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In Loving Memory of Valentin Artomov 1933 – 2008
2008-04-20 04:01:00
In Loving Memory of Valentin Artomov 1933 – 2008 My Father-in-law passed away Thursday morning. We had his funeral today and I gave the eulogy for him. Unfortunately, he had only been in the USA for a month. But he was able to spend his final month with his daughter and granddaughter. I think this was his driving force to getting to the USA and I am happy that he was able to fulfill his final dream of living here in the USA with his children. He was a loving man and a pretty funny guy. We will miss him a lot, but I know he has been suffering for quite some time with numerous health problems to include cancer. I am sure he is in a far better place and wish him well on this new journey. Maybe someday, I will meet up with him again and we can sit down and drink a bottle of vodka. Until then, I bid you farewell until next time pop. Kelly
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Russian Women
2008-04-09 04:44:00
Yes, they are Russian . They are similar in every way to American women. But the slight differences in the way they look, the way they act, their personalities, the things they like to do and I am sure many other things is what makes them uniquely different. I can even say their attitude towards sex and money for the most part is different. Russian women love to dance. They don't even care if they have a partner. I have heard that there are 3 women to every man there. Tempting – is it not? Why should you care about these things? Maybe you don't. But maybe you should. Where else are you going to find a lady that can drink you under the table? I think vodka runs in their veins… My wife can sure put away some vodka. One night in Russia, I made the mistake of drinking with her father. The man was a drinking machine – he drank vodka, cognac, wine and whatever else was around. I tried my best to keep up with him. I paid for it though - I prayed to the porcelain god all night. He went...
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Easter Today
2008-03-23 20:17:00
It's Easter today. The in-laws like fish, so I offered to smoke fish today. Got some nice looking trout – they've never had trout in Russia. I actually smoke fish every couple of months. We really enjoy smoked fish, but I don't really care for the smoked fish that you purchase in the store. And the Russian store usually only has cold-smoked fish. Not a big fan of this type. I use a special recipe for the brine – dark rum, soy sauce, salt and water to soak the fish in. Turns out excellent. We're also having Olivia – a type of Russian potato salad, but better. I also threw together some of my special home made salsa. Notice the snow on the ground in the smoked fish picture. We had a bit of a spring snow storm yesterday. Kinda feels like Russia without all of the melting muddy mess. Smoking some trout - good stuff! Russian Potato Salad - Olivia Home Made Salsa - Mexican Style
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We Have New USA Residents!
2008-03-22 05:04:00
Well, they made it back to the USA last Monday evening, but not without some drama. I picked them up from the airport about 10:30pm. They ran into trouble several times throughout their trip. It all started in Moscow when they tried to check in. The parents plane tickets had been canceled by Delta airlines. They had to repurchase their tickets right then and there. We are in the process of trying to get some sort of refund for that fiasco. The next problem that happened was with customs. When they went through customs in Atlanta, GA somehow their passports did not get stamped. What? How can you go through customs and not get your passport stamped? Well it happened and I am led to believe that it must happen quite frequently. Fortunately, we were able to straighten it out rather quickly at DIA in Denver. We made a special trip back to the Denver airport to have them processed in. Otherwise, their green cards would have been voided as well since they wouldn't have had proof that th...
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Four Days Down, Three To Go
2008-03-15 04:34:00
Well, it's been 4 days since she left. I have to admit that it's getting a little lonely here at home. We talk once a day about what's going on in Russia and things that are going on here at home. She says the infrastructure has changed a lot since our last trip to Ekaterinburg in 2004. Lots of modern buildings, lots of traffic. Baltika 9 and a Chilupa. Dinner of champions! I am looking forward to her return and to her parents arriving. We've put a lot of work into the house and we are anxious to see their surprise when they see it. It is much nicer than where they live in Russia.
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The Wife's Parents
2008-03-10 01:01:00
The wife is off to Russia this week. Her parents have been evicted from Russia for being capitalists. The KGB came to their house and gave them 30 days notice to get out of the country or be thrown into the gulag… Good ole Lennin in Ekaterinburg Ok, maybe not, but they are coming to the USA to live. They have sold everything and are moving here next week. But it must be a little un-nerving for them to move to another country, don't you think? Life will be good for them though. They will be in America and be close to their daughter and granddaughter. Their house will be about a 5 minute drive from us, so it should be good. Ekaterinburg, Russia Prices have skyrocketed everywhere in Russia (I talked a bit about this when I went to Moscow in October). Do to this, they have gotten an excellent price for their apartment in Ekaterinburg. So they should be fine here moneywise. We have spent the last 3 weeks getting their house ready for them. I had it rented out and it was left a m...
