The first Russian word I taught my husband was the word “жопа”=ass.
One day he came home from work and said that his boss was “жопа” (ass). I corrected him: ass is the situation, and his boss is a козел=goat*.
When my friends and relatives (actually Daniel’s relatives) ask me about my sons, the best way to answer would be the word “ass”.
If you read me you know what I think about Putin’s war.
My main concern was mobilization. Many Russians thought they were not interested in politics, the government was doing what must be done to take care of its citizens.
And now politics has come to almost everyone’s home. And mobilization has become not only my concern.
On September 21, president Putin announced a partial mobilization. Where the word “partial” means nothing.
The capital of Mississippi is facing numerous water problems — there’s been too much on the ground after heavy rainfall in the past week, and not enough clean water coming through the pipes for people to use.
And there is not even a Tomskvodokanal* there.
Since the pipelines are very old and worn out, pipe breaks occur constantly. In the summer, Tomskvodokanal is trying to perform at least some repairs. Therefore, the water in Tomsk is turned off often and for a long time and not always in accordance with the shutdown schedule. Tomskvodokanal publishes information about where and when cold water will be turned off.
В столице Штата Миссисипи городе Джексон вот уже несколько дней очевидные проблемы с водой. После сильных дождей на прошлой неделе на земле воды слишком много воды, но по трубам поступает мало, плюс ее надо кипятить, чтобы было не опасно пользоваться.
А ведь там даже нет Томскводоканала.
Их местная организация называется “O B Curtis Water Plant”. Официальные лица говорят, что основные насосы предприятия были серьезно повреждены, и завод начал работать на небольших резервных насосах.
The woman and her dog went outside, crossed the road, turned left and merged with traffic.
The intersection, the traffic light, the commands “wait”, then “let’s go”. I hope that the dog already understands the meaning of these words.
The next intersection, without a traffic light. And again the commands “wait!” and “let’s go!”.
Twilight is gathering fast. The streets are poorly lit. Drivers practically do not see either a woman or a dog. And those who see, do not pay attention to them. In loose trousers and her husband’s plaid shirt, the woman looks very “local”.
The woman has already stopped being surprised at her own simplicity in clothes. In Russia, she would not have left the house in this outfit. And now, in a plaid shirt and with a dog, she looks like a typical American. at least, she feels like one.
Another intersection, the commands “wait!”and “let’s go!”.
The smell of tires, hot asphalt, sometimes cigarette smoke from the windows of passing cars, headlights, and sounds – the noise of the city.
Женщина и ее собака вышли на улицу, перешли через дорогу, повернули налево и слились с трафиком.
Перекресток, светофор, команда wait, потом lets go. Надеюсь, что собака уже понимает значение этих слов.
Следующий перекресток, без светофора. И опять команда “wait!” и “let’s go!”.
Сумерки сгущаются быстро. Улицы освещены по русским меркам слабо. Водители практически не видят ни женщину, ни собаку. А те кто видят, не обращают на них внимание. В бесформенных штанах и мужниной клетчатой рубашки женщина выглядит очень “local” (местный, здешний).
-I don’t like to tell people that I am from Russia – I.
-Tell them that you’re from Moldova – said Elena – Hardly anybody knows where it is.
There are three categories of reaction to the answer: Moldova – she continued:
Moldova? – they honestly don’t know where it is. 🤷♀️
A-a, Moldova – they pretend that they DO know.
Oh, yes, yes – Maldivi!
The world is made of paradoxes*.
At the time when I don’t even want to sound Russian, Steven Seagal says he is Russian, Russia is his home. He got Russian citizenship in 2016. The same year when Serbia too granted its citizenship to him.
Well, to each his own.
The Moscow Times reports that more than 3.8 million Russians have left the country in the first three months of 2022, according to data from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
4184 people left the Tomsk region – Tomsk telegram channel “Tomsk 1604” says.
Unfortunately all my family is still there. They are not as rich and popular as Steven Seagal. And I worry about them every day.
I just hope everything will be fine and soon.
.
* Paradox is a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.
