Happy New Year

It's New Year's Day and we are celebrating in traditional style, sleeping all day in front of the TV. It's been a somewhat slow week since much of Hong Kong has been cut off from internet connections since the earthquake in Taiwan last week. Apparently, some underground fiber optic cables were damaged and it effected all connections to N. America and Europe. We couldn't get through by phone, email or internet. Connections are slowing coming back, but it's hit and miss whether you can get through.

We had a fun New Year's Eve last night going out to dinner with friends and then ringing in the new year at an Irish pub called Delaney's. After that, we went to a club that had a New Year's Eve theme party featuring different DJ's all-night and a human count down clock at midnight. We weren't there at midnight so couldn't see what a human count down clock was, but I wonder what the heck that means. I will have to investigate. We went to the club because a friend of our friends was going to do a DJ set at 5:00 a.m.! Of course, Mark and I didn't make it that late. We were home before 2:00. But they seemed to be going strong when we we left.

Mark's cold/flu from Christmas day lasted all week and he was feeling better on New Year's Eve except for a persistent cough. Unfortunately, the beer and being in smoky bars was a bad combination for his throat and he's feeling like crap again. His favorite question lately is "How can the human body create this much snot?" I don't know how to answer that one.

Bailey's Sugar Daddy

Bailey has had two exciting days in a row. Today, she met Charlie Brown Nichols. My boss' 14-year old beagle. They went for a long walk together and they both enjoyed beagle delights such as barking at things, sniffing EVERYTHING, and trying to eat garbage.

When Bailey first saw Charlie, she was so excited to see Sue she couldn't stop howling and yipping at that ear piercing way she has. It scared Charlie to death. He didn't want to go anywhere near her and Bailey was so interested in saying hello to Sue, she didn't care. After 20 minutes of walking together, Charlie got up the courage to sniff her butt, but would run away when she'd turn around. After he realized she was all bark and no bite, they got along like best friends. We'll have to get them together for regular walks since it's just so cute to see them together.

Bailey and Baz go for a hike
Yesterday, on New Year's Eve, Bailey and I joined Laura, Richard and their puppy Baz for a hike up Mt. Butler (the hike behind our apartment). I was very impressed with my slightly chubby 9-year old dog. She kept up with the 5 1/2 month old puppy, no problem. I even let her walk off leash and she would run ahead with Baz, bounding up steps and playing with ease. Baz and Bailey are about the same size now and they make a cute pair running along the trail together. It was a long hike. We even did the Jacob's Ladder steps (all 599 of them) and when we got to the top, instead of coming down the way we came up, we decided to follow another trail that led down the other side of the mountain. We soon discovered is it went down the mountain, up another mountain, down that mountain, up another mountain....I stopped counting after awhile. We eventually landed at a reservoir near a main road and were able to hop taxi's home so we could rest up for a night of partying. I thought Bailey would be sore after 2 1/2 hours hiking up hills, but she jumped up with ease when I asked if she wanted to "go for a walk" this morning to meet Charlie. What a good girl.

Happy New Year to everyone back in the U.S.