Trans-national languages, especially English keep penetrating Russian more and more. Kind of drives me crazy. Here's a list of words that have caught my eye so far, and this isn't even counting the Italian coffee/Starbuck's vocabulary that is now… more »

[image:155:] KFC... it just has a ring to it, yes? [image:156:] [image:159:] Nope, this place doesn't seem to have anything to do with Ikea. [image:160:] This store is called «Купи слона!» “Buy an elephant!” I'm guessing that that's… more »

My friend Jim recommended to me James Hollis's book “Finding meaning in the second half of life.” It's rare that I enjoy a book recommended to me, but the last book Jim recommended I liked quite a bit, so I thought I'd give this one a go. I've made it… more »

When I got to my Bishkek apartment, I thought, “How in the heck am I going to get all my interneting done here? There’s no desk!” I seriously considered buying one, but frankly, there’s no room for it here, and where would I store it before we come… more »