Happy New Year!

A New Year's Day tradition we picked up from our friend Steve several years ago is to go for an outdoor run--in shorts. This is to demonstrate our toughness on the first day, and the spirit then carries with us throughout the year.

This year it was a breezy 26 degrees (with a windchill of 12 degrees) when we continued the annual tradition. Pretty normal weather for this time of year, but we have had both extremes occasionally in the past.

Steve dutifully makes his run each year, and has become ever more creative with his choice of locations. This year he found himself halfway around the world when January 1 arrived. In his words... "(I did) my early morning run on China beach in Danang , Vietnam . This was where our soldiers went for R & R during the war and was famous for its surfing. It’s now a strip of high quality resorts—even has a Colin Montgomery golf course." I am sure it is just a coincidence that all of his creative new venues are in climates warmer than Chicago.

Other New Year's tidbits:

In case you missed it, motorcycle daredevil Robbie Maddison did a pretty spectacular stunt at the Paris Resort on the Las Vegas strip on New Year's Eve. He jumps up a ramp onto a 10-story building, turns around, and rides off the building falling back onto the ramp below. Here is a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLejkyXbJlc

Friends Chris and Matt were lucky enough (and hearty enough) to attend the Blackhawks-Redwings ice tilt at Wrigley on New Year's Day. They had close seats and got some pretty good pics. Here is a sampling (thanks Matt):

One item from the mailbag:

After reading your item about cheesecake, I got to thinking about cookies. You don't "cook" them, you bake them. So shouldn't we call them bakies? -Ken C.

I should have a witty comeback for this one, but I'm stumped??