365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 331 (Saturday 27 November 2010) : Time to Eat, Swim, Buy Art ...and PAR-TAY!!

Another big day in the cavalcade of fun that is my birthday!

Jason was up bright and sparkling early eating breakfast far too early on a weekend day but my guy and I got up much later and had a leisurely breakfast on the balcony before we set off about 10.30 for Paddington markets, which feature lots of original unique artists, including the man who painted one of the paintings in my room, and to which I haven't been in ages! As usual, Oxford Street was crazy, mad busy, but we found a parking spot in the back streets, walked up to Oxford Street and started shopping! I wasn't going to buy anything - no honestly! Really! Well maybe a little part of me wanted to... - but I saw a small 3D piece of artwork by the same artists who had done my painting and after passing by the stall three times, I grabbed it. I hope he becomes famous one day and justifies my love of his art! Even if he doesn't, it's quirky, colourful and fun and I love it.

After all that walking around on what was a reasonably cool day thnakfully, we sat down for lunch at Anastacia's cafe which while not awful, was not exactly great either. I had the most average chicken caesar salad of my life, and lamented that not all cafes are as good as the majority of the ones in Newtown.

But that was small stumble on a fabulous day. After a lazy afternoon chilling, during which my poor tired guy raced up to the restaurant with my best friend Warren to decorate the place with all manner of fun helium balloons, Fahmi, Jason & I headed up to the Marlborough Hotel for pre-dinner drinks on the top floor, which was deserted when we got there at 6pm. We found a funky open booth in the back near the bar, everyone started buying me cocktails with fabulous names like Easy Lay (peach and raspberry), and Tiki something, giving me wonderful presents (Warren gave me a Smurfs t-shirt with trailer park trash smurfs on it which was SO funny!), and talking up a storm, and before I knew it, time had flown and it was time to go to the restaurant just down the street.

We had taken a gamble on booking a new untried place on King Street called Sherpa's Kitchen, which turned out to be phenomenonally great! The service was warm and friendly, nothing was too much trouble, the private dining room out the back was superb and the food beyond delicious with lots of it! I kept drinking far too much - an entire bottle of white wine no less! - I had the most wonderful time catching up with 23 great friends, many of whom I don't see anywhere near as regularly as I would like to. My gorgeous guy had sourced two very yummy cakes - one cheesecake and one chocolate cake - which we had with Himalyan ice cream, after I had blown out a LOT of candles and giving a heartfelt speech where I thanked Warren and Stephen for doing so much work getting the party organised, and thanked my friends for making my life so rich and special. I am a very blessed man, and tonight confirmed that in spades.

Warren, my beautiful guy, I and Jason finishedoff the night at The Imperial, the iconic gay bar in Erskineville and home to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, where the music was loud and fun, we drank way too much (three Smirnoff black vodkas), a handsome-ish desperate told us he was horny (an interesting approach to getting some fun for the night), and we stumbled home trying to be too loud. I am fairly certain we failed badly and we finally stumbled into bed (Jason, I must stress in his own temporary bed in the loungeroom, and Warren at his nearby apartment) around 2 a.m. for some much needed sleep.