The End of the Line

I got trapped in the Metro. I was trying to get back to the hotel and could not figure out where I was going. I had been riding a while and decided to get out to try to find some directional signs. I hopped out of the train and everyone disappeared. The entire station was deserted. I felt so uncomfortable that I vowed to take the next train on either track out.

When a train finally arrived, I got in, not realizing I was the only one in the car. The doors closed and the train left the station, only to come to a complete stop a few minutes later in the tunnel. So now I was trapped inside a deserted train in a tunnel miles underground in Russia. This was such an overwhelming concept that I was still trying to figure out what to do three minutes later when the train began to move again. It switched tunnels and I was headed back the other direction.

We picked up more passengers at the station and headed back into town. (Hitting the end of the Metro line helped me figure out where I was.)

Had something like this happened to me in Arizona, where I expect life to be familiar, I would have completely panicked. Because I am thrown into new and confusing situations several times a day here, it just felt like more of the same!

Cox discontinued all my email service a couple of days ago. So now, along with no telephone and no address, I have no email. I was much more upset about that!

Cigarettes at the Cinema

Taylor and I took the Metro to the Radisson Hotel complex which houses the American Cinema. Besides the hotel and theater, the complex also has restaurants and a variety of small upscale stores. On our way to the theater in the back, I window shopped at Tiffany’s and other jewelry stores and very expensive men’s wear stores. A delicate gold Easter egg Christmas ornament caught my eye at the window of the Fabrege store. They also had beautiful jeweled egg pendants.

At the back of the complex, we checked our coats and then paid $300 Rubles (US$10) each for tickets. Outside the theater, you could buy sodas, popcorn with no butter, a couple of varieties of candy, cigarettes, mixed drinks and beer at the snack bar.

The theater resembled a lecture hall. Each of the seats had little tables that flip up for taking notes. There were no advertisements before the movie and only one preview. It touted “Bad Santa” in Russian. We had the bad fortune to see “Alexander,” a film so staggeringly boring it made me long for the relative stimulation of hanging out by myself at the hotel room!

Home, Suite Home

In order to keep us off the streets, we had to upgrade to a junior suite at the hotel. One advantage is that our new suite features a closest that is now deep enough to put a hanger straight in. In our previous room, Larry had to ANGLE all his clothes hangers.

Unfortunately, there is absolutely no more storage space. What does this place have against drawers? Our two room suite has only narrow desk drawers. My clothes are laid out on the window ledges. Besides a small sitting room, we get an extra half bath. (What is it with powder rooms right inside every front door here?) At Larry’s suggestion, we converted it into a closet and are storing our suitcases in there. Like Americans everywhere, we always want more closet space instead of more bathrooms!

We are on the 17th floor and have a beautiful 180 degree view which includes Old Arabat Street, the Foreign Ministry Building, the White House, the Moscow River and our future apartment building. Despite the view, I am hoping we can move into our apartment this week.

No Baby Grand

Diane invited us over Saturday for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Larry was still in Bulgaria, so Tay and I took the Metro over. As we walked into her luxury apartment, OU was playing on her TV in the family room. (It was on disk.) Her husband is a big OU fan and was recruited by Barry Switzer as a high school senior before a knee injury knocked him out.

Between them and the two other couples invited, the menu was expansive. We had turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, green bean casserole, green salad and homemade rolls which were served in Diane’s stately, spacious dining room. It featured ten foot ceilings and a balcony overlooking the frozen Moscow River. I enjoyed the dinner but all that now unfamiliar food ended up upsetting my stomach later.

One of the other couples had just moved with their two grade school sons from their 4,000 square foot home in Singapore to a 2-bedroom 1,600 sq. foot townhouse near the Anglo American School. “Thank goodness, we didn’t bring our baby grand piano,” they said.

Topics of discussion included our children, Russian politics and culture, and where the women had located the more “exotic” ingredients of the dinner (like turkey and cranberries)!

Tay and I had a pleasant stroll back to the hotel. It was only snowing lightly and I realized we are acclimating to the temperatures, which are down to 12 F.

No Room at the Inn

Before he left for Bulgaria, Larry asked me to make sure the hotel extended our reservation beyond Nov. 28. When I inquired at the front desk, they told me only our company could extend the reservation becauses of our corporate rate. (I think it's a throw back to the communist days where everything had to be done through your unit.)

I called Larry's office manager who assured me she'd already faxed them an extension. Later that day, she called me back saying the hotel didn't get her fax. Our hotel (and every other Western hotel in Moscow, a city with a severe shortage of hotel rooms)is booked. And did I tell you, it's COLD outside here!

Even if they find us another hotel, we have to recoordinate Taylor's bus service and physically pack up and move our 12 suitcases worth of clothes. (We only have 6 suitcases, but I've been saving grocery store bag for just such an occassion.)

This is the expat lifestyle: delivered by chauffer to coffee at the embassy while at the same time hording plastic grocery bags.

Sitcom World

I actually ran into someone I knew at the hotel gym today! (Please keep in mind that in all of Moscow, I probably know 30 people!)

