Trip Journal Update #666
Sunday, November 19 = Apparently, this is the best day of the week for me to write, as I feel it's the only time I'm able to sit down for a large block fo time and remember and retell (or record, depending on how one views this undertaking) all the events of the week. Monday, as has become habitual, consisted of class during the day and then homework in the atrium until the light of the sun filtering down through the clouds and then through the glass ceiling is nearly gone; this is normally around 5:00. Afterwards, I return home to do more homework until turning in for the night. While it's not very exciting, I complete the majority of my work for the week that day, thereby freeing up my schedule completely. Tuesday was more of the same, but after our weekly meeing, Erica nd I looked in hotels and train tickets for our upcoming trip to Rostov-on-the-Don, before lounging about in her room for some time.
After classes on Wednesday there was a meeting with the students of the English language department. They baited us into coming with free cookies and tea, just as every event back home that no one really has much interest in attending. Shippee is coming dangerously close to getting his ass handed to him by me, even though he hasn't directly insulted me. His continuous belittling of those who don't speak Russian on the same level as him (which isn't even that advanced) and general condescending to everyone is reaching levels which might warrant physical violence or enough psychological destruction to put him on the correct level. Unfortunately, the movie was cancelled that evening, so Erica and I walked over to the Moscow House of Photography, or at least where the website said it was located. We found the building, but the guard in the back stairwell told us it was somewhere around Red Square. Fruitless, but one of the California students, Kyril, gave me a call and told me that they were going to a hockey game, something I'd been intending to do for sometime, so we once again had plans for the evening. Tickets were only $4 and it was well worth it, as that match was one of the most entertaining sporting events I've ever been to. Dynamo was playing CSKA, in the former's arena. Blue and white dominated, and the final score of 3-2 left the vast majority of the people in the seats pleased. Since that night, I've been rocking my new Dynamo Moscow scarf.
Thursday amounted to little more than minor annoyances, bad luck, and me being pissed off. Upon my arrival to school, I learned that the Wi-Fi had been made unaccessible, as it is now password protected. I actually had things I needed to do that day, most important of which was the reservation of a hotel room in Rostov. I would later learn that a sketchy-looking techie, who had previously stalked about the atrium, staring over our shoulders as we worked on laptops, had locked it up because we were slowing down the bandwidth. Well, no shit. At least we were doing work or writing emails with the Internet, as oppossed to playing computer games or sitting around in groups and watching porno, which the Russians are notorious for. And why the hell would they have Wi-Fi, if not to use it. With this placing me in a foul mood and the phrase "FUCK THIS" (the adopted attitude of the day) scrawled across my knuckles, I made it through the first half of the day, albeit rather tense. I opted to skip phonetics and sat around, drinking and chatting until my mood improved. We drank in the cafe after classes were over and we agreed to meet up and go to Casino Royale (in English) or play pool later that evening before everyone went their seperate ways. Erica and I met with Tom and Amy, as they had waited for us and we took the Metro to Kurckaya to get tickets for the commuter train out to Vladimir. This was a failure, as we were told to come back the next morning, before the departure time, to purchase them. We were going to be late for the start of the movie and when we were two stops away, Erica got up and exited to her station. She didn't say a word to me on the way out, so of course I took this to mean I had fucked up, that she was upset and faulted me for us being late. God, I was so pissed off. I exited the Metro at Kievckaya, pummeling myself in the side of the head with clenched fists for there is nothing to take aggression out on in this country, aside from yourself or other Americans (which would explain the excessive level of shit-talking I've been doing vocally and in here), as there are too many chances of getting beaten, stabbed, or arrested if you seem too out of line; Moscow is quite the police state. Luckily, Amy and Tom had the good sense to follow after me and stop me outside, calming me with soothing words, reassuring pats, and a cigarette to busy hands intent on some brain hemorraging. Tamed, I went home, worked out what amounted to misunderstanding and overreaction on my part over the phone with Erica, and then finally went to sleep.
Friday morning I woke up earlier than I would've for classes, in order to make it to the station on time. Unfortunately, we had read the schedule wrong the night prior and when Erica walked into the station with me, she noticed the train was leaving twenty minutes earlier than we had thought. This would have been fine, but Tom was late, so we were forced to waste time in restaurants and coffee houses for about five hours until we could catch the afternoon express. We got checked into our hotel. Dinner was at a Georgian restaurant, but not as good as the one back in Moscow that we've taken to frequenting. Afterwards, we wound up in a real dive bar, the likes of which would not be out of place in any small American town. Tom, myself, and a Daniel kid from the Vladimir program (with a little help from the others at the table) put down a liter of Russian spirits in about twenty minutes. Another fifteen minutes and we suddenly had as many Russians in our presence as the number of Americans. This was fine, everyone was friendly, and I had the good fortune of one trying to take me home, but Amy had gotten shitty drunk and we were obliged to take her home. Evidently, after we all left, Daniel stuck around with his new-found friends, and when some of his fellow group members went back to check on him, he was being thrown up against a table and told never to show his face to them again. Lesson be learned, if you're as vulgar as he was and don't exercise proper constraint, one might very well end up in the same situation, with or without acquaintances to come to the rescue.
