Downtown!

So we made our way downtown yesterday and I finally got to explore a little bit. Steve had some volleball business to attend to, so I was on my own. Well, I was accompanied by a snowstorm. At least there weren't many people about, and the views were gorgeous, with everything blanketed in white. The downtown area is relatively small, but there's lots to see. A girlfriend of one of Steve's teammates was telling us that there are lots of beautiful buildings and churches etc... but that they aren't well maintained and not quite as nice as they could be. She was right - most buildings don't seem to be kept up - but I thought that it really added to their appeal - nothing was in ruins or completely decrepit, you could just see the effects of time in the buildings... something rarely found at home, where everything is new or remodelled, touched up or painted... and if not, then torn down.

Our Moscow and St. Petersburg guide book has a two page deal on Yaroslavl, and notes that the city is knows for its impressive church architecture... and I note that the city may be known for the number of churches in the downtown area... there were so many! And there were some interesting names, like the superfluous Church of St. Demetrius of Salonica and of the Praise of the Blessed Virgin, or the foreboding Church of Nikola the Chopped (eek... what was chopped?).

Church of Elijah the Prophet

Church of Nikola the Chopped !

The mid 17th century Church of Elijah the Prophet was gorgeous - huge, and situated on extensive grounds in the middle of a huge pedestrian square (devoid of pedestrians, full of snow). Apparently it's closed to tourists for the winter, which is unfortunate because it is supposed to have some beautiful frescoes. I'll have to check back... maybe on a Sunday.

There was also a beautiful walkway along the Volga, and lots of parks - it must be bustling and busy in the summer, very nice. I also walked up the banks of the Kotorosl river, and it was neat to think that that these rivers were ancient trade routes... and relatively modern ones too. The Moscow-Volga canal was created in 1937, and now most traffic goes straight to the capital; but prior to that Yaroslavl was an important and busy commercial centre. I stopped by the Museum of City History to see if there was anything in English... but it was closed, and looked closed for the winter.

Walkway along the Volga
At the very right of this picture is the Kotorosl River, and at the very left the Volga... (in the middle a park, with fountains... only in the summer!)

And I found a jacket! yay. And a huge market with clothes, hats, shoes, underwear, beauty products... and a fruit and veggie market! So that was a find... but it's not exactly close to where we live. By the time that Steve was done with his business, he had to get to practise and I was ready to get home... I was cold and covered in snow... it was a great day though and downtown is pretty nice... there's a lot more to see.. hopefully on a clear day! ")

Libraries, warm socks and sushi...

Among some of of the things I always miss over here are dryers, sushi and libraries. I'm not running out of books quite yet but oooooh how I miss the library. I think I might even take a library over warm dry socks and a nice plate of sushi (YUM).... I was just cruising Michael Pollan's website which is fantastic, and I have the urge to read everything he's written. A few summers ago I read The Omnivore's Dilemma, after both of my parents raved about it. In a recent article published in the New York Times and posted on his website (www.michaelpollan.com), he notes that at least 70% of the antibiotics used in the United States are fed to animals living in massive factory farms. Disgusting. And that statistic doesn't even address the drugs that animals are fed in the forms of growth hormones and who knows what else... it's enough to make me turn vegetarian once and for all. I wonder if there is even such a thing as an organic food store here... there must be, but in Yaroslavl? I might be pushing my luck. Enjoy the library... and warms socks and sushi. ")

out on the TOWN...

So we finally made it downtown and saw some of the city by the light of day.... from the cab on our way back from a Russian all-nighter. This is how it went...

