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October 18
The other night at a potluck I met a real live Russian person! She said her name was Vlada, which sounded Russian to me, and she spoke with an accent, but I didn't want to say anything for fear she was from the Ukraine or Georgia or something. "How dare you say I am Russian, you impudent girl!" I pictured her shouting. "Why does everyone think that?!" So I held my tongue. A few minutes later, Beth asked her about the fish she had brought and Vlada answered that she in Russia, we always called them... "You're Russian?" I said. She nodded. "I take Russian!" "Ooooh!" Her expression turned doubtful. "Why?" So I told her why I wanted to learn it, although I don't think anything could have convinced her that any sane person would study the language voluntarily. I had expected her to start asking me all sorts of questions in Russian, all of which I would be unable to understand at all, but she didn't. She did have a four-year-old son, and while they spoke to everyone else in English, they spoke only Russian between themselves. He would parade around and she would follow him, issuing a constant stream of scoldings very quietly. I couldn't understand a word, but it was obvious what she was saying. "What are you doing? That is a camera bag, not a hat. Put that back on the floor where it belongs. These nice people have invited us to their house and you are bothering them with a camera bag! Leave her alone and come sit on the sofa and be quiet." It was adorable. I don't think there can be any better language for scolding people in than Russian. I'll be sure to use it on my kids when I grow up. I was recounting this story to some people at lunch yesterday, which worried Sam greatly. "Are you sure she was from Russia?" "Yes." "You should have checked, though, because a lot of people who speak Russian aren't. We assume they're from Greater Russia, but they're really from one of the former Socialist - " "I asked her." "But did she say she was Russian? Because a lot of people - " "Sam, she said she was Russian!" "She said so?" "Yes." "Oh." He considered this for a while, and then went back to eating his lunch.
Feeling: happy. I've found the most lovely fairy tale site - see the link of the day - and images of fairy tales have been superimposing themselves over ordinary things all day. Wearing: an old black sweatshirt and old jeans. My hair is in pigtails, which has been amusing people throughout the day. Shelly said they were cute. Amy said I looked like a cowgirl. Sarah had fun pretending they were reins, which is normally Bridget's job, but she wasn't on the bus today. Song in my head: "Sally Gardens". Mom's put on this CD of glass harmonica music, which is pretty neat. Word for today: Ekaterina. We were studying Russian names today, and this was the last one on the homework. I like it because it was Kitty's name in Anna Karenina. Kitty was my favorite character, and the most like me. Well, maybe Levin was, but I identified more with Kitty. Dreamed: It was a Morris dream, and I won't bore you with still another long description of that. They were trying to get me to wear suspenders, though, which was a very bad idea because girls wearing suspenders just doesn't work. Some of the girls in my history class last year went on a suspenders kick for a while, much to everyone's amusement. Reading: I read Of Mice and Men this morning for American Lit. I got a perfect score on the test, too. Goal: to have a good time at Christine's tomorrow and to finish learning the Major Arcana tonight. Link for today: the Endicott Studio is the best myth/fairy tale site I've found. Their design could be better, but the content is amazing. Quote for today: “He's neuter!" my friend Hannah, on finding that the last name of some famous cosmonaut ended in an o. She found this very disturbing. November 3 
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