Happy New Year!!!

We just did it! Rang in the New Year! Yay!
There are less fireworks than many years- but still some really nice ones- including some just now right beneath my window that set off all the car alarms and went up like cluster bombs... really pretty!

Elaine and I were rubbing our foreheads on the kitchen window, trying to see the fireworks while Colin sat at the table reading the news- Russia's threatening to turn off the gas to Ukraine tomorrow morning at 10. They've made that threat every year for the past 3 years. Hope they don't.

And the new little Americans should be running around the Atlanta airport right about now... they left here this morning sometime before 4... I guess it's been a long day. Happy New Year in America Wyatt, Mikayla and Jadon! Wow!

good intentions

tonight I had every intention of

• catching up with emails


• catching up with a whole lot of stuff that needs doing


• writing my family


• skyping a few people I've been thinking about

but I'm not doing any of it. I'm here, telling stories.

• 1st one: I babysat a 6 week old baby once whose parents told me that if she got to crying too much, she was simply over-stimulated and needed to be parked in her swing seat with a plain white lightweight cloth draped over her head... she had 'over-stimulated baby syndrome' and needed to calm herself down. Well that baby is me right now. We've had heaps of company (and I love company, love to be with people, love kids)... but I feel the need of a white sheet, a corner (and some serious thumb-sucking???)... feel free to play the piano... I'll listen.
• haven't told a drunk story in a longgggg time... (are you listening D? teehee) Was walking home from the store Sat am and met 2 bleary-eyed but still upright drunks. Sidewalks icy and very very treacherous. Drunks side by side... Suddenly, they both go over sideways, one right on top of the other, as graceful and easy as you please. I don't think their legs bent or anything- they were like two 2x4's that just tipped over... the guy on top groggily said "Normalno"- sort of like "No big deal"... everyone in the vicinity cracked up laughing.
• 3 of us were side by side walking back to Ray and Kathy's (this is a few years ago, obviously) late one evening, when a drunk approached us, stopped, weaved around on his feet, narrowed his eyes and really did some serious contemplation. It was clear he saw a whole crowd there in front of him and was wondering how to get through.
• Phyllis' story: Drunk meets identical twin girls on a city sidewalk. He's in the middle, so they simply pass him, one on each side. In wonder and amazement he says: How'd she do thaaat?

haha- I think I could get to love Chinese ankle scarves...

brownies

as per the request in a comment recently, here is the brownies recipe!

• 2 c sugar
• 3/4 c butter
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 c flour
• 1/3 c cocoa
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cream sugar and butter well. Add eggs, vanilla. Stir together flour, cocoa and salt; add to sugar mixture and stir well. Bake in greased, floured 8x14 pan at 350 until it shrinks from the sides of the pan, approx 25 min. (toothpick test will not work since they are very moist- if it comes out dry, they're overbaked!) Let cool and enjoy!

the end of a special day

it's been a full and very special day. Started early when Sharon and I tore out of here to meet a 6.48 am (or thereabouts) train... not just any train- some friends were arriving with their 3 new kids- 2 boys (brothers) and a girl, ages 9 - 11. After hassles, last minute fee increases, delays and just general red tape, they have the kids, they are the legal parents and the last facilitator (in a line of such English-speaking whizzes who must have patience galore to actually go out and do this over and over again) has the documents necessary to get Amer passports for these 3 kiddos... and she'll do the last of what's necessary to get these kids on the plane in a few days... they'll go home to meet their older siblings waiting in their new home (with a swimming pool- the one tyke asked his big bro: Is it true we're going to a house with our own swimming pool? Yes, Big Bro answers. Little Guy says: I promise I won't be scared to learn to swim; I promise.) and a whole host of people anxiously waiting to finally see them. There have been some real tear-jerker moments (Little Missy wouldn't let her new mama sleep the first night they had her- she just wanted to touch her face, her hair and say: Mama? Big Bro pausing during his McD's meal to reach over and just stroke his little bro's face a few times- they'd been seperated over a year).

Tomorrow's another big day- whoever's here in town is coming over for a whizz-bang holiday meal. Should be a wonderful day.


coming back on the metro this am. M and her 'Babushka' (Sharon doesn't seem to mind the title at all!)












J and Mama














W and Papa

it was almost this icy

This my friends, is well worth the 2 min it takes to watch... I'm just amazed that there were no crashes and no pedestrian injuries. Got if off a link on a Neatorama post today.

