Thirty

This is a photo of my tenth birthday dinner. CAN YOU SEE ME AT THE CENTRE OF THE TABLE, COYLY NIBBLING ON A CHIP? My haircut is based on Mary Stuart Masterson's in Some Kind of Wonderful. I wanted to be a drummer back then, but my school music teacher made me play clarinet instead because I was a girl and girls played clarinet; he had obviously never seen Some Kind of Wonderful.

Although the catering at my thirtieth birthday dinner tonight will be a lot more more sophisticated, I can't vouch for the improved maturity of the behaviour. I'm actually secretly hoping that everyone acts like giggly ten-year-old girls, in fact, with maybe one underwhelmed younger brother sitting there at the end of the table awkwardly, because what else is a thirtieth birthday but a good reason to act like you're ten.

In other news, I must explain that I've been neglecting this blog because I haven't had time for it. It's a most ingenious paradox because I wouldn't have so much brilliant and challenging work unless I had this blog, but because I have so much brilliant and challenging work it's hard to have this blog. I'm trying to get back here, but the trip is taking longer than I thought. Stay tuned though; I'm a believer.

Meanwhile, I'll be listening to this all night, and I urge you to as well. My amazing friend Jess McGuire wrote it and I just discovered she wrote this as well, which is better than a telegram from the queen and I don't know what I did to deserve it. Thank you, Jess. And thank you, everyone for reading and staying with me.