ABBYY, arguing, Alaska, and autumn

I love Germans. More specifically, I love German efficiency (and beer). Basically, I needed a serial code for a program I bought called ABBYY Lingvo, which is a computer dictionary which helps me daily with Russian. Well, I misplaced the serial code and I have been fighting with ABBYY to get the number. I call the online store where I bought the program and get the number within a minute. I love Germans.

I sometimes don’t enjoy my work place. I have a nice office with most friendly people, but there is something that annoys me on occasion. And it isn’t just at my office, but in the greater metro area known as Russia and the CIS states. The way people argue here often has little to do with the real issue and more about trying to outwit one another or deliver the best cut down. I witnessed such an argument today and it was ridiculous. How quickly it morphed from the issue to some other issue to how the person never listens or acts responsibly to the condition of things at someone’s home! Don’t worry, it’s very relevant…

This past weekend was a satisfying one. Friday and Saturday, I cooked spaghetti sauce and put into gallon bags for freezing. I also blanched and froze sliced eggplant as well as froze roasted and cleaned eggplant (to make baba ganoush in the winter). Monday morning, I canned whole peppers (to make stuffed peppers) and salted tomatoes (good drinking snack). I also made 6 liters of pickles and I’m going to get mushrooms soon and can at least 3 3 liter jars of marinated mushrooms. It’s a lot of work and time consuming, but the end result – a winter of variety and fresh tasting food – will totally be worth it.

I try not to make this blog political, though perhaps sometimes my tendencies come out. But this person has been a huge source of discussion in my group of local Americans as of late and we’re just absolutely baffled at the republican vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin. I don’t know what the generally right-wing media is slanting state side about her, but on the more balanced side, it’s been quite amazing. For those of you who need evidence, I suggest you watch this interview with Charles Gibson. “Pressed about what insights into recent Russian actions she gained by living in Alaska [and what national security qualifications she has should she be called upon to be president, a very real potential as recovering cancer patient John McCain would be the oldest president to be elected in US history], Palin told Gibson, ‘They're our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.’” Yes, it is her first interview and she’ll get better at dodging the issues and questions, but here it’s quite obvious she has no idea what she’s saying or doing. And people want to call Obama unexperienced!?

Tutoring has finally got me motivated to start studying again. It looks like I’ll be tutoring on Tuesday’s with my regular tutor, Ludmila and Saturday’s with my friend and former co-worker, Asiya. This next year needs to be a huge year of Russian studies for me. I’ve been thinking about returning a bit as of late as 3 other volunteers in the city are getting ready to finish their service and go home. I’ve got a new idea in my head right now: get a master’s in Russian translating. There are many different specialties one can focus in, such as film, literature, interpreting, professional documents, etc., so I need to think more about which one I’d like more. Interpreting takes a special skill of instantaneous listening, translating, and speaking at the same time that I don’t think I have and literature would get boring, but would be a great chance to read and really know a piece. Anyways, more on that later.

Zinaida's Birthday party at Samal.


Saule being silly (actually I put all of that on her head and she'd probably kill me, rightfully so, if she saw that i posted this ;-) ).


I had completely forgotten about the monitor from the computer that the home owner had left here, so I hooked it up.


Tatiana and me, after English club.


A bunch of volunteers and a few locals having a nice dinner outside at an Uzbek cafe.


Ludmila and I trying the Zivania from Cyprus.


Know how it's fall? I'm buying pumpkins, squash, and mushrooms.


Pumpkin soup, toasted pumpkin seeds, and vegetable spread on bread. I love autumn!


This is a T-shirt I saw online and the phrase is a play on words: "In the fall, birds fly south." The last word is the backwards form of a bad word that if read properly, would read "In the fall, birds F#*% off!" but backwards, it looks and sounds very similar to the word for south.