eggs, bombs, and other cool things on the internet

I guess I could post about really interesting, deep things.  That would work.

I can also whine about the -30 weather, the bombings in Moscow (URGH!), and bus ticket prices.  Basically fast-forward into old-age, blog-stylez!

But I like to talk about me, being the narcissistic, self-loving (and redundant!) creation of North America that I am.

Well, I recently got a few things published (thanks to my awesome Editor-in-Eggness, Cassandra!) and I’ve been over the moon about it (especially after receiving copies in the mail, thus solidifying its realness factor).  The editing process can sometimes be lengthy, but when you finally see your work “out there,” well, it’s pretty darn exciting.

First, it was a piece about fielding weird interview questions in t.o.night, then it was the oh-so-lengthy-piece-that-I-thought-would-never-end-but-did-and-I-was-sad-about-it about working in healthcare in Canada on TalentEgg, and today it was about the realities of job-hunting in the electronic age (also on TE)!

To be honest, I feel like this is just the beginning of a long, ever-widening road of struggle and success. I love writing, I love perfecting my skills, and I love succeeding at both.

RANDOM SEGUE CUZ I FEEL LIKE IT: I went shopping on Sunday and bought b-e-a-u-tiful clothes that even my mother approved of (ladies, if you impress a frugal lady with your cloth, be happy).  I never post pictures of clothes because I don’t have anywhere to take pictures of them, so… that’s kind of an SOL moment for you guys.  Needless to say, they’re all very classic, and maybe I’ll post a picture of myself wearing them eventually (if my narcissism ever overcomes humility and my o-so-humble nature).

In other news, I’m getting business cards made up by my WICKEDAWESOME friend Katrina for TUTORING – yes, ladies and gentlemen, after my hiatus from the working world ends (end of the winter term in April) I’m going to start tutoring little children (and perhaps not so little) in the language of the world.

This can either end in absolute disaster, or frantically wild success.

Guess which one I’m hoping for?

I actually think it’s a pretty sneaky move of me, since I’m good fantastic with kids and I love English (and its grammar, from now on at least). I’ve also been up to other sneaky things, but all will be revealed in due time. (Hehehe.)

As for some shout outs, because it bumps up my good deeds of the day mark (and because I’m obsessed)… I’ve been reading a lot of the Fab Files lately, because well.. not only did she graduate from York, everything she writes is interesting and well-written and a lot of it is ABOUT writing, which clearly strokes my curiousity-bone. She’s currently searching out the best and most promising journalists for her students (!!) to take an example of, and I encourage you to comment if you know of someone worthy!

My second and last bloggerific obsession is Hugo Schwyzer: a feminism professor in the States that is so well-versed that everything he says has that queer quality to it that it instantaneously changes my mind about whatever opinion I thought I had before I read his posts.

SEE?

I can do good things for other people (although the rise in traffic from my meekly blog post will be close to nothing, I like sharing the things I read with the people who care enough to read me!) and forget about myself for one freaking second.

-Arina

a fat brown man runs the clubs up in here

I usually have an excuse ready for you guys, in case I don’t write for like, more than two days in a row.  Something really lame like ‘I was out, y’know, totally living life.  And all that jazz.’

Fun fact: did you know that jazz comes from the word jizz? Because jazz first used to be played in black brothels back when they it was still an underground musical movement and there was a lot of jizz.  Jizz=jazz, got it?  I’m totally serious, and even though my white English teacher taught me this etymology, I’m not willing to double-check it via wikipedia for your reading benefit because I like that story more than I would even if it weren’t real.

I’ve actually be up to a few cool things lately.  I went shopping with a friend of mine from U of T .  PEE ESS, this is like the 4th result I got after I googled “I hate U of T” :

Cool, huh? I especially like the bitch fight at 2:59. Also, the fact that his rap name is Z-ro could stand for so many culturally relevant things, like for example “ZORRO”.  Or, “zero”, as in “you’re a hero, not a zero” like from Disney’s Hercules rap.  Or perhaps he’s a loser version of Zorro.  The readings of this piece are never-ending.

