Teaching moment, learn from another's missteps Part 1

[Taz]

The clock keeps ticking away and we are on the road again. Cue Willie again please. SK and MD are really tired but hanging in there the best they can. We are still driving when the sun is starting to come up. Of course I am driving East so I am looking right into it. They are sort of semi-awake when I just have to point out a sign that always makes me laugh. It is the name of a town. It is named Mangush. If you can’t laugh at this name you likely have no sense of humor or are too uptight and prissy to be reading this thread anyway. I comment that Mangush has a sister city of Womangush and they start laughing.

They are perking definitely up a bit now. I stop for a quick photo op of this house that looks like a castle. While there we all notice a woman standing at a nearby bus stop. It is now 5:30AM Saturday and some good looking women dressed nicely are standing out waiting for the bus. It is good to be in Ukraine when you have scenery like this. It isn’t so nice be in Ukraine when the militisia are shaking you down.

They admire the view for a while and back in the car for the final stretch to Mari. They are a little concerned as it seems not much is going on as we pull into Mari. It doesn’t appear to be a very active city or even much to write home about but I am sure their opinions will change given time. Mari isn’t a city that never sleeps. It definitely is quiet usually from about 11PM to 6AM unless you know where to look. I’ll delve into that a bit later.

I drive to the middle of what could be called the downtown area and then show them around the city a bit. I need to call Lana but I am giving her little more time to sleep. She was kind enough to meet with a few people to get keys to the apartments so I don’t want to abuse her kindness and get her up too early. I show the guys around the town a bit. I take them by the agency office location and a few other “scenic” areas. Finally we hit up a grocery store to get some drinks and munchies for the day. I point out some excellent vodka they MUST buy as a souvenir and they pick some up. It is the Nemrioff pepper with honey vodka. I am not much of a drinker but this stuff is amazingly smooth with just a little bite at the end.

Finally it is late enough I don’t feel guilty about calling Lana and we have the supplies we need. I drive down to SUM and give her a call. She had slept in the city at one of the apartments rather than the approximately hour away she normally lives. I can’t say that I’d remember 100% how to get to her place anyway so this was the best plan and we’ll have to wait less time for he to show up. She’s isn’t far away so she’ll meet us in about 15 minutes.

We stand around shooting the breeze watching Mari slowly come to life. At last my angel has arrived. She is obviously tired but glad to see me. Like a gentlemen the guys offer her the shotgun seat. She is obviously glad to see me and I get a nice peck on the cheek. A quick introduction to each other and off we go to MD’s apartment. I had MD setup with a PRIME location. It is on the other side of SUM. This is

[Makkin]

Taz,

  Had to read the entire thread again from the start...SHITE...lol

  Hope all goes sweet for ya...

Makkin

[myrddin]

Finally we hit up a grocery store to get some drinks and munchies for the day. I point out some excellent vodka they MUST buy as a souvenir and they pick some up. It is the Nemrioff pepper with honey vodka. I am not much of a drinker but this stuff is amazingly smooth with just a little bite at the end.

I'm not much of a drinker at all (in fact, I can't resist this line, even though it's more than a little misleading: I'd only had 5 drinks in my entire life before I met my first wife.)

Anyway, when I do drink I like vodka. The only problem with that Nemiroff stuff is that it ruins you for lesser beverages! 

Last weekend, at my best friend's sister's wedding, they had the cheap stuff (it actually comes in plastic bottles).  Their heritage is Polish, so I figured that even if the venue used the cheap stuff, they'd upgrade.  Maybe they didn't bother because my friend and his sister are both cops, and there were some 60 other cops there, and apparently cops like beer. A lot.  (They closed the bar early due to "concern over the amount of alcohol consumed"! Concern over the profits margin, is more like it...)

BTW, there were some very fine looking ladies there. I caught myself thinking not "some of the ladies here are really hot", but, "some of these ladies would fit in in Ukraine"!   

[Taz]

The last post was a bit chopped off so I am continuing the last few lines as they should be. For some reason even though it is within 24 hours I can't seem to edit it.

I had MD setup with a PRIME location. It is on the other side of SUM. This is about as centrally located as you can get. It is a great location right in the heart of everything.

We arrive at the building and trudge up to the 3rd floor. MD is obviously beat and sweating a bit from lugging his gear up the steps. I helped of course and Lana, bless her heart, even offered to help too. We open up the door and are greeted by a typical soviet style apartment. It is pretty clean and has a nice bed. Quite honestly the bed is the best looking one out of all our apartments!

