The weekend that was

It hit me quite late in the afternoon yesterday that the weekend was already coming to an end. Bugger. I certainly could have done with an extra day to recuperate and mentally prepare myself for the working week ahead. As planned, Nate and I spent Saturday night at different birthday gatherings at opposite ends of town. Nate headed off to a 21st. I attended a 31st. His was at Hoppers Crossing. Mine was at Claypots in St Kilda. I don't think I've ever eaten as much seafood in my life in a single sitting (and that's saying a lot). The food just kept coming to our table...prawns, mussels, crab, and various kinds of fish. It was sad to see a lot of it go to waste because we couldn't physically fit any more down our gullets! The company was great too. I met the birthday boy's step kids for the first time. These are amazingly well adjusted children. Not only are they completely cool about having two dads but they have got to be some of the most intelligent young people I have ever met. And not at all shy like I used to be when I was their age. After consuming (as best we could) a seemingly never-ending barage of seafood, the dinner party disbanded...kids went home, some of the guys went off to the Laird while the remainder (myself included) headed off for some drinks at a quiet bar/cafe nearby. I was in bed by 2am. Spent Sunday catching up with friends from Canberra that had just moved to Melbourne (minus most of their belongings which was still in the ACT thanks to a delivery truck break down). Took them to the dodgy but delicious Melbourne institution off Little Bourke Street, The Shanghai Dumpling. I think the ex-Canberrans were suitably impressed by the food and will no doubt be regulars. Made ham and pea soup for Sunday dinner and settled into the couch to watch my very first episode of Dexter.