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Dating Statistics of Russian Women
2008-03-03 04:43:00
Typically the more Russian women you write to, the better your chances are to find the woman of your dreams that has the chemistry flowing for both of you. But, I cannot say that she won't be the first one you meet. In my case it was. But I would say it is always good advice if you plan to travel to a 'Former Soviet Union' country to have options when you go! Women of Russia and the FSU Unlike men, who often think universally and tend to generalize information, women are more personal in their approach to finding answers and Russian women are no different. You'll find thousands of beautiful Russian women profiles and just recently, videos have become popular. Here are some statistics relating to Russian women participating in online Russian dating: 1 - 79% of Russian women seeking marriage to foreign men have never been married. 2 - 64% are younger than 30 years of age. 3 - 90% of Russian women have been educated in a university with one, possibly two degrees. 4 - 69% o...
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A New Russian President
2008-03-02 03:13:00
Well, this is off the subject of my blog, but I think it is worth mentioning. Looks like Dmitry Medvedev will be Russia's newest president. There is a lot of speculation about his agenda, but I think he has said he will pick up where Putin has left off. Is this a good thing? Apparently most Russian s think so. Putin and Medvedev
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Winter Blues
2008-02-10 21:56:00
Wow, I am tired of winter. We've had a couple nice days recently and it really makes you want spring to come a bit sooner. Glad I don’t live in Russia! My in-laws will be here soon. My wife will meet them in Ekaterinburg next month and fly back with them. She is getting exited for them to get here. It has taken about a year and a half for the entire process to get them green cards. Her parents have sold their apartment and are waiting to close the deal at the end of this month. Then they will finish selling/giving away the things they won’t be able to bring. They will be purchasing a manufactured home from us that we've been renting to my son. So, they will even have their own place, and it's only 5 minutes away from us. I imagine it will be difficult for them to leave their country, but exciting as well. They came to see us about 2 years ago and loved it here. My wife and step daughter are their only family and I suppose they are missed dearly. So this also means no more tr...
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New Year’s Again?
2008-01-12 04:37:00
Yes it's true. In Russia, the New Year comes once again. On Monday January 14, 2008 the Old New Year will be upon us. What is the old New Year? Back before Soviet times, Russia used the old Julian calendar and it was off by a couple weeks. So, January 7th is Christmas and January 14th is New Years Day. In my opinion, this is just another excuse to have a party. So, no complaining here. We will head out to a friend's house for New Year's eve on Sunday evening. Speaking of parties, seems most Russians are up for any excuse to celebrate. Not that they are all drunks or anything even close, but celebrations seem to be more often than I grew up ever attending. For instance, we are invited to 3 different parties this weekend – a birthday party, a dinner party and the New Year's party. Pretty soon Maslenitsa (pancake week) will be here. In Russia, it is a seven day long party. It is also a very longstanding tradition. Here in the USA, we will probably get together with some friends ...
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Happy New Year!
2008-01-01 01:44:00
Wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year . I'm off to a Russian New Year's Eve Party. If you have nothing else to do, go to Memocast.com and watch Irony of Fate. This the traditional New Year's movie shown every year on New Year's Eve. Happy New Year !
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Merry Christmas!
2007-12-25 16:56:00
Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas . I wish you the best and remember to stay warm and safe. Kelly
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Christmas and New Years in Russia
2007-12-24 05:21:00
Christmas is a little different, but not a lot. Here in the USA and most of the world, Christmas is connected with the birth of Christ. Now, I am not much into religion these days, but this is just a fact. Nowadays, Russia believes in this same tradition, but the actual holiday for Christmas falls on January 7th. It falls on this day due to the old Julian calendar that was used in Russia prior to the Soviet Union. Christmas is again associated with the birth of Christ, but it is merely a religious holiday now. New Year's Russian Style New Years on the other hand is celebrated similarly to our Christmas. It is a celebration with a decorated tree (a Yolka) and gifts are exchanged. As well, they have parties to bring in the New Year. So it is a New Years /Christmas party wrapped up all in one - and from what I have seen, Russians really know how to party! New Years Eve, Russia A Little History Santa Claus is originally known as St. Nicholas. The Soviets did away with religion duri...
