An Amazing Weekend...

Notice the contrast... lush, green Athens, and the view from our place the day before we left...

We're back! We had the most amazing weekend... it was so great to get out of here and see friends, feel and see the sun and colour and plant life and happy people, and eat good - wait - GREAT food!! It was a genuine escape. The first day we were there I honestly couldn't stop taking pictures of flowers and plants and trees - there is none of that colour here at ALL. I'm sure we'll see some when spring arrives... (I hope!) but I've obviously really missed seeing colour. And sunshine. And happy people. Can you blame me? It was one of those weekends that seemed like it lasted a week, even though our departure was a complete whirlwind - I'm not sure if I conveyed the flurry of activity that occurred between Wednesday night and Thursday morning - it was sooooo worth it!

Freddy, Reid and Lindsay Priddy, Hector "Piki" Soto, and me and Steve after the game

Like I said in my previous post, the guys won a point (by losing 3-2) and guaranteed the team a spot in the league for next year, so the management was really happy. There was an American and a Puerto Rican player on the other team, and Steve, Freddy and I know Reid Priddy and Hector "Piki" Soto, so it was good to see them. The American's wife comes along on all road trips so she was there too, which was great. We had met in Moscow at the all-star game last month, so it was fun to see her and share stories about life and people in Russia - like the way people stare at you when you wear running shoes, or how some taxi drivers watch movies, while driving.

So anyways, there was a major flurry of activity when we got back here after the game, with four days off we knew we had to go somewhere - and Steve and Freddy wanted out of Russia. They scoured the internet and found a good deal for a weekend in Athens, and by around midnight our trip was booked, including the 3am taxi from Yaroslavl to Moscow. So we had a few hours to pack and clean up etc.: by 7am we were at the airport ready to go, and by 1pm we were in sunny Athens!! The package that we booked on Expedia put us in a nice hotel just outside of the centre of the city, with a view of the Acropolis... it was awesome. We dropped our stuff and took a shuttle downtown to find a place to eat... no problem. We went to a famous souvlakeria restaurant just off of Monastiraki square where we had a few cold beers (it was sunny! and warm!) and some amazing food. The greek salad was out of this world - fresh tomatoes and a huge chunk of feta (SO GOOD!) and so was the souvlaki, tzatziki and pita bread. It was almost like we were experiencing a bit of a culture shock - seeing happy people, fresh, colourful (and cheap) food, music, sunshine, bustling activity, smiles, plants... a stark contrast to what we've gotten used to in Yaroslavl. So we had lunch, walked around a bit and came back to the hotel where we enjoyed the executive lounge and it's free food (and beer)... and then caught a movie at the cinema next door. (All movies and TV shows are dubbed here, and are in the original language with subtitles in Greece.)



After a fantastic sleep in a bed that makes our mattress here seem like a mangled spring box, we were all rested and ready for Day 2. A few friends were due to arrive sometime after lunch - Carla was flying in from Alexandroupoli (her husband Chris - Canadian National team player, is playing there...) and our buddy Nik that we met last year in Patras was making his way from Kavasila - so I spent the morning downtown (walking around in the rain - no problem!) while Steve and Freddy treated themselves to a morning at the spa... yes the spa. I chose shopping over the spa... but didn't have much success... though the long walk was super enjoyable - as was the coffee, the Greek pastry (I wanted to buy everything at the bakery... I also wanted to take pictures - remember, no bakeries or amazing goodies here) and the gyro I ate for lunch. Yum.

That afternoon, the whole group met up at the hotel and it was SO good to see Carla and Nik... and we went for coffee... and then out for dinner at a small taverna in the suburbs (definitely not on the tourist track) where we stuffed ourselves silly. I feel like I can't stop talking about how amazing the food was... but it's true. It was so so so good.. and we ate so so so much. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves - it was super delicious and super cheap. We would have paid two or three times more to eat this kind of a meal (I'm thinking quality and quantity) in Russia. The meal put us out of commission for the night - we were all too full to do anything else - not to mention that it was after midnight by the time we were done.... so we caught a cab back to the hotel. It was an interesting ride - as Carla said, she hoped the beer breath was ours and not the drivers... but he was friendly, funny and chatted us up - again, the polar opposite of a cab driver here in Russia - quiet, cold and stoic.

Steve, Nik and Freddy - before the feast

How good does that look?! An unforgettable salad...



Saturday was another great day. We met up with Chris and a few of his Canadian teammates at the Acropolis - it was a bit of a Team Canada Volleyball Reunion up there. The place was crawling with kids (spring break) and Steve and Gavin, whose combined height is over four metres, also proved to be a bit of an attraction. It was a gorgeous day, and super fun to meet up with a group of Canadian friends. Carla and I went on to check out Ancient Agora, the Temple of Zeus and the Olympic Stadium while the rest of the guys had lunch and found a cafe to watch a European cup volleyball game. Carla and I had an awesome time walking around the city, talking, catching up and enjoying the weather - we both got a bit of a sunburn - my skin hadn't seen the sun since January. So, the plan for the rest of the day was to watch a Euro cup game on TV (volleyball), and then find the gym where the Alexandroupoli team (stacked with Canadian players) was playing... and watch that game. The first part of the plan worked out... but the second part, not so much. We found the gym, and settled in to catch the last few points of the first set. The teams were maybe five points into the second set when, from the midst of the home team's unruly, chanting, thuggish fan club, comes a full beer - thrown onto the court, spraying beer everywhere, and dousing a few players in the process. Apparently this kind of a thing isn't uncommon... and the rule is that if it happens twice (we werent' sure if that meant twice in a season or twice in a game), the other team wins by default. Of course it isn't always enforced... but there has to be some kind of a process or punishment for the team that is associated with the out-of-control fans (fanatics). So.... after loooong wait... we found out that the game was called.. and that Alexandroupoli would leave by police escort. Nik suggested that we get out of there pronto.... and we did. It was exciting and a bit scary and nutso and crazy. We found out later that it took two hours for the police escort to arrive, during which time the Canadians, along with the rest of their team, were stuck in their locker room, guarded/protected by police. Seriously!?

So anyways, we made it back to the hotel and met up with the other Canadian players a few hours later. We had a few drinks and then made our way to Dekko, a club downtown where Nik and a few of his friends had made reservations for a big par-tay! We had an awesome time... even with the smoke and mega-blasting tunes. So.. that's it! Our journey home was long - the flight wasn't that bad, but the four hour drive from Moscow to Yaroslavl was - with all of the trucks and slow traffic, 40km/h was our average speed for a good portion of the trip. We arrived safely to what seems like a new season here - it was mildly warm here... not Athens warm but spring weather warm.... so hopefully that lasts. There is still some snow here and there... but the sun is shining today and we both feel refreshed and rejuvenated after an incredible weekend with great friends... and great weather and amazing food!
Me and Carla at the Acropolis

Me and Steve - amazing weather, amazing view!



