My Russian Page: cyka! давай...

Ignore the title:  I suck, and need to practice, which is why I am making this page.  I realize I've already forgotten things I used to know, so maybe this will help?  I reviewed almost 90 pages of Russian For Dummies while I was in the car, and it half disheartened and half re-motivated me.  Now, Cyrillic or no?  Pain in the ass to keep changing fonts....eh.  I'll just wing it.  Here's the very first Russian I learned.  Songs and movies are definitely the way to go, especially to help with pronouncing and listening.   I've never tried to learn a language outside of taking a formal class before, so this has been pretty messy, in many ways.

My Baptism by fire:  NP's "Good-bye, America":  I painstakingly translated it, including learning the Cyrillic alphabet, word-for-word, learned how to pronounce the words (sorta!) by singing along with the recording, and got hooked.  I am happy to see that now I would be able to translate large chunks of this somewhat more easily than last year, if it had been given to me cold.

This line still throws me in the 3rd stanza: мне стали  слишком малы--the best I can do is something like "will is much too small for me?"  I hear that Stalee-mali combination in other songs, but don't understand it..  Some of the multisyllabic words I would have never gotten, and won't remember without more repetition.

One thing I'm trying to remember is to say a word  (словo) its consonants, with less lip and tongue movement--I think that's what Russians mean when they say their pronunciation is "softer"  (in spite of the throaty X sound), and why they seem like they are mumbling to us Yanks.


когда умолкнут все песни
которых я не знаю
в терпком воздухе крикнет
последний мой бумажный пароход

гуд-бай америка оо
где я не буду некогда
прощай навсегда
возми банджо
сыграй мне на прошанье

мне стали  слишком малы
твои тертые джинсы
нас так долго учили
любить твои запретные плоды

гуд-бай америка оо
где я не был некогда
услышу ли песню
которую запомню навсегда

To translate ( I don't feel like doing a word for word translation):  When all songs (long unknown) are silenced, my last paper boat will shout: Goodbye, America!  Where I will never have been.  Your banjos play for me as we part. I've lost (outgrown) your jeans and the forbidden fruit we were taught to love.  Good-bye, where I will never be again. Will I remember your song forever?

Something like that.

Next I learned, fittingly,

 я не знаю  (I don't know)

знаю  (I know)  and learned, like with Italian, you don't need the pronoun
(and, how to conjugate the present tense of this verb--you know-знаешь, he knows- знает)


хорошо/ ий ( good, pretty, all right! ) I'm still not sure when to use the second ending, so I always go with the first and hope for proper correction..
плоха /ой  (bad, badly)
очень (very)
не плоха (not bad)--probably the best thing to say when someone asks how you are?

как дела ?(How are you doing, how's it going?-)-I actually heard of the next word first, but had such a hard time pronouncing it..I put this first.   дела  is a conjugation of the verb to make or do, and works in Russian very much like the Italian verb fare in usage, so that helped me.  There are more similarities to Italian than I would have suspected.

здравствуйте/ здравстуй  (How are you?)  This one almost made me quit because I couldn't say the formal version for so long--still always say it with hesitation, but I notice in movies, songs I hardly ever hear it--hear Zdrastee instead, which is hard enough for Yanks.  "Zdrastee, Mama..." or Zemfira sounds  like she's saying "Zdrastoy, Mama.."(??)  did I mishear?

извините (Excuse me)
простите  (Sorry..)  Not sure if these two are interchangeable ??

мне пора (I gotta go..)

молодец  (Way to go, good job, etc)

понимаю (I understand)  easy to confuse with помню (I remember ) I put them here together to remind myself!  Ponimaesh, then, would be "you understand".
не понимаю (I don't understand)

я не могу  (I can't--I am not able)  For old English speakers--this word is pronounced like the old cartoon, Mr. Magoo::))))  And  я хочу- (I want) sounds like you are sneezing:))


BTW--Beautiful (and horrid) thing in Russian!  No verb "To Be" in present Tense!  Also no articles to remember :p Italian... Must be horrible to learn in reverse.

 девочка смертb (Dead girl)--eh, Russian.  Plus I learned this from AK.  The vowel pronunciation on the first word threw me for awhile, but I think I have it?   CMEPTb is a fun Russian word to say.
девушка--the difference throws me a little--is it an age difference or does it have more to do with a romantic girlfriend.  Maybe both, I think from context?

я вуду там ( I will be there)   Russian does have future for "be".  Another AK song.

давай ("Let's.." or Give..)  One of my favorite Russian words...very useful, apparently, as I hear it everywhere in songs and movies.   Again, like Italian andiamo.  used for good-bye?  Let's go, let's do..whatever.

как (like, as, how)  The variance makes this word sometimes hard to translate, especially when it is frequently used with other Russian glue words like TAK, TO, KTO, TOT, TYT, TAM, and with endings like OE.

тоска без начала  (misery without beginning)  AK--also could be "longing"--even better.
тоска без конца   (misery without ending)


ад (hell)
пока (bye)  Double it for bye-bye. Also prashanee-y  Good night is Spokoinoy noche ( спасибо, Serg!)   Oh, yeah, I forgot I learned that word early, too!

четыре (four)  Again I am grateful to AK for teaching me the hardest one first, then the others followed: один два три четыре пять шесть семь восемь  девять десять

For some reason 9 and 10 are hardest for me to remember, but I have this dumb golf mnemotic for 9--make a dye-viet (divot) on the 9th hole.  Then 10 follows easier because it seems to have a Latin based root.  My favorite number to say, though, is одиннадцать--which looks horrible but is fun to say, like shiteree:   odeen-nut-zut.  (I think that's right).   So whereas the teen numbers in most foreign languages usually drive me crazy to remember cos they aren't according to the pattern--what is it? undici in Italian?  I can remember the Russian teens because of my favorite odeen-nut-zut.  Also, it helps that Anthony Burgess called his teen slang in Clockwork Orange nadzat, for the russian words for the teen numbers.  I learned  several Russian words from CO.  Everyone knows, I think, he got Horrorshow for the Russian word for good, nice, and of course he famously had his Droogs  (gang/friends).  I have trouble remembering 20, though.  It's двадцать  (dvaht-tsuht).

Which leads to this differentiation that was a little confusing:

дpуг подруг/a другой дорога дорого:   (friend, girlfriend, ...but those words also mean something like "each other", "the other", a more alienating meaning?  And the  last ones mean road or way, which often seems to be used metaphorically in music, and the 3rd to last means dear, costly expensive--like Italian, again, caro.  I often hear variations of these words doubled up in songs   (sounds like dorooga -droogie or droog- droogoy or something)  and have not yet completely fathomed the meaning in that.  Expensive friend, dear friend, friend way, dear, important, expensive road?????

Later--pretty sure droog-droogie means together....

что  (what, although I think in some context may be "that"?)  You hear this word all over the place in Russian movies.  But it sounds more like "shto".  кто is who. где is where, and for some reason is easy for me to remember.  по-чему is the existential why? Which always messes me up because it looks like it would be pronounced nochemee to us westerners, but it's pochemoo, of course. потому-что is the universal answer: because.  That по  is an important little syllable that is in a lot of phrases like saying "in" a particular language: по-русский.  It also comes in front of a bunch of verbs and has something to do with perfect past tense--which, if it's like Italian has to do with permanence.

товарищ (comrade, mate) : I learned this one early and use it frequently to piss people off, esp. Red-baiters.

ничего  (nothing)  Is a word that for a while drove me a little crazy--mostly because again it doesn't sound like what you'd think.  In fact, it took a bunch of examples of reading song lyric translations, of remembering the tendency for O to sound more like Ah--that the G letter is transmutable to other sounds before I realized the word I kept hearing as Neecheewah or Neecheevah was actually ничего.  It looks like it would be pronounced neechee-GO.  ARRGGGHHHhh.   And consider how many times you'd hear the word" nothing" in a Russian punk or post punk song, or the existential movies I've been watching...plus, I just learned this is often used as a common response to "How you doing"? and other small talk.  It means so-so, that's all right, or never mind, whatever...again quite common.  I'm ready for it now!

I've learned and forgotten, lots of Russian nouns from a grammar book:


мальчик (boy) дочb/ка (daughter) дом (house) ключ(key) книга(book) хлеб(bread) карандаш(pencil) шляпа(hat) вода (water) студент(student) комната(room) письмо (letter) шутка (joke) море (sea) зеркало (mirror) весна (spring) лето (summer)  осень (fall)зима (winter) день (day)  ночь(night) час (hour) кровь  (blood) год, лет (year--but I'm pretty sure they are not interchangeable.  What I'm thinking is the first one is like , the year with date like the year 1983.  The second , perhaps is age?? 24 лет))? улица (street) рук (hands)  город (city) человек(man, people) жена (wife) муж (husband) земля (land,earth) поезд (train)женщена (woman) молоко (milk--also learned from CO) глаз (eye--in hundreds of Russian songs) кухня (kitchen) гостиная (living room--hard word for me to remember),мир (world).
I was so excited when I watched Brat II and could read some of the signs in little Russia in Chicago--a bread store!!

The ones that stick with me best are ones I've heard in songs or movies!  Here's a good sentence I learned from a song in a movie (фильм,кино):

ему не нужна американская жена:  (He must not have an American wife).  I said this to the father of one of my graduating Russian speakers, and he laughed.  And corrected me--he should.

Learned some Adjectives from songs:


чёрный (black--as in black moon)--if I'm in a hurry I tend to forget the н so I don't forget ый))
молодой (young--reinforced by CO)
новый (new)

сумасшедший,  безумный (Both mean crazy, not sure the difference but suspect the 1st has a more positive connotation--I hear it in movies more--in the context of say, crazy kid wildness, fun)
сегодня , завтра, вчера, утро  (today, tomorrow, yesterday, morning, in order)

дура--stupid, or jerk, and maybe a more insulting meaning, like asshole or dumbass--I see it translated that way when the Russian taxi-driver is swearing at traffic in Brat II, and also in one movie I watched called The Vanished Empire: a pretty good movie about Moscow rebels in 1973.  They are trading good Russian books for Rolling Stones and Beatles' albums on the black market in this movie:  the holy grail is Dark Side of the Moon.  Duraka is a card game 4 of my Russian students tried to reach me, which I really liked, and wish I had time to play again, since I'm usually decent at cards.   The point of the game is to prove  who is stupid.  You really have to concentrate on what's going on.  Myshkin and Aglaia play a game translated as "Fools" in The Idiot.

сколько?  How much? Сколько ето стоит?   How much is this?  One of the tourista things to know, I guess, but practical to know.  If I ever go.


завтрак  обед   Breakfast.  Dinner.  two words I've yet to use, but put here cos I think I should know. Also, perfect examples of how Spellings and sounds po-Russkiy don't always compute--first should have the "v" but doesn't (its "f"--this is common in some words?),  and here a is o.  2nd pronounced ah-byeht.  Who'dda thunk?

у меня болит живот  I have a stomachache.  Something tells me this phrase will be of value someday, esp. with my stomach.

I am really bad about not knowing many Russian verbs, although I get the general principal of how they are conjugated, even in past and future.  It's much easier than Italian.  It's the roots I don't know, although I've been exposed to a few more--some of these I remember better than others, again the ones you tend to see in songs like "love", "kill" (sometimes together!) or listen.  The ones you'd think I'd know, like read write, teach--I keep forgetting:(  I even keep forgetting the word for teacher, male and female..even though it has the seeming connection to the word for read....


идтй (went) This is some irregular conjugation, and the rest is too complicated for me to remember--there's a whole chart on my Sartre page---with the verb for to walk.  I'm not sure which form this is--i copied it from my grammar book--waste of time??
это  This is not officially a verb, but often takes the place of is in present tense, since there is no is.  Actually it's "This" or "here", so you say "это Ivan"  or This is Ivan --or --Here is Ivan.  So I put it here to remember...
слушать (to listen)--in movies a lot -"sloosh...davay"...
обeдать (to dine)
работать (to work)
мочь (to be able)  but irregular!!
любить (to love)
убивать (to kill)
желать  (to wish)
есть  (to eat, to be, to have?)
говорить (to speak)
видеть (to see)
учить  (to teach)
читать (to read)
писать (to write)
думать (to think)    therefore, "I think..." is думаю--useful.
ходить  (To walk)    хожу  I hope this is right for "I walk to school every day"-- (I fixed with help):----------------------я хожу в школу  каждий день


заткнисb  (shut up!)  Russian kids taught me that one--hope I spelled it right...

Aug 19,2013:
xaxaxax.  Got my subversive teacher buddies to say "Tovarisch.." to each other as we pass in the hall.  The CCC club.  Cekret Commie Club.
Little hope for me expanding my Russian through students this year.  I only have one, Ismail, lazy as dirt, an 8th grader, I think.  Today I told all the ESOL kids on their classwork to write me a word in their native language, plus an English translation.  Ismail writes смол :table.  I said, Ismail, isn't the word for table :стол ?  And with a "y" for chair? He starts arguing with me that it's what he said...but, I say, look, you wrote an M, not T.  He tried to play that's how you do it.  I looked up Ishmail's word later in my PycckNN dictionary--it is a word.  It means "resin".  So for the rest of the year, for Ismail only, I'm gonna call the table "the resin".  xaxa.

Aug 25:  Mea culpa to Iсмаел:  No resin---good thing I hadn't said it yet.  Cursive Cyrillic T's look like M's.  One of my good Russian friends explained to me.  My Bad.

New wishes: Не хворай,  a very good Russian friend has told me this several times recently.  With my blood pressure elevating, I need that.  I means, Do Not Fall Ill.

Sept 7: Doch b-day!:  My Russian learning chances increase--Artem, a new guitar enthusiast, (picked a beautiful little Ibanez acoustic that somehow looks like him--plays nice! good taste for a 13 year old!) sweet little cherub who hangs out with me almost every afternoon.  Taught me Russian for fingers, pick! (Medyetor--not sure how to spell it--that's what I heard--reinforced I should say  F-f-f-chera for yesterday.  Xopowий malchik.!!

But my best Russian teachers are still Agata Kristi--агата кристи---Come on, that even looks cool, doesn't it--all their logos are tuff.  Today I was back on the Opium---опиум--especially the Xarri Krishna song--the first one.  Maybe I should post the lyrics.  Here's just the chorus--the rest of the song didn't say what I thought it would--stuff about unrequited love and jumping off roofs (khrisha)--  and there's only a little good for English translation here, but I love to sing this part:


ХалиГалиКришна ХалиГалиРама                      Khali Gali Khrisna, Khali Gali Rama
ТралиВалиКрыша Где ты будешь завтра          Trali Bali Khrisha -Where will you be
                                                                                  tomorrow?
Где ты будешь завтра Тута или тама                 Where will you be tomorrow, here or
                                                                                  there?
ХалиГалиКришна ХалиГалиРама                     Khali Gali Khrisna, Khali Gali Rama

I could put all the swear words and insults in here from my Dirty Russian grammar book, but what's the point?

Sept 21:  (fall is here--finally but only in the letter in Fl, not in spirit).  New Russian speaker Nikita, on my trip, in Drama.  Taught me the verb touch --although at first I thought it was one of those drog/droga/drogiy things again.  But I misheard--it's with a T--trogayte:    That is--Пожалуйста, не трогайте--it was a sign in a museum, on an old musical instrument.   I got through pojalustya ne on my own, but had to ask about the last word.  Later?  Kicked out, already.

Sept 30:  maybe I'm finally sorting out EE's and i's and iy's and ye's  pa-Russkiy?  Or getting a little closer:
Preee-viet, not priveeyet.   Eesveenedye, not eezveneedee.  Prosteet-ye, not Prosteetee...but plain prostee is easier, and common.  Some of my sources might be steering me wrong?

I've been working through ways to come by Cyrillic convertible devices. Originally, I was using this website called Apronus, which is pretty inconvenient.   You have to pick and peck with the mouse-ugh. Then I was sent a translit.ru keyboard which is better, because you can type Western letters but they come up Cyrillic, if you know which ones convert to what.  Most are pretty logical:  S for C, for example, R for p.

Then, I sort of accidentally (sluchina?  That's a pretty cool Russian word, I think) figured out how to convert the keypad to Cyrillic on my I-phone, then panicked for about 15 minutes when I couldn't figure out how I did it... to change it back..you know, after you do it, the commands are now in Russian!! But, I figured out it was just a one button press (the little globe thingy?) that switches it back and forth.  I googled how to do the same thing on my Mac Air, but I'm afraid to do it, cos if I mess up, I'm afraid I won't be able to easily go back--and I need the damned thing, damn it!  blod, blin, pancake, whatever the Russkiy swear is...

October 22:
когда-нибудь я приеду. к вам-- Someday I come to you.

Ommmm.  I just found this most intense Russian workout website.  My lord, it was hard--
I did it for maybe 45 minutes, and realized, once again, my pronunciation is just plain for shit.   I ALWAYS guess the wrong syllable to emphasize.  In theory, according to this website, I learned about 25 new adjectives and 25 more phrases.  I don't really think so...I DID get that Russian adjectives are usually about a foot long, the male versions generally end in iy, and the feminine in Ya or C-ya..that's the backwards R thing.  Supposedly I learned the words for sad, ashamed, happy, surprised, excited, tired, angry,nervous, worried, disappointed plus phrases that NEVER used the same variation of the word.  I think this website , called busuu or something--got it through open culture--is just trying to scare me off.  I got 100% ,but who knows what I remember?  Just that more Russian words than ZDravsvu'tye have consonant traffic jams in them.  Jay-sus.  Makes когда-нибудь я приeду к вам seem easy that is for sure--rip that one off my tongue, man!!  I've been playing with the baby words here..

Here's a sampling of what I learned--no longer can pronounce w/o the online voice crutch.  Let's see if I can match.  Also , I took this from google translate to cheat time on talking, and I notice they vary the endings rather randomly--can't request m or f, I don't think?  Lookee them big suckers!!  (Followed by my guess in italics--that's the part I'm best at rather than pronunciation--which I'd rather be good at!!)

стыдно (shame) удивленный (surprised) печально (sad) разочарован (disappointed) возбужденных(excited) устал (tired) беспокоиться (worry/ied) сердиться (angry) счастливым (happy) нервной (nervous-m)---ok.  That's a good indication of what stayed with me.  Not.

Oct 28, 2013:
Today I learned, in Russian:  colors.    Things to do with the house (already knew some, like rooms, etc, but learned better pronunciation?)  Things we do everyday. Married. Single. Old. Young. Thirsty.   испытывающий жажду (male). Hungry. голодная I will post the actual words when I am less tired--hard day.жаль--a pity, sorry.
а ты? And you?

Oct 31:  Worked on all the numbers, to 100.

Nov. 2:  Finally got brave enough to add Cyrillic Кириллица to my Mac keyboard options..look at that!  по-Русский!!! and back.  What I have been dreaming of, except I can't find the image of the virtual keyboard, so I'm trying to memorize where the letters are in addition to every other damn thing.  In the systems preferences, it gives two versions of Cyrillic, plus a phonetic, but I took the plain one.  I wonder if the other is the one that correlates more to Western letters.  I still have the .ru keyboard on my   toolbar for Safari , so hopefully it corresponds.
Nah, that's no help, but the Apronus one seems to be the same.

Nov 4:
So, I just drew a little keyboard with the cyrillic and western keys--on a piece of paper, and taped it to my laptop.  The DIY queen.

Nov 6:  Trying to unscramble these words in my brain:  тоже  долга доже може  (is that even the right ending? I know those last two have others..)  will check later and add meanings when I'm home in my castle of Russian books.    Ok, here is the book answers: тоже (also, too)  долга/долго (long--there's also длинный-for measuring?) дожить (to live) может (he, she, it can).  See, знал(а?), I had the wrong endings.  

another thing--- I think I'm starting to get one of the "soft" things, just by listening while seeing it written out--that -Tb thing--at the end of infinitives , for example.  It's like you say the expectorant , but mostly close your mouth so only very small amounts of air come between your lips.  It's not like saying a full Tee sound, where air blasts out between your bared teeth, with your lips open.  Instead, your lips touch--it's literally like a cross between a t and b--if you can picture that.  If I'm hearing it right.   almost like t plus p. Or a muted "ch" throughout the teeth.

My new favorite Russian song, with some words I recently learned, like rain ( Дожд) :

Человек и кошка плачут у окошка,
Серый дождик каплет прямо на стекло.
К человеку с кошкой едет неотложка -
Человеку бедному мозг больной свело.

Доктор едет-едет сквозь снежную равнину,
Порошок целебный людям он везёт.
Человек и кошка порошок тот примут,
И печаль отступит, и тоска пройдёт.

Quick translation : Man (Человек)  and Cat ( кошка)  are crying at the window--fittingly, the window is crying too.  The rest talks about an ambulance, the poor man with a sick brain, and a doctor coming with a healing powder.  I don't really want the healing powder, but I like the idea that I need it.
И печаль отступит, и тоска пройдёт:  "And sorrow depart, and longing will walk by".