Expat life throws you back into this "small town" environment where you see people you know all the time. Consequently, everyone knows what everyone else is doing. It's sort of this 1950s sitcom world where all the fathers have good jobs. All the women are stay-at-home moms. And all the children are above average. (Expat schools can't or won't handle behavior problems or learning disabilities.)

Oh, yeah, and it's a world where checks and credit cards don't exist. While most Moscow restaurants and stores catering to expats or tourists will accept my Visa card, anything in the expat world is cash ONLY. For example, the American Women's Organization annual membership is $60 and the International Women's Club Embassy Ball cost $400 a couple. But don't think of paying in anything but cash! Even the $500 deposit to hold our apartment has to be handed over in U.S. dollars.

My bankcard limit is only $200 per day, so I have to make daily visits to the ATM to withdraw the maximum to save up for this stuff.

Thanksgiving at the Thai Embassy

Despite the fact today is Thanksgiving, it is business as usual in Moscow. Even the Anglo-American School, where Taylor is enrolled, held classes today. Larry is working in Bulgaria.

I had the Honeywell driver take me to the International Women’s Newcomers coffee which was being hosted by the Thai Ambassador’s wife at her residence at the Thai Embassy.

I left an hour early as I was giving rides to two friends. Although all of these places are within a 20 mile radius, we were still half an hour late. (If I’m going to travel around Moscow by car, I need to take up knitting or something.)

The Thai Embassy guard waved us in and I paid the US$60 annual membership fee. (Cash only, of course.) They gave me a packet of information, about 90% of which I already had. At least they served real coffee. The International Women’s Club meeting I attended last week, they only had expensive coffee cups filled with instant coffee crystals.

I began chatting with a woman whose husband was with the Phillipino Embassy before the meeting started. I was expecting “newcomer” information or at least information about the organization. What I got was a lecture on Russian history and the evolution of the current political system by one of the local tour guide.

While I’m interested in those subjects, after 15 minutes, I kept thinking the guy was sure to be wrapping up. He went on for well over an hour. The meeting finally ended and we escaped back into the cold.

In with the Icons

Today I went to a Russian icon exhibition/sale at an American expat's apartment. She is the activities chair for the American Women's Organization. While there, I also signed up for the AWO Christmas party. As it is being held at the American ambassador's residence, the deadline is today. Even though you need to be a member to attend, they still need two weeks to get you and your guest security clearance.

The icons, done by some professional restoration guild, were small antique paintings on wood of religious figures. They ranged in price from US$300 to $1800. I actually had more fun looking at the woman's own very nice collection of Russian artwork and collectables.

I did drag myself away from the art to pay a little attention to the other guests. I met one American woman who was getting packed up. Her husband had the bad luck to work for Yukos. She said he took the job as head of research because he was really tired of having to lay people off in the States! She was not concerned about their family's safety and security. She thinks being an American gives her a free pass.

I left the same time as a group of three other women and we chatted in the stairwell. They were going to lunch and invited me along. We went to a Chinese restaurant where we had to introduce them to the concept of family style dining, which is, of course, how every meal in China is served! The food was good (and you know how picky I am about Chinese food). But the price was outrageous. The four of us split three entrees and had no appetizer or dessert. The bill was $US100.

I was the only American in the group. We all had teenage children. One of the women, an Australian of Indian descent had moved here this summer from Beijing. Taylor knew her daughter and they knew people in common at ISB. There was a Canadian woman with an 11th grade daughter and a Dutch woman with a daughter at the French school.

A big topic of conversation was the diffent behavior standards parents have in different cultures. Europeans and Australians are alot more liberal about teens drinking, smoking etc. Americans are more strict and Asian occupy the most conservative end. I was not happy to hear that Russians are on the liberal end of Europeans. So the Russian kids at Tay's school not only have unlimited funds, they also have parents with very liberal attitudes.

Weight Loss Plan

Even though I am not paying much attention to dieting, I can tell I am losing weight. I attribute it to a couple of factors:

1. When you eat out every meal, you end up skipping some.

2. No junk food.

3. Unlike the U.S., restaurant food isn't stuffed with sugar and the portion sizes are small.

4. I work out a couple of times a week at the hotel gym simply because it gets me out of this stupid hotel room without going into the cold.

5. Speaking of the cold,I must be burning mega-calories to keep warm outside. I no longer stroll. I'd be running if I didn't have to keep watch for the ice. (We've had 10 inches of snow in the past three days.)

The Pencil is on the Table

Here’s what I can say in Russian:
Good afternoon
Very well.
Please/You’re welcome (same word)
I want soup.
Coffee
Water without gas (non-carbonated water)
Thank you
Where?
What’s that?
How much?
Yes
No
I don’t understand.
I don’t know.
The pencil is on the table.
Goodbye

I can also count to 100 (with notable exceptions).