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Vladimir Putin - Times Person of the Year
2007-12-22 05:40:00
Just a not to recognize Russian President Vladimir Putin - Times Person of the Year. Congratulations Vladimir Putin ! Time Magazine's 2007 Person of the Year - Vladimir Putin
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Marketing – Russian Style
2007-12-08 03:12:00
Every time I go to Russia, I am amazed at the differences in marketing strategies - to be more specific, the difference between Russia and the United States. Some of the pictures in this article show my point. Russian Marketing Strategy - Is there any? Digital billboards are pretty hi-tech and Russia has been using them since the 1990's. Here in the USA, they are just beginning to popup here and there. I remember the first one I saw here in the USA was in the San Francisco Bay area along the hi-way between San Jose and San Francisco back in 2000. Advertising in Russia Typical Russian Kiosk Something interesting to me is the advertising on buildings being both built and refurbished. They cover the entire side of the building with a giant advertisement. Giant Banner Advertising in Russia There are signs everywhere, even where there should not be a sign. They definitely don't mess around when it comes to their marketing. Advertising Gone Bad Russian Advertising Everywhere...
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Russian Airport Security
2007-11-17 15:15:00
In my own opinion, Russian s take their airport security much more serious than they do here in the United States. The trip from the USA to Moscow was long, but smooth. What I thought was good airport security seems a little lacking compared to the Russians though. The return trip home was not as smooth, but nothing too surprising. At the Moscow International airport – Sheremetyevo – they have 5 different layers of security we had to go through before getting onto the plane to leave Russia: - Metal detectors/x-ray machines coming into the airport. - Another metal detector/x-ray machine going to the Delta counter to check-in. - Questioning by a Delta representative, then our bags searched. This was done to everyone. - Passport control. - And yet another metal detector/x-ray machine to get into our gate. As well, they searched our carry-on bags here also. The plane left the terminal about 15 minutes late and sat on the runway waiting to take off for another 30 minutes. So we wer...
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Driving in Moscow (the Taxi Rides)
2007-11-08 04:55:00
I have a new found respect for Moscow taxi drivers. Drivers in general in Russia are a bit on the wild side. But the taxi rides I took were precise surgeries getting from point A to point B. I've learned that those lines in the road separating the lanes aren't really that. They are just a guideline or merely a suggestion… When you see a hole in traffic that your car can fit through (and sometimes not) you go for it. They drive with such precision going around other cars and weaving in and out of traffic that it can only be that of a trained professional. There does not seem to be any speed limit as we passed several police vehicles at a high rate of speed. In fact I didn't see one accident or smashed car while I was there. Russian Taxi in Moscow When catching a taxi from the airport, you have to be firm in your negotiating. They will take all they think they can get out of you. Lena was pretty good at this. We had the guy following us through the airport and finally he decided ...
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Our Russian Apartment in Moscow
2007-11-04 22:41:00
The apartment can be found here: All Russia Hotels located on Novy Arbat, 22 Moscow . This rating is based upon 5 stars, 5 being the best and 1 being the worst. Location was in fact worth 5 stars. - We were right in the city center and within walking distance to the famous old Stary Arbat street and the US Embassy was pretty close too - It was a 15-20 minute walk to Red Square - Lots of stores and of course kiosks close by The view from our apt window. You can see Red Square. Customer Service got a -1 star. We had such a difficult time getting into the apartment. It took 3 different people and about 3 hours of waiting that I couldn't give anything except a negative 1 star for customer service. If they would have been prompt at returning our money for that day as they promised, I might have given them 2 stars. The fact is that it has been over a week now and still no refund to our credit card… Quality was good. Actually a pretty nice apartment, but too many issues - 3 stars....
