Jibba Jabba

Spring is here!

2008-03-01T09:23:00.002+02:00

While those of you state-side have to wait for vernal equinox, we here in Ukraine get Spring started today, the first of the month.

Such is Life

2008-02-26T09:07:00.000+02:00

Poetry

2008-02-20T23:14:00.004+02:00

Read this and then vote in the poll to the left!

You walk into the room
With your pencil in your hand
You see somebody naked
And you say, "Who is that man?"
You try so hard
But you don't understand
Just what you'll say
When you get home

Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

You raise up your head
And you ask, "Is this where it is?"
And somebody points to you and says"It's his"
And you say, "What's mine?"
And somebody else says, "Where what is?"
And you say, "Oh my God
Am I here all alone?"

You hand in your ticket
And you go watch the geek
Who immediately walks up to you
When he hears you speak
And says, "How does it feel
To be such a freak?"
And you say, "Impossible"
As he hands you a bone

You have many contacts
Among the lumberjacks
To get you facts
When someone attacks your imagination
But nobody has any respect
Anyway they already expect you
To just give a check
To tax-deductible charity organizations

Well, the sword swallower, he comes up to you
And then he kneels
He crosses himself
And then he clicks his high heels
And without further notice
He asks you how it feels
And he says, "Here is your throat back
Thanks for the loan"

Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

Now you see this one-eyed midget
Shouting the word "NOW"
And you say, "For what reason?"
And he says, "How?"
And you say, "What does this mean?"
And he screams back, "You're a cow
Give me some milk
Or else go home"

Well, you walk into the room
Like a camel and then you frown
You put your eyes in your pocket
And your nose on the ground
There ought to be a law
Against you comin' around
You should be made
To wear earphones.

Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?

-Bob Dylan, Ballad of a Thin Man.

I bought a Best of Bob Dylan CD at wal-mart with Noah about ten years ago... right before going on a large trip (I think it was to Cape Cod) and I just popped it back into my CD player again today.

The Radio

2008-02-16T13:44:00.002+02:00

It's been a while since I've listened to the radio. I learned to hate it in the states. I hated listening to 10 songs I didn't want to hear to get to one that I didn't really mind... it was never really worth it. I think Thomas Prettyman was one of the few kids around my age (he was older than me then, but now that we're "grown up", we're "the same age") that had as many CD's as I did... Even before becoming part of the typical BMG music club.

But it wasn't just music... it was the spoken word, too. You would get a Rush Limbaugh or other talk show host that was entertaining... but you had to listen when they were on (except for Adventures in Odyssey... we had the whole set on tape), otherwise you missed it. But no longer...

I have finally discovered the world of podcasting (I know, I know... they've been around for quite a while, but I'm just starting to get into it). Any topic you can imagine... Cooking, learning languages, music, cigars, Lost, movie reviews, politics... etc. etc. etc. It is all there. And you can listen to whatever... WHENEVER you want to. But the best thing is that you don't have to listen to anything you DON'T want to. It's great. AND they're free.

My current favorite is NPR's Jazz Profiles. Information and interviews about jazz personalities, diluted by clips of music that further emphasize the points being made. It comes out every Wednesday and the last two were Nat King Cole: The Piano Player and Nat King Cole: The Singer. It's cool to hear the voices of so many famous jazz players being interviewed and hear what they say about eachother.

It's also nice to have something that you don't have to look at, like books or TV/DVDs. You can actually get other things done when your eyes aren't glued to something.

Now if I only had an iPod, I could listen to them on the go!

Not much better...

2008-02-07T09:55:00.000+02:00

So... we're not doing THAT much better at blogging. But I've always been good at making excuses. So I figure if I can combine that passion with blogging, I've got a shot at least getting a few posts up regularly.

So, what ELSE have we been busy with besides school? Well Dasha is at work (writing away) from 10 until 7.

I'm doing what musicians do, I guess. Here's what the last few days looked like, not counting school.

Monday: Four hour rehearsal at Philharmonic . And two private hour-and-a-half lessons. (In between those two was a cup of coffee with mom, the empy-nester.)

Tuesday: Four hours at the Philharmonic and then a rehearsal with the "next big pop star of Ukraine" (I'm the drummer... and Dima (some of you may know Dima from tours) is the percussionist.)

Wednesday: Almost five hours at the Opera House (with the Philharmonic orchestra and some of Ukraine's most famous opera stars) and then a 2.5 hour concert that evening called "To Ukraine, I Shall Return" where ukrainian opera and ballet stars, who are good enough to perform around the world, come back for a concert that they all sing at. (In between the rehearsal and concert I had another nice cup of coffee with Mammy Empty-Nester)

So that is some of what keeps us busy. Today is a little slower with only one rehearsal (actually there are two: Philharmonic and pop star, but the times conflict so had to find someone to fill in for one of them) but tomorrow picks up again with four hours at the Philharmonic in the morning, followed by a private lesson with the Dutch Ambassador's son, and then a concert at the Philharmonic in the evening.

Good excuses for not posting?

Why so long?

2008-01-31T13:18:00.000+02:00

It's been a while... but Dasha and I have good excuses. We're on the homestretch at school... I'm in year five and in the masters program and working on 60 or more pages (in Russian) about the history of the marching drummer.

Dasha is in YEAR SIX (good grief) and is about to become a 'specialist' (somewhere between a bachelor's and a master's) and is writing a large written work as well.

So... we'll try to be better about the blogging. We'll see how it goes.

Christmas Music Awards: Part Deux

2007-12-08T12:27:00.000+02:00

This award is for Best Non-Traditional Christmas Track:

If you need a break from the traditional Christmas style, then James Brown's Funky Christmas is for you. But this award goes to one track that stands out from all the rest:

"Santa Clause, Go Straight To The Ghetto"

Find it, buy it, download it. It puts smiles on faces. Just look at this album cover! ------>

Following in a close second is Louis Armstrong's:

'Zat You Santa Clause?

From the album "Verve Presents: Very Best of Christmas Jazz".

This is another great album. Not just a good Christmas album... but really a good jazz album. But be warned: Some may find a few songs on here a little too jazzy and not 'Christmasy' enough.

Don't miss part one below... and feel free to add your own award winners in the comments section!

Christmas Music Awards

2007-12-07T11:28:00.000+02:00

Here is some of the best, little-known christmas music out there:

Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite:

Perfect Christmas music for when you're tired of hearing 50 million versions of the same carols. One of my very favorite albums to listen to and one of the few I can listen to from beginning to end... over and over. It is now only available with two other Ellington suites (the "Peer Gynt Suite" and "Suite Thursday") that aren't Christmas music... but the Nutcracker Suite alone is worth the $9.98 that amazon.com is selling it for.

