December 2007 archive

Welcome to the 4th in the series about my trips to Russia.

If you did not read the prior essays, I urge you to Do so. Number one is a little longer than the others but you could at least check out the setup at the beginning and check out the photos If you don’t want to read all the trivia and humorous stories.

NONE OF THE PHOTOS OR TRIVIA FROM ONE ESSAY OF THIS SERIES WILL BE REPEATED IN THE LATER ESSAYS. ALL OF THE NEEDED BACKGROUND ON MY TRIPS AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION WILL ONLY BE IN THE FIRST ESSAY OF THE SERIES.

Here is the link to number one, so you can start at the beginning if you have not.

https://www.docudharma.com/show…

Each of the diaries ends with a link to the next diary in the series.

Let’s start with a few photos.

For the women (& men) who saw the naked ass of the tall man with the sculpted body, the first photo is him and his horse from the front.

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Guys this second photo is an example of REALLY trusting your wife. Top photo is a museum in Tomsk Russia and second is inside the museum (real trust).

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Victory Day in Russia is a big holiday. The day Russia took Berlin. I was in Russia on Victoy Day in 2004. Statue and flowers at base as is true of every statue of military significance all over Russia.

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Some street muscians in St. Pete.

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TRIVA/STORIES

– I met a Chinese man in an apartment building I was staying in once when I was in Moscow. He had relocated to Russia ten years earlier. It was a nicer high-rise apartment building because it was primarily for foreigners for work or some other long term reason. Most had the rent paid by their corporation. Had receptionists, guards at side entrances and a neat and clean elevator that worked 24hrs. This Chinese man was living in this apartment building. We passed in the hall and nodded and smiled a couple of times. One day he specifically stopped me and asked if he could come to my apartment and speak with me. It was clear he had been giving thought for a while about making this request. I set a date to have him by my apartment. He had many questions about America. He shared much with me about his home country. Another place I knew little about before he was good enough to enlighten me. We spoke for three hours and he showed me the photo albums he bought to our meeting. It was a nice experience.

– I met an American man living in Moscow for fifteen years who was in the transportation industry as I had been. He loved Russia. We spoke a couple hours and he taught me much about Russia and Russians.

– Russians are NOT cold and distant people. On the surface they seem so. Most walk down the street and look cold and angry but they are just the opposite when you get past the gruff exterior and “walls” they have built through necessity. Every “real” exchange I had with a Russian quickly became embracing, caring and thoughtful.

– Everyone I ever met in Russia felt a great responsibility for me enjoying their country, culture and the whole experience. Many people apologized if there was anything in their country I did not like even though it had nothing to do with them.

– Most Russians are multilingual and more educated than Americans. Most know more about the rest of the world than Americans do. Many know US geography, US politics, American history, as well as our traditions and holidays. Many know more of these than many Americans.

– My father in law, is 60, he is a retired truck/taxi driver so we had a common connection with my background in the transportation industry. He can speak almost no English. The first time we met, he said through his daughter, that it pained him that we could not get to know each other better. He toasted to me, his daughters future and more things before downing each one of the dozen or so shots he took in a four hour period. A half dozen times during that evening he gestured me to the balcony to share a few minutes in silence while we enjoyed smoking a cigarette together.

– In the above explained situations, we developed a bond without even being able to speak each others language.

– I have concluded that the cold and stoic exterior of some Russians is a survival and coping mechanism to deal with the difficult, sometimes cruel, sometimes impersonal and often disappointing world and structure in which some live. The life some lead can be spiritually and emotionally murderous but they are survivors and have adapted ways to endure.

– I believe part of the rituals of alcohol use and it’s importance are the attempts for some to bond with others and get closer to other people. For some a celebration to drown their mutual pain. In some areas people who are heavy drinkers will say to another person, “if you respect me, you will drink with me”. It seems in reality, sharing a drink is the best way some know to let another person in, to let their guard down and share themselves. Toasts are much more common than in America. We reserve toasts for “special” occasions. They also toast for special occasions but toast before each drink in normal situations.

PHOTO BREAK

Night boat ride on one of many rivers in St. Pete. This river has a huge bridge and the river is a main access for boats bring in supplies to St.Pete. and every night the bridge is raised about midnite for many boats to pass through.

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The remainder of the photos in this essay are taken in Petergof, a city near St. Pete. Amazing history to this. I may have already said this but it was the home of Admiral Petr Perry a famous war hero. It was completly destroyed in war and then rebuild exactly the same. This photo is of the bumpiest, most ass breaking water slide you have ever seen.

