twenty-something years of "what have you been up to?"

Month: December 2010

  • soviet style

    One of the things I have gotten to this holiday season was to do a mini-exhibit of these vintage soviet postcards under the premise of office decoration. I made garlands and we look really popular, like we got over a hundred Christmas cards. As a bonus, it's a mini art history lesson of fifty years of amazing Soviet art. Because nothing says Christmas like a Christmas tree on the moon, the Kremlin star on the top of your ahem, New Year's tree, (there was no Christmas here, remember?) or Santa on a rocket.

    Vintage_postcards1

    Vintage_postcards3 
    Vintage_postcards2 

    Russian8 

    Russian2 
    The Ambassador's wife really enjoyed the display, since it ends up she's been collecting vintage cards at the flea market Ismailova until her hands get too cold without gloves to go through the cards. She brought me all her duplicates. I'm touched and kind of thrilled.

  • freeze

    DSC_0741
    Every day Stefan crosses a day off his homemade countdown calendar, not counting today to make Christmas seem sooner. "Today is Chirstmas Eve Eve Eve Eve," he tells me.

    The days are swirling past like snowflakes and I'm dazzled by all the sights–the lit up Urkraina hotel, the Christmas tree on the embassy compound with the Russian White House as a backdrop, the stunning dacha-in-frost sets last night at the Snowmaiden ballet. I want to knit a hat like the costume, I want to keep figuring out Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring on the guitar, I want to listen more closely to the new Pink Martini Chirstmas album, bake merange cookies, call my mom. Appreciating Stefan's anticipation makes my time slow down to his for a second and lets me think I can maybe do all that. And still shop for stocking stuffers for Camille. 

    As much as I adored going home for Chirstmas last year, this year snuggling into Moscow's Chirstmas spectacular feels like a gift. Watching the wind roll the snow into a cloud and blow it across the windows, is like a show. Getting in the car and seeing Moscow go by through windows frosted over in a million sparkly stars and flowers, it's like an effect for a movie.

    Christmas is New Years here, and the holiday goes on for eleven days afterwards, they are just getting geared up. I still want to take photos of Red Square and see the Diaghalev window displays at GUM. I need as many Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eves as I can get.

  • how was your weekend?

    Spaso House Christmas party followed by Ikea followed by buying the prettiest fresh Christmas tree.

    Xmas_spaso_pcast

    Xmas_spaso_piano

    As a favor for me, Stefan learned to play Hark the Herald Angels Sing, which he calls, "Gloria" like the Van Morrison song. Here, he's playing the Ambassador's piano. A new lego set bribe may or may not have been involved.

    Stefan hedged his bets by telling both American Santa and Russian Santa his Christmas wishes. I feel like mine have already come through.

    Xmas_tree

  • not russian roulette

    Moscow Bingo Red

    Moscow Bingo Green

    I ripped off Amy Rupple's idea for Portland bingo and made these for these Moscow bingo cards for the holiday season for the TWIM. Not that they are holiday in any way, I just wanted to make something that would be like a present for the community. I hope my limited audience–English-speaking kids riding around in the car in Moscow–enjoy them. You have to come up with your own game pieces, Amy Rupple says, "Use gum!" Or maybe those kopek coins no one seems to want.

    I don't have to tell you to click for the full size version do I?

    Are we to Sergei Posad yet?