levelord's Journal

КРИ 2007!

Looks like I get to see Mother Russia again this year! You can not even imagine yourself, power of my happiness ;)

It is Halloween here today...
...and everyone dresses in costumes. It is my favorite holiday.

People tell me today "Wow! What a cool costume!"

....and I reply "What costume?" ... ;)

Completely authentic - shirt, ushanka from Mother Russia, boots from Ukraine. I feel strangely comfortable ;)

Troitsky Church...
...horrible, horrible tragedy ;( I hate to see history burn, and it was such a beautiful piece of architecture.

I miss Russia...
...I fucking miss Russia! Sometimes I wish I had been born there, ...many things would be easier if I had ;)

I miss Russia...
...sometimes, ...no often, ...I think I should have been born there. Anywhere, there.

I love America, ...make no mistake, it's fucking cool here, ...samiy fucking krutoy, ...and I was born here, so it's my home, ...but often I think I'd rather be there.

What is it like during Christmas and New Years? I have an urge to visit the Motherland when she is draped in white and bathed in crisp, cold, wintery air. Many warn about the snow and cold, but I love the snow and cold (more than most Russians;).

Vampires and Moskva!
I'm not a big fan of vampire movies, or even horror, but I just watched Night Watch and Day Watch, ...wow, samiy krutoy! Great production, and they have that undiniable flavor of the Motherland.

My favorite was Day Watch with all the shots in the Kosmos Hotel ;) Next time I visit, if I find another girlfriend, I want her to pick me up at the hotel just like that Day Watch girl (that was Mariya Poroshina, yes?).

I know it is bad to curse in Russia...
...but this is VERY funny over here ;)

When you eat sprats for breakfast...

...you are SUPER hero the rest of the day ;)

I believe these are cool, too...
...Russian building blocks ;)

The instructions demand that I erect in levels ;)
Larger pictures: www.levelord.com

Ha ha ha!

I don't know why this makes me laugh, but it does ;)

...and yes! ...of course! ...I have ammo crates in my house!

Does anyone recognize this art style?

It has been in my parents' house since I was a year or two old. When my father died, I took it with me and it now hangs in my house. This is a very important picture for me because it has so many memories attached to it.

I remember my mother telling me, when I was very young, that it is Russian, but now she does not remember any details.

I have looked and looked online but I can not find any reference to this art style.

Does anyone recognize this and know the name of the style?

Many great replies on last LJ update from July...

...and I had little time to say "Bolshoe spasibo!" Here is something new. I have purchased four Khokhloma mice for my office and home. This one is my favorite!

...bigger picture can be found here:

http://www.levelord.com/images/2005/december/KhokhlomaMouseLevelord.htm

This is so cool! I love Khokhloma (I have since being a child) and now I have a custom mouse from Nizhni Novgorod!

I have not forgotten!

...we have been working very hard here lately, and there is little time for updates.

In fact, I have had so little sleep that I think my brain is melting. I am seeing many, many strange things, ...strange coincedences.

Every day I listen to my "Learn Russian" CDs while driving to and from work. One day last week, though, I was very tired while driving to work. I thought I should hear some good, fast music to help wake me up. I switched off the CD player (playing my Russian CD) and went to the first radio station button.

What song was playing? ...just starting? ...the fucking Beatles "Back in the USSR!".

..."Moscow girls make me sing and shout!" ... ;)

I'm still slowly learning my beloved Russian. Very difficult with little time, but I will not give up. Here is my refrigerator. The magnets are new ;)

...дельфин, ...лисицы

The Great Dallas Vacation Report...
...okay, Toly and Yury were just here last week visiting me at my house after E3.

I tried to provide them with as much Texan fun and enjoyment as possible, but I could not compete with my trip to Moscow. Who ever tries to compete with Moscow will always lose ;)

http://www.levelord.com/

I still miss Moscow...
...what a great time I had! ...what a great city!

Love the internet!

...where else could someone in Texas find Kvas and have it delivered to his home ;)

I have received a few emails and read a few LJ comments...

...explaining that I got a few things wrong in my Russian Report on www.levelord.com

This is the reason I started early in the write-up with a paragragh explaing that I can not write about all Russians after only seeing Moscow! I was fortunate enough to meet a small group of people, and visit one city in a HUGE country, and for only a few days.

I did not mean to offend (generalize, stereotype, etc.).

The main message I wanted to convey is that I had a wonderful time in Moscow. I loved everything! I wanted to write my impressions and experiences, and there you have them ;)

I love you, Russia!

...I finally found the time to write my report about Russia.

It is on http://www.levelord.com/

I have returned from Russia...

...with a broken heart. It was the best 5 days of my life, no exaggeration! It was so difficult to leave, and I almost cried on the airplane.

Before the trip, I expected to find things less pleasing than I was anticipating, but they were actually so much better than I expected. The people, the food, the city, ...everything!

I carried a little notebook, so I wouldn't forget anything. I started transcribing my notes into paragraghs last night, ...12 pages so far, and I am only 2/3 finished. 12+ pages for only 5 days of vacation.

I am writing a long webpage update over the weekend and will post it Monday on my www.levelord.com, with pictures ;) I am also writing a nice article for (game)land

Traveling is probably the coolest thing...

...you can do. I have spent the last 3 or more months eagerly waiting for this trip to Moskva. Now, less than a week away, I feel like a child before Christmas, waiting for the toys and fun. I also feel like a young boy in love for the first time. Russia really is cool for me, and I feel like she is a woman that I have fallen in love with in so many ways.

Then I get to make the actual vacation. There is a week of fun and excitement and experience (education).

Finally, there is the rest of my life to recall memories of the trip.

I am going to travel more!

Here is something cool! I have a "Word by Word" educational book to help learn Russian. It has pictures of things and events, and provides the Russian and English words for them. It is good for building my vocabulary.

I found this picture (#13) under the "Occupations" section. Very strange, yes?

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