If you've ever thought, "Gosh, I wish I could send Leslie a free text message!", today is your lucky day. Thanks to my ever-alert neighbor and bandmate Seth, I just found out that you can send me free text messages from your computer! Go here, and if you read Russian, ignore the fact that it says "Moscow/Moscow Region" – it works in the provinces, too.
You can get my number from my facebook profile or by emailing me for it.
In other news, the adorable Dmitri Medvedev (aptly, his last name means something like "Of the Bear," while Putin, I think, has to do with путь/put', 'way/path', a root you can also see in the word спутник/sputnik, 'satellite') was shockingly elected president yesterday. I took the news lying down, as I've been bowled over by some sort of head flu/stomach flu combo bug for the past few days. I'm interested to see what kind of president he'll be, and I hope he'll prove to be not just more adorable, but also a little less aggressive than Putin.
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6 comments:
I guess it's not plagiarism if you cite me, but still, this must be the millionth time. I would start a website listing all your semi-legal actions, but it would take too much time and you would probably steal that, too.
Also, did you know that Medvedev's first and middle initials are DA? Shades of Obama?
In the last Obama-Clinton debate, Clinton attempted to say the name of Putin's successor, and came up with Medvedova, which cracked me up. Pesky gendered endings.
Seth: I think this isn't the first time you've threatened me. Whatever. Just remember that without me, you're just another hack with a guitar writing raps to Tchaikovsky, and that's about as cliched as pseudo-lesbian pop starlets who get knocked up by their producers. Also, I don't understand your Obama reference.
Anya: Haha, wow. First, I was amused that when I got your comment in gmail, the sponsored advertisement link was to a site about Obama's wife. So apparently Google is aware of gendered endings, even if Hillary isn't? (Although obviously a site about Medvedev's wife would have been even more apt.) Second, slightly related: although I know I should be patient about these things, people who say Pyutin instead of Pootin drive me nuts. (Especially if they are politicians or Russian Studies people.) Hopefully Medvedev will be easier. I wish I could start a nationwide project for how to better pronounce Russian words in English. Putin would be my first project; teaching Americans that Russians don't say "wodka" would be my second.
Well, imagine if Nashi (Edinaia Rossia's embryonic version of the Komsomol) shouted "DA! DA! DA!" at every rally, with the double meaning of Dmitrii Anatolevich and "Yes we can!" Get it?
Gotcha.
By the way, I hear Nashi is officially dead...?
On that text-message site you can also opt for 'English'! I tried, but actually don't think I succeeded :-(
Don't think the world will pronounce Medvedev's name beter; I saw a woman on CNN try, with sound examples from the internet, but she failed misserably. By the way, are Americans able to pronounce 'Vladivostok' reasonably OK? The Dutch sure can't! They don't even know what I'm talking about when I say it... I wonder who's fault that would be!
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