An Oscar Peterson Christmas:

Arguably one of the best things to ever come out of Canada, you just can't beat Oscar Peterson. His version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" may be one of my single favorite christmas tracks ever recorded... and that is just the first song on the album. Recorded 12 years ago at 70-years-old I don't know why this isn't a more popular Christmas album.

P.S. Feel free to add any other albums in the comments section that are worthy of awards.

Orkiestra Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie

2007-11-30T12:35:00.000+02:00

This is the Warsaw National Philharmonic. We played there the other night. Ukraine's first lady was there as well as "many other famous Polish people." At least that is what we were told. We played Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances (if you haven't heard it, get it.. listen to it).

Warsaw is much cooler than Tokyo. I don't even know why. The hall wasn't as nice as many in Japan, but the city was so much better. Which is surprising. I thought the 'culture shock' of an Asian country would hit me and be something completely new and fascinating. It wasn't.

Maybe it was because they play baseball, have the same electrical outlets as the states, and I watched Monday Night Football twice. Or maybe the Japanese just aren't the bustling, suit-wearing, hi-tech businessmen that we think of them as.

Poland was just a more comfortable culture/environment. Half Eastern European, half Western European.

Home, Sweet Home

2007-11-24T08:14:00.000+02:00

Well, I am home. There's nothing like your precious wifey-poo meeting you at the airport and bringing you home to a nice, warm home and a hot bowl of soup. That's tough to beat.

Thank you, dear!

Monday morning we leave for Poland... *sigh* (It's only four days this time)

Suntory Hall

2007-11-12T16:23:00.000+02:00

I played here last night...

It is well with my soul

2007-11-07T22:34:00.000+02:00

So..... Just wanted to let y'all know that Jamie wrote an email from Milan. They had to switch to another plane and spend one night in Italy in order to do it. Pretty cool, huh? I mean, hey, it's Milan...
They were accomodated into a 4* hotel with all meals included. I simply find it amazing. It's like a dream come true or something. For me at least it would be.
Anyhow, they were to leave for Japan the next morning. Haven't heard from him again since then. I'm sure their percussion team is simply enjoying themselves too much... too busy to write their wives. Mmmmhmm... one of them called me the other day to find out whether I knew anything about their arrival. Oh well, boys are boys. My Jamie is a wonderful exception, he is a good boy :)

I'm sure this post was a little too emotional for Jamie and his 'normal' style of writing. But hey, I'm me, just wanted to let you know that everything is well with my hubby. He might have to delete this post when he comes back, cuz it doesn't quite fit his virtual little world :) Oh well, I know his password, why not use it?

Sincerely yours, Jamie's faithful sweet wife ;)

Tomorrow...

2007-11-03T22:21:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow is the big day... first international tour with the Philharmonic Orchestra. We're off to Japan... Here's the thing I hate about travelling:

I spent over a year studying Russian because I couldn't stand not understanding what was going on around me (and I'm still learning). But as soon as I get to the airport: "wham, bam, thank you ma'am" I have no idea half of what is going on around me. Japan is worse because you can't even pretend know the 'letters' and try to sound something out... look at this:

Kyiv's subway system took our family less than a month to get used to. There are three lines... the red, the blue, and the green. This is Tokyo:
People think Kyiv is a hustling, bustling metropolis with three million people living here... Tokyo is 12 million in the city limits and countless more and the huge, suburban, surrounding area.

On our way, we get to spend the night in Milan. So we'll see if I end up with a picture like this one before heading off to Japan:

The Hardware Store

2007-11-02T16:40:00.000+02:00

Building a house takes a TON of trips to the hardware store. After work, everybody would ask me very sarcastically if I was going to 'Epicenter' (the Ukrainian version of Home Depot) and EVERY DAY I would run in to pick something up or order something to be delivered. This is Dima trying out the different banya (sauna) apparel that was on sale.

Dima has been remodeling (or rather, "modeling") an apartment that he and is wife bought about a year ago and just moved in last Sunday.

2007-10-27T08:05:00.000+03:00

Day two of no pictures on blogger again... So much for every day.

Finally...

2007-10-24T22:28:00.000+03:00

Yesterday I tried running pictures through Picasa... wrote up a long post... and then it didn't upload.

Here is the picture for the day before yesterday:

Our house has the chicken pox. This is what it looked like just after installing insulation and just before putting on the final coat of whatever to make it look purty.

NO PICTURES

2007-10-22T22:15:00.000+03:00

Blogger won't let me post pictures... sorry. I'll try again tomorrow.

Revival

2007-10-21T08:41:00.000+03:00

In an attempt to revive this blog, I am starting a new project. We'll see if I can post a picture every day from our daily activities. The picture may not be posted on the day it was taken... but hopefully it will reflect something that is happenning in our lives.

Picture number one:

Playing the cymbals for four hours every day at work can take its toll. No worker's comp... no band-aid break... no nothing. This is what my finger looked like after I had cleaned it up a bit. I still can't get it all of the cymbal...

(This post is dedicated to Anna Watcher-of-bloody-disgusting-things Peipon)

Quite a Concert...

2007-09-26T23:29:00.000+03:00

"Toshimitsu Tanaka is one of the most prolific composers today in Japan, with a repertoire of over eighty compositions for all media. Notable among these are the tetralogy of Requiems for orchestra - The Grave, Gunzo, PATHOS, and maze - spanning twenty years, from 1972 to 1992, and his diverse percussion music, from the Sadlo Concerto for marimba and orchestra, commissioned by Peter Sadlo of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, to Personna (a competition for roto-toms and marimba players on one side, and, on the other, percussionists in traditional Japanese demonic masks, all playing one large gojinjo daiko Japanese drum."

I played the Ukrainian premiere of 'Personna' tonight. It's very complex and it usually would have taken a month or more for us to put something like it together... I had less than two weeks to learn it and only few days to put it all together with the other people playing... and the composer (who is for Japan what Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Rachmaninov were for the USSR) was in the audience.

I'm pooped...

But it's over... Ukraine has know heard Personna and I can finally get a good night sleep.

Hold on to your Honey

2007-09-26T09:31:00.000+03:00

It's DONE!

2007-09-08T07:53:00.000+03:00

If my calculations are correct, it has been about THREE MONTHS since Dasha and I have had a home. Workers kept promising finish dates, but the would pass by with no finish in sight.

Finally... Dasha and spent the night in the house. No workers... no anybody.... just us, and we're home. Light... check. Water... check. Hot water... check. Internet enabled computer... check.

