Beer - It's not just for drinking anymore

It was a red letter day a couple weeks ago at an American Home birthday party when I turned to Joanna and asked her what kind of alcohol she would prefer to bathe in. The conversation blossomed into a brilliant plan to open an alcohol bathing spa for New Russians in Moscow, and we started researching right away. According to the all-knowing Internet, alcohol bathing really is good for you. But I had known that already -- how could it not be?

This past weekend theoretical research turned to practical experimentation. On Friday night some of us were planning on playing a game of Sovietopoly at Joanna's apartment, which sounded like a good chance to give our feet a soothing bath in a tub of beer. We chose to start with feet because we're too poor for a whole bathtub full of alcohol, and we chose beer because it has the lowest alcohol content and we have the lowest expectations for it.

So we bought two two-liter bottles of the cheapest beer we could find, took a pore-opening steam bath and foot-washing in Joanna's bathroom, and then the beer bathing commenced.

Here we are looking giddy and triumphant before the ground-breaking event.

A game of Sovietopoly, a plate of pasta with lots of salt, and my foot in a vat of beer. I don't think I've ever had a better night in my life.

Feet love beer almost as much as people do. Actually, it was a great success. We learned that it doesn't feel gross at all to have your feel soaking in beer for a couple hours. On the contrary, it refreshes them, exfoliates them, moisturizes them, and best of all, gives them a warm and happy feeling inside.

We have more exciting alcohol bathing experimentation coming soon. Next time: champagne.

i make love to myself

Best Stand-up Comedy Show Ever

Gotta accentuate the Jew bump.

Bob is my new god

So last night I played a little game I call a race. even though I won the race, I lost my poor baby, my love, my precious. I immediately sobered up upon seeing her on the ground, in pieces. I though my life was over, there was no reason to live. I gathered her bits and pieces up and tried to put it all together, but alas, she was not to be.

I cried myself to sleep that night.

Today gave me a new reason to live. Bob, my new personal hero, fixed my precious. I did not ask how, he must commune with the devil to have the power over technology that he has. I am forever in his debt. I'm considering naming my first born after him, in the hope that he might have the same magic with technology as Bob.

Tonight, I will go home and listen to her serenade me to sleep with some hootie and his blowfish. Not a day will go by where I don't think how much Bob made life worth living again.

Fire Show

Last night, some of the other AH teachers and I headed down to Pushkin Park. Our new friend Max had called and said that he and a friend from Yaroslavl were putting on some kind of street art performance - and there would be fire involved. I didn't know what to expect, but it was pretty sweet. This guy had two (maybe cloth) balls soaked in benzene on the ends of two chains. He lit them on fire and was swinging them around, making some awesome fiery patterns in the night air. Here's a picture of me and Max drumming on some gallon jugs, keeping the beat for him.