We threw a surprise party for my sister this weekend. It was the second time we were able to do this; the last time being 18 years ago. My goal, on her 30th birthday, was to make sure she realized she was not # 2. She has gone through life doing everything after me – and with a big mouth, a matching personality, and a … Continue reading My Sister’s Surprise Party & The Year of the Family
I’m not one of those bloggers that publishes stream of consciousness writing. You know what I mean … more like journal writing or ranting. Not much for sentence structure or even direction. Just trying to type fast enough to keep up with the words my brain is spitting out. In theory, it could go something like this: I woke up this morning and my eyelids … Continue reading Stream of Consciousness Blogging: Can I Do It?
On a recent morning as I was driving my 8-year-old to school, I noted that the usually congested West Side Highway was rather empty. “Look how good the traffic is today,” I said excitedly. Without missing a beat, he comes back with, “Hey, don’t jinx it!” I noticed this had become a trend and I wondered if I was partially to blame. How often … Continue reading Don’t Jinx It:Russian Style
> The last thing you’re feeling when you’re 35 weeks pregnant is sexy or cool. However, my good friend David, comic writer extraordinaire, made me feel a little better about myself late last year when he named a character after me in his latest Marvel comic, HULK: WINTER GUARD. In this story, Crimson Dynamo, aka the Russian Iron Man, unveiled his mask to reveal that … Continue reading Me as the Crimson Dynamo
The sun is shining so brightly that by the time I survey my chosen place on the sand, I find myself amidst a posse of 70-something Russian men enjoying their summer dacha here in Little Russia: Brighton Beach. Volodya and Misha are directly in front of me. They are both sporting George Hamiltonian tans. Only one of the two has a folding chair; the other … Continue reading Remembering a Summer Day in Little Russia
I put off writing the ABOUT ME section of my blog for a long time. Partly because the Me changes so often. Partly because I don’t know how to stop once I start writing (especially about Moi). I tried to write a bio-type blurb and 5 pages of narcissistic crap came out. So I started a memoir. In the meantime I feel like I owe … Continue reading ABOUT ME
Once you embark upon the Blogosphere you make sure you’re findable. And people find you. Somehow the piece I wrote about being a Russian immigrant ended up on a Piercing Blog. The only thing I can think of is that I mention getting my ears pierced 31 years ago. I guess that qualifies. Who doesn’t want extra exposure?! Continue reading How Did I Get There?
“How old are you mommy,” my six-year-old asked me recently. I’ve told him before but it must have been in another context. He’s asking for another reason. I’m not sure why.“34,” I answer.“That’s old,” he says. Later that night on the goodnight phone call to his dad, I overhear him ask the same question. This time he adds a follow up: “How old will you … Continue reading How Old is Old?
I was born with two grandmothers but only one grandfather. In nature’s rules of familial supply and demand, my Deda (Russian for grandpa) is a priceless asset; a family value very much treasured. While my relationship with Deda has spanned the course of three decades, our one-on-one interaction has always been slightly superficial. It seems that in retrospect most of our bonding has been when … Continue reading You Say Grandpa, I Say Deda
I was a Russian girl and an American teenager. I had no choice about the first but I tried very hard to be the second. Now as a grown woman, I mostly deem myself a New Yorker. While I never truly considered myself an American, being a New Yorker encompasses more. New York has a special tolerance for Russians. My immigrant story begins when I … Continue reading My Russian American Dichotomy
I exist crippled in a state of fear, awaiting the outcome of the November election. Our nation is sitting on a weakened foundation where its people are hurt and broken. In a time when we need to come together to heal and strengthen, we seem to have divided. We co-exist as patriots of this vast magnificent country and yet we have never been a country … Continue reading Awaiting November Promises
Last month I turned 34 and vowed to be a little kinder to my body. I want to give it more respect, to stop judging it so harshly, to discontinue defining it by society’s standards. I resolve to love my body for what it is, rather than continue to hate it for what it will never be. I’ve got a mane of thick curly hair, … Continue reading My Body Through My Eyes
She sits peacefully in the hospital chair with a look of hope and recovery in her eyes. She wears her light blue hospital gown as comfortably as a housedress and proudly shows me her arms freed from all the IVs. She boastfully tells me how she ate chicken soup that morning and how she spoke to Rosa on the phone, who called her directly in … Continue reading Baba’s Heart
If you’re lucky enough to have a grandma, she probably comes with grandma-isms (or nana-isms). In my case, they’re baba-isms – phrases my grandmother uses over and over. For instance, every time my Russian-speaking grandmother meets someone English speaking and I happen to be standing there, she points to me and proudly says: “She is my granddaughter number one.” You could be her surgeon or … Continue reading Believing in Life (and grandma)
I put off writing the ABOUT ME section of my blog for a long time. Partly because the Me changes so often. Partly because I don’t know how to stop once I start writing (especially about Moi). I tried to write a bio-type blurb and 5 pages of narcissistic crap came out. So I started a memoir. In the meantime I feel like I owe … Continue reading About Me … Once Upon a Time
HeartsEverywhere 