Tonight was the first night we spent the night. Grandma (she lives on the first floor), Dasha, and I (we live on the second floor) 'christened' the house last night with a little bit of scotch whisky. Mmm... mmm. Still a lot of work to do here... but at least we're HOME!

(This is an old picture... I'm too lazy to go outside and take a picture of the completed house)

Anouncements!

2007-08-17T14:38:00.000+03:00

Anouncement number one: As Mrs. Taylor suggested, I am planning a wedding reception for Ben and Linnea here in Ukraine. Mandatory attendance is required from the bride, groom, and their families. Just let me know a date that works best for you all...

Anouncement number two: Our builders told us that our house should be done within a week's time!

Righteous hatred

2007-08-09T17:28:00.000+03:00

I just want everyone to know... I HATE the fact that I missed Ben and Linnea's wedding. I survived not being at Jack and Stacey's even though I was concocting schemes to get there up until the day before their wedding. Seeing as how I had "successfully" missed that wedding, I figured I could handle missing Hannah and Patrick's, Noah and Katie's and Ben and Linnea's.

Wrong...

It must be that while Jack, Hannah and Noah are very dear people, I really don't know Stacy, Pat, or Katie very well.

But Ben and Linnea are TWO very special people... getting married... on the same day... to EACHOTHER!

I don't like it... not one bit.

I'm jealous that Ben gets to be part of the Shelton family... That his in-laws are Mr. and Mrs. Shelton and that Jack and Jared are brothers... in-LAW. I'm jealous that Linnea gets to be part of the Taylor family, too. I'm jealous that only one picture (360th, I think... it's in my favorites folder) has me in it... and that even in that one I'm stuck behind Matt's phone... etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc.

Blogging...

2007-08-08T09:24:00.002+03:00

Blogging really isn't very interesting from someone else's computer. Being at mom and dad's, Dasha and I have been using a combination of different computers. I've been back to work as well. There really isn't much to say.

Besides the Philarmonic, I've been giving drum lessons to a kid from our church as well as to the son of the dutch ambassador.

The house is still being built. It's finally getting closer. Over the past couple days we've been picking out toilets, sinks, kitchens, bath tubs, bidets, etc. etc. etc. Way too many choices... and they're all pretty permanent.

But, we're trucking along... gettin' er done.

Back to work...

2007-08-01T13:50:00.000+03:00

It was inevitable... it had to happen. Summer is basically over for me. Today was my first day back to work. Four hours of rehearsal every day... six days a week, for the rest of this month...

Then the concerts start...

Then the tours.

It looks like I'll be going to Japan at the beginning of November and Warsaw, Poland at the end.

11 months and 30 days until next summer vacation.

Sorry, mom

2007-07-29T23:36:00.000+03:00

I was trying to come up with some good captions for the blog... the only problem is that the possibilities are ENDLESS:

"Not Again!"

"We understand, mom. It was a long flight."

"It happens to the best of us."

"I just LOVED the chili!"

"You know, adult diapers are a 3 million dollar a year industry."

The truth is, mom was sitting in a chair and someone else spilled diet coke on to it.

Moving...

2007-07-25T18:27:00.000+03:00

For those of you who don't know: Dasha and I are in the process and moving. This is Dasha:

"When You're moving your whole world becomes boxes. That's all you think about is boxes.

'Boxes, where are there boxes?' You just wander down the street going in and out of stores.

'Are there boxes here? Have you seen any boxes?' I mean it's all you think about. You can't even talk to people because you can't concentrate.

'Shut up I'm looking for boxes!' Just after a while you become like really into it you can smell them. You walk into a store... 'There's boxes here. Don't tell me you don't have boxes! Dammit, I can SMELL them!' I'm like I'm obsessed. 'I love the smell of cardboard in the morning.'

You could be at a funeral. Everyone's mourning crying around, and you're looking at the casket. 'That's a nice box Does anyone know where that guy got that box? When he's done with it do you think I could get that? it's got some nice handles on it.' And that's what death is really. It's the last big move of your life. The hearse is like the van. The pale bearers are your close friends the only ones you could ask to help you with a big move like that. and the casket is that great perfect box you've been waiting for your whole life The only problem is, once you find it you're in it."

Fun...

2007-07-24T19:16:00.001+03:00

I don't know why exactly... but this picture really made me smile when I saw it...

Thank you, Annie.

The Weddings

2007-07-23T10:15:00.000+03:00

This is me at Ben and Linnea's wedding. It's the only shot I have of the wedding. I am seen here at four in the moring (Ukraine time) trying to make that special Skype call to Matt Robin's phone and talk to Ben and Linnea while they were cutting their cake.

Here I am again at Noah and Katie's wedding. They had me standing WAY in the back (Ukraine in the back). I couldn't even see sthe action or say hello. And the service at the reception was horrible. I'm standing there in the Noah shirt (you'd think they would know I was in the fan club) and no one even offered me a drink.

Those who were closer report that they had a great time. Dasha and I will try to be there next time.

P.S. Sorry I have no pictures with Dasha my date... I don't think she wanted this type of flattering picture taken of her and published.

2007-07-18T18:36:00.000+03:00

"I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go
I'm filling the cracks that ran through the door
And kept my mind from wandering
Where it will go"

Squirrel goes on rampage, injures 3

2007-06-15T23:19:00.000+03:00

I couldn't NOT blog this...:

BERLIN (Reuters) - An aggressive squirrel attacked and injured three people in a German town before a 72-year-old pensioner dispatched the rampaging animal with his crutch.
The squirrel first ran into a house in the southern town of Passau, leapt from behind on a 70-year-old woman, and sank its teeth into her hand, a local police spokesman said Thursday.
With the squirrel still hanging from her hand, the woman ran onto the street in panic, where she managed to shake it off.
The animal then entered a building site and jumped on a construction worker, injuring him on the hand and arm, before he managed to fight it off with a measuring pole.
"After that, the squirrel went into the 72-year-old man's garden and massively attacked him on the arms, hand and thigh," the spokesman said. "Then he killed it with his crutch."
The spokesman said experts thought the attack may have been linked to the mating season or because the squirrel was ill.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1432171020070614

John Piper is BAD

2007-06-05T23:36:00.001+03:00

I found this randomly and thought it was entertaining... especially for all the Piper fans out there.

Design

2007-05-23T11:48:00.000+03:00

Some of you may know that Dasha and I will be moving soon to a little house right outside of Kyiv. It is a duplex and the second/top floor will be ours. It is still being built so everything will be done the way we prefer. The question is... how do you decorate this type of area?

