Happy August.

This is the third month I've now been in Russia for. Strange. I really can't figure out where this summer went. I get so confused when the weather is cooler now and it smells like leaves and autumn because it feels like it should still only be around the 4th of July. Weird.

Today I almost saw a rollerblader get run over by a car. The guy was crossing the street on his rollerblades and a wheel caught on one of the metal grooves in the road that is for the trams and he tripped and fell, nearly in front of a black Jeep that was making a right on red. It was terrifying, but luckily the car was too fast and he fell in its wake instead of in its path. Oy.

I went to the post office again today under the impression that I had yet another package because I was given a third package slip at school yesterday. This was a delusion though as when I got there the woman said it was a reminder slip about the package I picked up on Monday. This was the same woman though who reprimanded me on Monday for using green pen, and naturally she remembered me because of this incident but also because how many foreigners get three package slips in ten days? Before she realized there was no third package though she approved of my serious black ink on this form, but then explained to me the other thing she had been mad about on Monday but I hadn't been able to understand -- apparently I have been signing all of the package slips on the wrong line and this is a big deal in the beauracratic Russian postal system. But she was nice about it saying, "Twice now! Next time!" I guess if this rate of mail keeps up I am going to be visiting this woman a lot, so I should try to stop screwing up the package slips.

This weekend promises to be busy as it is the last full weekend for everyone who isn't staying for the fall...... so everyone except for four of us. Sunday is also the birthday of my friend Liza, who is one of the Russian Smolny students who is a tutor for the program, so I think we will be picnicking and such.

p.s. As I never wrote a journal entry on Tuesday 7/29/08, I did not get to include a HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY, GENNY! message. So, there it is. Belated.