Sweet suffering you-know-who it is making me cackle with laughter, you betcha!

Boris and Vlad, not to be confused with Saints Boris and Gleb, have made a little video as a special tribute to the Governor of Alaska. Ah, young love: it is so heartbreaking.



h/t to RustbeltDemocrat

Speaking of Russian chaps, I have been practicing my little bit of Russian on the guys who work at the hotel next to the office since I see them every morning and evening going to and from work. I rehearsed over and over the phrases for "Tell me, please. Do you know where there is an Orthodox Church?" A Ukrainian woman I work with wondered. So, I manage to utter this in understandable Russian and the young man looks up and says, in English, "I'm Muslim."

But a helpful Muslim chap for certain. He pulls out a map and suggests St Louis Cathedral ("no, that's Catholic," I mutter) or this other church where he places an X. "I think it's Jewish," he adds.

We non-Muslims are clearly all alike to him and I was quite amused by the whole thing. The next night he is with another of his countrymen and I ask if HE knows. The first guy says, "He's Muslim too." To reinforce my scant Russian I say, rhetorically, Тоже? (Also?) We are all amused.

Last night there were three of them at the curb (they are bellmen) and I was hoping, victim of assumptions and stereotypes that I am, that the tall blond one might be Orthodox. He did not know where an Orthodox Church in New Orleans might be but he said he could call friends and find out. More joking ensued.

They are really nice guys and it's fun to see if I can express myself understandably. It is also a challenge to understand them since they do not speak in the beginning-Russian sentences we use in class. They also speak faster than Doctor Stukova.

Of course I could have googled the information but I keep forgetting when I get home. Now that I have shared this story, you know what I will do as soon as I publish this post.

До свидания,
--the BB