These two picture (above and below) don't match up. Ours will be closer to the top plan than the bottom as far as where that door is.
So what do you do with all these slanted walls?

If anybody knows or has ideas... comment!

The Weather

2007-05-20T17:45:00.000+03:00

It's been a whopping 11 days since my last blog... and what do people talk about during uncomfortable pauses in conversation? The weather...

I just thought I would mention that while the projected high in Salisbury, MD was 65 degrees farenheit... the high in the Kyiv (the froozing former soviet union) is 88! (If you could make numbers 'capital' like letters I would have done it.)

And now you know... the rest of the story.

Happy Victory Day

2007-05-09T10:39:00.001+03:00

Europe Worship Link Conference, 2007

2007-04-27T21:16:00.000+03:00

So this is where I was last weekend. I didn't do the video, one of the leaders at the conference did. These clips are mostly from the 'Arts of the Nations' night where everyone played something that represented the culture of their country.

One of the biggest chunks was our presentation from Ukraine. It was all very last minute. We didn't have any idea that we would be doing until a few hours before we went up. I'm playing the piano on the second Ukrainian bit... Have a look:

Anna's Hours

2007-04-22T10:37:00.000+03:00

I haven't checked Anna's blog for a while. I checked it today and I'm a little worried. Could Anna be overworking? Look at those tough office hours she's putting up with.

We will all continue to pray for you, Anna. Especially for your difficult TWO AND A HALF HOUR work week.

:P

Wednesday

2007-04-15T22:50:00.000+03:00

This is where I'm going on Wednesday.

2007-04-10T23:05:00.000+03:00

This is a car here in Kyiv... right out in front of the conservatory.

Those are New York tags, by the way.

Things You Won't See In America - Part 5

2007-04-06T20:02:00.000+03:00

Today, Good Friday, is a Special Edition Video Installment of 'Things You Won't See In America'. This video was taken today by me on my phone today. It is Kyiv's central square, 'Maydan Nezalejnosti' or 'Independence Square'. This was center stage for the orange revolution and with another 'political crisis' brewing here in Ukraine (I don't know if it has made it's way into western news cycles), you can see that some people have taken to the streets:

Today's thing you won't see in America is:

The Religious Left

You can hear the Orthodox choral pieces in the backround. No, that's not from the Conservatory (located just off camera)... it is being blasted over the loud speakers. It is all part of a video talking about church history that you can see being played on the big screens on both sides of the stage.

But the kicker in this video is all the pink. All the tents, flags, etc. that are pink are there representing the SOCIALIST PARTY of Ukraine. The very same socialist party that betrayed and effectively ruined the 'Orange Coalition'.

Seems a little odd... and not something that you would see in the states.

Out and About

2007-04-01T23:45:00.000+03:00

It has been a while since I've been outside running around... and with the weather as nice as it has been I couldn't turn down the opportunity to kick the ball around Saturday morning.

A couple of us decided to get together and play and the rest are just guys that were hanging out that wanted to join in.

Take note of the lucious grass... Its impossible to plant new grass because it will just get trampled the first day.

Things You Won't See In America - Part 4

2007-03-28T08:57:00.000+03:00

I don't have a picture to go with this... but this is something that has frustrated me over the past couple of days... and it just isn't something you're likely to see in the states:

The '24-hour tire service center' down the street has been closed twice in the past two days. So why the 24? Why claim 24-hour service when you're going to close down at night anyway?

It's little things like these that get on people's nerves. It is because of this type of thing that many Ukrainians are not going to Crimea (Ukraine's 'Florida') in the summer but are looking for cheap deals anywhere else (Bulgaria, Turkey, baltic states, Egypt).

This isn't supposed to be a complaint against Ukraine... even if it sounds like one. But you still probably won't see this in America (and not because America is so perfect and wonderful... but because the owner of such a place would probably be sued for false advertising and wasting people's time).

I'll try to make part 5 more positive...

A Big Day...

2007-03-22T09:01:00.000+02:00

Today, my blog is celebrating it's first birthday. I've made it... I've made it a whole year. I'm kind of surprised myself to be honest. It all started with the post 'Mouth Soap' (a classic, I'm sure you all remember... hehe).

In celebration I'm adding this clip. Last night I was at a 'drummer show' with the guest star being Marco Minneman (he's a pretty famous drummer). Anyway, he was discussing memorizing music and how to put together long lines of memorized music without even being able to read music. His theory is that you can memorize anything if you put it to words/melody.

So, just for fun... he played a 'solo' over a 3 minute clip of Monty Python's Life of Brian that he had memorized. This is only 31 seconds of it that I recorded on my phone so the quality isn't great. I was quite entertained.

P.S. Someone better make sure Matt Robins sees this!

P.P.S. Last night, I also won a DW Drum's t-shirt for my vast knowledge of drum history.

2007-03-21T11:01:00.000+02:00

"More fun, more flames, more flameouts: more Gilmore."

I just don't get it... Dasha is already watching season 3 (borrowed from Jeanne) and I still haven't been able to sit through a whole episode.

I don't think its well-written and I don't think that its well-acted and I think the highly-praised "suds-free storyline" is lame.

What do people like this show for and how can there be so many seasons of it?

2007-03-13T22:43:00.000+02:00

Here are the promised pictures that go with Part 3 of the highly-acclaimed series 'Things You Won't See in America'. (Women the world over have given this series two thumbs-up!)

Things You Won't See In America - Part 3

2007-03-12T11:14:00.000+02:00

Here we go, my third post of this series. This week's thing you won't see in America is:

March, 8th

Here, this is no simple date. This is like Valentines day, Mother's day, plus every woman's birthday all wrapped in to one. But don't think you can get away with congratulating your significant other exclusively... you must congratulate all women. Co-workers, wives, sisters, moms, daughters, aunts... if it's a woman, you have to congratulate it.

International Women's Day. While it does cause us mortal men some extra hassle, we do get a few days off at work because of it.

Pictures aren't working... I'll add them later.

There and Back Again

2007-03-09T12:54:00.000+02:00

Things You Won't See In America - Part 2

2007-02-28T09:26:00.000+02:00

This one is a bit sketchy because the picture isn't great and there be something like it in America. But... if there is, I've never seen it.

Technically, this blog, should probably called Things You Probably Won't See In America - Part 2.

The picture was taken while I was driving with the camera in my phone so you'll have to cut it some slack:

As you can see, there are two triangle-shaped stickers on the back of this car. The bottom one -- 'Y' -- is the first letter in the russian word for student. This sticker will be most likely coming off this car in the coming months.

