April 2013
1 post
4 tags
I'm on Jank
For the past several months I haven’t posted because I have mostly been doing normal, boring shit: working as a tutor, taking classes, applying to grad school, studying for and taking the math subject GRE, getting into grad school, making new friends, etc. Nothing worth blogging about. I’ve come back because I am now doing something super weird, something the world deserves to hear...
December 2012
1 post
5 tags
College Grad Meets Tight Budget
I haven’t posted recently because I’ve been thinking about myself and my own life more than anything, and my life at the moment is far less exciting than it was when I was traveling the world or interning at folk school or conserving the desert. I’m still getting settled into Bloomington, working, making friends, getting used to bike commuting, preparing for a return to school,...
October 2012
3 posts
6 tags
In praise of soup
Part 2 of Things I Love Immoderately. (See Part 1: Russian Trains)
I really can’t say enough about how awesome soup is. Like that first Thing I Love, soup for me is intimately (though not exclusively) connected with Russia. Russians make tons of soups and eat them every day: soup for them is the equivalent of the apple for us - you know, the one that keeps the doctor away. Their soups are...
6 tags
Jobs and Fall and Things
Everything is finally coming together here in Bloomington in a pretty awesome way.
As some of you know, I got a job last month as a morning cleaner at Macy’s, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Pluses: off work by 10, only 4 hours a day, keeps me on my feet, easy, nice boss. Minuses: starts at 6 (soon to be earlier), usually no weekends off, has me working with chemical cleaners,...
September 2012
2 posts
6 tags
Living in Bloomington
I speak Russian and German on a regular basis again (and soon French as well, I hope).
I’m going to a wine tasting with a Russian conversation class that I impromptu/unofficially joined.
Every time I ride home from downtown, I see this bumper sticker on a parked car on Woodlawn: “OBAMA CARE’S FOR U.S.” And I want to vandalize that apostrophe.
I frequently see deer on my...
4 tags
An Ode to Russian Trains
Most people who know me will feel like they have heard me recite this post a million times. It’s true that I have covered much of this material in previous blog posts, as well as ad nauseum in conversation, but I think it’s time to lay my opinions out there once and for all in one fell swoop.
Russian trains are the best trains in the world. I have traveled by train in at least 20...
August 2012
12 posts
3 tags
2 tags
Actual Analysis →
1 tag
Things I learned on my world trip (non-exhaustive...
Bulgaria makes the best French fries in the world.
Missing a bus or train isn’t as big a deal as you think. When traveling, don’t plan ahead.
Cross-country skiing is super fun.
Don’t try to climb a mountain alone in April. You might die.
Sometimes people invite you to sleep on their couch so they can complain about their deep and pervasive unhappiness in life. Most of the...
2 tags
Some Satire →
Douglas Hofstadter is my hero, not only in feminist matters, but in anything having to do with the mind, its structure and uses. I think my favorite part of this essay is the explanation of the reasoning behind “Niss” and “Nrs.”
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The Inevitable Foodie Post
Since I’m only half-employed, I have a lot of time and a little money. So I’ve been cooking a lot of gourmet-cheap veggie dishes. Three highlights:
1. I roasted some yams with garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, pepper, sage, and thyme. Then I cut them up and mashed them with a fork (leaving the skins on), mixed them with some spinach sauteed with garlic in butter, and added a tiny...
4 tags
Lifestyle Choices, Part XII: Rent, but no Car
I have a new life in Bloomington where I rent a room in a house owned by a college student and work part-time at a transitional shelter for homeless families. I’ve never paid rent before, so this is me taking further tentative steps into the dark mist that is adulthood. Adulthood as popularly conceived, I guess. This is also me hoping that I soon have a second job, otherwise this rent will...
4 tags
More shit from Russia
Yet more anti-gay legislation:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19293465
Pussy Riot get 2 years:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19297373
2 tags
On politicians.
dearcoquette:
How does one beat Paul Ryan?
With a riding crop, darling.
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St. Petersburg is suing Madonna for supporting... →
A representative of the Russian Citizens Union says, “She was propagandizing homosexuality, even though there were children at the concert, and that’s forbidden in St. Petersburg. We, the citizens of a cultural capital, suffered a colossal moral injury.”
So…they’re suing. WTF, Russia?
3 tags
Pussy Riot closing statements →
“Having spent almost half a year in jail, I have come to understand that prison is just Russia in miniature.”
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Real Reality Show On Mars...Really →
I love crazy people. To me, though, this sounds like a recipe for several deaths and human ignorance destroying yet another planet. No doubt it would be the best reality show on TV, but do you really want to win in a contest for emotional retardation?
4 tags
Madonna as activist in Russia →
July 2012
9 posts
3 tags
Most Influential Books
I once had a long discussion with some friends about the Top 5 most influential books in our lives, and recently, upon seeing one of these friends again after four years, I revisited that list. This list is not the same as a “favorites” list; in my case, all the most influential books are favorites, but not all of my favorites were influential. These books changed the way I see life on...
3 tags
Minimalist Personal Hygiene
I’ve been experimenting with not washing as often or using chemicals to wash, and I’ve been really pleased with the results. I’m saving lots of money and the environment, too! People are often curious about this but feel like it’s too personal a question to ask. Not for me, though! So here’s a run-down of my current hygiene routines:
1. Hand-washing. This is about...
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Putin’s Religious War Against Pussy Riot →
1 tag
Border Crossing 2012 Word Association Game
Japan: Beautiful
China: Bewildering
Russia: Oh, Russia
Ukraine: Is this Europe?
Moldova (i.e. Chisinau): Is this Russia?
