Those who’ve followed this blog know I’m a Russian Studies student and that includes reading thick Russian novels like The Brothers Karamazov, Anna Karenina, and The First Circle.  Every now and then I just want a short read, not necessarily one that doesn’t make me think, all books make me think (even if it’s just: oh my God, this is terrible!  ( Read more... )

A new Frank Peretti book.

Let that sink in for a second.  A new Frank Peretti book.  Not new as in “new to me” but new as in “published this year”.

( Dr. Parmenter for the win! )

No, this is not a review of Up.  This is something I actually debated about doing for a long time.  I figured,why bother?  But here I am, because sometimes I wish I could be a food critic (this comes from watching far too many episodes of Food Network's Chopped, but hey, Geoffrey Zakarian can do no wrong in my culinary mind.)  So...I bring you my ( Read more... )

Russian Winter
A novel by: Daphne Kalotay
A review by Apolla

( Care to dance? )

I'm a Russian Studies major.  Я изучаю русский язык! 
My career?  Well, I will once I graduate and finish grad school - I intend to be a professor and to study Siberian tribes.  I'll probably do a little translating on the side.  Currently I use it to do homework, chat with Russians, and do research.

(And now I'm worried that my spelling is off on ( Read more... )

You know what sucks ( Read more... )

I signed up for a philosophy class this semester.  I thought it would be interesting and it is but we're watching a movie now.  I honestly half expected that we would watch The Matrix or some boring educational film.  Instead we're watching Donnie Darko.

I'd heard of this movie, who hadn't?  But truth be told, I had no idea what it was about until ( Read more... )

I have to say something.  It’s just too much on my mind for me to ignore it.

The Yaroslavl’ Lokomotiv tragedy…I’m having a hard time with it right now.  You see, I have a very vague connection to this.  First, I’m a hockey fan, I know about the KHL and know a little bit about Russian hockey (though very, very shaky knowledge).  Second, I went to ( Read more... )

Go on watching that is, because I am infuriated right now. The only thing we learned that was new and important was that Cas is looking for more souls. The rest - outside of Atropos - was plain awful.

( Ugh )

 Well, I guess I’m feeling sentimental right now and the evidence for that will come later.

I’m a Russian Studies major - which involves the language. It’s quite beautiful, I spend a lot of my time trying to think solely in Russian. Sometimes I can do it, sometimes I can’t. Regardless, part of my language class requires lab time. By that it ( Read more... )