The hotel laundry representative came by my room to show me that the pair of Larry’s pants I put in for cleaning that morning had a hole. As the representative spoke less English than I did Russian, I was forced to pantomime this message:

“Thanks for bringing the hole to my attention. I don’t want the pants cleaned anymore. I want you to leave them so I can show my husband. And oh, by the way, here is a shirt you delivered to our room last week. It doesn’t belong to us.”

I either have to learn Russian very quickly or I’m destined to become Moscow’s version of Marcel Marceau.

Taylor was a full hour late coming home from school due to traffic tie-ups. He and I decided to walk over to a recommended sporting goods store to see if we could buy some warm scarves. Sportiva had a large selection of ski clothes with many Western brands. Pricing was like you’d find at a boutique on the slopes at a Colorado resort. Best of all, they had a great selection of outdoor boots, including brands such as Merrell, Columbia, and Sorrell. This is good to know as boots here do not last an entire winter. (They get dissolved by the chemicals in the snow.)

Lunch With Alec

I had lunch with Alec today. Technically, I was eating my potato skins at Hard Rock all by myself while he was burning the midnight oil on the other side of the globe. But via my laptop, I was chatting with him on instant messenger, enjoying his comments on our adventures.

No Freud

After being here almost a week, I finally rode in Larry’s car. We decided to drive to dinner last night in his brand new Volvo sedan. Unfortunately, the car was covered in snow and the windshield had an eighth inch of ice on it. Larry poured warm water on the windshield and borrowed an ice scraper from the doorman in exchange for a generous tip.

About 15 minutes later, we rocked out of the snow-filled parking place, aided by the requisite studded tires. We drove to a Mexican restaurant about 10 minutes away where I had quail egg soup and a very good chicken burrito, except it was covered in barbeque sauce. Larry says they do stuff like that in Moscow, just to keep you off balance! Frankly, I’m off balance enough around here.

Last night, I dreamed I was in a house high in the sky. The house had one wall removed and periodically it turned on that side so everything fell out. I knew this was coming so I was scrambling to move somewhere in the house that was secure. (You don’t really need to be Freud to get the symbolism here, huh?)

Handicraft Emergency

We made it to the Ismalova Market yesterday. While it takes at least a couple of hours to go by car, it's a direct 20 minute Metro route. The Metro was packed as the market also hosts a huge clothing market for locals as well as the famous souvenier market for tourists.

After exiting the Metro, we encountered a huge sheet of ice. Being old and cautious, I had slowed down. Taylor, unfortunately plowed right into it, doing a Charlie Chaplin-inspired slip and fall. He quickly tried to get up and fell again! He regained his footing, with no damage done.

The souvenier market consists of a lot of little outdoor stalls. They sold all kinds of local handicrafts: quilts, embroidered linens, wooden toys, traditional Christmas decorations, "Fabrege" egg pendents, nesting dolls, hand-painted napkin rings, carved boxes, knives and paintings. I was especially attracted to the handpainted laquer boxes which featured scenes from Russian fairytales or scenes from Russia. Of course, we also found stuff imported directly from China like Rolex Watches for US$10 and US$3 DVDs.

Taylor bought a lovely 5' by 5' wool textile for his future room. I bought a nesting doll with Sponge Bob Square Pants characters for Gabriel, Sally's two-year-old. Larry pointed out it probably was painted with lead paint.

I am not to buying any handicrafts for myself until I've lived here nine months and have developed more of any eye for quality and price. (It's not like I'll have a handicraft emergency.)

This is a great market, just as much fun as the Pearl Market in Beijing. It is a fun "must go" place for any U.S. visitors. Had it not been 19 F with a 15 m.p.h. wind, we would have stayed more than a couple of hours.

Bulgarian Bites

Instead of trudging through the snow, last night we trudged through the sleet! We walked to a Bulgarian restaurant. It was decorated like a European cellar. In Phoenix, this would have been all for effect. Here, the place WAS in a cellar.

Taylor and Larry enjoyed hearty soups while I ate a spinach pastry appetizer. The restaurant also gave us fried homemade cheese. (It was a little like feta.) Larry and I had Bulgarian wine, which was pretty good. For our entrees, Larry had rabbit, Taylor had pork loin and I had my usual vegetarian. In this case, stuffed eggplant.

For dessert, we requested an order of pancakes and three forks. Something was lost in the translation, however, and the waiter brought us three forks and three orders of pancakes. If we hadn’t been so full, we would have eaten them all. Pancakes are to Russia as crème brulee is to France. It is almost always on the menu and always good.

Small World

I didn't sleep much last night. Not surprising after my sleeping orgy the night before.

Taylor, Larry and I walked over to Hard Rock for breakfast, through yet ANOTHER snow storm. At Hard Rock, I ran into two different women I've met this week. While Moscow is a big city, the American expat community here is a small world.

Taylor told us he had had his first snowball fight. With his limited snow expereince, his friends had to show him how to pack down a snowball. A few days before, he had turned up his nose at the gloves I had brought for him. But after packing snowballs with his bare hands, he decided that maybe gloves weren't such a bad idea.

Dawn of the Dead

I slept 14 hours straight last night, waking up at 2 p.m. I’ve NEVER slept that long at one stretch. As it gets dark at 4 p.m., I had a very short day.

Last night, Taylor and I worked out at the hotel gym. Unfortunately, Tay thinks the best time to workout is right before bed. The gym was very nicely equipped and we were the only ones there. A gym membership in Moscow costs several hundred bucks a month, so we are taking advantage of the complimentary hotel facilities now.

I had planned on going to Hard Rock for breakfast to update my blog and download emails. After sleeping the day away, I made it over for a late, light lunch. While I could download, I found I couldn’t send emails because of “protocol errors.” I think it’s because I am not using a secure line. (Carol, Mom, Sharon: Don’t give up on me! I’ve written you back. I just can’t get through.)

Wi-Fi Wonderland

Taylor and I trudged through a blizzard tonight, all for mediocre American food and a free Wi-fi connection at the Hard Rock Café.

I had been occassionally buying Internet connections at our hotel, The Golden Ring. They sold cards giving you 24 continuous hours of Internet access for $25. When I decided to give in and buy one, the front desk informed me they were out! The only cards they had left were one hour access cards for $15! They will get the 24 hour cards “maybe next week.” Or maybe not. For $15 at Hard Rock, I could get free Internet and a hamberger, fries and a Coke.

Our trek gave me a chance to field test my Ugg knock-off boots. Comfy as slippers, with warm sheepskin and good traction, they are the perfect snow boot. Being an American, I could really care less that they look WAY goofy. Russian women, who are very style conscious, were negotiating the blizzard in pointy-toed boots with stiletto heels.

The snow tonight was amazing. It as as if a box of laundry detergent was being poured directly on top of you. I know that soon it will be slushy, icy and miserable, conditions that lasts six months. But tonight, with the Russian pre-revolutionary and Stalinist architecture of Old Arabat Street as a backdrop, the whole place just looked magical.

A Tale of Two Expats

Yesterday after the International Women’s Club, I went to check out a mall with two new American acquaintances. Diane’s husband is a company president and they live in a 220 sq. meter apartment (mansion-sized here) with every amenity. Ruth’s husband is studying Russian history on a Fulbright grant. They live in a Russian-style one bedroom apartment with an oven that has no thermostat. While Diane has luxury bathrooms with Jacuzzi tubs and bidets, Ruth had to buy her own toilet seat, which is duck-taped on.

Diane and her husband each have their own company-paid cars and drivers. They are forbidden to use public transportation by their company, which is afraid of liability issues. Ruth and her husband have absolutely no access to a car. Anything she buys she must lug home via bus and/or the metro.

Diane and her husband get two paid home leaves per year plus a variety of paid R & Rs. Ruth and her husband are bound by the terms of the grant not to leave Russia for a solid year. They had no shipment and had to bring everything for an entire year in four suitcases. She currently has three pairs of shoes, one of which is a pair of sandals.

My circumstances fall somewhere in the middle. Yet the three of us had a great time, looking at overpriced Italian boots and eating lunch at TGI Fridays. Bound by nationality and the spirit of adventure that brought us here, the things we share are more important to us than our differences.

Thursday in Expat Land

Today, I was picked up by a driver and chauffeured to an International Women’s Club meeting. The main event was a fashion show of fur coats put on by an internationally renowned Russian designer. Afterwards, I listened to a discussion about the best places to go in Moscow to get custom-made sable coats.

While at the meeting, I made arrangements with new acquaintances to fill out their table for the International Women’s Club Midwinter Ball. It’s $400 a couple, but Honeywell will pick it up as making these social connections is an important part of Larry’s job.

I also picked up a flyer on an antique icon sale to be held next week in the Pre-revolutionary apartment of another new acquaintance. This woman is chairing the American Club Christmas party at the ambassador’s home which Larry and I will also be attending.

Our social calendar also includes the American Chamber of Commerce Gala in December. If it’s formal, he’s in trouble as his tuxedo is in our sea shipment! (I have my new full length black velvet skirt which will do in a pinch for all of these events.)

This is half my life now: coordinating social events! The other half of my life is devoted to projects like figuring out where to buy bread and how to arrange regular water delivery.

What's For Breakfast?

Taylor and I had breakfast this morning at the hotel. Four star hotels all over the world have the same menu for breakfast. I think it's an international law. There's always a Japanese corner. There's always a European yogurt-based corner. And there's always an American section consisting of cornflakes.

Our favorite is the omlet station, where you point at the ingredients you want inside. We have expanded this by mastering the international sign of fried eggs: holding your hand out flat in front of you, slowly flipping it over a couple of times while looking at the chef hopefully.

These buffets also have the usual beverage selections which always include coffee, tea, and a variety of juices, the best of which is fresh-squeezed orange juice. There's also the cheese and bread selection, which includes pastries that look fabulous and taste so-so.

Hot plate items include scrambled eggs, potatoes and vegetables. Even though the breakfast buffet has just opened, the hot plate items look (and taste) as if they've been there at least 12 hours.