It is now about 7AM and MD looks like he just wants to impersonate sleeping beauty and catch some z’s for a few years. Alas the fair maiden can’t get any beauty rest or not enough to count. I tell him I’ll be back at 11:45 for the 12PM meetings. MD is definitely out of gas at this point and I hope he’ll be in good enough shape for his meetings.

Off to SK’s apartment now. It is located pretty close to Proskpet Lenin. A nice area but an absolutely super apartment. It has a very unique style and is a great place to entertain. It even has AC but not needed yet as there is a little cold snap in Mari. Get SK settled in and off we go to my place.  Before leaving I tell him I’ll be back around 11:40 or so and then off to get MD. Without a doubt SK’s apartment is the most interesting and unique of the ones I arranged. It suits his style and personality well. It definitely would be a good place to have a little soiree and we’ll do just that later!

Finally I can go to my place. Lana likes my place a lot. Apparently the building I am in is where the Mayor of Mari leaves and is by quite a nice park where many wedding parties come to do photos. True to form there will be quite a few while there. The apartment is nice but a little odd. Definitely upscale but the bed sucks. More accurately the bed SUCKS! Not much better than sleeping on the floor.

It is now about 9AM and there is absolutely no time for me to sleep at all. I’ve been going for pretty much 72 hours without any sleep. Even Taz needs to wind down at some point but this isn’t it! I can’t afford to fall asleep and have the guys miss their first meetings.

[Taz]

Lana and I chit chat a bit. I am sort of bummed since most of my really cool gifts for her are in my other suitcase. It is obvious we missed each other. Even though our relationship isn’t super deep yet it is definitely progressing. No need to rush. I prefer to take my time and really get to know a woman.

Somehow the topic of JD comes up. When I said his name she visibly winced almost as though I had said a swear word. Obviously he didn’t leave a good impression with her. She is much more impressed with MD and SK so far but she is reserving judgment yet. She isn’t 100% she wants anyone else going to Crimea with us but I don’t push the issue. I am sure that once she realizes what incredible scrubs they are she’ll won’t mind them being along at all. Actually they are pretty nice guys and I know she’ll warm up to them eventually.

I give her a gift or 2 that I brought and she really seems to like them. Another gift I gave her I knew she wouldn’t like as much because I knew it wasn’t really her style but it would be very functional. I knew it would be met with a lukewarm response but she would ultimately use it anyway. Quite often RW/UW are more into what looks good rather than what is most comfortable or useful. I gave her a purse that was great to travel with but not as stylish as I knew she would like. Later she did admit after our travels that it was very useful and she appreciated it more than at first but it still wasn’t her style. That was as close to a compliment for it as I could have hoped and about what I expected.

I cook some quick breakfast for us and make some tea. It is now almost 11AM. While I am in the mood to snuggle and relax a bit I know I need a shower before I’d even attempt to get close to her. I need to wash several days of road grime off me and any lingering scent of JD’s smoke before I’ll get near her.

After a well needed shower and a shave I am feeling much better. It’s now after 11AM. Not much time to snuggle but she isn’t opposed to lying next to me so I enjoy the opportunity. Even though it had been a while since we were together it does feel pretty natural and not just to me. It feels so good I just want to drift off to sleep with my head against her chest. Then the damn alarm I set goes off. Time to dash and get the guys.

[Taz]

I ask Lana if she wants to ride along and she reluctantly agrees. She doesn’t really want to go to the agency office but she is sort of curious about the guys and the women they are going to meet. So we hop in the car and go to get SK first. We arrive there at 11:40 as previously determined. No SK outside the building.

Curses! The outside door is locked. Lana doesn’t have the sheet with the door codes on it. Surprisingly I remember it and get in. Finally at JD’s door. I knock but no answer. I knock again. No answer. Again and again; no answer. Finally after 10 minutes or so a groggy SK comes to the door. I tell him he needs to get a move-on. I tell him I’ll meet him in the car.

I had SIM cards for the guys as I told them to get mobile phones that would work in UA. They had bought them but thanks to all the shuffling of things around I couldn’t find them quickly. I did have my SIM card in the phone and I had given everyone that number. Since the apartments didn’t have a phone, there was no way to call so this wasn’t exactly the ideal situation.

I get a call from the agency owner. Where are the guys? I say we are coming and we’ll be there soon. It is now after noon and no SK. I get a somewhat frantic call from MD on his US telephone number. Apparently he has service here and has called my number in UA to see what is going on. He must really be stressed.

I go back into the apartment and apparently SK is somehow locked in the bathroom. At this time I get another call from the agency that the women are waiting. What a way to make a great first impression. Good thing I had the meetings setup for noon and not earlier like she originally wanted.

After several minutes of joint struggling, SK and I finally get the door to the bathroom open. Freed at last SK rushes around getting ready to go. I give him the SIM card for his phone but we can’t find where it goes on the phone. It isn’t under the battery like most phones. We can’t waste any more time. We dash over to get MD and off to the agency.  The guys have a mixture of going to both a firing squad and a wedding at the same time.

[Taz]

We are now more than fashionably late. It is likely closer to 20 minutes or so. Translators are ready. All is good to go. I explain on SK and MD’s behalf what happened. The girls are already here and definitely ready to meet the guys. I feel bad for them as it isn't very cultured to be late for a meeting let alone a first meeting. Of course it was sort of a freak thing that happened with the bathroom but it wouldn't have been quite so bad if SK hadn't overslept. Fortunately for him I remembered the building code after hearing it just one time or he might have turned into Rip van Winkle and still be sleeping!

SK’s first meeting is with a VERY tall beautiful young lady. She is even slightly taller than Lana and Lana is quite tall. This gorgeous woman is wearing high heels that even adds to her height. SK is definitely going to like her. Not particularly my type but as a connoisseur or fine RW/UW I can definitely appreciate her anyway! Her name is Zhana (not her real name) and she doesn’t seem too PO’d that we were late once I explain fully what happened.

MD’s first date is very attractive too. Her name is Irina for the sake of this tale. She seems very shy but likable. She is definitely cute and has a very nice figure. I think MD is going to like her a lot. Downside will be having two shy people trying to engage one another. She is definitely a good choice for a first meeting. They are both virgins with respect to their first meetings through an agency. I hope he will be gentle with her but I have no doubts.

I escape with Lana after we make sure nothing is going to immediately blow up and that the guys are feeling comfortable. I pick up some flowers for SK to help out with Zhanna since we didn’t have time to do so before the meeting. We plan to come back about 2PM or so to check up on the boys. I hope all will be well. For me it is like watching my kids go to school for the first time. I've done all I could to prepare them in the limited amount of time we had. The rest is now up to them but I am pretty proud of them and I think they'll do well.

[Taz]

Lana and I leave and return to her apartment located at the end of the world. Not exactly, go to the end of the world and turn left, drive a half mile and there you are. This is going to be my first meeting with her mother. I wouldn't mind if it were 2 worlds away. Maybe I look like the go going to the simultaneous weeding and firing squad. I’ve talked a little bit with her on the telephone but not for very long. She seems very nice in general but the typical somewhat overly cautious elder RW. I am not really ready for this as I am still dealing a bit with the jetlag but I can handle it.

I know this is a moment of truth for our relationship. We stop and pick up some chocolates and flowers on the way home. Even worse, she’ll probably want to feed me something. I hate borsch! Make that I HATE BORSCH!!! I despise bits. Lana is a soupaholic so some sort of soup is likely on the menu. Ok maybe its more like a firing squad the more I think about it.

Finally we arrive at her apartment. Of course it is on the 9th floor of a 9 floor building. Is the lift working today? I’ll soon find out. I’m in luck as the lift is operational. I am not too concerned though. I’ve been running every day before this trip. A few years ago I almost died from an infection I got in either Russia or Ukraine. I went from my normal 240lbs to 360 in about 6 months. When I met Lana I was about 310. This trip I’m at 260 and pretty muscular. I’ve not only been running but I’ve been really hitting the weights. My biceps and triceps are definitely looking pretty good.

Well at least I didn’t have to demonstrate my athletic prowess and can save that for any bedroom gymnastics should the need arise. :-)

Much faster than I’d like we are up to the top floor.  A quick knock on the door and there is mama…and the cat. I hand her the chocolates and the flowers and she seems to like them. They were a good choice apparently. At least I made a decent first impression or so I hope. Mama is still in good shape for her age. I can’t help but think that the genetics in this family aren’t too bad. In 20+ years Lana is likely to look like her mother but taller. I do the quick aging calcs in my head and I think that in 20 years I could easily deal with Lana if she looks as good as her mom does. No fat babushka here and she dresses pretty nice.