Steve's team had a big game on Saturday night, against Russia's (and arguably Europe's) top team, Moscow Dinamo. They'd recently lost a European Cup game in Germany and only had a few days to get back home, train, and make their way to Yaroslavl... poor guys. So the home team won in four sets, with Steve capping them off for game point with a huge block.. yeaaaaaah. It was their first win since October, and Freddy and Steve gave the crowd some awesome entertainment with a game winning monster chest bump. It was weird though, as soon as the game was over, as in maybe 30 seconds after the last point, most of the fans were out of there. There were some pictures taken and autographs signed, congratulations etc., with one fan telling Steve, "you were for sure the second best player on your team, very very good..." - and I suppose it's true - their opposite served eight balls in a row in the fourth set, tallying three aces in that run alone. ANIMAL!

The gym.. it's pretty small, but packed tight...

Game on tv...

Canadian teammate Freddy going back to serve...

So the guys were happy... and I was too. We made our way home, had dinner and began the celebrations.... Russian style. (When in uh, er... Yaroslavl, right?) So after sampling some local vodka, we met up with some teammates around 12:30, and soon after made our way to a disco. I would have NEVER known there was a disco inside this building - no signs, noise, people.... but it was a'happening inside, and it happened until around 7am. It was dark, smoky, and there was techno ALL night long, which is normal over here (save for the rumoured Wednesday R&B night), but what was NOT normal (at least not normal to me, being Canadian and female) were the next to naked dancers that made their way onto a small bridge on the upper level of the bar. They started dancing in poofy, frilly, feathery dresses, with poofy, frilly, feathery fans... and then all of a sudden POOF goes the poof, they were in their very skimpy, barely there underwear, and stayed for around an hour. I guess this is normal.

Anyways, despite the smoke, it was really fun. We stayed until around 7 and waited for the McDonalds to open to have breakfast. Really. Then cabbed home and we were in bed by around 8:30.. spending most of the day recovering from lack of sleep and the several packs of cigarettes we'd second hand smoked. Gross. It was a super fun Saturday night though.... I think they should try to win more often. ")

COLD!

Well, not cold by Winnipeg standards, but it was cold here today (-14 without the windchill) and I was afraid to go outside. The wind was rattling the windows and sweeping snow off the roof and Steve came home from practise this morning shivering. But I figured for the sake of my sanity and my apartment bound self, I had to get out and do some exercise... so, call me crazy! I went for a run. My nose was freezing and so were my toes but it felt good. (I wore several layers of fleece and polypropylene - I felt like I was running in a snowsuit...)

Pics of the Apartment, finalement!

So, Steve has been acting a little strange lately, and I'm not sure if it's because he's been drinking lots of vodka or if it's because he's been buying five litre jugs of beer... ! They don't even bottle Coke in five litre bottles, only water and beer. After we took this picture we were majorly eyeballed by the grocery police, who even inspected the beer jug... very suspicious. What I want to know is where the jugs of red wine are!


Here are some pics of our apartment... finally!

The front door... apartment #54

The kitchen... we don't have a very good selection of pots and pans and kitchen gear... but we can deal with it for three months...

An absolutely looovely shade of mustard yellow for the wraparound couch - hands down the best couch we've ever had!

The office ")
The laundry room - this is how Steve does laundry... ;)

These candy floss pink sheets are what we dub tablecloth sheets.... the quality ain't so good. Steve's caption for this picture on facebook is "Good night my dear" - where the hell do I sleep?

ps. Happy Flag day! Today is the day that the Canadian flag as we know it was first raised in 1965... both on Parliament Hill and across the country. I love our flag!

Happy Valentines Day!!

It was one of the most beautiful days here today... the sun was out in semi-full force and there was blue sky for most of the day! yay. There was a bit of snowstorm/flurry this morning even with the blue sky, so that was a first for me, running in heavy flurries. Funny though, with big snowflakes landing on my nose and in my eyes - battling the elements!! We had a super yummy french toast breakfast this morning, with homemade blueberry syrup - no maple syrup available... :( Steve got me some loooovely flowers and I gave him some yummy chocolates and made breakfast, yum. We went for a walk this afternoon - great weather but very chilly. Happy Valentines day everyone! xox

There are always kids playing hockey in the middle of the open area of our complex of apartments - Steve wants to play too....

