Advertisement
Published: September 17th 2006
Edit Blog Post
Toilet Design
Not that you want to see a toilet, but here is the toilet design in Russia. This will be a short entry as I need to get dressed and ready for our company's summer olympics. I am going as a supporter. My boss wanted me to lead the volleyball team, but I just not an outdoor (sand) fan to play volleyball. And I am really glad I did not agree since it is 37oF and feels like 31oF outside here this morning. I do not think my clothes will dry any more outdoors, but freeze....lol The fan on the porch is still working well, but the windows are frosted up, I guess from the humidity from the clothes and cold wind against the window so it is Fall here and soon to be winter.
For those of you that I said I would call or that I normally call on Friday, my phone went out. I was able to call my parents then called Mark and we had a bad connection so we hung up and he never called me back so I tried to call him again and the phone sounds like a phone line connected to a dial up computer. I tried using my mobile phone to then call him after we were sending emails back and forth to each other and I could not get that phone to work either. I have not tried yet this morning, but who knows, maybe all of Russia forgot to pay their bill and now none of our phones work...lol I joke but I am also have serious about it. At first I thought maybe my landlord forgot to pay mine, but then I can not figure out why my mobile phone will not work. It is strange. I think the phone is working again. Sunday morning, I can call it from my mobile and it rings, but the cordless seems to be the problem. It is in Russian so I have no idea what is saying, but I think that may be the problem.
Okay, I know this is public and anyone can read, but I just have to put it in there because it is an experience that most guys and/or women living with guys would appreciate and/or understand. Last night I had to get up and use the facility. I did not turn on any lights so with the design of these toilets the water is not very large and/or located where it is on our toilets. Being accustom to hearing the water to know you are aiming right when it is dark well last night being half asleep, I did not hear the sound of water as I went so I thought I was missing. You should then have seen me jumping around looking for the light, reaiming, etc. By the time I was done, I was wide awake thinking I was going to have a mess to find out everything was fine, but when I went back to bed, had to lay there for a little while to relax again. It may be one of those things where you had to be here to understand and/or get the humor from it, but I thought I would share.
Okay, I need to get dressed. Take care and have a great weekend for those of you reading on the weekend. I will try to post a picture of this toilet. Well I saved this so I could add the toilet and after yesterday at the Company Olympics, I have so much more to post so I will go ahead and release this one and then add one just called the Summer Olympics.
A few more observations not related to the Olympics. (1) It is amazing to see people bring flowers in to people who have birthdays. It drives me nuts to keep putting money in for flowers because we are use to "hiding" our birthdays, here it is a big thing and the hire up you are in the company/title, the more celebration. For some of the directors, you might as well take the day off, but you have to be at work to celebrate. (2) Before you leave on vacation, you are suppose to bring in a cake for everyone. I think that may be an Elinar-Broiler thing, but it is fun because there is a cake everytime someone goes on vacation.
If anyone needs a cd, and if I can find it, I will be happy to pick it up for you since they are only about $3 here. I am sure they are all pirated, but the one I just bought plays well in the cd player and on my computer. It is DJ Sammy Rise. It was not as much dance music as I thought, but it is still pretty good so if there is a title you are looking for and want me to get it, just let me know.
For a country who is so worried about being sick, people are sick all of the time. One of the things I noticed at volleyball, no one will go outside until their hair is completely dry. They have plenty of hairdriers and everyone dries their hair before going out even when it is not cold out. It is interesting. Speaking of being cold outside, I will write more about it, but it was COLD yesterday morning. It warmed up, but it start off cold!
On Friday, I stopped over and met my neighbor. Her husband was not home and she did not want to open the door, but I think she finally figured out that it was just the crazy American next door. She was very thankful for the candle and coffee, or at least she smiled a lot and said thank you. I thought they may stop over and say hello, but nothing yet. I am still glad I stopped and said hello. I also met a few neighbor kids and now they will not leave me alone. They started talking to me and I told them I did not speak in Russian and then the next thing I know I have about 5 kids there. A few of them can speak a few English words, but they had fun joking with me as we tried to find a few names we both recognized. The next time I came out, they all ran over and started asking me questions and/or say things. I think some of them were making fun, but some of them were trying to talk to me. It is pretty neat, but I do not always have time to sit and try to talk to them.
Okay, more coming tonight and/or tomorrow with lots of pictures from the Olympics and I have to tell you, I was so popular after winning put the nail in the bottle contest they had. They tied a string around your waist with a nail on your back side and you had to squat down and put the nail in the bottle and believe it or not, I was the fastest so I won a can of beer and got Elinar-Broiler a few points in the games. It was one of the fun games they had. When someone told my boss, he asked me, "So, I hear you are the fastest squatter around." I think by doing a silly game like this help the employees realize that even Directors are real.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.112s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 9; qc: 28; dbt: 0.0261s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb