ZOMG!

OK, there are several reasons for the title to this entry, but first and foremost is the fact that some wonderful person has posted my favorite/least favorite movie of all time, R.O.T.O.R., in its entirety on youtube. Of course, here's the link to part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v2FWINpkfg&feature=related

Please, if you haven't watched this, you owe it to yourself to do so with the greatest possible alacrity. Seriously. Incredible.

Next, my place, in addition to being awesome in general, has a gym, a swimming pool, and a sauna. I availed myself of the gym this afternoon, and not only was the treadmill fully functional, so was my foot (I've been fighting plantar fasciitis for about a year now). It looks like I just might get into some sort of exercise routine this summer, after all, which is nice.

The last couple of days have been good. Yesterday I went to the Hermitage museum in the early afternoon and spent about three hours there. They have a great collection of ancient sculpture and pottery, which I've visited probably half a dozen times before, but which never gets old for me. After that I headed over to the apartment of one of my colleagues/bosses/whatever who lives on Nevsky Prospect, where several of us from work played poker into the wee hours of Friday night/Saturday morning. We played four games and I ended in the money the first two, but lost a couple of tough hands in the second games. All told, I broke even for the night, so I felt like that was a pretty cheap evening of entertainment. Of course, since this is St. Petersburg, when we left at 1:30 AM the city was quite the spectacle, its famous churches and canals twilit by the midnight sun. I don't see how that scene couldn't wash away any contempt one might have for the city. But now I'm waxing romantic...

Today was supposed to be stormy all day, so I planned a day in. However, it's been nothing but sunny and gorgeous all day, so perhaps I will try and get out a bit more. I was going to go to the ballet tonight, but they were sold out, which is probably for the best as it's probably time to see something other than Romeo and Juliet (it's the one I've seen the last two times I've been). The Mariinsky is doing Sleeping Beauty next month, so I might try for that one. As for this evening, I'll probably just let fate take me.

Oh, also, I feel that, as the local authority on all things nuclear, I should share this with you:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090612/ap_on_re_us/us_radioactive_wasps

Awesome.

C