It’s been a tumultuous week. Whilst generally opposed to mentioning things about TV shows (there’s already more than enough people already doing so), I can’t help but state that we entered a new phase in the Vandenberg household as of Wednesday, the day that Adro won The Biggest Loser. It’s a show that Kim has enjoyed to the point of recording if we go out, and although I missed chunks of it – usually squeezing in piano exercise of my own, I decided that I liked it more than Big Brother – because everyone is a winner!. Coincidentally, Big Brother 2006 started (though we haven’t watched it since the first night, and even stallwarts of this show (like myself) would surely have to admit to some cooling on the concept – or is it just the awfully shallow, conceited people in it this season. Last year there was Tim, the left wing Uni student who actually had a brain, and a near fatal dose of unrequited love for a pretty, neurotic girl called Kate. I wonder how Tim is doing thesedays. We’ve been a lot busier than usual, seeing two cross-dressing actors play all the parts in The Importance of Being Earnest on Tuesday; which I only found out tonight was a direct transcription of the lines used in Wilde’s original play – but the simulated sex, and masturbation scenes were a bit of fanciful extrapolation apparently. I’ll have to read it sometime – or does that mean I’ve already read it now? Highly recommended. 
Earnest, a wonderful play with exquisite timing and choregraphy, and so funny! We saw Greg Fleet at the Comedy Festival lasts Friday in a hot room above the Swiss Club main bar, where wannabees drank Jenever/Schnapps/whatever white spirit, and I tried half a litre of delicious European Dark Wheat beer, the complexity and texture of which I could never achieve in a lifetime of homebrewing. Even cooler was that they allowed you to take drinks in to the venue. He was the first act we saw at the “International” festival, and quite funny, though I was half drunk, tired and full from a lovely meal at Cookie. The wine and beer list in that place is the biggest I’ve ever seen, and I’m in awe. Then, last night we saw Tim Minchin at The HiFi Bar, and the huge venue was packed. His piano playing was amazing, his songs were mostly funny – filled with lyrically inventive, unexpected shock-value gags, but the stand up comedy was almost embarrasingly bad I thought. He’s won lots of awards and everyone else appeared to be laughing a lot, so we must be out of touch with mainstream humour nowdays. Humour is such a personal thing. Tonight we were at MC’s for a housewarming and I took along a new beer to tryout. Wow. I’ll be buying Monteith’s “Lively” Pilsner Beer again. Soon! P.S World of Warcraft full game purchased (sigh).