Hotel buffets do have a small selection of local specialties. As I am not yet up to dried herring for breakfast, I can't comment on that.

Also standard is the price, about US$20. Nobody really cares about that, because all of us are on someone's expense account.

Back in the (Former) U.S.S.R.

Brenda dropped me off at the airport this morning for my 10 a.m. flight to JFK. I was thrilled when the gate attendant was able to find me an aisle seat, a neccesity for those of us with long legs and/or small bladders. I was less than thrilled after boarding to find my aisle seat, in front of an exit row, didn't recline.

I had two carry-ons. One is a briefcase containing my new laptop. The other contained my passport, wallet, makeup, food, water, Palm Pilot, pen, notebook and all my good jewelry. It also contained my medical supplies of Sinus tablets, cough drops and Melatonin. Melatonin and water are the jet-lagged traveler's best friend.

Four and a half later, I arrived in New York and was checked into the Delta Airlines gate for the flight to Moscow. On the plane, I was seated next to a couple going to Russia to adopt a 2 year old boy. While they'd been working on it the past 10 months, this would be the first time they'd get to meet him. The boy was in an orphanage about an hour south of Moscow. They had to come in person for this phase in the process, but it would be another couple of months before they could return and take their new son home.

After the standard airline dinner (the reason I always travel with my own supply of food), I watched the inflight movie. It was "The Terminal," which was too cloyingly sentimental EVEN for me. I downed a Melatonin afterwards so I slept off and on until the flight attendent plopped down breakfast on a tray in front of me.

As soon as we touched down, one Russian man instantly hopped up and practically had to be forced back into his seat by the flight attendent. The flight finally stopped and we deplaned. It was a long, long hike to passport control. But as I was seated near the front of the plane, the lines were short. I only waited about 15 minutes before being cleared to get my luggage. I picked up the free baggage cart and waited another 15 minutes before my 130 lbs. of belongings scooted down the ramp. I walked through the Nothing to Declare line out into the terminal, waving off offers from taxi drivers.

One of Honeywell's drivers, Misha, met me about 10 minutes later for the 45 minute drive into town. Along the way, it looked very cold and gray. The trees had lost their leaves and I was struck by the number of decaying-looking skyscraper apartment buildings. It looked very third world. Of course, the closer we got to the city center, the better the condition and the architecture. Moscow is arranged in rings, with the Kremlin at the center. The close to the Kremlin, the more charming European buildings.

We are staying just outside the Garden Ring, very close to the Kremlin. Larry met me in the lobby and helped me get checked into his room. I had to leave my passport at the front desk so they could register me with the government, something all visitors to Moscow must do. He then went off to work.

With our multiple trips here, we now have the equivalent of seven large suitcases worth of clothes between us, all stuffed into a standard sized hotel room. It looks like I will be stacking my clothes in the oversized picture windows.

Taylor is in the room next door. He was proud to announce that he was now doing his own laundry. That means he is filling out the laundry slip for housekeeping!

CIA Goes Coach

Having to hand-carry all my valuables to Moscow, I arrived at the airport this morning decked out in a fur coat and diamonds. I accompanied them with a black sweater, cordury jeans and comfy Merril shoes.

My overstuffed duffle weighed in at 74 lbs., 4 lbs. over the limit. Luckily, I had a porter who helped me move things into my relatively svelte 54 lb. Tumi.

Larry routed my trip through Salt Lake where I was able to spend the night with my sister, Brenda, and her family. My two large suitcases stayed in the back of her Volvo while I bought overnight stuff inside in a plastic bag.

I crashed their dinner party that night where I was teased about really working for the CIA. (Do CIA operatives have to fly coach?)

Bag Lady Goes at the Resort

My last minute Priceline hotel bid of $40 landed me in the Millenium Reort last night. I had been unsure that I could get much sleep in a strange hotel room but I turned on the TV, kicked off my shoes, laid down on the bed and promptly conked out!

My only luggage are two extremely huge suitcases loaded for my trip to Moscow. As I didn't want to drag either of them around for an overnight stay, I ended up loading up a shopping bag with my stuff. I'm sure I looked like a homeless person checking in.

After lugging my laptop and my shopping bag on a long trek to my room, I discovered my room key didn't work. I called the front desk from my cell phone. They said, "We'll run a new key right over." Three minutes later, I looked up to see a hotel clerk running down the hall with my new key.

Today, I signed the paperwork for the house closing. It took twice as long as I had to sign "Larry J. Perkins by Nancy K. Case signing as power of attorney" every placed Larry had to sign. Afterwards, I went back to my empty house and waited for scheduled service people. The roofer, housecleaning service and window people all arrived within 30 minutes of each other.

After weeks of daily problems, everything went smoothly my last day in Arizona. The termite issues are resolved. Our shipment doesn't have to be delayed. All the work requested by the buyer is done. Alec and I had a lovely Italian dinner on Mill Avenue where nothing was burnt and the service was good.

I guess it's time for me to leave.

