A colleague of mine pre-ordered drinks at the Lyric Theatre last night and asked the bar attendant where he might find them at interval. "Will they be outside?" he inquired, gesturing towards the balcony. "I don't know," the attendant replied, "but I'm sure you'll find them."
There must have been something in the air last night. After the show, I was scolded by a waiter for attempting to take a mineral water off his tray - as I have done on hundreds of occasions previously (although, admittedly, rarely involving mineral water). I gather he wanted me to ask for it first - which pretty much defeats the purpose of having them freely on offer.

The ABC may have declined to publish Jonestown, the controversial Chris Masters biography of radio star Alan Jones, but the national broadcaster is still making some money from the venture. At the time of writing, the book is featured on the front page of the ABC Shop site.