uday37.sept27. - facebook

Facebook has a much faster photo solution than including them in my post (for bulk albums) so I'll be linking to those as I upload them. Here's the first random bunch, including my new hair cut and cats.
Random Album 1

Ukr.Day33-Sun the 23rd: more kitties

So Saturday night, when I got home the other family of cats came out to see me, so I had to go to the little 24 hour mart and buy the some food. Then the kittens chased my bracelet/hands and tried to scale my legs. Then on Sunday I left without any cat food and the original cat family was out in force and meowed at me. I'm such a sucker for kittens, so I ran upstairs and got food and a empty plastic leftovers tray. I went back down and started shaking food into the tray and the other cat family showed up, so I had 8 cats surrounding me. I wish I hadn't left my camera as well. I was in a rush to get to the office, so I left them happily munching away on Kit-e-kat food. Right before the turn to the office I hear a little "mew mew mew mew" from across the street. I look over and there's the cutest little fluffy gray kitten. I crossed the street and it immediately started following me and was friendly(most cats and all the other kittens were shy at first). This one was alone and sweet, so I gave it some food too. Another cat from down the street noticed and came over. It swatted at the kitten so I swatted it back and it behaved itself after that. I noticed it stood with one hind leg up or gingerly stood on it. Poor little kitten. After kitten had its fill, it stood in my shadow, at my feet. I wanted to just stick it in my laptop bag. It tried to follow me for about 10ft as I continued to work, but it was too slow. If I see it again on the way home, I might have to store it in my bathtub.
So yeah, I fed 10 cats on the way to work Sunday.

Ukr.day29&30:Wed&Thursday

Wednesday
So Wednesday was mostly uneventful. I brought the peach drink I bought from the store to work and it was delicious. One of my favorite things here are the juices, the right brands taste like they just threw a fresh XYZ into the blender and there you go. I shared it with many, but mainly Luke and I drank most of it. After lunch, to get some sugar, we walked to the local grocery to get more juice and candy bars (i've tried 3 of the juices so far). Some of the chocolate here, Milka, is delicious. I tried to get one with hazlenuts but ended up with a plain one, oh well. Then it was work, and I worked until I got kicked out by security so and walked home, passing through the square where the Dnepropetrovsk celebration was on the way. They had all sorts of street sweepers (trucks and people) cleaning up the 1000s of glass bottles from the multiple nights of drinking. Apparently, glass bottles are not allowed in public during holidays but you couldn't tell that from observation (cause of course, it's not enforced). I almost went to the McDonalds (it's just off camera to the left) but wasn't feeling like eating that much. I'll save it till I want one of the vanilla sundays with strawberries and nuts I remember from childhood. So for dinner, it was another canned fishies, bread, and soft cheese dinner (actually tasty) and bed.

Thursday
Thursday was more liver for lunch. Most of us didn't eat it. The previous day's liver looked charred to the max. Todays was breaded and fried. Neither were doing it for me. I've always enjoyed the daily soup for lunch, nice and hot (normally it's warm, but they nuke it hot for me). A Ukr. custom I like. I think liver has been vetoed from the menu officially. All the lunches are bought and then brought back for everyone. 90% of the time it is a mayonnaise based salad, soup, bread, and a grain or pasta plate with a meat or fish on top. It's been liver 4 times and 2 of those I've eaten it all - gosh, I feel like I'm trying to justify leaving food. Guess there's something i don't really eat, beef liver? geese and ducks on the other hand... After lunch Luke and I made our daily trip for juice and a sweet. Alla wanted a rolled chocolate and sugar wafer (kinda like a profiterole?) so we had to stop at a store that was in the neighboring building. While waiting for the treats, a lady came in and got all excited and pointed to my hair and said "yaponya" or something. I figured it was ukrainian for Japanese and said "yaponski" as luke tried to figure out what she was saying (he's been studying Russian for a year). Then I think she said he should do his hair like mine cause she liked it, and then wanted to know my lineage. We didn't know Chinese or American Canadian Scottish/Irish so I was Japanese. She continued to be excited for the 8 minutes or so it took us to leave. It was really funny. Then we went to the other store and I got Pomegranate juice (with a bulk of grape juice) and a hazlenut milka bar. This time I got the bar I wanted but the corner was torn, and Luke was like "it's fine" and I said after food poisoning once, I don't want to risk rancid chocolate, so I showed the lady and she replaced it. Spicybo I said in thanks and went back to work. weee.

I went to a georgian restaurant for dinner while the latest build uploaded. Alla and Luke were with me and the waitress didn't even offer the menu to Luke or me - hilarious. I got a traditional georgian shashlik, seasoned and marinated pork grilled on a shishkabob and then placed on bread with onions. The meat was fantastic, and the onions were great too. I'd go back just for those tender morsels of pork. The appetizer was sort of like deep dish pizza without sauce, and the other entrees were a lightly seasoned chicken wings and a through and through garlic simmered chicken wings pan. Both the chicken dishes were done well, but I would've voted for more seasoning on the lightly dusted one. After dinner, we waited for 10min to take a taxi through the rain and drop me at the office and then Alla and Luke continued on their way home.

And here's me returned to the office and using my trusty blue ethernet cable from home to connect to the network in the old creaky building and finish the build:
Here's how I took a 2hr nap while watching the upload:I scrounged up 4 irregularly shaped scraps of cloth into bedding and slept on the carpet, the raised door sill, and my handy gamefest bag as a pillow. My jacket was used to cover my chest and chin too. I woke up refreshed and ready to work some more. Go go power ranger..nap.

Ukr.day27: Hunt for the Chinese. Part 2

So we left off at Chinese restaurant #2 closed. We get back in the cab and start going to the next one..well, Regina starts talking to the guy and she stars saying "nipponski" and I ask if we're going to Japanese. She says that the next restaurant sounds Japanese and we start going through names and I'm like "japanese...japanese..." Apparently they don't have obvious names here like China Wok, Panda buffet, and Jade/Golden Dragon. After I said we didn't want to go to {backwards R}mato which is pronounced Yamoto, which I've seen and is gimicky Japanese by the river, the driver assures us we're going to a different place by the river and we get there and it's Yamoto...thanks dude. We say maybe we're destined for Japanese instead and head towards Yamoto anyway - Regina has never had Japanese/sushi and it seemed a possible start (I'd taste it first). The bright sign displaying all the rolls and nigiri looks good enough, so we go through the red faux temple gate.As we started to go down the steps and a waiter hollered up (it's 8:45PM) we're closed. The lights outside and inside turn off and I say "if that's not a sign that we're meant to eat something else.." So we go to a Mediterranean cafe near my place that Regina had been to before. It turned out both open and good:I'll do part 3 and describe the food later. I have to leave the office before the alarm turns out. The other security old guy today communicated that at desyat (10) the ceiling goes whrrrrr whrrrr and made circling motions with his arms. Awesome. gnight.

ukr.day28-first time shopping

So working late has a bad downside, everyone that speaks the language leaves and you're left by yourself to forage for cats, or food, or whatever. So last night after work I dropped my stuff at home, walked around for a couple blocks to learn the area better, and then dropped by the local mart. Inside there was white t-shirted security guy, frustrated and lost looking teller lady in a chair too short, and a line of punk and random teens getting drunk, waiting to pay for their drinks in progress. I made sure my headphones were securely fastened and proceeded into the store through a little gate system to divide the small doorway for traffic in vs traffic to the sweet sweet register land. Inside were 5 isles of old canned stuff, cereal, water, and old juice. Well, the juice I was buying was old (but the expiration date is 1/2 a year away, no worries).

I hit up the cooler first and picked out grapefruit juice. Apparently no one drinks it, so it was all dusty. Other items in the cooler were varying levels of mostly clean->dusty. Then I started the big game hunt - large water bottles. There were plenty of kiddie 1liter size, but I wanted the 6liter king size cause I guzzle water like an elephant or something. It took me a couple rounds cause they were crammed haphazardly on the bottom shelf of the juice isle, with no 2 matching. I searched for one I recognized as not having salt or carbonation and crossed my fingers that it tasted plain. I wanted bread, but the isles held nothing. There was a quasi deli/pastry counter that ran a length, but the lady looked bored and I didnt want to risk waking her up enough to start trying to converse with me. There wasn't any bread around her either. I picked up a liter of peach juice from the shelf and proceeded to the checkout. Ahhh I thought as I noticed a small wood shelf near checkout, just before the fields of cigarette options, that held breads. There were 2 or 3 white ones left so I snagged one. The foods dont have preservatives here so the placement makes sense, likely new bread every day.

The line hadn't changed so I was a little concerned as kids sat on the counter and drank while the register lady stared at the open drawer in puzzlement. From what i gathered of the next couple transactions, the price stickers were missing from a lot of the kids items and much running back and forth was needed from everyone involved. These were the first lot I saw with piercings and I almost wanted to say hi, but I was tired from work and didn't want to deal with anyone - hence the headphones. (although I've only talked with 1 person randomly - the potato house - I'm tired from work a lot and the Ukr. customs book says they like to talk forever, thats my excuse). I finally made it to the register, thank god the line proceeded as normal. I was afraid they were hanging out or, silly me, waiting for the police to get them for underage drinking. Now I know that will never happen. I made it to the register and the kid behind me put his stuff down too. the lady started checking him out and he said something like "that dude is first" so she rang my stuff up instead. She asked "paketa" as I fumbled for my money inside my way too small jacket pocket (there are 3 and apparently that one is too small for my wallet and I hadnt noticed before). Paketa is them asking me if I need to buy a plastic bag for like 5cents or something, I say "nyet" and thats all she needs, so I hand her about 4$ worth and get bread, 2 liters of juice and 6 liters of water. "Spicyba" I say as I leave, or "dyakyuyu", i can't remember. The first is thanks in Russian, the 2nd is Ukrainian. Mostly everyone speaks more Russian if they're my age or older.

I made it home and had canned fish with bread, and soft buttery cheese, weeee.Then I fell asleep with my clothes on, laptop next to me with work open, and the lights on. Oops.

Ukr.day27: Hunt for the Chinese

sept17.
So after a joyous day of battling the worldy internets to submit a game build, I decided it was time I had chinese food (I miss Monday Ming's Garden from work). Regina looked on a food forum and found 5 candidates and wrote down one that was on our street that was recommended. We get there and its dark, closed. It looked decent on the outside, other than being closed. So we call a cab and figure the cabbie+dispatch will be able to find others. We only had the name/address of this one as we thought it was surely open. I took some pictures of a cool hotel while we waited for the cab.After braving the jutting train tracks and bumps that would destroy the unprepared drivers' cars, we arrive at a chinese restaurant with nice lighting and architecture only to find the parking lot empty. I ask if it is closed. Regina runs out to check...closed. Argh!

I'll update after work (update:someday).

Ukr.Day24&25

Friday14&Saturday15
So I combined days again (I worked from Wednesday to Thursday, went home Thursday night, worked Friday to Saturday morning). We had our milestone friday which I did my best to send for 6 hours, but the internet and MS's FTP failed me time and again. AND all that work made me catch a cold. But the city loves me - they threw this massive party Saturday night. There were fireworks galore and a concert. I guess they just combined celebrate Ben day and Dnepropetrovsk's birthday as to not inconvenience the economy too much. Can't blame em. I'll write some more after work about the celebration but I didnt take any pictures as I planned to stay in bed all weekend and left my camera at work. Trash and the cats got me outside..but that's a story for later.