Saturday was wonderful After complimentary breakfast and a hot shower, we headed into town to meet Lily, Amy's friends from college who is in the Vladimir program, and have lunch. Our group ran into James and Christina (who were visiting friends as well) at the pizza place, so that was a pleasant surprise. I bought two bottles of hot sauce at the grocery store next door before going back to our room, where Tom, Erica, and I lounged about for the afternoon, napping, eating cheese and peanuts, and watching TV while Amy went with Lily to get her nose pierced, which in the end failed to happen. Sushi for dinner that night before Tom and I went back to the hotel to enjoy some weak cherry cognac, during which time the girls went to a bar. Us boys caught up later, just in time to shortly walk back with them. I bought a bottle of cheap champagne in the spur of the moment; Erica and I put it down from cheap plastic glasses (convienently provided by the hotel) before turning in for the night.
Today we checked out around noon, went to the station, and I spent the three hour ride back dozing while Mitch Hedburg prattled on in my ears. It was a relaxing weekend, but I feel quite drained by it all. Even eating dinner tonight was a battle. Tomorrow marks the day from which I only have a month's time until my departure, so I'm going to bed to rest up. I need to be fully energized. There's still too much to be done.
Sunday, November 26 = This week was a busy one, but at least I feel like I got things out of the way. Monday afternoon I hiked all about the south-central part of the city, looking at monasteries. Although no edge-of-your-seat excitement, the first was the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, where the Patriarch gets down to business. The second was noteable for the tanks it its courtyard, which were used in defense of the city during the time of World War II. My last stop was the statue of Gagarin. It's pretty impressive. Really tall and made of titanium or somthing that looks a lot like it, his figure is posed at the top with arms thrown back, as though he's going to rocket up into the sky on a jetpack.
Tuesday, I finally made it to see "Casino Royale" in English. Derek, Erica, and I were the only ones to successfully get tickets, as the show was nearly sold out. Although not as action-packed as I was expecting it would be, the movie was geared toward explaining the backstory and legitimization fo Bond's violence and womanizing, along the same lines as "Batman Begins". All-in-all, I was pleased with the show, but Derek lost his $500 cellphone and the drama with Amy came to a head as Mike was to arrive the next day, so even after the show, the excitement did not relent.
Wednesday was the beginning of the weekend, at least after classes. A large number of us gathered in the cafe to drink and as Mike had finally arrived, the topic of conversation inevitablely drifted to Amy's playing of him. The two of them came down in the end and everyone met Mike, immediately before feeling really awful for him. The dude is chill as hell, not the tool we'd all hoped he would be, so as his getting shit on would have been a bit easier to handle. No one wound up going to the Movie Club and everyone reconvened at PirOGI later on for more drinks.
Thanksgiving was alright. Erica and I went to Sbarro's for lunch, where we met Tom. The three of us went back to her room and lounged, drinking and listening to Mitch Hedburg while making reservations for the evening. Dinner at the pool hall didn't go so well, despite the high level of attendance. I accidently broke a mirror while fucking around in the bathroom, so after paying, my evening on the town was done.
Friday: excursion to a house-museum with very strange interior design, the centerpiece of which was the main staircase, which appears to be made of melted wax and crowned with an odd jellyfish light. "Saw 3" in the evening with Erica. I'm glad they ended the series. The quality of the movies was going downhill, but I still can't get that mechanical cross out of my head.
Saturday: Confirmation for our hotel reservations in Rostov finally arrived. I was pretty pumped about that. Evidently, Derek, Nick, and Tom had gone out all night on Friday, so Tom filled me in on the nonsense bfore we caught up with Erica, Amy, and Mike. Tom left, we wound up in PirOGI again, but we ordered a taxi to take us home around 3:30. Erica nad I got into a little quarrel, but Lord knows that can be attributed to liquor and the strained emotions my imminent departure has placed on our relationship.
Today I wound up sleeping through the soccer game I was invited to Wednesday afternoon by some random Russians in the cafe and have instead spent most of my time resting and half-assing this update, especially the later part.
Oh yeah. Amy's a bitch (and that "C" word which is extremely offensive back home yet quite common everywhere else in the world) who was never experienced the real world and will some day get it good.
OG DUB, signing out