Spain

I had a great time in Spain – even though it was exhausting and I literally wore holes in my feet! Not my shoes, mind you, my feet.

Saturday night was a “White Night” in Madrid, which means all the museums stay open super late (like 2-5 am!) and are free, and the city center was just full of people of all ages – from babies and teenagers to grandmas and grandpas. The conference wrapped up around 6, and by the time we got ourselves sorted out enough to do something for the evening, it was after 8. Then dinner, then making away to the Prado… and then waiting in line to get in. It was nearly 11 by the time we entered the museum, and I was really amazed how many people were taking advantage of the free entrance so late – I mean, there were people pushing babies in strollers around the museum at nearly midnight! But those are not hours for me, especially after a really exhausting week. My eyes glazed over pretty quickly, and I know I was looking at famous and important art, but basically nothing was registering. One painting that did capture my attention was this one, the Immaculate Conception.

The church I attended growing up is called Immaculate Conception, and there was a statue that I now know was based on this painting – Mary standing on a blue globe/ball, stepping on a snake.

Sunday we got up early to catch the first train to Toledo. I desperately wanted to sleep in, but in the end was very glad I didn’t. We had a fabulous day in Toledo, walking around, enjoying the beautiful scenery and lovely weather. We stopped in one shop where the craftsman was working with incredibly fine threads of gold, gently tapping each strand (as thin as a strand of hair) into place within an intricate design on a piece of jewelry. I wanted to take a picture, but the thread of gold was barely visible to the naked eye and for sure wouldn’t show up in a photo. I recognized the style of jewelry immediately- I have several pairs of earrings and a brooch that were my grandma’s. I always kinda knew they were Spanish, but I hadn’t realized they were from Toledo. She could have bought them in that very shop 40 years ago. I’ve been wearing them all week, thinking about her.

Igor insisted that I shouldn’t come back to Kyiv until I had visited Alhambra, and I was very sorry to have to disappoint him when I found out it was a 5 hour train ride from Madrid. But it’s always good to have something to go back for, and I hope we’ll be able to visit Spain together someday.

A rose by another name…

So it turns out Pandora isn’t a koshka (female cat), but rather is a kot (male cat). Rather embarrassing mistake to make, I must admit. But there are definitely parts there that, at least the last time I had a biology class, were not standard on the female anatomy.

So while Pandora is a good name considering what kinds of disasters we have found in the litter box (I swear, he has crapped more than his own physical weight in one go), it no longer seemed appropriate for the kot. After an absurd amount of time considering other names, we have, ta da!, finally settled on Ziggy. I could probably tell you the long circuitous route that led us to the name, but it’s not a very interesting story.

He is growing literally before our eyes. When I got home from Spain Monday night, I could have sworn he had doubled in the week I had been gone. His new favorite spot, at least that night, was the small gap between the kitchen cupboard and the wall. 3 days later he already cannot fit in that space, although it doesn’t seem to have quite sunk into his tiny little brain yet – he keeps dashing for that gap and banging his head and shoulders into the sides. He’s adorable and we love him, but I don’t think he is destined for greatness in this world.

Here are some pics when he was still itty-bitty and when we still thought he was a girl.
(The amusing irony is that Igor, in his private practice as a psychologist, has 2 transgender clients. When he first told me, while I was in Spain, that the cat was a boy, not a girl, I thought he had been spending too much time with his patients.)

He’s more than doubled since we took these photos, and he is ALL TEETH. Loves to play constantly, but hasn’t figured out that his teeth and claws are not enjoyable to the rest of us.

Madrid

I’m in Madrid, for the EAIE conference. My flight was at 7:40, so I set the alarm for 5, and being the nervous nelly that I am about having to get up super early, I couldn’t sleep well and finally got up at 3 am. My boss from DC, who is also attending this conference, just called and wants to meet for dinner today. Coffee, where are you? I was fading 2 hours ago already and now I’ve not only got to be socialable, I’ve also got to be professional this evening. Gonna be tough.

It’s been a while since I felt as out of sorts as I do here – guess there’s more egotistical American in me than I care to admit! I fully expected to have no language problems, it’s Europe! Of course they all speak English. Rude awakening, my dear! The hotel restaurant staff understand English about as well as I understand Spanish. Found that out when my “vegetarian” lunch included chicken ceasar salad. Gotta refresh my memory about some key words!

The little piece of Madrid I’ve seen near the hotel is nice. I went for a walk after lunch, but almost all the shops were close 2-5 pm. How quaint! 🙂 After the lunch ordeal, I wasn’t much up to dealing with shopkeepers. As I passed a shoe store I overheard a young woman say “pyat”. Just figured there was a Spanish word that sounded like the Russian word for “five”. Nope! Those three lovely ladies were russkis all the way, and they were just dumbfounded that shops would close in the afternoon. I have to admit, I was kind of surprised too, but like any good devushka, they figured it was just meant for everybody else and proceeded to ring the door bell, expecting someone to come open the store for them. It was kinda cute, atually, in a weird sort of way. Put me right at ease with my new surroundings.

Autumn and other things

It’s almost like clockwork – September begins and my allergies kick in – itchy, watery eyes, uncontrollable sneezing (10 in a row was Sunday’s record). I suddenly developed autumn allergies about 8 or 9 years ago, I guess. The first year I didn’t understand that’s what it was, I thought I had a weird cold or something, until a friend gave me a Claritin, which quickly became my new best friend throughout the month of September.

I thought maybe the allergies would go away when I moved abroad, hoped whatever plant aggravated them in central Ohio wouldn’t be in eastern Europe. No such luck! I still have no idea exactly what I’m allergic too, maybe it’s simply the month of September, since the allergies settle back down right around October 1.

The kitten Pandora (aka Panda, aka Panda Bear) has settled in like a true princess. She spent most of her first two and a half days with us sleeping like the dead on whatever lap was made available. We thought she was the sweetest thing ever, snuggled up so cutely, purring away. I don’t know if it was the stress of moving, or exhaustion after her few weeks living the wild and dangerous life of a village cat, but she is completely over it now. The only time she is close to still is when she’s eating, and even then she’s so full of energy she has to do a little dance around her bowl now and then to express her excitement. And she eats like a horse – we can’t keep up! Today I have to stock up again, second time this week. Those first couple of days she happily devoured whatever was in her bowl. Now she haughtily turns up her nose at “just” dry food (even the fancy kitten kind with little balls of dried milk and other delectables); she simply must have her packet with the gourmet sauce. How quickly we forget our roots!

She’s adorable, growing right before our eyes but still can’t jump up on most things so hasn’t destroyed much yet. We can’t keep up with her, she wants to play ALL the time. I can’t believe we were thinking about babies – we don’t have the stamina for a kitten! 🙂

And my favorite quote of the week:

It’s a pity we can’t just seriously divide the country in two. On one side, all you people who don’t want “socialism” can go and live without Medicare, municipal sewer systems, roads that are maintained by government funds, running water, fire departments, police departments, national/state/city parks, public libraries, and other such disgusting features of life under brownshirt Obamcare socialism. The rest of us commies will hunker down together in our socialist nightmare and finally craft a universal health care system to go along with the rest of evil socialist empire.

Art Arsenal

I can’t believe I forgot the visit to the new museum Art Arsenal in my post about Independence weekend! President Yushchenko signed a decree just a few weeks before I arrived in Ukraine in October 2005 to establish arts and cultural museum in the old Soviet-era arsenal factory in Pechersk, just across the street from the Lavra. Over the past four years I have frequently walked past the site, watching the slow but steady progress of renovating the enormous and dilapidated structure. For awhile there wasn’t even a roof on the building that takes up nearly half a city a block. The last few months the progress has been impressive.

Bill and Eilene had noticed a big security detail at the complex on their way to flower festival, and we figured the President must have been there for an official opening. When we walked by after leaving the Lavra territory, I asked if we could pop in to check it out. I don’t know if there will be an entrance fee eventually, but that day it was free.

The space is amazing.

Three wide tall lanes with arched ceilings, like in an Orthodox church, but with unpainted stone and white columns. And huge windows let in tons of natural light. The wide center aisle was open, with a display of Trypillian culture artifacts along the left aisle and modern Ukrainian art along the right aisle.

The displays were spread, seeming almost sparse due to vastness of the museum space itself, but it was nice to not have everything crammed together like in so many museums.

At the far end of the building, in a kind of alcove, chairs were arranged around a piano for a concert later in the evening. I can only imagine how incredible the acoustics are in there. Very exciting the center is finally open!

We have a name

As I expected would happen, Igor is completely in love with the kitten. He even skipped his regular trip to the gym to stay home with her instead on Monday. I knew he was done for when he called me at work so I could hear through the phone how loudly she was purring. When I got home later in the evening, he was full of stories of all the cute things she’d done all day- playing tag with him, hiding from the vacuum cleaner, “guarding” the couch (ie, sleeping on it quite seriously, as if to keep it from running off) and eating, eating, eating.

There had been enormous amounts of intake, but no outflow. She looked like an overstuffed sausage on four tiny legs – I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an enormous belly on such a little creature. I finally picked her up and put her directly into her litter box, where she promptly sat down and looked up at me. A moment later an idea seemed to occur to her, and she starting scratching around. Mission accomplished! About 5 minutes later she went back to her box on her own for round 2.

A short time later, Igor started calling her Pandora. It kinda stuck. Lots of cute ways to diminutize it in Russian (and English too, actually). So, I think we have a name.

She was full of spunk after losing some of that belly, and we laughed hard at her antics. Finally curled up on the couch with the loud loud purring in my ear. Awww. She is just too damn cute.

We had a little romp this morning, then breakfast, and now she’s napping in my lap. OK, I am totally in love with her too, we have both lost it completely.