2004 July 25

Weather Report – it’s really nice here today… maybe a little on the warm side… about 82 degrees F. Nice bright blue sky!



Interesting / Funny Observations – none… stayed inside all day… and relaxed…



Frustrating Adjustment Issues – we are really finding that things like fruits and vegetables don’t last too long here… they spoil quickly. We had a bag of potatoes sitting a dark cool place for about 1 week, and they all got moldy… fresh vegetables turn bad within days… I guess that’s what happens when you don’t cover the produce with wax (like the producers in the US)





Sunday July 25, 2004 – after our long day yesterday… we slept in ‘til about noon today… had a nice breakfast (we picked up danish at Stockmann’s), and we read the paper… OK, it was Friday’s paper, the Moscow Times… but it was in English… Sara’s putting up new curtains today (we bought at IKEA yesterday). I decided to write an update or two for the web page… I’ll do a little work, and maybe plan out our next trip or two… I have lots of upcoming trips to Moscow (at least 3 in the next two months)… and Sara and I are thinking about maybe going to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest … sounds like a great place for two beer lovers like ourselves to be. One of the things that we are starting to really get excited about is the ability to do some things directly related to activities we enjoy… Oktoberfest in Munich… maybe the Geneva Auto Show in March (a great concept car showcase).



A couple interesting developments in the country though… you may have heard about the contract killing of the editor of Forbes Magazine’s Russian edition editor… there are lots of theories floating around about who did it… the mafia? Putin? Who knows… but it is apparent, that while there isn’t much in the way of violent crime in Russia, things like contract killings are pretty prevalent. Also, Russia maintains the largest oil reserve in the world. The key oil company here, Yukos, is on trial for tax evasion. Common knowledge is that the case is a farce… and the only reason they are on trial is because Putin didn’t get his “fair share”… I’m not sure what the real story is… but I do know that the vast majority of Russian’s support Putin and his activities. What is interesting, though, is that this very large oil company is now with days of having to file for bankruptcy, and some of their largest assets may be sold by the government for pennies on the dollar. It seems like sustained economic growth still takes a backseat to intimidation and bribes.



Carol and John heading off to take a 10-day vacation to the UK… so Sara and I (mostly Sara) are taking care of the housing compound’s resident stray dog (see the picture). His name is Kelusha (at least we think that’s how it’s spelled). We’ve heard him referred to as a “gypsy dog” and a “sharable dog” (at least, in broken English, that’s what they call him). Regardless… he doesn’t technically belong to anyone, but the maintenance staff and security guards take care of him as best they could. Considering the lack of disposable income, Kelusha doesn’t always get the best care possible. He was hit by a car several weeks ago… but no one mentioned it because they couldn’t afford a treatment for him. Carol heard a few days after the accident about Kelusha’s injury (broken leg)… and promptly made arrangements to take Kelusha to a vet for get his leg set and cast. Carol paid for the treatments, and the vet was OK fixing Kelusha… but stipulated that Carol had to buy the plaster for the cast because he (the vet!) couldn’t afford it… that’s typical of the local area… skilled / knowledgeable people who can’t afford the tools / supplies needed to do a job right (most people sweep their sidewalks with home-made straw brooms). Sara and I bought a bag of dry dog food for Kelusha while we were in Moscow… we’re hoping maybe we can help get him on a healthier diet.



On the home front (see the pictures – outside and our bedroom)… we are still without several key appliances working… still no dishwasher (after Sara’s electric shock from it)… still have a temporary refrigerator in our living room… still no English TV (although there has been at least 3 or 4 people out each day to climb the satellite tower outside of cottage. Things get fixed very slowly here… took 2 guys about a day and a half to install one new phone jack in our sun room for us. And with the walls in our house being concrete (the interior walls as well as the exterior walls), it’s not like they had to fish the line though drywall and studs (there are lots of plastic wire covers throughout the house)… it’s just a slow-moving society. I think the only thing that is becoming a burden is the dishwasher… handwashing dishes is no fun… particularly in a little tiny sink. Otherwise – things are going well… Joe and Rommel have really regained their appetites (maybe a little *too* much)… but they seem really happy. They love looking out the windows… in fact – Rommel spotted a wild hedge hog walking across our driveway last night. We are running low on our initial supply of pet food… we have two shipments coming in as part of our relocation… one via air, one via sea… the air shipment should have been here 2 weeks ago… but has been delayed due to paperwork, and quite frankly… poor project management on behalf of our relocation company. We’ll make do for the time being, but this probably could have been avoided…



Dinner tonight will be good… porkchops with a balsamic glaze and a goat cheese crust… baked rice… and vegetables. And we thought we’d hard-pressed to have a decent meal! Seriously… we are really enjoying ourselves… despite the challenges of living… this has felt like a quiet vacation in a remote cottage.



Thanks for reading…

Michael