Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Осторожно Тигры
Friday, March 16, 2012
Rip Current
After an uneventful day at the beach, kids went to cool off at the pool with a waterslide. Leon got a bit too enthusiastic going down the concrete chute one too many times, ending up with an epic and embarrassing rip on the back of his trunks. His "back" is ok, though this pretty much concludes the watersports part of the trip for him.
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| Before... |
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| ... After |
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Discovering San Juan
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| Blue stones of Old San Juan |
Finally! After four days in the banana republic of the East, we discovered modern, clean and fast-paced city. We spend rest of the day walking the streets of Old San Juan, which is so beautiful, we couldn't get enough pictures of it.
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| Fort San Cristobal |
We liked San Juan so much, we went there again on Thursday.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Walk in the Park
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We had an authentic lunch of some fried crap on the side of the road in a shack that looked like a post-war Sarajevo.
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| Roadside lunch |
By the evening, we were done with exotics and went for a proper dinner in a standard American resort not far from home.
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| At the resort's convention center |
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Going Local
On Monday, we drove to the beach, advertised as secluded and pristine. Well, it wasn't neither, but not too bad. The water was not as warm and clear as it was same time of the year in the neighboring Dominican Republic. More like at home in August. The beach facilities, which charged a dollar per person, were of a third world quality. We wanted "local" - we got plenty of it.
Somewhere on the Internet, Max picked up that a toy store at the nearby mall sells a rare edition of some Lego thing. It became his raison d'etre for the whole P.R. trip, so after the beach, craving a bit of civilization, without much fight, we gave in and drove to the mall. When after sitting in traffic for an hour we got there, we didn't find any toy stores. So, we drove around for another hour (including a horrifying "shortcut" through a one-lane mountain road). Then we came back to the same mall - you know, to make sure that the toy store didn't somehow came into being while we were balancing our car on a cliff. The toy store was still not there.
Because going to the same mall twice was not embarrassing enough, on the way home, we stopped by a Wallmart, where we bought some crappy tea and a loaf of Wonderbread. Let's see if we can get any lower.
Somewhere on the Internet, Max picked up that a toy store at the nearby mall sells a rare edition of some Lego thing. It became his raison d'etre for the whole P.R. trip, so after the beach, craving a bit of civilization, without much fight, we gave in and drove to the mall. When after sitting in traffic for an hour we got there, we didn't find any toy stores. So, we drove around for another hour (including a horrifying "shortcut" through a one-lane mountain road). Then we came back to the same mall - you know, to make sure that the toy store didn't somehow came into being while we were balancing our car on a cliff. The toy store was still not there.
Because going to the same mall twice was not embarrassing enough, on the way home, we stopped by a Wallmart, where we bought some crappy tea and a loaf of Wonderbread. Let's see if we can get any lower.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Mayo and Ketchup
We spent the first full day in P.R. getting acquainted with the immediate vicinity, the "playas" (beaches), restaurants and other food sources.
We live on the Northeast coast of the island, which is rocky and with some cliffs. The views are spectacular but the beaches are not so much. We'll keep looking.
While getting loaded with provisions in the supermarket, Max discovered a dream condiment - mayo and ketchup in the same bottle. Hot tea, which we drink at home quite a lot, is not a popular drink around here. In fact, in a huge supermarket, we found no tea of any kind. Though oddly, in the spices section, we found linden flowers ("липовый цвет"). Other than that, the shop looks indistinguishable from one at home.
Back at home, we staged a photoshoot in the infinity pool (the edge dissolves into the horizon).
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| At Fajardo |
While getting loaded with provisions in the supermarket, Max discovered a dream condiment - mayo and ketchup in the same bottle. Hot tea, which we drink at home quite a lot, is not a popular drink around here. In fact, in a huge supermarket, we found no tea of any kind. Though oddly, in the spices section, we found linden flowers ("липовый цвет"). Other than that, the shop looks indistinguishable from one at home.
Back at home, we staged a photoshoot in the infinity pool (the edge dissolves into the horizon).
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| Infinity Pool |
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Fajardo, Puerto Rico
We are at Puerto Rico for the spring break week.
Yesterday, we met up with Leon at the airport and after an easy four hour flight landed in San Juan, where we picked up the rented car (a Taurus, to kids disappointment) and not without getting lost for a bit, an hour later arrived at the apartment which we booked for the stay. The apartment is bigger than our house and it took the owner good 15 minutes to tour us through the enfilade of rooms, nooks, verandas, appliances, etc.
