3-8-2010; 1:05 AM
Happy International Women's Day!!!
I'm a little behind because I didn't have my computer back until earlier "today" (which would now be yesterday, the 7th) -- so let's get to the recap of events:
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3-5-2010:
I have a *MAD* case of [High} Achilles tendonitis in my left leg/calf!!!!!!!! What did I do?!?!
I am blaming it on the 3 month holiday I've had from dance…But, still, ouch!!! I put myself on RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) and bed rest for most of today. I didn't *really* realize how bad I had it until I started trying to go *down* stairs (on my way to go out to meet Sahsa). That's when it really gets me!
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Earlier in the day, John SMS-ed to ask when to call me, to talk about what Irina had had to say about her phone call; I was so excited, I told him, "Now is good!" -- and then I never heard anything back!!!
As it turned out, John was in St. Petersburg, with the group of students who had elected to go visit, and that meant that he was "roaming," so his cell phone service was all sorts of wonky.
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Sasha and I got together later in the afternoon (as I mentioned earlier), along with his other friend (who'd gone to one of the Lenkom shows with us), and the three of us went off to the John Donne, to give Pete a rousing welcome-home to Russia!
We had an interesting discussion on "Twitter," while at Sasha's/at Pete's -- Sasha's friend (a girl about my age) didn't know what it was, so we were trying to explain it to her. Neither Sasha nor I are very fond of it -- but I think we managed to explain to her ok. Once we'd gotten to the John Donne, I pulled up the "Wikipedia" page about it, and let her read that.
Sasha and his friend left slightly early -- she hadn't been feeling all that well to begin with; and shortly after that, Pete brought me my big lo' bag of goodies from the USA! He quite enjoyed razzing me about how big the bag was (and it was slightly heavy -- but in my defense, that was because the brunt of the bag was holding "hair care" products) -- and I just told him, "You told me to make a list! I told you to only bring back what was convenient!"
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I am also NEVER telling Pete about what happens when I'm out dancing ever again!!!!! This is because, in regards to my telling him about Zhenya (the aforementioned boy in Journal ), Pete began calling me the, "Kissing Bandit," and promptly dug his heels in to accusing me of, "[You're] -- making out with random, Russian men!"
I objected, with the following:
1. I did *not* make out with him -- I spent the whole time trying *not* to do so.
2. He wasn't some "random, Russian guy" -- I *did* get his name!
Neither of which deterred Pete, who promptly countered with the question -- "Did you get a last name?" --"… No…." -- "Then you're making out with random, Russian men!" And thusly, jauntily continued taunting me. (He was also of the opinion that what constitutes "Making Out" is merely a debate of semantics, and because, as he said, "I've eaten *sandwiches* bigger than you!!!!!"-- I don't get to win on *any* point! Ha ha ha ha….)
Pete *also* found the whole thing interesting enough to share it with *EVERYONE* he brought over to my table!!!!!
He brought over 2 guys that he knew from around and abbots; Scolaighe showed up later; and after Scolaighe, his three Italian friends (all girls) also showed up! -- So they *all* got to hear Pete slandering my good name!
But, on the bright side of it all:
* One of the Italian girls spoke French (Hooray! But mine is still coming out all mixed up with Russian… Boo….)
* There was some Spanish being bandied about (But the French-Speaking, Italian girl hated Spanish!)
* I think everyone realized Pete was mostly just busting my chops about being the "Kissing Bandit"
* And Pete brought me some Oreos -- my first ones in Russia! (But there was no milk, oh noes!!!!)
I finally came back home, just before the Metro closed, and went to bed!
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3-6-2010
Once again, I put myself on more bed rest during the day time -- I am trying to heal up my leg before the coming week, and the salsa and hustle parties, as well as more time at the dance studio!!
I still haven't heard from John -- so, I am having kittens about the dance meeting between Irina and the other trainer! John had said yesterday said that he'd gotten a bunch of texts late last night, but then he still never called me… Odd.
I went off to the John Donne later in the afternoon/evening, and missed Pete for an hour or so, and then we re-connected.
Pete continued on both his bit of introducing me to people, and brought me over to a friend of his named Yuri, whom he'd met shortly after moving to Moscow (It's going on about 3 months now, that they've known each other.). This particular night, Yuri was there with a group of his friends, so I got introduced to everyone sitting around the table.
Pete filled them in that I was a dancer -- and the entire table just burst out laughing! I had no idea why, until Yuri's best friend/Yuri himself told me something to the effect of, "He {Yuri} has got a thing about [ballet] dancers…" -- It seems he's always meeting/involved with ballerinas, or something like that. I tried to tell them that I wasn't really a ballet-dancer, per se, but it didn't make any difference! Yuri's best friend laughed, saying how she thought I was a ballet dancer from the moment she saw me -- and apparently, someone snapped a picture of Yuri and I at one point, and put it on Facebook with the caption, "Ballerina of Fate!" Ha ha ha!
Of course, that's not the only thing Pete filled the group in about… He also apparently felt the need to share that I am known as the, "Moscow Kissing Bandit," and related his opinion of what I was doing with my nights in Moscow! I tried to tell them all that hit wasn't true -- which brought up the argument again of, "Did you get his last name?" etc. -- and Yuri's best friend even laughed and said, "Who kisses with a guy named Zhenya?!?!?" --Life… Is very interesting here sometimes…
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There were a few toasts going on, and Yuri's friends were the same as Svetlana and her friends (the other group of Russians I met at the John Donne before) -- You can't toast with water! So, they were kind and bought me some juice with which to toast with them! *laughs* I wonder what everyone has "against" water here!!!
