Ronald Kirk, We Hardly Knew Ye

Ah, the weekend.  After this past week, I can use it, too.  Although the week started out slowly, once things started falling into place, the pace picked up dramatically.  The Economic Forum here in St. Petersburg wrapped up yesterday, and a surprise visit to the nearby town of Pikalevo (as mentioned in the nytimes article) made for interesting fare, as well as a lot of work.  I won't bore you with the details, but my day ended by writing out the transcript for US Trade Rep. Ronald Kirk's speech at a question and answer session yesterday, which took FOREVER. I suddenly have a great bit more respect for secretaries who take dictation.  But anyhow, if you read the speech (which you won't and you shouldn't), you're welcome.  You might also be surprised at just how much security this guy warranted here.  I personally had no idea who he was, but apparently he still needed a secret service detail.  I guess better safe than sorry?

That little project kept me late.  I can't complain too much, as most of these people work long days with fair regularity, and with all the stuff going on around recently, people have been logging some pretty hefty hours.  Plus, after I finished my work, the last of us still at the office piled into a taxi and went to the Stroganoff Steak House, a ritzy establishment not far from St. Isaac's Cathedral, for a farewell dinner to a few people who are about to leave the post.  The food was excellent (I had the ribeye and house red wine, which I recommend, and the vegetable medley, which I don't), and so was the company.  It's a pretty tight-knit group at the consulate, which is nice to see, and all of the people are genuinely enjoyable to be around.  That said, it was a bit strange being at a fancy farewell dinner for people I hardly know, but oh well.  The next month is going to see a staggering amount of turnover in the consulate, actually.  By mid-July, I'll be one of the three or four longest-serving Americans at the post, which is kind of crazy.  Although most changeover takes place during the summer, all of the people here have said this turnover is extreme.  It should make for an interesting time, I guess.

This morning, I am still enjoying a euphoria hangover from having such a great steak, and have been lounging around since I woke up.  The weather, which remains TERRIBLE, doesn't help matters.  Later today, however, I am going to go around the city a bit with a couple of friends of mine from undergrad, one who is here on a Fulbright (and will be in my grad program next year), and one who is here leading the Russian language program I did as an undergraduate.  It will probably be a pretty relaxed day, although we are going to an old Soviet-style cafeteria, so there's  certainly the opportunity for wackiness.

Yours in steaky goodness,

C