I can give right there. (Also, langoustine might be the new truffle. I MUST HAVE MORE.)