Speaking of toasts and drinking: I learned a new cultural fact related to drinking tonight -- namely one of the things one can do after taking a shot (of vodka) in Russia:
** Smell something
I learned that, after Yuri took a whiff of my hair -- and then explained the tradition. Don't worry -- he did it to another one of his friends, too, so it wasn't just to get a hold of me!!
Pete told Yuri and his friends that I needed to have some fun; and it seemed that they were going out to another bar called "16 Tonnes" -- so Pete told them to take me with, and to, "Keep her out all night!!"
Pete told me to leave my laptop at the bar, so I wouldn't have to worry about it (he locked it in the office) -- and then sent me off with everyone.
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On our way to "16 Tonnes," I got my first taste of Russian Gypsy Cabs! Thankfully, I was in the cab with 4 of Yuri's other (Russian) friends -- so the danger level was relatively low. (One of those said friends was apparently the director of Russia's version of "Survivor," if what they told me was correct! Ha ha -- the people I meet.)
Yuri's friends were all very impressed with my Russian, and praised me pretty lavishly for it -- saying how I had great pronunciation, and how they would give me a grade of "5" (like an A, A+ in the US system) -- to which I told them they were being too nice, and it wasn't true at all! I kept trying to tell them that I didn't understand much yet, and that my vocabulary was very limited -- but I didn't do a good job of proving it to them… (Story Time!)
At one point, the girl in the front seat was telling a story, and I cued in on it when she said, "… I didn't know anyone there; I didn't know where I was; and my phone didn't work!"
I didn't hear *where* she was though, so I asked her to repeat what she'd said. The people in the backseat thought I hadn't understood, so one of them, (the "director," who knew a little bit of English -- Kiril) started to interpret for me. Before he could start, however, I told them, "Oh, no, no, no -- I understood everything she said -- and here, I repeated it -- I just didn't hear *where* she said she was!"
The looks of shock on their face when I finished saying all of that were priceless! Of course, then they started in on me, and said, "What do you mean, 'your Russian isn't very good?!' You just understood everything she was saying!" etc. etc. etc.!
Of course, Karmic-ly, I didn't understand another word for the next 3-5 minutes or so!!!! *laughs*
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We got to the bar alright, and went inside to meet the other friend that everyone had come to this bar for. Not *too* long after we'd arrived, Yuri and the rest of his friends showed up, and we all set to talking.
I have to say, the best part of the night was definitely Polina (Yuri's best friend) ordering some kind of drink which came with a *pink elephant* stirrer!!!!!! I was so excited, I all but went crazy over it. (It was a *physical* pink elephant! I personally find it to be hysterical!) -- Polina thought it was funny, so she gave it to me -- and now it sits on my bedside table. Ha ha ha! I have a pink elephant…!!!!
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I started getting sleepy, however -- and while they succeeded in keeping me out past the time the Metro operated, I left with two of Yuri's friends around 1:30 AM ish. They were two of the same people that I'd come with (I am not sure if they were a couple themselves?) -- and we all hailed another gypsy cab. They saw me home, safe and sound, and wouldn't even let me pay for the trip! It was so kind of them!
Then, it was bedtime!!!
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3-7-2010
More bed rest!
(I feel like I'm being a little repetitive about this -- but I really did spend a *good* deal of the weekend in bed, trying to heal that tendonitis… Achilles injuries are scary!!!)
I also had a 2 hour nap, too! Ha ha ha….
I went to the John Donne late in the afternoon -- and found out from Pete that apparently Yuri took a shine to me, too!!!
= @_@ = ---I'm not sure how I, 'do do that voodoo that I do so well,' so to speak, but apparently I work the same magic in Moscow as I do back in the States…!
Pete, along in delighting in teasing me about Yuri, now, also gleefully informed me that he had a new, better name for me now! Now, he is calling me the, "Moscow Kissing Kitty!!" Ugh!!!
On the way home from the John Donne, I bought Roses for Olga and Polina (1 each), for International Women's Day (tomorrow) -- and no one was home to see, so they'll be a surprise, yay! (I had been hoping to make it a surprise.)
I went off to the Salsa party at the Rhythm and Blues Café, but it really wasn't so great, unfortunately! I wasn't really feeling the music, it was really crowded, and I actually didn't even dance all that much. Nobody was really asking me -- and to add insult to injury, I actually got*put back!* That is to say, some older guy asked me to dance, and after maybe 2 measures, he seemed to decide I didn't dance in a way that was pleasing to him; so he put me back on the side of the dance floor, and asked some other girl to dance (who was showing quite a bit more cleavage and leg than I was)!!!!! Nothing like having something like that happen to you to take the piss and vinegar out of your night!
In the end, I left early; after maybe having been there for an hour and a half or so. As it stood, the night wasn't going well enough for me to abuse my eardrums (with the loud music) for another hour and a half.
Oh well. At least Andrei (the older gentleman) was nice enough to give me some candy for Women's Day. Can't go wrong with getting some chocolates. =^__^= ''
I came home to some Oreos and Milk (Nothing like that to brighten up your mood, a little!); and chatted with Angelo, Mutti, and my Aunt Tacy. I certainly felt better after all of that!
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After my phone conversations, I took care of the journal -- which brings us to the present time -- and now it's bedtime!!!!!
Love,
Moscow Kitty; 1:17 AM, 3-8-2010
=^__^=
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