Me, Steve and Nik out on the town on Saturday night...

To Athens... why not!?

So the guys had a game tonight and didn't win, but lost in five - and by winning two sets they gained a much needed point to guarantee a spot in the top 10 teams... this means no relegation! So, everyone was very happy after they won the fourth set and after losing the fifth... well, we were disappointed but not terribly. They don't play until next Saturday and ... get four days off! We came home after the game and the guys got online right away, searching for cheap flights/packages out of Moscow... which wasn't too easy. Expedia proved to be the best bet and we found a pretty good deal on flights and hotel for three days... so we are going to Athens!! We're meeting some friends that are already in Greece there, so it will be great to meet up with some familiar faces - yay! We leave in the middle of the night for Moscow - this will be a bit of a trek... but it will be worth it - warm weather! And friends! And shopping! And a break from some of the gloom and doom that is plaguing the transition from winter to spring... so, I'll write again on Sunday or Monday when we get back - have a great weekend!

Grim statistics... grey weather...

A few days ago we saw some more grim statistics of the war in Iraq: entering its sixth year, the U.S. death toll has passed the mark of 4,000. This number seems very high and very sad and definitely news that gets our attention. I keep referring to CBC since it's my number one go-to source for news... that is, besides Russia Today, our English news channel which we love - we get great news about Russia and the world... but the point that I want to make is that the fact that between 80,000 and 90,000 Iraqis have been killed is mentioned only in passing, at the end of the news reports and articles. Why? Why this focus on American military death and not the toll the war has taken on Iraqi civilians? I came across the grimly named Iraq Body Count website, that has some good (sad) articles about the loss of civilian life in Iraq - I had no idea that the U.S. army compensated families with condolence payments for "accidental" deaths or incidents. I feel like this is a very depressing thing to blog about so I'll stop. You can follow the links if you're interested...

ANYWAYS! Yesterday I had an interesting afternoon.... I went to the volleyball office to scan some ahem, documents, and on my way out I ran into the president, who invited me into his office for five minutes. Well, the five minutes turned out to be 60 minutes.... wow. At first he wanted to talk about Steve and the team and contracts and sponsors and blah blah blah, and then he started going on about the league, and the sneaky back-handedness of Russian volleyball was revealed. He told me about conversations he's had with the confederation regarding whether or not the refs would be fair, and of the six teams in the league that are, as he put it, "confederation teams, mafia teams." Now I don't really know what that's supposed to mean, but he implied that these teams, with their connections with the federation and the help of their healthy bank accounts, will avoid relegation, even if it means fixing games and paying off officials. I just smiled and nodded and put in two cents every now and then smiled and nodded some more... until someone came in and he abruptly ended our impromptu meeting by stopping almost mid-sentence and saying "Okay bye thank you." So that was it then! Very interesting. When I talked to Steve about our (one-sided) conversation... he wasn't really sure if the league was as corrupt as the president made it out to be.. and just laughed at me for being stuck in there listening to him for an hour. So yup. I had a great swim this morning and feel drained of energy... it's slush-city to the max today, and very very foggy... it is one grey day. But at least it's not snowing!!

Memories of last year's Greek Easter...

Steve made this slide show after Easter last year, which we spent with the Mixalopoulos family in Kavasila, Ilia, Greece. It was an experience... LOTS of meat and so much food... an awesome time with an awesome family!!!

Happy Easter!

I'm a day late again... sort of! Even though we didn't celebrate Easter here, we had a great weekend. The Russians don't celebrate Easter for several more weeks, as the Russian Orthodox Church (along with the majority of Eastern Orthodox Churches) follows the Julian calendar in determining religious holidays. (Christmas is celebrated on January 7th, and Easter, this year, on April 27th.) Anyways! Over the past few days we've been able to talk to some friends and family and that has been awesome.... we love skype. What else... okay, on Saturday night, we were all feeling pretty mellow; usually Saturday night involves a game, vodka and a smoky nightclub, but we were up for none of the above. SO! We had a sushi party! Freddy and I went and picked up Dasha and went to the airplane sushi restaurant to order the goods while Steve chilled out here. We all came back to our place, and after about an hour there was a delivery of the most delicious sushi spread.... it was SO GOOD! We are definitely going to do this more often, we had no idea that they delivered AND you can order online! That part might be problematic though, seeing as how their site is in Russian. We had a great night eating sushi, doing the puzzle, watching TV (movies are dubbed but you can kind of still hear the English if you really focus... ) and ??? Steve, Freddy and I are all hooked on The Office... and the two of them love quoting the show. After a while Dasha was convinced that she had to see it.... to see if it was really that funny. And it wasn't - it was lost in translation.


Easter Sunday was a pretty mellow day - there was no Easter bunny and we didn't do anything special for dinner (and we didn't go to church)... but! We did go ice skating! It was super fun!! We just recently found out that the ice rink where the local hockey team plays (that is a five minute walk from our place) is open to the public every now and then (we were unable to get a schedule....), so we went! We were unsure of where to go, and at the entrance to the bowling alley (part of the ice-rink-complex) met a very nice security guard who escorted us to the correct entrance and helped us throughout the entire process of procuring skates (they had Steve's size! We asked for the biggest ones...) to actually getting on the ice - he didn't hold our hands, but didn't disappear until we were skating. SO! The process was different than it is at home - there were lots of stations to visit to get skates, drop off your coat, and then your shoes, and at each station you're given a tag for your stuff, and tags indicating how long you can be on the ice. You can pay for half an hour or an hour: for the two of us, including skate rentals, an hour long skate cost 490 roubles, about $20. There are women that write your number down on a white board, and then call it out once your time is up. Vraiment interessant. It seems a bit expensive, no? It's strange... people don't seem to make that much money here, but most activities cost more here than they do at home. There were quite a few people there though.... not so many that Steve couldn't rip around - I felt a little shaky on my hockey skates.. I'm used to that pick... at least that's my excuse - we hadn't been skating in yeeeeears. Then, when our time was up, the security guard appeared and gave us each a present... a hockey puck! He was, without a doubt, the kindest stranger we've met here... it was so refreshing to be treated nicely when we've kind of gotten used to a rude, indifferent attitude from people that we don't know. It made our skating experience that much better... yay! So we had a great weekend.... and hopefully you did too! Happy Easter!

