Sylvester!

That's new year that is. Or New Year's Eve specifically, here in the Czech Republic. Some say hogmanay, some say something that's utterly unintelligible by the time midnight comes around, but here it's Silvestr. I don't know why.

I won't be doing anything too exciting, I don't plan to go out. I'll just do the getting drunk at home thing, and I think it will be perfectly pleasant. No actually my home as I don't technically have one, but the home of the guy I'll be spending it with. Partly because I don't have much money, and partly because it's cold and more importantly very icy out there. Ice on the ground and lots of alcohol mean that inevitably at some time the ass is going to meet the ground in a rather unpleasant way, which I'd rather avoid.

I don't know whether it means that I'm getting old because I'm happy to have a quiet-ish night in on New Year's eve. Maybe itt's just that I can actually go out to get all fucked up any night of the year, and really it works better in the summer. Someone really fucked up when they put the new year in the winter.

Of course in Sydney it works. Christmas is kind of silly, with Santas in furry suits all over the city when it's somewhere around 30 degrees, but New Year's is perfect. You get all the fun of hanging around outside, seeing fireworks without freezing your ass off. Or bruising the same ass due to slippery ground.

Speaking of they are already in the new year, so happy new year to all who are already living in next year. I think it's only New Zealand and 2 Australian time zones so far, and anyone else who's in those zones, sorry if my geography of little islands and South East Asia isn't brilliant.

And just because I have nothing else to write about in these dying hours of 2005, how about this,

FREMONT, Calif. - A pack of angry Chihuahuas attacked a police officer who was escorting a teenager home after a traffic stop, authorities said.

The officer suffered minor injuries, including bites to his ankle, Detective Bill Veteran said.

Watch out for more vicious dog attacks in 2006.

Have fun!