Hey all! I was up in New Hampshire last week camping and didn't get a chance to watch much baseball at all. I did see part of Clay's game in Baltimore but only the first 2 innings.
Herniated discs rarely need surgery, and it's different for everybody, but most people will be fully recovered within a month. I would think that JD will be out for a little less than 2 weeks, but you never know.
Just checking in to say dammit and oh shit. And I hate to hear that JD has a herniated disc. Lots of catching up to do when I get home. See y'all shortly. Bring the bats next inning, guys...
My mom hates it when pick-off plays are successful because she thinks it encourages guys to throw over there even more, slowing down the game and lessening her pleasure. (Mom doesn't think much of baseball in general, can you tell? Hee.)
just got back from russia- but gameday won't work. its just a white page, with the normal banners. anyone else having the same issue or know how to fix it?
So in Russia I got my sister a Red Sox stacking doll- Youkillis was the big one, then Mike Lowell, then Manny (I guess they never heard about him), then Ortiz (he's really little) and then the baby tiny tiny one is Pedroia. Its so cute.
I spent a few days in Moscow, then took the train to St. Petersburg. Not Russia anymore, but then went to Estonia, Latvia, Poland. Finished the trip in Denmark.
It was AMAZING. I've never been anywhere like that before and I desperately want to go back... brutal, brutal place, especially Moscow, but it is SO interesting... I spent a lot of time just kinda standing there having moments like, "Oh my god, I'm inside the Kremlin."
Well, we'll know if they're the same ones if Mikey and Manny look vaguely Asian. The nearest I can figure is that the only hispanics the Russians are familiar with are Filipino.
I've always wanted to go to Moscow. It's definitely on my bucket list.
of course, Pedroia as the baby russian doll is a given. what I would like to see is the Bartolo Colon nesting doll. I am guessing it is very life-like.
Well, what is great is that he's REALLY little. Like peanut-sized.
Story of getting the dolls:
Got the first one (AND a Patriots nesting doll) at one of those souvenir stands on Sparrow Hills in Moscow, but knew we had to get a second one for my little sister.
For the rest of the time in Russia I was dashing into these crappy, sketchy places looking for them-- you had to go to the tackiest places.
The greatest moment was trying to explain my vehement reaction when the Russian guy offered me a Yankees nesting doll when he didn't have a Sox one. Not knowing Russian... I think he thought I was batshit.
Yes... but no Celtics! They had Lakers, Bulls, but no Celtics. Of course the Celts hadn't won in 22 years when I was there, but still. I'll bet they have them now, and you bet your ass I'd buy them.
Oh, yeah, it was a portly little Jeter, and he offered it to me, and I was like, "NYET! NYET! No, no. NO."
He looked at me weird and I was like, "To people like me, the Yankees are very very bad, very bad, we don't like them."
Once it came out of my mouth I realized how stupid I sounded.
Not as stupid as when I tried to explain "the curse of the Bambino" theory (with the caveat it wasn't universally held) to a bunch of British people in 2003. THAT was embarrassing.
I was in Vladimir for 3 and a half weeks, 3 days in Moscow, took the night train, and then spent 4 days in St Petersburg- gorgeous place, but really intense. I got a patriots stacking doll too, for my dad!
ha, mhcranberry, the russian guy was probably like "why you hate yankee? did yankees kill babies and steal land?" and you're like "no...they just always steal the damn division!"
Intense is exactly the word I'd use. It was exhausting...
But I desperately want to go back. I was utterly entranced by the countries I went to. I've always been interested in the history/culture of the region, but now I'm totally hooked.
I was there during White Nights too... so it was daylight from 2:30 am until 11 pm.
Looking at the picture of the dolls, I'm not sure I *can* tell any of them from mean Russian soldiers. Maybe if they were right in front of me on a table I could...
So jealous- I got tehre July 21st, so too late. Mcdonalds there is hilarious- chicken nuggets are cheken macnaggats. And how gorgeous is Saint Basils? By the way, I'll take some pictures close up of the Red Sox ones later and post them here for you all to see- but the camera is currently charging :(
We didn't go to McDonalds. And St. Basil's is amazing. Did you go to the Cathedral of the Savior on the Spilled Blood? That was the MOST beautiful place I've ever seen.
Pictures from the whole trip-- started in Russia, so those pics are down at the bottom. If you're a creepy internet pervert, please don't look at my photos...
The White Nights season must be so...strange. My mom was fairly far north in Canada during midsummer a few years ago and said it was very disorienting to have only a few hours of actual darkness. I can't imagine there being none at all.
And I don't mean to be a huge creep, but what hotel did you stay in in Moscow? because your view looks similar to the one I had. It was like Vega or something?
