a party in my mouth and everyone was invited
my lack of energy will never do justice to the previous few days, even just friday alone. i would have written it all out but i was exhausted, almost like i am now. basically, the day started out with a russian lesson, while i was trying to get in touch with a random woman at yet another ad agency whose cell phone number i got via like 8 people, and also recharging my grandma's cell phone that i barely knew how to use. i had also told the guy at visage that i'd stop by after 12 to see if he was able to get me any $. well the class got out 45 minutes late, i'm scribbling directions to that other place on a strip of notepad i might as well wipe my butt with, all while i'm walking my regular roadrunner pace to the agency. i'm a block away but thinking he's already left for lunch, when i spot him on the other side of the street about to cross in the perpendicular direction. i make a run for it toward the same side, then wait for him to cross my way, suddenly doubting that it's him. but fortunately and fortuitously, it is and we walk 'n talk back to the subway, which is a good atmosphere. i think the boss agreed to shell out $90 to me, which is, well, better than nothing but i do tell him i have one more place to check out before i can give him a final answer.
i run home for lunch and run back out to meet my dad's friend, the woman responsible for the new agency connection, whom i had not heard of until the previous night. we rush to this place, not knowing exactly where we're going, as she's trying to find out what i'm all about so she can present me in the correct manner. we finally get in to the lady's office, who turns out to be the hr manager for the entire net of agencies. my dad's friend introduces me in a babying manner (both good and bad) and then takes off, after which i tell the hr lady about my experience and show her my work. she has the receptionist make me tea while she gets in touch with a creative director at one of their agencies, who i finally get to talk to an hour later. on the way to his office, i call grandma who says the magazine lady called back and is waiting for me to set up a monday appointment with her. all fine & dandy if i had ever gotten her number, or if i then had a pen on me. instead i call olya, who i know her through, asking her to call her for me (by this point i had called olya 4 times that day) but the cell phone dies again, so i still haven't solved my problem and i've now rudely hung up on someone. anyway, i go up and meet with this creative director, who is kinda quick with me but it turns out they work more with tv ads and don't have design openings and i think he wanted previous advertising experience, not just design. i also don't think i tried very hard to impress him. i basically just wanted to get home and to take my sandals off and to rest before meeting up with olya for the night. the walk home was long and kinda painful, but also nice since i do it so rarely.
after dinner, i met olya and her boyfriend, taras, at a movie theater to see "sin city." the theater was pretty posh and reminded me of an amc or one of those other nice ones we got back home. taras gets free tickets through his work, so that was a pleasant surprise. the movie was hilarious due to its dubbed-ness, well, and a riot in that regard. i'm still thinking about josh hartnett and his "russian" voice. but it really helped to hear the language and be able to translate the meaning back to how it would be said in english, so you could say this was a field trip. because of these distractions, i can't compare the film to others of its kind accurately, but i guess as long as i enjoyed it it doesn't matter how much. the all-star line-up was fun, there were some funny lines i don't think anyone else got or else i'm just twisted, and elijah wood's cannibalistic harry potter was just weeeeird. oh and the most unexpected product placements - mercedes wasn't in the original graphic novels...was it?
after the movie we set up camp in a pub with free peanuts (like williams :D), as i had hoped we would. not only was this my first night out in kiev, but more than anything i just wanted to hang out with them. i was first of all excited to finally meet him, and secondly stoked to see her 'cuz she's one of my only friends here. to be honest, we're not friends, but i've developed a great affinity for her over the last few months as she's held my hand across the atlantic, plus i am working off knowing her my entire life. but my point is we don't actually know each other at all, she was always my sister's friend, so it's a totally new thing for me and yet i am geniunely interested in getting to know her and hoping she will want to get to know me. well for the first hour i felt like the absolute social invalid that i've been feeling while i've been here, but fortunately the conversation got going and at one point i even noticed i was carrying on a conversation freely and holding their attention, which was my big success of the day. i'd say my first memorable conversation since i've been here, so yay.
