The Khanenko Museum of Fine Arts

Hi guys,
A month ago I became a museum curator at the Khanenko Museum of Fine Arts. I also teach and translate - otherwise I won't be able to work at the museum because my salary there is ridiculous. However right here and now I'm happy to get this job. So far it is temporary, for two months, so I have to prepare a guided tour and pass a kind of exam to get a permanent position there.

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Last 6 months I've been teaching, translating, doing all those chores as usual. In March there were not so many assignments, so I tried to earn some money tutoring. I think, I was quite successful as a French (!) tutor, but it's not my goal to do this permanently. Most of all in that job I liked... my student's fat gray cat.
My family and I also visited quite a few exhibitions, participated in some workshops on Easter eggs, calligraphy, folk painting and doll-making. Sergei and I were to Kiev Fire Fest.
Sergei defended his Habilitation thesis (защитил докторскую).

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facing the new year

This entry is one of many entries that keep this account alive.

This year I have been teaching at the Academy of Arts. I've been working at home as a freelance translator translating the same manuals for computers and other sophisticated gadgets like an electric hoe.
In the summer we spent two weeks in Bulgaria.

These days are quite busy: I'm preparing for all kinds of socials, entertaining the kids... My fingers are burnt with the molten sugar I used to glue the parts of a gingerbread house together. So I'm finishing now.
Yours,
Luo

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last 6 months...

... I've been working for the same Taiwanese company, teaching at the Academy of Arts, doing lots of things for my family and trying to follow up the local cultural events.
The last one I've visited was a public defense of my students' Bachelor projects. I took Klavkah there and she was lucky to lift (before she was stopped!) a 2,500-years-old Greek wine vessel.

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Summary

On June the 14th we came back to Kiev. We started some renovations in our apartment. I continued working for the same Taiwanese agency, Baobeir went back to his Institute. And then we took a two weeks vacations. All four of us went to Bulgaria. It was exciting.
Then Claudia started Grade 2 at a nearby school. We continued renewing our apartment, the kitchen in particular. In October I started performing a freak-show teaching English at the Academy of Arts.
My father is more or less.

The biggest impression of 2008 was Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. We've also been to a couple of exhibitions and interesting events here, but we'd like to have more time for this kind of things. I'll post the photos when we download them from our camera.

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Best wishes

Happy New Year, guys! All the best to you and your families!

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wan sui!

Sorry, guys, this is an "obligatory" entry, because otherwise this diary will be considered as an obsolede (it is, indeed, sorry again) and will be moved to the archive.
I am not in a mood to write a lot.
I am in Jifu now. We consider to live here for a few years at least. I work for the same Taiwanese Agency, Baobeir is back to his Institute as a "senior research fellow". Claudiuccia is going to be a second grader, Joseph is walking, running and climbing a lot and talking a bit.

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hai huozhe

I'm here, frinds! Physically, I'm in the States, in Illinois. Baobeir works at a small teaching university, Claudiuccia goes to a local school, Yosyp already walks, says first words and has 9 teeth, I'm working from home.
Last year we spent 4 months in Jifu, Claudiuccia even started Grade 1 there, and I owe you my stories about cops, gypsy hipnotists, Klavka's classmates, translators' powwows and museum tours.

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Thanks God, all my "non-English speaking persons" and my midwives

for our son Joseph Nicodem, born on the 20th of December, 2006. Thanks God, the labour was smooth and fast. Thanks my clients who had up to 11 siblings or children: I saw that "a biological truth" was on their side. Well, I am not able to outnumber them, but I wanted to be a bit closer to them. Thanks to my midwives Kristin and Jennifer - the logistics of God's and humans' will was their responsibility.

@темы: Дети

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2. digging for "fossils" at Royal Ontario Museum

This is the children's space at the museum

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summer photos

A couple of photos I owe you.

1. Caribean carnival in the Steel City.

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hai huozhe

Hi guys,

I'm here. I owe you a school-like composition "My Summer" and lots of grotesque comments on my life now.

I am waiting for the Minstry of Labour to start an investigation on my claim (you know what is about), I was told that "since we have an online service, the load of claims was tripled." Something suggests me, that it was not an Internet itself, but a "human factor" that created this big load of claims.

I am looking for a job and trying to take care of my mortal shell. I quit the gym in June, for at least a year, and then we'll see where and how I go back to it.

I have a new friend - we met each other on one of the Russian sites about parenting (the one that used to have and finally banished home-made porn ). We discovered that our common aquintances used to tell us about each other... Tell what? Well, you can imagine... My friend grew up in a Russian-speaking community in the Central Asia, studied in the States and here and was an English as a Second Language and French Immersion teacher, and in her early 20es has a huge experience of all kinds of jobs, communities and lifestyles. She is a mother of an exciting human being - call her a late miscarriage or a triumph of life and a sign from Providence - who was born at 6 (!) months by gestation and now is "like every baby". I'll show you the pictures from our short trips with them (my friend breastfeeds and takes her daughter with her wherever she goes).

We went to Toronto for a few times, as always, museums and salmon roe. And lots of pictures taken there.

The Ukr. school resumed, and I teach there again.

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gibons, my love

I am here, gentle readers. This summer makes more sense to me, though this is a bad season for work, however, this time I have the other reason than no assignments.

I'm mastering SDLX (another computer aided translation tool, or as Baobeir puts it котячье орудие - exact spelling). I am bidding for new jobs...

We were to Toronto twice: to Royal Ontario Museum and to the zoo. There will be pictures.

ROM is a splendid place. Adults enjoyed the Chinese collection, European life style through the centuries, some Christian art and Judaica. A huge space is given to kids, with lots of materials, real things and models to touch, sniff, build with or put on.

The zoo was also nice, though this trip was "commited" for Aque. This time gibons, an "electrical" eel and a hyena won my heart.

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Very New Smileys for baten'ka D

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waddling-paddling-shmadling pool

The season is open! Klavka splashes in a fountain pool. Sun, light thunderstorms, air filled with scents of pine and grass. Some time ago looking out of my window I could hardly believe in warmth.

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and some humans

Hopefully my face didn't scare them.

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these colors!

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Butterflies go on

Though that was before I became this f*ing sick. The pictures are taken at the Butterfly Conservatory at Niagara Falls.

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Tzirkus must go on

Yesterday all our Adams family were to the neighbouring town of Dundas - to see the Buskers Festival. Every fourth performer didn't eat fire - the other 3/4 of them did eat fire. As Isabelle from the "Aerian Angels" (what other angels are there, huh?) Trio said: Please remember that the fire of our torches is real, not artificial. Please don't try to repeat our tricks at home. Don't act like us. Don't dress like us! (She was wearing fishnet stockings and black leather clothes).

The most impressive stunts were performed by women. Men mostly played tricks on a crowd or performed simple stunts in the most grotesque way.

I don't like "ordinary" circus with tortured animals and dependent performers. But I respect those people who have chosen this strange and complicated life when they are their own scenario writers and directors, PR managers, accountants and workplace security inspectors. There is something really archaic, free and exciting in the spirit of this culture of street entertainment.



Me? I continue performing my stunts too. All feedbacks are "excellent". This means I handle all those conversations on law, finances and healthcare in French and Chinese. Sometimes I even work with Russian and Ukrainian.

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modern Ukr. poetry

May be useful for the next St. Nicolas concert, if my "chasidic Ukrainians" accept any free interpretations of the subject...



Іван Малкович



ІЗ ЯНГОЛОМ НА ПЛЕЧІ

Старосвітська балада



Краєм світу, уночі,

при Господній при свічі

хтось бреде собі самотньо

із янголом на плечі.



Йде в ніде, в невороття,

йде лелійно, як дитя,

і жене його у спину

сірий маятник життя, —



щоб не вештав уночі

при Господній при свічі,

щоб по світі не тинявся

із янголом на плечі.



Віє вітер вировий,

виє Ірод моровий,

маятник все дужче бухка,

стогне янгол ледь живий…



А він йде і йде, хоча

вже й не дихає свіча,

лиш вуста дрижать гарячі:

янголе, не впадь з плеча.



[30-31 січня 1992]



ЛУБОК



Десь на звалищі, між будяками,

на вугіллі, що мокне роками,

янголів два:



один одному крила воскує,

один одного в очі цілує, —

дожидають Різдва.



Поруч з ними дитятко гоже,

і ніхто розпізнати не може:



хто кого береже? —



чи дитятко цих янголів, а чи

білокрилі — дитятко, що скаче —

в небо важиться вже.



На цій чорній землі — що робити

білим янголам? — вугіль дробити

чи ридати в блакить?



Кожен янгол волить цю ж хвилину

в сад небесний віднести дитину,

але Бог не велить…



Десь, де скидано голі ялинки,

де брудні помаранчів шкуринки,

на померзлій траві



двоє янголів, з ними — дитятко,

в кулачкові затисло колядку, —

вже й по Різдві.



[23-24 червня 1992]



САД РІЗДВЯНИЙ



Хтось із дитям удвох

бродить різдвяним садком.

Каже дитятко: «я — Бог»,

трусить сніжком.



Кутає благодать

їх в найтихішім з садів,

пір'ям холодним риплять

білі гусятка слідів.



Старший — услід ступа,

став посеред зими,

малому в подушку черпа

неба із янголами.



Знає: прийдуть королі,

знає: клякнуть умлівіч,

знає: гусятка малі

попідростають за ніч.



[листопад — 27 грудня 1992]