We stayed at the Hotel Kempinski Baltschug, right across the river from the Kremlin (duh). My mummy is friends with the wife of the manager, so we got a reduced rate.
Which is good, because JESUS was that country expensive. I am now BROKE.
Its 24 rubles to a dollar- it went up a little in the middle of my trip.
My host mom said that Russia men only want sex. Which sounds so much more amusing in rusisan.
yeah not until Borat did I realize that "gypsies" are actually considered real threats in some parts of the world. weird. maybe mhc you could have explained to the russians that the Yankees are to us what the gypsies are to them, and it would have translated better.
Injury Delay? Detilas please?
Yeah, the big ciites are really expensive, but Kinder Chocolate (my favorite0 is like a dollar for eight bars. not too bad :)
Our entire group was terrified we would get deported for bieng Americans if the Georgia thing escalated. I was fine though- everyone thought I was Italain, and apparently they love italians?
off-topic: since the Ells is at the plate now...I am reading a book about Navajo history now. and the answer to your question is, yes i AM scaring myself a little.
YAY bottom of the order contributing tonight! woohoo!
Lyndsay, there are American "gypsies" too, also known as "travelers." Among other places, there's a town in SC that is home to a thriving group of them. They're known for being very clannish and being expert scam artists.
ecl - yeah I think I've heard/read about that before. but I mean we don't think of bands of scam artist travelers as being threatening the way they do over there.
Where did you learn Russian (or do you speak it)?
Bargaining in russian is so much fun when you pretend you don't know Russian or English. They just basically give you the price you want.
Don't mean to beat you over the head with PC crap, but just be aware that should you actually encounter them, they are actually called Roma. They're a tribe.
I knew the Cyrillic alphabet and then I learned some basics before I went. I tend to be a good parrot so I pretty much was able to get by after the first day.
That's awesome, I'm about to start my third year of Russian in high school, but I'm much more fluent now. Once you get the basics of reading it gets much easier. Lets go, my little Russian Soldier Youk!
Lyndsay, FYI, I'd steer clear of talk of the Roma. Very serious social conflict over that group in every European country I've been to, and you just never know if it's a sensitive issue with someone listening-- and even in the US, discussion of racial issues can be a dodgy subject...?
And on top of that, Ells would fit in really well in Russia. They share a border with China, Mongolia... so there are many Asiatic-looking people there. Just as in the US, you just don't know where someone is from.
Actually the Roma are fine. Historically they have been nomadic peoples in areas with sedentary towns and villages, so they got scapegoated a lot.
Do they pickpocket and all that? Yes. But I saw plenty of worse stuff by native Russians, trust me.
The Roma have gotten shit on for a lot of history and the stigma still rages. They aren't, like, predatory... but people don't like them because they do come and go and tend not to assimilate to the culture in which they settle.
ok, I'll steer clear of offending Red Sox nation's displaced gypsy diaspora. relax already, and don't take everything I say so literally - as Russian Lowell might say, "is joke!"
Mmph, yeah, scapegoating and stigma and racial issues. The things you're saying make me want to stay put right here and never travel abroad -- it's hard enough for me to tolerate that stuff when it happens here. And knowing what a hothead I am (I work hard at reining it in here), I'd get in a lot of trouble if I ever traveled overseas because I'd shoot my mouth off to the wrong person.
Oh yeah, I definitely bit my tongue sometimes, especially with the way they treat women.
Lyndsay-- let me be more blunt. Literal or not, your comments were making me pretty uncomfortable. We don't know whether someone on this board or any board identifies as such. I know you didn't mean it maliciously and I know you aren't racist, but I just wanted to give you a heads up that there was a line. I didn't mean to whip out the bitch stick for this--- and we've all seen what I do when those beatings commence. It's ugly.
Sorry to call you out, L-- I'm wicked awkward to begin with, so, yeah...
I hope that I didn't step on any toes with any of my replies to any of this stuff. I try to be as PC as possible, but I do have my clueless moments too.
No, no toes from anyone. Just queasiness on my part, mostly from remembering times when I myself have been a total ass.
I only say things now because it was really important for me to hear when people had that response... otherwise I had no idea. Not trying to be disruptive. (yeah, too late. now I feel bad)
Oh, I have often OWNED cluelessness, believe me! And I feel bad for saying anything that may have egged anyone on. It's all good though -- the pictures are awesome and we got the W.
Yes, I feel much better than I did when I walked in the door shaking from the stress after two consecutive 9-hour days at work. Now all I have to do is decide whether I want some ice cream or a late evening beer.
on August 22, 2008 7:00 PM
Hey all! I was up in New Hampshire last week camping and didn't get a chance to watch much baseball at all. I did see part of Clay's game in Baltimore but only the first 2 innings.
Did I miss any big news while I was gone?