How much is that (stained glass) doggy in the window? ...

As fellow blogger and brewer, Polish Gypsy (pictured here with yours truly praying to a stained glass dog) so eloquently put it, I returned to "the old salt mines" on Thursday. Work. Time then just stopped. The place hasn't changed a bit. I'm not sure whether this is a good thing. Actually, the vibe is not all that great, which is partly due to many people taking voluntary redundancies. It all happened while I was away. Anyway, I went to another work Christmas party last night and am feeling the effects of it today. Hopefully I'll be right for work tomorrow. Nothing like turning up to your place of employment with a monster self-inflicted headache and other symptoms of hungoverness.

Some highlights for this week were heading back to my favourite lunch spot, York Cafe in Little Lonsdale Street between Queen Street and Elizabeth Street, with some work colleagues for my signature dish: Combination meat with vegetables, crispy fried noodles and added cashews. It's the best value in Melbourne, although the price has increased by 50 cents to $9. Plus another 50 cents if you want the cashews.

I also spent some quality time viewing the Gypsy's freshly updated blog, just not on company time. Yeah right. I could continue to lift pictures from his blog (like this one, with myself, Polish Gypsy, Blair Witch Project and Rivjuando paying homage to a brew in progress) but I encourage you to check it out for yourself. How many more links to his website do you need? He even named a beer after me and my fleeting visit to Corvallis called Koala Tribute. The logo is of koala clutching onto a beer stein. Let's toast to that!

Finally, I received an e-mail from (Not So) Single Forever who, like the Gypsy, managed to update her blog after a long hiatus. She had some lovely things to say, including that I left "a resonating memory of goodness" on everyone I met during my time in the Pac NW. Apparently everyone keeps saying: "I wish (insert JB's real name here) would be here for that, he is so much fun." Serious. (NS) SF invited me to her birthday party on January 7th but I'll be in Australia for a while. By the way, my birthday is on the 10th of January, so if anyone wants to send me presents or cash it will be much appreciated. I'm not kidding.