We had a quick dinner a some place next door and closed the night with some quality American television.
More first day pictures here.
Yesterday, we met up with Leon at the airport and after an easy four hour flight landed in San Juan, where we picked up the rented car (a Taurus, to kids disappointment) and not without getting lost for a bit, an hour later arrived at the apartment which we booked for the stay. The apartment is bigger than our house and it took the owner good 15 minutes to tour us through the enfilade of rooms, nooks, verandas, appliances, etc.
We had a quick dinner a some place next door and closed the night with some quality American television.
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| View from the terrace |
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Happy Birthday, Alik
P.S. We are also going to tattoo this on his back, when we see him next time.
See more modeling shots here.
On the subject of celebrations, please read these two essays про водку, by Е. Гришковец - "Из личного опыта...", "Коллективная память". Или смотрите тут (и далее по ссылкам):
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Once on This Island
Max played a "Gossiper" in his school's production of "Once on This Island". He also played the back of the automobile and the back of the magic dragon. Max's performance, the costumes and the set design were great (though Leon later told Max that he didn't project enough). Years earlier, Leon was in this play too. He played two human characters.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Carnegie Hall
Yesterday, the two of us and Max went to see Denis Matsuev at Carnegie Hall. Going in, we were a bit worried how Max would take two hours of classical music at the end of the full and exhausting school week, but he was a great trooper, listening attentively and, at times, not without interest.
The performance was, indeed, great - watching him playing Beethoven's Appassionata vs., say, listening to his recording playing same, is a big difference. And Stravinsky's "Petrushka" was a breathtaking rollercoaster - we didn't know you could play piano that fast and smooth. At times, the staccato of individual notes transcended into a contiguous sound like a cello. The audience brought him back for five encores, including a pin-drop crystal Debussy and a fantastic jazz improvisation. Unbelievable.
Speaking of audience - most, if not all - Russian. Which might have sucked for Matsuev. Once, Grishkovets, when asked why he stopped performing abroad, said, if I wanted a Russian audience, it would be easier to go to Voronezh. Having all-Russian audience, besides blocking the fair share of truly international name recognition, has one more downside. Most of us in that middle-aged audience never learned to display our emotions freely on public. While the applause were long lasting, its energy was by far less, then, say, an all-American audience gives even after a mediocre performance. And there were almost no shouts and whoops. Maybe because it was Friday.
The performance was, indeed, great - watching him playing Beethoven's Appassionata vs., say, listening to his recording playing same, is a big difference. And Stravinsky's "Petrushka" was a breathtaking rollercoaster - we didn't know you could play piano that fast and smooth. At times, the staccato of individual notes transcended into a contiguous sound like a cello. The audience brought him back for five encores, including a pin-drop crystal Debussy and a fantastic jazz improvisation. Unbelievable.
Speaking of audience - most, if not all - Russian. Which might have sucked for Matsuev. Once, Grishkovets, when asked why he stopped performing abroad, said, if I wanted a Russian audience, it would be easier to go to Voronezh. Having all-Russian audience, besides blocking the fair share of truly international name recognition, has one more downside. Most of us in that middle-aged audience never learned to display our emotions freely on public. While the applause were long lasting, its energy was by far less, then, say, an all-American audience gives even after a mediocre performance. And there were almost no shouts and whoops. Maybe because it was Friday.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Shoveling and Getting Married
We brought home some snow from Utah.
... and Alik brought home some indie Sundance magic...
... and Alik brought home some indie Sundance magic...
Sundance Film Festival
Here is Alik's entry (in a short documentary category) on Sundance Film Festival that took place in Park City last week.
"12,000 feet, baby!", by Alik Lakowsky
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Snowbird, Utah
Today, Leon and I (Alik left yesterday) went to Snowbird Ski Resort. It is on another side of the mountain, an hour drive from Park City. Last 20 minutes is a drive up a mountain road with cheerful warning signs about snow chains, avalanches, falling rocks, black ice and other such fun.
This resort caters to a more adventurous and experienced rider. A bright orange sign by the lift said "today - expert riders only". Not exactly my profile, but turning back was not an option. The view from the peak at 11000 feet was absolutely breathtaking. While taking the picture at the deck on top, I knocked down the poles, mine and of some fellow picture taker. So my day of fun started with a hike to fetch the poles (luckily they didn't go too far).
