During my walk around downtown Moscow today, I discovered this billboard. In tribute to this awesomeness, I present lyrics of Iron Maiden's Run to the Hills in Russian:

Белый человек пришел через море
Он принес нам боль и страдания
Он убил наших племен, он убил нашего вероисповедания
Он принял нашу игру за свою необходимость

Мы боролись ему трудно мы боролись ему всего хорошего
Ушли на равнинах мы дали ему ад
Но многие пришли слишком много для криийский
Ах, мы сможем когда-либо быть бесплатными?

Верховая езда через dustclouds и бесплодной отходов
Галопирующей над равнинами
Чеканки redskins обратно в свои дыры
Борьба с ними на их собственной игре
Убийство за свободу ножом в спину
Женщины и дети, и трусы нападение

Пробег на холмах баллотироваться в вашей жизни
Пробег на холмах баллотироваться в вашей жизни

Солдат-синего цвета на пустоши отходов
Охота и убивать их игры
Насилуя женщин и мужчин, теряя
Только хорошие индейцы являются приручить
Продажа них виски и занять свое золото
Рабство молодых и уничтожая старые

Пробег на холмах баллотироваться в вашей жизни
(повторять до конца)

I wanted to translate this translation back into English, but there are hardly any errors, except that "Пробег на холмах баллотироваться в вашей жизни" translates back into "Mileage on the hills run for your life".

I have a bunch more photos that should eventually be geotagged. I'll try to get them ready and share them too.

Labels: adventure, Iron Maiden, moscow, photography, russia

Twenty-four hours, three beers, 27 subway stops, several Soviet monuments, one hitched ride, and one fanny-pack later, I am about to pass out. For serious. I couldn't sleep at all on the flight from JFK to Sheremetyevo so I watched The Host on my laptop and read DMZ Vol. 4: Friendly Fire and a little bit of Flight Vol. 2. After arriving at the hotel, I showered and passed out for a little bit, and then went into Moscow to do some touristy stuff. I got some good photos but, like the ass that I am, I forgot to bring the USB cable that connects my camera to my laptop. Therefore, it will be a little while before I can share them. Also, Baltika is a good brand of beer.

Labels: adventure, beer, comics, moscow, russia

I feel as though I've taken on too much responsibility this week. I bought renter's insurance, Alstom is shipping me off to Moscow, CCCP for the week of April 13, I made a claim using said renter's insurance, and bought a nice suit at Macy's.

The events concerning the insurance and the toilet reference in the title of this post boggle my mind. I signed for a policy Sunday evening, which I did not previously have, and this morning the toilet backed up, flooded the bathroom, and leaked into the unit downstairs. For serious. Having the foresight to get the policy is just as much an act of God as my crapper rejecting its breakfast. Consider also, that the affected neighbor downstairs enjoys listening to Christian rock in the early morning and late evening, praying out loud, and crying while he does so. He also talks very loudly on the phone for hours about how much he loves God and how his passion makes him a better person than folks like me, who aren't Jesus freaks. Act of God, indeed.

I am excited about going to Moscow. This adventure will include a lot of firsts for me:

• I've never visited a non-English speaking or non-Spanish speaking country.
• I've never flown for more than about four hours.
• I've never been so far from home.

To clarify that last statement, I've never traveled farther north than Toronto, farther south than Belize, farther east than Puerto Rico, or farther west than Las Vegas. That said, I can only imagine visiting Moscow for work related reasons because it really isn't relevant to me. I certainly respect and appreciate the city's history, but it's a history to which I don't belong. Furthermore, Moscow seems closer to nowhere than I'd travel to for the sake of traveling. I'm also nervous about the trip because it seems like the folks at Alstom's Russian branch are counting on my expertise on piping analysis. I'm told that I am supposed to answer their questions. I wonder if they have any idea what they are in for.

I hope to take plenty of photos with my new Holga in Moscow. In fact, I hope to take one of a Volga. I will consider the trip wasted if I do not achieve this goal.

Labels: adventure, god, holga, insurance, Lofts at the Mills, miscellaneous, moscow, religion, russia, toilet, volga