In other news (you were breathlessly waiting, I know), I had my last Mon night Eng class for now. I took some cookies and brownies and we talked about Christmas traditions in the US as opposed to here while we munched; they were completely mystified by mistletoe and kissing... In fact, I'm a bit mystified myself. We finished off with a nice little round of politics (sighhhhh)- Do Americans like Latin America? How do they feel about Latin Americans? What is American policy towards Latin America? Did the US government create the Twin Towers disaster by working hand-in-hand with bin Laden?

Yep, the last one was a real question. The questioner promised to bring me all kinds of articles proving that this was indeed the case. I didn't tell her that I've seen those ariticles- they're nothing more than Russian propaganda. I did tell her that most people believe it was a terrorist attack. Anyway, I won't be sorry to miss that discussion. Talking about stuff like that is nearly pointless- it would just turn into an argument and I don't care if we skip arguments.

The cookies were good- brownies and nutmeg logs (a Kokomo, IN, specialty)! And can I just say that the brownies were the real McCoy, too? Chewy, moist and rich... not at all like cake... 100% brownie... 'scuse me, but the last ones I made were a disaster and these turned out perfect- reminded me why I like brownies so much.

And- the weather... oh yes, the weather. Snow, rain, ice, sleet, ice, snow, fog, fog, fog, snow, more snow... and now it's warmed up just enough to get good and sloppy... and slushy... amazing. I went down *bang* on the sidewalk a few days ago- hurts like anything to move... but not one single black and blue mark to wear as a battle scar. Oh no- not me. I don't bruise... I just ache...

g'night

hot water

it's bedtime but just got this in my inbox... hot water in Kyiv

The 2 areas mentioned as having had hot water supplies cut include us, although we didn't feel it as much as Julie and her boys did, for sure. Ukraine is mired in the Communist system of water and heat supply- which is to say that most people still do not have meters for anything except electricity and hot water (which includes heat for apartments) is from a plant somewhere not necessarily very close to where you live, so there's not a lot you can do about water or apt temps. We have to boil water for dishes sometimes, for instance... and open windows if it gets too hot (strangely enough, our apt is pretty muchly on the warm side). What this means is it's incredibly expensive for the State to provide heat and hot water... it seems like such a simple solution- put everyone on a meter and shut-offs for all utilities at each apt... when the population is around 5-7 million, though, I guess it's a massive effort to switch over... anyhooooooooooo

Since I have a 5.55 am train to meet, I should sign off! 'night

taste of home?

I've seen this shop downtown; haven't gone into it at all but someday, with the right company, I just might. I have no idea if it's the same Gloria Jean's chain as in the Midwest or just a rip-off of the name.

legwork

Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to visit the hosp and doctor where one of our friends is having major reconstructive work done on his leg. When he was a child, his left leg stopped growing (I can't remember now if he had an infection in it or if it was the result of something else); by the time he reached adulthood, that leg was 22 cm shorter than his right leg. About 5 years ago he had the first of several surgeries to begin to lengthen the left leg. This process has taken years, partly because some of it had to be re-broken and re-set. For months, he's had an apparatus similar to this one on his upper leg and one on his lower leg.

Two weeks ago, he and his wife, both deaf, arrived in Kyiv for checkups. He was in the hosp for a week; during the course of his stay, the apparatus was removed from his upper leg; the Dr is pleased with his progress, bone is doing well and he can begin to put a small amount of weight on that leg as he walks with the assistance of a crutch. He was beaming radiantly, to put it mildly, at the freedom of life without the clunky thing on his upper leg.

I know a similar procedure is done at home; I'd be very interested to hear more details about how if anyone knows. I was in the dr's office and got a close up look at the many posters on his walls that explain the procedure as it's done here. This doctor designed the whole thing and was the premier bone specialist in this area in the whole Soviet Union in his day. He's a native Ukrainian and chose to stay in Kyiv- which is certainly a huge benefit to Ukr. I also got to meet the man and he was compassionate like no Ukr'n dr I've been in touch with before. He's kind and not a big-shot... I was impressed.

However, he finished his main research work in developing the apparatus in 1984 and there have been no changes at all (that I could tell), no advancements since that time. The apparatus is extremely ungainly, attached to the leg by pins and consists of a metal brace that is nearly the size of the leg itself. The brace is on the outside and is a nuisance, to say the least, to the wearer. How is this done in the States? Another question: Is it common to do this sort of procedure (break the bone and then gradually spread it apart to cause it to fill in the gap with new bone, which lengthens the bone) in adults? This man is my age... a few years older, actually.

Here's another poster from the dr's wall. They also use this kind of get-up for setting badly broken bones, which is depicted here.

guess what this is?

