History!

Last night I was just setting the sleep timer on the tv and getting ready to let Jeff Goldblum and Law and order lull me to sleep, Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister, called a press conference.  Kevin's deputy Julia Gillard had informed him that she was going to challenge him for the roll of leader of the Labor Party.  Now I know you Americans are wondering what the hell I'm talking about because the news there is full up with stories of the President and some general in Afghanistan.  So let me explain.

Australia has its first female Prime Minister.  And it just happened this morning.  It's a really exiting thing.

Last night at 10:10pm the PM Kevin Rudd called a press conference to say he was being challenged for the leadership of his party, by 10 am this morning it was clear he was going to lose so he stepped down and now we have a new PM.

I guess some explanation is necessary.  For us Americans it seems really crazy that this could happen, but apparently here this sort of thing isn't all that uncommon.  Here's the deal, when Australians hold elections for the Prime Minister, they don't actually vote for the actual person, they vote for the party.  Whoever is the leader of the party becomes the PM.  Kevin Rudd (the labor party by the way, Australia's left wing party) has recently had a string of circumstances that have reflected negatively on him so it seems in desperation the party has decided to boot him from the job and appoint his deputy.   That just happens to be Julia Gillard.

Now I've said before I'm not going to make this a political blog, but I think it's exciting for a number of reasons.  This is the first time Australia has had a woman PM and the first time a PM hasn't even lasted his first term since the great depression.   I don't get a vote here, but I like to follow the politics none the less.

I don't know, maybe it was the excitement of the political coup or my disillusionment with work or maybe it was just payday, but on the way home I stopped at the market and bought a couple of small beef fillets and a bottle of wine.  I pan seared the fillets, made a bit of mashed potato and caramelized some Brussels sprouts and melted some blue cheese on them, then I made a pan reduction of shallot and red wine with a little fresh parsley. Not bad less than $20.  I didn't take any pictures of it because I'm fed up with how ugly food looks on these grey plates.  What can I say? I'm a bit of a snob.

Now I'm gonna make myself a cup of Earl Grey and settle down for Glee.  Have a hell of a Thursday.