The Ranger has landed

I was beginning to wonder if the day would ever come....  

I looked back through my archives and we started raising funding in March, as best I can figure, we purchased it sometime in April and after missing the first truck by a few days, it arrived in Ukraine in mid-August.  Since then, we have proceeded to incur another $4500 or so in additional expense to get it through customs and into our hands.  10 months of work came to fruition today when I backed the Ranger off the tow truck at the Hope Center.  It was a great feeling.

With his official capacity as director and honorary lightning rod for bureaucracy on hold, Andrey took it on it's first joyride around camp.  He hooted and hollered around the streets and giggled  like crazy driving up and over assorted bumps, jumps and curbs.  I think it may have been his first time at the wheel of a true off-road vehicle.

You'll notice the CO license plate...

Andrey acquired those while in the US in the fall and surprised me with it today.

With this picture and photoshop, Sergey intends to create the impression that he's actually in the US right now.

I have to thank all of you who have already given to this monstrosity of a project.  I also need to remind you that we still need to raise over $3000 in customs fees to cover what we've already paid out... please get in touch if you can help us with this.

Also, I must thank Andrey.  He traveled the 6-hour round trip to Simferopol countless times (sometimes as much as 3 times/week), battled with customs, regulators, bureaucrats, politicians and bizarrely even a doctor.  Why he had to get approval from the Kerch medical department, I will never know.  It gave him nightmares, grey hairs, headaches and maybe even Tourettes a few times.  All of this because he believed me when I told him this was a great addition to the camp.

Thanks.

Greenpeace meets Eastern Europe

If you've ever been here (or just noticed in some of the photos on this blog) picking up trash is not exactly a 'Russian tradition.'  Even our beautiful beach is only that way because daily we sweep and rake all the debris off the sand and into one of the designated piles of crap.  Last night in the car Sergey just threw his Twix wrapper out the window - over my strenuous objections.  He says "When everyone else stops doing it, I'll stop" and I say "Be the change you want to see in the world."  Culture clash.

Anyway, I thought of this when I saw this post by Jake Knotts regarding efforts by Greenpeace in our neck of the woods.  It's a funny one.

Nice wheels!

I am participating in a little guerilla (or is that gorilla?  Which one's a freedom fighter?) marketing on behalf of The Coach (AKA the best man at my wedding).  He is the brains behind one of the best, simple ideas I think I've ever seen.  Seriously, his wheels may be as ingenious as the original wheel.  He is the inventor and purveyor of the Pace and Strength Wheels, which I think you desperately need to know about.

Are you an old pro racer, know everything about training but need an easier method of checking your paces?  Are you training for a race of any length up to marathon?  Are you jogging to get in shape and need to know what pace is the most effective for your fitness level?  Bottom line... any experience level, any fitness level, any commitment level - you need a PaceWheel.

Are you noticing that the muscular frame of your youth getting a little saggy?  Do you need a stronger back or shoulders for better posture?  If you plan to lift weights for any reason, any muscle group for which can do a 1-time max of 45 pounds or more - you need a StrengthWheel.

Both of these items are based on scientific, time-tested calculations which nearly all runners and lifters use, but true to his pseudonym, The Coach has put them in a convenient, inexpensive, attractive package.

The PaceWheel has gone from nothing to being sold across the country and even internationally practically overnight.  It's newer cousin the StrengthWheel uses the same technology and numbers that EVERY lifter needs for a workout.  It should be as big or bigger very soon.  Get in early and impress your friends.

My evenings

This is a tough time of year for a football fan in Ukraine.  The national league is on it's winter holiday and though there is a winter cup competition, it's not shown on a channel I have on my TV.  No other national league's games are televised and there is a huge gaping hole in the Champions League competition until March.

I have nothing to actually watch.  Here is my best shot at alleviating this.... I use the EPL's live score center as much as I can to follow my Reds.  My screen will look like this for most of the evening.....

....and I'm also going to Donetsk to see Shakhtar play Tottenham on February 19th.  This is a 3 day trip with us being in Donetsk for only a few hours for the actual game.  Yeah, you counted right, it's 30 hours or so of train travel each way to watch 90 minutes of football.  Am I desperate?  You bet I am!  

Of course it's also a great chance to watch quality football at a serious discount.  I've been told that tickets range from $1-$30 depending on the section.  To see the second leg of this match-up in London would run me at least a few hundred per ticket.

Gross picture of the day

We frequently get too much food at lunch time followed by too much food for dinner.  Vala and Luda in the kitchen love us and in Russian tradition this means providing 1 metric ton of potatoes per person.  We try to alleviate the backlog by inviting as many guests as possible, eating left-overs and offering food to any staff that will take it.  Nonetheless we end up with items that get a bit skunky before we can eat them.

We reserve these for the dogs but sometimes we don't get it to them in time.  Here is latest experiment that I like to call 'Albert Einstein.'  Priyatnava Apatita!