I’m ushered into the kitchen and there is a ton of food there. Drat! Many things I don’t like at all. Some Jello looking stuff that has meat chunks floating in it. Basically it is clear gelatin with a sliced meat chunk and some other unidentifiable stuff in there as well. I can’t stand this stuff. I’ve had it before. I know if I eat it I will spew chunks everywhere. Better to pass. She does have very tasty cherry compote to drink. There are also these homemade pastries filled with jam that are delicious.

Lana makes a salad and it isn’t bad at all but a little salty for me. I watch my diet very careful and I don’t need any extra salt. I make it through the meal but we are running a bit late to get back to the agency. Finally we get out of the apartment and I’ve escaped eating anything that would cause me to hurl so I am pretty relieved at this point.

While going out the door Lana’s mom insists that I we take a bunch of food for everyone. I don’t mind the pastries but I am reluctant to take some of the meat Jello. Maybe the guys will like it. Maybe they’ll curse me forever…

[Taz]

We get back a bit later than planned but things are going pretty well for the guys. I see some of the other women coming up to chat with the guys. We make plans to meet up later. SK decided to pass on meeting any more women after meeting two and wants to spend more time with the first woman he met, Zhana. His date with the second woman wasn’t too bad but he REALLY liked Zhana and plans on spending more time with her if at all possible. Apparently they don't need too much rescuing at this point. SK has decided...(I won't ruin his report about what he decided to do). MD is off with yet another woman. We've only been here a day but it feels like a week.

I decide to spend some quality time with Lana. I’ve really missed her and the more time we spend together the more enjoyable it is. My Russian quickly coming back up to speed. It was definitely easier to communicate. The first few days are definitely a period of adaptation for me and it was finally coming to an end. I was really getting into the groove.

Lana and I go back to my apartment. I am still not real happy that my luggage is nowhere to be seen. I call the airline and they promise me I’ll have it Sunday at the latest. Sure, the check is in the mail too! I don’t believe it at all. All I wanted to do at this moment was go for a ride on the scooter with Lana. We are near a very nice park and it would be a great place to go for a little cruise.

Without the scooters this isn’t going to be a possibility. At least SK has his. So does MD. Well 2 out of 3 isn’t bad I guess. I am still ticked off. I think it would be a lot of fun to go for a cruise with Lana. I guess it will just have to wait. I am still almost certain it won’t be Sunday when my luggage arrives.

I just enjoying a somewhat relaxing day with Lana. I wonder how the boys are doing. When you have a very attractive 6’ tall women by your side your mind doesn’t wander too far from her. Still I have a protective instinct for my friends so from time to time the little voice pops up and reminds me to check on them. Even though they are big boys I still feel responsible for them.

The afternoon goes pretty fast one second and very slowly the next. I am definitely feeling the effects of several days without sleep. After a bit the afternoon becomes a slow blur. I feel as if I am drifting in and out of conscious though it may not be evident. I really want a nap but I need to hold on and get to a normal sleep schedule as quickly as I can. I gave the guys some Ambien that I had left to help them adapt more quickly. I told them to wait until late as they could and then take them. One good night’s rest will help them get on track more quickly. I am sure they need it by now.

[Taz]

Later on I plan to meet up with SK but for now Lana needs to go home for the night.  Mama would frown upon Lana staying the night with me at this point in our relationship since we are both in town. I know better than to get on mama’s bad side. So I take Lana home. I see her to the apartment. Mama invites me in for a while. Who am I to refuse her invite? I really don’t feel like it but  not because of her but because I am really tired and I know I will be “required” to eat something again.

We go in the apartment and once again I am ushered to the kitchen. Nothing is ready to eat yet (thank God) so I excuse myself to the living room. Her mama comes in and sits down and wants to chat. I am not opposed of course. The conversation was a little stilted at first. I was the first foreigner she spoke with and it was a bit of a challenge finding a common vocabulary. After about 5 minutes it was definitely going pretty smoothly. She gets up and comes back with a photo album of Lana’s pics from the past decade or so.

OMG! Paydirt! What a treasure trove of pics. There are some amazing photos of Lana. Man what I would have given to be her boyfriend when she was in college. She was smokin’ hot. Definitely one of the finest looking RW I’ve ever seen. It isn’t like she is chopped liver now. She hasn’t aged that much in real terms and she is still pretty hot looking. I’ll just say I’m not complaining. Her body definitely hasn’t changed! It is obvious she was involved in gymnastics and when I stumble across the photos of her in gymnastic classes my hunch is confirmed. She was involved in gymnastics for a long time from a young age and on through and after college. That explains a lot of things. All this training definitely enhanced her lithe form and the way she gracefully moves. She truly is like a panther when she moves.