My Wednesday...

So I made it to another mall again today, via some super icy sidewalks... and didn't have any luck finding a jacket or a bathing suit, doh. There are huge sales though, with Columbia jackets for about $80 Canadian which I think is a good deal?? Anyways, because we only have one set of keys, Steve and I both assumed that he'd be done with practice before I made it back from the mall (not because I was shopping my brains out, but because it's a 30 minute walk)... but since it went longer than expected, I waited at the same cafe where I had a coffee yesterday in the mini shopping complex beside the grocery store outside our place, and read my book. Instead of having coffee, I decided to do as the Russians do and hit the booze early. I passed on the vodka (the man in front of me in line, with his wife and maybe 6 year old girl, had a cup of warm vodka and a cup of warm apple juice... ew.)and went for the Russian corona which was good. I also had a donut/bun thing that was filled with ricotta cheese and onions, that was yum. After two beers and some snacks, I felt better about the fact that once again, all I'd bought was groceries.


The Mayonnaise Aisle!! (the ENTIRE aisle is mayonnaise)
Some other observations - Russians LOVE love love love mayonnaise. There is an entire aisle devoted to mayonnaise... kind of gross but apparently mayo is their sauce and substitute for everything - salad dressing, sandwich spread, meat sauce, fish sauce, you name it. There seem to be a gazillion different flavours - I covertly took a pic in the store yesterday; yes I was careful to avoid the glares and stares of the grocery police. I've been tempted to take pictures of other parts of the grocery store (like the bins of dried, flaked and shredded fish or the vodka aisle) but I'm not sure if they encourage people take pictures of the food, and prefer to avoid the attention of the grocery police!


my snack at the cafe... yum.



weird sign - I don't get the glasses - put them on??

PS! check out www.etsy.com - neat site with cute crafty things for sale... yum again.

Procrastinating..

Yes, I'm procrastinating. I thought I'd write something to postpone my run in the icy park for another 20 minutes (will it be too dark by then to even go? probably)... I walked to a new shopping complex today (new to me and new to Yaroslavl), and only came back with groceries, very exciting! But the place is so new that most stores aren't open and the ones that are shouldn't be - no stock. Other than that I don't think I've ever mentioned that the town we are living in, Yaroslavl, is one of the oldest cities in Russia, and in 2010 will be celebrating its 1000th birthday! now THAT is crazy.

Canada's oldest city by European standards is either St. John's (the oldest English founded settlement in North-America according to Wikipedia... "discovered in" 1497 and founded as England's first overseas colony in 1583) or Quebec City (founded 1608)- much too short of a search really but my point is that we have to wait a looong time to be able to say that any of our Canadian cities are turning 1000 years of age. So.... I must get downtown and see if I can find a tourist information booth - fingers crossed! okay, time to go for a run... These are pictures of the view from our living room window (usually it's not quite so bleak... I swear!)

The Grocery Store, Putin and some Lettuce!!!

So I've just come back from one of my daily activities - going to the grocery store... so exciting! And I've noticed something that I've failed to mention to Steve or anyone at the risk of sounding totally paranoid. I cannot emphasize enough how different I look here, from other women: when I go to the grocery store I do not wear fancy high heeled boots (don't have any anyways), but Sorels; I do not wear tight pants but jeans; and I don't wear a fancy 3/4 length jacket with fur trim (don't have one of those either) but a kind of ugly maroon down jacket... point being that going to the grocery store is NOT a fashion statement for me. This, however, is not what I've noticed (it was obvious from day one). The grocery store just downstairs has security guards, or store monitor people That patrol the aisles making sure good order is kept and that no one pilfers anything - grocery store police... and I feel that they are always watching me! Do I look that suspicious? Like I said, maybe I'm paranoid BUT... I notice them watching me, wherever I am in the store. It is just so weird!! Oh well. Whatever.

