Spokoinoi Nochi, Malishi…

While the late-night garbage collectors are banging away outside, 12 floors above ground, I’m trying to finalize everything after a frantic day (and evening) before I can finally call it a day.

Decision over mixes, new remix approval, meeting with a literary editor, a few hours in a local bookstore going over young adult material, revising a manuscript and once again revisiting the vocal mixes… All in one day. And on top of everything, packing like crazy for tomorrow morning.

Am up at 7 a.m., so I’m wondering if I should be asleep right now instead of typing away into the night… No, I meant “the crack of dawn”!

Did I mention a guest from Moscow just arrived this evening to stay over for several days during the Fashion Week? All was good until politics and our politicians were brought into the conversation… A major debate kicked off and in the heat of the moment, we realized we weren’t getting anywhere with any of this. The bottom line is, of course, those “in power” have managed to stir emotions among ordinary people, as well, which really was an utterly poisonous move. Evil, evil politics…….

On that note, before I get completely carried away, I’ll be better of retiring to bed for the night. And so I bid you all – spokoinoi nochi, malishi!

P.S. My very first song… A Russian TV lullaby, “Sponoinoi Nochi, Malishi” (“Good Night, Children”) Always feel that special tingle deep down every time I hear it…all those years later!

“Window, window across the street…”

One of the wackiest things about living in an apartment block in Manhattan is an ordinary office building and its inhabitants (late-night workers) facing your very own window day after day…. Think it’s rare? Ask any other midtown resident and you’ll see why that, along with the middle-of-the-night garbage collecting trucks, can really become a little irritating after a while.

Just imagine how much fun these office live-in staff members are having on their lunch breaks – there’s always an up-to-date soap opera unfolding in front of their eyes. Surely it must beat an average reality TV show – it’s as live as it gets in today’s tech-driven world and purely exclusive in its content and delivery, too. Why bother paying for cable TV when there’s a very telling and visual window “screen” across the street? That is, if you’re lucky.

Unfortunately for me, it’s a problem in two parts: no time to pry on others, and also – not many characters to feed and entice your imagination on regular basis, as most workers (apart from a few strange ones who don’t leave till the crack of dawn at times – whenever I open my eyes at night, they’re still there – staring at the computer screen!) are well gone by 6 p.m. and hardly bother to show up at work on weekends… Again, with very particular exceptions!!!

Oh the days of private homes and backyards… Wait, they still exist! Except maybe not so common in the Big Apple?

Tuesday night in the city

How do people “switch off” and recharge their batteries after an intense day of multi-tasking and running around from one appointment to another trying to juggle multiple personalities all at once? I don’t know…

It’s 8p.m. in the Big Apple and I’m failing miserably at the above task – no way I can relax now, while my mind is going at one hundred miles per hour.

Having picked up this week’s Economist and TIME at work this morning, which in itself sounds a bit odd for a 20-something Russianette, I’m wondering whether I should dip into the latest world news and be political tonight, or instead just relax in front of TV and watch one of those ridiculously banal soap opera’s on the Russian cable channel.

What else can I watch on a Tuesday night, for goodness sake? The news are depressing and heavy at best and obscenely misinforming at worst; the E!, MTV and other celeb-obsessed channels are all about “dirty laundry of the current flavor of the month”… There’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as well, except as long as I’m not winning, the enthusiasm wears off after the 200th time. (It’s an equally successful TV show in Russia, actually… Our very own version, in fact!)

Books… Let’s see, I’m currently trying to digest two books in my “spare time” right now: the light-hearted “Waiter Rant” (ever had a crush on a restaurateur? I have, so you can connect the dots based on this little piece of private info!) and a slightly over-complicated history book on the collapse of the Soviet Union (not your average relax-mode read, but then again, it’s a well balanced combination!)

Not much else to keep the mind engaged and the body active and on-the-go on a Tuesday night after a 7 a.m. start at work… Well, there are a few alternatives, except the energy and enthusiasm vital for a night out are in need of a “reboot”!

A Reunion “a deux”

A reunion 15 months after working and socializing together day-to-day in New York City can be quite a night out on the town, no doubt. And a delicious Mexican spot on St. Mark’s can only be a bonus, too!

What an evening, particularly after a long day at work and on the go – couldn’t have asked for a better conclusion to a hectic day.

One of the main topics, apart from a serious catch-up, flashbacks and big laughs about this, that and the other, was certainly the big word in today’s online universe – Blogging…! 15 months ago, it seemed like a bit of nonsense to me, but now, it’s an updated form of journalism and so much more current, too, a lot of the time.

