Does someone want to do a study on the psychological damages of taking cold showers? That would interest me a great deal.

Anyway, I'd like to wish everyone* a Happy New Year today!

Yesterday in grammar class, we were going over Russian idioms. We got around to reading some phrase that means, more or less, something along the lines of "go to hell". At this point, Tatiana Aleksandrovna pauses, looks intently at me and, as I'm the only girl in the room at the moment, says "Laurie, Russian women never say this". I ask, "because it's too rude?" She says yes. It is a man's phrase. This coming a week after I take an interest in a movie Luke brings up during class, to which Tatiana Aleksandrovna replies that there's no need for me to watch it, the movie is a "man's movie", too violent, not for women. Then she calls Tyler a "grammar hooligan". I love this woman.

I hung out with my tutor yesterday, mostly just going over vocabulary in various coffee shops. At one point her fiance, Yuri, comes to join us, and we begin talking. Nastya asks me what Americans think of the whole Russia invading Georgia incident. I begin my politically neutral (though honest) explanation of my perspective, and notice that the entire time I"m talking, Nastya and Yuri are constantly exchanging glances. Then later I find out he served in the military for 5 years as an engineer working on rocket ships. So I tell Yuri he must be very smart and he gets shy, then I turn to Nastya and tell her she's smart, and she also gets shy.

I'll have some new videos up hopefully before our big Volga cruise, which starts next Friday. Enjoy the weekend.



*Jews