So we made a trip to the mall this weekend, where I looked for boots (no success) and a bathing suit (no success either). I'm surprised I couldn't find a bathing suit that fit me, because people here are taller than most other places we've been. I NEED to find a bathing suit though, because swimming is one of my only workout options; there is a community centre type place across the street where Steve's team trains and plays, but other than the weightroom with one measly bike (the height is non adjustable so I feel like I'm riding a tricycle - it does not work) and running in the snowy park, swimming is my only other option... fingers crossed that I find a bathing suit!!

The mall also had a huge grocery superstore, like Carrefour or Auchan, but the RUssian name is Real. The real deal. And we found lettuce there! There is still a ball of dirt dangling from the roots, and I'm wondering if we can plant it... ??? it is super hot in our apartment, though not a lot of light so who knows what could grow in here. We learned that the only way of turning down the heat in our apartment is by turning on the air conditioning (what the Russian team manager suggested) or opening a window (more logical). For, if we turn the radiators off in our apartment, everyone above us will also lose their heat. We know this because it happened to one of Steve's teammates. For real! So here is our prized lettuce that we are having for dinner! YUM!

Also, Steve and the team had a game... did not go well... so their next three matches are big time important. They are in a position where if they don't win any of these games they might go down to the second division... bad news. Will look for pictures of this past match too.... And here is the picture of Steve shaking Putin's hand... or Putin shaking Steve's hand!!!

Game Time...

So, Russians love their sports, so far we've seen the following on tv: volleyball, basketball, diving, tennis, snow go-carting, handball, hockey, field hockey on ice (it's weird), and table hockey. Yes, table hockey. I thought it was a joke, but no, there is a table hockey league in Russia. These crazies love their hockey! I've yet to see table volleyball... not so sure how that would work. So here are some pictures from Steve's last home game AND some table hockey. I just had to take a video of this...

Steve met PUTIN!

Okay, well he didn't really meet him, but he shook his hand! Crazy. This is how the weekend unravelled... (pre-Putin):

Moscow was awesome! I got picked up at 3am on Sunday to make the drive there... (that part not awesome) and I have to say that even though I was worried we were making the trip in a complete blizzard and in the middle of the night to boot, it was a blessing in disguise because the driver couldn't go faster that 110 or 120km/h. When we arrived a few weeks ago, the same driver scared the lights out of us weaving in and out of traffic, never going below 140. SO! I got to Moscow safe and sound and me up with Steve - we were dropped off at a very luxe hotel-casino complex (www.korston.ru) where the rooms are apparently upwards of 400 USD a night so that was a treat! The food was great there - full on gourmet buffet with fresh fruits and vegetables and SALAD! I went crazy. The dessert was super yummy too - I could just talk about the food....

Anyways, I'm not sure if I even said why we went to Moscow - Steve was selected to play in the All-Star game, in which a Russian all-star team takes on a team of foreigners. So there were a few guys there that we knew, and their significant others had also come along so I had friends! Picki Soto's wife Mimmi was there, and I knew her because Steve and Soto played in Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) together a few years ago. So that was great to see her and hang out. (Reed Priddy's wife Lindsay was there too, and she was super nice, yay.)

So we got settled into the deluxo hotel and made our way downtown to the Red Square - it was super impressive and very beautiful! We cruised around a bit, did some shopping, had crepes, the usual and then headed back to the hotel. We didn't get too much sightseeing in - Steve and the guys had practise... but I took the metro back downtown in search of some boots and a nicer jacket (I feel like SUCH a bum wearing Sorels and a men's down jacket... people give me judgemental looks for SURE -mean).. but no luck. I learned the words for too small (malinki), difficult (trudnih) and I wanted to learn UGLY so I could point at my Sorel's for some sympathy but all I could get from my little dictionary was 'not beautiful' - nyet krasivih - .... so there you go.

I really wanted to go inside the Kremlin, into St. Basil's church and see more of the sights but ... we'll have to go back! I would have had to go without Steve anyways so ....

SO Tuesday night was the game, it was a mega all star line up and the game was sold out - it was packed! There were rumours that Putin was supposed to come, and we were all wondering if that was why the game didn't start on time - we were awaiting el presidente. Anyways, the game started and Russia kind of dominated. Steve started and was 100% in attack! one for one.... good job. But the level was great, they all made the court look so mini. So second set comes along and PUTIN arrives... the crowd applauds, everyone stands up and cameras are going off... but the attention soon went back to the game. He just came and sat in the VIP section with a boatload of other business men dressed in suits and looking very important. He sat beside a famous Russian volleyball player, Elena Godina, because apparently it was the first time he's been to a volleyball game.. but how cool! So Russia won 3-0 (in front of Putin, losing was not an option I guess...), and Putin came down to the court afterwards to congratulate them - shook all of their hands. AND at just this moment my camera's battery ran out (doh!) so I had to do a quick change and didn't get any good Putin handshake shots. Mimmi did though so I'm waiting for a pic from her. So.. that's it!

We got in late Tuesday night and are now getting back into the Yaroslavl routine. Hopefully the internet continues to work and the phone gets fixed... Here are some pics! Miss everyone!

A Russian Rapunzel

Lately I've been feeling like a socially isolated Rapunzel up her soviet tower... I've only met a few people that I can communicate with, and as mentioned in a previous post, one of them is 11. I vowed to venture out and brave the strange language and unfriendly people, and make a trip downtown on the bus. I learned the Russian lingo needed to ask about where I buy a ticket, how much it costs, which busy I take etc. (I want to ask how old the buses are too... they are super rickety) BUT! when I woke up yesterday the internet wasn't working and whoever was supposed to come by at 1:30 didn't come until 4:00.... so I sat around all day not really wasting time but wasting my plans away. Today it is super windy and chilly so that's my excuse for not really wanting to be outside. We went to a hockey game the other night and met someone that works at a magazine that did an article on Freddy (other Canadian guy on the team)... so potential friend! WE were going to hang out last night but I missed her call, she missed mine and ??? it didn't work out. OH well...

I'm making my way to Moscow tonight where I'm going to meet up with Steve tomorrow - he's on his way back from a road trip and staying in Moscow for an all-star game, so that's exciting. We're going to check out the Kremlin and if we have time, see some other Moscow sites. Apparently the all-star game is a big deal... all of the club officials, president, manager, administrators etc. are going to watch because there are famous people speaking and performing at a banquet (there's a banquet!) including a Russian strong man (!?) AND maybe even PUTIN will be there.... isn't that crazy! I wasn't sure whether to believe him, but I think he was serious. So.. ??? We'll see! And bonus - I get to travel to Moscow in the president's private car... pish posh. Here are some pics from the hockey game - the kid lodged between me and Steve is Max...

Remembering Grandpa Larry...

This is a picture of my grandpa Larry after his second hip replacement... what a guy. You'll be sorely missed... and loved forever. xox

