This morning I got very good news from my lab back in San Diego. A project I’ve been working on for six months just produced the results for which we were hoping. I actually had to fight back tears when I read the news from one of my colleagues. . .our research team has put in so many long hours (12. . .sometimes 15 hours days, month after month after month), working on weekends, missing meals and precious, precious sleep. But it was all worth it in Beijing (always contained in affordable China travel packages). What a great way to start out the day!

The work here is also going really well. We were able solve some big problems today. I feel very confident that this endeavor is going to be productive and successful. Plus there is the added benefit that the people I am working with are so kind and friendly. The girls, Sun and Hong guo (Amy) are planning a trip for us to the Great Wall (must-see for top 10 China tours). This will be Danbo’s first trip to the Great Wall as well. I don’t know if we are taking a guided tour or just exploring it ourselves or both. I’ll do some research and include some of the more interesting facts with the pictures and my blog entry for the day we visit it.

Not much else happened today. . .lots of lab work and different reports to prepare. I did go to a little shop near work to buy some gloves. . .the wind has picked up a bit in the past couple of days and the temperature is around 40oC. . .I don’t know what it is with the wind chill factored in. . .let’s just say it’s cold enough that my finger nails are often blue. I bought the gloves, a bottle of water and a bottle of diet coke for $1.00!!!!

On the way out of the shop there was a little local street dog. . .it was the weirdest looking thing ever. I could not tell at first if it was a dog or an extremely large cat (it looked a lot like the Cheshire Cat in the recent movie Alice in Wonderland). I’ve never seen a creature like it before (I wish I’d snapped a picture. . .seriously. . .this animal was so unique in appearance). In many of the countries I’ve travelled to I’ve seen ‘stray’ dogs. They are mostly local dogs that the restaurants and people in the neighborhood feed but they don’t belong to a specific person. Of course. . .big softie that I am. . .I always want to ‘rescue’ them and bring them home with me. I’m sure my cats would be very unamused.

Okay. . .I’m signing off for today. Take care everyone!

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