Well all too soon it’s time to eat. I am called to the kitchen again. Lana is going to be putting the finished touches on a few things. She asks for my input and I steer her toward a few things that are more my liking. She whips up a pretty good cabbage salad. Another meat dish that isn’t gelatin based. All in all it looks like I can actually stomach this stuff fairly easily.

We sit down to eat and mama is watching me like a hawk. I explain to her that I have been on a strict diet and am carefully watching what I am eating. That seems to satisfy here just a little bit. I eat what I can and then Lana and I go back to the living room to relax a bit.

Lana decides to take a shower. Normally this would be a good sign but mama is around so I know there will be no hanky-panky. She comes out in her bathrobe after the shower and she looks and smells delicious. She has this really soft cushy robe on. My mind starts to wander…

OK, 30 minutes ago I was dead tired. Now let’s just say I’ve perked up a bit. Unfortunately now I’m all wound up with no place to go! Mama is not going anywhere and my hormones are going full speed ahead. Well in walks her cat and climbs between us. Obviously the cat is jealous. He was the tomcat of the house and now he feels threatened by my presence.

Earlier he didn’t mind men I was petting him. Now he definitely isn’t happy that I am on his turf. He casual strolls over to Lana. The next thing that occurs just blows me away! The cat mounts her rob and starts humping her robe like a dog might hump a leg. The cat is really getting into it too. After a few seconds Lana turns to look at what I am staring at. She wasn’t aware at first what was going on and then she is a bit embarrassed and brushes the cat away.

The cat comes back and returns to the task (or robe) at hand. She brushes him off again. This time he comes back and stares right at me and humps again with an “I’ll show you who’s the top cat around here” look. This time she picks him up and puts him quite a ways away. He comes back and she shoos him away before he can resume.

I comment that I have to admire his persistence and he obviously has good taste in women. She says “Oh, Taz” and blushes a bit but I also get a big smile. I realize now is as a good time as any to return back to my side of town. It is getting late and I am pretty tired. It is a long drive back and I don’t want to get lost. It will be dark soon and I don’t want to press my luck.

As we stand at the door and I’m ready to leave, I am reminded of Shakespeare’s famous line “Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.” Truly parting is such sweet sorrow. I don’t really want to leave her at this moment but I know I should. If this was my last day in town I’d take every second I can to be with her but I know I have more days to look forward to so I don’t mind so much. I bid her adieu and return to the car.

[Taz]

While with SK, MD calls and he is at some hotel’s cafe and it’s late. He needs a ride home and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to drop the terp at her home and take his date home too. I tell SK to ride along. We are going to make sandwich of MD. My plan, assuming I can find the hotel, is to put MD in the middle sandwiched between his hot date and the equally hot terp. SK likes my plan…a lot!

SK and I hop in the car and head off to try and find the hotel. As luck would have it I can’t exactly remember where the hotel is at as I was there once and it was about a year ago but I have a pretty good idea. SK and I go where I think it was. I can feel that I am close but I can’t remember exactly where it is. I keep driving in the general direction and finally I know that I am very close. After another couple of minutes I find it. We find a decent place to park and go in.

I go to the restaurant at first but they aren’t there. It appears they are in the bar area. I walk in and there is MD with the beautiful terp and the chick I’ll call M2. M2 is a hot looking lady. Make that a HOT looking lady. He appears to be in a bit over his head but he’s holding his own pretty well. The conversation seems pretty lively and everyone seems to be having a pretty good time.

M2 is laughing and smiling and so are MD and the terp. I almost hate to interrupt the fun but it is late and I know MD must be beat. We introduce ourselves and then head out. I tell MD to let me take the lead here and I have the terp get in the car first and then him and finally M2. Mission accomplished! We now have an MD sandwich. This is one time were the terrible roads are most welcome. I deliberately swerve around the numerous potholes and bumps causing MD to fall into the lap of one woman on one turn and then the other on the next turn. He is having the time of his life and I don’t blame him and I am more than glad to help a brother out!

Finally we get the terp home and M2 home. M2 is really hot looking her painted-on jeans. She came dressed to make an impression and she surely did on SK and myself for sure! As she gets out of the car to go to her entrance I encourage MD to make sure he sees her to the door.

SK and I mesmerized as if we are cobras and watching the snake-charmers oboe. In this case the oboe is M2’s FINE looking derriere. Man what an a.. she has. SK and I are definitely in agreement that this woman is definitely Grade A in the looks department. As MD walks up to her he sort of leans in to give her a tentative kiss. M2 is interested in more than a little peck. She wants a bit more than that and it sort of catches him a bit off guard.

