Wasps, Extra-Long Movies, Etc.

A wasp just flew in through the open window of our bathroom and landed on my back. I managed to get it off and squish it before it could sting me, but now I've got the willies. I really dislike wasps.

In other news, I just watched a two and a half hour long movie called Assa, and attended the discussion with the director, Sergei Aleksandrovich Sovolyov. The movie was released in 1987, but takes place during Perestroika and involves a love triangle between a powerful Soviet bandit-type, his young girlfriend, and an underground musician they meet while vacationing in the Crimea. (Sergei Aleksandrovich explained that he essentially wanted to make a Russian-style Bollywood movie which, according to him, involves little more than a love triangle and a lot of singing and dancing). The movie is very slow paced but artistically beautiful. All the best classic Russian rock bands played the soundtrack: Akvarium, Kino, DDT. There are these weird scenes showing the assassination of Pavel I back in 1801 for some reason, and other scenes that also seem out of place. But I really enjoyed the overall effect. Especially if you like early electronic music, and especially especially if you like it Soviet style, you should rent this movie. It's been released in the US, so you can even watch it with subtitles!

I'm trying something new this week: I'm getting up at 5 every day and going to the gym in the morning instead of during the day. It's worked for me so far, although I'm only two days in. I just feel so much better when I work out in the morning, rather than during the day, and I feel less rushed to get stuff done after lunch.

Grammar is still eating me alive. I keep reminding myself that it's going to click one day, I just have to keep working at it and be patient.

The mosquitoes are also eating me alive.

I missed the Political TV Shows club this evening, because I didn't think I could stand to watch any more TV after the film, but I'm going to try to go next week. Tomorrow is the Russian Songs club, which I quite enjoyed last week. Currently we're discussing the folk singer Yuri Vizbor, who I think is awesome, and way better than Vladimir Vysotsky, who was more famous, but couldn't seem to tune his guitar (see YouTube for proof, and watch all the way to the end to get the full effect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1Jfx7FM3r0). Musical subtexts were one of the ways people were able to express their real opinions about political policies and goings-on, and it's fascinating to pick apart seemingly simple songs and learn more about what lies beneath.

Hope you're staying cool, wherever you are, because right after my birthday it got hotter than blazes here, and humid too. Ahh, reminds me of home.