Gustav Lawrence Osberg
July 9, 1917- January 28 2008

Overcoming the gloooms

I am slowly getting over the jet lag - sleeping around seven hours straight now - but I'm still up at six, blech. The last few days have been dark and gloomy and I can see why Russian people seem to be so down (or why they drink so much?) I've started to feel a little socially isolated as I haven't had any luck with meeting any English speakers... until two days ago! The lady who owns the apartment came over to deal with our busted washing machine, and her grandson came along. So my first Russian friend is 11 years old and his name is Max. We had to use the dictionary a LOT but his English was far better than my Russian and we were able to communicate... choppy communication. He kept calling her baboushka which I thought was so cute. He was wearing an NHL toque and when I showed him Steve's Leafs jersey he though it was the coolest thing ever. THere's a hockey team here in town and apparently they're pretty good. They've won the RUssian championship 3 times since 2000, and most games are sold out. So Max invited me to go and watch the game with him but I had to decline - I had dinner in the oven... BUT! he came over unannounced yesterday with a ticket for the game tonight - so cute! So I'm going to the hockey game with Max tonight. Steve and Freddy (other Canadian guy who plays on the volleyball team) bought tickets for the three of us yesterday afternoon so I am double booked... what a social life! Steve is training really hard, with two practises a day every day, so it seems like he's spending more time at the gym than he is at home, boo. I am missing the fresh produce that we have in Canada and that we've enjoyed in all of the other (warm) places we've lived. The fresh vegetables in the grocery store downstairs are carrots, onions and potatoes (do all of those qualify as vegetables?) There are also majorly mushy tomatoes... no good. Nyet karoushi. Something like that. So frozen it is. The fruit isn't bad - long distance bananas from Ecuador and yummy clementines from who knows where. I'm still waiting to hit up the big grocery store which will undoubtedly have more options... and hopefully salad. I haven't had a salad since we left two weeks ago... frozen vegetables just aren't doing it for me. I am also running in the snow... yesterday I felt a bit crazy as it was super cold and not really enjoyable; it was -8 without the windchill and it was pretty windy. I did find a yoga studio in town though, yay! so I'll have to find out where it is and how to get there on the bus. Hopefully it's not too far... Steve and the team have a very important, must-win game this weekend but out of town again. Apparently the team is chartering a plane but it is miniscule and has to stop for gas on the way there! Scary. Here are some pics of the park that's close by, where I go running.

People cross country ski in and around the park, and there's a track around this frozen lake that is usually busy...


The main path through the park...


There is also this AWESOME play castle in there... a kids dream.

Our Neighborhood...

First impressions and observations:
- the mood is a little gloomdoom - the sun doesn't come out too much and people are cold and not friendly; they just seem to be sticking to their own business, no eye contact, smiles or hellos
- people drink beer in public at all times of day - there's a nice park close to our apartment and there are always people walking around (lots of baby carriages) and lots of people walking around drinking beer (baby carriage pushers included)
- people are active - walking, cross country skiing, hockey, soccer (even in the snow)
- women wear faaancy clothes... high heeled boots, fancy jackets and matching hats - no sorels and jeans and oversized down jackets - i stick out
- they love techno... it blares from a speaker in the park

Here are some pics from around the neighborhood



Our apartment building



The front door



The magical garbage chute - takes it all...



women at the market... selling pickles and other things in briney liquids



a very christmasy looking vegetable stand near the market... or at a concentration of these enclosed market stalls

ps I went running today in the snow, AND it was snowing... what is russia doing to me!!?

Slippers in the Weight Room?!?

It was so dark and gloomy today I had to have the lights on almost all day... so no pics of the apartment - I don't want people thinking that we live in a cave. It was windy and cold too, so my only outing was to the gym to lift weights. I was the only woman in there with a dozen burly Russian-looking Russians, none of whom were wearing athletic footwear. Some of them were wearing sandals (with socks ew), and some were wearing bedroom slippers! For real. I wonder if the women wear slippers too - what would the reaction be if I went to work out in fuzzy pink la senza slippers? I'm sure they'd offer great support... and they're just so pretty!! blech. There is only one bicycle in the entire complex and the height can't be adjusted so ... no cardio for me until I get clearance to go in the pool (I hope it's at least 25m... and no I don't have to pass a swimming test - a doctor has to certify that I don't have any weird infectious skin diseases - strange but makes sense maybe??) Apparently they don't do cardio here, though there is a ping pong table in the weight room - maybe that's how they get their heart rates up? Not sure. Hopefully it's nicer tomorrow so I can head downtown, I'm not in to braving the cold for the sake of sightseeing... I'd rather keep my slippers on and stay home ")

Jet Lagged and Reading...