So much to learn....

Yesterday two Russian journalists were killed, one in Moscow and one in Makhachkala, the capital of the Republic of Dagestan. Both were from Dagestan, a semi-autonomous republic in southwest Russia, and both were blacklisted from a popular newspaper after apparently protesting or making public the fact that they (among others I'm sure) were being forced to produce negative reports about the government and president of the republic. The investigation is treating the murders as two separate, unconnected cases. CBC ran a small story on the matter, and I find it interesting that, within the first two sentences it is mentioned that Dagestan is a Muslim province; this wasn't mentioned at all on the news here. In any case, there are a lot of issues surrounding media, media restrictions and censorship here, and Russia has come under fire for tightening these freedoms here over the past several years. I don't know much about the issue but a question that immediately came to mind after hearing about fate of these Dagestani journalists was how the relationship between the government and leadership of a semi-autonomous republic and that of Russia works. How autonomous are these republics? How can censorship and media and political freedoms can be monitored, regulated, assessed etc., by both the government of the republic and by the central Russian government? I knew nothing about the administration of Russia so looked into it... and briefly, this is what I learned.

Russia has 21 republics - each nominally autonomous, with their own constitution, president and parliament, and is represented internationally by the central Russian government; these republics are home to ethnic groups and ethnic minorities. There are also 46 provinces, nine territories, one autonomous province (the Jewish Autonomous Province), four autonomous districts and two federal cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Last week Steve's team travelled to Ufa, which is part of the republic of Bashkortostan; before the game two anthems were played - first, that of Bashkortostan, and second, the Russian anthem. He also said that there was a smallish section fans that sang the first anthem more rigorously than the other spectators; they were dressed in what looked like traditional garb - white robes... and had darker skin and Asian features.

All of these republics are populated by several different ethnic groups, all with their own history, customs, language and even government... but are still part of Russia - almost like a country within a country. Russia has been very clear that it will maintain territorial integrity at all costs; after Kosovo's declaration of independence (which Russia has not and will not recognize), there were fears that some of these republics might try to do the same, but nothing to that effect has happened. I'm guessing that memories of the Chechen conflict and the heavy hand that the Russian military dealt rebels and separatists there still send a pretty clear message to dissuade serious separatist movement elsewhere. There was another show on the news the other night though, with presidents of a few republics stating their allegiance to Russia and the desire of their people to remain part of Russia; this connection gives these republics many economic advantages that otherwise they wouldn't enjoy. Theoretically, it seems like a pretty good set up, that ethnic groups can be self-governing in their own republics, preserving their language, culture, history etc. in their own mini-country. But again, what happens when their interests conflict with those of their neighbor? Or those of Russia? And, how autonomous are they really? So many questions!

On a totally unrelated subject, I wanted to say something about the amazing databases that I've been accessing through the University of Manitoba... there are SO many online journals, magazines, newspapers, and databases that can be accessed through the library, it is so cool! I think that many of these mega-collections of information can be accessed through public libraries as well - I know that in Winnipeg I could get at them with my library card number and a pass code; maybe this news just to me but ... maybe not! Anyways, it's almost impossible to stay on track because there are so many neat magazines and articles that lead you to other neat magazines and articles... okay, yup. Point made, the internet is awesome.

There are no games this weekend, and we're not really sure why - I don't think it has anything to do with Easter (Eastern Orthodox Easter isn't celebrated for another month) because there are hockey games, soccer games and basketball games this weekend... so ??? This is a good thing for Steve's team - the setter is still in the hospital, and the nature of his illness is still unknown - we were told that it has something to do with his saliva. Riiiight. After that we were told that it is untranslatable. Okay! So hopefully he's better for Wednesday's game. Hopefully his saliva is better. Ew. Okay... it's sunny today but I imagine that it's cold - it's been very wintery and blustery for the past few days.... spring where are you!?

Vernal Equinox

The unofficial Earth Day Flag

Spring? I am not in the least convinced that it is spring. Steve got home in the middle of the night and was chilled to the bone - winter returned in the middle of the night and was in full force today: blustery high winds (arrrr) and a new coat of paint - snow snow snow everywhere. Blah. But, equinox has come and gone nonetheless... Apparently today was also International Earth Day (or International Equinoctial Earth Day - what a mouthful) even though Earth Day is celebrated/recognized in Canada on April 22nd... I'm not too savvy on Earth Day days, EVERY day should should be earth day! Okay, enough. It was also World Storytelling Day - I've never heard of this one but I like it... I love stories. Here is the official flag, which I also like.


I read on Wikipedia that there was the first officially organized storytelling "concert" last year in Newfoundland, and the theme was The Wanderer (this year's theme was Dreams). I'm sure it was really neat - probably a little weird in an nice, eclectic way, with lots of characters... and not just from books and stories! I have so many great memories of reading and stories and being read to ... yay. There is a Storytellers of Canada site with links to events, and I'm sure there are many events at local libraries... though I'm not sure if anything happened here. The only library that I've seen here was housed in a very old, grey building (it looked like an old dead monster-building) and showed no signs of life... sad. Anyways, Earth Day, Storytelling Day and Equinox - a notable day overall.

The only thing of note from our day today was the semi feast we enjoyed for dinner: roast chicken, mashed potatoes, candied carrots and a yummy salad - with chocolate pudding cake for dessert. It was SO good and now I am SO full and I'm going to try to heave myself off of the couch and finish my book. I hope. This might be our Easter dinner, as Easter isn't celebrated here for another month or so... will the Easter bunny know about this change of date? We'll have to wait and see....

A Productive Day....

I'm feeling as though I am losing the amazing efficiency that has governed my day today... noooo! Yesterday I was productive for approximately four hours, and that's including my swim (and working on my paper.) For the rest of the day I did some stuff online... but entirely without focus, and it wasn't until my eyes started burning that I realized I had been on the computer for WAY too long and in the apartment for WAY too long. I had to get out... and so I did. It was dark, but I went for a walk in the park anyways where I was wondering... is this safe? But there were other women walking, albeit in pairs... I just figure that since I'm twice the size of most women here (in more ways than one - they are skinny skinny skinny! here) potential assailants would go for the two for one grab. No, it's entirely safe. At least it feels that way. The day's malleable slush had frozen into dangerous mini peaks and valleys which makes a walk in the park... uh, something somewhat more difficult that what that expression usually implies. It was fresh air though, and I forbade myself from any more computer use and decided to be more productive. So, I came home, studied... puzzled... read... and went to bed. It was more productive than the afternoon's internet vortex - my eyes and my brain felt better.