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Moscow has been entertaining - although my legs hurt
2007-11-01 12:24:00
Russia is very good for getting yourself into good shape. The public transportation system is one of the best in the world. But, you will find yourself walking a lot more than you do living in the USA. If you are going to rely on using the metro, you need to do a little extra walking due to the locations of metro stations. But you will enjoy stepping on the scale when you return home. The metro is a very inexpensive way to get around – 14 to 15 rubles per trip, doesn't matter how many stops as long as you don't leave the station when changing lines. To ride the trolley, it's 25 rubles per trip. Another plus about riding the metro are the stations - they are all different and most are very beautifully architected. Moscow Metro Station We've spent a lot of time taking care of things that we came for – Lena's parents interviews and medical exams for their visa's and a couple other personal things Lena needed to do in Russia. So, I have had a chance to walk the city and take pic...
More About: General , Hurt , Legs , Entertaining

I made it to Moscow!
2007-10-28 19:21:00
Well, we made it to Moscow . The trip was fairly smooth, but not completely without a hitch. Well, I should correct myself. The trip itself was smooth, but getting into the apartment we rented was quite the fiasco. You should take note of this for the future should you try to go to Russia. We got to Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow without any trouble. Then we got a taxi to the apartment, $70usd (and the taxi ride from hell)! Holy cow, this definitely is be the priciest city in the world! We gave the apt rental manager a call to let them know we are here early - they yell at my wife and tell her the city is big and there is no way to get there early. At this point, we remember we are in Russia, no courtesy at all. Ok, no problem - we'll wait. So we wait about 1.5 hours till it was time for the person to come to give us the keys. She shows up, we head up to the 10th floor, she has the wrong keys. We head downstairs to sit and wait. Another hour goes by and another person shows up to le...
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Time is Flying
2007-10-17 04:02:00
Looks like we're ready to head off to Moscow. Plane reservations and hotel/apt are booked and set in stone. My visa came back from the Russian Consulate without any problems. Our Apartment on the Arbat We ended up renting an apartment right in the City Center, Novy Arbat Street. This way, we now have the choice of whether we want to eat out or in. As well, they are providing free wireless internet, free unlimited international calling to the USA, and free satellite TV. It's about a seven minute walk to the metro and a seven minute walk to the American Embassy. The Moskva river, the Russian White House and the famous pedestrian "Arbat" street is just outside the door of the building. Now we are ironing out the schedule. Lena's parents will meet us and stay in the apartment with us while they are there. Should be a fun and interesting trip!
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Russian Readio Stations
2007-10-13 18:24:00
If you're curious about what kind of music Russian s listen to, go to Listen Live. They have a lot of streaming radio stations with music from Soviet times to the current popular stuff. Give it a listen.
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HotelReservations.com
2007-10-06 06:08:00
As some of you may know, we are in the process of planning our trip to Moscow. Just recently, I have come across a web site, Hotel Reserva tions, that begs to challenge the more popular travel web sites. While we have already planned most of our Moscow trip as well as our hotel reservations, I did bookmark this web site for future use. They offer a Discount Club Membership as well as free changes and free cancellations should something unexpected come up or change after you make your initial plans. Something else Hotel Reservations offers is web site support for multiple countries currencies. You can even get up to a $100 rebate on your order! No-one else that I noticed offers any kind of rebate. Another feature important to me is Hotel Reservations ease of use. I was able to navigate and search the hotel rates as easy as ever. They get an A+ for this. I did some comparison shopping with the other major online travel web sites and Hotel Reservations is quite competitive in both...
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Never Let Your Passport out of Your Sight…
2007-09-30 21:51:00
Something that always makes me nervous when I go to Russia is giving a total stranger my USA Passport . Yes, I did say giving your passport to a complete stranger in a foreign land. I know, I know, you've been taught your whole life to never let your passport out of your sight when you are in another country. But apparently, you have never been to Russia. USA Passport - Never let your passport out of your sight! When you get to your hotel of the place you are going to stay, you have to be registered. Fortunately if you are on a tourist visa, they can take care of it in the hotel. But if you are on a business visa (as I have used in the past), they take your passport from you to register it with another agency. In some cities, it is much quicker and easier to obtain a business invitation rather than a tourist invitation. So, that's what I did. So remember, if you go to Russia on a business visa, be prepared to give your passport to a stranger – temporarily anyway. Another thing t...
