daysleeper’s blog

must see russia

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:38:37 -0500

Work welcomed me back last night with a quiet night and I used my down time to work on some personal projects. My primary goal was to do some serious research and planning on a trip to Russia. At this time I know that I want to see both Moscow and St. Petersburg and will probably due so with some kind of tour package, but any other details have yet to be determined.

From my casual reading, I have learned a few things that should make my journey a success. Foremost is that Russia is not nearly as dangerous as it is portrayed in the media. Yes, they have organized crime, but the Russian mafia will not be something that I have to fear when I am there. Most guides that I have read say that the average tourist will have no contact with said people and overall Russia is just as safe as most European countries.

Another detail that jumped out at me is the fact that I should not drink the water in Russia and once again I am comfortable with that statement. Purchasing and drinking bottled water is something that I do quite often when I am abroad. This is nothing out of the ordinary for me. As an ancillary, I have mentally prepared myself that the hotel accommodations might not be up to Western standards. This is something that I expected.

Finally, I am hoping to bring back some unique souvenirs from Russia. I want something that is distinctly Russian, be it an article of clothing or something written in Russian. For example, I am proud to own as many volumes of manga that I do that were purchased while I was there.

Speaking of things Japanese, I was able to watch the final two episodes of the anime series Full Metal Panic and I have to say that I liked it. I probably won't start watching the sequel, because I want to devote all of my viewing time to Bleach. With eight seasons, there is plenty of story for me to enjoy and I would rather not cloud the waters, but watching something else at the same time. To further my cause, I purchased about ten episode on eBay for my viewing pleasure. Even though all of the episodes can be streamed online, there are time when I prefer to see something in a larger format and at my leisure. I also enjoy the special features that come with the packaged discs.

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wet miserable march

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:00:44 -0600

One more night or work and I will be free of the place for ten whole days. Things will be very chaotic this week, but on Sunday I have no desire to do anything but relax.

The cleaning people were doing their thing inside the locker room this morning so that was reason enough for me to skip my time on the elliptical machine. I had done my time on both Saturday and Sunday and today was also on my personal calendar, but lack of sleep yesterday made the decision that much easier for me.

Why I did not have much sleep was due to a screening of the movie The Other Boleyn Girl Sunday night before work. Various reviews that I have read have panned it as nothing more than a bodice ripper, but I enjoyed it and my enjoyment had more to do than just my appreciation of Natalie and Scarlet. I simply love Tudor history in almost any form. Mangled historical facts can be overlooked when it comes to that portion of the royal family. Henry freed England from the Catholic church and never looked back. Plus he sired Elizabeth. Amazing stuff as far as I am concerned.

I managed to watch two more episodes of the anime series Full Metal Panic this morning and I love the humor in the series. The facial expressions of Kaname are so much fun to watch.

No snow fell this morning, but we got plenty of dreary rain.

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eight episodes already

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:55:47 -0600

Saturday at work was calm and productive for me. I am hoping that the same will be true for me tonight. With the wedding this Thursday and the party slash reception this Saturday, I do not need any additional stress in my life.

To help me relax I have been enjoying episodes of Full Metal Panic. I actually laugh out loud when I watch and I like the contrast between it and Ergo Proxy.

Time to eat some French fries before I leave to see The Other Boleyn Girl.

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bad driving conditions

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 09:56:09 -0600

Another quiet night at work has come to an end and I could not be happier about it. Now my concern is the return trip back into work tonight. At the moment a steady rain is coming down and flooding the streets. With the ground frozen and snow blocking sewer drains there is little place for it to go. Then later this evening the rain is supposed to shift over to snow. So I suspect that there will be ice covered roads with snow to obscure my vision as I make my way. I would prefer to stay home.

Even though I have two discs of the anime series Ergo Proxy to watch I enjoyed two episodes of Full Metal Panic at work. I enjoyed every minute of Panic and want to see more as soon as I can. Streaming video is a wonderful thing.

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