SO! My goal for the day today was to be efficient! That sounds SO nerdy... but it was.. and mission accomplished. I did some productive stuff online, finished the rought draft of my paper (yay!) and cleaned! You know when you start cleaning... and realize that over the recent weeks you've had some sort of myopia when it comes to thoroughness?! Or maybe I was just overcome with hyper-excessive attention to detail and ... a sort of over-reactive cleaning mania! Well, it hit me today. So, I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and even though I think the vacuum cleaner is broken... I did the best I could. So yay, we have a clean apartment.

This afternoon I took the bus downtown to go shopping... even though the shopping here isn't that great. I tried on a pair of shorts that I saw a girl wearing on Saturday night... they're super cute but just didn't fit me at ALL, boo. I was also tempted to ask about boots... to see if any stores had my size but all of the shoe stores I went in were full of frenzied women and I just didn't feel like dealing with the language issues and the no-we-don't-have-your-huge-size looks. So once again all I came home with was a bag full of groceries... but, oh well. Oh! And I also came across the Maison d'Amitie de Poitiers et Yaroslavl... or something like that - a friendship house between the sister cities of Poitiers and Yaroslavl! Crazy! So I went in and spoke with the two women who were working there (en francais)... there's a small library and they offer french language courses mostly to kids... but to adults as well. I've never seen anything like that before! A joint sister city friendship house... chouette!


I just heard from Steve and they lost their game - game seven did not prove to be so lucky - their winning streak has been broken. Apparently their setter didn't travel because he was in the hospital, but it wasn't really explained what was wrong with him... translation difficulties I guess. Strange. So anyways, they are on their way back here tonight, yay! There is only one month left in the season, and time is flying by... as usual.

I walked home from downtown this afternoon, and here are a few random pictures from along the way:

One of the main chuches downtown: the main part was closed, with only a small area with several different icons and statues open for visitors.

People ice-fishing on the Kotorosl - this is close to the mouth of the river, where it meets the Volga...


The grocery store... not very exciting!!

Another Tuesday...

So, yesterday was a beautiful day, with the temperature getting as high as five degrees! It was really a lovely, spring day even with the wet snow melting everywhere, revealing winter's buried garbage. This doesn't paint a very pretty picture - there is quite a bit of garbage everywhere - mostly beer bottles, cigarette butts and remains of bags of potato chips - but it's not SO bad. You just can't ignore it - it's an instant observation. Anyways, so I was really surprised to wake up this morning to a blizzard! In all of my winter naivite (remember, this is the first year Steve and I have experienced a winter in six years) I thought, maybe it's over! Maybe this is Spring! Hurray! No. False. So I made pancakes, wishing away the winter and welcoming the big round yellow golden pancake. I mean sun. Yum.


Okay, I admit that this looks bad... maybe people think that the storm drain is a garbage chute? And missing? By a lot....!? I don't know!

Last night I went out for sushi! It was SO GOOD! Daria and I went to the Airplane Sushi restaurant (as named by me) - the interior was as if you were on a super-sized airplane! It was really neat... the decor was great and so was the food. We just grabbed whatever plates we wanted off of a revolving sushi belt and enjoyed... so so so good. We took one of those minivan buses back home - it was a very cramped ride, and a little too close for comfort with grumpy fur-clad Russian women. Weird.

I'm just back from a great swim and scarfed down some lunch; and now it's time to do some school work. I'm taking an Urban Geography course online and have a paper to write on the relationship between urban growth and improvements in transport technology. It's actually pretty interesting, and has made me think a lot about the challenges a city like Vancouver is facing with it's rapid growth and geographic constrictions. Hmmm... and global warming. Okay, I better get to it.

I had to balance out the ugly stormdrain-garbage picture with something nice... so here it is. Just after we got engaged this past August in Lighthouse Park. ")

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I think that this day was supposed to be celebrated on Saturday... and was changed because of the conflict between Holy Monday and the likely tom-foolery that accompanies this day of celebration and feasting/drinking.... but Happy St. Pat's day anyways!!

Despite a bad case of lazies yesterday, we had a great weekend! The guys won AGAIN! Making it six in a row - they were 1-10 in the first half of the season and are 6-0 in the second half... amazin' amazin' amazin'. They quickly did away with the other team 3-0; the game couldn't have lasted much longer than an hour. After the game we went to a small Italian place where the waiter dumped an entire beer on Steve... right in the crotch. DOH! It was kind of funny.... okay it was really funny, but not so much for poor Steve who had to sit through dinner with wet jeans. We came back to our apartment and did the usual Saturday night routine - we watched the game (again!) on tv, had a few beverages and then made our way to the Summit club around one. It was a good night but again, yesterday was mega lazy - I worked on a 1500 piece puzzle that we bought last week and went for a walk in the slushy park - these were my main activities. Sounds a bit boring, and it was... but I was okay with it.

The other day I talked a bit about the relationship between Russia and the USA and ranted a bit about USA's admonishment of democracy and human rights here. A few days ago the people at Russia Today had a great interview with Dan Rather - well, it's not so much that the interview was great... but what Dan Rather said was great - very illuminating and informative. He spoke so well and had some really intelligent things to say about the relationship between the two countries, and between this great Eastern giant and the new, all-powerful West. If you have ten minutes and are at all interested... it's definitely worth watching.




Steve left this morning for Ufa, for Wednesday's game against a team that is just ahead of them in standings... should be a good game. It's a gorgeous day here so I've got to get outside!

My paint skills are minimal - Yaroslavl is the red dot above Moscow and Ufa is underlined...

Finding Fresh Bread .... c'est impossible!

I have been meaning to write about the extremely unfortunate situation of Yaroslavl and bakeries for a while, and how citizens of this um, ahem, lovely city are being deprived of bakeries and fresh bread. The ratio of bakeries to Yaroslavians is ... drum roll.... 1:650,000!!! There is only ONE bakery in town!! Can you believe it?! Yaroslavl has one central bakery where all bread, baked goods and cookies/sweets are made - then all of these goods are wrapped in plastic and distributed to grocery stores and bread shacks all over town. The daily ritual of frequenting the local bakery for bread and goodies has been one of my favourite things about living in Europe - of course, my most favourite thing is eating the goodies. I love the smell of fresh bread and bakeries (so good!!), and the difficult choices and dilemmas I always face once inside: croissant with chocolate or without? Spanakopita or cheese pie? Baguette or cheese bread? All of these questions plus... How many? and... What am I going to eat on my way home?


