when i first found out that i got this job, i posted on facebook asking for anyone with any friends or connections in moscow. one of the first people to respond was my friend rachelle, a fabulous musician in nyc. she connected me with her friend varvara, a music producer and club-owner in moscow. it was her club's 4th anniversary last night, and she invited me to join. i dragged along a few italians, a couple russians, and a canadian with me and we had a BLAST. the club is less a dance club, more like a 30's style jazz club. it's a restaurant, and bar, and i think a small theatre, all decked out like a swank 30's jazz club in chicago...this is moscow's version of the green mile! beautiful art deco lamp shades, black and white tiles on the walls, cute tables and cafe chairs, hazy amber lighting. it was gorgeous. and so chill. free champagne (i drank a whole glass!!! SHOCKING. but i did. the bubbles bothered me a little, but i felt obligated, on my first real "night out" in russia, and at a new friend's anniversary party. and then i had a whiskey...way more my style. :) there were old BW films being projected behind the stage, and a fabulous jazzy band played - all american oldies from the pre-WWII era, and some after. the singer was fantastic. and, get this. in the band, there was a clarinet, and, wait for it....a BASSOON! a bassoon. in a jazz band. in moscow. life could not get any better. we danced for hours and everyone was dressed to match the theme...20's and 30's chicago...there were flappers, and bow ties and lots of sequins and headbands and one girl with a tiny hat! so fun. here are some pics. The club is called Masterskaya, which i think means something like "craft workshop." anyway, it's a very cool place, and if i were going to run a club in moscow, this is pretty much exactly what i'd do. a place with live music, good food, a great bar, a small theatre, and everything looking like a sexy 30's jazz club. pretty fantastic.
the poster on the left is the advertisement for the party (the name of the club is the word in quotations...and right below is the description of the theme of the party..."chicago 20's and 30's"). my friend varvara looks pretty much exactly like the woman on the left, too. she's very stylish. and i won major points with the team for knowing her and bringing them to the party. go me!
this is the stellar band. note the BASSOON on the right. and he's wearing red and black leopard print sunglasses. you're beyond cool when you can rock a bassoon in sunglasses you could get at claire's boutique.
behind the bassonist is the bass-player...on an acoustic bass. again, what the russians can get away with...
this is us on the escalator down to the metro...from the bottom are sara (italian), diana (russian), julie-anne (canadian) and lorenzo (italian). we got back to the hotel around 1:30, at which point lorenzo invited us to his shared suite with sara for a nightcap. when we all arrived, he was boiling water...for pasta...that'd he'd brought from italy...with olive oil and parmesean...that he'd brought from italy. he asked us if we wanted any...my response was "um, of course!" when an italian is cooking pasta and asks you if you want any, you say YES. i'm making some fine friends over here. :)
tonight, anne and i went to the ballet! it's not the bolshoi, this ballet company didn't throw acid on it's artistic director, no, it was a "lesser" ballet company, but amazing nonetheless. the ballet was Anna Karenina, and it was just as devastating as the book and movie. an amazingly detailed and beautifully choreographed performance. very modern, but obviously heavily influenced by classical ballet. gorgeous. and then we went for thai food! the restaurant was called...big surprise..."tai tai!" tripled as a hookah lounge and karaoke bar. most everyone was smoking a hookah (we didn't indulge), but the only people singing karaoke were the karaoke dj's. so was kinda sad. but the food was good, and it was nice to have some spice (well, just a bit for me obviously), and some different flavors to meat and bread and potatoes.
this afternoon brittany (canadian working in operations) and i struck out to find a cafe near the hotel. we lucked out, and sat in a sunny window drinking espresso. was quite relaxing, and felt almost normal! tomorrow i think we'll do some more exploring, maybe even go to the movies!! that will be a great accomplishment if we can figure out which cinema plays movies in their original language, get ourselves there and buy tickets. never thought it would be a challenge to go to the movies, but it is here.
oh, and since it is officially international women's day, here are some pics of how it was celebrated in the office yesterday:
some of our male colleagues greeted us with bouquets of flowers for all of the women!
said flowers at my desk.
then, i walked away from my desk for a meeting, and returned to find this! they had come around with a cart of champagne and tarts! oh, and all of the video screens in the office took a break from showing ceremonies past, to show all kinds of cutsie, girly things...like montages of couples kissing, and hello kitty, and the 20th century fox logo but with the words replaced to say "girls spring here" and videos of flowers and springtime. i could have done without the videos, but the flowers and treats were nice! a very fun day all in all.
this is my "official" desk sign. it's got the official sochi 2014 look and feel and font! i love the patchwork. i might just have to buy a jacket with that pattern on it...
ha ha! and this is a typical sight on the streets of moscow. this was found on our walk to a grocery store for lunch...yes, there are plenty of modern vehicles around, but on almost every street, you see these guys. and some of them are still being driven around! would scare the crap outta me to get in one. this one looks like it's there for good. this is the soviet car retirement home.
this is just for fun. can you tell which fast food chain this is??
off to bed now. big hugs to you all back home. miss you tons. xo
The answer is WENDY'S!!!
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