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-Nobody wants to say this but it is absolutely true; The primary reason 99% of women in Russia look for a man in another country is because of their experiences with Russian men. Between all FSU nation, I would estimate there are at least 500,000 actively seeking a husband outside their country. Many men are the reason and there is no other reason. Not living conditions. Not money. Not anything but the fact that some have given up on Russian men being anything other than chauvinists, pigs, drunks, womanizers and don’t make their family their first priority. Of course, there is the 1% of the woman looking outside their nation, that are gold diggers, we have them here also.

– Russian men these women have encountered shirking responsibility and obligation are part of the reason these women are disenchanted with Russian men.

– Other primary reasons some Russian women have given up on the men there, include alcohol abuse, verbal abuse and infidelity.

– Every woman I got to know spoke of infidelity.

– Many spoke of an ex-husband who was MIA for two days while partying.

– Some of the men in Russia (FSU) with enough money to support a family very well have ties to illegal activities.

– Some of the reason Russian women resort to an international search for a man, is cultural. Very few Russian women over 30 do not have a child and even fewer have never been married. The belief that these are staples of life is ingrained and very strong, right, wrong or indifferent it is a fact, they want to be married.

– In spite of those things I said above, men bashing that I heard in Russia was limited ONLY to issues like; irresponsibility, alcohol abuse, infidelity, lack of financial assistance (I mean normal daily things not diamonds and furs) and attention to their needs.

– Some of the women and children may only have three “nice”, matching and tasteful outfits. They will be worn consecutively and often hand washed each day. The children are immaculate. The girls hair is kept looking perfect. Russian women and children are extremely cleanly. Some shower or “clean up” several times a day and never go to bed without “cleaning up”.

-You will see almost no female Russian under 50 years of age that is over weight. Hard to believe but true. This is due to better eating, more walking and largely a conscious effort to maintain beauty.

– You will not see much “white trash” in Russia. Other than street people, gypsies and beggars (many), I was amazed at the appearance of even the poorest of Russians.

– These habits/qualities/behaviors are so ingrained that there is a specific single word to refer to a woman who does less than “normal” to make herself look her best. The word is “mimra.” They have a difficult time even giving a definition of this word because we have nothing in English that has the same meaning. “Mimra” does not refer to any personality trait nor economic status nor beauty or ugliness. It is simply a woman who does little to improve her appearance. Even children use this word for the “abnormal” Russian woman to whom it applies. This should give you an idea how deeply they value appearances. Mimra is used for a woman who goes in public without trying to look her best.

PHOTO BREAK

First photo is two on one. The boat is made of all stone, amazing. It is in Moscow not far from Gorke park. Second is an ugly guy amongst beautiful flowers in Gorke park in May. Yes, Moscow in May is not still frozen.

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Typical Russian Orthodox priest in standard attire.

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St. Pete. Statue

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– In a few good restaurants I saw tasteful black and white photos of beautiful naked women (unable to see private parts). There are no women complaining about this or boycotting the restaurants. Imagine this in the US.

– Many women take notice of the beauty of another woman and/or her body.

– I don’t want to convey the wrong idea. In general Russian women can be very jealous. Some are more jealous than many women I have known. For some women Jealousy is actually seen as a sign of love. As long as they don’t think their spouse/partner will act when they take note of another beautiful woman, all should be fine.

– Russian women are great hostesses. Having someone to their home means a day of cooking, preparing, cleaning and ensuring their guest will be pleased. It would be rude to do anything else.

– Most Russian women believe they are responsible for all aspects of the home in addition to the cooking and being a gracious hostess.

– Russians realize many of the shortcomings of their country, in spite of this they love their country. As a whole, their nation may be more patriotic than America. As a percentage, more Russian men might be willing to die for their country than those of us in America who would be willing to.

– I heard less complaining about politics, social systems or most other issues than I hear in America. Believe me, they have MUCH more to complain about than we do. I understand that conversations with tourists do not generally include these type complaints. I have gotten to know many Russians well. Many I know have no qualms about discussing with me some things they were displeased with in their country.

– The “mail order bride” fallacy about Russian women is still believed by many in the western world. Whenever a Russian woman is on an internet chat room or instant messaging site or website or any other mode of meeting foreign men, she has 100’s of men communicating with her from all over the world. When a Russian woman decides to marry a foreign man, the nation to which they go is not relevant to most and is proportional to the number of men from each nation on the site. They do not leave for  

Do overs have never worked well for either my personal life or my film viewing life. The same crap that came up when I was young, immature, and rash resurfaced when I have tried do overs in romance and friendship later on in life. It was probably all my fault to begin with.

