High tomorrow of 105F (41C). Though that's not what I'm writing about, that's pretty hot.
In a month I'm going to Saint Petersburg, Russia. It's pretty cold there. I'll be there for September, October, November, and December. The averages:
September: 5 hours of sunlight per day, temps of 12C/54F, 17 wet days, and 64mm/2.5 in of precipitation.
October: 2 hours of sunlight, 7C/44F, 18 wet days, 78mm/3in of precip
November: one hour of sunlight, 0C/32F, 18 wet days, 46mm/2 in of precip
December: NO sunlight, -7C/19F, 22 wet days, 40mm/1.5 in of precip
Basic summary: COLD and DARK.
[actually, less sunlight and more warmth than i was expecting. but that's just the averages. we'll see what really happens]
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
why I'm afraid of animals
I don't like dogs because of stories like this, though I can appreciate the irony in the fact that he lost his canine tooth. Haha. But yeah, dogs may seem friendly, but they're always out to get you.
And then there are also stories like this. I would refuse to go to work too if my colleagues were being eaten in front of my eyes.
These news reports are always so frighteningly brief. These people are being ATTACKED BY ANIMALS. This stuff is scary. It makes me want to stay inside. It makes me wonder why people try to get me to love dogs. And it makes me a little afraid to go to Russia - even though I'll be far from the bear-infested Kamchatka, there are still dogs everywhere, most of which are very ill-trained by American standards.
ugh.
And then there are also stories like this. I would refuse to go to work too if my colleagues were being eaten in front of my eyes.
These news reports are always so frighteningly brief. These people are being ATTACKED BY ANIMALS. This stuff is scary. It makes me want to stay inside. It makes me wonder why people try to get me to love dogs. And it makes me a little afraid to go to Russia - even though I'll be far from the bear-infested Kamchatka, there are still dogs everywhere, most of which are very ill-trained by American standards.
ugh.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
an old friend
Fetching my things from Norman this past weekend meant retrieving this old friend from the garage of the Fleetwood House:
Now, after a summer of separation, I can eat spicy food again!
Now, after a summer of separation, I can eat spicy food again!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
isaac again
Isaac loves to have things in his mouth. This includes many things that really shouldn't be there. So, going back through my 1000+ pictures from the trip, I picked out a series of photos as proof. Of course there were many instances that never made it on camera as well.
Exhibit One: Sunglasses
Exhibit Two: Packing Tape. Not fully in his mouth, but around and over it
Exhibit Three: Plastic Toys. These come in all shapes and sizes, and are one of the more normal things he puts in his mouth
Exhibit Four: Two of his three Chewy Tubes. These were prescribed by the speech therapist he was going to while in Tulsa. They are supposed to help his speech. I don't know about that, but he does enjoy chewing them
Exhibit Five: Headphones, especially the cords
Exhibit Six: BOOKS. All the time.
Exhibit Seven: This is a five-part display of Isaac's green-pepper-eating abilities. He got hold of one from the kitchen, and rather than curtail his enjoyment of it, we decided to photo-document it instead
Exhibit One: Sunglasses
Exhibit Two: Packing Tape. Not fully in his mouth, but around and over it
Exhibit Three: Plastic Toys. These come in all shapes and sizes, and are one of the more normal things he puts in his mouth
Exhibit Four: Two of his three Chewy Tubes. These were prescribed by the speech therapist he was going to while in Tulsa. They are supposed to help his speech. I don't know about that, but he does enjoy chewing them
Exhibit Five: Headphones, especially the cords
Exhibit Six: BOOKS. All the time.
Exhibit Seven: This is a five-part display of Isaac's green-pepper-eating abilities. He got hold of one from the kitchen, and rather than curtail his enjoyment of it, we decided to photo-document it instead
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Chegemsky Falls
Some of the first pictures may have been taken by my dad. Not sure. Just trying to give credit where it is due.
On the way:
Out the window, a mosque in a village in the mountains on the way:
The powerlines intrude into every picture:
The top of the falls:
Isaac of course was super-impressed:
Chegemsky Waterfall, with surrounding commercial attractions:
with the youngest four:
river:
unsafe:
gas pipe:
On the way:
Out the window, a mosque in a village in the mountains on the way:
The powerlines intrude into every picture:
The top of the falls:
Isaac of course was super-impressed:
Chegemsky Waterfall, with surrounding commercial attractions:
with the youngest four:
river:
unsafe:
gas pipe:
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Beslan
A couple weeks ago we made a day trip to visit a church in Beslan, North Ossetia. This is home of the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis. We briefly stopped by the school where it happened and looked around and took pictures.
the school yard:
To get the full story, follow the link above, or research on your own. But the basics are these: On September 1, 2004, the traditional first day of school, a group of 30 or so terrorists, largely Chechens and Ingush, attacked an elementary school in Beslan and took about 1200 students, teachers and parents hostage. They were held in the gym for nearly 3 days and denied food and water. Many were shot, and the children suffered from heat exhaustion and dehydration. After 52 hours, Russian troops stormed the school with heavy weapons. By the time the rescue effort was complete, about half of the hostages had died.
the gym where it happened:
people leave water for the children who were denied it:
In total, there were an estimated 350 casualties (half children), including all but one of the hostage-takers. About 90% of survivors were injured.
pictures of the dead line the walls, with messages scrawled around them:
Orthodox cross in the middle of the gym. You can see out the window other parts of the school. The whole thing is pretty well destroyed.
notice all the bullet holes behind the hoop:
at one point there was a fire. Many of the dead and injured were badly burned.