Bread shacks... where most people buy their bread and baked goods... bakeries are SO much better!!

So... I face none of these difficult decisions here... which may be a blessing in disguise. However, we have not been able to enjoy any fresh bread whatsoever, save for my attempt at making Irish Soda Bread the other day. I'm not entirely sure that I used the right flour (whole wheat flour is not in my mini-dictionary) and so it didn't really turn out as I had hoped. It still tasted good, but the bread itself was fairly dense, and when Dasha came over and I joked that I might be able to seriously hurt someone with this bread, she said that they looked like they could be used for curling. Stones. Yup. The recipe got good reviews, so I think I'll try again with a different kind of flour.

Anyways, the reason why I'm finally writing about bakeries is that I went swimming this afternoon, and was really craving something yummy from the baked good world. On my way home from the pool I bought a cinnamon roll thing that looked good even though it was nestled inside inflated plastic wrap... but it was a major disappointment. I need to bake more. Or maybe not... wait! - I need to swim more AND bake more!

Steve and his team have a big match tonight... they're going for six consecutive wins! So.... I should go and deal with my pool hair. Here's a picture of the gym complex - Atlant - I don't think I've posted it yet!



Atlant - the gym complex: the pool is on the far right in the red part and the gym where Steve's team plays is on the far left

A Hockey Game... and Public Transport

I think spring is trying to edge winter out over here... but we are in the awkward in between seasons stage and it is NOT very nice - there are massive mega ton puddles and flooded ice fields and potholes filled to the brim ready to attack-splash unsuspecting pedestrians. However, I am still well equipped for the weather with my all-purpose Sorels - I just can't really go running in them.

Last night we went to a hockey game - the first game of five in the quarter-finals. The team lost 4-0, but Steve and Freddy met some other hockey fans/maniacs/beer drinkers and bonded while Dasha and I gabbed and made sure the boys made it back into the stadium by at least the middle of each period. She saw a few people she knew there, including the father of one of her friends - who was there with another woman. She said that this kind of thing is pretty common in Russia, cheating and seeing other people while married... yuk.



Okay, and you know how I was wondering exactly how complicated taking the bus might be here? There are three different categories of bus... The electric trolley bus that I took (for 8 roubles, about 30 cents), a smaller bus that doesn't have to stop at every stop (12 roubles, about 50 cents) and a van-bus that only stops where passengers need to get off - very capable of weaving in and out of traffic (12 roubles for an intimate ride in a large mini-van... no thanks!) Daria and I tried to take the mid-sized bus once - she wanted to show me how it works (paying and telling them where I need to get off) - but it was full. So I am sticking to the #5 trolley bus, seeing as how I know how it works and exactly where it goes.

The small van-bus
Medium sized bus....
BIG trolley bus

This isn't a bus.... I think it kind of looks like a mini-tanker!

Ideas about Russia...

So yesterday I was totally shocked by some news. Apparently, only the uber-rich of Russia can afford to shop in the grocery stores on a regular basis. I haven't said much about the cost of food here, but it seems pretty expensive relative to what the average Russian purportedly earns salary-wise - I'd say that our grocery bills here are pretty comparable to our grocery bills at home. The people that I see on my daily trip the supermarket are the rich people – this explains the fancy clothing and rude behaviour. So, I guess that most other (average) people live off of what they can harvest in the summer, and from what the men manage to bring home from hunting trips... crazy! I had no idea. The average Russian will buy milk, eggs and vodka at the store (that is if they don't make the vodka at home themselves) and that's it. Wow.

Wow is right. Did you believe that? I hope not! Russia Today did a story yesterday about what Americans think life in Russia is like. I definitely do not want to compare YOUR ideas about Russia with those of the average American... but, the following questions were posed to a number of individuals, with these results:

How long do you think Russians have to wait in line for toilet paper and bread every day?
Answers were in the 2-3 hour range. Seriously....

What percentage of Russians live on one penny per day?
This is shocking... Answers ranged from the 10% (by far the best guess) to 65% and averaged in and around 50%. !!!?!!!

I know that, to make a broad and sweeping generalization, many Americans are fairly ignorant of the state of affairs of countries as far away as Russia (or as close as Canada)... but really!? However, I know that the content of most American media has been tailored for the specific enjoyment and understanding that the USA is the best place, (the one and only place!) to live, with most other countries (especially Eastern ones - oh wait, and African ones and South and Central American ones... and European ones) not being up to snuff to the American way of life and its high standards. This is extremely unfortunate. I mean, I know that a lot of the news that we get in Canada isn't objective or thorough or fair by any means, and it doesn't always paint an accurate picture of any issue or region. Of course, this is a very difficult thing to do. And when most people read the news... they want news! Not necessarily news of what ordinary life is like, here or wherever.

Anyways, yesterday the United States issued its Annual Human Rights Report, shining the spotlight on governments around the world that are committing human rights violations and failing to provide true democratic systems to their deserving, democracy-hungry citizens. In the report, the USA points its long and accusatory finger at Russia, and asserts that last year both human rights and democracy regressed in this country. The head of the European branch of the Democracy and Cooperation institute, Nataliya Narochnitskaya reacted to this part of the report by saying, “We should not be alarmed by such reports as Americans are alarmed by the reports we publish regularly about human rights violations in the US." Good comeback.

It just seems way to pretentious and presumptuous to assume that what is good for the United States is good for everyone else (duh), especially when it comes to political systems! I'm no expert by any means, and I agree that with the right conditions a democracy is the way to go... but maybe Russia isn't quite there yet. I remember my conversation with the pharmaceutical rep a few weeks ago, and his insistence that the Russian people weren't ready for a democracy... He was a little disillusioned by the fact, but pretty emphatic that with the way things are now politically, the country (and the people) will enjoy much needed improvements in almost every facet/aspect of life. Including the financial stability to go grocery shopping on a regular basis... !!!

The report also criticized the level of corruption in Russia's law enforcement agencies... which are, apparently, about as corrupt as they can get. On our walk a few days ago, Dasha and I passed the city's main police hall... and we started talking about corruption. She asked me if people bribed police officers at home - I said no, that I thought people would get into more trouble if they made such a proposition to a cop. Here, she said, you would get into more trouble if you didn't offer the policeman/woman a bribe. The only reason she doesn't have her driver's license is because it unofficially involves a bribe to city officials... which her father refuses to pay. Transparency International is an association that fights! corruption... and has some neat information on their website. Okay enough for now... it's wet and slooshy-slushy outside, but I'm going for a run anyways!

