Time Change

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I forgot to post when I arrived back from Germany, we had time change while in flight so we are now 8 hours ahead of Eastern time zone again. It was not so bad for me, but Misha had to wait at the airport an extra hour for me. I did not realize it and my tickets did not adjust for the time change. I remember the captain talking about time on the PA, but I did not understand it and never put one and one together to get two. All is well, but just wanted to let everyone know we are now all on Daylight Savings time.

Not much else to report. I am flight a cold that I think I got while on vacation. The red eye flight home definitely did not help, but I think I got enough sleep on Sunday with my nap and then 10 hours that night, it helped get me over the edge. I am still heading to bed early to continue to help me recover. I also think I am going to give volleyball a try on Thursday. The doctor said "Let your back tell you when it is the right time" and I continue to feel better. I just like the physical exercise as well as the smiles from the team when I try to say "Good evening" to them in Russian.

I am not sure I posted it, but some interesting cultural things. Men always shake hands with the other men, never the women or do the women shake the other men's hands and you always do it when you first greet/see the person for that day. So you have to remember who you have met and if you already shook hands. In a formal meeting, you will also shake hands when you leave. I am not sure if it is right, but I will also shake hands with upper ranking ladies in companies. I did not pay enough attention as to what other did, but I thought it was only appropriate. I do not know it as fact, but it seems women hold even less high ranking positions than in the US.

Another interesting fact, everyone always has their father's first name as their middle name. Depending on son or daughter's first name, the middle name changes slightly, but the base is always the same with a slightly different prefix depending on the gender and/or name. So two brothers would have the exact middle name based on their father's first name. It is sort of interesting.

Signing off so I can head to bed. Take care and I hope you are having as nice of weather as we are here. It is running in the lower 50's here with sun. All of the snow is completely melted and the flowers and trees are starting to bud. No blossoms yet, but we are getting close. From what everyone tells me, we are about a month early, which does not hurt my feelings. I see on the weather report it is suppose to get cooler again next week (40's) but still warm for what I expected.

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Comments

[Margaret]

Middle names
This was an interesting tidbit. My granddaughter's middle name is Lezah, after my mother's first name which is a God awful Hazel, only spelled backwards. My nephew has his fathers name as a middle name and his son has my father's middle name for his middle name. I didn't know we were doing it but I guess it's to honor thy father/mother. Many times a married woman changes her name to her husbands last name keeping her last name as a middle name. Hmm. I think this is just trying to keep your own identity while conforming to cultural ideas.

[Gale]

Glad to hear you're feeling better and the weather is being cooperative. It is nice here in Louisiana at the moment, low to mid 60's in the morning and high 70's to low 80's during the day. We had a few thundershowers midday but it warmed up to 75 by the time I got off work. A few more weeks and then it will be hotter than hades again with the awful humidity, but that's the price you pay for a mild winter and early spring. Take care.