Anyway, “actual prison footage”, I walked around so much on Monday I think that instead of getting blisters, blisters just grew a body (mine).  Ie, it’s like all the communist Russia jokes that everyone loves so much, but seems to have misplaced lately in their comedic vernacular – You don’t get blister. Blister get YOU!

So of course, I went to Old Navy and bought myself some $5 child-labour-encouraging relief.  And boy, didn’t it feel good!

Shopping ended up being fruitful but not overwhelming, something that tends to happen to me every now and again, when the sheer volume of the things sold in the store just clobbers me over the head and I pass out because of anxiety of wanting to try everything on but knowing that I don’t want everything but STILL want to buy everything. Oh, brain-washing advertising…

In the evening I made it to a film called My Perestroika at the Toronto HotDocs film festival at Cumberland Cinemas.  (Little note:  Cumberland is a wicked ass street in Toronto that you should all frequent.  Often.  Even if you, like I, cannot afford to buy even coffee there.)  Anyway, so my long-known friend M joined me for the screening and holy CRAP I was blown away.

Firstly, I must clear some issues up about my bias.

1. I am Russian.
2. This movie was made about Russians.
3. I like this movie.

This is a totally unpossible-to-disprove theory, and I’m pretty sure some guy like Plato taught it very importantly when he was alive in who cares when, and then Descartes and Bacon and all those fun kids.  ANYWAY

So this movie: it’s basically everything I remember from my childhood in the 90′s from Russia.  As you all know (you don’t unless you’re my facebook friend and you can see when I was born), I was born on April 24th, 1990.  In August ’91, as Ms. Robin Hessman very vividly shows, tanks rolled into Moscow.  My father was working at a bank that day, and a building next to his was hit and destroyed with one of those tanks.  He was like, 24 at the time, and I had just turned 1 year old.   I’ve heard all of these stories from my own parents, but it’s incredible hearing these things on film, also.

The contrast of communism, where people’s childhoods are bathed in sunlight, stability, and happiness to the adulthood of post-communism, where all of a sudden there was no bread, no meat, no eggs in the stores, and people had to wait for hours upon hours to get basic foodstuffs, except for vodka, which you were given 2 bottles of per person per month.  My grandfather just recently recounted how he had to wake up 3 hours before work in order to stand in line to get me my milk when I was a baby.  I am a child of this change, and I always was.  While I’m not plagued with the inconsistencies in society that historics and politicians blow out of proportion, I’m also curious about them.  They haven’t seeped into my blood to make me some anti-communist crusader, that’s for sure.  Everything I’ve heard about it from my family is positive (more or less), and the fact that this film takes in the negatives of it and shows it to audiences is incredible and reassuring.  Nothing was ever just positive.  But memories are always brighter than the present.

People couldn’t vote for the Communist Party, but they didn’t and couldn’t vote for Medvedev either.  This practice is becoming much too overwhelming.  Iran, Russia – where next, Canada?  Whose votes do count?  Where are people listened to? Cared about? Consulted?

The point is that this movie brought up many fantastic things in my mind. It made me feel closer to my heritage – a feeling I treasure because I often feel like the best-adapted immigrant Canada has ever seen.  I experience doubt in my nationalistic beliefs and my devotion and representation of Russians through myself.  It’s like I’m not the best example for Canadians to look at and go – hey, look, a real Russian person, with all the trademarks.  I mean, I know that’s stereotyping etc, but other than my face (albeit, a rather large gift from the motherland) I know very little about the things Russian Russian people know about.  I don’t know the names of many movie-stars or singers, I haven’t read the most important literature (shame on me, I know – but admit, it’s daunting to even begin, sometimes!), I speak well but not at the level of my peers and more.  I realize that it’s healthy to adjust to your habitat – that’s always what they taught in wilderness training at school in grade 8, when we did that stupid pioneering unit again (And again and again and…) – but I feel like I lose out on important things I should know.  It makes me incredibly sad.