Looking back on the days gone by over a nice glassful of margarita – can’t beat that on a Monday night, let’s face it! 

What was supposed to be a collective reunion of “Charlie’s Angels & Mr. Cupid” became a dinner a deux… One more proof that we’re no longer the enthusiastic bunch of interns we once used to be – day jobs and travel plans are starting to affect our social lives, and objectively speaking, it’s the reality of a grown-up life.

Wouldn’t change a thing about tonight, though – not one bit!

And here’s the biggest consolation: according to Mr. Cupid, I’m “no longer as crazy… Well, maybe just a little, but definitely not as insane as before!” That was only 15 months ago, Cupid, how could that be true? Just give me time…

Coffee & Newspapers

 

Coffee houses… Amazing how much money these little cafes with very mediocre coffee (if that!) must make on daily basis – imagine!

While McDonald’s was booming in Russia when it first opened there about 20 years ago, the US was already hooked on the huge business of coffee shop chains.

A few nice “coffee houses” were launched in Moscow several years ago, but if you convert the prices into modest rubbles, it’s basically horrendous. Paying 250 rubbles for a cup of latte is not that affordable, to say the least. Hence the clientele – middle class and up.

On the other hand, a customary stop-over at one of the coffee chains in NY is a must. 

Having just grabbed a few newspapers this afternoon (the news from home are far from soothing, as always), I’m sipping a cup of Irish cappuccino in the corner of 57th Street and reading the bad news of the day, for there’s rarely any good news in the headlines nowadays.

Incredible how the Soviets lived back in the day – according to the local and national news broadcasts, while the rest of the “capitalist” world was falling into pieces, the motherland was always ahead of everything and everyone – it was always hunky dory at home.

I wonder if it’s any different now… Who knows… Only the locals do. Oh, and thank the cable for satellite channels!

A quick cup of coffee and the latest offline news consumption have come to an end – till the next time.

Gotta get on with the day. Remember it’s NYC – there’s no time to take a breather in a New York minute!!

Long, Red & Scratchy…

There’s something very sad about cutting your long nails off completely, especially after nurturing them for months and making them look impeccable with that extra bit of care.

No, don’t get me wrong – not your average “lady who lunches” and does nothing else… On the contrary, being able to juggle a career and housework is quite admirable, if you ask me. It’s considered a mauvais ton among some of my compatriots, what they call the “nouveau riche” Russians. But what’s better than a woman who can multi-task in that sense?

So getting back to the long red nails (by the way, the photograph is not of moi!) it’s always been a sort of my childhood fantasy – while most of my peers couldn’t wait to try a cigarette or wear high heels, I was absolutely dying to grow my nails long (just like one of my idols – if you know the girl behind the Russianette, you’ll know who I’m talking about!) and paint them RED. Silly, I suppose, but seemed like a big hairy deal to me at the time!

Why did I cut them if I was so fond of the scratchy red finger tips?

Two reasons: the banal excuse is pretty simple – I broke one of the nails at a party the other night, which was quite unfortunate, especially for those present who got a detailed update on the situation first-hand; and the big reason is an upcoming “literary” project that I’m working on in my “spare time” which requires a lot of typing, hence the shorter nails and more flexible fingers!

Boring, boring, I know… But then again, kind of an easy way to hint the above piece of well-concealed news… More on that some time later, as it really is early days. Yet, it is very much on the cards and in full motion on this end, so stay tuned!

Dear Blog…

I’ve always wondered (that is, before I joined the club myself!) why people blog, and moreover, who bothers to follow these countless blog posts and entries made by every other person with internet access… OK, maybe it’s not that intense, but still… think about how many people open new blog accounts all over the web and take the time to update their own entries AND read other peoples posts on regular basis. A mass hobby, perhaps?

I can still remember the days of personal journals that really were kept in the back of the drawer with an extra lock guarding the secrets from prying eyes. It wasn’t so long ago, after all – just a few years ago… And now? We tag our diary entries and make our most private thoughts readily available for inspection to every strangers surfing the web at random. Fascinating but true.

Going that extra mile to conceal my personal diary entries and hide the notebooks from family and friends (and it wasn’t even that scandalous!) was the norm back in high school.

Several years later, even I find myself being completely affected and taken by the blog phenomenon – it’s fun, it’s not that time-consuming (especially if you send your posts from the blackberry phone after typing it en route to work or back) and on top of that, if you want to remain “somewhat” anonymous, you can!