The pictures below don't really do justice to the view, which was truly magnificent. The trails, blue and black, would also be great, if they would have some snow on them. Today, they were mostly covered in snow pack and ice, not too much fun, but again, the views were awesome.
This resort caters to a more adventurous and experienced rider. A bright orange sign by the lift said "today - expert riders only". Not exactly my profile, but turning back was not an option. The view from the peak at 11000 feet was absolutely breathtaking. While taking the picture at the deck on top, I knocked down the poles, mine and of some fellow picture taker. So my day of fun started with a hike to fetch the poles (luckily they didn't go too far).
The pictures below don't really do justice to the view, which was truly magnificent. The trails, blue and black, would also be great, if they would have some snow on them. Today, they were mostly covered in snow pack and ice, not too much fun, but again, the views were awesome.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Park City, Utah
Leon, Alik and I (and "flat Rachel") are on a ski trip in Utah. There is not much snow this year, only few blue and green trails open, still, great skiing. Here are some pics.
Click for more pictures and check again soon for the video.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Revelations
Certain things became public at a spontaneous gathering at Andrey's and Eva's place yesterday...
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
XBox Party
For the holidays, Leon got himself a semi professional German-made set of steering controls for X-box. Grandpa mounted the rig with some serious hardware on a custom-built table. Then, everyone got a chance behind the wheel...
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Coq au Vin
Earlier in the week, we had what is becoming a traditional annual outing in the city with Alik, Andrey, Oleg and spouses. This time, we went to a French restaurant. The chef's special that day was Coq au Vin, which brought lots of juvenile joy to the male members of our party (as in, "who wants some of my cock", get it?). The waiter assured us that Coq is, indeed, a rooster, though those who ordered a more pedestrian Chicken Under Brick couldn't really tell the difference.Speaking of Coq. Next day, Alik, Andra and us went to see a revival of Noel Coward's "Private Lives" with Kim Catrall (yes, who played Samantha on "Sex and the City"). The set design (a modern style Paris apartment) was spectacular and so was the male lead, but 50++ Catrall trying to pass for a 30 year old was a stretch.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Happenings
Late November and December are the weekend of the year. We kicked it off with Irene's Birthday party slash Thanksgiving. We had 27 people over and it was the first time, when we had no leftovers the next day. Two turkeys were consumed to the bone, the giant cake was gone too and I wouldn't even mention what happen to three bottles of Scotch. Click here for more pictures.
Last Friday, Dad's company T3 had a gathering in Stamford. People flew in from across the country. Many met each other in person for the first time. It was fun to finally see somebody who you knew only by voice for years. More pictures are here and here.All pictures are courtesy of Kostya.
Yesterday, we went to Sasha Tsiporukha's birthday party in Staten Island. A large red-nosed clown performed magic tricks. The tricks didn't move Max, but Dad was clapping, and singing along, totally taken by magic. The clown's music repertoire included a mix of Russian kids song, Odessa chanson, Klezmer and Soviet pop.
We also used the trip as an opportunity to see Leon in New York. It was the annual NYC Santa day and the city was filled with drunk and jolly people in Santa attire.
***
Dec 3rd was Rose's 10th anniversary - we think about her often.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Survivalism
Past weekend, risking some serious chemical burns, Dad installed a battery backup for the sump pump in the basement, thus reaching the first level of paranoia in getting ready for floods, locust and plague - being ready for an unlucky combination of torrential rains, power losses and gasoline shortage (or generator breakdown).The battery for the pump came "dry", without electrolyte, so we had to add it ourselves. It took almost a month to collect the right amount of sulfuric acid from various shops, one quart at a time. We were expecting the FBI knocking on the door any time.
If the neighbors were curious to look at our lit by the cold November sun porch yesterday, they would see Dad wearing safety goggles clumsily holding a menacing looking canister in his rubber-gloved shaking hands (the shakes were from the cold, not from the exertion, said Dad). The gloves were mostly for the show, as a clerk in one of the stores where we bought the acid said - oh, you be better off without the gloves, it will eat right through them anyway.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Ode to Dishwasher
It was a number of years ago, when our dishwasher started to show first signs of age. First, it was innocent, even funny. Like a ketchup-smeared plate that it somehow "forgot" to wash - one among all other perfectly cleaned peers. Then it got more serious: rheumatic creaky rails, bad odor, undigested cleaning materials, and blown fuses.