Books

Seeing as how one of my main activities here is reading, I thought I'd write about what I've read so far and what's up next... the stack of unread books is getting smaller and smaller! But no worries, there are English bookshops in Moscow and Freddy has some friends who are coming to visit from the English speaking world... they can bring me some goods.

I just finished Wayne Johnston's The Custodian of Paradise and had mixed feelings. I thought the story was captivating, but unfortunately not entirely believable - in the sense that it wasn't realistic. I don't want to give anything away but ... the ending and what the main character Sheilagh Fielding found out about her birth... was weird... and her reaction was not, as I said, entirely believable. Just my opinion though. What I really didn't like was the continual and incessant reference to her looming, monstrous height - all of 6'3"! I mean I know that is just huuuuge... but really? I would have been equally annoyed (well, maybe not quite as much) if there had been such continual talk of how teeny or fat she was, or whatever... it just seemed a bit unnecessary. I LOVED The Colony of Unrequited Dreams - that remains my favourite of his. I also recently read The Divine Ryans and enjoyed that too.

Here are some other books that I've read here, and a few thoughts:

The Shadow of the Sun (A.S. Byatt) - She's one of my favourite authors but this was my least favourite book of hers. Possession may is definitely one of the best books I've ever read (the movie was HORRIBLE) and I love the language that she uses... yum.

If on a Winter's Night A Traveller (Italo Calvino) - This book was weird - the style and structure were super unorthodox. I can't say that I read the whole thing because I found it too weird... but I will try again when the book rivers have run dry.

Into the Wild (John Krakauer) - A good and gripping read. My only complaint, as voiced by many people who wrote letters to Krakauer and Outdoor magazine after the initial story was published, is the glorification of this kind of outdoor adventure trip. Solo, battling the elements, surviving in the wilderness (in jeans, without map) - maybe noble? I don't know, I'm not convinced. I liked the movie but thought that it did just this. Admirable though his adventure was - to follow his dreams and find solitude in the pursuit of some sort of clarity on the meaning of life... he was horrible to his family and unprepared for the reality of surviving in the Alaskan wild.

The Conde Nast Traveler Book of Unforgettable Journeys - There were some great stories in here and some fabulous writing. I loved Philip Gourevitch's "Where the Wild Things Are" - I looked up the lodge where he stayed in Tanzania and it looks super deluxe and very fancy... and VERY expensive... a place to dream about.

Paddle to the Amazon (Don Starkell) - definitely a good read but this guy is crazy. I think I said in an earlier post that he could have used the advice of Captain Osberg - he didn't even put all of the stuff in the canoe to see if it fit... until the morning he left! (Or waterproof his maps! Or even have maps!) What a great adventure though... and I couldn't put the book down.

The Long Ships (Frans G. Bengtsson) - a story about Viking and Scandinavian adventures. A neat look into what life was like in this part of the world a thousand years ago... or more. I also mentioned before that part of the story takes some Viking gold hunters down the Kotorosl River to the Volga... not too far from where we are living now! Neat.

So next up is Salman Rushdie's Shalimar... and then there are a few more before I get to reread The Poisonwood Bible... and put an order in for more goods. There are some fantastic book blogs out there - in fact, a whole online blogger book community. Bookmineset is a good place to start if you're interested - there are lots of links posted too.

My last thought (okay two thoughts) for the blog for today are these - last night we saw a short clip on the news about water in the United States (maybe California?)being contaminated with a small panoply of pharmaceutical drugs including growth hormones and antibiotics; it was reported that there were such small amounts that they would do no harm whatsoever. I can't find this story anywhere though... hmmm, how strange. Lastly, the Vatican issued new "deadly sins" that accord with the more modern world, in which globalisation is touching everyone. They include:

- Drug abuse
- Genetic Manipulation
- Morally dubious experimentation (including bioethical violations - like birth control)
- Environmental pollution
- Social inequalities and social injustice
- Causing poverty
- Accumulating excessive wealth (at the expense of the common good of society)

I have too many thoughts and comments about this list to talk about right now - it's sunny! I have to get outside! But... isn't the Vatican one of the richest organizations in the world? I mean, almost excessively so? I don't know... but ???

Maslenitsa - March 9th...

I am behind in important Russian days. Yesterday marked the end of Maslenitsa, an important Russian holiday that has Pagan and Christian roots... and is important for a couple of different reasons. In Christian tradition, Maslenitsa marks the beginning of Lent - and is the last week in which Orthodox Christians can eat meat, eggs, dairy and fish...(and if strictly observed... the last week people can drink alcohol of any kind, party, dance and have sex...) As in Greece, most older people observe these traditions while many younger people still frequent McDonalds, night clubs and... er.. visit their significant others. Anyways, the week is also referred to as Pancake Week (yum, pancakes) and, seeing as how Sunday is the final day of the week, it is THE pancake day.... everyone fills up on these things on Sunday (apparently there are pancake parties all over town), including ME! I made pancakes yesterday morning... but burned the first one and the last one. Oops. Furthermore, yesterday was also Forgiveness Sunday, a day on which people ask for forgiveness from each other and from God. (People literally call each other and ask for forgiveness from a past wrong.) In the pagan tradition, it is a celebration of the coming of spring and the sun - symbolized by round, yellow pancakes. I hope I didn't extend winter at all with my burnt, black, crispy pancakes... oops again.

Last year in Greece we had met a family that we became good friends with, and experienced these days with them. Though they didn't have a pancake week or pancake feast day, this past Sunday was also a big feast day in which people ate a special kind of unleavened bread, with lots of fish, wine and halva - all of which are to be given up for the 40 days leading up to Easter. Another really neat thing about this holiday in Greece was a tradition followed today, on "Clean Monday" (clean because everyone has confessed their sins and asked (and granted - I hope) forgiveness) where people go to the beach or countryside and fly kites! I remember it being a really beautiful sight.

I'm hoping that today's weather is a sign that spring is on its way - it was a gorgeous day! Almost... warm!! I met up with Dasha and we went for a long walk downtown and along the river Volga. There was some sort of an event for the holiday yesterday at a main square near the river - as indicated by several rows of porta-potties and garbage cans. Though it sounds funny that toilets and garbage cans made me wish I had known about the party... I do wish that I had known about it! I would have gone to check it out for sure. Along the river is an art gallery that had a very interesting exhibition in the back yard, I mean, ahem, on the grounds. An art gallery doesn't have a back yard, it has grounds... Anyways, there was a show of some strange work from students from St. Petersburg - I'm not convinced that they were art students, but whatever. So here are a few pictures of some of the interesting and eclectic art!