saturday italian jesus and i went down to the central square to buy a sim card for my cell phone. i couldn't believe how many people were out and about, just sitting around, enjoying the sun, kids playing in the fountains, countless gimmicky touristy things (teletubby spotting!), all these forced publicity event things but all around a lot of fun. however i-sus didn't make for the best company so i got lonesome and went home.
i will have pics soon, especially of the j_man. also, let me know if you want my new cell phone number. incoming calls are supposedly free, so i'm all for some telelovin'. :)
after dinner i met snezhana out at hydropark, an amusement park with tons of attractions and clubs out on an island between the two banks of the city. we walked around, she got offered a modeling career, i rode a mini rollercoaster, and then we set up shop in an outdoor restaurant with two live performers and a dance area. all the tables were taken so we were "guarding" a reserved one, though security told us not to let anyone else sit with us. got some white wine and danced a little, then women in their late '20s (i'm becomming worse at guessing ages) sat down with us and wouldn't leave. it wasn't a huge deal and kinda helped to increase our pack. then sneja met some guy who had an entire table to him and his friend, so the 4 of us met there. she thought initially they were decent guys, but i guess they weren't, yet we still sat with them and danced with them. i was ok except for when i was left with the one she initially met and he for some reason brought up jews and how "it's ok, i have a friend" (gag me) and then he said, "i can tell, you know" for which i should have probably slapped him 'cuz what the hell was that?
between finishing off two bottles of wine with sneja, the three shots of vodka i had with the guys, and the champagne another guy bought me at the end of the night, are any of us surprised as to what happened this morning? yep, my very first "i'm so hungover i could puke...oh wait, i just did" moment. took me about 3 hours to even stand up to take a shower and a get a little muesli and bananas and try to nap it off. then we went to the dacha, but i actually didn't make it there with my breakfast intact. good times. when we finally got there, i laid directly down for a long nap in my happy little spot in view of my heavenly apple tree. didn't have a camera on me again but i will try to capture it sometime. after the nap i went outside the gate and sat down on the steps in front of the marsh, where my sister broke the heart of my first crush in front of me. i know i am totally making myself sound like marsh-girl, but that is simply the truth. i did a little loop around it and noticed how the blue bench was still there where the neighbor girls and i used to design outfits for each other in our heads. a little later, grandma and i went to see their grandmother 'cuz she was the only one who was there, and she looked and sounded exactly the same. it made me happy. yet another person who's known me since birth.
i run home for lunch and run back out to meet my dad's friend, the woman responsible for the new agency connection, whom i had not heard of until the previous night. we rush to this place, not knowing exactly where we're going, as she's trying to find out what i'm all about so she can present me in the correct manner. we finally get in to the lady's office, who turns out to be the hr manager for the entire net of agencies. my dad's friend introduces me in a babying manner (both good and bad) and then takes off, after which i tell the hr lady about my experience and show her my work. she has the receptionist make me tea while she gets in touch with a creative director at one of their agencies, who i finally get to talk to an hour later. on the way to his office, i call grandma who says the magazine lady called back and is waiting for me to set up a monday appointment with her. all fine & dandy if i had ever gotten her number, or if i then had a pen on me. instead i call olya, who i know her through, asking her to call her for me (by this point i had called olya 4 times that day) but the cell phone dies again, so i still haven't solved my problem and i've now rudely hung up on someone. anyway, i go up and meet with this creative director, who is kinda quick with me but it turns out they work more with tv ads and don't have design openings and i think he wanted previous advertising experience, not just design. i also don't think i tried very hard to impress him. i basically just wanted to get home and to take my sandals off and to rest before meeting up with olya for the night. the walk home was long and kinda painful, but also nice since i do it so rarely.
