lightning strikes twice

Vini is a charming little restaurant, right around the corner from my house, seating only a little over twenty people. I hadn’t been there before , but had heard great things about it. Unfortunately, the word has been getting out, and when I opened the “Good Living” section of the paper yesterday, right there was a review of Vini full of compliments and praise. So we didn’t hold much hope of getting in last night, but after a brief half hour wait (passed at the pub), we were greeted and seated.

The meal menu at Vini is very modest — by far the hardest part of ordering is navigating the extensive wine menu. Our marinated olives were forgotten and our glasses half empty by the time the olives belatedly arrived, but not to worry, because the wine and company were first rate. And when our mains landed, pork fillet for her and spaghetti with lamb for me, it was time for more wine, and to devour the meal. Now its not often that I order pasta out, because I’m often struck with the thought that I could do better at home, but in this case, my pasta was truly spectacular. The taste was perfectly matched to the ambiance and decor of the restaurant (sounds strange I know, but its true nonetheless!)

A fine and cost effective evening. It seems sure to be a good dinner destination, though I suspect we’ll have to visit straight after work to get a table.

Yesterday I competed in the city2surf. It was something I’d always wanted to do, but each year it would slip by and I’d miss it. Finally this year I made a commitment, and after starting training (and then abandoning it after too much knee pain), I was full of nervous anticipation for a full 36 hours before the race.

My goals were to finish in under 90 minutes and to keep running the entire way, and I’m happy to say I achieved both of these. My unadjusted time was 102 minutes, but as I was in the “back of the pack” group, where we started a good fifteen to twenty minutes after the first group, I should get adjusted down a fair way.

Anyway, it was a beautiful day for a run. Pretty much the perfect conditions – cool and clear. I was suprised at how large the crowd looked, 63,000 people is a big group!

Update: my adjustment down is 17 minutes and 8 seconds, making my real time 85 minutes and 29 seconds

Update 2: apparently adjustment down was actually 18 minutes and 26 seconds, so my real real time was 84 minutes and 11 seconds (for a 14km run up and down over Sydney’s terrain).

Update 3: probably also worth noting that I finished in 12345th place (that’s right 1-2-3-4-5)

Understanding an economy is a tricky business, and there are an unbelieveable number of factors at play… even so, there are some things that are self evident, and George Soros has some thoughts that pretty much mirror what I’ve been thinking about the Australian economy:

There’s a problem that I think is brewing, and that is the end of the housing boom in the United States and the ability of households to spend more than they earn because the value of their house is rising.