Hitler and The Heat (No Not Them)

I know putting Hitler in the title is provocative, but first lets talk about the heat. It is/was 96 degrees today and yesterday. Now you may say, dear reader, that well it is summer and 96 isn't really that hot. True, until you consider, dear reader, that you are sitting in an air-conditioned whatever -- office, house, bedroom, cafe-- passing judgment on me for whining. While I am sweltering in a non-air conditioned apartment, with no fan trying to figure out how I am going to sleep through the night. Please note that, in effect, my apartment has no windows. The windows that open open into a balcony. The windows in the balcony do not open. Hence, no ventilation.

Having lived in Moscow, just 2 weeks (but having really lived here like a resident), I have a new respect for the rude, sweaty, city citizen. I have a 15 minute walk to the metro every morning. Given the extreme heat, I have been trying to sashay to the metro so that I do not work up a sweat. This is a really stupid idea because:
1) Who the hell knows how to sashay
2) Its so hot that if I just stood still, I would be in a full sweat in 2 minutes, let alone put my body in motion
3) Even if I could manage to avoid sweating all the way to the station, standing shoulder to knee with 4 perfect strangers on the cramped metro car, would throw anyone into a sweat.

So by the time I hit the metro station, I am a sweaty mess and I am mad because I am a sweaty mess. So I take my frustrations out on my fellow passengers by pushing into the metro car. Then I sweat and get mad some more because I am now even sweaty, hot and crowded.

So if you every visit a city and the people are a little ripe and rude on the metro, please show a little compassion. They are simple hard-working people trying to make it through the day.

OK, so now, let's talk about Hitler. Hitler is a big deal in Russia, where he held responsible for the deaths of 20 million people. So yesterday, while my friend Ilona and I were walking to the metro station near my house, we walk up on 3 teen-aged boys say 16, 17, 18. One of the boys says Heil Hitler -- since Russian does not have an 'H' sound it came out like Geil Gittler (hard g). So my friend, who happens to be Jewish responses, the boys in turn respond to her and now we have a little issue. In the end no one was hurt or even really threatened, but this incident does highlight how schizophrenic Russia is as a country. On the very same day that marked the German invasion of Russia, a young boy -- whose grandfather, 70% probability, was killed by the Germans/Hitler -- is offering praises to Hitler. How do you eradicate or even just change idiotic thinking like that? Hitler took a scythe to the family trees of over 70% of the population and somehow he is considered a hero today.

Russians are sitting on top of one of richest natural resources cache in the entire world at a time when energy is at a super-premium (pun intended) and for a significant plurality of young people, their focus is not how to capitalize on this advantage, but rather, how to become a better fascist.

The even weirder thing is that the Russian government is doing absolutely nothing about this growing problem. They are just pretending it doesn't exist. Perhaps as a way to deflect this anger away from the government.

Yesterday was really one of those, why the hell am I here days. Tomorrow Top Ten Reasons Why I Am Here (and not at home loving on my husband and my children).

PS My American ACTR friend was sick so we did not get together.

PSS Say a cool and chilling prayer for me as I try to sleep in an apartment with an 80 degree ambient temperature and no ventilation.