Burned by the Brulee

For my birthday last night, Alec and I went out to eat. I suggested a favorite fusion restaurant, Roxsands, a place I’d long promised to take Alec. When I tried to make reservations, I discovered they had been out of business for two years! (We really don’t go out to eat much.)

Instead I opted for Mosaic, an award-winning restaurant I’d been reading about in gourmet cooking magazines for years. We were one of only three tables in the restaurant, a place so tuned to ambiance, they request you check your cellphone at the reception area. Unfortunately, one of the other tables had a very loud talker. I wished his dining partners had been unable to check HIM at the reception area. Alec and I each ordered a tasting menu. “You understand it’s seven courses?” asked our skeptical waiter, assuming Alec and I hadn’t actually read the menu.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Alec talk about architecture and college life while we sampled the food. All of it was very good, and some things, like the mango chile sorbet, Alec’s herb crusted lamb and my Indian-spiced tofu, were spectacular.

Alec had crème brulee for dessert. He and I each had a taste and were astounded that the carmelized sugar was burnt. I suggested Alec send it back, which he did. The waiter apologized and a little while later brought back a crème brulee WITHOUT the carmelized sugar. This is like getting a chocolate chip cookie with no chocolate chips! He told Alec as he didn’t care for the carmelized sugar, they left it off!

I was appalled by his attitude. Crème brulee is a family favorite and on our last trip to France, somebody (usually me) had it every night. It doesn’t take a crème brulee expert to distinquish carmelized sugar from burnt sugar, and I should have said so. Instead, I made a conscientious decision not to disrupt what was suppose to be a memorable treat.

As my faithful blogger followers know, I have pretty much spent my entire week trying to get service people to provide adequate service. But I was more than disappointed to encounter it at a renown restaurant.

We Don't Do Laminate

Tuesday morning, after everything was packed, I got an email from the moving company with a link to import requirements to Russia. The Webite specified I provide them with:

1. Photos, dimensions, origin and acquisition date of every piece of artwork I am shipping over. (About 10 items meet their definition of artwork, including my Chinese embroidered jacket which has been crated.)

2. Photos, origin and aquisition date of anything over 50 years old. (Which covers almost all my home assessories.)

3. Serial numbers for every electronic device. (We lucked out there. Due to the voltage differences, only about 4 things.)

4. A list of each of our books including title, author and publisher. (We got rid of a bunch of our library, so I'm down to about 8 boxes of books.)

I called the moving company and told them if we needed to do this, they needed to arrange an extra day of work to unpack, help me document and repack.

In the meantime, the granite fabricators arrived to make templates of my countertops. After my conversation on import requirements, I was busy overseeing the movers who were loading up everthing I'd chosen to go into storage. As my sea shipment to Moscow is interspesed with the storeage items, I had to make sure there was no confusion as to what went there.

After the fabricators left and the movers were finishing up, I went into the kitchen and leaned on the island. My countertop on the other side went up! The fabricators had broken the plastic screw attachments to my laminate and the countertop was completely unsecure. When I called to complain, I was told, "We have to remove your countertops to measure." I emphasized it was a safety issue. With the laminate overhang on the island, someone could have the laminate countertop land on their feet. I insisted they send someone back to fix this situation.

She replied, "We don't fix laminate." I gave up and called Home Depot who had contracted with them to do the work. I couldn't believe it when several hours later, Home Depot told me the countertops had to be removed for measuring and there was nothing they could do.

The granite I chose is on a boat outside the U.S. At best, it will be mid-Decemeber before they are ready to install new counters. I really wanted to hold Home Depot's cavalier feet to the fire on this issue, but I am in the middle of moving halfway around the world. Instead I had my handyman, who was here today to do minor repairs requested by the buyer, resecure it.

This morning Natalia from Allied in Moscow called to assure me they would do the documentation/registration needed by the government when our shipment was unpacked at our apartment and I didn't have to unpack everything now.

With those two issues resolved, I got to move to today's issues. These include:

1. While Ron fixed my counter problem, he could not take care of the roof tiles because he couldn't reach them. I need to get a roofer out for an estimate immediately. As we just had a hard rain, they all seemed to be booked for three weeks. The fifth roofer I called agreed to come tomorrow.

2. While my termite company treated for termites, he wasn't sure he could give me the "all clear" certificate required by the title company because even if I have no termites, there are still old trails (from five years ago when we bought the house) which are evidence of past damage.

3. Larry told me Honeywell was still debating how to officially position him and they haven't even applied yet for his work permit. The Russian work permit takes 3 to 6 months to get. We may not be able to get our shipments in without it.

I've had better birthdays.

It's Cognac Time!

Larry called me this morning with the news we are taking the apartment on the Moscow River. Literally 30 minutes before I expected the movers, he was mentally walking me through the rooms and I jotted notes on what should go into storage for three years and what should be shipped.

Unbelievably, I now had two more items to buy: a double bed for the small guest room and a freestanding island for the kitchen, both of which must be in my house within two days.

The movers were scheduled to take all of today to do my air shipment. But after they arrived, they informed me that they'd be packing up MY ENTIRE HOUSE. Luckily, I had the kitchen and family room already divided into ground ship and storage, which meant I just had to frantically group everything else I owned, while at the same time trying to supervise the packers to make sure they got the categories straight.

They moved quickly. Later in the day, I realized every dish was packed and I didn't even have a glass to get a drink of water. I rushed upstairs to set aside clothes to wear the rest of the week, gathered up my makeup and some old linens. I put them in my bathroom, my designated DON'T PACK ANYTHING area.

Marjory dropped by to bring me lunch and to pick up the contents of our bar, which I am prohibited from shipping. Our bar has a strange mix of obscure liquores I've used in cooking, flavored rums from Larry's travels somewhere, and an assortment of leftover bottles of scotch, gin, vodka and tequilla. We also had unopened bottles of expensive cognacs and wretched Chinese wines, all given to us as gifts. We really should have drank the cognacs. But for some reason we never came home and said, "It's cognac time!"

With a sea of packing cartons, the house seems both huge and empty. I am going to take my salvaged towel and enjoy a relaxing bath. I hope I remembered to set aside some soap!

What Gets Left Behind

The movers come tomorrow to start packing my air shipment to Moscow. I am looking at everything we own and determining if I'll get it back in 3 weeks (air shipment), 3 months (sea shipment) or 3 years (storage). It's kind of a triage of your possessions.

Moving forces you to confront the fact you own WAY too much stuff. I consider eight the optimum number for a dinner party, so why do I own 24 place settings of dishes? We also have 24 crystal parfait dishes, a concert-quality diggereedoo, an antique opium pipe and all my journals from junior high (which I still find too painful to read). These are the obvious candidate for storage.

The airship has basics like linens, flatwear and pots and pans. But we're also making room for a few personal favorites. Larry put his tubular stereo on the airship list. Taylor wanted his small Tibetan rug and his glass head. I added our framed photo of our family hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Now that I'm reducing my kitchen size by 75%, I have to carefully allocate what gets to go. Eight fluted crystal champaign glasses made the cut, for example, but the white wine glasses and the crystal beer steins are all going into storage!

My beautiful gold cloissone Christmas ornaments are going into storage, but I'm air shipping some ornaments that remind me of the places we've traveled such as the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Suguaro Cactus, and the tiny Ecuadorian copper chocolate pot. I hope to supplement these with some new ornaments that will someday remind me of our time in Russia.

Nancy and Larry's Closeout Store

Alec and I went to the ASU Art Walk today. It was more walking than art. While the event was a university-sponsored art show, they forgot to tell the student artists. So Alec and I ended up walking over to the Borders Bookstore on Main Street to browse the books and having lunch at the cafe.

I had arrived bearing gifts: two boxes of opened staples from my pantry, an air mattress and electric pump and my crock pot. With our move, Alec has been doing a lot of shopping at "Nancy and Larry's Moscow Closeout Store" lately. The selection is not as varied as Goodwill but the prices (free) are better.

Later, I had a hair salon appointment. For the past four years, I've gone there every five weeks to have my hair cut and colored. But after we accepted the package for Russia, I've been on overdrive--and that includes my hair. It is now growing out after only 3 weeks. It's like I am revving my engine way too high and can't shift gears. This could also explain why I've been subsisting for weeks on 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night.

Bronchitis Boy

Larry has bronchitis! He was diagnosed by the European Medical Center, a facility serving expats, and given antibiotics. Despite my protests that he should stay in, rest and eat borscht, he plans to do further apartment hunting today.

I spent all morning on the phone, canceling the utilities and other services. After a couple of hours, I took a break and headed off to my Russian lesson. I also gathered most of the stuff I'm putting in our 900 lb. air shipment. I have to choose all the things we'll need for the next three months, the time it will take to get our sea shipment.

Mastercard's fraud department called me to tell me someone was using Larry's card in Moscow, Russia. I assured them it was okay.

I thought I had Larry's Mustang sold, but the guy never returned with his promised deposit. I felt exactly the same way as I did in college, when some boy I thought I'd really hit it off with failed to call to ask me out.

Who Needs Bathrooms?

Larry has found a possible apartment for us in a Stalin building five minutes from the Metro. It is 160 sq. meters, four bedrooms, parquet floors, within Honeywells' budget and has a view of the Moscow River! The big drawback is that it is only 1.5 baths. But as far as I am concerned, who need bathrooms when you have views!

The apartment is unfurnished. Larry says it has "Eurotrash fixtures." He has a few more apartments to see. But if he decides on a place, I have asked him for a list of what furniture I need to have shipped over. As the movers come Monday, this would be very helpful information.

