March 2010
48 posts
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Floor/Ceiling
blog post turned story
I was just about ready to leave when the pounding started on the door. Heavy, rhythmic, coupled with my name being shout in a heavily affected Russian accent ‘БРЕНДАН’ (pound pound pound). I opened the door.
Before me stood my downstairs neighbor, Alex. We generally don’t see each other much, we generally don’t talk much besides exchanging...
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I was just followed back to my apartment/probably...
I’ve lived in Tomsk for seven months now without any problems but I have always been warned to be wary of certain types of Russians. Actually, more like one type, the gopnik (гопник). Basically a gopnik is your low-class young/petty criminal in Russia, they usually come from lower socio-economic strata, and as a result develop into minor sociopaths.
I knew I had something to worry about as...
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José Asked Me to Return the Favor and ‘Workshop’... →
rubpawpress:
Something like a continuation of the past two posts where José and I ask each other to ‘workshop’ each other’s writing. Sort of like a bloggy circlejerk.
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Help a Russian student of English Finish her...
ex student of mine needs help with research, wants ya’ll to give the first three to four word/phrase associations you have with the word ‘rain’. GO! plz?
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2010-3-21) →
The Replacements (31)
Joanna Newsom (27)
The Dirty Projectors (23)
Toro y Moi (21)
The Fresh & Onlys (21)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
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Link: Revisiting a Poem I Didn’t Really Like, but... →
I hated a poem I wrote in November and ended up reading today for a ‘poetry contest’. This article is about what I was trying to do/why I failed miserably. on (Rub Paw Press)
Also, Post 700…..woo
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How to Walk in Siberia in March
1. Walk far enough from the street so the gross slush/water/dirt is not splashed on you by passing cars.
2. Walk far enough from the overarching roofs of buildings so that massive groups of melting icicles don’t fall on your head/break your skull/impale you through the eye/seriously injure you.
Dear Russia,
No means no, if I say I don’t have time/too much work/can’t do a presentation, the last thing that means is that you should call me again telling me I’m scheduled for just 10 minutes instead of twenty minutes. All that will do is make me angry. I’m tired of being your trophy foreigner.
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Watch[Helen] showed me these [lovely claymation films about each region in Russia] (like states in America). I’m super jealous that there’s an animation festival going on in her city right now that I can’t attend. This is the one about my region.
Also learned that Tomsk is built on the largest marsh in the world. Ha. lol. EFF YEAH BIGGEST MARSH!
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Link: Messages I Have Actually Sent To Girls On... →
rubpawpress:
could you please tell me what library of congress film features boxing cats, I think I’d like to see cats box. I wonder if it is how I imagine
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Link: The Improbable Story of a Sweatshirt →
Recently I ran into a girl here in Tomsk who was wearing a sweatshirt from Hatfield, a small neighboring town to my hometown. I wrote a post about it on (Rub Paw Press)
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WatchIt is indeed a great feeling to wake up and have a new short by Tim & Eric on the internet.
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Link: Apparently Tomsk is the Russia capital of... →
“In the snow-coated Siberian city of Tomsk, one in every five residents is a student. Information security is what they excel in. But in college corridors here, students talk of hacking with respect, even reverence.”
Funny that they talk about “Tomsk University”, because there are six universities here, all with the words “Tomsk” and “University” in...
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Link: When I Use a Beard - Special International... →
Today I am featured on (Guts & Glitter) for being a guy with a beard who lives in Russia. All of my answers are 100% true.
Had to take/send the photos myself and it made me really nervous. Worried about the lighting/what plaid I should wear. Took a shower so I would look ‘not dirty’. Think it turned out okay-pretty good.
Sometimes I read G&G in order to try and understand...
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Poland I: Warsaw/Beatbox Maracas/Wait We... →
part two in an apparently ongoing series about Keith Birthday’s recent travels through Europe. (part one here)
It was probably the most absurd thing that I had seen/heard in a while, the ‘DJ’ in this Warsaw basement bar was making a ‘shicka-shicka’ sound into the microphone in rhythm to the music, in what appeared a very lame attempt at beatboxing along with the music. At that point I wondered...
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Watchthe strongest grandma in the world lives in Dagestan (Султан-Янгиюрт). JUST LOOK AT HER RIP THAT PHONEBOOK IN HALF/STAND ON NAILS/HOLD THAT LONG TWISTED PIECE OF METAL LIKE IT’S NOTHING!
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Padla Bear Outfit - Za Belym Krolikom
This is by...
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I'm in that phase I go through every year post...
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Activist Punches Tomsk Governor In the Face →
all the good stuff happens when I’m not in town.
LEAVING НОВОСИБИРСК FOR ТОМСК ON AN АВТОБУС SUPER...
was nice to see a different city for a week, though. have more ‘conference related presentation giving’ feel more like an ‘academic’.
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2010-2-28) →
Sonic Youth (64)
Bear in Heaven (31)
Palais Schaumburg (14)
Best Coast (13)
Kosmonautentraum (13)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz