some things and kebab

I don’t seem to be the best at updating with any regularity. Things I have achieved (praise the Lord who enabled me): finish the remaining testimony translations for the narcostop.org website (feel free to check it out. The remaining 2 translations are not yet posted. It will start out in Russian to click the en by the UK flag), and Finish Hammer, the Armand Hammer Autobiography. :) Both of these were done by Tuesday. I honestly don’t know how that all got done, so all I can do is praise God for it. But, as I was finishing it Veronika asked me, “And what will you do tomorrow?” And I rattled of some stuff, but since then I haven’t really done any of it. I have been sick. Not too terrible sick, but just sick enough to be slightly cranky, apathetic and lethargic. Mama has been supplying Veronika and I with plenty of cures, pills, and potions. The worst and best of which is a dark brown bottle filled with a mixture of vodka and ground honeycomb. I cannot describe how badly it burns nor how awful it tastes. But it seems to coat my throat (and mouth, lips, or hands if I am not careful) with this layer of waxy vodka which no doubt protects it from the elements, while curing it, however vodka cures it. It really is surprisingly effective.
Yesterday Vitalik and I went into town and bought a wireless router and ate at Kebabs (my favorite restaurant in town). It was way fun. We met up with one of his friends after taking the маршрут to town. And the three of use together went to some shops until we found a wireless router and I bought it. Then we said thanks and good bye to his Friend and Vitalik and I proceeded to go to Kebabs and eat our fill. I froze up when trying to order so he spoke for me. And then I bought it (I really wanted to treat him to something and we eat out SO infrequently here I decided this was a good way, Veronika and I hope to do the same thing next week when she is not so busy and her exams are over). Vitalik told me that the ladies working behind the counter (who are always young and attractive because I’ve heard tell that the owner is a perv) think that Vitalik is no good because I bought everything. And for this reason, I assume, when I offered to buy him some gum on the way home he told me what kind to get but wouldn’t go into the store with me to get it. This is the first time in my recollection that Vitalik has ever been seen in public with me with the sole exception of my own birthday party (I think the reason for this is twofold a) guys and girls don’t seem to hang out one on one together unless they are dating here and b) I am his older sister and it is assumed that I, like Veronika, wouldn’t be interested in hanging out with him and his “little” friends). Afterward Vitalik installed it himself and we now have wifi (thanks to Mami and Papi Rice).  haha. On the bus ride there and back Vitalik kept making little farting sounds with his mouth with the intention of blaming me for it, but I blamed him for it first and made kind of a big deal about the “terrible smell,” which he got a huge kick out of. Ah, in the 2 years I have been gone it is nice to know that neither of us have matured :) .
Today, to fight my illness, I didn’t set an alarm so I slept until 12. Then Veronika came home and we ate and then watched Cruel Intentions which Vitalik like LOVES, but I pretty well hated. When I told Vitalik tonight that I had watched it and didn’t like it he got kinda huffy, but since I do the same thing when people don’t like the movies I love I certainly can’t blame him. By the end of the movie Veronika was asleep, so I laid down and tried to sleep to, I am not sure whether I slept or not, but I peacefully rested until like 530, ate again, and then laid around some more. Yeah, today wasn’t so productive. Mama and Veronika sell Avon to Veronika and I brought some Avon stuff over to our Aunt and then went to go pick Mama up from work at in Kalkuna. Before getting in the care I officially slipped and fell on the ice, my first and doubtfully my last time for this trip. Since the roads by our house are dirt roads is gets CRAZY slick here. Heck, it even get crazy slick on the asphalt. Yesterday I had to hold onto Vitalik’s arm on the way home from the bus stop yesterday :)to stabilize myself. So on these crazy slick Roads on the way to pick up Mama, Veronika and I saw a large black object that looked like a dumpster in the middle of our side of the road and there was a car coming from the opposite direction. We were approaching it fast and Veronika skillfully brought us to a stop on the ice about 2 feet away from the object. What we saw was a drunk man, kneeling down in the middle of the road with his back turned to the oncoming traffic. He was wearing a black coat, so we barely saw him in time. That was interesting. I told Veronika she had done a good job averting that crisis and we agreed that that was a horrendous situation and she said in Russian of course “Well, what can I do if he doesn’t want to live?” and we carried on our way with each of our hearts beating a little faster.
A couple of days ago Jesus and I when on a 2.5 mile walk around the neighborhood. IT was fun and I saw some weird things including a horse and a man with a rifle slung over his arm, which if you didn’t know guns are about as legal here as they are in Britain. I got a picture of the horse, but I opted against taking a picture of the rifle man. I am afraid I wasn’t very attentive to my walking partner and I don’t remember anything He said or whether He was talking at all, but He is a pretty patient one and hopefully I’ll learn how to listen with some help from Him. I went on the walk partially because Papa, Mama, and Babushka have been recommending I take one for quite some time now since I just sit at home all of the time. Well, they often recommend me take a walk, but sometimes warn me that I could more easily go ice skating on the road (which is basically the local version of “you could fry an egg on the pavement”). I took the walk before I was really feeling sick on a day that wasn’t very slippery, so it was most pleasant.
Love you kids, I’ll try to work on Regularity, but it never has been one of my strengths. :)