I don't really like translit - it's making my brain numb, but my computer with Russian keyboard has been assassinated by my lack of knowledge, and I basically have nobody to complain to now...so bear with my English now...

So good news: finally... in the end of April it stopped snowing!!:clapping:

bad news: it started raining...


Minnesota weather made me change my mind about that old saying that if there's nothing to talk about, talk about weather. Now I know it's true! Minnesota weather is a perfect topic for a long, thoughtful afterdinner conversation. It can pretend to be a warm and gentle wife in the morning, turn into a demanding some attention pms-ing bitch by lunch; and completely ignore your desire to go out in the evening. Never trust it. But you can gossip about her as long as needed because everybody has common grudge at her.


So, Ive spent here like 11 months now and can assure everybody that my English has NOT become better. "Of course,'- you'd say,"you've been studying Japanese". I wish that was a proper excuse. I also do NOT understand Americans...I mean their mentality. Luckily I can now recognize all kinds off English: Spanish English (mostly Spanish, which makes it a little easier coz of a number of words with Latin roots), Chinese English ( it's like a puzzle, lots of disorganized words that you need to put to places to make a picture), Afro-American English (slang, swearing, slang, swearing,slang, swearing), Student English (food-booze-food-booze-and oh shit - midterms!), Toddler English, etc.

Skills gained: fake smiling! I can now do fake "I need your help" smile, fake "I have no idea what you are talking about" smile, fake "Fuck off" smile, fake "Keep talking - I'm not listening" smile, sincere "I need coffee please" smile and fake "good job using the potty, Jack" smile. Constant fake-smiling makes my muscles stiff and it takes more than 20 minutes to get that expression off my face.
Sensing the people who hang out in Starbucks - they rick off Starbucks coffee. Seriously, you drink their coffe in the morning and everybody you meet throughout the day feels it's typical Starbucks odor.
Using the chopsticks. Not very skillful one but still...
Using the credit card. VERY skillful one...unfortunately.
Knowledge that any type of bike locks except the U-locks is just a waste of money.
knowledge that plants actually die if you water them too much.

Skills lost: basic communication skills (not fake ones), half of my Russian vocabulary, 90% of my Ukrainian vocabulary (seriously, Japanese seems easier to remember right now).