Dasha with an alien... an art-alien

This is a portable banya (a Russian turkish-bath)... not sure why it's so funny...







p.s. While I was out and about... Steve and Freddy were BAKING. And going to practise... recovery day in the sauna - tough day at work!!

March 8th - International Women's Day!!

So yesterday was a big day for women here in Russia... well, around the world I suppose - International Women's Day is celebrated here with much greater enthusiasm and aplomb (and with a very different focus) than at home, or anywhere else we've been. As the Defender's of the Fatherland Day was the all inclusive day for men (Father's Day, Veteran's Day etc.), so is IWD for women. This, however, is an international day, and I don't ever remember noticing such emphasis or importance placed on this day anywhere else, even at home in Canada. And, the emphasis is much different. I checked out CBC for some news and IWD events at home, and the focus is overly political, decrying the lack of equality and rights women have around the world and in Canada. Here, it's a celebration for women! I went out with a friend last night (new friend, story in a minute...) and asked her, "So, it's a celebration for being a woman. Just, for being a woman?" And she answered me, "Yes, of course!!" in a way that made me feel a little silly for asking - do we need any other reason?! Grandmothers, Mothers, daughters, wives and girlfriends are all given flowers and/or chocolates (the chocolate aisle in the supermarket was choco-blocked full of men on Friday and Saturday... pardon the pun) and if March 8th doesn't fall on a Saturday or Sunday, everyone gets the day off of work. So, seeing as how Steve was gone, I bought myself a chocolate bar. Yum. YAY for women! I like the idea that the day brings some attention to women's rights and the many inequalities that still exist even in a country as progressive and liberal as Canada, but a day for celebration alone is so lovely! My friend Dasha was getting text messages all night long from male friends sending their congratulations... for being a woman. Love it.

So! My new friend! Last week we went to a hockey game and Freddy had met this girl through one of his teammates... and she came along. We didn't get to talk too much at the game, but we texted each other a couple of times this week and decided to hang out this weekend. Her english is really good... and she's super easy going and friendly. We met up downtown around 8:30 and found a place to go for some drinks. We talked non-stop and laughed a lot... and drank a yummy bottle of German wine. A friend of hers came to pick us up in what was apparently a very typical Russian car (I didn't get the name of it)... but wow.. what a monster! It was old and rumbly... and apparently the type of car that gangsters and big men drive around - so people are surprised they see a young attractive woman behind the wheel. Anyways, the three of us went to the Summit club, a new disco/nightclub in town, where women got in free! It was our special day.

At first... there were only women... it was a single guy's dream. And I know how many times I've talked about how fancy and glamorous women are here, their clothes, hair, shoes etc... and I've usually been referring to what people wear to the grocery store! I honestly could have been at a fashion show in Milan or something - some of the outfits were so fancy and over the top... dresses, high heels, fancy boots - I don't think I've ever seen so much shiny patent leather in my life! (There was even a photographer snapping pics of people as they arrived... making everyone feel very glamorous and important... we missed this part though - arrived too early.) I was definitely the only girl (maybe person) in there wearing casual shoes... mrrrrr. More comfortable to dance in! We danced for most of the night... I swear, the men have the weirdest dance moves - I wanted to secretly film some of them and then post - it's sort of like a chicken dance with the arms and a random spazzy leg flex/bend unflex/straighten spastic movement... very weird and frankly completely unattractive. (I feel sorry for all of these beautiful fancy Russian women ... the men are blech. No offense.) Around 4am we were both getting sick of the smoke and increasingly deafening techno beats... time to split. Dasha called us taxis and we called it a night. It was SUPER fun... awesome to meet (and connect with - important!) another friend.

More good news - Steve and the guys won last night! Five in a row... they are on such a roll! They're now in 7th place! Awesome... Here are a few pics from around the neighborhood - we've had a few sunny days which is a mixed blessing - sun means very windy... and the whole ice and snow melting and refreezing to form sidewalk ice sheets... not so easy to walk on. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Near the mall... sort of on the outskirts of town - beautiful view!

The main intersection near our house (our building is just behind the big apartment block on the right)... this sidewalk is pure ice!

My first trip to the pool...

So I made my first trip to the pool today, at the same complex where Steve's team trains and plays - and it went off without a hitch. I know that a trip to the pool sounds easy and straightforward - but remember, my verbal communication skills match those of a toddler and I am unaccustomed to the acceptable rudeness accompanied by most daily interactions with other people. Anyways, people were nice - I got the gist of everything by responding to Russian words with "dah, dah" and really, following their gestures, not their words. It is a bit of a complicated system - chez nous, a visit to the pool involves a one-stop shop: either exchange money in return for a key at the cashier, OR swipe your membership/pass card. Here, the process involved four stops before entering the pool area. First, I had to show a woman my doctor's letter clarifying that I didn't have any infectious or contagious diseases; she told me to go downstairs and put my coat and jacket in the coat check; I then proceeded to a ticket counter where I said "I would like to..." and motioned swimming. The woman there issued me a receipt and directed me to the cashier's office down the hall where I paid $4.00 for 45 minutes of swimming - this is how they manage their pool population. At this point, I wondered if someone was ripping me off because I was a foreigner - $4 seems expensive for 45 minutes of pool time, doesn't it? So I said the word for expensive, "darahgoy," and she nodded in agreement. (I learned the word yesterday after I was unable to communicate with a saleslady in a sportstore - I was NOT interested in paying $40 for Speedo swim goggles!!) So, finally I was ready to go swimming. I was issued a lock and key, and a kind lady showed me the change room, and explained how to make my way to the pool. There weren't too many people in there (pool population control - every 45 minutes a lifeguard sounds the get-out-of-the-pool horn) and I had a lane to myself for most of the time. I had a good workout (albeit short) - I hadn't gone swimming for a LONG time... my arms felt super weak and I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow. Doh.

Steve is away with the team for the weekend so I'm on my own - taking it easy tonight and taking advantage of the internet connection. I've just spent an hour on cbc's website - it's fantastic - and read several of Heather Mallick's articles, which I've really enjoyed. Anyways, time to get outside for a walk before it gets too dark...