Ukr.DayLaundry

The washing machine was crazy complicated. I tried trial and error to no avail. When Alla and Luke came over, the crazy symbols on the buttons and dial mystified them too. It took Alla a few minutes to solve the puzzle. Theres a small silver twist valve near the toilet to route water to the washer... we still don't know what the e does. I figured out that the up arrow means more water, and the full cup image means let it sit in water until you unpress the button. Alla explained that the number from 600 to 1200 was the harshness of the spinning. I made this document to take to work and ask how to work my machine, but always forgot it. Thankfully I brought 9 pairs of pants and 5 pairs of shorts, and 15 shirts. I wasn't hurting for clothes till the day I did the wash.
So after that came the puzzle: How do I dry all this stuff. This is how, ever fixture and cabinet. The big blue hammock is the fitted bed sheet from the set Lloyd was kind enough to send me. yays!

Ukr.Day12-Part1

SUNDAY Sept 2nd.
So I still had my clock off by an hour at this point (thanks to Windows Installer and my phone not updating) and thought I woke up at 10 to go play Badminton with Lesha, Vlada, Marina, and Archung. Really it was 11 and they called at 11:30 "to let me sleep in" after they all laughed at the night before when I told them I usually arose after noon on Sunday in the US. Lesha met me at my place and then we took a train to the park. The train went through artists/painters row which is like an art market between the traffic directions on the main road through the city (trees line both sides of the walk for most of the city). I'll have to visit it prime time another day. We took the longer way to the park and walked by a church and through a smaller park with tanks and missiles. It used to have a WWII plane where the missiles now sit, and Lesha said he grew up climbing and sitting in it, but some thieves stole it presumably for scrap metal. balsy. Then we walked by more buildings, a rich restaurant and casino. He said his grand parents or step parents or something live near there and heard the bombs go off. WHAT? Apparently the mobs or whatever fight over that Casino or something. Awesome. Then we stopped by your standard drink cart n cooler lady and I picked out a drink that was green like my shirt and had a cactus fruit on the front. Turned out to be tasty. 100ft later and we were at the park for badminton.


We only had 2 rackets, so the doubles thing was a misjudgement on my part. Apparently it was too hot for the courts in the stadium, so we played in a shaded black top area, just hitting back and forth. The highlight was when Lesha and I played back and forth over a wall and hill (so we got to hit the birdie real hard). The birdie suffered a couple tears from this..oops. Apparently the birdie had been partially fixed with chewing gum to attach the head to the plastic, by Marina. It worked well. Actually, the best part was when Archung, Lesha, and I realized how gay (flamboyant gestures) we looked playing badminton (well, I admittedly look gay (metrosexual) most of the time anyway). Then we realized how funny it was to antagonize the girls who moved further away from us so we wouldn't laugh/take pictures like they did of us... quid pro quo dammit. So here is a collage of ridiculousness. Archung wouldn't play. Oh, that reminds me of soccer. that got vetoed by everyone else but Archung and me, before we arrived. So no ball =(. I brought shorts in my camera bag too.

the river. I said no, so we went to look at that. They had a niceAfter badminton was a stroll through the park. First stop was some lion statue, dunno the story there, but I wrastled him good. Next it was down the hill towards the river and to Shevchenko park (the one I'd been to before, on the island in the Dnepr). I took more pics as we crossed the bridge. Then Lesha asked if I had seen the cool church I'd taken pics of, the one on the island in little garden and a good view of the statue of Shevchenko. We'd worked up an appetite, so it was time to eat some weird Iranian burrito thing. So they had meat on a spit, like a gyro, and a bin of french fries. I was like oh, they eat french fries at the park (hadn't seen anyone with them). Nope. They take something akin to a big tortilla, slap down some meat, some shredded cabbage, some non-spicey pepper slivers, and then a handful of the french fries and cover it with ketchup, mustard, a tangy hot sauce (by request) and a yogurt. Then it is wrapped up halfway in plastic wrap (to keep the juices off your pants, duh) and a napkin. No one would go on the crazy rides with me, so we opted for bumper cars instead. I gave em a good bashing. We passed a cute little kids train like the kind I rode as a kid, fun stuff. I also noticed some guys across the park gettings excited about air hockey. Yeah, that guy is jumping up and down cheering. Lesha said he loves air hockey too, and we can play. I didnt mention I had a light table at home.