It's a great song that starts with melancholy Montmarte-ish accordion, but jolly, smiling singing, that builds to hot, hot danceable jazz--swing style.  Amazing song , from Стилаги ( знаю-- I can't read that either in italics: Стиляги: (translation Hipsters, or Swingers or Stylistas,  Fashionistas : not quite the same as the common American meaning)--these guys were 50's proto-rock rebels.

Confusion?   Дожидаться ( and shorter itterations that look more like the rain word--means "wait", but so does хдать ?  And about ten other words.



Nov 21:  Did a Russian lesson on school stuff today---some of the words I already knew, like знать, писать, понимать, учитель, учительница  (do they still make that distinction, cos it's so much easier to remember the male version--I always forget the н!! )  What new words stuck?  draw? рисовать? экзамен? Exam.

Nov 24:  These words are starting to stick in my head from repeated use-- мне нравится (Translates: "I like", but I think it is in passive voice the same way you say Mi piace---"it pleases me" in Italiano.
живу  "I live".  Good it is starting to stick cos these are sorta different endings than what I know.
находится:  (is located, to find)---we would say the bank is,  the house is, the library is--so this takes a little extra thought with translating.   Oh!  one more thing I've worked out!  Those -ся verb endings are pronounced -"sah"  not "s-ya" like I once thought.  For once it is easier)))!

Two I mix up and need to get straight when I hear them:  Денги (money)  and Жизнь (life).

Dec 8:  Up to the "shopping" lessons  (купить).  To shop.  Sometimes you put покупить for some reason I can't fathom the difference.  Maybe something to do with permanence--that seems to sometimes explain?  Shop for clothes одежда/и etc.  Small Shop=лавка, slightly larger is магазин, like where you buy табак, then there's the супермаркет.

Dec 23:   Знаешь, знаю more than I can ever explain.  And less.

Jan 8, 2014:  Today (Сегодня)  Я учила (I learned) как  (how) водить (to drive)  машину (car) в Руссии

Jan 16, 2014:  Back on boring Geography---remember….um…нечего…….no, wait!  gulf!  залив! 

Jan 19, 2014:  Я учила как to go on a date по-Русский…Я хочу  купить цветы или шоколадный конфеты (если Я парень), и не есть чеснок!!!(((((  Oddly in this unit I learned the word for blind --слепую  --as in "blind date--date is like the  CVdanya in Do Svadanya "до свидания (Good bye, to our next meeting, perhaps, translates more literally?  Everyone's heard this one.

But now I realize "слепую" (I understand it now by sound!)  is in the classic (anti-soviet?) Nautilus Pompilius song "Chained Together"..  In my thinking this song's popularity may have helped to unchain the ol' CCCP.  Blind trust, faith, something--failed.  Wow.  LATER:  Nope.  I am totally wrong again.  The word I was hearing was actually "цепью," (entire, whole). Well it has some of the same sounds.  I eat crow again! But, c'mon, it's awfully close!

знаю, it must be painful to watch, for anyone who cares...


Jan 21:  Pissed,pissed,pissed!!  All my favorite Russian movies seem to be gone from VK:  Brat, Brat II,  Стиляги...I'm going to have to break down and buy them somewhere.  They're on Netflix, but you have to order them thru the mail(((((((((((((( CYKA!!

Hah:  Russian Verb conjugation page:

http://www.russianlessons.net/verbs/

Jan 24:  Latest lesson  --for taking care of baby (ребёнок)--even learned word for drooling!?  слюнотечение--hopefully will never need this word!!

More to my liking, words about movies! пойди в кино (go to the movies), субтитры (subtitles), звуковая дорожка (Soundtrack)  режиссер (director).  Now I'll know the credits!

Jan 26:  Absolutely breezed through the Russian music lesson: even did it while talking on the phone to my super-chatty  sister--if only everything was this easy!  I already knew most of these words (like гитара)  plus most of the rest were words you only had to know the Cyrillic letters (инструменты), and the hardest ones were easy because they were funny ( a bassoon is a фагот!!) xaxa for juvenile English speakers like me.  This is where listening to music (музыка--I've known that word since my very early Nautilus listening days Два  years ago ??!!! really, it's already been 2 years!?  I should know more by now!!  Also this lesson reinforced сейчас (now)  and a new word раньше that you use in the phrase I used to, he used to, we used to, etc.  This lesson also had one of my favorite Russian words for singing: барабан (drums, so much better than the English word--onomotapoeic!!)  Also, I already knew the verb играть ( to play).  ETC.

Jan 27:  Boring lesson, sorta easy--sports and the Olympics--most words were very similar to English--too boring to even add here.  Athlete is споптсмен, for example.

Jan 29:  All about weddings, marriage, etc.  A few words I already knew or could guess:  Невеста- bride (спасибо--Мумий Тролль!)  подружка невесты- (right ending??!! hope so--means bridesmaids), церомония- ceremony, банкет (banquet, reception).  New words: Кольца- (rings), жених- (groom) брак (marriage ) свадьба (wedding) свадебное платье (wedding dress) пожениться ( to get married) обрученный/ая (engaged) подвяска (garter).  Enough!

Jan 30:  A lesson on marine life: yawn.  морские животные  (Sea creatures), морские черепахи (sea turtles) медузы (jellyfish), that sorta thing.

  But, for some reason, today I am remembering to record some random words I've known for awhile from sheer repetition, etc.  смотреть (to look) кофе (coffee) сигареты (cigarettes) чай (tea) вечер (evening) свет (light) богаты (rich) ---there's probably dozens more lodged somewhere back in my brain.  It's starting to come, and I think even my pronunciation is improving a little --excepting extremely long verb formations and other foot longs.  In fact, the other day when I was having a test, Артём asked a question about how many he had to answer. I said, "Все!"  and Исмаел sniggered at him and giggled.  Art then translated for the Vietnamese kid in front of him:  "she said, all…"

Also! I found Stilyagi   on youtube again, this time though, bonus!  with English subtitles!  I haven't watched it with the benefit of subtitles in maybe a year?  It really helps a lot--in fact, it now gave me a remembered word (someone told me, long, long ago..)  чувак--dude!  I should remember that one because of Chubacca in Star Wars--who definitely doesn't speak Russian.  I just decided to buy it on Amazon, with subtitles.  You can turn them off, too.

Feb 3: Last night did more food words пища.   Stuff like веган, вегатаринтц, нестрогие вегатарианецы (semi/not strict vegetarian) животные продукты,(animal products) молочные продукты, (dairy products) злаки,(cereals) бобовые, (legumes) семечки, (seeds),  холестерин, cholesterol) калории, (calories)

Stilyagi came in the mail today--now no one can take it away from me.

Feb 4:  lesson on going to the doctors:  different kinds of doctors , tests--funny one is аналез мочи- urine test, образец мочи-  urine sample.  Most of the doctor's names are sort of easy/phonetic to English equivalents, but with -олог  or -ист  at the end, like окулист, for eye doctor .  But better, I learned the phrase Не за что (it's my pleasure), from someone online.  More useful, I hope!  Не хворай!  Next was the pharmacist's--

This amused me a great deal about the pharmacy( аптека).   The way this website I'm learning from works is this: It gives you a bunch of vocab words on a topic, then a dialogue to translate using those words, then it gives you a short writing prompt to answer in the language you are learning.  After you write it, native speakers who also use the website correct yours, and later I have to correct others in English.  Sorta cool idea.

So my prompt said, по-Русский, What can you get at your local  pharmacy?   So I answer, На мой аптеке, я могу купить лекарства, сигареты и конфеты. Wow, the firestorm that caused among the Russian correcto-crats!   First the smart-asses all corrected me saying you can't buy cigarettes or candy at the pharmacy--to which I replied...my local pharmacy is in США  (Russian abbreviation for USA, if you don't know), and here you can!! Plus  алкогол!  Well that started a parade of comments like I've never gotten before, most saying that the US sure is a strange place. xaxaxaxaxa.


Feb 7: The Dentist's?? Разве??   Christ, I'm not just bored wit the USA..how 'bout Russian meds?  This made me feel stupid, because I did the test a bunch of times, but could never get them all.  The sentences were just too complex, but, mostly I feel like they were overly hard words I'll never need to know.  (??)

But..watching the Olympic opening ceremonies and feeling 90% smarter than others(Americans) cos I get the Cyrillic...but I probably won't watch much else, even if it is in Russia.

Feb 8:  Thank you!!  Something Easier-More Useful!  All About Trains:  поезды, вагоны, билеты, местo у окна и место у прохода, (window and aisle seats), кондуктор, локомотив, путешествовать на поезде( traveling by train), вагон ресторан, времия отправленния (departure time), времия прибытия (arrival time)....I got a perfect score the first time...but why is there this phrase?  железнодорожная станция?  (train station?)  There's already this perfectly good word I learned long ago: Вокзал?   I do see that doroj--- root in that big word--the one that has to do with way, road, etc.  Well, станция is easy to translate to "station".

Feb 11:  of course, today, the airport and flying--аэропорт  и летать.   Same thing with the window and aisle seats, терминал  -- eh, it was easy again--all right first time.  Makes me feel like maybe I wouldn't get too confused in a Russian speaking airport, if I wrote down a few of the longer words, like the one for check-in,  or boarding gate...регистрация и посадку!!!! Maybe I wouldn't even get lost..wait-I could use my phone))))

Feb 12:  Of банкы и банкоматы........  кредит!!!!!!!!!!

Feb 13:  Another useless lesson for me--at the hairdressers.  I never go.  I lately do not cut, dye, style,  highlight, add extensions to, or shave my hair (волос).  Maybe if it turns out my grey hair is completely ugly, or it all falls out, or I decide to go punk short again??  Doubtful.  I have very thick hair.  I like its natural color.  I am going grey, but very, very, very slowly, like my mother.  I could use a trim, but anyone can do it,  doesn't have to cost $40.  Plus I hate sitting still in a chair for that long, having strangers fuss over me.  Nails, facials, pedicures? Fuggidabouddit.  Hate it all.  Stick needles in my eyes instead.   Утекай.........

http://vk.com/video190926478_166135300    Best memories are small.

Feb 16***small party for me******I just went up a level)))***********

Back to traveling, vacationing, круис, for example.  Feeling the urge to intensify learning).  Except, I realize I only have two more levels left.  Then what?  No way I'm even close to fluent with just this.

Feb 18:  Did the lesson on positive and negative emotions.  The positive went okay--but the negative ones kick my butt--such long words,  so much alike (at least two began with при, several had the root for life  жизн, some with бес or без,  оска-, then things too much alike such as угрюмый (moody), грустный (blue, as in depressed) грубый (abusive, insulting?).  One good one I learned was одинокий/одинокая (lonely).

Feb 19:  Decided yesterday's lesson was so hard, I should do it again--took me like 10 times before I got a perfect score.  At least those are useful words:  when I moved onto the next lesson, it was all about going on a job interview--in Russian! Christ, no way.  Crazy long sentences.  I'm not sure I want to learn that?  But I will, I know my stubbornness too well.  What I really need is some sort of lesson on commonly used verbs--I know there are a bunch that I keep running into and cannot place their meaning, probably like the words for "seems",  the seemingly millions of words for "go"--ack!   I am now realizing that the fact that there is no simple present verb of being just means there's a whole mess of more complicated verbs that are used instead...xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx......

Feb 22:  I did the job interview lesson okay after all.  Only took a second try.  Now those sentences don't look so long and I learned the verb решать ( to decide, to solve).

Feb 23:  Television теливизор : pretty easy.  Канал (channel) сериал (series) джанк телевидение (junk television) в эфире (on air)  новости (news) прогноз погоды (weather forecast) реклама (ad) передача (program--but they use programma, too?)   эпизод (episode). Some easy because I've seen on movie titles, etc. on VK.

Feb 25: журналистика( I think I remember ed the spelling right: Journalism:  журналист journalist, статья  (article) жёлтая пресса(yellow press) редактор (editor) заголовок (headline--at first didn't even notice the word for "head" there) первая страница (front page) Новость (News) некрологи (obituaries--my favorite)))--Necrology...xaxa.

Feb 26:   культура (culture):  I think Язык (language) is finally starting to stick, влияние (influence) традицтонная кухня (traditional food)  a lot of the rest was pretty easy, just the same words as English with Cyrillic letters and endings. And words I already knew, like music architecture, literature, etc.

Feb 28:Мой самый ужасный отпуск--so easy without a mistake.  That says: my worst vacation.

Mar 1:  Lesson on foreign language programs, exchange student programs (программа по обмену) application fees, deadlines etc.  Dull, practical--I suppose makes sense, and profit, for the users of this site.   Exception: тоска по дому:  homesickness!

Mar 2:  Worst lesson yet---the financial crisis!  I'm not even going to post a single word of it.  But, I did the lesson;))

Mar 5:  Slightly better, politics.  With words like democracy, (демократия) dictatorship(диктатура),  republic(республика), king (король).  Big deal, especially now.

Mar 6:  Just did the last unit that puts me up another level.  The last one.  After that?  This one was on elections--ok.  That is,  let's see if I can get all these Bs right---Выборы.  Оппозиция (opposition) Партия (party)Лидер (leader) политический митинг(political meeting) агитационный материал (election material--but look closer))) agitation material!!))

Mar 7:  Adam just told me he obtained a pirated copy of Rosetta Stone--says he wants to learn Russian, too (!!!)  Maybe we can share and practice....we'll probably just end up reinforcing bad pronunciation with each other))).  Eh, I need windows for it, he says..Joe's computer.  Today I learned
религия(religion)  and other things that go with it.  Вера (faith--same word means truth in Italian)  монотеизм (monotheism) политеизь (polytheism) Бог (God) богы (gods) христианство (Christianity).

Mar 9:  I learned stuff if I ever have to go to court in Russia, like judge (судья), lawyer, (адвокат) trial (судебный процесс), courtroom (зал суда) and witness (сведитель) .

Mar 10:  Если бы я выл бугатым человеком....ya dai deedle deedle dyidal dai di deeyedal diddle dum.....that's what I learned this week--if I were a rich man...haha!

lessee: Яхта, кольцо с Бриллиантом (diamond ring), Иранский Икра (Iranian caviar), Дом На Море (house on the sea).  I figured everything for the rich should be capitalized;)

Mar 13:  Advertising--ugh.  The best thing I learned is that Russian billboards are called Рекламный Щит--and literally pronounced shit--which they are))).  A lot of "international" words in this lesson , but an advertisement is called a реклама.  It ought to be lie-clams.

Mar 16: Lessons about music are always better for me.  This one was about live music:  did it perfectly the first time! концертный зал (Concert Hall)  музыканты (musicians) сцена (stage) зритела (audience) группа (group, band)  местая группа  (local band) спецэффекты(special effects)...

Mar 17:  Oh, yeah, baby, all the stuff I'm good at!  ART!! Искусства/о   стили (style) в средне века  (in the Middle Ages)сумасшедший идея  (my idea, I made it up to add here for art, not a movement..))    рококо (Rococo) барокка(Baroque) эпоха Возрождения (Renaissance) Реализм(Realism) Импрессионизм (Impressionism).  Mostly international sound-alikes.

Mar 18: Meh.  Extreme sports--woop-dee-doo.  Not worth repeating..got it all the first time through .

Mar 21:  I'm sick, but that's no excuse for it taking me 6-7 times to get all of The Universe Вселенная right! The vocab was easy: outer space Коcмос, astronauts космонавт, galaxy галактика, space shuttle космический каробль, space suits космические костюмы,  space station космическая станция, stars звёзды, planets планета, asteroid астероид, Milky Way Млечный Путь, meteorite метеорит,  sun Солнце,  Earth Земля , moon луна,  moon landing посадка на луна, black hole чёрная дыра,  satellite спутник.  lot a cold-war kid would have ready-made.

Mar 23:  need to work on these indefinite (??)  isn't that what they are called?  Pronouns. Adverbs.

когда-то : sometime
когда-нибудь : someday, sometime
где-то, где-нибудь :somewhere
кто-то: someone, somebody
кто-нибудь: anyone, anybody, someone, somebody
как-то, как-нибудь : somehow
куда-нибудь: anywhere, somewhere
куда-то: somewhere
никто, никого: nobody, no one
ничто, ничего, ничему: nothing
что-то, что-нибудь: something
иногда: sometimes

I thought this would help, but I think it makes my confusion even worse.

Mar 26: Now I can find a Russian кемпинг  (сamp, campsite)  с палатка (tent)  build a костёр (campfire) and sleep in  my sleeping bag спальный мешок.  Now, that's probably one of the top 10 things I would like to do there--I'm all for a culture that sleeps outdoors in the cold--boss!!  I wonder if they have as many stupid rules about camping as we do these days; you can hardly build a campfire in America anymore.  Shoot, my grandpa used to do it in his backyard fairly often.  Something tells me in Russia its more like a birthright.

Mar 28:  Emergency services--just trust me; it mostly makes sense if you know basic roots for fire, police, accident,  medical, help,  etc:  огне-  жал-  случ- полиц- мед- помоч-

Apr 1:  В саду (in the garden):  Easy for me!  Flower цветок, plant расдение   tree дерево, to plant сажать/ посадить, roses росы, leaf листья, soil земла, seed семя, daisy маргаритка

Apr 9:  F-f-f-ashion!   yes, an easy lesson although I had to do the long sentences maybe 2-3 times to sort them out:  пара слов: (some words)-- модель (model)  модельер(fashion designer)  мода (style)  дизайнер (designer) сезон (season) старoмодный (old-fashioned) клетчатый (checked) однатоный (plain)  поласатый (striped)  подиум (catwalk) матириал (material) шить (sew) булавка (pin) иголка (needle) нить (thread)

April 11:  футбал !!  Команда (team) Выграть (win) игрок (player) соревнование (competition) проиграть (to lose) мяч (ball) ворота (goal) поле (pitch, grass) арытр (ref) менеджер (manager) скамья ( bench) мокрым (wet) красная карточка (red card)--easy.  And these aren't even the easier sound alines.

Apr 16:  Added busuu to my phone apps.  Did one of the early lessons today on the bus with Adam.  Can't believe how much of that early stuff I can't remember..he's doing Russian Rosetta Stone, and apparently it goes much slower in the early parts.  So maybe I'm glad I'm getting through the harder things,  cos I can always go back and repeat.  Plus, the phone app works a little differently, because it has more pronouncing --which I need.  Adam's doing pretty well with it: he can count in Russian--he knows some basic words I don't, but I think he's still trapped back in the stage where the grammar just seems like random gibberish.  For example, he didn't know -ать and -ить  was always the infinitive form for a verb.  I think I am at least recognizing some of the grammatical patterns. I think even if I don't know what a word means, I might frequently know what part of speech it is by the crazy ending.  However, I bet if he sticks with it, he'll go faster than me.

April 18, 2014---Good Friday.   I am finished one time through all the busuu web lessons.  The last one was a waste of my time--27 words about skiing, which i doubt I'll ever do in my life, maybe cross-country.  I did learn from repeated use кататься --which means "ride", because apparently in Russian you "ride on skis ".   кататься на лыжах.   Now what?  I need to go where there are Russians everywhere.

April 22:  I'm just going over the first 12 A-1 beginner lessons on busuu.  Seems so easy now, although there are a few words here and there I hadn't remembered, and my grammar endings still suck in a pinch.  I did all 12 or so lessons in like 2 hours, and realized words that scared me 3 months ago are now part of my  Russian repertoire--like нравится, смотреть.
 I'm also picking up more words in movies and lyrics.  Still have to constantly check grammar--I have the feeling that's going to be years to get right.

Апрель 23:  I have done the days of the week, months, etc twice times two this week, because I keep forgetting them cold.  Especially the spelling.  Some I might recognize in writing in a pinch, but If I had to come up with them myself, well.  Апрель  is easiest for me to pronounce, because it sounds exactly as it does in the Middle English I learned in college--plus April  or, AHpr-r-reel is the third word in The Canterbury Tales that I've been pronouncing for umpteenth years.  Proof of our old Viking connections, I suppose.  In fact, a lot of the day/month words sound very old to me.
Let's see if i can do them, shall we?  hardest to remember :Days of the week неделе--  понедельник, вторник, среда, четверг рятница, суббота, воскресенье.   Shoot, I had to go back and correct my spelling on all but 3.  I'm such a good speller (but not typist)) in English, but my Russian spelling sucks.  I'm either forgetting or adding a -ь, and mixing up  Я and А, and all the i and e sounds.  Now месяц (months) :  январь, февраль, март, апрель, май ,июнь, июль, август, сентябрь, октябрь, ноябрь, декабрь--ok had to correct spelling on four of these.  The days in theory should be easy, cos they're just numbers plus nik or nitza on some.  And the months use those latinized Julian calendar names--it's always the endings that are hard to remember.

Апрель 27:  Apparently I suck at housework in Russian, as well.
Апрель 28   находится  и расположен:  Both used in the exercise about where things "are"/ "are located" in the kitchen--so what's the dif?  I asked Артём-- he says they are interchangeable.  He felt находится   was better, for whatever reason--I do see that used more often.   But how about this mess off of Google translate, for "is"?)))


be-verbs


быть -be, exist, fare, play

находиться --be, locate, be found, reside, lie, exist

составлять- be, compose, make up, constitute, make, draw up

происходить -occur, happen, take place, be, come, originate

существовать-exist, be, live, subsist, prevail, obtain

равняться- dress, equal, be, amount, amount to, align

стоить -cost, be, be worth, lose, count for, come to

бывать -be, visit, come, happen, go to, occur

обстоять- be, stand, get on

случаться - happen, occur, match, be, take place, come   (Zemfira accidents!!)

побывать -visit, be, take in

посещать -visit, attend, pay a visit to, resort, make a visit to, get round

Апрель 30: I originally wrote this yesterday, but it disappeared on me:  Something to do with the copy/paste formatting from the verbs above?  So I got rid of the formatting.  I am operating on 4.5 hours sleep and feel like crap, so maybe mistakes will be made...

It was a big long thing I typed yesterday: half in Russian, half in English..dunno if I'll have the energy to keep changing keyboards and recreate it.  It was what I did to practice Russian yesterday--I took one of my late favorite songs, "After Dark" , which I've also learned to play on guitar.  Anyway, the Russian translation was on VK, so I decided to do a word for word translation from that, back into English, just to see how different it is--thought maybe about learning to sing it in Russian?  

I don't know--the Russian adds too many syllables, and this is a song that is like liquid--it needs to linger over some of the syllables--draw them out to keep its sultry mystery--the whole thing reverberates like it's causing contractions in the sky.

Here's an example of the difference.  The first verse in English has 20 syllables, but in Russian, that becomes 40 syllables--that's a lot of change for the phrasing.

Specifically, "Wond'ring why"  becomes "Не понимаю, почему":  3 syllables become 8.

The last verse however, is fairly close to the English , although the translator substituted the Russian equivalent  for "furtive dark"  in place of "deep"--which is a better, more interesting meaning, but the whole thing is lot more unwieldy for rhymes, etc :

Моего сердца     (In my heart)

Потаённая,  тёмная    ( a deep)

и одинокая часть меня (and lonely part)

Жаждет её, и ждёт....(wants her and waits)

I usually think  Russian sounds  better, more sensual, but in this case?? It just doesn't work, in this translation.  Maybe I can get a better one.

май 2:  My  Russian practice today was to attempt to translate some poems from Russian, and maybe translate lines I wrote to Russian.  No posts will happen here.

Incredible Find: http://masterrussian.com/vocabulary/most_common_words_3.htm

Май  4:  Repracticed weather, seasons, shopping lists. bathroom stuff.  Easier every time.

Май 6:  Relationships  (отношения) and forms (бланкы). Different kinds of housing:  Some of this I've known quite a while, some forgotten, some I'm going deeper into: девушка (girlfriend) парень (Boyfriend) неженат (single-male) незамужем(single-female)женат/замужем (married) влюблённым (in love)  близкий друг (close friend)  старый друг(old friend).

  Here's a weird thing I can't believe I haven't realized before--друг  (one of the first Russian words I ever learned?? ) is not really pronounced properly droog-  it's more like drook.  (Anthony Burgess, that's your fault!!) Or maybe something in between g and k?  Like a lot of those other words in Russian that end in the letter "g" but are pronounced almost "k" , it think perhaps Thursday четверг is one of those.  I think this is where that stereotypical Russian accent in English comes from, (where the bad Red spy used to replace g's with k's at the end of "-ing" words...you know--"I had a fillink"?)  Old Natasha Fatale in the old Bullwinkle cartoons, used to always call Boris Badinov "Darlink."  So, I suppose that's one way to distinguish " friend" from "together" and "dear" and "road, way"  when I hear it)).
Housing:  лофт (loft),квартира (flat) переезжать (To move house--learned this word first from Nautilus Pompilius) многоквартирный дом (multi-flat) деревенский дом (country house--maybe literally house in trees?) небоскрёб (skyscraper).


Май 10 :  Did a chapter of Russian for Dummies сегодия,  a pretty useful chapter I'll have to do again soon, because it's about all the craziness to do with ways to use "to go"  in Russian, which is complicated several ways---one, there are separate words for going on foot( ходить/ идти) and in a vehicle (ездить/ ехать), plus even more verbs to distinguish between going habitually(ходить/ездить)(like to school, work) and going somewhere in the present:  (идти/ехать).  Plus, all four of these are irregular conjugations:  The first person form looks little like the infinitive, but looks annoyingly like each other.   Witness: Я хожу Я езжу Я иду Я еду ---fairly easy to turn into English I suppose, but going the other way??   Plus, I know when I see that "I walk"=Я хожу, my brain is going to see one I know a little better, Я хочу ( I want).   And what will I hear???? aga.

These are the words that were once on those poster boards on my Jean Paul Sartre page, I recall, and with good reason--they gave me a headache then, and now, well, a lesser one, now that I read about the difference, but...oy.   And I know from experience trying to translate lyrics, poems, etc, that there are even more forms of go besides these--like пойти-- oh, wait, that's just the thing where the prefix по- goes in front of the verb!  Just realized that, except, of course, it has to change a damned letter.  Or is it?  Russian yazik, I swear you will kill me.

Май 12:  I did the school lesson again, because those damned work words I SHOULD KNOW won't stick!  учитель (teacher)  упражняться (practice) сделать ошибку (to make a mistake) задать вопрос(to ask a question) отвечать (to answer) читать (to read) писать (to write)рисовать (to draw)учиться/заниматься (to study) научиться (to learn).

Май 14:  repracticed  город  words--easy.  No worries.  Hot time, summer in the city....

Май 15 : С День Рождения моего сына!!  18. Practiced directional adverbs  перед (in front of)недалеко (not far) слева (to the left) направо (to the right) за (behind) повернуть (to turn) здесь /сюда (here) там (over there) .  Corner?  угол.

Май 16:  Someone smart explain this strange and beautiful Russian idiom to me:   Как я тебя.  Translates: how I love you.  Yet the word for love is nowhere--just "how" "I" and "you" in the either possessive or accusative (that is, direct object, form).  I'm guessing possessive , but it's not, "how you are mine", really.  Learned from Агата Кристи -Майн Кайф,  the song "Альрауне".

Best thing I learned all day, even though I practiced the geography lesson again.

One more silly thing: cross-lingua.    This word: поцелуи .  Means kisses --and I occasionally hear it in Russian songs such as мумий Тролль : "Кораллы"--beautifully sad song, BTW, that I take to be about the human tendency to become addicted to/ or at least overwhelmed by,  love--my favorite line is "Жизнью, кровью и любовью "  Life, blood and love"..we pledge to the last drop in the sea.  Beautiful rhyming. It utilizes the Odyssey image of sailors jumping overboard to hear the mermaids singing.

Anyway, back to the word поцелуи.   Pronounced "patza lou-ee"  --which is  why it stood out to me amongst all those other Russian syllables early on --because it sounds exactly like two Italian words "Pazzo, lui!!"   In Italian, that means, "Crazy, he....", which strangely might work in this song..))

Май 19:   ресторан урок, снова.  I remember better now салфетка  (napkin) нож (knife) вилка (fork) ложка (spoon) тарелка (plate)  официант (waiter) заказ (reservation) Что Вы закажете? (What would you like to order?)

Май 23:  Repeat lessons on Азия and Asians, also one on office equipment, most of which are just sound equivalents, again.

Май 25:   Clothing #2.   Одежды: Юбка (skirt)  брюки (pants/trousers) пиджак (jacket) джинсы (jeans) рубашка (shirt) свитер (sweater) носки (socks)

туфли  (shoes) примерять (to try on pl.)  носить (to wear) дорогой (expensive) дешёвый  (cheap) удобный И неудобный (comfortable and uncomfortable) сидеть ( to fit: literally, sits??) размер (size).

Май 27:  Did lesson on Свободное Время: free time.

Talked to some Armenian Russian speaker who finally straightened me out on the хорошо/хороший/ хорошая thingy---it's like the difference between "good" and "well"  in English.  In theory, American English spoken with grammatical correctness requires one to say, "I am well", but "he is a good boy"  depending on whether the adjective modifies a noun or is used as a  nominative .  So the ones with the ий/ая endings will go before a noun.  Funny thing though, unlike Brits, Americans rarely say, I am well"  opting for the slangier, informal, (and formally incorrect)"I'm good."

But now I know why a certain person always says , "I am well,"  which always makes me smile a little.

Май 28: Underwear and accessories:  трусы (M)  и трусики (F) боксёры (boxers)  пояс (belt)
бумажник (wallet)  серёжки(earrings)  сапоги (boots) зонт (umbrella).  Funny word...

Май 30:  В баре  In the bar.   напиток (drink)  водка с лемоном (vodka with lemon)  красное вино (my drink!  red,red wine)   вода (water)--all I need to know.  No hard liquor or fancy drinks for me.    Wait!!  Выть пьяным (to be drunk)  похмелье (hangover).

Май 31:  For a change I did the I-phone version of busuu lessons, and although I started with one of the lower level lessons, I was surprised to see I learned something from it!  One was a lesson on continuous past ( like "was doing, were doing" )verbs, so through sheer repetition I figured something out and got it decently engrained in my head.  These are the verbs that end in  -ил, -ила, -или  and are probably the simplest for conjugation, as you don't need to know the pronoun or noun case, only number and gender.  So,   -ил  is for all  singular masculine (this would include I you and he forms), -ила for singular feminine , and -или all plural forms (we, you all, they).

So now I know why my Russian friends were confused when I used to ask things like--what does that word -Ceela, beela, veela, mean?  Because I was hearing something like it  all over the place in Russian songs.  No one ever had an answer for me, and this/\ is why!!  It's just the con't past ending for hundreds of words-(duh, me).    Example of use:  Мы смотрили теливизор.  (We are watching television).  Я готовила ужин (I was cooking dinner--I would say because I'm female).  I feel so much smarter now)).

Also learned the difference for two "know" words--one which I've known thoroughly for a long time--for example, the difference between I know (я знаю) and I know how  (я умею готовать), that is, I know how to cook.  Never knew this distinction...I would have just used как in the past (which google translate does))).  I hope I'm spelling these conjugations  right: умею умеешь умеет умеем умеете умеют.  Another small bit of confusion solved, because I'd seen variations of this verb used for "know" and didn't know why!

Июнь 1:  (birthday in 9 days)  Watched an entire movie in Russian  only last night--felt like I followed a lot of it, but that was partially due to how well the visuals worked.  But the words are definitely coming, maybe two seconds behind, with gaps.  Kinda nice..

Июнь 2:  Big gaps.

Shopping lesson again.   Я иду пойти делать покупки.

Июнь 3:  сурермаркет и отпуск.  I found an English version of the movie I watched in Russian, and am happy to report I got about 85% of it in the Russian.  (It was more the pictures speaking 1000 words, though)) .  I missed some subtleties ( a movie watching friend had informed me though, to help me get the full idea of the ending)  like, vampires can either "turn" you or kill you when they drink your blood),  that Adam, the romantic lead, hadn't lived before the 1700s but his wife had gone through even the Middle Ages, although I had figured out she was older--the "Kit" Marlowe friendship), the "bad" blood thing that threads through the movie wasn't just metaphoric, and the scientific stuff about "Spooky" quantum physics in the end.   Also, I missed the context when Adam says "Как романтика"--  I think that was how he said it--  I thought he was commenting on the lovers, but he was admiring Eve's notion to "turn" them, as if they will become like Adam and Eve, eternal lovers.

I should watch this in just Russian again soon..

Июнь 7:  отпуск на плаже holiday at the beach). Я плохо себя чувствую  (I don't feel well)--жар  (fever)  головная боль (headache), Что случилось?  (What's the matter?)  Also, in the Americas  В    Амереки

Июнь 10: C День  Рождения.  Did the good feelings, bad feelings lessons again.  Once overwhelmingly hard.  Now I recognize many or the roots, anyway.  For example, I now (теперь)  know (I could do that too, but I don't want to be a пижон)  благо-  is another root for good, so words with it are probably positive in meaning.  Высокомерный  (literally high measured)has the obvious word for high.   Стыдно  (ashamed)  I now know from a poem.

Июнь 13:  Another weird harmonic  Haha--Since it was my birthday, I sort of got obsessed with looking at various horoscopes --something I guess I tend to do when I feel a little unsure, anxious, about my future--when I have big decisions to make.  Ordinarily, I just ignore the whole thing.  I think it's just an anxiety release sort of thing, but, in keeping with my philosophy of saying humans are not know-it-alls, I defer from making any absolute judgements for or against. So, I go to practice my Russian on my website--what's the next topic up for me?  Horoscopes (Гороскоп) . !! Other words I learned: характеристики (characteristics) звёздные знаки (star sign) предсказать (to predict) Дева (Virgo- дочь)  Весы (Libra- мать и браты) Рак  (Cancer- муж) Телец (Taurus- Сын) планеты, луны, солнце и звёзды  (planets, moons, sun and stars)  карта рождения (birth chart) асцендент(rising sign).

  I do think  my basic personality fits my Sun sign:  Gemini (Близнецы):  restless, curious, adaptable, capable of seeing two sides simultaneously (!!), intellectual, language oriented, a writer, in need of stimulation and change.  Lover of arts, fine things. Charming, influential?  I leave to others to judge. I do not think I have the instability (some, but not terribly strong) or insincerity reputed in this sign. For example, some characteristics of a Gemini is to constantly change jobs, partners--I have been in the same job over 20 years and I am considered quite reliable, I believe.  Ive changed partners a few times in my life, but I would say I'm probably still under the norm for numbers)).   Catholic influence?  Eh, I simply don't feel so frequently drawn to many people in that way.  When I do, it's big.

I just found out my moon sign (according to website, my secret, hidden, most driven emotions reside here) is Leo --perhaps where my secret passions all come from , my strong tastes, repeating the art-loving side, need for change,  doubling it down. Independence and stubbornness, ambition?  Ok.

I miscalculated my rising sign 20 years ago as Capricorn, which never made any sense to me..practical?    Turns out I was an hour off---my rising sign, асцендент, is actually Sagittarius--a sign I know nothing of:  it doubles down the intellectual, adds philosophical (I cop to that!) generous, wishing to help others achieve goals--(teacher!)honest and direct to the point of bluntness and offensiveness (I cop), optimistic (kinda) .  Loyal.  I got this, and the moon sign, by knowing I was born at 7:22 p.m., Central Standard Time.

Scary who it says my ideal lover should be.

Июнь 17:  Did that really hard "Express Yourself "  lesson 3X today:  tuff words like-- suppose or assume полагать, consider думать, maintain утверждать,recognize признать, regard считать, advise советовать, concur соглашаться, disagree не соглашаться, be in favor of быть сторонником, acknowledge подтверждать , imagine казаться , admit to признавать, regret сожалеть,  oppose, быть против.  I did it 3 times, and still only a few probably stuck--will probably repeat and add the Russian tomorrow--too tired, too late, tonite.

Июнь  18:  See above--hopefully I filled in the correct Russian verbs/\.  I had to correct for spelling, missing syllables, as usual, but I might kinda sorta recognize these in the future??  I hope. Я надеюсь.

Июнь 20:  3rd day for these.  I'm gonna stick these bastards in my head if I have to shove 'em in there with a needle.Oh-- I'm not sure I thoroughly understand this full concept, but it is helping some?    On this other non-interactive Russian website, that mostly gives lists, vocabulary, breaking down parts of speech, etc., I found some explanation about the -сь and -ться verb endings.  It turns out that they are basically reflexive forms, and used especially when there is no direct object, much more often than is the case in English...so like Italian on certain words wants you to add reflexive pronouns like -mi, -si, -ci, -la  (It can either go before the verb or after in Italian--"mi alzo (I get up myself )" or "sedersi (he,she you Formal seats him/her/yourself).   There are certain verbs that always do this in Italian.  The site said to think of those endings as abbreviations for себя (a generic reflexive pronoun--I think???  yourself, myself, himself--I think it's why I always found some translations confusing)

So, I'm  assuming (ха-  полагаю!), this is also the case in Russian: some verbs  tend to be reflexive-- like dress yourself, etc??  But, I think the complication may be that some can be both reflexive and not, depending on whether or not a direct object follows??  I dress the baby  Одеваю ребёнок, versus I dress (myself) Одеваюсь.   That one's easy but others are more tricky?  I'm looking at the list of verbs from June 17 lesson, and see lots with the  -ться endings: assuming those are reflexive--I imagine (myself) agree or disagree (myself) , whereas "advise, recommend" would commonly be followed with a direct object--I advise you, I advise calm, I advise war--etc??  Am I getting this?  I'm gonna test on google translate--but of course it may get it wrong anyway--but mebbe not.....I don't get, then, why "I agree"  is Я согласен.  Sigh.

I did memorize this phrase, however, thinking it could buy me time in any Russian conversation (or get me in REAL trouble)):

 Я согласен со всем тем,  что ты сказал.  (I agree with all that you said).

Июнь 23: Did the Russian driving lesson again.  easier this time...the dialogue was about a dad teaching a kid to drive a stick, which is funny because just yesterday I took Joe out to practice driving the Toyota  with manual transmission.  At school they learned on automatic, so he's a little shaky.  Only killed it 5-6 times)).   Смотри!  Мама,  я веду машину!

Июнь 24: Flirting exercises.. these are funny, because I would never say any of them , I don't think, definitely not when I just met someone!  Ты знаешь, что у тебя очень красивые глаза?  You know, (that) you have very beautiful eyes. У тебя очень приятный запах, какими духами ты пользуешься?  You smell very good, what perfume do you wear?

This one is a little slicker: Здесь очень жарко, давай выйдем?  "It's very hot in here, let's go outside!"
  I would definitely say this one, but only if it were true:У нас похожий вкус.  "We have the same taste."

Watch out for this guy, who lives next door to the last bar:

Тебе бы не хотелось выпить напоследок в одном баре, который я знаю? Would you want to have the last drink at another bar that I know?

Now things are getting serious:
Почему бы нам не позавтракать вместе? Breakfast! But we just met!!

Июнь 25:  Food once again.  Влюдо.  That word may be starting to stick--but these were more adjectives to describe:  сырний/сырная raw (why is it close to the word for cheese?) bitter горький/горькая (Does that mean Gorky Park is Bitter Park?  But it was named for a man.)   bland безвкусный, tasty, delicious вкусный/вкусная,  spicy пикантный/пикантная, salty солёный/солёная.  Пирожные сладкие. (Cakes are sweet); Лимоны кислые (lemons are sour--heehee, make you kiss)....

Июль 1:  Traveling, so slacking off on learning.  Did do a quick geography lesson yesterday:  карта map,мир/свет world/globe, peninsulas, northern северное and southern южное hemisphere полушарие,  мыс cape,берег shore, высота altitude,долгата и широта longitude and latitude: stuff like that.

Today did (Сегодня делал?) :первый свидание (first date) первый поцелуй (first kiss) объятие (hug):  the rest was a bunch of dumb hygiene tips.  And tell you to do all the dumb traditional things, (chocolates, flowers, no garlic) but then say, быть самой собой (be yourself)-haha!  My favorite is they tell you to ask advice from your mother, not your friends!!  That is actually good advice))))

Июль 3:
 части тела: (body parts)
 живот(belly), печень(liver), кишечник(intestines), мозг(brain), орган(organ), почек(kidney), серые волосы (grey hair?--why is that here?), позвоночника(spine)

Июль 7: Быть родителями (parenting)  ребёнок (baby/child)  деты (children)  детский сад (kindergarten/preschool)  ясли (daycare) бутылочка (baby bottle) кормить грудью (breastfeeding) детское питание (baby food) подгузник (diaper) сокса (binky/pacifier) коляска (baby stroller) кроватка (crib) сказка на ночь (bedtime story).

 Июль 8: cooking (готовить)--part 2--so hard, all those boiling, baking, roasting, heating, grilling,  serving, mixing, adding, baking (  испечь)---I'm not adding any, because when I did it on G-translate, only one word was the same (испечь).  I know several words contained the root -жар-

Июль 9: Пойти в кино-going to the cinema-easy lesson for me, still:  актёр actor, актриса actress, режиссёр director, место seat, билет ticket, жанр genre, кинотеатр cinema , боевик action film, романтический  фильм romance, фильм о войне war film, фантастика science-fiction, смотреть to watch, экран screen, афиша listings, субтитры subtitles, звуковую дорожка soundtrack, касса ticket office.

July 11:  Not today, my love.  No time.

Июль 14:  again the negative/positive feelings lesson, but this time on my phone app, which has slightly different words: грусный/грусная sad-- is what stuck for now, but I will be back.

Ok:  радостный/ радостная -cheerful.   решительный/ решительная determined (decisive?  the verb form of this word means to choose or decide).  гордый/гордая-proud.  способный/способная- capable.  энергичный/ энергичная- energetic. комфориный  -comfortable--(there's another word, less western, that begins with у?  that also means this--lessee, it's удобный.) спокойный/спокойная - relaxed, worry-free--you know, спокойной ночи--when you say good night, literally means a worry-free or relaxed night. уверенный/ уверенная  -confident.