The other sticker is more important. If you can't make it out, it is a high-heeled shoe (a 'pump', if you will). This is an unofficial but very widely-used warning symbol meaning:

WOMAN DRIVER.

This week's thing you won't see in America goes not only to this sticker, but also to the fact that a woman would publicly claim to be an inferior driver and displaying that claim quite publicly on her vehicle.

The wide, wide computer world...

2007-02-21T09:32:00.000+02:00

It's quite a bit odd, to see your parents out in the blogging world. I saw my Dad's comments on Hannah's blog today and it reminded of a Seinfeld bit (what else?):

Estelle (George's Mom):"I'm out there, George."

George: "You're not out there."

E: "I am too."

G: "You're not out there. You can't be because I am out there. And if I see you out there there's not enough voltage in this world to electro-shock me back into coherence."

Are these the same parents that used to make me check their e-mail for them? Are these the same parents who couldn't connect to the internet without one of the kids coming to help? Are these the same parents that had me set up the annoying 'Net Nanny' parental control software?

The times have changed... now they've moved on from PC to master Mac, they're setting up wireless home networks, banking, and even sending out newsletters and blogging with pictures and power point presentations on a regular basis (all with a little help from the Brown's).

It's almost time let them go... all by themselves, in the the wide, wide world.... of computers.

Things You Won't See In America - Part 1

2007-02-17T13:39:00.000+02:00

There are many parts of everyday life here in Ukraine that are perfectly normal. There is nothing wrong, in general, with these things... they are just, shall we say, different. Definitely not what Americans would be used to. Some of these things I can say are bad... some of these are perfectly good ideas that just aren't used/accepted in the states.

In any case, this is my first post of a series I'd like to do that is dedicated to things that separate our cultures... and in an odd way, bring us together (or something).

Number 1 on my list of things you WON'T see in America.. (drum roll please):

DIRTY EGGS!

To many Americans, it may come as a surprise to find out that eggs are not naturally clean. Chickens are not the cleanest of birds and many people (especially from the Eastern Shore of MD) have a general knowledge in this department due to the amount of hen houses in the Salisbury area (thank you, Perdue) and what they look and smell like (the hen houses, not the people from Salisbury). THIS IS WHERE THEY GET EGGS! They pull them straight of these houses of filth.

We take it for granted that our eggs are bought cleaned, with no exceptions (at least that I've ever seen or heard of).

The pictures may look quite tame... but you must remember, something has to be holding those feathers to the eggs.

2007-02-13T10:11:00.000+02:00

The President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, just became one of my favorite European politicians. Here's a little Q & A to show why:

Q: Isn't there enough empirical evidence and facts we can see with our eyes that imply that Man is demolishing the planet and himself?

A: It's such a nonsense that I have probably not heard a bigger nonsense yet.

Q: Don't you believe that we're ruining our planet?

A: I will pretend that I haven't heard you. Perhaps only Mr Al Gore may be saying something along these lines: a sane person can't. I don't see any ruining of the planet, I have never seen it, and I don't think that a reasonable and serious person could say such a thing. Look: you represent the economic media so I expect a certain economical erudition from you. My book will answer these questions. For example, we know that there exists a huge correlation between the care we give to the environment on one side and the wealth and technological prowess on the other side. It's clear that the poorer the society is, the more brutally it behaves with respect to Nature, and vice versa.• It's also true that there exist social systems that are damaging Nature - by eliminating private ownership and similar things - much more than the freer societies. These tendencies become important in the long run. They unambiguously imply that today, on February 8th, 2007, Nature is protected uncomparably more than on February 8th ten years ago or fifty years ago or one hundred years ago.• That's why I ask: how can you pronounce the sentence you said? Perhaps if you're unconscious? Or did you mean it as a provocation only? And maybe I am just too naive and I allowed you to provoke me to give you all these answers, am I not? It is more likely that you actually believe what you say.

2007-02-12T13:01:00.000+02:00

"Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience every time."

Sick days

2007-02-01T11:59:00.000+02:00

It is quite amazing what you might run across on the internet when you are home, sick, and bored. I haven't seen this show in a LONG time and was surprised when I was laughing out loud at this clip...

Dasha's NEW Blog

2007-01-30T13:30:00.000+02:00

http://www.dasha-shares-her.blogspot.com/

From the author:

"While writing the 'Genesis' blog I had too many thoughts of my own that I wanted to share. They weren't quite suitable there. So I decided to store the ideas of my worldview, share my opinion on different things and post some fun pictures on a separate blog."

Rudi Giuliani

2007-01-29T14:21:00.000+02:00

I don't know if I support him or not... I don't know much about him. I DO know that he willingly played himself in a few Seinfeld episodes and that gives him bonus points.

This is what he had to say on "what you should look for in whatever decision you make in presidential primaries":

"When I promise you things, if I do, when I do, as I do, I’ll promise them because I’ve done them before.”

Tricksy... very tricksy...

Cards and rear-kicking

2007-01-28T19:23:00.000+02:00

Yes... Dasha just kicked me in the rear SEVERAL TIMES in a row..

Entertainment

2007-01-28T01:07:00.000+02:00

Watch it til' the end... its worth it.

Welcome to the race, HillBill!

The MUST SEE Movie!

2007-01-26T22:44:00.000+02:00

An excellent movie taking place almost entirely in Ukraine (although filmed mostly in Prague). Any one who lives here or has made extended visits will understand will appreciate this movie even more.

2007-01-22T01:10:00.000+02:00

"Read such works as will make you sorry for your sins rather than such as may amuse your idleness."

- Thomas A Kempis

Noah and Katie

2007-01-13T14:02:00.000+02:00

I just visited "Noah and Katie's Wedding Webpage". Basically it is a link to their registry and the story of how they met, got engaged, etc. But while browsing through the guestbook I found this little jem written to the happy couple from Joe and started laughing:

"On September 17th, at his computer in Josh's basement, Joe read Noah's third person account of his touching history with Katie. Joe was moved to tears, and decided to immediately make a pilgrimage to King to retrace the historic steps of the couple, just as soon as he finished typing this message."

This is why I love the Hall's...

David Beckham signs with LA Galaxy?

2007-01-11T22:13:00.000+02:00

What in the world? DAVID BECKHAM?! Los Angeles Galaxy?

Something weird is going on...

The changes...

2007-01-10T22:47:00.000+02:00

Due to the overwhelmingly negative response to my 'old new' blog template, I have switched to this one.

Is that OK? Is everyone fine with that?

Can you name this soldier?

2007-01-06T22:01:00.000+02:00

Jared

2007-01-04T21:45:00.000+02:00

I really didn't want to push the Seinfeld post down lower (because we all know that no one reads, much less COMMENTS, on the SECOND post). But this pictures of Jared deserves it...