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The Saga Continues
2007-09-28 05:35:00
I've ordered an invitation. Found a place that offered 24 hour service for $29. Worked out pretty good, but 24 hours was really more like 36 hours. But still a good deal for fairly quick service. Typical Russian Invitation. You need this to get a Visa. Next, I put together a cover letter with information about where I'm staying, what I'm doing, how many vodka's I will drink, etc. The Russian government wants to know what you have planned as well as when and where you're going to do it. Red Square. Lenin's mausoleum is in the background. After that, you can fill out a visa application and send everything off to the Russian Embassy or Consulate - including your passport and $100. In the meantime, we've bought our airline tickets – about $1000 ea - and made reservations at an ok hotel called Gamma Delta. Stayed there my first trip to Russia, and it is ok. Hotel prices in Moscow are out of site. A cheap hotel is $100/night in most cases. I am quickly finding out that Mosco...
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Going To Moscow, Russia
2007-09-24 06:14:00
I woke up this morning and my wife asked me if I wanted to go to Moscow . What? Let me wake up first… Ok, Moscow in October should be ok shouldn't it? I was not sure if she was really serious, but then she called her parents and confirmed with them. So, we are off to Moscow in the end of October. Sixteen plus hours on a plane. This part I don't look forward to. If you've ever flown to Russia , Europe or even Asia, you know what I mean. All of that time flying over the ocean. Kinda makes you a little nervous if you think about it too long. We spent some time during the morning looking at flights and decided on the schedule we should keep to. One thing that I love about my wife is that she never does anything without a plan. Once I said I was interested in going, she had almost everything figured out in her mind and she started telling me what we will be doing on what day. So, we will be meeting her parents in Moscow while they are going for their interview for their visas and...
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English to Russian Translation and Visa-Versa
2007-09-03 16:41:00
Something that came to mind that is very important when searching out your Russian bride is translation. I was fortunate enough to find a Russian woman who already could read and write English and as well, speak some English (albeit a little rough). You on the other hand are gambling to hopefully get as lucky as I was. Don't get me wrong, there are many Russian women out there who can read and write English. But not many speak the language. Russian Dating Translation So initially, you may get lucky enough to find a woman who does read/write English and you can at least email or instant message with her. On the other hand, you might need a translation service to be able to get to know your future Russian bride a little better. I wish I knew of a translator who was both honest and has reasonable pricing, but I am not associated with anyone right now who does this. Maybe we'll try to tackle this service ourselves in the future. We will be doing some official documentation trans...
More About: General , Visa

Here we are again. Again? What?
2007-09-03 07:14:00
I don't know. The title just came to me. Been busy designing a new web site for Red-October.net, hoping to roll it out by Halloween. Adding all kinds of new functionality and thinking about adding subscriptions for different things, like visas, marriage, who knows for sure. Nothing is finalized at this stage. In fact, if there is something you would like me write more about or suggestions for the web site, please email me. USA Visa Since my wife gained her US citizenship, we have been planning for her parents to move here close to us. They came to visit us in November, 2005 for a month and they enjoyed themselves immensely. They are at the stage of getting ready for their interview in Moscow which is scheduled at the end of October. We've pushed it back a couple months due to some unexpected health problems they are taking care of. Lots of paperwork involved in the entire process, but I am sure I will be writing about it once we complete the process and they move here to Color...
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Personal Trainer in Colorado Springs
2007-08-19 17:17:00
Was looking into getting a personal trainer here in Colorado Springs. Came across an interesting individual, Daniel Ross. He runs Body Symmetry here in town. From my research, he is the best qualified in Colorado Springs: * Masters Degree in Sports Medicine/Exercise Physiology * 22 years of personal training experience * Pre and Post Rehabilitation * Nutritional expertise for weight loss, muscle gain and body toning * ISSA (International Sports Science Association) personal training certification * Master Trainer * CPR certified As well, he trained Matt McGinnis. You may remember him from the 2004 Olympics. He is a swimmer.
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Trip To The Mountains
2007-08-06 02:18:00
Took a weekend trip over to the western part of Colorado. Visited places like Grand Junction, Montrose, Ouray and Silverton. Took some pics and thought i'd share a few. House right on the edge. Did they know they built right on top of a geological fault? Picture from above the scenic town of Ouray. This Red Mount ain. It is on the way to Silverton. Beautiful drive. The Continental Divide, the point where water flows East or West.
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