after dinner, i met olya and her boyfriend, taras, at a movie theater to see "sin city." the theater was pretty posh and reminded me of an amc or one of those other nice ones we got back home. taras gets free tickets through his work, so that was a pleasant surprise. the movie was hilarious due to its dubbed-ness, well, and a riot in that regard. i'm still thinking about josh hartnett and his "russian" voice. but it really helped to hear the language and be able to translate the meaning back to how it would be said in english, so you could say this was a field trip. because of these distractions, i can't compare the film to others of its kind accurately, but i guess as long as i enjoyed it it doesn't matter how much. the all-star line-up was fun, there were some funny lines i don't think anyone else got or else i'm just twisted, and elijah wood's cannibalistic harry potter was just weeeeird. oh and the most unexpected product placements - mercedes wasn't in the original graphic novels...was it?
after the movie we set up camp in a pub with free peanuts (like williams :D), as i had hoped we would. not only was this my first night out in kiev, but more than anything i just wanted to hang out with them. i was first of all excited to finally meet him, and secondly stoked to see her 'cuz she's one of my only friends here. to be honest, we're not friends, but i've developed a great affinity for her over the last few months as she's held my hand across the atlantic, plus i am working off knowing her my entire life. but my point is we don't actually know each other at all, she was always my sister's friend, so it's a totally new thing for me and yet i am geniunely interested in getting to know her and hoping she will want to get to know me. well for the first hour i felt like the absolute social invalid that i've been feeling while i've been here, but fortunately the conversation got going and at one point i even noticed i was carrying on a conversation freely and holding their attention, which was my big success of the day. i'd say my first memorable conversation since i've been here, so yay.
saturday italian jesus and i went down to the central square to buy a sim card for my cell phone. i couldn't believe how many people were out and about, just sitting around, enjoying the sun, kids playing in the fountains, countless gimmicky touristy things (teletubby spotting!), all these forced publicity event things but all around a lot of fun. however i-sus didn't make for the best company so i got lonesome and went home.
i will have pics soon, especially of the j_man. also, let me know if you want my new cell phone number. incoming calls are supposedly free, so i'm all for some telelovin'. :)
after dinner i met snezhana out at hydropark, an amusement park with tons of attractions and clubs out on an island between the two banks of the city. we walked around, she got offered a modeling career, i rode a mini rollercoaster, and then we set up shop in an outdoor restaurant with two live performers and a dance area. all the tables were taken so we were "guarding" a reserved one, though security told us not to let anyone else sit with us. got some white wine and danced a little, then women in their late '20s (i'm becomming worse at guessing ages) sat down with us and wouldn't leave. it wasn't a huge deal and kinda helped to increase our pack. then sneja met some guy who had an entire table to him and his friend, so the 4 of us met there. she thought initially they were decent guys, but i guess they weren't, yet we still sat with them and danced with them. i was ok except for when i was left with the one she initially met and he for some reason brought up jews and how "it's ok, i have a friend" (gag me) and then he said, "i can tell, you know" for which i should have probably slapped him 'cuz what the hell was that?
between finishing off two bottles of wine with sneja, the three shots of vodka i had with the guys, and the champagne another guy bought me at the end of the night, are any of us surprised as to what happened this morning? yep, my very first "i'm so hungover i could puke...oh wait, i just did" moment. took me about 3 hours to even stand up to take a shower and a get a little muesli and bananas and try to nap it off. then we went to the dacha, but i actually didn't make it there with my breakfast intact. good times. when we finally got there, i laid directly down for a long nap in my happy little spot in view of my heavenly apple tree. didn't have a camera on me again but i will try to capture it sometime. after the nap i went outside the gate and sat down on the steps in front of the marsh, where my sister broke the heart of my first crush in front of me. i know i am totally making myself sound like marsh-girl, but that is simply the truth. i did a little loop around it and noticed how the blue bench was still there where the neighbor girls and i used to design outfits for each other in our heads. a little later, grandma and i went to see their grandmother 'cuz she was the only one who was there, and she looked and sounded exactly the same. it made me happy. yet another person who's known me since birth.