[Ravens9273]

When do you sleep?

By the timing of your posts you are up all night considering Ukraine is 7 hours ahead of the east coast.

[Taz]

Sleep, who needs sleep? I am a robot sent back from the future. At the moment I am in the US. I do plan to go back in a few months if all goes well. I don't need much sleep thankfully. 

[Taz]

Just a quick note before I go on. I am purposely leaving some things out so as to not impact SK and MD's trip report. Once they are done I may circle back to some of the previous (and future) posts and add additional perspective. I don't want to color their posts or steal their thunder. I'll write more in depth about Lana and my interaction within the bounds of privacy. We now resume our regularly scheduled program.

After MD and M2’s lingering kiss, it was time to take the guys home. MD was justifiably excited about that last date. I would have been too. Part of me said she was maybe not the one for him but definitely a nice diversion. I thought she could easily wrap him around her finger and I knew that isn’t what he wanted. Then again maybe it could be fun to be wrapped around her finger for a while. We chat about the date on the ride back to their apartments. He obviously enjoyed being the “meat” in the sandwich.

It almost hard to believe but we finally wrapped up our first day in Mari. We arrived about 6AM and here it was about 10PM at night. It seemed more like a week in what we accomplished. I knew I was going to sleep soundly. I sure hoped the sleeping pill wouldn’t fail me tonight. I figured the boys were going to take theirs even though they didn’t need them. I had been going for so long  and so hard that I knew I was going to come down pretty fast when my head finally hit the sheets. At least that time wasn’t far off now.

I drop the guys off and finally I can make it back to my place. I know MD and SK will have so many things running through their head that I don’t know if they will be able to fall asleep without the chemical aid. I know they are beat but the time change isn’t going to help them right now. I am certain MD is immediately going to start writing his TR.

I get home and look through my luggage. It appears a few more critical items were in my main bag that is lost. Thankfully I had packed a few extras. I have to immediately hand wash my clothes so I’ll have something to wear come Monday. Last thing I wanted to do but clean clothes are a must. I wrap up my chores and take the pill. I call Lana and her gentle voice is the last thing I hear before drifting off to peaceful sleep.

I wake up bright and early Sunday morning. I am ready to go and pretty well refreshed despite the fact I’ve maybe slept 14 hours in about the past 96 hours. I have to thank my parents for my good genetics in this area. I am definitely eager to do something. The guys have meetings today but SK has pretty much put things on hold with anyone else but Zhanna. I’ll let him delve into more detail on that topic at his leisure.

As soon as I feel that it isn’t too early, I call Lana. She is already up waiting for my call. She didn’t sleep too late either and thought I might call earlier than I did. I of course was a gentleman and waited until 7:30AM to call her. Just kidding! I waited until it was about 9:30 to call her. I didn’t want to disturb her beauty rest though she doesn’t need much help there.

Of course I’ll have to drive to the other side of the earth again to meet her. I know that will also involve another round of food. Happy happy joy joy… Oh boy, I can hardly wait! I need to get a shower and finish getting ready. I tell her I’ll be there about 11 but we need to be back in town by noon. I plan to meet with SK and Zhana. We are going to sort of double date if things work out.

[Catman]

The jello meat you mention is called head cheese here. In Ukrainian sounds like hairshkeh. Pork meat in that gelatin and lots of garlic. I avoid it if I can but will eat it. I tried some store bought head cheese once and it wasn't as bad, less gelatiny

[Jet]

The jello meat you mention is called head cheese here. In Ukrainian sounds like hairshkeh. Pork meat in that gelatin and lots of garlic. I avoid it if I can but will eat it. I tried some store bought head cheese once and it wasn't as bad, less gelatiny

Sounds like Holodets actually, and if you can't take the meat DEFINITELY stay away from the fish in the same gelatin 

[Taz]

I spent a lot of time on a farm growing up. My family seemed to use or re-use anything and we ate almost every part of every animal. This didn't look like the normal head cheese my grandma would server. That stuff ranked right up there with squirrel brains in gruel gravey on my top ten lists of foods I'd rather starve than eat!

Jello is already one foodstuff that I am not real fond of. Anything made out of ground up cow hooves shouldn't be eaten. I'll also pass on Rocky Mountain oysters too. Some things just shouldn't be eaten. Many of those foods on my list seem to be Ukrainian favorites.   

