Cock'er? But I don't even...

This entry is horribly overdue. I apologize for that. Keep in mind that I'm in Russia-- nothing gets done in a timely manner here.Anyway, last Thursday night, I went to a Joe Cocker concert in Dvortsovaya Ploshad (Palace Square) with a couple of students in my group, Alex and John. It was excellent. Such cool place for a concert. Right in front of Catherine the Great's former residence. Heh heh. The old nympho was probably rolling over in her grave.If you've ever seen old video of Joe Cocker performing back in the day...yeah, he's still like that. I was not disappointed-- the guy delivered. He was just as, um, animated as ever. And his voice has not changed a bit. He could still emote and screech, and he sang his heart out on every song. It was definitely a memorable night.I think Joe Cocker might be more popular in Russia now than in the States. My host sister Lena was really jealous that I got a ticket to the concert. But it was interesting-- the songs that were big hits in the US weren't the favorites of the crowd at the concert. Alex and John and I were absolutely going nuts (screaming and jumping) when we heard the opening measures to songs like "Feelin' Alright" and "With a Little Help From My Friends." The rest of the crowd didn't seem as impressed with those particular songs, but they did go nuts during songs that we had never heard before.I wish I had pictures of the actual concert, but they wouldn't allow photography past the security checkpoint, so here's a picture I took of the square before the concert:

Pictures Coming Soon!

I have a lot of photos of all my St. Petersburg sights and peeps, and I will upload them and link to them soon. In the meantime, here's a classic, in honor of the football season that I'm currently missing. *sniff!*Go Cardinal Football! I'm with you in spirit. Keep kickin' ass, ABF Drumz! For the love of God and all that is holy, my ears are bleeding! :)

Lysistrata Ivanovna

Last night, a bunch of us ventured into janky-ass South Central St. Petersburg to see a performance of Lysistrata. I have to say it was really cool to see a Russian performance of the play. It's usually difficult for me a to really get into a play. I mean, I enjoy going to plays, but it's hard for me to get past the intrinsically over-the-top acting of the stage. I can't help but roll my eyes.That wasn't the case this time. I was totally sucked into the performance and I didn't once have the urge to roll my eyes at the acting. I think the reason I was able to get into it is because the Russian language is by its very nature over-the-top. It's so dramatic as it is-- intonation is crucial, and the range between accented and non-accented syllables is much broader in Russian than in most other languages. As a result, the language is very animated and dramatic in its everyday usage. If you observe Russians on the street, whether they're conversing with their friends or just buying something from a kiosk, you will witness very animated exchanges. This language isn't just spoken, it's performed, and I think I was able to enjoy the play last night because it was performed on a dynamic level similar to that of the everyday interactions I've been witnessing since a I came to this country.Also, Russian women are characteristically ballsy. They are no pushovers, honey. It was really awesome to see a bunch of sassy Russian women bark out classic feminist dialogue. So much chutzpah and moxie. It was a very cool evening.In other news, an unfortunate member of the program must have accidentally ingested some local tap water, because he came down with the Russian equivalent of Montezuma’s Revenge. I don’t know if it goes by a name here. The Romanov Curse, maybe? The Tartar Retreat? The Cossack Saber Dance? I'm open to suggestions here, people.