The Beginning of the Post-Frozen Era

you wouldn't believe it if you saw it... water on the
sidewalk my friends. I don't know if you all have
really had your SUV’s running this whole time or what
but I think most every Russian thermometer has broken
(most only go to -10 degrees Celsius) It's fucking 32
degrees here and shit is melting (I've been assured
that it won't stay). I didn't think I’d live to see
the day when I could go out in just a sweatshirt till
at least march but here I am warm and perhaps
overdressed by Russian standards (they run a higher
bac (blood alcohol content) than I do and can afford
to wear less). Speaking of vodka apparently there are
some nasty rumors circulating the US about a vodka
shortage in Russia...what!?!?!? are you kidding???
there are three yes three aisles in every store with
their own security guard patrolling them making sure
the national resource isn't pilfered.
now about my weekend... Well we went to the St.
Petersburg philharmonic on Saturday night for what was
dubbed "orchestra music" well we pile in to a huge
room (more chandeliers than people...a common
occurrence here) and listen to a 25 minute
introduction followed by the entrance of a pianist and
a violin player who looked like Roger Ebert. He
proceeded to give another 25 minute introduction at
which point those of us not asleep were treated to
about 5 pieces of music. then they musicians got off
stage so obviously we thought that there would be some
more instruments filing on... nope they come back out
(vodka break???) and play another 5 songs and file out
again (second vodka break???) they return a third time
at which point you can look at our group and see who
is making a break at intermission and not turning back
because they are gnawing on some part of their body or
clothing as though a bullet is being removed. (my
parents will be happy to hear I was gnawing on my
fingernails!!)
so we make a break for the closest restaurant we can
find. we go inside sit down, only after admiring the
abundance of dead animals on the walls do we
notice...the stage...yep you got it: strip joint. for
those of you keeping track at home that's 3 strip
joints in 3 weeks. No one was dancing, but there was
no doubt about it. another good meal, Viking themed,
good soup (my staple). then to cap this fine evening
off, it was someone’s birthday. Obviously we needed
champagne, so off to the neighborhood store. The
champagne section unfortunately was a little to close
to the vodka section where the armed guard was and
sadly he had such horrible BO (seinfeld-esque) that we
grabbed the first kind we could find.
Back at the dorm someone asked the question "why does
the champagne have cartoons on it??"...yep children's
champagne a big fat 0.0% alcohol (and yes there is
something rather disturbing with the whole concept of
a whole shelf of kids champagne but this is a country
with a bit of a drinking problem). oh well too bad,
just comes with the Russian territory. then last night
we went to another restaurant (double birthday) which
was good or bad depending who you were and what you
ordered. One girl ordered a tuna sandwich (never go to
close to home in a foreign country) and got tuna piled
on mushrooms and i think beans, no bread. Another
person ordered a ham sandwich and got 2 tiny pieces of
bread and uncooked bacon. i got mushroom soup and
bliny no prob, delicious (i learned my lesson one day
by ordering potatoes and vegetables as a side: 4
slices of grilled potato and a piece of lettuce).
a new interesting development in the dorms is the
bathroom situation, apparently Russian toilets and
baths are telepathically interconnected: once one goes
they all go. about 4 out of 8 rooms are currently
experiencing technical difficulties with the bathroom
scene (i.e. flooding of epic proportions), just more
communist spirit: share and share alike.
and my final little bit of adventure goes out to the
"leftists" shall we say (you know G.W. Bush is
listening) I went to the "Political History Museum" or
communist museum and saw the propaganda, the documents
and clothing of the period (no concrete computer but
one Breshnev era TV, looked like quality picture to
me) and of course I saw Lenin's study, his desk and
the balcony he addressed the proletariat from during
his time in St. Petersburg. All housed in the Tsar's
mistress's former house (Lenin always liked a bit of
irony). And don't worry I snapped up a bunch of
pictures (for 40 rubles you can take pictures of
everything in Russia except the amber room) including
some great soviet stained glass.
Still got 20 minutes of internet time so: a new
person profile Katie or Katya: the third member of my
beginner Russian class apart from Jarrod and myself.
she's kind of like a 5 year old except that she can
pick up languages annoyingly fast (as opposed to
jarrod and myself who have the learning curve of 5
year olds) She enjoys milk, coloring, singing
everything, and dancing (if you thought no one
actually danced like Elaine think again, and she does
bi-daily) she doesn't wear pants, just dresses (bright
idea in 30 below) she even had a blowout argument with
her mother before she left about taking a pair (she
took them but I think she's burnt them). needless to
say she and I don't really see eye to eye on a lot of
things especially because she is a shameless defender
of Tatyana (tatyana has never said net to her the
whole time, in fact she only says "I don't think Katya
is American I think she is Russian!! Jarrod and Ell
what is wrong with you?? why don't you speak like
katya???) again tatyana doesn't really seem to like
guys. that's all I got more from the motherland later
peace ell