Festivus for the Rest of us...

2007-01-02T00:43:00.000+02:00

It's all true...

Christmas Time is Here

2006-12-24T17:03:00.000+02:00

Christmas Cliche

2006-12-16T21:37:00.000+02:00

This will probably be my last post before we head out of town for a week.

So, here's a topic:

"Is anyone tired of the phrase 'the real meaning of christmas'?"

Talk amongst yourselves.

2006-12-14T01:12:00.000+02:00

I haven't worn long-underwear once this winter...

News

2006-11-29T20:45:00.000+02:00

I guess I just feel like a should write SOMETHING...

Right now, Dasha and I are living in the apartment of MTW-Ukraine-head-honcho HUBERS! While the parents are away, we are 'babysitting' the three kids (Tim - senior in hight school, Dani - sophomore and Nate 5th grade).

Tomorrow we'll be picking Anna up from the airport...

Dasha had a fairly successful job interview for an editor post at Ukraine's equivalent of People magazine...

And I'm just plugging away as usual....

The Hobbit

2006-11-24T15:57:00.000+02:00

Well, the news is out... New Line cinema has apparently dumped Peter Jackson from their Hobbit project. In Peter Jackson's words: "We got to go there - but not back again ..."

In honor of getting him BACK on, I've added a "Save the Hobbit" banner to my blog. Click it to find out what YOU can do for the cause!

(P.S. I wetn to theonering.net web-site today... woh. What a flashback! I used to visit that web-site every day!)

UPDATE!:

As Lord of the Rings fans mounted a protest following word that New Line had dropped Peter Jackson from consideration as director of The Hobbit and another Lord of the Rings prequel, producer Saul Zaentz has given assurances that Jackson will indeed direct the two films. A German website, Elbenwald.de, posted an interview with Zaentz, who acquired the rights to the works of the late Rings writer, J.R.R. Tolkien, in 1976 (the Saul Zaentz Company owns Tolkien Enterprises), in which Zaentz says, "It will definitely be shot by Peter Jackson. ... Next year The Hobbit rights will fall back to my company. I suppose that Peter will wait because he knows that he will make the best deal with us. And he is fed up with the studios: to get his profit share on the Rings trilogy he had to sue New Line. With us, in contrast, he knows that he will be paid fairly and artistically supported without reservation." (The preceding quotation is a translation that appeared on TheHobbit-Movie.com from the German interview posted on Elbenwald.de.)

I knew that little banner would help!

Breakfast at the MTW Office in Kyiv

2006-11-16T12:17:00.000+02:00

Lost In Translation or Babel Fish

2006-11-12T19:23:00.000+02:00

Here is an interesting look at how easily things are lost in translation... I took the following text from a box of Lipton Yellow Label Tea. This text is written on the box in English and Russian... here is how Babel fish translated it for me:

Orginal English: "Hand picked close the the bud for best quality tea and finest taste"

Babel Fish translation of russian text: "the refined refreshing taste, which stores in itself the natural perfection of the upper leaflets of the highest quality, assembled by hand"

Orginal english text translated to russian and back: "Hand selected its close to bud for the best tea of quality and majorities of the precise taste"

Original russian text translated to english to korean to english to greek to french to dutch to english: "With in the natural enemy above the brochure of quality he unites of the hand which the wall Yan of institutions the preference which puts on so that he is by living making is cleaned,"

I think the biggist mystery is how that comma got added on to the end...

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2006-11-06T10:33:00.000+02:00

Pictures taken from our balcony (Dasha)

HA!

2006-11-01T22:58:00.000+02:00

Uncle Wilbur

2006-10-29T22:57:00.000+02:00

This is part of an e-mail I just got from Great Aunt Wanda and Uncle Wilbur (their last name is Woolard... all "W's"). They are my grandmother's sister and brother-in-law:

"this past month I [Wilbur] have bushhogged the three pasture fields, started to chain saw some firewood, we bailed 1400 bales of hay in August, and I have already sold 565 bales....and as soon as possible, a guy is going to pick up another 200 bales.....and we (I) shoveled 50 bushels of ear corn into the crib, for the food for the horses for this winter....along with hay, naturally. So, it has been a busy fall. Not looking forward to winter, though.....comes too soon. Oh, and I had a 75th birthday in October..."

WOW! I don't even get that much work done at 21 years old! That's what the Marine Corp does to a person, I guess. (If you ever ask him "So you were a marine?" he'll answer "I still am!")

Here's to Aunt Wanda and Uncle Wilbur!

2006-10-28T23:47:00.000+03:00

Learning carries within itself certain dangers because out of necessity one has to learn from one's enemies.

Lev Trotsky

Are they twins?

2006-10-28T10:01:00.000+03:00

It was worth 40 bucks...

2006-10-24T08:58:00.000+03:00

Love this picture...

2006-10-22T00:01:00.000+03:00

Sorry, Jared

2006-10-15T23:21:00.000+03:00

I couldn't resist...

Genesis

2006-10-12T09:19:00.000+03:00

Dasha's Blog = updated (link is to the right)

The World Cup

2006-10-10T09:50:00.000+03:00

Right after the world cup, I said that I would post something when I figured out what I thought about what happened in the final (run on sentence).

I still haven't figured it out... but the French and Italian fans have... the first one is what the frence believe happened:

But this is how the Italians saw it:

2006-10-06T10:32:00.000+03:00

Dasha and I are about to finish season 2...

Jared's Blog

2006-09-23T15:26:00.000+03:00

I think that everyone from Salisbury that visits my blog probably has an idea of the condition of Jared's blog.

I would like to hold a vote... right here in the comments of this post. Here's the question:

If Jared does not post again in the next week, does he deserve to stay in our lists of links?

We shall see...

Coming Soon

2006-09-19T13:19:00.000+03:00

Dasha's Genesis House Blog...

Check it out.

2006-09-18T23:13:00.000+03:00

It was a long week...

Monday morning rehearsal, 10-2. Tuesday rehearsal 10-4... then concert 7-9. Wednesday rehearsal 10-2. Thursday... rehearsal and concert.. Friday rehearsal and concert... Saturday rehearsal and concert.

Now, those of you (like Krissy) who have participated in rock 'n roll revival know how much work it is to put on the same concert several nights in a row. Those four concerts in five days were all different with no overlapping material.

But, now I have from Sunday through Thursday off... and a VIBRAPHONE! I get to borrow it until further notice... at least a couple of months.

