Feelin' Groovy on a wet weekend...

I enjoyed my weekend immensely.

I rediscovered the craft of cookery, honing a delicious pumpkin soup and the king of all beef stroganoffs from some simple, market-purchased ingredients.

I hung with some funny friends from work on Saturday and we cackled like crows for hours.

I saw Cody Chessnutt with Chrissy on Saturday night and we felt the vibe, though others didn't. More about the actual gig another time - but as we were leaving, a boob-tubed girl gave Chris a very approving once over and then clocked me and gave me a nod of appreciation. I shot her a smile that said 'Yeah, he's alright, my mazer'.

Later that night when my feet were about to fall off, Chris carried me some of the way (and got heckled to 'give her one from us' by some lads) and then ran around the streets of St Kilda like the lanky streak of piss that he is, searching for the car, which we'd parked somewhere in a labyrinth of tree-lined streets. I sat on a rock waiting for him to bring the car round when he found it. Yes indeed - he's alright, my mazer.

We sat with tea and treats in front of Eurovision* and the gas heater on Sunday eve, tired and content, with the rain gently drumming on the roof.

Today, I am sitting at my desk, doing no work, reflecting that all my friends are correct and present (after a phone call from a long lostie and an email this morning from another), I've won my bids on ebay for two old 80s keyboards (I will know whether this is a good or bad thing when I get around to paying my plastic off in a year's time or so), and life could be so much worse than it is. No - I'll put it another, better way - life is grand.

*On Eurovision:

Boo hiss to the winning entry Finland - their entry stank of undercover Christian cheese-metal, and the costumes looked like cast offs from Lord of the Rings.
Russia, France, Ireland all stuck to the formula of forgettable big ballads (that'll find their way onto ads, no doubt), while Romania and Malta went for Eurotrash dance pop. YAWN. There was a hell of a lot of YAWN this year, unfortunately.
Bosnia-Herzigovina's entry was the only well crafted, properly arranged song in the whole competition, and while I know that's not what it's about any more, I felt a bit sorry that they didn't win.
The UK entry was, as predicted, cloyingly kitsch and awful, but at least entertaining and far more listenable than the Streets. And, as usual, their countrymen went for that cheese ticket when it came to voting, bigging up the novelty factor they love so much (as their music charts attest).
Lithuania's effort was a very effective piss-take, and made us laugh out loud.