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I too am now obsessed with the idea of seeing an F1 car race upside-down. Come on, Mythbusters!

On Friday the Snook took me out to The Vanguard in Newtown to see one of his favorite bands, The Backsliders. I’d never been in there before. It was so cool! An extremely tiny blues bar filled with cosy little candle-lit tables, great food, and fantastic music. We were doing the “dinner and a show” thing and ended up having a full-on three-course meal with cocktails, wine, and dessert. (The only thumbs-down was my Szampan cocktail. I thought it tasted like a Texta*.) I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed hearing live blues. This was like the bizarro version of my favorite London blues bar… and in a lot of ways, it was superior. Good food. Good service. Clean bathrooms. And the #1 reason – no smoke! I highly recommend it.

* Texta is Australian for “Magic Marker.”

The End of the Story
I had my final visit with Dr. Chin tonight so we could wrap up the extra-special episode of House that my mystery stomach ailment had become. I think he was as relieved as I was to finally have the answer. Treatment is to keep taking Nexium for the next six weeks so my stomach can heal, and then to NEVER TAKE IBUPROFEN AGAIN. Seriously. That’s what he said. This damage will heal up, but I’ll always have a sensitivity to it. (Actually the damage was probably done a long time ago.) I’m also not supposed to drink alcohol. Uh-huh. I told him I’d do my best to cut back. Not that I’ve ever been a big drinker… but you can pry my Chardonnay out of my cold, dead hands! (And besides, I need something to fill the void left by Diet Coke.) Seriously, though, thanks for all the sympathy and kind words. I really appreciated it.

Shovelglove: The Sledgehammer Workout. I went to that site expecting it to be a joke – An exercise routine that involves swinging a sledgehammer around your living room? – but it’s actually really cool and thought-out! They have little videos and a messageboard and everything.

Idol Declaration: Women of Australia, you can have your Dean Geyer and your Ricky Muscat. I am firmly on the Bobby Flynn Love Train. That song was freakin’ amazing. I knew he could do the ballads, but I had no idea he could do rock like that. I’m still shaking my head in disbelief. Cold Chisel? Really?? I swooned. Now I’m off to convince the Snook to grow back the ‘fro…

Two fabulous crafty finds today: How to Knit a Princess Leia Wig, and How to Build a Tiki Bar. Sweeeeet.

“Notre Dame Steamrolls Penn State.” Now that’s that kind of headline you like to see in the morning! I’d actually received an invitation to watch the game live from Sebastian, an Aussie guy who went to grad school at ND. A bunch of us went to his place in North Sydney for the home opener last week (among them Kriegel and J.R.), which we watched via some complicated Internet connection he had set up with his friends in the States. The quality was crappy but the novelty of watching the Irish play from Australia (something I haven’t managed in five years) was great. Of course, that was a night game and this one wasn’t… and I couldn’t muster the energy to drag myself out of bed at 4 in the morning in the middle of a freezing downpour. They seem to have done all right without me though!

Project Pipeline

1. Cabled Noro Silk Garden jacket for me. It’s nearly there. I think I may turn the collar into a hood though. The weather has turned horrible as if to taunt me, saying: “Knit faster and you may be able to wear your jacket yet… (but in all truth, it’s going to be blazing hot as soon as you finish).”
2. Elizabeth Zimmerman Surprise Cardigan for Tia’s forthcoming baby.
3. Mitred Square Blanket (MAGIC SQUARES!) for my sister’s forthcoming baby.
4. Feathers balaclava. It’s just as hideous as it sounds. It was a bit of a joke but I’m determined to see it through. It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever knit.
5. Eleven pairs of socks. No, really. I bought the damn wool; I’m going to knit them.
6. Fairisle cardigan in 4ply alpaca for me. I’ve had the yarn for ages; it’s time to get down to business.

Concept courtesy of Mary-Helen, who will be knitting socks right along with me…

In case of rain, it looks like the Goth knitters have nominated Buzzbar Cafe (next to the pet store on King Street) as the alternate stitch and bitch venue.

Brad Pitt says he and Angelina won’t get married until everybody can. And that frickin’ rules. The democratization of marriage is one of the big reasons I hesitated for as long as I did. Too bad my little blog isn’t high profile enough for my political stances to make the AP wire!