And.... подавленный/ подавленная-depressed (yet another Russian word for sad or depressed)).  обессиленный/ обессиленная-exhausted.  I'm seeing"without sleep" in this word.  ревнивый/ревнивая-jealous. угрюмый/угрюмая-moody.

Июль 21:  I did the real estate lesson quite quickly and accurately today.  I suppose I could sell Russian ( or Russians) real estate if I wished (and went slowly))).

 Июль 25:  Reviewed the basics for pronouns, colors, family members, household items, "What you look like"  because the website has a new interface that pronounces whole sentences for you to practice.  Vocab easy--no sense showing what I practiced since it was more oral.

 Июль 26:  Same today.  I may have, however, figured out the difference between times to use смотрю (I watch, I look? at?  with на?) и вижу (I see?).  I hope.

Июль 30:  I am beginning a new strategy to challenge my listening skills more.  First, I am going to do the online dialogues by just listening, not reading--reading is my strength, and therefore my weakness.  If I see words, I often can figure them out if I have the time (even better if I have a dictionary!)--listening requires more instantaneous absorption of language skills, I think, but it's what most people need on a daily basis.  I most definitely am lost in most conversations, which is why I love Russian movies with English subtitles!  But--again==weakness((--the written word.

This morning I kept repeating the same dialogue while I did yoga.  I was so happy that I pretty much understood the first four sentences straight up with no repeat.  It was a dialogue about two people planning to go to the movies--sorta easy vocab for me?  I'm going to try to recreate what I got  easily, but my spelling, prepositions,  and endings may be off in this version(.  On the right I corrected.
"Ты не хочешь пойди  в кино сегодня вечером?"               Damn! I spelled пойти  with a Д!
"Хорошая идея! Мы можем купить билеты онлайн?"       Ok, the original said Нам нужно
"Нет.  Мы должны пойти в билетной кассе."           I got the ending wrong on "ticket booth"-but I formed a  different sentence anyway--same with the next sentence so I'm not sure about corrections--
"Какой жанр Фильм хочешь смотреть?"

All that was pretty easy, especially since I knew the subject was movies and recently heard the word for "genre"--BTW, it says: " Do you want to go to the movies tonight?  Good idea; can we buy tickets online? No, we have to go to the ticket box.  What genre of film do you want to see? "  (I'm not sure of my use of в должны --can it be нужно instead?  I had written:" билетиную" and the ending for кассу?   Also, is that the right form , какой?)

After that was tougher- the woman said she wasn't in the mood for a "thriller"  movie.  When I read it though, I could sorta figure it out.  The next sentence she said she wanted to see a movie with an actor Bill Baker (never heard of him).  The man answered it got good reviews, but I couldn't hear the last part without looking at the words to translate.  By the end, I was back, able to understand by listening.  He said it wasn't playing tonight, the woman said good, let's go tomorrow night after work.

 I'll copy it from my phone to get it right.... \/

the rest по-Русский:
Сегодня вечером мне что-то не хочется смотреть триллер.  Как насчёт того нового фильма с Биллом Бейкером?  Он такой хороший актёр.  This was the sentence I had the most trouble with--I figured out when I saw it that насчёт was about, but the phrase мне что-то completely throws me even with the translation--(in the mood?)

This next I figured when reading, but not totally by hearing:  The" У него "can confuse me--I only recognize easily  when it's"I have" ( У меня) or "you have" (У тевя)-- also the last verb: показывают,which must mean something like  "showing".
Хорошая идея --У него были очень хорошие отзывы.  Но сегодня вечером не показывают.
Хорошо--тогда давай пойдём завтра, мы можем встетиться после работы.  I got this one by listening--good,let's go tomorrow we can meet after work.

This is going to make more work for me recording---yup.

Август 1 :New format for new learning:  Dialogues

Line 1: My stupid attempt po Russkiy по-Русский
Line 2:  Correction (in bold) : special attention to red.
Line 3:  English Translation

Topic: Occupations

1: Кем бы вы хотел стать?        (good!)
2: Кем бы ты хотел стать?
3:What do you want to be?

1 Я бы хотел стать засуданий слушеновий.   (Hah!--bad memory)
2: Я хотел бы стать государственным  служащим, чтоы работать на благо государства.
3: I have considered being a civil servant (and work for the state.)

1: Ты хочешь  работать в офисе?
2: Ты хочешь работать в офисе?   (Got 1 right!  tho at 1st I spelled   хочешь with a т!!)
3:Do you want to work in an office?

1: Да.  Я бы тажке хотел стать секретар.         (wrong)
2: Да,  поетому мне тажке хотелось бы стать секретарём.
3:  I was also thinking of being a secretary.

1: Ты работаешь или учише?                  (wrong ending for "study").
2: Ты работаешь или учишься?
3:  You work or study?

1: Я студент.        (good--easy).
2:Я студент.
3: I am a student.

1: Ты безработний?                  (spelling и   for  ы)
2: Ты безработный?
3:  Are you unemployed?

1: Нет. Я работаю в магазину. Продовник.   (шrong ending for clerk/worker)
2: Нет. Я работаю в магазине. Продовцом.
3: No, I work in a store as a clerk.

Dang, that was a lot of work: it better pay off.

Август 2: dialogue

Topic: Colors

1: Взгляни на те синный блюку!
2: Взгляни на те сини брюки!
3:  Look at these blue trousers!

1: Я нравится!  Синный мой люблиымй цвет.   (extra letters??  aren't there already enuff?)
2: Они мне нравятся!  Синий мой любимый цвет
3: I like them.  Blue is my favorite color.

1: Я предпечатю желёный цвет.
2:  Я предпочитаю зелёный цвет.
3:  I prefer the color green.

1: Взгляни на ту розовый футболку.
2:  Взгляни на ту розовую футболку.
3:   Look at the pink t-shirt.

1: Я не совсем нравится розовый--флеютовый даже немчего.
2: Мне совсем не нравится розовая--фиолетовая даже ничего.  (ok, after, I now see it sounds like violet, with an F)
3: I don't like pink at all.  Purple is not bad.

1: Как насчёт красный?
2: Как насчёт красной?
3: What about  red ?

1: Олечно!  Я возму красная футболка.
2:  Отлично!  Я возьму красную футболку.
3: Great!  I'll take the red T-shirt.

1: Хорошо! ---?  идти домой.
2: Хорошо! Пора идти домой.
3: Ok, time to go home.

My spelling and adjective endings sucked on this....

 Август 3:   Ok, so to make this harder I'm only going to listen to the dialogue a few times, then try to make it--prep for a million bad endings!!!!

Topic:  What does your boyfriend look like?

1:  Как Выглядит твое парень?
2:  Как Выглядит твой парень?
3:  What does your boyfriend look like?

1: У Моего парна  который кашеный волосы  и тёмный глазы
2: У Моего парня  короткие каштановые волосы  и тёмные глаза.
3:  My boyfriend has short, brown hair and dark eyes.

1: Он высокой или невысокой?
2:  Он высокий или невысокий?
3:  Tall or short?

1: Он невысокой и струной .
2: Он невысокий и стройный .
3:  He is short, and thin.

1: У него есть борода?
2: У него есть борода?
3:  Does he have a beard?

1: Нет у него усмы .
2:  Нет у него усы .
3: No, he has a moustache.

Not bad..all spelling and adjective ending problems.  And, I don't know "short, brown" as well as I thought.
Август 6:  New learning source for listening: Spotify.  I did 7 quick lessons today.  Downside?  Nothing written, listening only.  Plus side, can't use written word for a crutch, forced to listen hard--my pronunciation still sucks, even on some basic stuff.

Август 8:  In the course of my prep for school, I've found about 4-6 more language learning websites. One makes you earn "beans" by helping other people before you can use it for free.

 Besides doing a quick 3 more (and finding 2 others there) on Spotify's thing, I haven't had time to try them in any depth.  The Spotify's really forcing me to pronounce everyday words better, cause it goes so slow and repeats--it's sound only, too.

Later:   oh.my.goodness--the hardest, best, most ass-kicking Russian website of all:  memrise.  They have got the system down!!  First, every exercise is timed.  It super repeats to get it in your head, slowly: pronunciation, spelling--it makes you use the Russian keyboard and times it!!!  That's what's making me miss things the most, but it's also forcing me to spell words--basic words--that I used to just have to click on so I had hardly bothered.  Guess what killed me, STILL, on spelling and pronunciation--that damnable здравствуйте      and пожалуйста.   Ok, but just now, I just spelled them for the first time cold, without looking--did I get it right?  Musta learned something today--I did SEVEN lessons .  It is a fact that the simplest things in Russian are the hardest.  Oh, I may finally know how to say and spell немного properly.  Until tomorrow when I forget.

Август 11:  Did about half hour on memrise--- some words I knew, some I didn't.  Makes me feel good.  Hard Words--sado-maso. Helps a lot with pronunciation, especially irritating to know some words I thought I knew how to pronounce, I really don't like Я думаю, which I've known forever, but I've been putting the emphasis in the wrong place: Я думаю instead of Я думаю-- the second is correct.  Also извините--is correct, not извините.  This one pisses me off--I've been saying the phrase  потому что  something like po-TOM-oo shtoe,   when it actually sounds all like one word--potamooshta.   I did learn a new good phrase that is easy to pronounce: что это значит --which means--what does this mean?  Oh, and thank god for this США--pronounced seshaya--cos I would never learn that big long thing to say United States of America... 

Август 14:  Worst Russian word yet--разочаровывающий .   Spelling, pronouncing, everything.  Means "disappointing."  Xa.

So far I only have one Russian student this year--Nikita--an eighth grader, and this will be interesting, because he's supposed to be in ESOL I, which in theory means his English is not very good.  I've never had a Russian kid without either excellent, or at least, decent, English skills, so I'm wondering if he'll be able to understand my Russian at all??  Никита, привет--Я могу немного говорить по-русски--мне ты понимаешь??  There is another older Nikita, on Battalion Staff, who I heard speak today who has excellent English skills and just the softest, nicest trace of a Russian   accent.  Maybe I'll recruit him to help him with his younger namesake if necessary.

Август 16:  A friend (who speaks several languages) recently told me you only need 200 words to be fluent (or get by?)in a language.  это правда?   I must be getting close, but do I have the right 200?

 Август 17:  I think I just did the unit in memrise that I have needed for a long time.  Common phrases that will make it easier for ordinary conversations, so how to say things like "I am waiting.. Я жду" "Wait here- жди здесь" "Stop here-останови здесь""Will you go.. ты поедешь?"  Can you speak more slowly please?--вы не могли бы говорить помедленнее, пожалуйста?  "I am learning--Я изучаю", "I will go.. I am going--я поеду" "I will pay..я заплачу' "I will eat.. Я поем" "later--позже" "soon--скоро" "next week--на следующей неделе" "Can you repeat that please?--вы не могли бы это повторить, пожалуйста" "I will see you later--Я увижусь с тобой позже" " I will talk to you later-- Я поговорю с тобой позже".

I am pretty impressed with this website memrise and how it is speeding up my fluency, I think, which is what I needed.  I like how they build and repeat, and have a voice in your head  speaking with every single word or phrase taught or tested.  It really gets the phrases and pronunciations in your head much better than the other websites' methods.  For example, in the past when I posted Russian word or phrases on this site, I would try to write cold what I would remember, and even though it was less words , I would have to go back and correct as much as half, especially on spelling.  That paragraph I wrote above I did with minimum checking--maybe two minor misspellings?  I had put an ee on следующей, and felt the need to check a few others, but most of this I did cold, spelling and all!  Plus, as I am typing, I am reciting what is at least fairly close to the right pronunciation, cos that's how I learned it.  Сука!!   soo good... Course I may be just finally getting used to some of it)).

Август 18:  Owwwch.  Repeated the lessons of the last week  --"rewatering" , as the site calls it-the first time I averaged about 50%.  That was cold, without review, and I need to say, you get O credit for any almost right answer.  If there's one letter off, if you are slow, if you reverse the order of two words, it's dead wrong.  But a few hours later, I redid it and got 79%.  Still not perfect, but I guess I gotta consider that's 50 and 79% of words I didn't know how to use properly at all two weeks ago.  Plus, the practice with pronunciation buzzing in my head!!  It's almost easier to learn new words, less disheartening, anyway.  Still I go.  Еще поеду??

I am having a bit of trouble with the the differences between I can, I might, I should, and I must  по-русский--There is  могу могли может ( depending on the person/case) должен доджна возможно нужно --нужно , I figured out, goes with мне instead of я.

 Август 24:  Redid the above должен должна может возможно нужно нужна могли---it's coming.  I have it in my head, if not fast.  Will keep repeating it till I have it cold, because it does seem central--words I hear flying past my ears all the time.  Most of my low scores had more to do with my slow typing and spelling mistakes.  The occasional mixing of может быть  for должен, and vice-versa.

Август 27:  Another time through должен должна может возможно нужно нужна могли- did 88% even when super-tired.  Went on to next lesson which I hadn't done in 2 weeks and got a respectable 75%--just stupid typos from being tired, etc.  It was the same lesson as August 17.  I think I'm ready for a new set of words.

Август 28:  Which I did. And got over 90% .  I always do better on the new lists.  It's the retention that kills.

 Cентябрь 1:  Okay, I have three Russian speakers :  Nikita, Ivan in Film--who doesn't seem to want to promote the idea that he is Russian--wants to be called Eye-Van, not EE-van, for example.  I think he speaks руссрий язык ?  I haven't asked him, because he seems so shy of it.  Usually the ones who do are psyched when I say I'm trying to learn, and try to help me.   And surprisingly, this Mongolian kid who looks more or less like my other Asians, speaks fluent Russian, says Nikita.  Cool--fun for me.  I think Nikita will be my go-to guy, though, because he is a very nice person.

Today I did the review and did all right, on Я был голоден ( I am hungry), ему было холодно (he is cold), я не был счастлив (I am not happy)-stuff like that.    And their opposites and in different genders--I think you add an A to the verb of being  был (а)  when the subject is feminine.  I thought maybe you would say "I have Hunger, cold, etc.  like you do in Italian, but maybe that is why there is a different ending for cold (and I'm guessing hot, too?) for the being verb?? Not sure.  Also started learning some new words like вина  fault and весело веселье-- fun (adj and noun form ?)  это не моя вина (It is not my fault) и мне было весело с тобой прошлой ночью ( I had fun with you last night.  That "with you"  is finally starting to stick with me, the prepositional form of you  с тобой--which I used to think was one word something like stavoy--when I heard it in songs.

 Cентябрь 7:  ok, so I finished the basic Russian lessons on Memrise, so I needed something new.   So I went to the Intermediate lesson which seemed to be just what I was ready for...a Russian, simple child's story.  So, first, they play a video, narrated in Russian, with subtitles.  Ok, I could understand a few words here and there, figured out it was a story about a well, people looking for water in some old kingdom.  Ok, after the video, they give you the vocabulary from the story in parts.  You do the usual memrise exercises to cement them in your head.  Then they give you a translation of the opening sentence, then replay the video:  it's amazing how much more of it you get!  I got about half-way before I was pretty lost.  Next, you do more vocab for the 2nd part of the story, and so on.  Eventually you will understand the whole thing.  It's just brilliant, I think .

Сентябрь 8:   This story telling thing is so good.  I've done now 2/3rd of the story, and two days ago I couldn't follow any of it, just random words here and there.  The way it works is this:  There's a little cartoon, with Russian subtitles an a Russian narrator for pronunciation.  No English.  You watch it once (or how many times you want, I guess.)  Then, they break down the vocabulary in parts, and do the usual memrise repetition through the vocab, only this one never makes you type in Cyrillic..I suppose it helps comprehension better to focus on meaning.  After you do three or four vocab lists that correspond to the story, you then go through a slideshow with about 5-7 sentences from the story that contain the vocab words.  So, sort of almost magically, then, when you go back and watch the video, that part of it starts to make sense.  I don't think I could do it if it was just oral..I need the subtitles, but it is a great way to learn how to read and understand new words in context.  They never explain it in an English translation, (with the exception of the sentence slideshow).  It's pretty cool. I feel smarter.

Сентябрь 9:  Small parade for me....two cars, two clowns, and three shriners in kiddie cars.  I just read my first, entire story in Russian.  Now I can take on Putin AND the Ukrainians..

Сентябрь 17:  almost completely done with my Russian folk tale about magic "water " seeds (AKA "ice").  I mean, I've read the whole thing but the lesson has reinforcement--almost done with that and ready for 2nd story.  Someday--Булгаков и достиёвски (sp?)

Сентябрь 19:  Started the second story, which is a little shorter, and much easier for me--I already understand the main direction of it.  It's about a turtle with a flute who gets put in a cage, then gets out.  I think one reason it is easier because it has so many words to do with music that I already know, like  играть (to play)звук (sound) музыка (music) флейта (flute) танцевать (to dance) --did learn a bunch of animal names I didn't know, though.  And practiced pronouncing человек, (person) because the" o" didn't sound like I thought--need to practice more.

Сентябрь 23:  Over the past two days I've practiced "100 Russian verbs"  in infinitive form only, which of course is quite limiting, but the place to start.  Surprised that I've probably seen most of them somewhere, and I think I actually know half , at least in infinitive form.  Curious to see how much sticks... the distinction between all those slight variations on "Ask" , "Go/Come"  is pretty overwhelming.  Here's a weird trick I've been doing with myself lately.  If I'm alone and not absorbed in something I need to get done, I try occasionally to stop myself and say (to my self) would I be able to say that in Russian?  (Hmmm. test it now--Я была  бы можеть  сказать что по-русски?)   So, google translate said it should be "Смогу ли я сказать, что по-русски?"--but, what do they know?  What do I know!!??  I added an extra helping verb, but I did consider Я могу--- I wouldn't have known to say смогу, though.  That's the worst part, all those У- С- По Пре Под  beginnings of verbs that slightly vary it from the base word that I know.  ААААААггггггаааа!

Сентябрь 25:  Just got in the mail The Big Silver Book of 555 Russian Verbs:  Yes!  Did another section of the Turtle story vocab, and a short little lesson on the memrise site that intrigued me--untranslatable Russian words.  I thought тоска would be there but it isn't.

Сентябрь 28:  Finished the Turtle story lesson, so now I've read two stories in Russian.  I still need to finish the reinforcing review, to make sure I'll remember, but the second one went much easier.  It's just nice to be able to follow the grammar, the syntax, etc, in context.

Сентябрь 30:   Okay, it's been a long two weeks where I'm sick of being the authority figure, so I had to do this memrise lesson:  Cussin' in Russian.  Alright so I knew some already, but I need help pronouncing with authority;)

Октябрь 4: Last night finished the 2nd part review of the черепаха story-would have finished the whole thing, but I got too sleepy..will do it today as well as repeating the lesson in cussing.  For fun.

Октябрь 6: The 2nd story: fin.  And here's two new developments:  I'm getting a new Russian student in ESOL: Ivan.  Nikita was too good for my class so I let him fly off to regular English where he seems a little unhappier?  AND!  I lost my Italian teacher of 4 years, Carlo, but am getting a new one, this really interesting multi-lingual Swiss lady--who seems to have had a rather intense and colorful life--AND! claims she knows a little Russian!!  Maybe she can keep the chatty old ladies in line...   Пока, Карло, it was nice knowing you!

Октябрь 8:  So, onto the third story--they keep getting easier, and I'm going through them faster and with more fluency???  This one is about a little boy, маленький мальчик,   who is a piano player, who wants to be great, and therefore must learn to play with his "heart" сердце  rather than his "fingers" пальцы--hah!  sounds like a good musical puzzle I can relate to.

Октябрь 11:  I just got a possible chance to go to Prague and someplace called Cesky Krumlov at the end of March--it would be through school and I don't know if I need to pay anything or what--I know they don't probably speak Russian there--well, probably somebody does, but!   but----------------it's a 2-3 hour flight from Moscow......................

октябрь 13:  Can't believe it but I already finished the pianist story, even thought the website screwed up and left out the middle slideshow translation.  I figured it out anyway, by doing the end part.  I have to appreciate this about Russian:  it is a logical language, for all it's poetry, and its rules seem to never deviate--which makes at least THAT about it a little easy, once you get deep.

Mixed feelings on this Prague trip...devil in the details.   Probably too inflexible and expensive for my wants.

Октябрь 17:  Well, it's too early for this, but My next Russian story is about Santa Claus, getting sick at Christmas, and a bunch of little kiddies come to visit him to give him presents to make him feel better. I'm already half-way through it. If only life were really that sweet, and people really loved you that much for your good- hearted qualities.  Tonight at homecoming one of my old, shy students, once a soldier and now a paramedic, showed up (from 20 years ago) and confessed to me for about 25 minutes that he had a major crush on me back in the day--literally said the words, "you were my high school crush "  and "You were smokin' hot!"  He hugged me hard about 6 times tonight and was starting to make me feel a little uncomfortable.  It's sort of surreal and sad for me to think of him, thinking of me, while he was fighting a war and maybe killing people.  He came from a bad family, and was a tough little football player.  Asked me to go out  на завтрак, I politely declined.

I told him it was just because there were hardly any girls in the school then (which was true).  He wanted to know how old I had been then, and wouldn't believe me when I said 32?  He thought I was just out of college.  Life is truly weird..I had no inclination of any of this, then.  Makes me sad.

Октябрь 22:  Finished the Санта story.

Октябрь 26: Started a 4th story.  This one, I've only watched the pure Russian video-but I can already tell what it's about:  a boy finds a treasure map, and goes looking for a treasure.  On the way he stops a lion to search the forest, an eagle to see from the sky, a camel to help cross the desert,  and a turtle--to cross the ocean. They stick together and at the end meet an owl who tells them the treasure is the friendship they found--ta-da!  It's the Wizard of Oz, sorta.

Last night I went to an art opening, and met a Russian lady--she still had a slight accent, but was quite easy to understand.  She said she came from Moscow, and her husband had been a professor at Moscow State --I'm going to assume in some art department, because she was telling me that in Soviet times, people were directed out of the arts and into more practical math and science studies.  I guess she was implying this was why they left.  They must be now associated with Eckerd College, because my artist friend is.  A strange twist was that I saw again this art photographer I had met a few years back who dated the Russian math teacher at my school, Цветлана.  I think it's so sad, what he told me about why they broke up--he said he thought she was lovely, but he couldn't understand her when she talked.  Ironic, because Цветлана was supposed to come to my house to teach me Russian, and I was going to help her with her English pronunciation.  She came twice, and helped me a lot, but stopped coming when she quit my school.

октябрь 29:  Did maintenance work on my memrise.com story, just to keep my hand in on a busy day.  More interestingly, I took the time to read a Russian post from a Russian friend, Cerg, on VK today, and pretty much understood the first two sentences without having to go to the translator.  Of course, I know Cerg's ideological tendencies, which helped, but still.  I am making progress.

Ноябрь 1:  No time for Russian lessons, today, band practice, and weekend duty: just Russian eavesdropping.  I think I heard someone say to Ivan, because he was in some minor trouble?:  As you should be here:  Как ты  нужна здесь  or something--no idea of the context.  I may have left out a word--also overheard another Russian conversation that involved the word будешь between Ivan and Nikita--but I'm too tired now to remember much of it.  Beautiful Russian like weather here, though now--северный ветер blowing hard today.

Ноябрь 4:  Finished the fifth story about the best treasure--this one didn't bother with the line by line review at the end, but I pretty much got it, although on the video, without the review, some of the words went by me too fast.  But interesting that I did most of this without doing any translation at all, except the vocab words, (mostly because the little sentence level translation videos are blocked at my school --we don't allow no excessive streaming here!)  Still, I got the idea of it.  Onto story #6.  Завтра.

Ноябрь 5:  Rosa the elephant leaves the zooпарк и приходить в город  (zoo, and goes to the city). I already knew zoo park (зоопарк-- name of a famous Soviet rock band)   and city город from bands/music--lots of songs about cities, etc..))

Ноябрь 6:  Finished part one, when the elephant's manager forgets to close the cage, Rosa escapes, and finds ice-cream that she thinks is холодний, сладкий и вкусний.  Cold, sweet and tasty.)

Ноябрь 10 :  Did quite a few lessons today on the elephant story.  But, this is a wonderful thing.  We got a new (young!  thank you, gods)  woman in Italian class-very sweet, multi-lingual. She wants to learn Italian because her boyfriend is, although he doesn't speak proper Italian, she says.   And guess what?  She's Ukrainian, from Kiev, speaks fluent Russian.  She's teaching her little daughter, who was there, too, and had a short Russian conversation with me. (I understood her better than her mother, actually..probably because she spoke медленно.)

  We already exchanged phone numbers, says she'll help me practice, and I copied her my Italian workbook pages, quid pro quo.   We talked a little about her past, and our concurrent interests in languages.  She's been in the States for 10 years, so probably didn't come with the first wave of post-Soviet immigrants.  She was funny, talking about Russians--she especially thinks Muscovites are terribly arrogant, aggressive, and need to be put in their place. ( I told her about burning Ivan's quiz today--she said, "good".)   Oh, by the way, I burned Ivan's quiz today... Xaxa.  You should have seen the hurt look in her eye when she talked about Putin taking Crimea--about how difficult it will be now to obtain a visa to go there through Russia for Ukrainians.  I guess they both love that place--it must be something!  Wish I could go...

Ноябрь 11:  So for Russian practice today I read (again, but faster!) the whole first chapter of Morphine (Морфин) по-русский.  The big thing is, even in that hard book, I'm recognizing more words--although just guessing at some of the antique and medical stuff..not really ordinary words, and he (BulGAkov) writes pretty convoluted sentences--well, so do I.  I'm sure I am annoying piss out of my husband because I'm reading it out loud, but it's not like he doesn't annoy me everyday.  I can throw most of them off, okay, although if a native speaker was sitting with me?  Probably be correcting every third word. Or more.

Ноябрь 18:  I've been doing some sort of long-term review that stretches back through months worth of work--sort of like my own midterm, but I'm getting between 70-80%  when I do stuff cold.  That's kind of a let-down, but it shows what's in my long term memory as opposed to my short term with new lessons, where I tend to get closer to 100%.  I knew that was a false positive...otherwise I'd be able to pull up more stuff cold and understand native speakers (and Russian movies?) better.

Ноябрь 27:  Not much practice today, did some of the review while in DC.  Instead today I talked in English and Russian (Ruslish ?  Engsian?  neither sounds good) to a person on VK--I didn't get corrected too much except for spelling--mixing up Ш and С,  forgetting the occasional  ь ...

Декабрь 3: Just still working through the review.  But last night I was reading Thomas Pynchon, Bleeding Edge, and I realized the Russian character was saying "Party at Daski's"  in some mangled anglicized Russian for Вечеринка....Here's what's going on in my room right now. Ivan is sitting on a beanbag between Franco and Tuchs and first is speaking Spanish to Franco, then Russian to Tuchs.  Kinda surreal.

Oh, yeah, this is mildly amusing.  A Russian joke, kinda.  My new Ukrainian girlfriend from my Italian class  (who for some reason seems to know men who want to meet Russian/E. European women to marry?  Hmmm!!)  The joke has to do with these two similar Russian words:

подушка и подруга?.  Sound similar.  The first word means "pillow"  the second, "girlfriend".  So, the joke revolves around an American learning Russian, who was staying in a respectable hotel in Moscow.  He is missing items from his bed, and goes down to complain that the hotel needs to give him a подруга?.  

The girl at the desk is somewhat shocked and scolds him:  That is your affair...we don't do that!  He keeps insisting he has no подруга!  She says, WELL that's too bad, but what should I do?  And of course, he really meant подушка..pillow.

Декабрь 8:  I'm still working on reviews of vocabulary and phrases from my old stories, because I think I need to before I move on.  Sometimes I'm trying to do it in between class work, when kids are taking tests and whatnot, but I feel like the more I put it in front of me, the better it helps me.  I am far from perfect in my memory, especially with verbs.  Also, last night I found Брат 2 on youtube again, in Russian only, and I watched about a half an hour before it started giving me the little buffering wheel of video sleep.  So I had to stop.  It helps my ear to do this.

Декабрь 14:  Shoot!  I just realized I had already done all the stories in the Intermediate section, and I still feel Russian stupid!  I guess I'll have to find a new section on memrise.com to work on, and come back to this one frequently for review, because it really did help me put things together for reading.  I know I will forget some of the verbs if I don't practice them often.

New Years, 2015:  Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've been practicing.  some.  С Новый Годом.

Январь 7:  I must say there's quite a rush in making jokes in multiple languages simultaneously (одновременно...)

Январь 8:   I really am still practicing.  It's just boring to rewrite it here since it's all just review from my little stories.  как сказать  "boring?" Скучны.   But necessary.

Январь 13:  Someone from my past used to say--"Come high or go home."  So today I tried to come high.  I read  Ночной Дозор in Russian Today--the prologue.  Took me over an hour, with multiple interruptions, however. Now I'm going to check my English version to see if I basically got it right.  Ok...I didn't really catch the part that the wind was trying to keep Egor down . I didn't get the obvious reference to the escalator steps flattening as the do under your feet.  Didn't get the dryer was broken. that Egor didn't get on the trolley, that he was in some semi-circular hotel lobby at one point.  Ah, I thought it was Egor blowing a kiss, not the girl--that didn't make sense!!  I didn't get that the woman with the German shepherds couldn't see the others..

But, вообще я понял....)))) And, it took me less than 15 minutes in English.  Including writing these comments.

Январь 22:  I have now read 10 pages of Ночной Дозор in Russian  today..Chapter 1, twice.  Once using Google translate when I couldn't break through, and a second time with my English translation in hand.  Of course, ( конично), the second time was easier.  That's because G-translate is a little thick, and doesn't always get the point.  Plus, I started remembering some of the new words the second time, and the whole thing was less cumbersome.  I'm beginning to think it won't be so impossible to read this whole book in Russian.  Slow, yes, but not impossible.  A bit at a time.  It's only 380+ pages anyway..  I'm reading Day Watch simultaneously  одновременно?   in English, which is a little weird.

Январь 25:  20 pages in.  I don't know if it's just that I'm being forced to read so much slower and therefore every word magnifies in meaning, or if it's the Russian.  But, I can't believe how much more viscerely I am feeling the words.  I mean ,the scene when Anton kills the male vampire--the description of his spine breaking, body dissolving--ugh, and the blood-drinking.  But, the book doesn't have the scene that the movie has, with Anton spewing blood-vomit all down the metro wall in Moscow.  At least I haven't seen that yet.

Февраль 10:  32 pages done.
 Февраль 11: 40 pgs.
Февраль 16:  44 pgs.  I almost wanted to go further, because it's starting to flow, a little.  It's like being in a dream world, a bit.  I can hear the pacing in my head, somehow.  But I gotta go call Saul.
Февраль 22:  page 50!  Slow on the driveway....
Март 1:  p.53--busy week. Little internet access.  New phone, though, already loaded for Russian.
Март 4:  p. 60
Март 5: p. 63
Март 6: p. 68
Март 8: p. 72
Март 9: p. 81
Март 13:  p. 88
Март 16:  p. 98
Март 17: p. 101
Март 23:  p. 105.  Also, I think I can sing that Russian song alright now?
Март 24: p.110
Март 27: p.114
Март 29: p. 119

Апрель 2:Shoot--my site is down--hope it comes back.  Also, I can't even find it in the place I originally got it??  Weird.  But, this gives me an opportunity to write something else.  I learned a fairly complicated Russian song (I mentioned earlier), not just to play, but to sing.  Copying the intonation of the singer helped me understand a lot.

It also reinforces for me how beautiful the sound of Russian is.  Even in my mouth.  Here's something I think I learned to correct.  Why it's soft. Take the word ты.  An American probably has the instinct to say t-t-t-t-t-t-eeee.  The way we say T's--we put our tongues back away from our teeth, spit some air between our teeth, and expectorate....t-t-t-t-t-.   The Russian way, (I hope i'm hearing this right) requires the speaker to softly place his/her tongue in the concave groove of the front teeth--no spitting.  So when you say the word, ты, it as if you are giving a gentle caress to the teeth in your mouth as you speak, like a little love gesture--especially appropriate when singing a love song with the word "you" prominently featured.

Апрель 3:   Found a new source for my story--so I was able to read a few pages.  The print is less friendly, but, it's free.  So I'm up to p. 123.

Апрель 5:  p.127

 Апрель 8:  Dammit, I'm having serious trouble keeping a website with my book in Russian. I just lost the second one.  I think I just found a third one that actually might be a little easier to read because it does it in one chapter (глава)  per page.  What I'm afraid is, since I can't read all the little rules, commands, links and details all over the webpages, that each one has like a free trial period, and then shortly expires.  The first one I got sent, for example, from someone else, must have had a login, but I don't think it will let me make one--plus I'd have to go searching for where I was again. It didn't have pages marked.This is all complicated by my Kindle's translation being only in %.  Hopefully this one will keep for awhile?  It has no login or anything. Off to figure out where I left off near . 127.....Part II Ch. 8 for future reference?

p. 133!

Looking over old stuff:  "мне стали слишком малы"  !!  Once so confusing to me!  Now, quite obviously  (duh!) says--"For me became too small..."  hee hee.

Апрель 13 :  p . 142 in  Ночной Дозор 

Апрель 14:  Just finished Book one of Ночной Дозор.  I hope I have an easy time finding Story Two--called Among His Own Kind.  The last scene of this book, after the boring fight stuff( I really am a girl)  just seemed so much more profound when I read it this time--again, I think it's the slow savoring rather than the language--although that does make some difference.  I was expecting more difference from English, but it's probably just that I don't have enough experience to know all the little subtleties of the words' facets.  

The last part, with Anton talking to Gesar--I don't think I caught the full effect. Of him, standing, looking up into the snow, wishing to be free, wishing to freeze solid and not be a subject of fate--being forced to move, one step at a time, towards Svetlana , love,  and pain.  Inevitable loss.  I guess real life is really this way too, but on a different level.  Sad.  I get that.  Quite well.  I suppose it helps that I've read most of the next to books and know what might come.
Yay.  Found Story #2.

Апрель 16  :  Hugo (speaks Russian)  says to a friend--"She knows more Russian than any non-Russian person at this school.))  Me, he means.

Апрель 23:  Sorry, Mother Russia, I have been neglecting you lately--too busy.  But I did find a nice Russian song last night that I took the time to translate.  So you are not far from my thoughts.

I'm back.  Started book two, finished the epilogue--p. 152.  almost half done,  whew.

Апрель 25:  Part II, Ch.1, @ p.154.
Апрель 26: p. 157
Апрель 27: p. 160
Апрель 28: p. 163--"Ладно"--I'm finally getting the thought to write the last word I read to find my place in my e-book.  Such a pain, no pages.
Апрель 30:  p. 166 -"Только, иногда, лукавим и недоговариваем..."

Май 1:  Only two pages--p.168--"А потом ниточки перепутались."
Май 3:  Done with Ch.1, part II.  p. 170? 
-- "Как любой нормальный мужчина, смотрящий телевизор, я умею это делать в совершенстве. Прокладку надо облить ядовито-синей жидкостью, а потом сильно сжать в кулаке." (By the way, this part is not in the English version!)

Май 4: p. 172? XA This too, no angliskey! "Да здравствует мода «унисекс», пусть даже ее изобрели гомосексуалисты."

Май 6:  p. 175 --"Три пары жадных глаз буравили мою спину... точнее -- не совсем спину."
Май 8:  p. 178-- Explain it to me, then! Тогда ты объясни!
Май 10 : p. 181--Go Change:-- "Переодевайся."
Май 13: p.185--"I'll make them let you in... it will be a good deed? "Заставлю пропустить. Это ведь будет доброе дело?"
Май 14: p. 188--- Part II, Chapter 3!! Half-way through!!
Май 15:  p. 191   -" Да ты посмотри на них! Та, темненькая, в джинсах, совсем мужик."
Yes, look at them!  The dark-haired one, in jeans, is quite masculine!
Май 17: p.194 --- "«Альтер Эго»,-- сказала Светлана."
Май 18:  p. 198 -"Вот теперь я понял, что влип окончательно."

verbs,verbs,verbs, verbs,verbs..in Italian the conjugations kill me, but Russian?  How many goddamn verbs do you people need to get by in life?

Май 19:  p.199--didn't get too far, what with my difficult children today. "Методики обучения и поиска новых Иных, разбор боевых операций, сети людей-осведомителей, статистика потерь, анкетные данные сотрудников, финансовые планы..."
p.202--- "Цель не оправдывает средства."   The ends do not justify the means.

 Май 20:  p.205---" Уходим, девочки..."   Ladies go first.
Май 22: p.207 --"В голосе его был лед."

Май 27:  p.210-"Потому, что он дурак! -- взвизгнула моя соседка. Она отодвинулась в другой конец салона, сторонясь меня как зачумленной."  --Because he's an idiot!  screeched the woman next to me. She moved to the other side as if I had plague....))

Май 28:  Beginning P. II Chapter 4!
Май 29:  Intense Russian workout yesterday--reading to Ch. 4+ , plus two TV shows, one helpfully translated for me.  I don't think I'm ever gonna learn this language.
Май 30: p. 217-- "За мной охотится Дневной Дозор,-- пояснил я.-- Все Темные Москвы."

Июнь 1-2015:  - p. 221

Интересно, интересно,
Себя потерять на рассвете.
Стучаться в прозрачные двери
И знать, что никто не ответит...

Июнь 2:  p.225   "-- Ты... ты...-- он все никак не мог поверить в произошедшее.-- Ты Антон! Ты вне закона!"
Июнь 3:  p. 230?  To Part II Chapter 5!!  

Июнь 4:  p.233--"   Свет и Тьма, но я же не оперативник! Я никогда не рвался выйти на передний край! Оставьте мне ту работу, что я люблю и умею делать! "

I tried to watch Episode 3 of Bandit Petersburg, but couldn't really make heads or tails of it without help((  I mean, I figured out the love triangle thing between Oleg Katya and Serg is heating up, and I can tell Katya is conflicted by her facial expressions (plus, she's married, right, out of convenience?) .   I pick Sergei, Katya;)

Июнь 6:  p. 236-- "Кусочек пушечного мяса между армиями Света и Тьмы."

Июнь 8: p.239---

- Цветной бульвар проверен!
-- Полежаевская под контролем!

Июнь 9:  p.242---Chapter 6 begins!
Июнь 10: p.246 -- "Не может быть Бога в мире, где процветает зло."
Июнь 12:  p. 249--  "

Я достал из кобуры пистолет, снял его с предохранителя. Вдохнул -- глубоко-глубоко, будто готовясь нырнуть.
Пора"

Июнь 14: p. 252 -- " Может быть, остался бы дома, зная, что его будущей жертве всего двенадцать лет."

Июнь 15: p. 258-- "Как нехорошо.."
Июнь 16: p. 263-- 

"Агапэ -- знак любви -- он не верит в любовь.
Тройной ключ -- порождающий веру и понимание -- он не верит мне.
Опиум -- сиреневый символ, дорога сна -- я почувствовал, как смежаются мои собственные веки."

Июнь 19:  p. 267?  Finished Chapter 7, and on to the 3rd, and last, part of the book!!

Июнь 20:  Had to look for the 3rd part, but got it.  p. 270 ----" Постой-ка, отец,-- миролюбиво сказал слащавый. Голос у него был под стать внешности, тонкий и манерный.-- Не спеши."

Июнь 22: Finished Part III Prologue.  p.273?
Июнь 25: Ch. 1  p. 276-- "Пусть там человеческие детишки забавляются. Ну что вы все смеетесь? А?"

Июнь 26: p. 279--"И тогда все, что нам останется -- дружеские рукопожатия при встрече, и открытки на день рождения и рождество."  Sorry.

Июнь 30:  Мой друг там. Тоска я.  
               p. 282--"Нет -- кумиром стала Тигренок."
Июль 1:  Onto Chapter 2!! p. 288.

Июнь 3:  p.292? "-- Девять лет! А тебе ведь проще, твоя магия -- природная. Из Светланы собираются слепить великую волшебницу за полгода -- год!"

Июль 4: p.296  --  "Паука я сжег сразу. Полусонные комары тоже проблем не доставили."
Июль 7: p.300--"Это все к примеру, я его тараканов не ловил, начальство все-таки."
Июль 8: p. 306--Ch.3 !!  "Я очень аккуратно и тихо закрыл дверь."
Июль 9: p. 312--"Это наша работа и долг. Мы -- Дозор.
Не верю!"
Июль 11:  p.314--onto Chapter 4.  
Июль 12 : p. 318-- " Спрашиваешь! -- обиделся Игнат.-- Вы заходите, честное слово, рад буду видеть!"
Июль 13:  p. 224--"-- Боя с Тьмой, а не с людьми!"
Июль 14:  p. 227-- "Моя правда навсегда останется со мной."
Июль 15: p.230-- "-- Завулон, в тебе нет власти надо мной..."

Июль 16:  p.235--(forgot to say--in Ch. 5)-- "-- Кусочек мела...-- сказал я."

Июль 17:  well---! read most of a chapter today--onto Ch. 6!!  "-- Прощай, Гесер,-- сказал я. Посмотрел на Алишера.-- Удачи тебе, новый дозорный."

Only two more chapters to go (  Я вдохнула...)
Июль 18:  p.245  " Антон, мы же оба -- Иные! Давай, уладим все это миром? Антон!"
Июль 19:  p.249 "Разумеется, Завулон появился в демоническом облике не для того, чтобы произвести на меня впечатление."
Июль 20: p.251  "Сумрак -- ненасытная шлюха, которая рада всем."
                  p.253 --"А мой шанс -- выйти из игры. И увести Светлану."
Июль 21:  sad, last chapter--p.257--"Увядающей, желто-оранжевый букет осенних листьев..."
Июль 22: p.261--  "Первым я увидел Максима."
Июль 23: p. 265--  "-- Антон, что мне делать? Скажи! Антон, я должна это сделать?"

Июль 24:  I am done.  It snuck up on me--last ten pages are the 3rd book..  I have read my first book по-русский...........

Июль 26  Дневной Дозор:  Good start for me today!  I read 11 pages of the Prologue.   For some reason this silly online version uses a giant "Ч"  at the beginning of each piece of dialogue, rather than quotation marks like we do in the US, or dashes, like in Ночной Дозор.  It took me like an hour to figure out that it wasn't just some abbreviation  (I was thinking maybe for что ?  )  But eventually I realized every sentence made perfect sense without it, and it was always in front of dialogue.  Maybe now I'll finally learn all the variations of "Day"...doubtful, I still can't do grammar past nominative by myself.

Июль 27:  p.16--finished the prologue.  It's mostly the scene that is at the beginning of the Night Watch movie, with Dasha the dirty witch.  In this, though, there's some random girl named Natasha who wants her husband back, which would involve getting rid of a baby in another girl.  So it's sort of the reverse gender of the same scene with Anton, which in the movie later leads you to believe he is Yegor's father.  That's one of the most confusing changes for the book--I'm never sure what I'm supposed to think  Егор  is--even the level of his magic powers, let alone whether he's Dark or Light. At the end of Night Watch he gets moved back to neutral, after it seemed like he was going Dark.

Июль 29: Chapter 1 p.20-- "Я была в сумраке"
Август 3:  top of p.24--"Ч Про всех не знаю. А я работаю ведьмой."
Август 4:  top of p.29-- "Лучше у меня получалось только... только с помощью призмы силы."
Август 5: top of p.33--" я ничего не понимала, потом догадалась глянуть сквозь сумрак.
Так и есть."

Август 9:  So there's this link on Facebook called Russia Beyond the Headlines.  I added it because it has these Russkiy grammar quizzes--man, I suck at them.  They pass you if you only get 60%.  I've done about 5 quizzes. And barely passed a few.  It says you can use a dictionary, so the last time I did, although my translations were pretty accurate without.  But the grammar---I got 0%.  Absolutely nil.  So bad at the grammar--I was even looking it up in a book!  I did better guessing.  I think I just don't get the rules.  I need to read today, been slacking off.

hah! read to p. 39--6 pages, finished Ch.1, on to Ch. 2.

 Август 10: Chapter 2 , to top of p. 42--"Но тогда мне помог сам Завулон. Исцелил начисто, ни для внешности ущерба не осталось, ни для здоровья. И я лезла в бой весело и отважно, чувствуя его ободряющий взгляд и сдержанную, терпеливую улыбку."

Август 11:  top of 45--"Дверь была распахнута Ч на человеческом уровне мира. В сумраке ее закрывала глухая стена."

Август 12:  тоp of p. 48--"Это было даже красиво."

Август 16:  тоp of p. 52--" Приказ шел от Завулона, Ч ответила Лемешева. Ч Вероятно, ему виднее."

Август 18: top of 56-- "Ч Алиса, ты не переживай. Может быть, руководство что-нибудь придумает. Кстати, о прожаренном мясе... я голоден как зверь."


 Август 19:  top of 59--"Мне словно шило в одно место вставили..."

Август 20: p. 63, Beginning Chapter 3!  "Потому, что любовь Ч это тоже сила. Большая сила, и ей не стоит пренебрегать."

Август 23:  Ch. 3, to top of p. 67--"Павел проводил меня до троллейбусной остановки. Самый забавный троллейбусный маршрут из тех, что я знаю Ч он идет из города в город, из Симферополя в Ялту. Как ни странно, это довольно удобно."

Август 27:  top of p. 70--"Я выключила мобильник и задремала. "Нисан" шел ровно, вскоре мы уже выбрались на трассу."

Август 31:  top of p. 73--"Ч Поскольку вас двое, и вы, явно, хорошие приятели, Ч объяснила я, Ч для вас не составит проблем удовлетворить друг друга. После этого мы спокойно и без приключений доедем до лагеря."

Сентябрь 1:  top of p. 76  --"Девочка, сыгравшая когда-то Алису в телефильме, и влюбившая в себя всех мальчишек страны, теперь мирно трудится биологом, с улыбкой вспоминая свой романтический образ."

Besides reading my Дневной Дозор сегодня , I returned to memrise.com for a bit, because I anticipated having to show it to students.  But they ended up testing all day, so I had time to do maybe 4 lessons while I waited--it said it was intermediate stuff?  Difficult phrases (they said), like сразу же (right away)  быть правым И быть неправым (to be right, to be wrong ) different ways to say "I think"--Я думаю-считаю-полагаю-- things like "at least" --по крайней мере (glad to finally know what this means since I've seen it, heard it), быстрее и поспеши (Hurry up!)  я голоден (I'm hungry--as opposed to я хочу пить (I'm thirsty--or literally, I want to drink).  Мои часы на 5 мин спешат--My watch is five minutes fast--mine usually is. Быть готовым ( to be ready), отсутствовать- уехать -не быть дома(to be away, absent, not at home)  что происходит? (what's going on?)

Сентябрь 2:  top of 79, Ch.4--!

Сентябрь 3:  top of p. 82--"Это то немногое, что мы смогли сохранить! Но за пределами лагеря... люди бывают разные."

Сентябрь 6: top of page 85--" А вот то, что рождает в мальчишке подобные шутки Ч завести и бросить ночью посреди парка незнакомую с местностью девушку, гордо выпятить тощую грудь и прикинуться благополучным ребенком из крутой семьи... вот это Ч наше."

Oh, yeah, I also did a bit of Гарри Поттер  vocabulary on memrise.com, which was actually pretty advanced.  Maybe I should try to read Harry in Russian--shoulda tried to talk Artem into lending me his book: he had one in Russian, but he's gone now.  He liked it too much though, and that's good! In fact, we seem to  have very small numbers of Russians this year--most of the Russian speakers are Ukrainian, and boy, can I tell the personality differences of Ukrainians .  They are much more guarded and defensive.  I did find one kid who still has an apartment в  Москве --in the southeast outside the ring.  I have NO Russian speakers in class this year now--too bad, since I could probably get a few sentences off with them this year..and prove how stupid I am in another language...

Сентябрь 7:--top of p. 89--"Наверное, так трясся бы на моем месте набоковский Гумберт-Гумберт.
Впрочем, по сравнению с тем, что я собираюсь сейчас сделать Ч его страсти к нимфеткам воистину детские шалости..."

Сентябрь 8: --top of p. 93--"Настю... она так хотела с ними остаться, но ведь мама Ч это самое-самое главное в жизни!"

Сентябрь 10 :  top of p.96--"С этим мне повезло: август выдался дождливый, холодный, унылый. "

 Сентябрь 12: top of 99--"Ч Спасибо, Наташа, Ч поблагодарила я. Ч Мне показалось, что я с ним знакома."

Сентябрь 15:  p. 104, starting Chapter 5, with Igor.
Сентябрь 17:  top of p. 107 -"Что-нибудь из Цоя или "Алисы"... ну, или что там нравится нынешней молодежи?"

Сентябрь 19:  Ch.1.5, top of p. 110:  
"Может быть, так оно и было Ч многие люди обладают сильной интуицией, хотя и не принадлежат к Иным."

Сентябрь 21:  Ch. 1.5 top of p. 113: 

"Я стояла перед зеркалом, глядела в собственное отражение, и пыталась понять, что же со мной происходит?
Влюбилась?"

So I noticed in this part, where Igor played the guitar, with a song called "Two Boys" by Yuri Burkin, (Which I had a little trouble finding, even on VK) that the Russian original left out the sentences ID-ing the song writer, Yuri, and the commentary that he was not very well-known.  I wonder why?  And then why put it back in, in the English translation?

Сентябрь 22 :  Ch.1.5, top of 116--"Так всегда бывает, что на маленьких все внимание, а на тебя не смотрят, пусть даже у тебя все зубы красные..."

  Сентябрь 23 : ch.1.5, top of 120--"Вот это да! Какие страсти в неполные двенадцать лет!"

Сентябрь 24: top of 124--"Красавчик Ромка напустил в штаны посреди четвертного диктанта, и еще два года жил с прозвищем "сыкун", пока не переехал с родителями в другой район."

 Сентябрь 26:  Ch 1.5, top of 128:  "Но сейчас это меня ничуть не трогало.
Только ночь, звезды, Игорь..."

 Сентябрь 27: On to Ch. 6.  The sex is over (.

 Сентябрь 28:  top of p. 134  

"Скучаешь? Ч тихонько спросила я. Наташка на миг будто ощетинилась, возмущенно глянула на меня... и вдруг вздохнула:
Ч Ага... Вы тоже скучаете?"

Сентябрь 29:Ch 1.6,  top of p. 140--I couldn't stop reading tonight!  может быть, it's getting easier? 
 " Уже не обращая внимания на то, что и как делаю. Легко, привычно."

Сентябрь 30:  Ch.1.6, top of 143: "Что ты делаешь тут, как не пасешься на человеческих детенышах?"

Октябрь 4:  Almost done with book 1, p. 146:  "Прощай, Ч сказал Игорь."

Октябрь 5: 3 more pages--p. 149:
"Но что же делать, если ты стал большей частью меня? Как удар молнии пронзил мою жизнь?"

Октябрь 8:  Done, Book 1.  What a pity, for poor, poor Alisha.  I feel much worse for her this time--just learning to really love, and then dying for it, literally two of her loves killed her love.  Or, maybe killed her, not her love..?  Onto page 157, Book Two Prologue.
Октябрь 10: finished prologue, Book 2, to p. 161

Октябрь 12 : Book 2, Ch.1, top of p. 164:  "Я оторвался от неожиданно ярких воспоминаний."

Октябрь 13: top of 167: "Жаль, что уверенность не была полной."

Октябрь 14:  top of 170:  "Даже в этом безумном городе, едва ли не самом дорогом на планете. Хотя... хотя нет. Пожалуй, уже с год, как это сомнительное первенство Москва утратила."

Октябрь 16:  top of p. 173:  "Сержант был Иным. Причем, Светлым Ц это я понял сразу.
Светлым... Хм. А я какой? Кажется, я Ц не Светлый. Точно, не Светлый."For some reason, this section, with the unknown other, is much harder for me to read.    может быть, потому что he is supposed to be Ukranian.  Ukranian Other.

Октябрь 17:  top of 176:  "Скормив прислуге сторублевку (и откуда у меня эта барская привычка к непомерно щедрым чаевым?), я попытался снова сосредоточиться, но, видимо, сошел с настроя. Жаль.

Октябрь 18: top of 179:  " Итак, Темный, что мы имеем? Свежий труп, и тебя рядышком. Объяснения будут? Или, может быть, у тебя найдется лицензия? А?"


Октябрь 20: Chapter 2 , 1/5 of p. 182:  "Некоторое время я гадал Ц за что он так ненавидит Темных?"

Октябрь 22: top of p. 185--"Узкая, как и всегда в таких домах, прихожая. Налево Ц две двери к удобствам и кухня, чуть дальше и налево Ц одна комната, направо Ц вторая.

  Октябрь 23:  top of p. 189 (extra page!): "Ты работаешь в Дозоре там, у себя на Украине? Ц неожиданно спросил чешуйчатый.....игренке крылся искусный актер. Точнее, актриса. Кто знает, кем бы она стала, не будь она Иной..."

 Октябрь 26:  top of p. 192:  
Ц "Вот-вот. Сидел, готовил операцию... Самое паршивое, что я не могу представить ее целей. Да и что мы пока имеем? Два сомнительных убийства, совершенно непонятно как связанные."

Октябрь 27:  top of p. 195:  "Будь он поопытнее Ц никогда не сунулся бы в закрытое Кольцом место. Я даже не стал опоясывать весь номер Ц только шкаф с сумкой.

Октябрь 28: top of 198: "Эдгар еле заметно кивнул, выразительно взглянул на Шагрона. Тот едва-едва наметил пожатие плечами.

Октябрь 30: top of 201: "Нет, так нет. Скажите, любезный, у вас есть еще вопросы к нашему коллеге?

Ноябрь 2:  top of 204: "Стойка на манер гостиничных, только ничего похожего на стол и стул для коридорной нет. Лишь закрытое бюро, но в замочке торчит элегантный металлический ключ.

Ноябрь 3: top of 207: "Мне почему-то показалось, что Кипелов поет об этом слишком уж со знанием дела. О крови. О дне. О небе. Он вполне может оказаться Иным, этот длинноволосый кумир российских металлистов. Во всяком случае, я бы этому не слишком удивился."


Ноябрь 4: top of 210: "Через каких-то полчаса в офисе стало людно. Понятно, что все присутствующие были Иными. И понятно Ц Темными.
А я по-прежнему ничего не понимал."

Ноябрь 5: top of 214--Finished Ch 2.  Onto Ch.3.  Vampires Calling.

Ноябрь 8: top of 217-
И я свободен вновь.
Я свободен от любви,
От вражды и от молвы,
От предсказанной судьбы
И от земных оков,
От зла и от добра.
В моей душе нет больше места для тебя

Ноябрь 9:  top of 220-"В чем, черт побери, дело? Ц зло крикнул я. Ц Или в Москве так принято?"

Ноябрь 10 : top of p. 223--"Эдгар жалобно взглянул на меня Ц кажется, он возлагал на меня большие надежды.

Ноябрь 11: top of p. 226: "Видимо, акцент проявлялся у него только в моменты волнения и концентрации на чем-нибудь другом, помимо собственной речи.

Ноябрь 12, top of 230: "Странно, я думал, что сумрак меня измочалит окончательно, а я наоборот приободрился, словно душ принял и сто грамм хлопнул. Удивительно."

 Ноябрь  14:  top of 233: "Все таки я сильный Иной, хоть и неопытный.---"Ощущение собственного превосходства над обычными людьми сильно кружит голову, и только с годами возможно понять, что иногда быть человеком гораздо проще и легче, чем быть Иным."

Ноябрь 15:  top of 237--" Волшебница, кажется, заволновалась."

Ноябрь 16:  read a little extra to finish Ch.3.  Tomorrow, Ch.4, at the top of 243.

Ноябрь 17: top of p. 247--"Ц Даже так? Ц спокойно осведомился Семен. Ц Так серьезно?"

Ноябрь 18: top of p. 250--"Не произвел на меня хохол должного впечатления, признаюсь вам. Чтобы отъесть Силу у Светлой на глазах Гесера Ц надо быть по меньшей мере Завулоном. И иметь право на воздействие первой ступени..."

Ноябрь 19:  top of 253--  "Одно дело ведьмы и вампиры... это всего лишь Иные. Но драконы..."

Ноябрь 22:  Top of 256-- "Очень красиво смотрится свежая роза в заснеженном лесу!

Ноябрь 24: top of 259--"Я вышел назад на Тверскую."

Ноябрь 26:  top of 262--"Неторопливо упрятав футляр с Когтем во внутренний карман пиджака, инквизитор, не прощаясь, канул в сумрак. Я сразу перестал его чувствовать. Сразу. У Инквизиции свои пути."

Ноябрь 30:  finished P II ch. 4--onto Chapter 5, p. 268.

Декабрь 2:  ch.5--top of p. 271:  "Неужели ты принесешь в жертву Свету свое счастье и счастье любимой женщины? Тем более, что жертва все равно бессмысленна. Именно поэтому я предлагаю тебе маленькое и безболезненное предательство.

Декабрь 3:  top of p. 275--" Егор! Ты уснул? Выходим.

Декабрь 4:  top of 278--"Я хочу только спросить: ты с нами? Ты с Дневным Дозором? С Темными? На тебя можно рассчитывать завтра, как на своего?"

Декабрь 8: top of 281--"Я-во-мне услужливо подсказал, что ранее случались нарушения, но лишь в годы свирепых перемен, напрямую связанных с собственно нарушениями."

Декабрь 9: top of 284--"Хоть, конечно, не сезон для подобного транспорта. Но все же...
И я скользнул в сумрак.

Декабрь 10: top of 287--"Было прекрасно видно, как на востоке из-за горизонта наползает алое сияние восхода, и с каждой минутой блекнут феерические сполохи, все еще пляшущие над зданием МГУ со времени концерта Жан-Мишель Жарра на московском юбилее. Иным следы лазерного представления будут видны еще долго, даже без входа в сумрак, где цвета блекнут и исчезают. Очень уж много людей восхищенно смотрели за красочным представлением, выплескивая свои эмоции в сумрак."

Декабрь 11: top of  290--"Светлана Назарова, Светлая волшебница, обеспокоено взглянула на часики. Она нервничала из-за опоздания Антона Городецкого, Светлого мага."

Декабрь 15:  Exam proctoring allows me to finish Part II of Day Watch!  To the top of p. 303!: 

"Я верю.
Я надеюсь.
Я верю.
Я наде..."

Декабрь 16:  top of 306--"Лишь погибший Оллыкайнен Ц злая ирония судьбы! Ц был настоящим финским парнем."

Ok, did a bit more) ... finished the prologue to the next part-- top of p. 311.  Good ol' exams.

Декабрь 21:  top of p. 314--"Как и Алишер, Светлый из Узбекистана, чьего отца год назад убила Алиса."

Декабрь 23:  top of 318--" И может, сама того не замечая, выдать информацию врагу. Так что на сегодня я сменил секретаршу."

Декабрь 24: top of 321--" Ведь ситуация была абсолютно аналогична! Некто Владимир Соболев приехал в Киев из Полтавы, зарегистрировался в Ночном Дозоре, позже был обнаружен у места убийства гулящей девки, с явными признаками вампиризма, потом его отловили рядом с разогнанным шабашем.."

Декабрь 27:  top of 324--"Ц Так вот зачем был этот подарок... Игорь?"

Декабрь 28: top of 327--"Ц Шеф вас уже спрашивал, Ц сообщил муж-вампир. Ц Велел, как объявитесь Ц заглянуть к нему."

Декабрь 29:  top of 330--"Ц Здравствуй, Эдгар. На каток не желаешь сходить?
Ц Некогда."

Декабрь 30: top of 333--"Так что ты там... повнимательней. Особенно в дороге."

Декабрь 31: top of 336--"Во-первых, знакомый по прошлым операциям Антон Городецкий, прозванный Темными низшего звена "любимчиком Завулона". В ситуации с Зеркалом он почему-то пошел на поводу у Завулона и тем самым помог Темным... Или заставил всех поверить, что помогает Темным? Скорее Ц последнее, иначе как бы он удержался в своем Ночном Дозоре?"

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;ЖЖ

 Январь 1, 2016:   on to ch. 2, book 3 of Day Watch , book 2.  Page:  339.

Январь 2 :  top of page 342--"А однажды ему даже выпало общаться с мертвым Иным... Не самое приятное воспоминание. Но Ц что-то остается и там..."

Январь 3: top of p. 245-6--"с Братьями Регина мало что ясно. Их выманил в Москву Завулон. Решил посеять панику среди Ночного Дозора? Подпитать силой Зеркало? "--"Эдгар задумался, и пожалел, что не взял с собой ноутбук."

Январь 4: top of 350--"Здравствуй, Прага...
Уши словно набили ватой, но это вовсе не мешало Эдгару размышлять"

Январь 5: top of 353--"Ну, Ц подумал Эдгар с воодушевлением, когда опускался в лифте, Ц в "Черный орел"! И закажу, естественно "печено вепрево колено"!"

Январь 6: top of 356: О! Московский дозор! Ц теперь в голосе американца было явное уважение. Ц Сильный дозор. Позволь пожать руку.


(Thank god...thought I lost this whole page--glad I found it again/Д\)

Январь 7:  finished Ch.2-- onto 3, p. 359

Январь 8: Ch. 3, top p.362--"Святое? Конечно, есть! "Чикаго буллз"...
Даже маги не поняли, шутил он, или был вполне серьезен."

Январь 10: top of 366--"Если на одной чаше весов Ц Антон Городецкий, а на другой Ц миллионы человеческих жизней?"

Январь 11: top of 369--"Братья Регина... Ц Антон кивнул. Ц А с ними вы зачем намудрили? Это ведь кто-то из Московского Дневного Дозора их вызвал! Обещал помощь, активацию Когтя Фафнира... зачем?"

Январь 12: top of 372-- "Нет, я тебя не понял, Ц прозвучало где-то в паре шагов. Ц Я на отдыхе, слышь? Ты сам решить не можешь?"

Январь 14:top of 375--"Насколько я знаю, Антон, вы еще крайне молоды..."

Январь 15: finished Ch 3!  Onto 4, and two more to go.

Январь 16: Ch.4, top of p. 382--"Смирновская, номер двадцать один, Ц сказал Игорь.
 Ц Верно?
Ц Верно."

Ц Так я и знал. Давай дальше."

Январь 18:  top of p. 385--"Ц Хоть на том спасибо, что ей рюмочку на столе не оставил... Ц Антон почувствовал, как в нем закипает ярость. Ц Спаси..."

Январь 19 : top of 388--"Ц И что дальше?
Ц Я бы не допустил такой ситуации. Просто не допустил!"

Январь 20: middle of 391--"Антон сидел, держась за голову. Молчал."

Январь 21: middle of 394--"уже чертил... и кое-что сходится. Это у нас Ц Светлана.
Антон задумчиво посмотрел на круг, нарисованный толстой желтой линией. Сказал:
Ц Не слишком-то похожа."

Январь 22:   top of 397--"но... Гесер хочет нового прихода мессии?
Ц Это ты сказал, не я, Ц ответил Игорь. Ц Давай... за Свет."

I don't know why, but I started double teaming myself, doubling down on my Russian work. So i started going back to the beginning (Duolingo finally got its Russian app going, and it's damned good!  It's even helping me read the Night Watch books better--some basics in grammar  that were too much for me in the past.  )I can almost hear myself speaking Russian??


Январь 25: Top of 402-- "У тебя библия есть? Ц неожиданно спросил Игорь.
Ц С собой? Да нет, что ты..."

Январь 26: top of 406--"Ц Так что же Ц все, что мы тут напридумывали Ц чушь?"

Январь 27: top third of 410--"Сумеречный облик бескуда был почти классическим.
Ц Приветствую, коллега!"

Январь 28: top of 413--"Вампир действительно обернулся очень быстро. Видимо, он работал хранителем библиотеки не первое десятилетие, и книги свои знал прекрасно."

Январь 29: top of 417--"Скорее даже портрет. И держать это изображение при себе. До самого момента рокировки."
Later: finished Ch. 5--always get too interested in the end to not finish.  One more chapter left, then Heart of the Dog.

Январь 30: top of 425--"И попытайся его боль понять! У Антона спроси, что он про твою любимую думает! У Светланы!"

Январь 31: top of 429--"А ты давно смотрела на иконы? Ц спросил Гесер. Ц Посмотри в глаза Марии, и подумай, почему они всегда печальные?
Было очень тихо."

Февраль 1:  top of 433--"Предметом его является дуэль Светлого мага Игоря Теплова и Темной ведьмы Алисы Донниковой..."

февраль 2:  top of 436--"Инквизиция просит войти в круг обвинения руководителя московского Ночного Дозора, известного под именем Гесер..."

февраль 3:  top of 441--"Понял, понял, Ц уже выходя из круга пробормотал Завулон. Ц Скоро нельзя будет в носу поковыряться без разрешения..."

февраль 4 :  I am finished!!! With Дневной Дозор!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now onto "The Heart of a Dog."  " Cобачье Сердце"--Булгаков--narrated by a stray dog!

 Февраль 6: to page 3.  Ok, I need a new system, because now I don't have Russian to copy online, but the English translation.  So I guess I'l do this--paste the translation: "He was so bitter and sick at heart, so lonely and terrified that little dog's tears, like pimples, trickled down from his eyes, and at once dried up."  Then, I'l have to write out the Russian manually, which will probably be good practice for my memory & spelling:  "На душе у него было до того горько и больно до того одиноко и страшно что мелкиесобачьи слезы как пупырыши вылезли из глаз и тут же засохли."

This is much much harder than The Watch books......thank god it's short.

февраль 8:  top of p.8(415)--Chapter 2.  Dog's inside.  It is fairly obvious to me that this is not a completely direct translation--the translator likes to force American/English idioms into the Russian.  I'm not quite sure why translator's do that.  I would much prefer they keep the original ideas, which gives a feel for the culture.  I'll try to think of an example..

Well this probably isn't the best example:

"| spelled out the word 'NOOB', which was short for 'No obscene language. No tips.' "  The need for acronym messes up the translation, and doesn't even work in English!-- the original says: "Неприли что означало: неприличными словами не выражаться и на чай не давать."  So a more direct translation would  be "indecent words not expressed, and tea doesn't give."  I have no idea what tea has to do with a tip, if anything, or if that's another use for that word?--Isn't tipping a totally American thing, anyway?    I'm guessing the business (remember this is a dog narrating, who is comically reading!) Even better might be to put both?  But it might mess up the flow..

Февраль 9: top of 418.  "

The darkness clicked and was transformed into blinding white which flashed and shone from every
angle.  "Тьма щелкнула и превратилась в ослепительный день, причем со всех сторон засверкало,  засияло и забелело."

Февраль 11:  top of 421--

"down a sheet of paper and said: 'The same as before . . .'
Then he silently vanished and Philip Philipovich, spreading his coat-tails, sat down behind the
huge desk and immediately looked extremely dignified and important"  "Прежний--тотчас  бесшумно исчес а Филипп Филиппович распростерши полы халата сел за громадый письменный стол и сразу сделался необыкновенно важным и представительным."

Февраль 12:  --top of p. 424--"'Honestly . . . well, forty-five . . .'
'Madam,' groaned Philip Philipovich, I am a busy man. Please don't waste my time. You're not
my only patient, you know.'
"Честное слово.... ну сорок пять..."
"Сударыня--возопил Филипп Филиппович--меня ждут!  Не задерживайте пожалуйста вы же не одна! "

'

'Февраль 17 : top  of 427--"We are the new management committee of this block of flats,' said the dark youth with suppressed fury. 'I am Shvonder, her name is Vyazemskaya and these two are comrades Pestrukhin and Sharovkyan. 

Мы --новое домоуправление нашего дома--в сдержанной ярости заговорил черный.  Я--Швондер--Она Вяземская-он--товарищ Пеструхин и Жаровкин.

Февраль 19: top of 429--"

'In that case, professor, in view of your obstinate refusal,' said the furious Shvonder, 'we shall
lodge a complaint about you with higher authority"

"Тогда проффессор ввиду вашего упорного противодейстия--сказал взволнованный Швондер--мы подаем на вас жалобу в высшие инстанции."

Февраль 21:   top of 433--Ch. 3--"'Not bad, eh?' asked Philip Philipovich, chewing. 'Is it? Tell me, doctor.'
'It's excellent,' replied the doctor sincerely.
"Это плохо?"  Жуя, спрашивал Филипп  филиппович--"Плохо? Вы ответьте, уважаемый доктор.
--"Это бесподобно," --искренно ответил тяпнутый.

Февраль 22: top of 436--Why can't the proletarians leave their galoshes downstairs instead of dirtying the staircase?'

"Почему пролетарий не может оставить свои калоши внизу а пачкает мрамор?"

Февраль 23: top of 439--"Back on the streets, back in the cold, the frozen
asphalt, hunger, evil-minded humans . . . the factory canteen, the snow . . . God, it will be
unbearable . .

"Боже как тяжко это будет!"

Февраль 24: top of 443-- "The oven door swung open with a roar, revealing a
terrifying inferno of heaving, crackling flame.
"Заслонка  с громом отпрыгивала ,обнаруживала страшный ад .Клокотало лилось.."

Февраль 25:  top of 446--"No, it's no use. I could never leave this place now. Why pretend? mused the dog, with a sniff"
"Нет куда  уж ни на какую волю отсюда не уйдешь затем лгать--тосковал пес соя носом"

Февраль 26:  top of 451--(hard to quit reading, but I gotta go!)--'Shall I do it straight into the heart?' he enquired cautiously.
" 'В сердце?'  робко спросил он. "
Февраль 28: top of 457--'"Shut up!' This had no effect."
" Перестать!" "Это не произвело   никакого эффекта."

Февраль 29: top of 461--start of Ch. 6-- "I forbid the consumption of sunflower seeds in this flat."
"Семечки есть в квартире запрещаю--Ф Преображенский "

Марта 1: top of 467--"You're real name? What is it?'
Sharikov' "
"Как-с? Наследственную?  Именно?  Шариков."

Марта 2: top of 471--"I'll kill you . . .'   "Убю еа месте...."

Марта 4:  top of 474 --" 'You idiot!' was Philip Philipovich's terse reply.
" Болван! коротко отозвался Филипп Филиппович.

Well this is a kinda odd observation I have.  From a strange source--started noticing someone Russian I know who has a rather pouty, developed underlip--then noticed relatives with the same.  Then noticed, lots of Russians have, even famous ones...   Then, I felt myself, when I was trying to speak Russian, I hold my mouth in a completely  different way than I do speaking English.  With English my mouth is wide and, well, floppy.  When I speak Russian, my mouth forms are more--concentrated.  I push my bottom lip out --rarely need to open my mouth wide.  My lip goes pouty and pushed out, like I'm about to whistle or blow a small kiss.  The corners of my mouth are much more tight.  More contained.  Very interesting. No wonder they seem more intense.

Марта 5:  top of 477--beginning Ch. 7--"'I think you've just about had all you
can take, Philip Philipovich.'"
" Помилуйте вас жалко , Филипп Филиппович!"

Марта 6: did a whole chapter today, now on Ch. 8! Bottom of 484--"Impatiently the professor
waited for Doctor Bormenthal and Sharikov to return from the circus."
"Профессор нетерпеливо поджидал возвпащения доктора Борменталя и Шарикова из цирка."

Марта 7:  top of 489--"The fact is I'm really so lonely ..."... from Granada to Seville...."
В сущности ведь я так одинок...От Севильи до Гренады!"

Марта 8:  p. 492--"An unmitigated scoundrel."  Исключителный прохвост.

Марта 9: bottom of 495--Ch. 9--last chapter besides epilogue.
Марта 10: bottom of 502--five more pages including epilogue--"he seemed to have recently grown much greyer."

Марта 11:  Finished with Cобачье Сердце...back to Night Watch!!!!!  
*****************************************************************************

Марта 14:  Finished the Prologue, to page 7, of the 3rd Night Watch book, called 
ВЕЧЕРНИЙ ДОЗОР.  aka Сумеречний Дозор , that is, Twilight Watch.

Марта 15:  Ides of March, beware!  top of page 12---ah, so much easier than Bulgakov, to god's happiness (that's a phrase I learned in Bulgakov--)  : 
"  Уходил бы ты из Дозора, Светлый Маг третьего уровня..."

Марта 16:  top of p. 15--"Тонкий и Толстый приободрились."

Марта 17:  top of p. 18--"У нас, в московском отделении, говорят: УТрех вещей не может сделать Светлый Иной: устроить свою личную жизнь, добиться счастья и мира на всей Земле и получить отгул у ГесераФ."

But wait--In Russian to say "to speak frankly"--is "to speak from the blood"--"откровенно"--how beautiful, wicked amazing, chilling, is that?  Russian..

Марта 18:  top of p. 21--"существует Иной-предатель, способный раскрыть человечеству тайну нашего существования."

Марта 21:  top of p. 25-- "И никогда не ошибаются? Ч скептически спросил Гесер. Ч Не бывает такого. Но в истории нет ни одного случая нарушения Договора инквизитором..."

Марта 22:  top of page 29--"Поэтому моя легенда ничего общего с магией не имела. Гесер вручил мне ключи от квартиры в УАссолиФ Ч сто пятьдесят метров на восьмом этаже. Квартира была оформлена на мое имя и куплена полгода назад. Когда я сделал большие глаза, Гесер пояснил, что документы выписаны сегодня утром, но задним числом. За большие деньги. И что квартиру позже придется вернуть."

Thus begins my favorite part of this book...
Марта 23:  top of p. 32--" Тогда я буду считать, что это возможно, Ч сказал я."

Марта 24:  top of 35--"Почему-то Гесер в моем воображение улыбался. Потом вздыхал и отдавал команду Ч после чего в УАссольФ приезжал какой-нибудь самый главный сантехник Москвы и лично монтировал унитаз. А Гесер улыбался и качал головой."

Марта 25: top of 38--"Гитара издала несколько вздохов. И тот же голос запел новую песню:
- Никогда в психушке не лечился,
  Ты меня не спрашивай о ней..."

Марта 27: top of 46--beginning chapter 3.  Like this quote from Ch. 2--"Даже на гитаре Ч хотя хороший инструмент, побывавший в руках Иного или потенциального Иного, помнит его касание годами."  Cos this is the chapter with Anton finding the odd bass player in another apartment, but he finds no trace of magic on the guitar.    Do guitars need magic: is that the секрет?

Марта 28: top of 49--"Костя на мою фразу отреагировал спокойно. И впрямь Ч высший вампир. Сдержанный, уверенный в себе."

Марта 29:  top of 52--"Достаточно подорвать хотя бы один Ч и вся планета превратится в огненный шар."

Марта 30: top of 55--"Профессиональные дворники никак не могут с этой техникой разобраться."

Марта 31: top of 58--"Начальник охраны улыбнулся."

Апрель 2: top of 61--" Все мужчины, все очень серьезной наружности."

Апрель 3: top of 64--"И в голосе Витезслава появилась настоящая, спокойная ярость:
 Хотите проверить, дозорный?"

Апрель 4: onto Ch.4, p. 67--"Судьба, которой по уверениям наших магов не существовало, была ко мне благосклонна."

Апрель 5: top of p. 71--"Потом взял двойной экспрессо, купил пачку сигарет Ч которые курю совсем нечасто, и попытался представить себя детективом.
Кто отправил письмо?"

Апрель 6: top of p. 75--"Лас, поглядывая на зал, расплатился."

Апрель 7: top of 78--" Семен, выходит, можно обычного человека в Иного превратить? Ч спросил я. Честность Ч лучшая политика."

Апрель 8: top of 81--"Ч И вот таких историй у меня Ч вагон и маленькая тележка. Так что особенно не разгоняйся, носом землю не рой."

Апрель 11: begin Ch. 5..

Апрель 13: top of p. 86--"С какой стати Светлый маг мог дать человеку опрометчивое обещание Уисполнить все, что угодноФ?"

Апрель 16: top of p. 89--"Подними как-нибудь свои архивы и посмотри, Ч криво улыбнулся Костя. Ч Неужели сложно?"

Априль 17: top of p. 95--yup did a lot today, plus did quizzes , read an article on Mumiy Troll in Russian, and  did my usual online practice.
"Невероятно.
Но факт."    

  Also, I think I figured out why the name change--the online Russian text gives different names to the separate parts of this book.

Априль 19: top of 98--onto Ch. 6--I'm going to run out of Russian in this book soon(((

Априль 20: top of p. 101--"Понимаете, почему я пришел?
Ч На вампира вы никак не походите, Ч сказал Тимур Борисович. Ч Маг, вероятно? Светлый?
Я кивнул.
Ч Вы пришли меня инициировать, Ч решил Тимур Борисович. Ч А что, позвонить предварительно сложно было?
Ой, беда..."

Априль 21:  top of 105--"И это ничем не обоснованное доверие меня спасло."

Априль 23:  top of 108--"Какое удивительно знакомое лицо... У меня возникают любопытные догадки.
Я молчал."

Априль 24:  top of 112--"Гесер с иронией посмотрел на мага.
Ч Вам ли не знать, уважаемый инквизитор, что человек Иным стать не может!"

Априль 25: top of 116--Chapter 7--------------Gesar's son already was...
Априль 26: top of 120--" Мы кровь не пьем, Ч сказал я."
Априль 27: top of 123--" Нет, я хочу понять."

Априль 28: finished Ch. 7, except the Epilogue--p. 125.
Априль 30:  
История вторая.
НИЧЬЕ ПРОСТРАНСТВО:  Пролог--p. 131

May Day 1:  p. 134--"Ч Щ-щеночки... Ч восторженно сказал Ромка."
Май 2:

Oh, man.  This is quite amazing for me, for me, for only me......
So, besides this reading, I do at least two lessons daily on Duolingo, because I decided, once they went to Russian, their site was the most efficient,  more thorough, regularly hitting my needs, easy to access in my down, boring moments, etc., etc.  And the Russian one is way more in-depth than their Italian lessons, so I've really been getting some good, regular practice on all fronts, but especially grammar and listening.

So yesterday --good ol' Cosmic Russkiy Day, May Day!  one of my  other, secondary sites, busuu, starts sending me annoying messages on my phone to practice--so I say, what the hell, although I hadn't used that site in maybe 2-3 months.  So I do a lesson on "Shopping!"  (Lesson 20).
I'm hearing    : Yaaaa khooochuuuuuu pahhhh- eee- dteee ffffff soooooooperrrrrrmarrrkkkaaeetttttttt........  I'm like, is there something wrong with the sound on my phone?  It's so damned slowwwww!!!  Then I realized.  My ear has sped up, I can hear it much faster now.....coolness.   Today's reading:

p. 137--"Ромка уже сидел за столом, а ведьма наливала ему чай из белого электрического чайника."

Май 3: p. 139, Chapter 1 of Book two:

Май 4 : p. 142--" Держи ключи, Ч я бросил ему брелок. Ч А с меня бутылка."

Sad.  This is the last chapter I have of this book from my online source.  I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to buy books in Russian on Amazon or something...how hard can that be?  I wonder what book Cereg sent me?

Май 5:  p. 145--" Разве что дикие Иные. Ты же можешь заикание вылечить?"

Май 6:  p. 148--"Меня еще наш первый председатель, земля ему пухом, научил Ч пока с железом возишься, капли в рот не бери! Да ты иди, иди. Мне тут до вечера дел хватит"

Май 7: p.152--" Оборотень это был, самый натуральный. Но на счастье ребятишкам Ч рядом оказалась еще и ведьма."

Май 9: p. 155--"И вместе с кровью уходит Сила.
Даже гордость какая-то берет за русских ведьм! Нашлась-таки одна фанатка!"

Май 10:  p. 157--Ch. 2.  I have now officially run out of my online Russian free source for The Watch series.  Can't find it elsewhere.  May have to try to buy a Russian copy of the book--wonder if you can do that on Amazon?  Why not?  Joe bought me the Night Watch movie for  Mother's Day--what a fine son.

Май 18: No--the 3rd Night Watch book is unavailable in Russian on the sites I've tried, so I'm imagining that's why my site didn't have it all.  So I am switching over to a book my friend Cerg sent me--

Срах и Ненависть в Лас-Вегас--Хантер С. Томпсон  --That is, Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson, which I thankfully have read and have a copy of in English!  (Yay, serendipity!)   It's funny, the Russian maybe some sort of bootleg, because cover looks similar to the American re-issue with the twisted picture of Johnny Depp as Hunter on the cover, with his mirrored sunglasses big as a fly's eyes, cigarette with holder clamped between grinding teeth.  BUT, it's not the same picture, you can tell it's a different guy with more crooked teeth, the cigarette is missing the holder and is a cartoon! cigarette, his bucket hat is floppier and his Hawaiian shirt more colorful.  Also, the night scene mirrored in his shades doesn't look very Vegas-like:  I'm tempted to say it looks like Moscow with one monolithic rectangle of a building sticking ominously out of the landscape.  (Which I've only seen in movies,  конечно.)

So, I'll probably be reading at a different pace, with less quoting.  I'm already up to page 20.  It's easier on one hand cos it's lot's of simple dialogue, but some of the slang is throwing me, especially for drugs, etc.  I think I'm going to learn some swear words in context--already spotted Пиздец.

Май 19: p. 27-- I think I'm just gonna write here weird things I've learned, or that I'm not sure about?Like the keep calling the car  тачке/ (I used google translate on it, it says wheelbarrow or car?)    and задним ход(ом) is a new phrase for me--has to mean driving backwards, in context.

Май 21:  I can tell this book is not sticking to the script too well. There's all sorts os extra sentences, and the swearing is all in different places.  ( I think it's swearing).  Hunter S.Thompson is so strange in his word choices, though.  I'm on p. 30.  For example, at one point the narrator is describing being at the Big main stoplight on the (old) Vegas strip--I understand the whole thing's moved now and they keep the old strip for retro Hollywood moviemaking--it says" Когда  дадут зеленый на хуй...."  The original says "when this goddamn light flips green..."  Now I was told that на Хуй.. means essentially "Fuck", but I'm not entirely sure that's literal??  Or just the equivalent insult?  "Пошёл на хуй" means "Fuck off", but there's another verb (Ёб ?  and Ёбись  и Ебёт и Еби? ) that seems to mean more literally the act, (I remember in  some cartoon of Beowulf the Vikings were insulting each other by calling the others Yobbos--related?).  And other phrases makes me think that " хуй " has more to do with penises or asses , which I also know is "жопа"--like the Leningrad song--"У неё такая жопа..."  Then there's "Пиздец!"  which seems to be more like the simple exclamation?  I think I should probably keep my slang dictionary handy while I'm reading this, but this could get old, fast.

Май 23: p. 34
Май 26: p. 47--Yup, I'm reading faster. Especially with all those repeating "Как твой адвокат я советую....."---make that p. 52.

Май 30: top of p. 57.  I like all the Russian  idioms that literally translate going crazy, as "Going to the roof".   The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire...."
Май 31:  top of 61--mostly going by chapters.
Июнь 1:  top of p. 65.
Июнь 2:  top of p. 70--" Вудсток убер аллес!!"
Июнь 3: top of 76--haha! "Don't fuck around" literally translates ( не еби мне мозги!)"Don't fuck me in the brains"...

Июнь 5:  top of p. 80--В лифте...
Июнь 10 : top of p.88
Июнь 11: top of 91

Июнь 13--top of 99--the last chapter had that great explanation about looking out over the Bay bridges and seeing the crest of the wave of the 60s peak and begin to recede.  Sounds the same in Russian, only now I know  the locations of the places he's naming:  The Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate, the Fillmore, Richmond....