However, this movie made me see that people really aren’t that different from each other, and that the stabilization I’ve received here has made me a happier person than some Russians (when they we’re not laughing, or drinking, they we always look so hopeless, don’t they we?)  But even apart from that – there is some sort of thread.

We make the same apple pie.  The same simple apple pie.  And I bet their apartment (the couple in the movie) smelled just like my grandparents apartment did.

It’s a good feeling these things bring up.  And I’m so epically glad that I finally went.  Maybe I’ll try to find another one to go to this Sunday before they all go their lovely ways to other world festivals. But you guys (if you live in/near Toronto), please, go see one of these documentaries.  They will totally open your eyes and stun you.  Who knew movies could actually be helpful and interesting and informative and touching at the same time, without having Hollywood stamped on their bare behinds?

I did!

Now, you do too.

Here is a picture of my pretty little guineas! I’m pretty sure I haven’t posted this before, because I kept on promising to, and, finally, here they are, little cutie patoots!

Ocya (Autumn) on the left and Klyusha (Klutzy) on the right.

Fin.

-Arina

you’re winning me over baby, now ’bout that cash

I get daily emails concerning two very important things: poetry, and recipes.  Today’s recipe made me gag.  I will not eat anything poached unless it is an egg.  The end.  As for the poem, I found that it was quite insightful.  I remember reading it a while ago in class and loving the rhyme and the evilness behind it.  It also suits my current state of mental torment.

Here for your reading pleasure,

“A Poison Tree”

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I water’d it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Til it bore an apple bright;
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole
When the night had veil’d the pole:
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretch’d beneath the tree.

—by William Blake From Songs of Innocence and of Experience

No, seriously, it’s amazing how epic this poem is.  It’s so cute, too right? He always had a feeling for good rhymes…. Tyger, tyger burning bright, in the forests of the night…

As for the rest that concerns me, (or you, for that matter), I went shopping yesterday and bought some wonderful things that are definitely winning me over to Zara’s side of the fence. I mean…. I bought a polka dot shirt that has a monkey on it wearing a top hat and saying “Je suis chic”…. it makes me die.  The skirt it goes with is also fantastic – it looks good, the price is good, it’s practical, affordable, beautifully made and matches everything. I’m not too sure about the other shirt I bought with shoulder ruffles… it looked fantastic in store but out it looks a little silly.  I’ll either have to tame it with something, or learn how to wear it in an un-silly fashion.

I wish I bought sandals too, but I must pace myself.

Also: never underestimate the beauty and allure of a nude lipstick.  Seriously.  It softens your entire look.

Today, studying… of course.  Tomorrow, final exam.  The day after tomorrow? End of the world.

Seriously. Unless Jake Gyllenhaal saves us all.

-Arina

self-indulgence, meow meow meow

Two things:

for twitterers, you will all know that I have recently purchased a pair of beautiful boots and I am SUPER excited, even though I used my own credit card for it.  Because see, a few months ago I was a credit-less 19 year old girl.  NOW I can get into at LEAST $600 worth of debt within the month.  I don’t live as nutsily as that, because well, I wouldn’t be able to climb out of a hole that big, much less make enough money to build steps out of it in order t0 get out.

I'm pretty. Look at my laces. It's like I'm happy. But better.

See? Doesn’t that make you feel better about your day? It does me.  Also, on SALE.  Hello. I just hope they fit now.

2nd Thing: I made Spaghetti and Meatballs according to this recipe today, for my fam jam, as per usual.  It took me a lot longer than they prescribed because I kept having issues with my frying pans and because my meatballs were EPICALLY giant, they were impossible to fit into one pan, thus extending cooking time, making me frustrated, and causing a general eruption of salivating hungerness from my family.  This is illustrated below.  I also made some Brownies, which I’m not too crazy about since I usually don’t like sweet food like that, but prefer more of a myriad of quick sweet treats.  But, they’re all well and full of chocolatey/sugar content goodness.  Enough to make your heart AND your stomach hurt. And isn’t that really the point?