Gasoline has become cheaper, water (water bill) has become more expensive, creative projects hardly help not to get bogged down in the swamp of everyday life and not to go crazy from the horror of the news.
I’ll start with a pleasant one: gasoline has become cheaper. On Sunday, I paid $4.19 for a gallon (at BJ’s). Sweet.
But the water bill went up a lot. It’s all about the long heat and lack of precipitation. We have to water everything: vegetable’s gardens, lawn, trees. Daniel bought a sprinkler. He moves it around the garden every 15-20 minutes. This way we save time but spend money. I do not know how these water bills are compiled. But for some reason, sewage in the bill costs twice as much as water supply. Hopefully it will rain soon.
While we have a drought in New Bedford for how long… last two-three weeks?.. There is a lot of rain in Tomsk. My friend complained that she could not (or did not want to) walk through the rainy forest to her dacha. My sister complained about huge water paddles everywhere in the city. This made her journey to work long and unpleasant. Here in the USA, we often complain about the roads. Well, Russian roads and sidewalks are often much worse.
By now, the rain has stopped in Tomsk. But another regan is under Emergency mode due to floods.
Flood waters flooded 1,747 residential and country houses in Chita and five districts of the Trans-Baikal Territory, rescuers evacuated 285 adults and 38 children. This was reported on August 1 in the press service of the regional Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Chita is a city in the south of Eastern Siberia, located on the Trans-Siberian Railway route.
I will leave a link to the article under the post. The article is in Russian but there are a couple of photos.
I am glad that there are no such big and serious problems in Tomsk. It’s a little different there. In some areas of the city, there is no hot water in apartment buildings. In some (about 500 buildings) there will not even be cold water during the day in mid-August. But who knows… this one day can turn into two days or longer.
The infrastructure in Russia is very old. Tomskvodokanal* repairs it every year, but it seems there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
COVID-19 is still with us, although people talk less about it.
The number of new COVID-19 cases in the city of New Bedford is growing, and in the week from July 21 to 27, the state Health Department reported 267 cases.
In the Tomsk region, 52 residents contracted the infection during the day on August 1.
Russians have stopped wearing masks almost everywhere.. Rospotrebnadzor** recommended that citizens from risk groups wear masks in crowded places and on public transport.
And The New Bedford Light published a promising article about Dartmouth’s Toxic facility. The link is here.
Briefly, The Tonix Dartmouth plant is developing live viral vaccines against COVID-19 and monkeypox and is increasing its production. A human trial is scheduled for 2023. It will probably be convenient to have such a plant locally.
…On Monday, I worked nostalgically at the Lawler branch, chatted nostalgically with a former colleague and regular patrons, even the rain on the roof sounded nostalgic...
Nostalgia can be different: for work, for young age, for the motherland, for … simple life (does anyone else have such a thing?).
Nostalgia for the motherland, youth and simple life I treat with old Soviet detective films, thanks to YouTube.
Recently, once again, I watched the Village Detective based on the works of Vil’ Lipatov.
The main character of the books /films is an elderly village policeman who knows the life and customs of the people of his village.
Here is a link to the movie. I doubt there are English subtitles. But you can see the Siberian Soviet village, houses, roads, and how people dressed.
My grandmother, aunt and uncle lived in a very similar village, only on a small river, so they didn’t have a pier like in the movie.
One day, when I was visiting my uncle, his cow came home from the pasture. And that’s good, right? But she started chewing on my almost new white T-shirt drying on a rope. We took the t-shirt away (or out of her mouth). But there were green grass stains on it (the cow chewed the T-shirt along with the grass, it probably tasted better that way) and holes from teeth (she used to chew thoroughly). 😂
As a city girl, I’m afraid of cows, I don’t miss them at all.
The longest day and the shortest night. The beginning of summer.
Tomsk
Daniel says that if we lived in Fairhaven, we would celebrate with a bonfire by the ocean.
But we live in New Bedford, our house is in a relatively good neighborhood, but not on the ocean. There will be no bonfire tonight, and tomorrow is work.
Anyway, I don’t like summer.
Siberians can “throw slippers at me”*, and they will be right. Just like me. To each his own.
