recreation...

From a medical record: recreational drugs - no.

Recreational drugs are weed, cocaine... It appears that this New English sounds as funky as "moshchnost' mnozhestv" - a common word in an unusual (for me!) context.



The Agency are moving. The Agency used to rent a few rooms at one of the many self-claimed "community helpers" agencies - and these "community helpers" are bancrupt.

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The Power of Set (moshchnost' mnozhestv)

Luo: They sell a set of rubber stamps with the Hebrew alphabet. About 9 bucks.

Baobeir: Are you going to buy it? What for? I don't even know it.

L: Moi non plus. But just for fun, that's quite a rare thing, isn't it?

B: I only know that cardinal numbers are marked by some letters of this alphabet.

L: Wha-aaat numbers?

B: Cardinal numbers. There is a mathematical concept called the power of set...

Then he explained it. The Russian for "power of set" sounds even "cooler", in a reverse translation that would be "power of multitude/great number" (that actually reflects the idea very well) and [my] vivid fantasy could easily turn it into "power of majorities".

And I recalled my school math teacher explaining the integrals to us. She mentioned "the power of set" with an "I was passing by" intonation and looked at me waiting for my reaction. Now I understand that there were also a hint and a challenge: the alphabet. She knew what a torture for me her classes were - and for some reason she didn't want to give me any equations that could be useful in forensic science. And she knew about my interest in all kinds of words and signs. And my "love" of all kinds of majorities. So that was half the attitude "you know everything, so tell me, what is _________ (ask any question)?", half an attempt to scare me with "great numbers=majorities". Boo! I'm glad that now I know the answer.

Yesterday I brought Aque to Purim celebration in another "temple", also in a walking distance from us. There was a charm in that event and place. The refined oriental charm, the energy of all those numbers and signs. The things, I think, that would never be natural for me, and I would never be a part of them. Though I trace and sense them. Like the Buddhist art, I'd say. Thanks to Claudiuccia. She is an occasion that is always with me. Being 9 years old I read Sholom Aleikhem - a story of a poor boy who made a specific toy for a feast (I actually don't remember what feast it was). I envied him, I also wanted to have an occasion to make a construction of an apple, a little flag and a candle. It looks like I'll get it soon. Being 9 I wanted the "surface" of a feast - 20 years later I'll get the "surface". "Surfaces" are widely available now. 20 years ago even the surfaces were almost forbidden and could cause a trouble.

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Mulan...

There is an old "Jewish joke":

Rabinovich moved to England and found a job. He is talking with his friend about his new life.

R: I work as a gardener for an English lord.

F: Oh, that's good!

R: What's good?! He sleeps with my wife!

F: Oh, that's bad...

R: But I sleep with his wife.

F: Oh, that's good!

R: What's good?! I am making the noblemen for him, and he is making the Jews for me!



Well, how would you react if your child brought you a note from the "temple": "Ask your child to show you the kong-fu movements we are practicing for our end-of-the-year show about Fa Mulan"?!

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Body, Crime, Suspect :)

Yesterday @ Ukr. school I used a popular book on forensic science for teenagers http://www.scholastic.ca/titles/bodycrimesuspect/ to teach my students to ask questions and describe a room. When their parents came to pick them up, one of my students was almost short of breath of excitement telling his father about his classes. Zhenya, the school principal, was slightly shaking her head, and in her eyes there were both excitement, laughter and fear ("your jokes are at your own risk"). I could only say (in my mind) the lines of a specific prayer I had heard for the time in this school: Thank you, God, Our Creator, for giving us your kindness to learn..." That would be no fun (that's a mild word!) to be involved in the community, but being isolated because of the language.

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botanik*

Yesterday we've been to Royal Botanical Gardens: Annual Orchid Show and Sell. There were, I think, a hundred of species, all colors, hues, shapes and textures. Both the orchids traditionally used to show off the splendor, and the tiny yellow and pink flowers of a weird shape - like colorful tadpoles. And scarlet trillium-like, and long yellow oval-shaped "boats" that looked more like... poppies.

