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February is just about half over, and it hasn't been working out quite as I expected it to.

The warm spell lasted only a couple of days, and we're back to the unrepenting wintry weather I have become so unaccustomed to in the last ten years. It's currently -13 with a windchill of -22, and it's supposed to stay this cold at least until Monday.

In the fall I wished for a "real" winter, a long winter with lots of snow, because last year with its mild temperatures was a let down. I got my wish, kind of -- I didn't ask for the cold, just the snow!

I know that it is eventually going to end -- even in Canada winter doesn't go on forever -- but in the meantime I'm so, so tired of it.

TorontoCon was fun but mildly frustrating. Gatherings like that are always a little frustrating, I think, because you get such a short time together with your friends, and if one person or another monopolizes the conversation there's not much you can do about it. So you end up not having the conversations you want to have with the people you want to talk to. It should really be an all-weekend retreat or something.

Having said that, it was great to meet in person people I already know so well, from basically spending my working days in their company. It's not the first time I've met Internet people -- it started back in 1995 with Sascha, and then of course we met Stacey and Len last September. Meeting Internet people has always worked out well for me; if someone's articulate and interesting enough to catch my attention on the Internet they're almost always cool in person too.

TorontoCon got us thinking we should go to Manhattan sometime soon. I'd like to go before September, when Mayaroo leaves for LA. It would be kind of nice to go before the baby comes, but financially that's stupid idea; we need to save for the reno. Optimally, we'd go after the reno but before September, if such a time comes to pass. That's if we go at all; it was only discussed in one conversation.

I'd like to go because I love New York, and because we can visit Sascha (and Leontine!), Jason and Lindsay, Iko, Mayaroo, and Dee.

Last Thursday was my friend Lou's birthday. She decided that to celebrate she would organize a fancy dinner-and-the-opera evening out for some friends. Dinner would be at a wine bar called Crush, and the opera would be Jenufa by Janacek.

Crush is a pretty fancy place, and almost all the men there were dressed in suits. I think our party was slightly underdressed, but it wasn't the snooty kind of place that will make you feel bad if you're not up to snuff, so I didn't feel uncomfortable.

I ordered the foie gras to start, because I don't get the chance to have foie gras very often at the class of establishment I frequent. The only not-extremely-expensive thing that I fancied on the main course menu was steak and frites, the cheapest option, so that's what I ordered for my entree.

The fois gras came just as they dimmed the lights, so what I saw on my plate was a cylinder of brownish stuff with a yellowish edge, a long, narrow slug-looking thing, a pile of yellow jelly, and four small pieces of toast. Because the menu just listed the title of the dish, with no explanatory text, I was left to determine by experimentation what was what with the benefit of very little light.

I soon figured out the cylinder was the fois gras, the main attraction. The slug thing was a quarter-pear, poached in something, and the pile of jelly was indeed some kind of wine jelly. The little toasts were somewhere between regular bread and cake, kind of sweet with a less-chewy texture than bread. I gave the pear to Blake (who I am increasingly using as my human garburator) but the rest of the dish was lovely; I have a weakness for the savoury-sweet combination, and the extra subtlety of the liver and the wineyness of the jelly made it even more fun.

The "steak and frites" was a disappointment. All the other dishes came elegantly plated, but mine was just flung onto the plate as if it were an $8 diner meal. I really got the impression that because I'd ordered the cheapest entree they couldn't be bothered presenting it nicely. It also came with about twice as many fries as anyone in their right mind would eat, so not only am I cheap and aesthetically impaired, I'm a glutton too! It was tasty, though.

I wouldn't go back to the restaurant. They allow smoking, which tells me they don't really care about the food they serve. It was quite expensive, which is fair considering what you get, but I know of places where you can get better food for less money. Still and all, it was good to try something new.

I enjoyed the opera very much. The music wasn't pretty -- not pretty at all -- but it was effective at conveying the story and the emotions of the characters. The performances were great, and the plot was fast-moving and laden with intrigue. I think it would have been even better if I hadn't read the synopsis beforehand. I have this idea that if I don't know the story I'll become irretrievably lost during the opera, but I realized while I was watching that that's silly; the acting and the surtitles make the story very clear. Next time I go to an opera I'll try and watch it unspoiled, so I can enjoy watching the story unfold.

The following Saturday we went to a new Indian restaurant in our neighbourhood, the Jaipur Grille. Normally we don't go out to restaurants, so twice in one week is very weird, but it was an interesting contrast to Crush.

We arrived at around 7:00 on Saturday night, and apparently the city has taken Joanne Kates's review to heart, because we waited for about 20 minutes for a table. If there had been more than two of us we would have been screwed -- as it was two older couples with reservations got in ahead of us. The wait was fine, though -- they have a nice foyer with seats and a couple of coffee table books about Jaipur, and we read the menu and planned our meal while we waited.

We ordered what seemed like enough food for an army: papadums, naan, rice, chicken makhani, bhindi rajasthani, sheek kabob, and ice cream and rasmallai for dessert. I didn't think we'd be able to finish it all, but we devoured everything except half a kabob; it was so tasty that finishing everything was effortless. We took the kabob home, along with some of the sauce from the chicken makhani -- it was too good to leave behind.

The whole bill came to $60, which is $40 less than we paid at Crush. And we got more, better food in a nicer, smoke-free environment. (Next to us was an Indian family gathering of about 12 people, including two little girls around 7 years old. They fidgeted and wandered around the restaurant a little, but no-one seemed to mind; I can't see that happening at Crush. Well, they wouldn't be allowed at Crush at all with the new "either smoking or children" rule.)

It pleases me immensely that we have an Indian restaurant of that caliber right in our own backyard. I expect we will go there often.

Yet still on the topic of food, we've started buying meat and fish from St Lawrence Market instead of at the grocery store. Blake works around the market, so he can just pick the stuff up on his lunch break.

There are lots of reasons this is a good idea. For one thing, grocery store meat is disgusting -- there isn't a butcher in sight so you can't ask for exactly what you want, or for tips on how to cook it, or what's good today. There's something unpleasant about the little white styrofoam trays of meat wrapped in shiny plastic, and the special red lights they use to make it look better.

Conversely, there's something pleasant about getting exactly the cut and amount of meat you want, double-wrapped in brown paper and sold along with advice on how long to cook it. It takes you back to a time when your butcher knew your name and how many children you have, and would save choice bits of offal for you on your birthday. Okay, maybe not, but it is nice to talk to someone about your meat. Makes you think it's coming from a good home.

The other thing is, despite its superior quality, the meat at St Lawrence is cheaper than the grocery store stuff. You're actually paying extra for the bits of plastic and the utter lack of service.

I feel good supporting a Toronto Tradition instead of an anonymous supermarket chain. Really, buying meat at a grocery store is ridiculous in Toronto, since we have so many great butchers. The same goes for bread and produce. Supermarkets are for those "busy" people who need everything in one place. I hope never to be one of those people.

Oh! I almost forgot! I got 88/100 on my singing test. That's "First Class"! I could hardly believe it -- all those mistakes apparently didn't count for much. I'm very happy with that mark, and I expect I'll carry on and take the Grade 7 test next year, if it fits in with baby stuff.