Looking back over my task list, here's some of what I did today:

1. Called my termite guys to retreat my house.
2. Went to the mall to pick up Larry's new pants that were being altered.
3. Packed my first suitcase for my trip over.
4. Contacted my sister about spending the night with her in Salt Lake next Saturday on my way to Moscow and sent her a follow up email.
5. Followed up on the $5,000 expense reimbursement Honeywell owes us.
6. Placed car ads in the Arizona Republic.
7. Made an appointment with the car dealership to look at the Check Engine light on in the van.
8. Got the window company out to estimate on getting my three fogged windows replaced.
9. Got a roofer out to give me an estimate on replacing some tiles.
10. Called our handyman about other repairs the buyer is requesting resulting from the home inspection.
11. Had a follow up conversation with the Realtor regarding repair and title company issues.
12. Had a one hour conference call with Deloitte regarding overseas tax issues.
13. Gave the title company our mortage information.
14. Faxed the title company Larry's power of attorney.
15. Had a follow up conversation with the title company on other documentation they need on the power of attorney. Added that to my equally long list for tomorrrow.
16. Met Sally for dinner. We ate salads. (I tend to eat much better when I have witnesses!)

The Sunburned Patriot

I stood in line three hours to vote. The line outside my polling place was so long, I actually got sunburned! (I consider it my personal contribution to representational government.)

It's funny, but there's nothing like having lived overseas to develop a deep sense of patriotism for your homeland.

I am taking Russian lessons at Berlitz. These are 2.5 hour sessions that fly by. I think that's because you have to respond quickly in Russian. I don't have time to think. I just open my mouth and hope the Russian that comes out is okay.

My teacher, a native Russian, was a mail order bride, meeting her American husband over the Internet. Like all Russian women under 40, she is very well put together.

In fact, on Larry's first trip to Russia, he commented on how well dressed and made-up the younger women were. He also saw many dowdy, overweight grandmother-types. "There's no women there your age," he told me.

The reason is that middle-aged Russian women are dowdy grandmothers. At the age where American women are starting to consider facelifts, Russian women are donning headscarves and letting themselves go.

This is obviously not the case for expat wives. And I have the new wardrobe to prove it.

Home Alone

Yesterday, our assigned moving company refused to move me. I have a large category of items that will EITHER be ground shipped if we get an unfurnished apartment or go into storage if we get a furnished apartment. The moving rep told me they could not schedule me until I knew the final disposition.

As I wanted to have everything out of my house next week, I told her I'd contact Honeywell to find a moving company who could accomodate us. I was halfway through dashing off an e-mail about this issue when I got a call from the moving company's national office. The guy who handles Honeywell's accounts didn't seem to think my undecided category presented too big of an issue and wanted to schedule my moving dates!

Other issues I have:

1. The Phoenix warehouse, where all our storage items will go, isn't air conditioned.
2. Cigna, Honeywell's insurance provider for international employees, isn't accepted at the American expat medical facilities in Moscow due to nonpayment!
3. The granite slabs I am suppose to choose to go into the kitchen are on a boat and won't even make port until Nov. 22, long after I'm in Russia.
4. I can't get excused from Maricopa County jury duty in late November. This is even though I won't be a Maricopa County resident, or even a U.S. resident, then.
5. Our Autotrader ads on our two cars to sell haven't resulted in even one inquiry.

I'm also dealing with living alone for the first time since I was in my early 20s. I seem to be regressing to a teenager. I eat take-out chicken tenders and nary a green vegetable. I watch a couple of hours of random television every day. I haven't started leaving dirty clothes all over the house, but I'm sure that's next!

At 4 o'clock, I begin to feel uneasy because subconsciously, I have been expecting Taylor home from school. I miss quiet weekend morning with Larry, drinking coffee and chatting about stories as we read the newspapers. Here's what I would have said to him today:

"The story about the East Valley woman who poisoned, beat and then stabbed her terminally ill husband sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch."

On the Scott Peterson trial: "Is divorce so complicated that it's more convenient to just murder your spouse?"

Betty Crocker on Steroids

Sally invited me to go Trick or Treating with her children, a tradition for us. Four-year-old Sara and two-year-old Gabriel really got into the spirit of panhandling candy from the neighbors. Gabriel was especially good at putting his tiny hands into the offered bowls to grab five or six candies while his mother yelled, "Just one candy, Gabriel!"

Earlier, I had picked up Alec and his roommate, Ben, for shopping. For them, this meant Safeway and Goodwill. They bought charcoal and lighter fluid for their first grilling adventure and I hope they live to tell the tale.

I had done some shopping of my own. I filled up my shopping cart at Sam's with stuff that's not available in Moscow to put in our shipment. I bought a six month supply of whole bean coffee, vanilla, Ziplocks, baking powder, chocolate chips, maple syrup and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I felt like Betty Crocker on steroids.

Meanwhile, Larry and Taylor were touring the airports of Europe. After missing the flight to Moscow from New York, they flew to Milan where they again missed the flight to Moscow! Next, they flew to St. Petersburg where they finally got on a flight to Moscow. After more than 32 hours of traveling, they made it to the hotel.

But they didn't stay for long. Taylor got only about four hours of sleep before Larry dragged him out of bed for school. Larry is sick and taking the day off. Ah, the glamorous life of a jetsetter!