It would eat me if it had a face. Or a digestive system.

Overall, when I make a good dish I feel pretty satisfied with my day.  Tomorrow, studying/shopping with the boyfriend.  I’m excited, I need a few things (ie. a hundred) for spring….. and I’m kinda flush full of happy wallet things (cheese), so that’s definitely tempting.  I’m not very good at curbing my excitement for spending all of my hard-earned money.  CLOTHES.

That’s all.  That wasn’t really informative or anything important or even interesting,

but I DON’T CARE.  MY BLOG, MY RULES.

Shoes and Meatballs.

Hmm… that’s a contender to switch it up from Russian Ramblings, non?  Oui?  Comme-si comme-ca?

Also, I wish all of the wonderful people that take the time to read my posts would comment.  I know you come here! I see the page count rise and rise and rise (ok not really that much, but enough) and nobody ever says anything .  It’s like a sadder version of cyber-stalking…. like Facebook without the face.

The best thing about blogs is that you can comment on them, isn’t it? I mean, maybe my writing’s just not exciting enough, I don’t know. Or I don’t have a “writing niche”…. but I can’t! I’m interested in everything, even though that’s not always represented well here…. which is my fault, I know.  I… just.. comment…. please?

Sadface.

-Arina

Christmas Shopping was Invented by Demons

Hello all you christmas elves and such!

I’m sure you’re wearing a “santa hat” as you read this.  Or if you’re not, please contact me and let me know that real people still exist in this world.

Today, after my second exam (Rhetoric? Really?) I went to wake up my lethargic boyfriend from his christmas break sleeping-in glory and drag him to what I thought was going to be a fun time at the mall.  Oh, how very, very wrong I was.  In fact, this comic from Cyanide and Happiness describes what I feel Christmas shopping is:

It's believed they removed it when Jesus was born.

Anyway – it was horrific and I am now tired, and possibly never shopping for new clothes again.  In fact, apart from winter coats, I might just give up on getting clothes all together.  Because I mean seriously, have you guys SEEN the malls?  Recession what what?  Did I hear you mumble something?  Over there in the distance, affecting only people that work in the automotive sector?  Apparently Canada is going by the old standard of “If we ignore it, it will go away.”

We’re obviously spending like ignoring the recession will make it burst into nothingness.  However, I’m not even fully convinced the economic downturn is even happening, but there’s a high chance that that is because I have a strong, radiation-strength aversion to anything business/economics related and therefore know nothing about it.  Ever since high school.  I can’t really explain it, it’s just kind of how I don’t like people making sloppy noises with their mouth.  I stay away.  Maybe that’s wrong and I’m sure when I have to make REAL money (as opposed to the monopoly money I am paying off my debt with right now) I will be more interested in that shit.  As of right now, it doesn’t concern me, as long as my father doesn’t loose (lose?) his job and go into a deep depression.  But, if anyone can enlighten me on some of the stats, I would actually thoroughly enjoy that because I am quite lazy and don’t know where to start appropriating the proper information for a good opinion.  It is certainly not the internet, nor the old drunk men at my bar… so who?

So, as long as that doesn’t happen, I am fine and dandy.  So, again, I am freaking staying the heck out of those malls! They’re CRAZY with a capital HOLY SHIT.  I am buying art supplies and we are making cards and art together with my baby sister (she’s 8, and therefore kind of a bitch already, but calling her a baby both makes HER pissed off and me remember the good old days when she didn’t know how to speak).  That is all.  I still expect presents from everyone else.

Ciao. Arina.

PS. ONLY ONE MORE EXAM THANK THE TREE GOD.  (Okay, I take that back becuse it’s a science exam.  So that wasn’t very nice, tree god, not very nice at all.  In fact, I’m going to stop capitalizing your name.) (Forever.)

EDIT:  Also, Christmas music!

So, so, so, so, so, so true. Is it really necessary to bring out Christmas lights/music the day after Halloween?