In his televised speech a few days later, President Putin paraphrased Joseph Stalin, saying, "We showed ourselves to be weak. And the weak get beaten."
We passed a Muslim mosque down the road, abandoned, trashed, and rusted out:
Once you get away from ruins, though, Beslan is a tiny, quiet town:
There was a chicken coop sitting right by the sidewalk:
A statue memorial has been built near the cemetery. The ruined school is supposed to be torn down soon. It seems to me like a good memorial - seeing the bullet holes and broken glass and charred beams makes everything feel very real. But the weather damage makes it impossible to leave the building standing indefinitely. They are going to build some sort of memorial in its place. Meanwhile, a new school was built nearby with donations. Also, we passed a playground area sponsored by a local bank. The children of Beslan are deeply scarred.
the school yard:
To get the full story, follow the link above, or research on your own. But the basics are these: On September 1, 2004, the traditional first day of school, a group of 30 or so terrorists, largely Chechens and Ingush, attacked an elementary school in Beslan and took about 1200 students, teachers and parents hostage. They were held in the gym for nearly 3 days and denied food and water. Many were shot, and the children suffered from heat exhaustion and dehydration. After 52 hours, Russian troops stormed the school with heavy weapons. By the time the rescue effort was complete, about half of the hostages had died.the gym where it happened:
people leave water for the children who were denied it:
In total, there were an estimated 350 casualties (half children), including all but one of the hostage-takers. About 90% of survivors were injured.
pictures of the dead line the walls, with messages scrawled around them:
Orthodox cross in the middle of the gym. You can see out the window other parts of the school. The whole thing is pretty well destroyed.
notice all the bullet holes behind the hoop:
at one point there was a fire. Many of the dead and injured were badly burned.
In his televised speech a few days later, President Putin paraphrased Joseph Stalin, saying, "We showed ourselves to be weak. And the weak get beaten."We passed a Muslim mosque down the road, abandoned, trashed, and rusted out:
Once you get away from ruins, though, Beslan is a tiny, quiet town:
There was a chicken coop sitting right by the sidewalk:
A statue memorial has been built near the cemetery. The ruined school is supposed to be torn down soon. It seems to me like a good memorial - seeing the bullet holes and broken glass and charred beams makes everything feel very real. But the weather damage makes it impossible to leave the building standing indefinitely. They are going to build some sort of memorial in its place. Meanwhile, a new school was built nearby with donations. Also, we passed a playground area sponsored by a local bank. The children of Beslan are deeply scarred.
Monday, July 7, 2008
there and back again
Tomorrow I leave again. Four pm is departure from Nalchik. I take a bus to a nearby city, fly to Moscow. An overnight layover there, followed by the standard trip back to the States. Lots of trains to catch on that side. A few days in the northeast, then back to the midwest for a few weeks. Then back to Russia.
More pics and whatever to come from the other side. For now, I'm off to bed, one more time.
More pics and whatever to come from the other side. For now, I'm off to bed, one more time.
LakeShashlykEtc
Some days ago we went to a lake. A lake that is in the city, in fact. It's in the middle of that park that I posted pictures of a while ago. Impressive. I don't remember what it's called.
I am so tired of coming up with post titles.
Nameless lake:
We had lunch there. Carrie matched her cup:
Dina doesn't match hers, but I like the bright colors:
She's like a vending machine. Coke Dispenser Mom:
It doesn't take much to make Isaac happy:
The lake again:
Flags of Kabardino-Balkaria and Russia:
Wading:
Trying to keep Isaac dry:
Then we ate. Greasy Caucasian Chebureki:
Shashlyk:
Carnivorous Emily:
No-longer-operational cable car line over the lake and up a nearby mountain:
Walking around the lake, and home:
I am so tired of coming up with post titles.
Nameless lake:
We had lunch there. Carrie matched her cup:
Dina doesn't match hers, but I like the bright colors:
She's like a vending machine. Coke Dispenser Mom:
It doesn't take much to make Isaac happy:
The lake again:
Flags of Kabardino-Balkaria and Russia:
Wading:
Trying to keep Isaac dry:
Then we ate. Greasy Caucasian Chebureki:
Shashlyk:
Carnivorous Emily:
No-longer-operational cable car line over the lake and up a nearby mountain:
Walking around the lake, and home:
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