Between the two of us we've brough 12 books here.. .which over the course of our three month stay averages out to a book a week, and I'm already ahead of pace. (This doesn't count the 1000 pages of Urban Geography reading, definitely won't get that done in 3 months...) The jet lag is mean and limiting both of us to three hours of sleep at night and 4 in the morning/early afternoon. Last night I slept from 12 until 4 and didn't fall asleep again until 9... doh! But anyways, I've gotten lots of reading done aleady. Book number one was The Long Ships by Frans Bengtsson, a historical fiction about Scandinavian peoples, Vikings etc. and their life and travels. My dad gave it to me because he suspected that Yaroslavl, being situated at the confluence of the Volga and Kotorosl rivers, was on an old Viking trade route... and so it is. It was mentioned in the book while the group was heading from the North Sea to Kiev in search of golden treasure... exciting. The second book down was Journey to the Amazon by Don Starkell.... entertaining but what a nutbar... he could have used some lessons in planning and preparation from Captain Osberg.

In Russia...

We are here! Our internet connection is a little shaky but it feels great to be connected and in touch with people. The trip here was great - I love business class! - and didn't seem too long. The drive from Moscow to Yaroslavl was crazy though - the roads were really dark, it was riddled with trucks, black ice and drivers (such as ours) that were doing 160 km/h... scary. We were happy to arrive safely and tuck into fluorescent pink sheets and sleep for 11 hours! Our apartment is nice and big and located on the outskirts of town. The gym is across the road and there's a small grocery store on the corner, but other than that the buildings are mostly residential - huge concrete, Soviet style apartment blocks. My first impression of the overall mood of this place is that it's pretty gloomy... the sun hasn't come out too much, the people seem very cold, and people drink a lot of beer in public. (I went for a run yesterday in the snow!!! and people were out strolling with babies and drinking beer... at 10am.) First impressions though. I don't understand a thing people are saying... nor can I read anything (yet), and not many people speak english... so I anticipate lots of sign language and gesturing to order food and ask questions. Okay... will write more later.. hopefully the internet continues to work!!

On our way...

The last few days have been crazy! The papers that we needed for our visa were sent to Winnipeg and arrived late - after we'd already flown to Toronto. SO after some issues and stress, we got the papers, got the visa (in 3 hours) and are now waiting at the airport for our flight that leaves bientot. Here's a map that I found of European Russia - we are heading to Yaroslavl, a city of about 600,000 located about 250 kms northeast of Moscow. It's not going to be as cold as Winnipeg, but nowhere near as warm as any of the places we have lived so far. Here's the Wikipedia site - I'll be hijacking information and learning about the surrounding area from there for sure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaroslavl ... will post some pics from Puerto Rico when we get there... and give an update on my first impressions. ")

New Year, New Blogging Habits....

I will post things on here! It's true. I'll post blogs and pics from Christmas, Puerto Rico and RUSSIA... will post soon... Happy 2008!

November!? Already!?

Has it really been that long since I've posted anything on here? I feel that no one would want to read this anyways - not sure who would at least - so... I'm lazy. That's the alternate excuse anyways... really I'm just too lazy and have so many things to do online anyways. Other time wasting things probably. SO! Winnipeg is great, it's starting to get a wee bit chilly... but that's fine. For now. I left the house yesterday morning, late, and it was snow-slushing... so I dug my jacket out of my backpack - cotton and snow-slush get along too well... and make me cold. So I'm taking classes and they're going well and once again I'm interested in things that don't seem to have any apparent use or direction.. or at least they don't seem to direct me to anything that SEEMS useful. I will have another degree in Useless and Obscure Information - as I joked to one of the sissies. Very Monty Pythonesque. Anyways, that's the deal. Working part time at disability services, did some renos on the home - laminate and white paint (the apt is less cave-like now), and ??? saw a mouse, got a haircut. The normal stuff. Hope whoever reads this is having a fabulous day... or night. ")