"The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It is similar in appearance to the xylophone, although the vibraphone uses metal bars instead of the wooden bars on the xylophone. The vibraphone is commonly played with cord or yarn mallets.Below each bar is a resonator, a resonant metal tube, with a metal disc of a slightly smaller diameter located at the top. The discs in each tube are connected via a rod which can be made to rotate with an electric motor. When the motor is on and a note is struck, the notes acquire a tremolo sound as the resonators are covered and uncovered by the rotating discs. The player can vary the speed of the tremolo. At slower speeds, the effect sounds more like a "wah-wah-wah." At faster speeds, the tremolo is more pronounced. With the motor switched off the vibraphone has a mellow, bell-like sound.

While the instrument's name comes from "vibrato", this is actually a misnomer, since the effect is actually tremolo, not vibrato (vibrato being a modulation in pitch, not amplitude). In any case, the tremolo sound is now perceived as dated, and many modern vibraphonists eschew the effect altogether.

The vibraphone also has a sustain pedal similar to that used on a piano. When the pedal is up, the bars are all damped and the sound of each bar is quite short; with the pedal down, they will sound for several seconds, so frequent rapid pedalling is common when playing a vibraphone.
The vibraphone was invented in the United States in 1921. It has a long history as a jazz instrument. However, the vibraphone has since been used in many other musical idioms, including popular music."

Thank you wikipedia...

Wow!

2006-09-07T21:59:00.000+03:00

TV producer Stephen J. Cannell has been trying to get an "A-Team" movie off the ground for a little while now, and here comes word that he wants Bruce Willis to play the leader of the team...

From EmpireOnline.com: "Although the identity of the new writer and details of the plot are unconfirmed, Cannell, who will be producing the film, has made no secret of the fact the 80s cult show will be updated for the new millennium. "I want to create it as taking place today. So the Gulf War could be a great angle. In the original, the A-Team were on the run after robbing a bank under orders just as the war ended. In this, maybe the four would raid Saddam Hussein’s bank or whatever."But how will it better the chemistry of the original quartet of George Peppard (Hannibal), Mr. T (BA Baracus), Dwight Schultz (Murdock) and Dirk Benedict (Faceman)? "I would like the original cast to play a part - to have their input into the movie and to star in cameo roles. As for who will play the new roles, I think Bruce Willis would make a good Hannibal!"

First Day of School

2006-09-05T08:48:00.000+03:00

Mom has a September 1st post so I thought it would be good to have one as well. Dasha's Dad broke his foot on August 24th (Ukrainian Independence Day) so he wasn't able to take the kids to school.

Here is Slavik... the face in the crowd. (Photo courtesy of Dasha) He is a fourth grader... it is his first time at a real school.

Here is Anton going in to first grade. I don't think he knows how many years he'll be spending in school... but he looks like he's getting the hang of it already.

And here are the first graders outside (Anton is with the green balloon) for their little ceremony. The older kids behind them are kids graduating this year.. it is a tradition for the graduating class to walk the first graders into the ceremony. Behind them, you can see how many parents were there to see it.

Motley Crew

2006-09-04T14:51:00.000+03:00

Well... the total count is up to five. Dasha's parents just got two more kids in their home. On the left is Masha and Slavik - the two newest members - and then veterans Sonya, Yan, and Anton.

The Trip...

2006-09-04T14:07:00.000+03:00

Well... It took us a little more than two days to make the 1,800 mile journey from Kendal, United Kingdom to Kyiv, Ukraine. We started around eight o'clock on Thursday morning and were at Operation Mobilization's Manna House by three or four in the afternoon where we met Anna.

In London we did some sightseeing (as you can see in the pictures below), had dinner at a Mexican place downtown and restarted our journey at around 11:30 P.M. We made it to our ferry across the English channel by around 1:00 A.M. and departed from Dover, UK to Calais, France at 2:10. The trip is a little under two hours and as soon as we boarded Dasha and I found a couple of couches to sleep on.

We woke up in France ready to start the longest leg of our journey. On Friday we went through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and finally stopped at a rest area for a few hours sleep (in the car) in Poland at around 1:00 on Saturday morning.

We woke up quite early (by 7 o'clock at the latest) as the sun was just coming up. We made it to the Poland/Ukraine border by mid-afternoon and waiting several hours in line. It was quite hot outside and we were sitting in the car with the a/c running. We turned the car off when we finally got to the front and when we turning it off it BARELY had enough juice in the battery to get us going again. Very thankfully we made our we through the border gates and were finally on our way through Ukraine. That thankfulness was cut off pretty quickly when we were pulled over within 300 feet of the border by police officers wanting to check our documents... AGAIN! This time the car didn't start and one of the officers got behind the wheel and two were in the back pushing it to get it started again.

We were stopped twice more on our way home for disobeying the IMPOSSIBLE Ukrainian traffic laws but both times we were stopped by officers who had no intention of running everything through the justice system. I talked to them in English saying PROTOCOL (they have the same word in Russian) which basically means to them that I'm only giving money to the Ukrainian government through the official system... no 'fee on the spot' for me.

We finally made it home on Saturday morning at around 1:30 A.M. Quite a trip... But we made it.

I'll post a list of the cities we travelled through later.

2006-09-04T14:03:00.000+03:00

There is a Ukrainian police story... but I'll get to it in a minute. It's not nearly as interesting as Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin being killed by a stingray. I guess he kind of had it coming...