Bulgaria: Hospitable
Romania (i.e. Brasov): Rainy
Hungary (i.e. Budapest): Is this America?
Croatia: Complicated
Slovenia: Charming
Austria: Dramatic
Germany: Comfortable
Switzerland: Wahnsinn
France: Wine
4 tags
I love nerds! →
3 tags
Let's be more like Scandinavia →
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Dying languages →
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Some science on Japan's nuclear disaster →
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Books I Read on my Trip
The books are listed in chronological order of when I read them. I’ve rated them 1-5 stars here, and the title links will take you to my review of each book on goodreads.com.
I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter (****)
Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux (***)
Requiem pour l’Est by Andrei Makine (*****)
Molotov’s...
April 2012
1 post
1 tag
Halfway Crossed
My trip is already more than halfway over, so I figured I should write some sort of update. So far, I have been to Washington State, Japan, China, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, and Bulgaria. (Map) I’m currently in Brasov, Romania. I have been using the website couchsurfing.org to find people to host me in each city I visit, so I have only rarely paid for a night’s accommodation....
January 2012
7 posts
3 tags
Kayak Arctic Awesome →
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Pack the Pack
I’m going to be doing this A LOT over the next 5 months.
Step 1: Compress sleeping bag and put into bottom of pack.
Step 2: Cinch down bag with rain gear on top.
Step 3: Use sleeping pad to create a barrel in main part of pack, then fill with a garbage bag. (This will keep the insides dry if I get rained on.)
Step 4: Start stuffing as tightly as possible, leaving no space...
3 tags
The Packing List
If you ever want to take a five and a half month trip through extremes of weather with only the pack on your back, there are quite a few blogs out there to help you. Every trip is different though, so you have to think about what is important for you to be comfortable while traveling. I’m going less minimalist than many other backpacker bloggers. This is partially because they often rely on...
3 tags
Applied Linguistics →
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“On the occasion of Zyuganov’s 65th birthday in June 2009, Prime Minister...”
– Wikipedia on Gennady Zyuganov, Putin’s main opposition in upcoming presidential elections. Oh, Russia.
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12 days
I’ve declared my trip effectively planned now because if I look at one more page of one more guidebook, I will scream. I just want to start going and figure it out. It seems there is always more to do, though. Recently, I bought a Eurail Global Pass after doing lots of research and calculations, visiting the national railway sites of Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and more countries, reading...
2 tags
Border Crossing 2012 Overview
In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s 2012 now. And 2012, for me, means movement. My trip, newly renamed Border Crossing 2012, begins in a little over two weeks. Here’s how it will go.
The last half of January will be spent in Seattle and Japan, visiting friends and meeting the first member of the new generation of my world! None of my close friends, siblings, or cousins have...
December 2011
1 post
2 tags
Travel goals, big and small (a work in progress)
Don’t overpack.
Find the cheapest possible food and accommodations in order to stay within my budget.
Don’t spend the whole trip worrying about money.
Buy delicious tea in Japan and China to drink on subsequent Russian train rides.
Make friends on Russian trains and learn the secrets of village/small-town life in Siberian winters.
Cross-country ski on Lake Baikal.
Take good notes...
November 2011
4 posts
2 tags
Geophysicists have the hippest metaphors →
7 tags
Unseasonably November
Well, I decided to give up on Belarus. I hope the zoobrs don’t die off before I finally get the money and patience to make it there.
In more positive news, I bought plane tickets to Seattle and Tokyo for reasonable prices and with minimal stress, and after only a few delays due to printer mishaps, my Russian visa is ready and on its way back to me. Good thing I have learned to apply for...
1 tag
words to live by →
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always makes me happy →
October 2011
4 posts
7 tags
Around the World for the Hell of It
Noble readers, I have alluded in previous posts to my 2012 Trip Around the World. (Getting a better name for this trip is on the to-do list.) Now, in order to procrastinate on some things I really need to get done, I have decided to lay out the inception of this idea.
The beginnings were simple:
Leftover Fulbright money + friends abroad + desire not to get a job = Why don’t I go to Japan?
...
5 tags
Dominator
Today was an awesome day. The weather was perfect - low 70s, breezy, sun and fall colors. Got my first translating job and some other random gigs, so I’m feeling a bit more optimistic about money than I was. Biked to the bus stop, took Indianapolis public transportation for the first time in my life, and, once downtown, did a lot of productive stuff. Biked up to Maritza’s work to pick...
3 tags
“[Kolmogarov’s physics and math] schools taught children not only how to...”
– Perfect Rigor by Masha Gessen
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In Indianapolis, have time.
As many of you, dear readers, may know, I recently arrived back at the parental lodge in Indy, here to remain until the new year (longest I’ve been back since…summer 2006?). I’ve been busy for the past week catching up with friends, attending weddings, getting business (to be discussed below) underway, and going on a one-night backpacking trip in Brown County with the...
September 2011
6 posts
4 tags
Foraging
This past weekend I attended my last two Folk School classes, one on Collecting and Identifying Wild Fungi, and one on Herb Harvesting and medicine. They were both super awesome. The first one involved a lot of wandering about in the woods, and I went home with a bag of various yummy mushrooms and the knowledge of several types that I can find and eat with no worries, and many more that I can find...
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What is liberalism? →
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SURPRISE! →
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“Before the polling he said: “We are not going to answer them. I want to...”
– Wikipedia on Aleksandr Lukashenko, president of Belarus
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Pickles
Just a note: I recently tried some of the cucumber pickles I made a few weeks ago. They are delicious. Not mushy (the skin is a bit tough, but oh well) and extremely flavorful and even spicy. Woot.
In other news, we had a frost last night. YAY FOR FALL!
