i need to buy some Russian Cutie boots

yes, it's something that i balked at at first. but i have been converted. let me explain. "Russian Cutie" would be what Sam calls all young, Russian girls that look to about 20 years old, wear lots of make-up, have perfectly manicured fingernails and weigh about 90lbs. and they all wear high-heeled boots.

at first i thought this was absolutely ridiculous and impractical because of all the walking most women in this city do. the majority of people use public transport, which involves a lot more walking than is required of people who drive. and i thought, who the heck wants to walk in heels that much? but as we enter into the winter season with its frequent snow, slush, and murky, muddy puddles I have come to see that these heeled boots actually do have a practical side. it's called, "keeping your pant legs dry and somewhat clean." if you're forced to walk in a deep puddle or slush/snow that is several inches deep with flat soles, if you are wearing pants that go to your ankle or a bit below, then the bottom few inches of your pants will soak up the wetness and become muddy and then they will rub against your boots and make them muddy. and if your boots aren't completely water-proof after a while your feet will also be quite wet. now, step in the puddle with heeled boots and it's likely that your pant legs will be suspended above the murkiness and maybe only your toes will be submerged in the mush for a second or two, which shows itself to be a much drier solution.

now there are two main varieties, and i will say that i am NOT inclined to get the first sort. those would be Stilletto heels and/or 5-inch heels that look completely contorting and abusive to feet. this first kind of Russian Cutie boots must have been designed by someone...(borrow a line from and episode of "Friends")...who "hates feet and wants them to die." these don't look practical for any reason. and especially not when the sidewalks are covered in mutiple uneven layers of ice, half melted, then re-melted, then covered with a thin layer of snow to conceal all the dips and pockets.

now, the other kind of boots - one with a reasonably sized non-contorting heel of a few inches and considerable thickness for grip and balance...this i can handle. i wish there was an option for Russian Cutie boots with metal spikes on the bottom, because THOSE i would totally wear. maybe i should start designing shoes...

family

these are some pics i haven't posted yet of me and my parents at the airport before i left the US to come back to Russia last month. i showed these photos to Eric shortly after i came back and told him, "these are my parents". He said, "oh, they look so young!" i told him that i thought they'd be very happy to hear that. but i forgot to tell them and just now remembered, so i thought i'd tell the blog world first and they can just read it along with the rest of you.

several of the reasons Sam thinks I'm a nerd...

i baked pumpkin pies for the Thanksgiving Dinner ALM had for all the teachers and students. (this is Tanya, one of my former students. she came over to help me bake)



my killer baking skills (and my dad's pumpkin pie recipe), won the ALM Thanksigiving Dinner Cook-Off. i was so excited! and i got this:





and well...ok, i admit it. i like puzzles.



also, the sheer fact that i took photographs of these things means i will probably have to see him shake his head at me tomorrow.

these are just a few in an ever-growing list of criteria that my husband uses to try to make himself feel like less of a nerd himself. takes one to know one. =)