[Jumper]

holadei'tz  (uggh)(one of my wifes favorites!)
 Taz,, i'm pretty adventersome as far as table fare,,but like yourself i do draw the line at that one..  (yes i've tried it,but no did not enjoy it)

come to think of it,
there are a  few of my wifes favorites that i really just dont "get" LOL
holadei'tz , salted/dried fish ,  and kvass top that list.


 

[Taz]

Someday I'll post about my trips to Siberia. Dried fish wrapped in newspaper was loved there. I am not a fish lover to begin with but I absolutely detested the smell of it. OTOH there are some Russian foods I love. I won't bother to list them here but it is a short list. 

[Catman]

Here some people make dried fish, we call it hard fish. Delicious! We also have available dried haddock fish imported from Iceland, smelly but very good eaten with butter

[Taz]

Some of you are probably wondering what happened to JD in all of this. JD is JD so what do you expect to happen? He has the opposite of the Midas touch with RW. Every woman he seems to turns to kaka in a figurative sense. The first part of this trip was no different! What I love about JD is he is so consistent and he was definitely true to form.

The woman he planned to see isn’t exactly working out. It actually appears that JD may not actually be guilty for this meltdown. It seems that this lady has been asking lots of questions about visiting NYC rather than much about him. She wants to know if she gets a visa can she see NYC. She hasn’t studied English much like she had promised she would after her last meeting with JD. Honestly I don’t think I would have either consider how ambivalent he can come across at times.

Things have continued to go downhill with her. He is ready to bail-out and go to Simf and see Nasty Girl. Thanks to his improved Russian he has been able to get his own train tickets, arrange a taxi and a bunch of other things all on his own. He finally actually started using the Ruslan Russian computer based training course I encouraged him to buy years ago. He has definitely worked for him. Since he was pretty much on his own this trip it is a good thing.

He is now all set to go to Simf Monday morning. He wants to know if I will still be coming to Crimea Monday. I said I should be but I don’t yet know who all is going. He asks if Lana is coming with me. I said of course. I think in some way it still bugs him that she wouldn’t give him her phone number a long time ago. She hasn’t forgotten him and he hasn’t her.

I tell him I’ll call him when I get there. He says he’ll call me when he gets there. I can hardly wait. He is off to his next CF. I can’t wait to see how this meeting with Nasty Girl goes. I have a feeling it is out of the frying pan into the fire for JD. Time will tell. I still want to hear “all” the story about what happened in Zap at this point. I’ve since learned what all happened. In the interest of privacy I won’t reveal all the details. In general I think JD wasn’t responsible for the meltdown this time but I think his earlier ambivalence truly didn’t help him as it sent mixed signals to her. Perhaps there is something to cosmic karma and this is its way of paying him back. I didn’t have time to sort it out then and it isn’t important to me now.

[Taz]

Well it is Sunday. I am on my way back to Lana’s place. I can’t wait for breakfast. I imagine if I repeat that 200 times by the time I get there I might actually believe it. Just about the time I might remotely start to believe it we arrive. I was up to 279 times say. Apparently 300 would have been the magic number where I might actually believe it.

Find a place to park the car and walk and hit the elevator button. Nothing! Dang it, no elevator which means a climb to the 9th floor. I once was stuck in the middle of nowhere in Ukraine and had to walk to the 10th floor of ten different buildings trying to find a friend’s apartment. That is a story for another day but quite an interesting one though. I don’t want to relive it anytime soon.

I am dressed in pretty nice clothes and I don’t really want to look like a sweat hog by the time I get to the top floor. I rather not appear at her door all drenched in sweat. Not exactly the way to make a grand entrance. Fortunately my weight loss program has worked and I am about back to my previous weight. My 40 minutes of running every day have paid off. I blast up the stairs and I am looking pretty good all things considered. I am not even out of breath.

 I knock on the door. I hear meowing on the other side. Apparently the cat has come to great me. I don’t think he wants to actually greet me but rub it in that he was there with Lana and I was someplace else rather than with her. Lana comes to the door. What a vision of loveliness. Damn I like this woman. By her smile it is evident she likes me too. She is the type of woman that has a really serious face most of the time. You’d almost mistake it for a “biatch” look. Then she’ll smile at me and it is such a warm smile it just melts my heart. Yea, I was definitely developing feelings for Lana and the feeling was mutual. We are both pretty cautious so we aren’t Russian into anything.

I come in and the cat wants to run around my legs like he actually IS glad to see me. Lana remarks that the cat appears to like. Seems that is pretty rare. It is better than it urinating on my clothes when I am not around.

