My first birthday away from home, and it was a success. I spoke to people from home—mum and dad, Pete, Joanne and my brother Paul. I started celebrating on Friday night, because it was already my birthday in Australia, and I drank my first Cosmopolitan. It was delicious, which makes me slightly bitter, because I don’t want to seem like it’s a drink of choice just because of Sex and the City.

And, since I’ve made it to the ripe old age of 28 without missing out on a birthday celebration of some kind, I had a party on Saturday night. Thirty or so people crowded into my apartment, many of them bringing Australian wine. When I made my (brief) birthday speech I had to explain that the extremely loud exclamation of “OI!” that I made was an indication that it was now time to pay attention to the birthday girl.

Lisa, who I take “The New 18th Century” with, ended up staying on the futon and Sunday almost-still-morning we went “Le Pain Quotidien”, a glorious French bakery/café on M Street for a late breakfast. Proper café au lait in bowls, delicious pastries, organic soft-boiled eggs with fresh breads. It’s my new favourite place to eat, to drink coffee, to sit and scribble.

And presents! A few people brought me presents, the angels! I know I’m meant to be getting close to a grown-up age, but I still get incredibly excited to receive presents. Annie was away for the weekend, so missed the party, but was very pleased to see the marble cheeseboard that Sheena and Jeannine gave me, and we’re planning future cheese-eating ventures to give that cheeseboard a good workout.

The busy weekend meant that I got a little behind in my working routine, but I’m steadily catching up. I have 70 pages left of Bleak House to read for the week, and am halfway through writing my Dickens paper for the week (on the effect of Esther Summerson’s voice as the co-narrator of Bleak House). I’ve just written up a brief overview of Gothic literature for my 18th century class. I have two articles to finish reading, and a proper paper and a note (the note is something on Petronius, as I object to the way Ian Watt treats The Satyricon in his history of the novel, but it’s not completely relevant to the class, so it won’t do for a paper) to write for 18th century still. But: it will all be done.

Then this coming weekend—heaven!—is the National Book Festival. Every time I think of it I get excited, as Charles Simic is going to be in DC on the Mall. And Annie’s having a party for Adersh on Saturday night, as he leaves for India on Sunday. There’ll be wine tasting galore, from what I understand.

I’m planning to get out of the city for at least a day the following weekend. I’ll be curious to see if that plan works out for me!