Июнь 17:  top of p. 108--Ch. Ten--interesting timing, given the death of Mohammed Ali, and the memorial articles that mentioned this very quote in English, of course: " Я  ничего против них вьетконговцев не имею--сказал он."

Июнь 19: top of 111

Июнь 28:  top of p. 130--haven't been on top of my recording))

 Июль 4:  top of p. 133.
Июль 5: part II, top of 139.  What funny phrase did I learn?  A disappearing smile is " улыбку  как ветром сдуло"--as the wind blew".

Июль 7: part II, top of   142.
Июль 9: top of 148.
Июль 10: Ch. 3, part II, top of 155.
Июль 11: Ch. 3, part II, top of 160.
Июль 12: Ch. 3, part II, top of 163.
Июль 13: Ch. 3, part II, top of 166.
Июль 15: top of 172.
Июль 17:  top of 183--read a whole chapter today--guess it's getting less grueling to read.  Wish I could speak that fast, but no good way to practice except with those online sites--not enough.  I'm starting to automatically recognize a few hard verbs: пытаясь, to try, the participles  that end in -в like наполнив (filling, as in filling a tall glass)  "наполнив высокий бокал"...this happens a lot in Hunter S.    Возьми --to take--as in Черт возьми--literally the devil take (it, me?), but is a frequent replacement for either hell or damn or even goddamn..
Июль 18:  top of 187--hey! It's Hunter S. Thompson's Birthday today!
Июль 19:  top of 190-
Июль 20:  top of 193- wow, all this for late night British horror movie:  Ангийский филмь ужасов  в шоу для полуночников....
Июль 21:  top of 196- 
Июль 22: beginning Ch. 7, p. 201.

Июль 23: beginning p. 205.
Июль 24: beginning p. 209.

Июль 25: beginning p. 211. New Chapter.
Июль 26: beginning p. 214
Июль 27: beginning p. 220
Июль 28: beginning p. 226  I'm waiting to here from one of my friends who is a native speaker, the meaning behind this apparent idiom?

"Мне же это было по барабану. " Literally, I think it says  something like "this was to me the same as through drums?"  But the translation only says something about not paying attention.
Июль 29: top of p. 236.

Август 1: top of 246--ch. 11.
Август 3: top of 250--ch. 11.
Август 5: top of 254--ch. 11.
Август 6: top of 258--ch. 12.
Август 7: top of 263-ch. 12.
Август 8: top of 266-ch. 12.
Август 9: top of 269-ch. 13.
Август 10: top of 274-ch. 13.
Август 13: top of 279-ch. 14.

Август 22:  Forgot to mention I finished Срах и Ненависть в Лас-Вегас- such a weird Russian language learning experience.  Hard because of the weird slangy vocab. I was going to try to tackle Морфин again, but found a piece of  Crime and Punishment (Преступление и Наказанне) online with side-by-side translations.  It's only part one, but I'm not going to read it for the story so much--I've read it several times in English anyway.  I'll track it by paragraphs (and maybe quotes again?)  since it has no page numbers--I'm up to the 4th paragraph, and it seems much easier than anything else I've tried to read in Russian.

Август 24:  par 6.  

"второй день как уж он почти совсем ничего не ел."

Август 28:  paragraph 16--"— Пройдите, батюшка."

 Август 31:  paragraph 39: " Молодой человек спорить не стал и взял деньги. Он смотрел на старуху и не спешил уходить, точно ему еще хотелось что-то сказать или сделать, но как будто он и сам не знал, что именно..."

Сентябрь 2:  paragraph 51:  

"His wife a year he fondly loved
His wife a--a year he--fondly loved."

Or suddenly waking up again:

"Walking along the crowded row
He met the one he used to know.

"Целый год жену ласкал,
Цел-лый год же-ну лас-кал...

Или вдруг, проснувшись, опять:

По Подьяческой пошел,
Свою прежнюю нашел...

Сентябрь 4:  paragraph 5, Chapter 2 
Сентябрь 6: Ch. 2, paragraph 15:  

"— Для чего же ходить? — прибавил Раскольников."
Сентябрь 11:  Ch.2, Paragraph 20

Сентябрь 13: Ch. 2--paragraph 21--(yeah, but this was really the equivalent of 3-5 pages).  The story of poor Sonia--and this is why I love Dostoyevski: 

И видел я тогда, молодой человек, видел я, как затем Катерина Ивановна, также ни слова не говоря, подошла к Сонечкиной постельке и весь вечер в ногах у ней на коленках простояла, ноги ей целовала, встать не хотела, а потом так обе и заснули вместе, обнявшись... обе... обе... да-с... а я... лежал пьяненькой-с.

Сентябрь 17:  paragraph 24, Ch. 2---Раскольников слушал внимательно.

Сентябрь 21:  paragraph 30, Ch. 2--" Неужели дала? — крикнул кто-то со стороны из вошедших, крикнул и захохотал во всю глотку."

Сентябрь 29:  paragraph 37--"

— Рассудил!
— Заврался!
— Чиновник!
И проч., и проч"

 Сентябрь 30:  paragraph 42.

Октябрь 2:  paragraph 52--onto Chapter 3. 

Октябрь 10: Ch. 3--paragraph 21

— Я делаю... — нехотя и сурово проговорил Раскольников.
"What are you doing?" — Что делаешь?
"Work . . ." — Работу...
"What sort of work?" — Каку работу?
"I am thinking," he answered seriously after a pause. — Думаю, — серьезно отвечал он помолчав.

Октябрь 13:  I actually read a lot of Crime and Punishment today, it's just that it was all part of this verrrrrry long letter that Raskolnikov's mother writes to him about his sister, Duenna.  I actually spent close to 3 hours on this but it only counts as one paragraph, by my system.  I got too tired to finish the whole letter, although I tried.  Ironically, it parallels the "Merica universe with Trump foisting himself on women who find him obscene--somehow Dostoyevsky finds the compassion in the same kind of situation. Poor girls.

Октябрь 18: finally finished that dratted 1st part of the letter.  "

наконец стала на колени и долго и горячо молилась перед образом, а наутро объявила мне, что она решилась."

But now there's a 2nd part, equally long.(  I think I need to watch a Russian movie again--haven't done that in awhile.

Октябрь 28:  finally finished the 2nd part of Raskolnikov's mother's letter:  



Прощай, или, лучше, до свидания! Обнимаю тебя крепко-крепко и целую бессчетно.


Whew.

Ноябрь 14: Ch 4, para 3: .

Злоба накипала в нем всё сильнее и сильнее, и если бы теперь встретился с ним господин Лужин, он, кажется, убил бы его!

Ноябрь 25: another long, long paragraph, #4, with Raskolnikov analyzing in his negative fashion, what he believes is the true outcome of his mother's letter and his sister's plans: 

"Пожалуй, и на свадьбу свою наденет! А впрочем, черт с ним!.."


Декабрь 1:  One more long Raskolnikov rant in Ch. 4:

Да что же вы в самом деле обо мне-то подумали? Не хочу я вашей жертвы, Дунечка, не хочу, мамаша! Не бывать тому, пока я жив, не бывать, не бывать! Не принимаю!»

Декабрь 22:   Chapter 4, paragraph 24

Вон он теперь отошел маленько, стоит, будто папироску свертывает... Как бы нам ему не дать? Как бы нам ее домой отправить, — подумайте-ка!

Декабрь 27: Chapter 4, paragraph 49

Он бы хотел совсем забыться, всё забыть, потом проснуться и начать совсем сызнова...

Январь 10:  Finished Ch. 4.
Январь 13:  Ch. 5 paragraph 9.

Он пошел домой; но дойдя уже до Петровского острова, остановился в полном изнеможении, сошел с дороги, вошел в кусты, пал на траву и в ту же минуту заснул.

феб 10:

«Садись, все садись! — кричит один, еще молодой, с толстою такою шеей и с мясистым, красным, как морковь, лицом, — всех довезу, садись!»

Фебраль 23:   Raskolnikov's dream...Ch. 5 para 56


— Пьяные, шалят, не наше дело, пойдем! — говорит отец. Он обхватывает отца руками,

но грудь ему теснит, теснит. Он хочет перевести дыхание, вскрикнуть, и просыпается.




He waked up, gasping for breath, his hair soaked with perspiration, and stood up in terror.

Он проснулся весь в поту, с мокрыми от поту волосами, задыхаясь, и приподнялся в ужасе

Марта 5:  Ch. 5 paragraph 65:


Свобода, свобода! Он свободен теперь от этих чар, от колдовства, обаяния, от наваждения!


Марта 15:  Onto Ch. 6--"

Во всяком случае, трудно было бы узнать накануне и наверно, с большею точностию и с наименьшим риском, без всяких опасных расспросов и разыскиваний, что завтра, в таком-то часу, такая-то старуха, на которую готовится покушение, будет дома одна-одинехонька."

Марта 22:  Ch.6 paragraph 6-
"Вот ведь тоже феномен! — вскричал студент и захохотал."

Марта 24:  Ch.6 paragraph 12-

Я сейчас, конечно, пошутил, но смотри: с одной стороны, глупая, бессмысленная, ничтожная, злая, больная старушонка, никому не нужная и, напротив, всем вредная, которая сама не знает, для чего живет, и которая завтра же сама собой умрет. Понимаешь? Понимаешь?


Апрель 5:  Ch. 6, paragraph 22--

Странным всегда казалось ему это совпадение. Этот ничтожный, трактирный разговор имел чрезвычайное на него влияние при дальнейшем развитии дела: как будто действительно было тут какое-то предопределение, указание...

Апрель 7:  Ch. 6 paragraph 40 (after the break)  --
Эту петлю он тоже уже две недели назад придумал.

Апрель 10:  Ch.6 par. 44--
Несмотря на всю мучительную внутреннюю борьбу свою, он никогда, ни на одно мгновение не мог уверовать в исполнимость своих замыслов, во всё это время.

Апрель 11:  Ch 6, para. 49--

Он отвел глаза и прошел, как будто ничего не замечая. Но дело было кончено: нет топора! Он был поражен ужасно.

Апрель 12:  Finished Ch. 6!  Onto 7---Tense!
он понять не мог, откуда он взял столько хитрости, тем более что ум его как бы померкал мгновениями, а тела своего он почти и не чувствовал на себе... Мгновение спустя послышалось, что снимают запор.

Апрель 19:  Heeee's here..... Ch. 7 paragraph 19--
— Да что он тут навертел! — с досадой вскричала старуха и пошевелилась в его сторону.

Апрель 21:  Ch. 7 mid paragraph 22--
Но это было только мгновение; уходить было поздно.

Май 1:  Ch. 7 para 24:

Нимало не медля, он стал набивать ими карманы панталон и пальто, не разбирая и не раскрывая свертков и футляров; но он не успел много набрать...

Май 12:  Ch 7, para 27:  Отвращение особенно поднималось и росло в нем с каждою минутою. Ни за что на свете не пошел бы он теперь к сундуку и даже в комнаты.

Июнь 14 :  Ch. 7 para 32:
Он снял запор, отворил дверь и стал слушать на лестницу.

Июнь 23: Ch 7 para 53:

— Гм... черт... спросить... Да ведь она ж никуда не ходит..

Сентябрь 2, 2017:  Finished Ch. 7.   

но он ни одной не мог схватить, ни на одной не мог остановиться, несмотря даже на усилия...

Now I have to find a different source to finish as this online book doesn't have the rest(.

Сентябрь 28--Since I cannot finish Crime and Punishment (Преступление и Наказанне) I've found  a different challenge for myself--I've been doing my own original translation of Anton Chekhov's very short story "Любовь" ("Love") .  I have an online copy of the original, plus a translation, but I'm making my own based on numerous sources including these, my dictionaries and online translators, all with the aim of making it as close to original meaning as possible.  I've completed 4 paragraphs--working on the 4th.  I keep debating whether or not to keep the original Russian syntax  which sometimes sounds awkward, or make it more "English".

Ноябрь 7: Finished the Chekhov translation--happy with it, my friends liked it.  Other than that, not much Russian, except talking brokenly to my students.  We're starting a Russian Club at school, me the sponsor, of course.  That should give me some practice.  I suggested they watch Russian movies and TV as part of the activities, then immediately realized a potential problem--the content of some of the more well known Russian movies--but really some of them are much milder than a LOT of American movies. Our admin are being really anal-retentive about this, in the way that only people who have no knowledge, don't read or watch good movies can be.  We're supposed to only show PG things.  I checked out all the Russian ones I own--they all have NR (Not Rated) stamped on them, so that may give me some wiggle.

Last night I found this Russian TV show called Фарца, on Netflix, Russian with English subtitles!  (Perfect for me!) that might be okay--watched the first hour, only one suggestive, but not graphic sex scene, cos I'm pretty sure it's the sex these bozos are objecting to.  The first half hour literally had nothing offensive.  So I'll ask the kids if they know it, are interested.  I'm almost afraid to ask admin about the waivers we used to use.  Even Jen's been brainwashed by this silliness.  I'm surely not ever planning on showing some stupid T&A super gory violent thing to these guys or anybody.  I hate that stuff.

 Ноябрь 15:  So.. showed a few of the Russian boys Fartsa,  which means something like black market capitalism?   Russian language reductivism, once again)) --left the room out of respect during certain parts...some liked it, some noticed its similarity to a Russian show called Бпигада --which has the same set up of 4 young guys contemplating a dip into the underworld of Moscow, but the latter is a bit edgier and darker 90s bandit world (they all love Брат),  so of course some of the boys like it better.  To me they are both better than some other American stuff, although we're doing ok in the series department these days, too.   I find it interesting that this Amero-Russkiy kid, Timothy, who seems pretty smart, but I don't know well since he's never been in ESOL ever..likes the milder one better.   The others say his Russian is weak, but I like him pretty good.  He also has James Joyce glasses.  At first he said he didn't want to come to Russian Club, (cos he already knew how to speak it??)  but I guess he got persuaded.

  Christopher keeps coming to Russian Club for short spurts--Yesterday I gave him a short lesson on the Cyrillic alphabet.  I sometimes wonder...  He left by the time the kids came--he had on a wool grey and red cap with Russian earflaps that he said Nikita gave him.  Anyway, if I have a Russian show with English subtitles, it's perfect for me--I almost feel like I understand the Russian as it goes! Ki-Rrrill seems the darkest of all the club boys--he's from Latvia and is the the one who keeps his head shaved.  I have an extra, motherly bond with him as I once helped him translate all his English biology vocab (A class he was failing) into Russian for him, and it seemed to thaw his heart for me a little.  He's the only kid who's ever called me Miss Tracy о Трэйси!!  Ever!  Instead of Reilly, which I find kind of endearing.  I thought it was kinda funny, and silly, that I told the Russkiy boys that they could break out the bean bag chairs to watch the show, but instead of going right under the screen like most of my kids do,  they took them all the way to the back wall and watched there.  Weird.   I sat up front.   They were paying attention , though cos they laughed in all the right parts.

My life is so strange, really.    I have some anxiety that our super conservative admin would object to what I'm showing (Since they've vetoed all forms of Romeo and Juliet I've requested to show!!!--yes my life is hell right now-- ) So far I feel too worried to agree to show Brat in my classroom, but I have the feeling I may allow it eventually, once I get a sense of the disconnect admin has--first, The Russian kids will probably be cool--they are no tattletales and know where their bread is buttered if they want to have their club.  Two: admin doesn't know even the first word of Russian, and are arrogant in their stupidity.  Three: I know how to fly off the radar.   Четыре: Brat is more violence than sex, which of course for stupid American conservatives is much more tolerable.

Five: push me too far--I'm ready to quit/retire anyway, suckah.  Сука....

Nov 20:  Back to Преступление и Наказание, part II: found a Russian copy in the Gulfport library that I don't have to renew for a month--thought I was further along, but oh, well.  1/4 1/5th of the way?  I read two and a half pages today, up to p. 89 по-Русский.

Had a weird moment with one of my new Russian girls:  she must be an oligarch's bastard child, what a mess.  She would be perfect playing the part of some innocent looking Satan child in a horror movie, or a Bonnie Parker like gun moll: all blonde bob and big blue saucer eyes, but a manipulative killer underneath.  I exaggerate.  But here's my run-in with her...first, she got busted with drugs, alcohol, and! cigarettes (trifecta!) her first weekend on campus.  (She came to school two months late like a good evil-child should...)  Her English is ..meh.  But servicable enough to get every basketball/football player on her social media sites in the first ten minutes of class.  She's got some evil smarts, though, boy.

For instance, she noticed right away, the first time we were alone together--(it did take me a minute to sort out her English mistakes) : that I could read and write (sorta) in Russian, but couldn't speak as well.  She asked why?  I said I get lots of practice alone, reading and writing and doing written grammar, but don't get a chance to speak "on the wing" so to speak, in an intense way, because I have no one to practice with.   Right away she volunteers to practice with me...and Right away starts firing Russian 101 questions at me:  "как тебя зовут?"  Which I am ashamed to say, I got wrong because in the suddenness of it I said,  "Мне зовут" instead of "Меня зовут Трэйси"..  honestly, no one has ever asked me that outloud in Russian before!    Then she asked me my husband's name, how old I was, etc., etc...I could understand her questions better than I could answer them in proper grammar, the ending for 50 threw me for a bit, although 8 was  не проблема... too bad I'm not still in my 40s cos I got  сорок on my tongue--пятьдесят!!  Конично.  She also corrected me for saying Ладно when she asked How are you?  I immediately corrected to "Хорошо."  She said this would mark me as a tourist, and I would get my purse, my phone stolen immediately.  It would be better if I was with a native speaker... Then,  she started talking about inviting me to Russia, or better yet, Ukraine, to practice.   And was aggressively asking me about my vacation time,  "Что делаешь?"..Thanksgiving?  Christmas?  Summer?   Нет нет нет.  Then the real kicker--if I give her A+ in English.... Нет.

Ноябрь  21:  Преступление и Наказание, part II: to the top of page 92 in the Russian book.

Ноябрь  23:  to the first line of pg. 96 по Русский.
Ноябрь  26:  Преступление и Наказание, part II: to the top of page 99 in the Russian book.
Декабрь 3:   Finished ch. 1 of Part II; onto Ch. 2 page 101.

Феб 24:   I seem to have slagged off on my Russian--not  moving forward much in my Keeping Up With the Dostevyoskians...  but I'm still in the game.  Translating lyrics, doing the grammar in Duolingo--more is sticking.  Tonight I tried to watch a big chunk of Брат in Russian   with Russian subtitles--now that's the way to learn!!  I was freezing the film as I was going and doing google trans--sooo ssssllow, but I already know the story--just trying to figure out the details from a Russkiy pov.  Also, I practice by eavesdropping on my 4th period and study hall, which is mainly Russian--I hear them saying "на хуй"   to each other a lot, which I know is плохо...

Марта 18: Russian practice for me lately consists of 1) Daily doses, twice, of listening to Кирилл и Стефанея arguing with each other in Russian for minutes on end.  It usually consists of Stephanie getting poked somewhere by Kirill and saying, "Нет нет Кирилл!  Нет пожалуйста! Пожалуйста!!!! Читать!! Работай!  During study hall Daniel and sometimes Georgy joins in...what a mess.  2) Listening to Аеростат--not quite daily, but several times a week.  I almost lost it for awhile and cursed Putin, but it came back.  3) Relistening to old Agata Kristi,  NP albums, and my Russian movies, and surprising myself that I understand more and more by listening than I useta was 4) Repeating Duolingo lessons several times a week-- to try to get better at the grammar and endings, but now I like to look at the discussions under every lesson because I get a lot of good native advise about why certain things are the way they are in Russian--very enlightening.

Марта 27:  Ok, so I read another page and a half of Преступление и Наказание, part II--to page 102.   But, I gotta get this book back to the library, man.

Сентябрь 4, 2018:  Wow, I have neglected this thread.  But, doesn't mean I haven't been practicing!  I have kept up my Duolingo daily work--almost completed 3rd level!  I abandoned Dostoyevsky way back in spring, but now I am back with the Night Watch series--started New Watch (Новий Дозор) and found the Russian version online, So I've read two chapters in English, and two paragraphs по-Русски  !  хаха...good ratio.  I wouldn't go so far into the English except that I love this writer so much.

Сентябрь 10:  Now I'm getting into the heavy stuff, man, trying to truly sort out the imperfect/perfect completed and noncompleted verbs of motion for realzies this time--ach, what a headache.  Third level verbs of motion lessons:

Вернуться - "to return" in the sense of "to come back".
Воротиться is the archaic version of the same verb (вернуться).
Вертеться is to spin or to twist around. A similar verb describing a more regular circular motion is вращаться - "to rotate": Земля вращается вокруг Солнца (Earth rotates around the Sun).

and Повернуть is merely to turn (as in left or right)

go to the movies (yesterday): ходил(а) в кино

go to the museum (earlier today): пошел?

The dog was running home--  собака бежала домой

The dog ran home--собака побежала домой

and На пляж is "to the beach" while На пляже is "on the beach"??  Ergh!!