Still, we were content to put up with it like with an old dog. But then, it started to have "accidents". Every morning, we would wake up to a pool of fetid water on the floor. The usual remedies didn't help. One day, after hours of cursing, Dad fished out of the drain pipe a pea-size ball bearing that was clogging it. The dishwasher started to lose its marbles, disintegrating on the inside. Keep reminding ourselves that it's just a stupid machine, we decided that it was time to go.
A few days later, when the delivery guy was taking it out, stripped naked, in a full view of its replacement - a gleaming smug Bosch, the dishwasher did what any frighten animal would do - it thoroughly peed all over the floor. We didn't know it could hold that much water...
But it wasn't the end of it. On the second day, in the middle of the night, Bosch emitted a series of panicked beeps and shut itself down, tub full of water. Not again, thought Dad, not again... After some serious swearing, Dad emerged from the bowels of plumbing in the basement with the culprit in his hand. This time, it was a cherry pit. Funny thing though - we didn't have cherries for months. We pondered it a minute and thought of the old guy smiling at us from the dishwasher heaven.
Still, we were content to put up with it like with an old dog. But then, it started to have "accidents". Every morning, we would wake up to a pool of fetid water on the floor. The usual remedies didn't help. One day, after hours of cursing, Dad fished out of the drain pipe a pea-size ball bearing that was clogging it. The dishwasher started to lose its marbles, disintegrating on the inside. Keep reminding ourselves that it's just a stupid machine, we decided that it was time to go.
A few days later, when the delivery guy was taking it out, stripped naked, in a full view of its replacement - a gleaming smug Bosch, the dishwasher did what any frighten animal would do - it thoroughly peed all over the floor. We didn't know it could hold that much water...
But it wasn't the end of it. On the second day, in the middle of the night, Bosch emitted a series of panicked beeps and shut itself down, tub full of water. Not again, thought Dad, not again... After some serious swearing, Dad emerged from the bowels of plumbing in the basement with the culprit in his hand. This time, it was a cherry pit. Funny thing though - we didn't have cherries for months. We pondered it a minute and thought of the old guy smiling at us from the dishwasher heaven.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Halloween
After two days of darkness and cold, the power finally came back on the Halloween night. Wary and tired Norwalk residents were not much in the mood for the trick-or-treaters and Max and Dennis came back from the street practically empty handed. It didn't help that Max, in his military fatigues and a replica M-16, looked more like a looter. We fared much better in Stamford that survived the storm without much outage.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, two cute dominatrices and their gimp got caught on camera.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Back to School
Finally, after weather induced delays, Max's 6th grade starts tomorrow. With it, starts the transportation logistics challenge. For the past two years, Leon was taking care of driving to and from school, but not anymore.
Our last family event of this long summer vacation was watching (all four of us, Leon visiting for the weekend) the past season finale of our new favorite show Mad Men. Not exactly a "family television", but Max was diligently covering eyes and ears at all inappropriate moments, upset about Draper's infidelity and marital troubles and muttering "not again, Don, not again...".
Perhaps it's the unforgiving brutality of the ad-world capitalism portrayed in the series is what Max finds in common with his own recent business experience in the online multiplayer adventure Minecraft. There, Max and Dennis toiled diligently for weeks building the businesses (diners and hotels), attracting customers, trading with suppliers and accumulating some serious wealth, only to find their world and riches shattered and destroyed by an "upgrade" that their server underwent last night.
Time to go back to school.
Our last family event of this long summer vacation was watching (all four of us, Leon visiting for the weekend) the past season finale of our new favorite show Mad Men. Not exactly a "family television", but Max was diligently covering eyes and ears at all inappropriate moments, upset about Draper's infidelity and marital troubles and muttering "not again, Don, not again...".
Perhaps it's the unforgiving brutality of the ad-world capitalism portrayed in the series is what Max finds in common with his own recent business experience in the online multiplayer adventure Minecraft. There, Max and Dennis toiled diligently for weeks building the businesses (diners and hotels), attracting customers, trading with suppliers and accumulating some serious wealth, only to find their world and riches shattered and destroyed by an "upgrade" that their server underwent last night.Time to go back to school.
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