Speechless

So I'm now entirely settled in in Moscow. I'm getting used to another grandmother - but some of her quirks just crack me up. She insists on removing my plate from the table immediately after I take the last bite and decides how much sugar I should have in my tea (I prefer to take it black....) Some days she'll let me drink it with no sugar - at other times I get one teaspoon - other days 3, even if I asked for it black. Ah Nina.

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I'm playing a lot of piano, which is making me happy. I'm (finally) getting back again to a decent level after hours of Hannon exercises. Thankfully Nina's daughter went to conservatory, so she's used to hearing a pianist practice. My goal, before leaving Moscow, is to get Bach's French Suite 6 to a state where I can at least enjoy it :) We'll see.

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But, should you be worried that I'm spending all of my time here in front of the piano - fear not! Recently, I visited the Храм Христа Спасителя. In case you don't click the link the crazy thing about this cathedral - It's massive (duh) costs over $350 million, and was finished only in 1997. The history of the land is quite interesting too. The site was originally a cathedral that was destroyed to make room for the Palace of Soviets. During Khruschev's period, the foundation of the never-built-Palace was turned into a public swimming pool (Nina recounted to me many stories of her swimming in the pool during winter... Crazy Russians.) And now, it's a church again. Ah the irony.

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We got hot water back. No more sponge baths. (At least for the time being)

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But (drum roll please) - the biggest news in my life: My Local Grocery Store Carries the Food of the Gods! Creamy and Crunchy! I just about rolled over dead. No sign of the box mom and Mims sent of PB, but guess what I'm having for lunch today!

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Lecture soon on "Russia Today" Might be interesting, but it 3 hours long: from 11-2. Could they have made it in the morning or in the afternoon? Kind of ruins hopes of getting any significant sightseeing done. But it is allowing for a lazy morning...

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to be continued...