A DOCTOR and witnesses have told of the desperate efforts to save Australian icon Steve Irwin after the Crocodile Hunter was struck in the chest by a stingray barb today.
Irwin, 44, died this morning after being fatally injured while filming a nature documentary off Queensland.
The news has shocked the nation and prompted a rush of tributes from politicians and the public alike.
Irwin's wife Terri was in Tasmania at the time of the tragedy and had to be contacted by police with the terrible news.
The couple's daughter Bindi, 8, was with her father in north Queensland, Irwin's manager John Stainton said from Cairns.
Choking back tears, Mr Stainton said Irwin had gone “over the top of a stingray and a stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart”.
"He possibly died instantly when the barb hit him, and I don't think that he ... felt any pain.”
Professional diver Pete West was on board a nearby boat and was asked by Irwin's team to call in the emergency.
Asked on Channel 7 if Irwin was alive when they got him on his own boat, Mr West said: “I believe so.”
"He was doing what he did best and unfortunately today he wasn't quick enough."
Dr Ed O'Loughlin was aboard the Emergency Management Queensland Helicopter which was called from Cairns at 11.21am (AEST).
Irwin was being given CPR at Low Isles, off Port Douglas, as the helicopter arrived less than one hour after the incident, but Dr O'Loughlin said nothing could be done to save him.
"It became clear fairly soon that he had non-survivable injuries," Dr O'Loughlin said.
"He had a penetrating injury to the left front of his chest. He had lost his pulse and wasn't breathing."
Mr Stainton admitted he had always feared Irwin might meet his death while working with wildlife, but added that Irwin himself was never scared. "We've been in some pretty close shaves. (But) nothing would ever scare Steve or would worry him. He didn't have a fear of death at all.”
Tragedy
Father-of-two Irwin was swimming at Batt Reef, off the Low Isles, when the tragedy occurred.
Tasmania Police this afternoon confirmed his wife Terri was travelling in the state at the time of the tragedy.
A spokeswoman said police had made contact with Mrs Irwin and "passed on a message relating to the death of her husband".
The Irwins have two children - Bindi and a three-year-old son, Robert (Bob) Clarence Irwin.
John Weigel, of the Australian Reptile Park on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, said Irwin's death would be "devastating to a lot of people".
"He walked into the room like someone had opened the window and let the light in.
"He seemed invincible and it's a great shock that it could happen."
Famed
Steve Irwin - known worldwide as the Crocodile Hunter - was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry "Crikey!".
In an sad twist, it has been reported that his new documentary was aimed at demystifying the stingray. However Mr Stainton said Irwin was filming other footage for a program with Bindi at the time of the attack.
Irwin's Crocodile Hunter program was first broadcast in 1992 and has been shown around the world on cable network Discovery.
He has also starred in movies and has developed the Australia Zoo wildlife park, north of Brisbane, which was started by his parents Bob and Lyn Irwin.
Tributes quickly poured in for the larger-than-life character.Prime Minister John Howard said Irwin was a typical Australian larrikin who brought joy to millions of people around the world.
"I am quite shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death," he said.
"It's a huge loss to Australia."
A Tourism Queensland spokeswoman said the death was shocking and paid tribute to Irwin's "enormous contribution" to his adopted state.
"I don't think we could even estimate how much he brought us through his personality and his profile and his enthusiasm about Queensland," she said.
- with AAP

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.html

We Made It

2006-08-27T00:05:00.000+03:00

I just wrote a REALLY long post about our return trip... it just got deleted.

2006-08-16T11:11:00.000+03:00

Pictures don't want to load so I'm taking a break from Britain to talk about America...

Below is a quote from the Drudge Report. It amazes me how much propoganda you here about Fox News. They even sell Fox News Blockers to hook up to your TV so that as you are channel surfing, you will never land on Fox. I don't think I've ever heard of another channel being so hated as a whole. But the numbers speak differently. Even FNC's number (according to this list, Brit Hume) has TWICE as many viewers as Larry King, the god of cable news.

Oh well...

CABLE NEWS RACE MON., AUG. 14, 2006 VIEWERS

FOXNEWS O'REILLY 2,059,000
FNC BRIT HUME 1,614,000
FNC HANNITY/COLMES 1,496,000
FNC GRETA 1,485,000
FNC SHEP SMITH 1,179,000
CNN LARRY KING 805,000
CNN COOPER 798,000
CNN DOBBS 678,000
CNN ZAHN 669,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 456,000
MSNBC INVESTIGATES 451,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 363,000
CNNHN GLENN BECK 354,000
CNNHN NANCY GRACE 335,000

Liverpool

2006-08-15T18:07:00.000+03:00

Monday we took a day trip to Liverpool... unfortunately the Beatle's museum was closed. Ugh...

Oh well... It's a nice city that reminded me a lot of Philadelphia in some parts....

Scotland

2006-08-07T14:12:00.000+03:00

Well, it's been a while since we last posted. We had a few days rest after getting to England and Andrey (Dasha's brother) and Olessya (sister-in-law) had to work a few days before having Thursday and Friday off to enjoy a nice long weekend all together.

We had planned a day trip to Scotland... maybe to Edinburgh (home of John Knox) or to Glasgow to have a nice walk around and the chance to see another british culture. Andrey and Olessya didn't plan on a day trip... they planned on four day trip staying at a Bed and Breakfast right on the western coast of Scotland in historical Oban. WOW! What a treat!

We took around 150 pictures while we were there, but here is a choice sample.

The whole area is very 'islandy' (if you look at a map, it's easier to see) and these first two were taken while on a ferry to Mull Island from Oban.

This is just one of several castles we visited... they're all over the place!

A more broken down castle (broken down = FREE ENTRY!) on the top of a hill. Dasha is behind bars but I am not because I climbed a ROCK FACE to get up to the next window. I actually surprised myself with my agility getting up. But Dasha and I had Andrey and Olessya laughing discussing how to get me down...

There were supposed to be more but blogger didn't want to load them all immediately... oh well.
Enjoy!

2006-08-07T14:10:00.000+03:00

More Scotland...

There we are at the Oban distillery where we started one of our days with a tour and learned how they make whiskey... We also got a taste of the whiskey that is made there (at 10:00 a.m., hence the happy faces!)

It is a bit rainy in Britain from time to time... make sure Haley takes a windbreaker/raincoat with her. It wasn't cold out... just a bit wet. But not rainy... it was just kind of misty.

2006-08-07T14:08:00.000+03:00

Being right on the water, we couldn't resist eating seafood as much as possible. But it was nice to have Andrey as we had a few wee little problems with the scottish accent.

THIS... is 'haggis' (pronounced, huggies). Some sort of traditional scottish dealio. The real thing is supposed to be the meat (the middle layer... actually I don't think it's really meat... mostly innards) inside somebody's stomach.... sheep or cow, I think. On the top here it's 'nips' and the bottom is 'tatties'. Apparenly, that means parsnips and potatoes.

Mmm.... seafood.

2006-08-07T14:04:00.001+03:00

Great trip!

2006-08-07T13:58:00.000+03:00

Well, besides having a nice vacation and visiting Dasha's brother and sister-in-law, we've come to England for another reason....

This is why we won't be taking the bus home!

We made it...

2006-07-31T11:29:00.000+03:00

Well... we're sorry about pictures... the one at the top is our only shot from the trip. It was five in the morning in London. We had frequent stops on the bus, but in rest areas with nothing interesting to take pictures of... and usually just enough time for the bathroom and back on the bus. It was an adventure that Dasha and I were glad to have, but also one that we're glad is over and don't plan on taking again.

But now we are here in Kendal (northern England), at Dasha's brother and sister-in-law's house... we're sitting here enjoying the view of the english countryside (the picture below is the the view out the front window). That's all for now, and we promise to take more pictures as we go and post them while we're here since we have access to much faster internet than in Kyiv....