Only Six More Weeks of Winter!

So yesterday, I'm walking with the girls past Lubyanka, on our way home from school, and my phone rings.

Yeah, I do get a sort of thrill out of saying, "I was walking past Lubyanka . . ." (It's the tallest building in Russia, you know. You can see Siberia from the basement . . . . pa-DUM-dum.)

It was one of those weird conversations where all I got out of it was " . . . I'm a friend of . . . recording . . . need American female voice . . . Can you help us?"

Um, yeah. I guess. If you don't mind a flat Midwestern accent.

As is the case with all things 1. Moscow and 2. Creative, this was Sort of a Rush. But I agree to help her Friday (today).

Now, unlike most days, today was flat out crazy. Usually I stand at my apartment door in my pajamas and wave goodbye at 7:30 a.m. as The Spouse and The Children go off to school/work.

Today I went out the door with them.

First, we delivered the children to school. (By the way, it was quite sunny then.)

Then we had a coffee while waiting to

Meet with Skittles' teacher. . . A fellow we suspected of being an anal-retentive asshole. But we left the meeting thinking he was a rather nice guy who was having a very difficult time here in Moscow and who perhaps was deserving of both hugs and maybe even a coveted (because I would have to clean AND cook) Sunday lunch invite . . .

Here we split off. The Spouse went to work and I went to the

US Embassy

to have Skittles' old passport canceled. (For some reason this had to be done . . . I don't understand why, but anyhow . . .)

This took, with the security checks, all of FIVE minutes and at 10:05 EXACTLY I was out the door and heading back to the Metro.

Which I took up to Belorusskaya to meet the woman who called me yesterday. Seems she is part of a television production company making a reality show, and, as they are marketing the show abroad, she needed to dub the whole thing in English.

So we did the promotional episode.

One hour (and $100 cash in my pocket) later it was a wrap. If the show gets picked up, she'll give me a call back, she says. Because "it went so quickly" with me. Like I have ANY experience with this at all. I felt like a character in an Almodóvar film. Aren't they always dubbing movies?

(Hey . . . now it's snowing! What's up with that?)

Back in the Metro and down to Lenin Library where I dropped off the canceled passport at The Spouse's office. Before scampering back over by Lubyanka to have a little lunch and a chat with a Polish filmmaker I met who wants to do a project involving expat women. I'm not sure where this is going to go, although we discussed the ubiquitous Central Asians all the sushi chains seem to deem vital to their Eastern ambiance. She's got some ideas here.

After that it was all downhill: home by 4:00 p.m. Then cello lesson for Baboo. A quick run to the grocery store (in the rain) for vodka for The Spouse. Followed by a nutritious dinner of frozen pizza and potato chips.

THAT's good parentin'.

Good thing tomorrow is Saturday. I can sleep in.

After all, there's only six more weeks of winter.