I can make an exception with music, not every cover I have ever heard was bad.

In my world, there is no disputing that the original Razor’s Edge was better than the Bill Murray version. In fact if I was single and dating and a fellow dared to challenge that notion, well that would be a deal breaker. Why oh why did Gus van Sant remake Psycho? Sure it was a daring enterprise and it took guts, but trench warfare took bravery and eventually they realized it was also stupid. Now, I must say the second Mutiny on the Bounty was great.

Nothing against Will Smith but messing with Omega Man is  just like inviting demonic trolls to a picnic. The Omega Man is one of two great Charlton Heston Sci Fi movies of the 1970’s, the other being Soylent Green and now I am fraught with worry some well meaning fool will try and a do over on that one. The Omega Man featured bad 1970’s special effects, an inter-racial romance with Rosalind Cash, zombies who hated technology with a charismatic leader ( sounds like the Christian right) and a weird ending in which Chuck gets a do over on being Christ.

Couldn’t they have waited until he was gone? I have a  real affection for post apocalyptic and apocalyptic movies, bad B and C grade mysteries from the 40’s and 50’s and 1970’s disaster movies. I have a  real affection for post apocalyptic and apocalyptic movies, bad B and C grade mysteries from the 40’s and 50’s and 1970’s disaster movies. I was born in 1964 so the 1970’s nostalgia isn’t that hard to figure out. Sorry Chuck. Wasn’t keen on most of your politics, and you looked good in a shirt when you were young and you made one of my top ten favorite movies of all time…Touch of Evil.

Music….

Thanks for checking in. One more pony party after this. Hang out and chit chat but don’t rec pony party, go have a look at the excellent offering on our recent and rec’d list.

cross posted at The Dream Antilles

On Thursday, the New Jersey legislature voted to end capital punishment in that state.  I was delighted by the breaking news, and posted an essay.  Yesterday, I learned that around the world, death penalty abolitionists were rejoicing and that in Italy the Coliseum was being illuminated in celebration.  I was delighted, and posted an essay.  Today my happiness continued.  The New York Times has an editorial about the death penalty.  It begins:

It took 31 years, but the moral bankruptcy, social imbalance, legal impracticality and ultimate futility of the death penalty has finally penetrated the consciences of lawmakers in one of the 37 states that arrogates to itself the right to execute human beings.

This week, the New Jersey Assembly and Senate passed a law abolishing the death penalty, and Gov. Jon Corzine, a staunch opponent of execution, promised to sign the measure very soon. That will make New Jersey the first state to strike the death penalty from its books since the Supreme Court set guidelines for the nation’s system of capital punishment three decades ago.

Some lawmakers voted out of principled opposition to the death penalty. Others felt that having the law on the books without enforcing it (New Jersey has had a moratorium on executions since 2006) made a mockery of their argument that it has deterrent value. Whatever the motivation of individual legislators, by forsaking a barbaric practice that grievously hurts the global reputation of the United States without advancing public safety, New Jersey has set a worthy example for the federal government, and for other states that have yet to abandon the creaky, error-prone machinery of death.

More over the jump.

A few words about unicorns. Apparently one of the reasons unicorns remain in the mythical realm is that Noah forgot to put them on the ark. I prefer to think they swam away during the great flood, did some body surfing and ended up in another world. They still visit occasionally don’t you know. If Jesus can show up as an image in a pancake in Florida, then I maintain that unicorns are still lurking around. Think of them as angels for the non-Christian set.

One legend about unicorns suggests that a beautiful woman named Elly with a wounded heart was healed by the tears of a unicorn.

There are purportedly biblical references in translation that refer to a unicorn like creature who possessed great strength and agility.

Somehow the unicorn also became associated with chaste love and faithful marriage. Ultimately, we like to invest great qualities in mystical creatures as perhaps a foreshadow of the reality that humans have so many failings and we like to think something out there somewhere does possess all of our good/noble qualities. I have no idea.

I have no idea what this next song really has to do with unicorns but it is funny….

Planet Unicorn….. Hey…..

If that tickled you… here is more about Planet Unicorn.

Thanks for peeking. Two more pony parties to come with more absolutely no deeper meaning at all! Please don’t rec pony party, hang out chit chat and then go have a look at the excellent offerings on our recent and rec’d list.

This is quite an enjoyable interview!