Purple Frog

2011-11-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Frogology "Thousands of years ago, tribes of human beings suffered great privations in the struggle to survive. In this struggle it was important not only to be able to handle a club, but also to possess the ability to think reasonably, to take care of the knowledge and experience garnered by the tribe, and to develop the links that would provide cooperation with other tribes. Today the

2011-07-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

The problem of employees’ evaluation is a puzzle. No one likes to be evaluated, no one likes to be stressed out about it, and, especially, no one is looking forward to live in anticipation of it. Been there, done that myself: been evaluated multiple times and been evaluating my staff not once. When I am evaluated, I am taking suggestions for my personal growth seriously, though I might not

2011-07-09T05:19:00.000-07:00

Ameri-CAN My sister finally became a citizen. When she answered the last citizenship question, the INS clerk commented, “I wish all Americans knew as much about our country as you do.” My sister called me proudly, “Do you know what the word ‘American’ means?” To my embarrassment, I didn’t. Irina explained, “Think about it: ‘ameri – CAN’. It means, I CAN do anything now!” It took me a while to

Purple Frog

2011-07-09T05:17:00.000-07:00

Purple Frog

2011-05-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

My new book From Misery to Mystery: story of a woman trapped in a man's world is in my hands! My new book is a result of many years of work. It's a funny and very thoughtful book. Nothing can be more exciting than to hold my own book for the first time...

2011-04-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

My father was a professional rescuer, taking teams up on the mountains. He watched that not a single girl or boy got killed. Once, he took our team of teenagers up on Konzhakovski Kamen, the highest peak in the Northern Urals. The snow was seven feet high, but you notice it only when taking your skis off: the snow immediately swallows you. It is such a pleasure to get on the well-pressed

2011-03-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

Reinventing the Church Are you the same person you were twenty years ago? How about ten? Five? We change inevitably: our views, our looks, and our habits; our actions change because we get older and hopefully wiser. Same happens with churches. The church you began attending twenty years ago is not the same church you attend now: the person next to you on a pew goes through the same

2011-02-19T18:26:00.000-08:00

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2011-02-06T17:39:00.001-08:00

Driving on Ice “Honey, I had an accident. I am on the shoulder of I-435, waiting for the police.” “Oh, no! How did it happen?!” My husband’s voice is full of concern. “Are you OK?” “My neck hurts, but I think I am fine.” “What happened?” “I know what you would think because I hit a car from the back. That was not my fault. For twenty-five minutes, I drove behind that very same car before it

2011-02-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

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2011-02-02T11:55:00.001-08:00

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2011-01-26T17:06:00.000-08:00

The manager of the First Watch on Shawnee Mission Parkway winked at my husband, paused with the playful and mischievous smile and flirtatiously danced us to our table. “Do you think he is gay?” Scott grimed, “Of course, he is, look he wears an orange sweater!” “I am not an expert in gays, though you might be right. Look how he walks!” Next time we entered the restaurant, Jason – the same manager

2011-01-23T18:38:00.001-08:00

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2011-01-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

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2011-01-16T19:19:00.001-08:00

Nothing to WearIn Russia, we had one-two suits, two-three dresses, several blouses, a few skirts, and a couple of sun dresses, and never thought we were poor. In America, I filled my closet over the years: ten times more of everything, and I am constantly puzzled what to wear.We are in the time of an economic crisis, and old survival tricks that we practiced once might become needed again.I

2011-01-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

Easter ConfusionRussians celebrate everything twice, I like to joke. I don’t make it up - we do. Christmas is celebrated on December 25th just to be repeated on January 7th, according to the ancient Russian Gregorian calendar. We grew up happily celebrating the New Year twice: first time as all Westerners, on the New Year’s Eve, and second time, on January 13th. The first

2010-08-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

Crystal and clear is water, blue and frisky is my fish.How this tiny creature knows how to breathe?The nest is finished and ready to make promised eggsLove making boils water it is getting hot to watch. Weave, weave your nest of hopeOut of bubbles of breathBuild, build your futureAiry, crystal and fresh. Intense color of flippers, bodies clench in a danceI was so blessed by beauty in my holy

2009-09-08T13:03:00.001-07:00

I dialed my husband’s number from my kitchen, trying to finish my snack and not to lose site of a never seen strange looking animal walking through our back yard, away from the house. “Honey, I think, we got a fox… wait a second, not a fox. The tail is long and straight. Oh, myyyyy…. I think, this is the cougar in our back yard again.” My husband had already called the animal control after a few