грубый = grubih = (roughly) rude

A word that I would have like to have known and used today (and many, many other days) is rude. I cannot get over how RUDE people are here!! I came home from the supermarket this afternoon and made a beeline for the dictionary – the word was surprisingly NOT THERE. Another surprise? Our internet wasn’t working, and it didn’t work until I made a final, perfunctory effort just before heading to bed – so here I am. Anyways, I was standing in a short line at the supermarket this afternoon to pay, when a woman (blond, high heels, fancy jacket, mid 20s) totally budged in front of me in line. She came into physical contact with me to get in front of me! And I was at a total loss for words. A total loss for Russian words that is – I could think of LOTS of things to say to her in a few other languages. I know of a few budging techniques – like the one where you pretend to be standing beside someone that maybe you know (false) and fade/absorb into the line as it slowly inches forward – I saw that one at the post office a few days ago. This, was not at all subtle. She sort of tried to get past me on the left (I was thinking – is this woman really trying to cut in front of me?!) and so I take a small step to the left. She then squirmed around me, physically almost pushing me out of the way to get in front of me! I couldn’t believe it.... and I couldn’t say anything! So, I gave her a mega stare down (daggers), from the time she placed her groceries on the belt until she had bagged them and left – she totally ignored me. There are many reasons that I hate not being able to communicate here (with words that is), and this was one of them. The only thing that I could have said that may have remotely expressed how I felt would translate as “not beautiful.” I’m not sure how that would have been understood, but surely it would not have accurately conveyed my annoyance. I really wonder if she would have done that to a Russian woman – or someone who at least looks Russian (remember, I stick out like a sore thumb)... hmmm. SO! Now I know the word for rude. As for the rest of what I would have said in English.... next time I might just say it anyways!

Haphazard Baking...

I've never been one to obey the rules... when it comes to cooking and baking that is. Then and only then - of course! I often alter recipes so much (and don't write anything down) that when it comes time to make it again I make something totally different. Usually this isn't really an issue - I mean, things turn out and taste good anyways (most of the time) BUT... I have no measuring cups here so am guessing recipes and quantities... a new venture in guesswork and baking. I made banana muffins today (they are THE BEST!)and they turned out - even with my advanced measuring tools (see below).


In our haste to get out of Winnipeg or, rather, in our haste to get to Russia we forgot a lot of "essentials" that we usually bring with us overseas. We were SUPER rushed to pack and get organized because turn around time from the Olympic qualification tournament in Puerto Rico to flights to Toronto was nil - this was all exacerbated by the fact that the documents we needed to get our visas were late and then lost... (it was super stressful) but we left anyways and, yes, left a lot of things in Winnipeg. Some of the things that we usually bring with us but forgot include: a plastic bendy spatula, cheese slicer, Euro-plugged hand held blender, silicon bakeware, and measuring cups. And FOOD... we usually make maple syrup and barbeque sauce a top priority. Geez... what were we thinking! Of course, one can usually find these things in Europe, but we haven't had any luck here. As far as the kitchen stuff goes, we could buy some of these things but when I think about how many cheese slicers and spatulas and lasagna dishes we've bought... we could stock a small store. So, we've only purchased a few things here - a cookie sheet that doubles as a roasting pan, a frying pan and a pot (we had one... but sans lid). So the kitchen is not fully equipped by any means, but I can still make muffins. And eat them too.



Here is my thrown together recipe (from a delicious recipe written down in a cookbook.. in Winnipeg)

3 smashed bananas
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
about 1 1/2 cups of flour
a teaspoon of baking soda (or powder)
a small chunk of melted butter (maybe around 1/4 cup?)
chocolate chunks (yum)
I think that's it... 350 until they're done.

One more recipe that I LOVE... another throw it together one but very healthy and vegetarian (or not.. add meat if yee like)... LENTIL STEW: (doesn't really sound that appealing but it is super yummy)

sautee some onions
add about a cup of lentils... stir stir stir
add about 1 1/2 litres of broth
AND potato chunks, carrot rounds, a can of diced tomatoes... and whatever else...
bring to a boil, then let it simmer away, until all is cooked and ENJOY!

(p.s. Reading this recipe makes me think of Amelia Bedelia... I wonder how she would make these recipes?... I'm hoping that someone knows this lady and her innumerable talents - a character from kids books!)

Finally.... the SUN!

An apartment building close to our place...

The sun is out! Finally! So this will be a short one... maybe. It's amazing how the weather can govern your life... maybe not govern, but influence. So yesterday our internet cut out and it didn't work until this afternoon - Steve worked his magic and somehow got it going. It's pretty frustrating not being able to rely on the connection - we need internet! I don't know what I'd do without it. Well, yes I do - I'd be completely out of touch with friends, family, news, the world... etc. Boo.

Last night we went out to the Dublin Pub, a small place attached to a hotel in town. There weren't many people, but there was beer! Yum. We were joined by a Russian couple that was trying to decipher our accents - their guesses were American or British but weren't sure... yikes - we immediately set them straight. They were pharmaceutical reps on a business trip from St. Petersburg, but have medical degrees - one is a psychiatrist and the other a urologist, and get this - it is more lucrative to work as a pharmaceutical rep than as a doctor in this country.... wild! They told us that a doctor makes around $500 USD a month here! (Dentists make more apparently...) I know that Daria and I talked about this last week, but when she said that a health care worker made around $500 I assumed she meant a nurse or a care aide or something... eep. They were really nice and their English was pretty good so it was enjoyable, save for the smoking - they sheepishly admitted that yes, it's very unhealthy and yes, we tell all of our patients/clients NOT to smoke. We asked them what they thought about the recent elections (when I said that he parenthesized "elections" with his fingers) and Medvedev's victory. They seemed disappointed and convinced that the election was a fake - Medvedev was a shoe-in, and in reality, the public had no voice or say in the matter. However, when I asked him if he thought free elections and a true democratic vote would be better he said no, that Russia wasn't ready for a democracy. He also kept saying that Russia was stuck in medieval times, save for the larger cities. Yaroslavl doesn't seem stuck in medieval times... but there are parts of town that seem stuck somewhere. Anyways, it was refreshing to meet some new people and have a good conversation about Russian politics and life in general.

It was still snowing this morning, and there's now a thin coat of snow on top of the frozen ice-slush. I had to get out and do some exercise so I went for a run in the park and somehow managed not to fall and not to twist an ankle - lucky. Tonight we're going to a hockey game - first playoff game of the season for the local team... so that should be fun. Not much else - I'm about to start a new book, yay. It's either going to be Wayne Johnston's The Custodian of Paradise or Salman Rushdie's Shalimar... haven't decided yet. Okay, the sun is shining... must get outside!

Here are a few pics from Saturday's win: