Super-Duper Wacky n' Tacky Euro Adventure

Ok, I admit it! I know I have been absolutely terrible at the updating this past week, so I pledge to do a lot better job this week. Cross my heart, hope to die.

So, the first and most important: I’m going to Turkey on Thursday! Iris and I will be joining the (in)famous Nicole Powell in Istanbul this Thursday for Thanksgiving where we will have a ridiculously good time, enjoy the town, and, get this, have turkey in Turkey! It’s so punny, I can hardly stand it!

I just got back tonight from my second opera I’ve now seen at the Bolshoi Theater’s new stage: Giuseppi Verdi’s Macbeth. This was also the second time where the opera has been in Italian with Russian surtitles to clear up any linguistic confusion for the audience. Sure did clear it up for about everyone except me! Oh Giuseppi, I dig what you do, but you can afford to take a chill pill with some of those solos!

Cal still sucks, I don’t care what happened on Saturday. Oh, and ESPN online gameplan also sucks for making me think that my dialup-connection could handle the streaming video. Lovely.

I found more spicy food at a local Indian restaurant last Tuesday! It was like an orgy of spiciness on my tongue. Ooh that’s nice.

Last Wednesday was one of the busiest days I’ve had since coming to Russia. Besides my usual Wed schedule of six hours of classes from 9AM to 6PM, Iris and I explored possible summer employment and had a nice mid-day workout. We then immediately headed after class to Metro Sportivnaya to see CSKA take on Dinamo Moskva in one of Moscow’s most heated rivalries. This was actually a great hockey game for the most part. CSKA unfortunately pulled away in the third quarter in what ended up being the highest scoring hockey game I’ve ever witnessed: 6-3. After that I frantically headed home for a shower, a change, and some grub, all in less than an hour. Then we headed to Propaganda where the cover was free, the drinks were cheap, and Qool DJ Marv (sponsored by Bacardi!) was in town from New York to spin the best funk, soul, and disco for the Russian masses. So it wasn’t the busiest I had ever seen Propaganda, but it was definitely the best music to have come out of those speakers in a long time. Plus we got to see Crazy-Dancing-Josh! I haven’t seen him come out in a long time. I was also very appreciative to Qool DJ Marv for taking ALL of our requests. I may or may not have gotten to bed at 6AM Thursday morning. And I definitely made it to my Russian class next morning.

I’m sorry about the whole lactose intolerance deal Josh. I don’t know if the vodka I fed you helped out, but I am choosing to believe that it definitely did.

This weekend was a weekend of firsts. A first meeting other Californians here. We met two lovely ladies from UC Santa Barbara (they were the ones who invited us to the opera tonight!) who joined us to our first adventure to a place called Crisis of Genre. This is a club that our good friend absolutely tore apart in a review in a local ex-pat magazine. He was too right. The place kinda sucked. But the DJ was playing some hot tunes. He was pretty hot himself as well. It was a nice early night as I got home around 3AM. The next day we welcomed a couple of ladies from Trinity college that have been studying in Saratov this semester. This will be their first long stay in Moscow for a week. We celebrated a birthday with another first for me: white pudding and rashers. I’m still not completely sure what these are, but they were slightly greasy, extra yummy, and go perfectly with boxed wine and Sovetskoe Champanskoe.

So I had been searching for a bar that carries ABC west coast for almost a full week. This Saturday, with about 12 hrs till game time, I was still on the hunt. My small list of four possible bars all struck out. Boo. Had to listen to the disappointment on KZSU at 3AM local time. Oi, those commentators have not gotten one bit better since I last listened in to a broadcast. Just to rub it in, God decided to let it snow again on Sunday. Normally I would rejoice as I love the snow, but not today. I very clearly was not allowed to wear my blue shell that I usually wear over my fleece, given the despicable colors on that given day. So I slushed through Moscow on my way to Mass in only a black fleece and small beanie. Thanx Marco for letting me have the beanie! If you hadn’t given it to me before I left I would have been in even worse shape today.

Oh dear. I’m gonna have to get working on this World Bank stuff. It’s impossible for me to get to the office more than three times a week so I’m gonna have to step up the home tasks. Damn.