It's amazing how fast Monday morning can transition into Friday afternoon. When one is so busy that you don't get a chance to look at the clock it usually happens. That's how every week here has gone for me. This Friday night's plans are to go out to dinner with D from the office. Yes the same D involved in the Saturday Night Fearver piece. She has insisted on taking me to a place in Shekou that she gaurantees to have live rock music. As I have dodged her calls repeatedly the previous week I feel cornered a bit and out of excuses to refuse. Plus I'm a little interested to see wat she's talking about. I relent, and agree to go out. Along the way in the confines of the taxi I'm told that we are going to stop for dinner. With her friends. The old bags that had tormented me only two weeks earlier. Egads! I'm stuck. Oh no what have I got myself into?

We arrive at a busy street corner. Just like every corner here. Bright flashing lights, street vendors, masses of people, the roar of traffic and mopeds beeping their ways' down sidewalks. It's 8:30 and the city is alive and pulsating. I am told that the infamous Carol and Daisy will be joining us with their friends. A coworker of Carol's and Daisy's boyfriend. One by one the group assembles as we make our way towards a Sichuan hot pot restaraunt. As I grab a seat in the restaraunt and catch a glimpse of my company I feel that I have error'd in my initial judgement. and as the dinner goes on I find that I had a little too much fun at their expense. We spend the next 2 hours eating a glorious meal accompanied with great conversation. Carol's coworker is from Shenzhen and his English is excellent. Daisy's boyfriend is a dentist from L.A. and he's a dead ringer for James Gandolfini. Even more so when he smiles while eating.

Did I mention we are eating hot pot? There's a burner in the center of the table with a large metal bowl placed over it. The bowl is filled with broth and oil. There's another smaller bowl in the center of that, that oil is laced with red chilies and chinese peppercorns. Kevin, Carol's coworker, does the ordering for us and soon plate after plate arrives. Shaved beef, radishes and other unspecified tubers, frozen tofu, rice noodles, an assortment of vegetables, more beef, fish jaws. Which by the way are a lot of work for hardly any meat. But it is fun. I realize that after spending the majority of my vacation with the same people I find myself with a bunch of strangers, and it is wonderful.

After dinner we pile into Daisy's tiny Fiat. It's like a clown car. beside the fact that it is painted flourescent green we are crammed everywhich way but loose as we drive to our next location. All the while laughing and talking at once. Daisy has Billy Holliday playing on her stereo, and it's a nice moment. Sitting there listening to that music and watching everyone's bright smiling red, faces. I look out the window at continuous bright lights. masses of people, street vendors, and mopeds beeping their ways' down sidewalks.

We arrive at an Irish bar. Named Macually's. Downstairs is quiet. respectable even. Grey haired Australian businessmen talking tired conversations. Quickly D walks past this somber setting and leads us upstairs, where by golly I here actual rock and roll being played. There are two Scottish guys with mohawks flailing away on their guitar and bass. There's a chinese girl singing and I can't begin to describe the drummer. But like Rodney Dangerfield put it, "Who cares, let's party!" And that we do. Late into the night.