Liankacreations

  Today we cataloged the book “War in Ukraine” by Tamara L. Britton, kid’s non-fiction. I was curious. The war is not over yet, and the book is out already.  Tomsk Sky The book has pictures of Bucha, Russian soldiers, president Putin and president Zelenskyy. I was not interested in Putin's photos.  But when I mentioned that he had quite a few facial surgeries, my colleague was looking closely at his photos, and she wondered where exactly and why? Well, I can only assume one answer: he wants to look younger, like many other people in the world who have money for the surgeries. Moreover, he hopes he will live forever. But let’s be honest who really cares about the Russian president now. Sometime ago my husband asked me if I remember Zelenskyy as a comedian. Actually, I do. Years back it was a TV show… (if I understood correctly many entertaining shows were closed after the beginning of the war in Ukraine)... the show was called “The Club of the Cheerful and Resourceful”, in...

  Every morning I thank the Universe for where I am and with whom I am. And it's not about the kitchen in a small house in a small city.  My American kitchen hasn't been renovated yet, the cabinets haven't been painted yet, new lamps haven't been installed, etc. And it's not about the weather. The weather in New England is much milder in winter, although it is terribly humid in summer. It's about my mood, with which I start the day.  This does not mean that I jump out of bed early in the morning with wild delight. Of course I want to be lazy and not go to work. But we are an ordinary family, so the work cannot be canceled. As well as household duties. The condition of my mood depends a lot on the person I am with.  Even though this person is at work more often in the morning than at home. In other words, it's about having this person in my life.I can be myself here with him.it's very important and valuable for me.     In short, every morning I thank th...

  I watched a French detective series on YouTube. One of them is “Murder in Cognac”. Landscapes, actors, plot... The detective (young woman) is not only a detective, she also understands cognac. I am envious. How can you be such a versatile specialist! Personally, I don't understand cognacs and their younger brother brandies. Maybe it's just not my taste, or maybe the time has not come. However, I have Calvados at home. This is an apple or pear brandy, obtained by distilling cider, from the French region of Lower Normandy. Interest in it appeared a long time ago, back in the Soviet Union. I had a book, something like “Modern Yugoslav Detective”. There was the first mention of calvados. Then there was Erich Maria Remarque, a German writer. “Three Comrades”, “ Arch of Triumph ”, “On the Western front without change”... Many of the heroes of his books drank calvados. I have not found this drink at the stores  in Russia. And finally in America… There is a drink ...  I offer t...

  Do you remember Agatha Christie and her story How Does Your Garden Grow? In Russia, there are two different words. Garden (сад) - flowers. Vegetable garden (огород) - vegetables. This year, as well as last year, many of our flowers decided to be pink. Really. I don’t know how this happened. The first year, our gladiolas were red, yellow and pink. Now only pink! What happened to the reds? Mystery! Zinnias really struggle to grow in our gardens. Some insects are very fond of young shoots of zinnias. Daniel sows them 2-3-4 times until finally they start to grow. But when they begin to bloom, the beauty is indescribable! Petunias make me happy this year. I went to choose/buy them myself. I planted them in hanging pots. But Daniel is the one who  waters them. Coneflowers are entirely the husband's concern. We have them in two different colors. They  look gorgeous! We don't have much choice from vegetables. Cucumbers grow in a separated garden surrounded by a wired fence. My ...

  My husband and I decided to “cut the cable” eventually. Now I'm watching and listening and asking people about their plans and costs. Honestly, I'm a little tired: too much information.  So on my work break I was watching and reading Russian news.  Vladimir Putin, in an interview with a “Kommersant” correspondent, issued another absurd, it turns out that the Wagner PMCs does not exist.  — Well, the PMCs "Wagner" does not exist! Vladimir Putin exclaimed. — We don't have a law on private military organizations! Simply does not exist! And what was it all about then? — The group exists, but legally does not exist! — the president repeated. — This is a separate issue related to real legalization. But this is an issue that should be discussed in the State Duma, in the government. A difficult question. Just on Tuesday he admitted that  from May 2022 to May 2023, the Russian state paid more than 86 billion rubles (approximately $940 million) to the Wagner Group. The g...

  The fact is we all are different. I am meaning us=women. We have different types of skin, different bodies, etc.  Some of us are luckier. The others are like me. I know I'm not ugly but also I know my + and -.  Many of my friends in Russia have permanent eyebrows, always nails polished, hair highlighted etc.  I also wouldn’t mind permanent my eyebrows but my face (us maybe all faces in the world) is asymmetrical. I am afraid to do something really permanent, that I or time cannot change. So I am using a dye (eyelash & eyebrow tint), it’s ok.  Another my concern is the skin (face skin). My skin is not really bad but bad enough to make me think of it.  That’s why I became very interested in the book “The age fix” as soon as I saw it.  The author describes different types of techniques, products, remedies and gadgets to help women look better.  I am going to write down homemade masks and remedies from the book. I am planning to post some of the...

  And why did I decide that I love / know how to write? Where did it come from and how did it start? As long as I remember myself at school, I hated writing essays. But I wrote them regularly and even got good grades. Back then everything was simple there: you read the novel, you get the topic of the essay, the teacher discusses the plan. You don't even have to have your own opinion. The Ministry of Education, through teachers, has already drawn up a “correct” opinion. Your task is just to write everything down. So I wrote. It was boring, but necessary. It was much more interesting to write letters, you know, the real ones by hand and in an envelope. It seems I did it perfectly. A couple of years ago, a girl found me on the Russian social media Odnoklassniki claiming that we were friends. I couldn't remember her face. And then she said that we were pen pals when we were 13 years old. Unfortunately, I don't remember that. But she says she still keeps my letters (why?). After...

  Today we installed an AC, in fact - 2 air conditioners. One of them is portable, though, not really. It’s  big and loud, but serves its purpose. We put it in the living room.  It cools the room and the kitchen. We have owned it for, maybe, 3 years by now.  We purchased the second one literally today at the “ocean state job lot” store. This is the window AC. We could only install it in the spare bedroom.  All other windows are incompatible with ACs. These two “guys” really made the difference in the house.  The air has become drier, temperature - lower. My husband and I sweat less. You know, in Tomsk (Siberia, where I am from) we didn’t have such bad humidity. We would have it before the sunderstorm and maybe a little after, but not like here.  I never learned to like the hot summers. I simply didn’t have time to enjoy it.  Now I don’t know what to feel. I just take what Mother Nature gives us. These AC  “guys” help to be tolerant. Today we ...

 - repost In Russia, my social circle was limited to work colleagues, parents of my children’s classmates, 2-3 girlfriends. While living in the USA, I met some extraordinary (compared to me) people. Just for example, a few of them: -MD,  Ph D, associate professor, together with her sister, the owner of an eye clinic in Batumi, Georgia, the former Russian Republic. -A former office employee and English teacher speaks 6 languages, retired to take care of a bedridden mother. There is no place for problems in her life, she treats them as challenges and overcomes them.  I need to learn that from her, really.  -In Russia, Professor of English, here a well-educated marketer, program manager, speaker of a forum of 3,000 people, teaches marketing tools.  -Highly qualified specialist in networking, head of non-profit organizations, specialist in community engagement and volunteer recruitment, fund development, public speaker and so on.  In addition to e...