Mama wants us to eat. I dutifully eat what I can. We chat for a bit. Then a bit more. Then mama wants to grill me about our plans over the next few days. She really wants to see what kind of man I am. So far I am holding my own but not exactly knocking it out of the park but more like a double or triple. So far I’ve avoided hitting into a double play. If I make it through the inning in good shape I’ll be happy. This is probably the most intense grilling I've ever got from a RW's family. I actually take it as a good sign since it must be obvious that the way Lana has talked about me with her mom indicates a high level of interest.

Mama wonders off satisfied for the moment. Lana and I start talking about our plans for the day. I’d like to have a nice evening together. I realize that SK has a little hurdle with Zhana and communication. We talk about meeting up later. I propose the idea to Lana about all of us going out together for the evening. Surprisingly she agrees. Sometimes her kindness and tolerance amazes me. She must really start to be getting into me. Then again I’ve learned what happens when I push the wrong buttons.

So it is official. I call SK and let him know we’ll be over later and we’ll make plans for the evening. I am a little concerned but I hope it will be ok. Adding another couple does increase the complexity of the dynamics quite a bit. This means it could adversely affect our relationship but I hope not. It is a risk I’m willing to take but I feel pretty comfortably with SK and Zhana seems pretty nice so I hope it will all go well. 

[ScottinCrimea]

Here some people make dried fish, we call it hard fish. Delicious! We also have available dried haddock fish imported from Iceland, smelly but very good eaten with butter

Holadei'tzis something that my MIL always seems delighted to serve me and I am just as delighted to turn down.  Chunks of meat in rubberized snot just doesn't appeal to my palate.  The dried fish is another thing I still can't get into.  I tell my wife it looks like something that has been laying on the beach for three days and smells roughly the same.  She just laughs, takes a big bite and blows breath in my direction.

[Taz]

Lana and I meet up with SK and Zhana. We have a little soiree at SK’s bachelor’s pad. We bust out the beef jerky, canned nacho cheese, the whisky and some other goodies. We’ve spared no expense at impressing the ladies. Flowers for the women and all is good. Nothing like canned, spray nacho cheese to set the mood. It just reeks of high class! If this doesn't impress the ladies nothing will! 

Zhana definitely appears to be a beef jerky fanatic. She his mowing through the bags life a hog at the slop trough. Damn this girl loves the jerky almost as much as SK and I do. I brought about 5lbs of this and SK probably 3 or 4. Later on I'll see how much she really likes it. This was just the warm-up.

SK and I play the dutiful hosts and the woman are floored. They have never had men actually take care of them in this manner. SK is cleaning up the counter area and I am keeping the beverages flowing. We earn major brownie points with this. We are working together like a well-oiled machine that has done this for year. SK and I definitely have a good groove working here. The women definitely appreciate our attention. They just get to sit back and so it up. They are trully digging it!

We spend the next few hours making a few mixed drinks, a little wine and just plane enjoying one another’s company. Everything is flowing even easier than SK’s whisky. It’s getting on toward evening but nobody wants to see the day to end quite yet so we decide to find something else to do. After talking with the girls I ask SK if he might be interested in going to a Russian night club. His affirmative reply was about as quick as I thought it would.

Both the girls love to dance. I can’t wait to give them that opportunity. Again it’s great to know the language. Everyone is up for the idea it appears. We need to decide where to go. After a brief discussion between the women, they finally decide on a club. From what I can tell it seems to be a pretty good choice based on their discussion but it could be a bit on the expensive side. Phuket, Thailand…you only live once, let’s go for it cost be damned. I mean, we are in Mari, how expensive can it be? Wait, I know better to say that. After dropping close to $300 on lunch in St. Pete I know better.

Since it is a weekend night (Sunday), reservations are definitely in order according to the girls. Apparently there is a pretty hefty cover charge. We need to go out there in person to line up a table. If we come late we’ll be stuck with whatever is left over. We’d like a booth rather than some table in an uncomfortable, out of the way place. So we decide to get there ahead of time and line up our spot. I want this night to be as close to perfect as I can help make it. I am sure the women will do their part. I have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. Not really but it is the equivalent for me. I have visions of Lana and Zhana struttin’ their stuff on the dance floor. From what I’ve seen of Lana I know it  will be good. Zhana definitely isn’t going to be a slouch is my guess as well.

[Jet]

We are both pretty cautious so we aren’t Russian into anything.