All grown up!
Last night I went out. Not that this is particularly earth-shattering announcement, as I seem to have been 'out' more in the last year, than in the previous five years put together! However, last night was special, and I just feel led to share the love...
I went to Leichhardt with a very good friend, lets call her Jen. Mainly because that's her name, and she'd get all confused with a pseudonym. Anyway, we were attending to an audience with Jasper Fforde at Shearer's Bookshop. That was our excuse, and it was a damn good one, because what heartless husband could deny their wife a literary outing? Jen & I haven't spent an extended period of time together sans enfants in a bloody long time. I've missed it. I've missed her. And when we have been catching up over coffee, our conversation has revolved around babes (she just had her first a few months ago) and church gossip - topics that can be picked up or dropped at a moments notice as child-related emergencies require...
Jen managed to comandeer a doting grandmother for baby-sitting duty, and we got to Leichhardt at 5:30, giving us a leisurely 2 hour dinner at Carpaccio on Norton St. Being the first customers of the night, we got some personal attention from the owner, and made us feel even more special. Suprisingly gorgeous wine from the Kladis estate in Nowra matched with a meltingly tender beef carpaccio, penne puttanesca and best-ever tiramisu. The food was amazing, and complemented the conversation... we talked. and talked. and talked. It is so refreshing to spend hours in the company of a kindred spirit.
A complementary shot of limoncello fortified us for the mad dash back up Norton St to hear the wonderful Mr Fforde. He was witty and amusing and oh-so cuddlesome. And he is obviously delightfully touched that people love his books... And he lives in Wales. Really, authors don't come much better in my opinion...
Anyway, I've run out of steam, which is hardly surprising... We didn't get back to the Gong until 10:30, which isn't so late for real Grown-Ups, but for pretenders like us it was well past our bedtime.
I've also just started taking my new medication which is making my head not work so well... hence stilted writing and loss of focus. Sorry. Bear with me, hopefully this will get better.
Jen: Thank you!
I went to Leichhardt with a very good friend, lets call her Jen. Mainly because that's her name, and she'd get all confused with a pseudonym. Anyway, we were attending to an audience with Jasper Fforde at Shearer's Bookshop. That was our excuse, and it was a damn good one, because what heartless husband could deny their wife a literary outing? Jen & I haven't spent an extended period of time together sans enfants in a bloody long time. I've missed it. I've missed her. And when we have been catching up over coffee, our conversation has revolved around babes (she just had her first a few months ago) and church gossip - topics that can be picked up or dropped at a moments notice as child-related emergencies require...
Jen managed to comandeer a doting grandmother for baby-sitting duty, and we got to Leichhardt at 5:30, giving us a leisurely 2 hour dinner at Carpaccio on Norton St. Being the first customers of the night, we got some personal attention from the owner, and made us feel even more special. Suprisingly gorgeous wine from the Kladis estate in Nowra matched with a meltingly tender beef carpaccio, penne puttanesca and best-ever tiramisu. The food was amazing, and complemented the conversation... we talked. and talked. and talked. It is so refreshing to spend hours in the company of a kindred spirit.
A complementary shot of limoncello fortified us for the mad dash back up Norton St to hear the wonderful Mr Fforde. He was witty and amusing and oh-so cuddlesome. And he is obviously delightfully touched that people love his books... And he lives in Wales. Really, authors don't come much better in my opinion...
Anyway, I've run out of steam, which is hardly surprising... We didn't get back to the Gong until 10:30, which isn't so late for real Grown-Ups, but for pretenders like us it was well past our bedtime.
I've also just started taking my new medication which is making my head not work so well... hence stilted writing and loss of focus. Sorry. Bear with me, hopefully this will get better.
Jen: Thank you!
posted by actonb at 1:30 pm
14 Comments:
I should have gone home at 10.30. But no. I decided that teh free wine Shearers were handing out wasn't enough, and felt that it was a good idea to go out to dinner anddrink more. Stupid, stupid idea.
But AB, I agree JF was most lovely and not as geeky as I expected. And much more charismatic than I expected.
I should have gone home at 10.30. But no. I decided that the free wine Shearers were handing out wasn't enough, and felt that it was a good idea to go out to dinner and drink more. Stupid, stupid idea.
But AB, I agree JF was most lovely and not as geeky as I expected. And much more charismatic than I expected.
Bugger.
I just re-read the post, and my sudden loss of any semblance of a plot meant that I didn't make my 'oh, I ran into Mel' comment.
So - hey Mel, wasn't it lovely, and so nice to catch up.
Where'd you go for dinner?
Bar Italia. Always a bastion of drunken dining and cheap food.
When I get my new medication I'll read the rest of this post...
OMel - Bar Italia supposedly rocks. I'll save that for next time.
Fingers - I'm honoured and truely touched that you deigned to read even a single word of my inferior rambling :)
Georgia - I do believe that I have never been to Coogee. Ever. Oh, except for once when I took an interstate friend back to the Coogee Bay Hotel, but that was seriously a Drive-Thru moment.
MissShroom - I was respecting and honouring the thesis-ing. Never fear - next time I'll call you regardless!
Sonny - The neighbours are happy that I'm emerging from my hermit-like state. I think. Whatcha doing Friday?
Yeh, stuff you two bitches. Next time you come into my hood i'll get my homies to pop a cap in yo asses ;-p
Shrooms - much as I love and adore you, I think your presence would have ruined the moment. We're going back though - and I promise I'll call you then, you big sook!
HEY, fake fart noises made under the arm during serious moments always ease the tension......
snorting out loud during a big laugh always makes one seem more grown up too.
just like i did out at the restaurant last night...
Hey mex, dont knock the snort laugh...its normally funnier than what you are laughing at.
Oh yeah, the laugh snort is not only incredinly grown up, but tres sexy too.
Um, as a repeat offender, I ain't saying nothink...
But I do like to think that is maybe ... endearing?
Or is it just pitiable...? It's a fine line...
Now with any more [people, I think I'd call that a Punter's gathering - but I won't.
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