Baobeir took a few dozens of photos, but we are short of disk space on our "family treasure", so he didn't download the photos and went for a conference with the camera with all those exciting pictures. Hopefully the camera (and its owner ) will be back home on Friday, and before that I'll try to clean as much as I can.

Baobeir has two talks (and one of them is an invited talk) at Am'rika's Physical Society Meeting in Baltimore. I hope he went there still impressed and inspired. And that was our neighbour G, the mother of my "French student" V, who drove us there. She borrowed the car from V's father as soon as she heard from me about the exhibition.

____________

* /boh-tah-neek/ Rus. literally "a botanist" is a slang for "a nerd, a pencilneck"

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заходить до хати мурло волохате і гомін стихає кругом

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/..._yeti_crab.html

Frankly speaking, at the first glimpse I didn't think the creature might live in water.

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"Faffangulo!" Day

If you don't know or don't remember, let me tell you, that in former SU and its satelites like Mongolia the 8th of March is celebrated as kinda' Hina Matsuri and St. Valentine's day mix for ladies exclusively. Sorry for being so cynical, but the less person is satisfied with her life, the more she is prone to wish me "to get a lot of attention from your husband, be prowd of being a woman, enjoy it". People wish me all the best especially because... my name sounds "almost like" the name of this month. I get Power Point presentations compiled of National Gepgraphic style pictures of orchids, Photoshop cliche of landscapes, photos of cute kittens - in the Soviet times the deaf people were selling such photos in the suburban trains - and pantyhose ads form ELLE with the name of a brand removed. And it is written there, that God created a woman as the biggest miracle and mystery (illustrated by a pantyhose ad), and this miracle and mystery combines the independent spirit of mountains (National Geographic+Photoshop) and the elegance of waters (Photoshop)...

Guys, I'm moved to f*ing tears! I also wish you big cabbages in your Italian garden and nice birds in your Italian orchard! Enjoy yourselves!

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A home shark

Yesterday Klavka has lost her first tooth. And swallowed it. By accident, I think. Even Klavka would not do that on purpose.

BTW, the insurance paid all the money back, hurray!

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The heritage

Five years ago my grandfather left this world. His heritage is his library, photo and watercolor collection, his books and all the temples and icons he managed to save from being destroyed. He could not save everything, he could not eradicate all ignorance and agression, but he helped one small part of this world to keep its beauty and spirit.

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The Storm Whisperer

My work on the Luo's novel had a great impact on the air torrents in the Steel City. After editing the middle chapters about the storm in the ocean, I woke up at night because feeling myself almost on the "stage", there, before the hurricane: the wind was howling really fierce. And it still howls. But me, I live in a dead calm since that time. Claudiuccia is sick, in 10 days we went out only once to see her dentist, I'm sick since Monday. And my in-laws and Luo the Elder are constantly telling us about their fears about our health and well-being. They can't settle down, and I don't know what makes them so nervous? Their own health?! Oh, no!

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A trendy smiley...

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A shark's tooth

Klavka is growing two adult teeth behind her lower front primary teeth. Tomorrow she has an appointment at the doctor with a cool last name. For this occasion I've borrowed a book "The Dentist and You" and bought a shark's tooth (from the ScienceLine). She has a cold and is feverish, I'm afraid I have to order a "limousine". But in comparison to the money we'll leave at the clinic...

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A good spoon to paddle shit (cultural news)

Ali al-Baghdadi is here, welcome!

http://www.lib.ru/SU/UKRAINA/LOGVYN/diamant.txt



Today a few exhibitions at Maida gallery are closing. I anticipate the new projects, they shall be as cool as the previous ones. When Klavka was not sick, we visited the gallery for a few times to see Klavka's two favourite items. The first was an empty dark hall with disco party lights dancing, whirling, shaking randomly in complete silence. Claudiuccia run among them, wanted me to join her. This masterpiece was created by "a young minimalist artist from Cuba". The other one was a, huh, sculpture. It made people with a specific "cultural background" to recal an old school joke:

- What is your height?

- 130 cm. (For example)

- A good spoon to paddle shit.

Yes, that was a spoon, even longer than my height (wo bi bu shang ) made of a whole oak trunk. The work was ugly rough - truly contemporary.

There were also "Unnatural disasters" (wars, genocides in the art), there were even Goya's works. I had no chance to go there without Aque, so I didn't look precisely at this exhibition.

And the coins are in their places - Klavka recognises most of the things depicted on them, except to the ancient Greek ship.

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News

Luo the Elder turned 67.

Xiao Luo turned 29.

Sha boshi (a.k.a. Baobeir) and Xiao Luo are happily married for 7 years.

Xiao Luo got a message from UN with an application number. Kindly note that this is not intended to serve as a convocation to the examination. After your application has been reviewed by the Board of Examiners, you will receive a letter or an e-mail informing you of their decision. Bottom line: wait until March.

Aque writes her name and some other words in English.

Also: I am tutoring the African neighbour's nine years-old in French for a symbolic price. Preparing a party for the new Ukrainian immigrants @ St. Vladimir (an act of my goodwill for our priest who insisted on taking me to the school as a real teacher, so since January I get a medium per hour salary). Made best friends with the lady pointing out my Ukrainian component. It is useful to be a bitch (sometimes). I just wonder why my neighbour L is avoiding me. I didn't exercise my bitchism on our Chinese neighbours, but it looks like there are some rumors behind my back. Watch your husbands, ladies, not me. Стервозность как последняя степень блядовитости?

But all that is not real. Real are Ali Al-Baghdadi, an old Mandean stargazer, a secret fighter-fidai from the order of Ismailits, courtesans, an African king, a Slavonic slave perfect in carpenting, horses and drinking, doctor Zhang helping a head of the Basrian custom house and his Turkish guard to question prisoners. As people familiar with these characters may see, I finish the editing of "The Secret of One Diamond" and I'll upload it to Max Moshkov's online library. A bientot!

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A Jewish folk song

Klavka sings I want to budya-budya! I want to budya-budya! At the temple they have gymnastics to this music.

Also from their newsletter Lila's corner: this month we will be learning about Chinese characters and the Chinese writing system in preparation for our Mulan Theatrical production. Убицца тапком!

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Wellcock's Building

Oups, my photos don't fit the Diaries standards, so it will need more manual work to make them bigger within those limits. I have to show you more Toronto and our Adams family.



All pieces of my mortal shell are on their places. Yesterday I had an ultrasound, and the results are good! So that should be the muscular pain and a biased test that made me think of a pelvic kidney.

The receptionist in our clinic, who arranged the ultrasound for me, must be a jocker,or I have marvelous ears for all kinds of kinky slips of a tongue: on the way to the hospital I absolutely seriously asked the bus driver to show me the Wellcock Building, where I had to have the ultrasound. The building appeared to be Wilcox. I'm happy anyway. Though still in meditations should I lift more little girls...

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Cultural Interpreter is watching you

We had a pipe leaking, and it took the superintendant one minute to do this with the wall.

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ProZians of feather

http://homepage.mac.com/evabal/PhotoAlbum21.html

It was great! 18 people, minimum 10 working languages, all kinds of destinies and work experiences. Cheerful, loud! Frustrating (a mild word) too: I realised that I was paid almost twice less than interpreters in Toronto. However, I was also given a few suggestions I'm going to follow.

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Steel Shop in the Love City

Is it a coincidence: sex shops in this city are situated quite close to offices giving subsidies? All are easily accessible on public transport. That's what we call socialism with a human face!

I don't see the overweighted Chinese girl any more. Instead there is an overweighted white lady of uncertain age and sexual preferences. Last time I've bought

http://www.xtz.com/Catalog/Html/sex_chocs.asp

expecting some nice flavours - not every day you eat a mix of saw palmetto, kola nut, valerian, betel nut, dong quai (?), avena sativa and... horny goat weed (??). Instead we ate an ordinary Soviet chocolate "s pomadkoi" - that was a luscious beige mass with no distinctive taste. What a "glam" and "groovy" childhood we all had!

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boring holes in brains

Two of my students (they are brothers) lost the sheets with new words, so on Friday evening their father sent me an e-mail asking what had been the homework. I answered in English, that we studied opposites: fast - slow, interesting - boring. On Saturday morning I discovered the results of consulting a dictionary: boring was in a sence of "drilling - making holes with a tool".