Those of you that have been invited to this blog by yours truly know this ain’t a secret anymore, but the random visitors don’t really have to know who and what for, right?

After all, that’s what makes it so enjoyable and worthwhile – and also, that’s one of the main reasons why I use this blog for my personal entries now instead of the other more “official” source which some of you are familiar with – why give the prying eyes and the “managing” powers extra bit of satisfaction and/or trivia to worry about? Lack of censorship is sheer haven.

And who would know that better than…a Russianette!

My Soviet Obsession

 

One of my quirkiest hobbies, or should I say collections, is anything and everything to do with the two infamous soviet symbols: Lenin and Stalin. Ever since I was a young teenager, I used to drive my grandfather crazy with this unusual “interest” – the point where he finally brought me a huge posted of Lenin’s portrait and placed it in the corner of my bedroom first thing in the morning while I was still fast asleep…. Waking up to comrade Lenin’s profile shot was, at the very least, hilarious!

The last summer before I moved to NYC in 2004, I engaged another family member in my active hobby… My cousin, Lika, who also happened to be visiting Moscow that summer was my #1 companion throughout my sovietology adventures. We spent our days wondering around the Red Square and buying each and every souvenir bearing the face or at least a slightest resemblance to either of the comrades.

As we landed in JFK after the summer of my sovietsky bliss, Dad caught a glimpse of a Stalin + Lenin badge on my jeans… “Take that off immediately – they won’t let you through the customs, you look like a Soviet psycho!” He was right: as a result of the latest fashion trend a la russe, I got a few raised eyebrows and curious smirks on my way out of the Delta International terminal.

To be honest, a few months down the line, I stopped wearing the badges and other soviet memorabilia on daily basis, but still smile every time I come across the little bits and pieces in my top drawer….

Books on communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union onwards are still very much off the shelves and popped right inside my handbag day in and day out. Why? No idea. Neither of my parents have ever been big fans of the communist theme, but I personally find it quite fascinating…particularly from a distance. Had I actually witnessed what people went through during that era first-hand, I would have felt otherwise, no doubt.

Yellow Taxi

Getting a cab in New York in the rain is next to impossible, particularly in the rush hour when the taxi drivers comfortably relax and go off duty. Not your lucky day if you happen to be running late to a meeting AND realize you haven’t got any cash in the wallet…. But it’s not quite as bad until you also discover that the cabbie’s credit card machine has taken a day off duty, too! Sheer bliss!

Now believe it or not, it got worse, too, after I complained to the driver about the broken credit card machine – “I don’t care how you pay me, you pay me now, lady or we’re going to the police station!” You think he was joking?

Within seconds, we were driving up Madison Avenue to the nearest police station and let’s be frank here – I shrieked in disbelief! “Please take me to an ATM or take my 4 dollars in cash – that’s all I’ve got in my wallet – but for God’s sake, stop the car!”

I won’t be exaggerating if I say that, quite mildly speaking, the driver ordered me out of the car declining every offer mentioned above and left me soaking in the rain blocks away from my meeting spot. Lovely! I’m more than curious to see how the rest of the day unfolds…

Makes you wonder if the day-to-day New York life isn’t a little overrated at times!

Not to say that the Moscow life is any calmer or more laid back! You’re better of taking the metro there, that’s for sure – a little crowded, somewhat smelly but very impressive in marble and Soviet-time sculptures of Lenin and his comrades all around the place!

Where Were You on 9/11?

Isn’t this one of the most frequently asked questions? Seven years later, this is still as relevant as ever.I wasn’t yet living in New York when September 11th happened – but that didn’t make things easier, for there was hardly a part of the world on the map that wasn’t affected by the tragedy.

Several days before the day overall geopolitics changed for good, I met someone who instantly sparked that flame inside me. Even at such a young age, it was obviously more than just another encounter…On 9/11, he was due to fly to Washington, D.C. on a morning flight – yes, D.C. on the morning of Sept. 11. Now you can imagine the horror and fear at the very thought of what may have happened… It’s one of those moments when you realize how much someone means to you as you are dialing the number over and over again, but the cell phone is constantly switched off, out of the coverage zone and on voicemail. Sheer nightmare.

So many of us went through this real-life horror on that very day, and I feel blessed to say that, luckily, my friends and family were all safe after the tragedy had come to pass. But how can we forget those who perished on September 11th, for in this tiny world, there’s bound to be a friend of a friend who lost their loved one seven years ago today.

We will never forget, true. But moreover, we will never forgive. And never surrender.