Woke up again still feeling crummy- a friend called and woke me up at 10 am- doesn't sound early to those of you abroad, but to those of us here in Russia, especially those like me who usually get up at 11, an early 10 am phone call is disorienting.
I had a dream last night that I met Barack Obama. He was out here in St. Petersburg, and they had opened an American style coffee shop with big to-go cups of drip coffee (I always dream of big cups of coffee when i'm here, Stumptown, i miss you so...) and we were both standing in line. "Excuse me, but aren't you Barack Obama?" i asked. "Why yes! What a surprise running into another english speaker in this country. I bet you come to this coffee shop all the time. What are you doing out here anyway?" "Well, I'm here on a Fulbright. Can I shake your hand?" "Of course!"
That's when the croaking of my phone interrupted the dream and woke me up. I'm sure that Barack was well on his way to hire me as his foreign policy advisor for Russia....
Speaking of Obama, I just watched his 30 minute ad campaign spot on YouTube. I'll admit it- I was choked up when he talked about his mother's battle with cancer and insurance. It'll inspire you to vote more than Ben and Jerry's offer of a free scoop when you show up with your "i voted" sticker. Too bad they don't have a branch out here... I'd already qualify for my scoop of phish food or cherry garcia.