If you guessed 'outhouse'- you're right! I haven't seen it myself, but I know people who have... notice the door has been sawed off at the bottom so that you can close it what with the major lean to the right and the stone at the bottom. And don't forget the support staff... or should we say staffs...

ahhhh- the metro!

You've been waiting for more surreptitious cell phone pix, right? I found it highly interesting recently to see these 2 funky hair colors framing the 3 'normal' people across from me. Sorry for the poor quality of especially the first pic- but it's the one which best shows the nearly pink hair at the far left of the row....

Just another Night Owl saying...

tea for me

I love tea... coffee, too... but it's a different kind of love... or something. Coffee is I-need-some-help-fast stuff... but tea is comfort stuff... what I start the morning with... and finish the day with. Tea- Ahmad Tea's Earl Grey is my favorite- makes my tummy happy; makes me think warm fuzzy things (as opposed to super-zippy-energizing thoughts like coffee-induced ones).

Well, this was on google reader tonight- alternative uses for tea... I just thought you needed to see it, too!

So, go de-funk your feet... or wash your windows... but whatever you do, smile! There's tea!

a boy and his toys

we see this little dude nearly every week...

He's so smart... and he knows it....

we played castle/helicopter/firetruck last time

there's always plenty of action when this kids around!

the firetruck is pretty cool, actually- has all kinds of sliding doors that open and disgorge all sorts of firefighter equipment, including oxygen tanks and masks, hose, ladders and some mystery items (looked like grenades... was having a hard time figuring that one)

I want one too

teehee- should I try this? I've always secretly (not all that secretly, actually) loved cotton candy... and rice krispies squares... and s'mores... and peppermint candy canes... and (I'm thinking)... Reesce's Peanut Butter cup cereal... ummm... ok, we'll stick with cotton candy makers for now!

For Trude and Karla

Every morning when I check my google home page, the daylight map gadget has gotten a bit more depressing than it was the day before... it's hard not to notice that way up at the top of the world where some people are, there's just not much daylight each day... while way down at the bottom of the world where some other people are, there's not much break from all the daylight flying around. So, K- I suggest you look for a spot of shade! And T- hmmmm- better take a long nap! ;)

just some more favorite comics

haha- this isn't really aimed at anything, but it cracked me up. I'm reading one right now where none of the people are very smart, girls or boys. There's a sweet mouse in it, though. French, I think. Got it from Julie (who got it from Laura The Western???). Mouse isn't all that smart either, but he's sweet. It's called The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.

This one's for Trude... she might figure out the connection... and if you read her blog, you might get it, too... :)

Ahhhhhhh.... nothing much to say here

forgive me?

Well, the post title is a bit tongue in cheek... but when I saw this my instant thought was: This is Paul and me... completely... I was such a bossy big sister. I'll admit I did my share of tattling on the kid that was my little brother- there's only 1 1/2 years between me and my mostly-very-good-friend-when-we-were-kids Little Brother. I hope he was as pragmatic about it as Hammy is. I hope he still loves me! lol (and the real question is, Does he even read this? Doubtful...hmmm)

post #290

for lack of a better title

Spent a few hours out at the airport last week- accidentally got there a bit earlier than I'd anticipated. So, since there were no more seats left in the general waiting area (there aren't so many to begin with), I headed over to the food area- enquired about a cappucino at the coffee bar- 35 UAH... or about $6; at today's rate, it's only $5... ok, that doesn't really apply since I bought it at last Thurs' price... but I'm a bit amazed at how much the rate has changed the last 5 days. The US dollar is higher right now than it's been at all since I first came. This isn't really good, though, since it's because the local currency is frightfully unstable just now and a person hopes it won't collapse altogether. Anyway, all those things which I don't understand, let's just leave on the sidelines for now. The point is- this was my cappucino... and Oh Mama Mia- it was delish! Pretty too. And came with a yummy piece of good chocolate. Plus there were all kinds of rather interesting people to watch while I leisurely sipped...Yesterday started early with a trip to downtown. By noon, we were finished with official stuff and meandering through the downtown area, scouting out the fancy schmancy food bazaar and looking for a place to eat lunch. Spied this... which is only significant because my brother has been an off-and-on Papa John's delivery guy for a long time... years and years... and here, in Kyiv, lo and behold- a Papa John's pizza place... only it doesn't look anything at all like the chain in the States... I reckon they liked the sound of the name or something and just stole it.

We didn't try it. Went across the street toI had tomato basil soup and half a chicken caesar salad... still savoring that soup... thanks E & M!