As some of you already know, I've been having Visa issues and will be coming home early as a result. The Olympics have proven itself a pain in the ass to many of the foreigners that currently work in Beijing. It was a long and convoluted process, and in the end got us nowhere. So I will be seeing you all very soon. July 1st to be exact. I fly into NYC and plan to stay with my sister for a few days before heading back to the valley. Look forward to seeing you all then.

On a side note… As I was walking home from dinner I passed by a restaurant that was engulfed in chaos. A group of men were holding onto another shorter and fatter man and persistently beat the hell out of him. A barrage of fists continuously shot out from the pack, and crashed into his swollen face. They threw glasses and plates at him. One even tried hit him with a chair. I'm not sure what the fight was over, but there was a ton cash scatted over the floor. Somewhere between 50 and 100 $100 RMB notes. That's somewhere around $1000 USD. The fight, if you want to call it that, carried on for quite some time and traveled all over the restaurant. The poor man was tossed over and under tables, pushed out the door, then thrown back inside again for additional beating. This continued for about 15 minutes before the ill-equipped security guards got involved. Fortunately the battered man escaped without severe injuries. Or at least it seemed that way.

It will be interesting to move back to the pioneer valley after being here for so long. I've become accustomed to the chaos that consumes this city. In Beijing, there is never a dull moment.