We decided it was time to move on and hit the larger park. I would later see that it was Globa park from the various internet bride sites (the only places I found pretrip pics, other than what my dad found: a japanese rocketry site that has a lot of great pics, surprisingly) because I recognized its giant outdoor theater called the "summer theater." So we walked back over the bridge and to a fountain area on the hill that overlooked the river and was about 40 ft or so higher than we had been. Speaking of brides, walking up the hill, we encountered the third wedding of the day, so I snapped a pic. Then I did the next logical thing; I put on my soccer shorts and jumped in the fountain, it was great.

And here's a nicer pic from the other direction with Marina and Archung.
After the fountaincapades, we took one of those sweet curtained shuttles I've been seeing everywhere. It was 35 cents to ride..coming up next.

Ukr.Day23:I'm all better

Yeah, so I guess maybe I have an iron stomach but not a titanium one, or whatever, cause I was sick from Friday to Tuesday. Tatyana, (again, sits in front of me), got food poisoning Monday night too. fun times. Anyway, I'm all better now, so I have lots of work to do. But I'll post again late tonight.

Regina, Lesha, and Alla n' Luke took care of me! So great! Here's soup Regina brought me from the kind cook at Absolutist

Ukr.Day18: too much dairy

well, I think the combination of dairy:
-ice cream fruit drink at Potato House on thursday
-chocolate strawberry yogurt thing @ breakfast, that Tatyana brought for me (she sits in front of me)
-1/2 a block of cheese at dinner Friday
-also a bowl of cereal and milk, yay Cosmostars (pics on monday, the ones i had were blurry =/ )

made me kinds sick. It's been about 16hours of rough sailing, but I've been able to function. I'm still holding to my claim of an iron stomach. Lesser stomachs would've not had such intestinal fortitude, or so i would like to believe.

Anyway, I'm going to update the other posts with pictures and stuff asap, likely monday.
also, I'll post each day i have internet, which should be 6 days a week.

Ukr.Day17: Absolutist is Wiidicted

So after giving a presentation Wednesday on casual's infection of core gaming, ala the Wii, the office likes to play Wii after hours. Well, after I made many people play WiiSports and Rayman Raving Rabbids while I talked.
On her 2nd try, Regina beat everyone including all my friends at home and myself in the tracing food quickly game from Rayman. Foolishly, now she didn't put her name in so it looks like someone named Plr1 won..although i just did tell everyone it was her. 602pts, argh. I'm at 592, so I just need to push a little harder - ganbattayo ben.

Ukr.Day16: Potato House dinner FTW!!!

so after we left work, which happened to be around 11pm, the cute cafe near my apt was apparently not waiting to serve us and had rudely closed. Instead, we went towards the inviting yellow-orange glow of the Potato Houses many signs. I see them from my balcony every day.

Just inside the door was a western swing gate and a peacepipe smokin' injun. Then the menu was burritos, ribs, and fruit smoothies (with ice cream). The staff were dressed like cowboys/cowgirls. After taking your order, if it wasn't doable from the salad coffin (under the spacey plastic shield) or the rotating rib spear oven machine, they turned around and bent over. Next they yelled at the wall, and then stared at it. After yelling into that little ~1ft square hole behind the pictured pensive cowgirl, the yeller than stared at the wall as if sheer mind power would conjure the hopefully delicious subject worth yelling about. What came next was worth an invasion. The item appeared in the hole, practically in their hands. It's like the Ukraine is hiding Star Trek replicator technology behind a facade of native american-cowboy-mexico-brick. genius.

As amazing as that was, I turned to find a table and saw this gem and had to make Luke (a CGA producer from Seattle who will be keeping me company, yay) pose against the wall next to our intended table..this picture says it all:

Lastly, while eating, Luke (in the picture next to the "squaw") starts looking puzzled at the wall. He says "What...oh wait, I think it makes sense, no that doesnt make sense, wait it does." I say "no, you right before, that makes no sense." Behold the border fence for the "United States of Mexico." Oh yes, Potato House you rule!

The girls behind the counter even started laughing at one point because I was laughing and Luke was laughing the whole time we were in there. They didn't understand English. That's how funny this place was.

Ukr.Day16: Kitties

My camera was dead last night, so I couldn't capture my new discovery on film. All I have to do is shake my plastic bag and the 5 cats that live outside my apt come running. It's only the fourth time I've fed them (they're not always all there either) but even the shy ones are coming close.

Ukr.Day11-Saturday, work n play

Sunday was awesome. I love the practice of work hard, play hard. So after work on Saturday, I went to dinner with Lesha and his wife, Vlada (sp?). The place was vegetarian and had really loud hari krishnas outside. Thankfully, the singers spread the word after we sat down. First we got awesome tea that I hadn't had before. It's clear, a little thicker than water, gingery and lemony. I'd definitely get it again. On the kebab was cheese and various vegetables, battered and then fried. As you can see in the picture, I didn't realize it was kebabed and ate a good sized chunk with wood. I realized my error quickly and spit out the stake. Sometimes knowing the language really helps (or could've helped). The main course was a stir fryed cheese and veggies in a tangy brown sauce with delicious rice full of spices and raisins. After that came the went elsewhere to awesome little indian desserts that I've newly discovered. The white one was really really good: a sort of white chocolate with hazelnut and toasted coconut. After that we walked back to my apt so they could see me home safely. We saw these sweet hats on the way.

Oh, I forgot inbetween the restaurant and the sweet hats, so we also strolled by the Dnepr (river). This is the area where I had dinner the first day of work. The walk from Shevchenko park was quite interesting. There are people everywhere all down the river, some drinking. Right next to the river is a lower walk with steps and relative darkness. Tons of couples and friends are there too, drinking. There was even an outdoor cafe with tables that had all sorts of people sitting in the darkness drinking/smoking and one girl had glow in the dark devil horns. After that we walked around the big glass globe and some guy was orating. We rounded the lower steps area and a small crowd, 30 or so, were gathered around some 20-22ish normal looking guy. I asked what they were talking about. Apparently he was passionate about taking back thier section of the long graffitied construction wall and that general section of the park. The people listening looked normal, it was kinda weird.
Then I saw a REPSOL Honda racing bike on the street, commented on it (Lesha and Vlada had no idea what I was talking about). We walked another 60 ft or so and the bike came literally through the bushes, well, between in a non-scratchy way, and joined a group of bikers we were walking right next too. It was sweet. I told them that was what I was talking about and they were like "oh" and looked at me like I was nuts.. come on, that's a sweet machine. Anyway, then they asked what I was doing Sunday and if I wanted to play badminton. I said sure as long as I had a date (jokingly) and they said Vlada had a sister. I said sure, whatever. We walked maybe 25 ft and ran smack into her sister, Marina and her sister's boyfriend Archung. Archung and I started talking about soccer and something else, so it was decided the next day would be soccer and badminton. Then they went on their way and we went ours, back to my place (and past the hats). We walked past a different graffiti wall that they should have been fighting over, but no one was around.
When we arrived at my buildings (no kitties tonight, even though I meowed) I offered Vlada a glass of water, which she took hot, unwittingly giving Lesha and I the opportunity to play a round of Wii boxing. After the first game he got dragged out by his ear. Vlada wouldn't play.