First game...

So, I survived my first Monday evening hockey game. I did not leave a single tooth or drop of blood behind... The only thing I left was maybe a bit of self-esteem. It was a 1h30 min game, 6 against 6, which was enough for me to get totally exhausted. I was by far the worse player on the rink. Was it embarassing? Yeah, sure, but it does not rank in the top 5 of my most embarassing moments. Not even when a teammate gave me his stick, explaining me I was probably left-handed and I was using a rightie stick. I am happy I did not have to tell him I bought this rightie stick after someone else told me exactly the opposite when I played with a leftie stick last year... I guess my game is just difficult to read. How well did I do? I stopped the puck twice with my big shorts and I passed the puck to my teammate for a goal once, with my stick. And that's only the first game of the season!

You wanna play hockey? OK

While summer is fading away, I have to look for a new seasonal hobby for the long and cold winter. Yes, I could go back to cross country skiing (and I will) but I also need something a bit more social. And of course, any other activity which does not require bulky and expensive gear is of no interest for me. Dog sledding would qualify... I'd make a minimum of 10 friends, I'd be the boss, and the gear is interesting, but I don't want to feed dogs 7 days of the week for merely one afternoon of fun. So I am signing up for hockey instead. Yes, I played hockey 2 years ago, so it is not entirely new, but I stopped when I saw a head-on collision just in front of me, and the sight of blood on the rink had me look for tamer winter activities. But this time, I got the full protective gear, including for my head. If there is blood on the rink, that won't be mine (or at least, not from the head). More details? I am joining a team who has red jersey (or so I was told). Hopefully they will let me play. I am starting tomorrow (every Monday at 21:30). That's as much as I know for now.

Back from vacation... first week end.

I got back from Corsica on Monday, just in time to enjoy the end of the summer in Akademgorodok. It seems my body is already getting prepared for the winter by peeling off the nice tanned skin, which I like but won't be of any use against cold. I also did my part for the preparation, by starting early on building up my seasonal layer of blubber.
A few good news were awaiting me as I got back: first, the customer service is still on an improving trend, as I noticed when the cab driver offered me a cigarette when he lighted one for himself. (Thanks man, I appreciate you don't want me developing a lung cancer from passive smoking). Then, upon arrival at the apartment, I was happy to see they did not cut off the cold water, which is a significant improvement from last time I got back from a trip.
So, I am now back in my little retreat, and I had to adjust to spending the week-end by myself again. I resisted the idea of going to the local train museum, a treat which I keep for myself for when I feel really down. I thought about upgrading my blog to include a wildlife encounters tracking system. That was after I saw a hedgehog last night. But I might as well insert a jpeg that shows rat: 1, chipmunk: 1, hedgehog: 1, and leave it alone for the next 12 months, and find something better to do with my time.
So I decided to put my kayak on my car and go to the river between Berdsk and Iskitim. There, it is quite nice with a nice coastline and less nudists than near Akademgorodok. It is also very quiet in the morning, with only a few birds shrieking and circling in the air, and catching fish every now and then (birds and fish were not going to qualify in my wildlife tracking system, by the way). Still, there are interesting sights, like planes floating by under high power electric lines.

So, overall, it was a nice week end. It is good to be back. And I promise... that was my last post on me kayaking around. Have a good one.

Temporary closed...

Howdy. I need a vacation, so I decided to trade my computer screen for sunscreen for the next 2 weeks in Corsica. Stay tuned. Cheers.

A week-end in Saint Petersburg

I discovered another side of Russia when I visited saint Petersburg a couple of weeks ago. Strolling in the streets of Saint Petersburg, it is difficult to fathom that we are in the same country of Novosibirsk. Not just because it is a five hour flight away, but also because the city has so much to offer. Many palaces, museums, canals... all this with 24-hour day light. Definitely a city I recommend to visit.
Highlights of my tour: the walks along the canals, the visit of the cathedral of "the resurrection of Christ", the night tour of the city to go see the rising bridges... See pictures below if you do not believe me.



Also, here is a little movie showing the party mood on the Neva river at 2am, during the cruise to see the rising bridges... a very popular tour that attracts many boats.



I'll have to go back though, because I was not able to visit the Ermitage museum (the queue was too long). Unfortunately, when I mention I was in saint Petersburg to the people around me , the only question I get is: 'did you go to the Ermitage?" and only little interest for the other things that I saw.

Home sweet home...

Aaah... Such a pleasure to come home after having been away for a few weeks to inhospitable foreign countries. There is really no place like a home. Thanks to the local authorities for making sure I was not going to get too emotional when coming back, by placing a sweet welcome note on my door that says "no hot water for the next 13 days" and "no electricity today" (by the way, don't waste your time trying to find the Russian equivalent of "apologies" or "sorry" on the picture below). My attempt at getting any water out of my pipes had me conclude that the term "hot water" was loosely defined and really stands for just "water". Myself, I may have to define more loosely my criterion for 'dirty laundry' and screen again the content of my suitcase for decent smelling clothes for the next few days if I can't get any water soon.

Resourcefulness

I was going to go kayaking today, but it was too cold, too windy, too cloudy, too wet, and the lake had too many waves. It would not have been reasonable, so I just stayed on the shore and watched other people have fun. Good opportunity to realize I was not the coolest kid on the lake. These guys below were cruising along the beach with an engine powered pedalo. A nice demonstration of engineering and resourcefulness. I bet on a nice day they must pick up girls easy...