Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	The oath is kind of weird. How come it isn't enforceable? Probably is, just not practical.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-22 16:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	See through Burkas? ... that sound hottly naughty. Doh, careful about Googling see through Burkas with the kids around... "I'm telling Anna!" ... it's for Anna... "Gross!"... go to your room. Oh, the fashion potential of the burka! See through, velcro tear-away, edible (well, maybe not that last one). I wonder if burkas are like kilts - you know, maybe nothing underneath? That would explain how MENA girls can stay cool in a black burka in 100+ degree heat.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-21 18:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	We're still here!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-21 08:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	Nothing, I'm just waiting to this thread to be locked lol Yeah, some one sleeping at the wheel	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-20 21:15:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	GollyjeeBATMAN, we'll sure get right top on that and get out of this pickle! What?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-20 20:46:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	Yeah, CHarles will come in and lock it, but we made it to page 10, so it's all I care about I'm done with this thread. Gollyjeeshuckinsandgoshdarnit! Don't do that bro', this was just getting interesting.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-20 20:22:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	In before the lock	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-20 20:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	Burkas are in Pakistan/Afghanistan areas. Mine is about 25 feet long with this giant train. I prefer all black so I cannot be seen inside the deep hole/seasonal well my husband keeps me in. I'm scared of the light and of having my own opinions. I tried insisting that Vika wear a burka to hide her curves from all eyes but mine. She was absolutely against it, because the closest garment I could produce was a Hefty bag. She did try it on for me though just to prove a point - and yes, she still looked fantastic! Sometimes a guy just can't win. Cloudberries are related to raspberries and are found all over Northern Europe in the high lattitudes: http://en.wikipedia....bus_chamaemorus Oh. Vika is from more southerly climes.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-20 20:06:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	What is a cloud berry?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-20 19:47:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	You changed her hair color??????? I like dark hair better...I could be biased. He bought new curtains.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-17 20:30:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	Redeemed my birthday flower mistake, pulled off what her friends said we couldn't!! Not only got her roses for valentines, but managed to find preacher to marry us and a restaurant to host reception!!! I will not forget flowers for her birthday next year!! ( and our anniversary will be easy to remember also!) Do NOT forget Women's Day (March 8th)!!!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-17 13:11:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	Gave Vika flowers after V-day just to be a contrarian. The reaction was every bit as pleasant and strong as any other time. Her joy at seeing me come into the room with flowers never seems to dim. I cannot stress the importance of the flowers	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-17 07:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	Duh!!! Yeah there has got to be a place online. I shouldn't have to wait to get one at the market in Donetsk! I just thought of an assignment for Pasha! There you go - keep him busy	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-13 08:25:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	Damn it. I was going to buy her one on our last trip there and forgot! Sometimes I could just shoot myself in the eye! They aslo have the yellow warning signs with the "Y" which is the first letter in the word "student", for student drivers. If you find a place to get them here - post it up. Love to have one!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-12 11:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	That's not completely true. A lot of people know the "Can you speak -- insert certain language?" in different languages and know how to answer to that. That doesn't mean they can actually speak the language. I was told by Lithuanians that every one over the age of 30 probably has a working knowledge of Russian. We found waiters, bankers, hotel employees, and others in their twenties who were all fluent. That is why we started asking why people you meet can't speak Russian. The answer we got consistently was that there was a pretty strong nationalist movement in the country (and Latvia and Estonia too), and the people my ex was questioning probably thought she was Russian. Unless they were also ehtnic Russian, they likely just would rather not converse in that language. Edited by Brad and Vika, 08 February 2010 - 01:44 PM.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-08 13:43:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	My favorite city, it is where I met Alla by chance. It is true that most people in their late 30s or older speak Russian. I have had no trouble speaking English and found many people offended at Russian. I worked with a structural engineer from Prague, Alla spoke to her in Russian when she met her at a job site one day (neither of us can make heads or tails of Czech) and she was mightily offended, but DID speak Russian. I had the same experience in Lithuania. There are even schools where kids are taught in Russian (or English) there. People on the street refused to speak Russian. My ex asked several people on the street for directions, asking first if they spoke Russian (the question was in Russian). They all responded "nyet" - so they understood Russian fine, just refused to speak it. Our old town tour guide was Russian, and married to a Lithuanian guy - and her inlaws refused to speak Russian to her, forcing her to speak Lithuanian. Lots of occupation resentment there. Brad! Tell them..."Have you seen my wife? Here's a photo. Where do you think I am at 7am dude? Not "doing this" over coffee I can assure you! See you at 11 for lunch...you buy" It can be hard to deal with other people married to American women. Good thought Gary, but not the direction I usually go at the office	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-08 10:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	Yeah, but it's tempting, right? You haven't been around as much lately-- I hope everything is alright. Getting used to my new anger management regimen and meds Seriously, everything is fine with us, and with you two as well I hope. My dad passed away just before Christmas, and we were out of the country for a week in January. Just really busy. Thanks for asking	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-07 13:25:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	You never know. Suit yourself (or brace yourself). Oh, no problem Brad. It is just that I cannot feel comfortable being armed and talking about seafoam green cars. Just isn't appropriate, do you think? And here I thought it was a postal thing. I feel that way about early morning meeting and conference call planning. Every time some one says "how about getting this done over coffee, say 7am tomorrow?", I have to remind myself how our lifestyle would change if I draw down on the speaker.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-07 13:12:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	ROFL you are cracking me up. My husband lets me do my own gardening things. He would probably so much prefer I not do it though, as I think it freaks him out to see what I have managed to bring home. The 55 gal tubs were empty and weighed all of what, 25lbs? which is nothing to lift. I decided I wanted to try raised potato and peanut growing. It worked out wonderfully. Plus, my car and I have been together longer than my husband and I have. Some of this is from before I met him... I don't have a truck although I could probably use one at times. Also, I grew up with the mentality that if you want something and can do it, you just do it yourself. No big deal. I would help my dad do anything and everything. This means of acting applies to just about everything. If it makes you feel any better, I had painted toenails, make-up, and lipgloss on whilst moving things like that. Driving through a creek is an integral part of making it to certain sites for survey and excavation. No two ways around that! I cannot imagine being consistently so... I can't think of a good word to use that doesn't have a negative connotation to it which is not what I mean here... but prissy is what is coming to mind. Try to add a neutral spin to that word and you'll understand the emotion I have regarding what I am trying to say. I never had a problem with bugs, dirt, getting dirty... or using what I was given or got for myself (like my car). I won't say I'm probably more like a man with lipgloss and 76 pairs of shoes because Ammar told me to stop saying that. Oops. I doubt he's looking for an RUBer (that's what she said! sorry, I couldn't resist). He mentioned that one thing he liked about me was that every day, before we went into the field, I took the time to get completely made up even though I knew that I would be getting dirty. Honestly, it's a function of being too vain to not do it, but he can form his own opinions. At any rate, Slim or Mox can tell you how truly horrifying it is to see my picture and how much I am like a linebacker (or is it fat and bald? and old? You can choose. It's more fun that way!). I know someday I'll have to have another car, and I don't know how I will part with my Honda. At any rate, it is going to have to be another 5-speed. I will not drive a manual. Where is the fun and control in that?! No need for an armed response Gary	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-07 08:49:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	Here is the web address for the service I used Ukraine Gift Delivery. I think the video only costs you if the order is less than $100 - ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-03 10:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	We can all see the pattern here I think. Before Vika arrived (again) I would periodically send her flowers, and have them delivered to her office. The service would call her and ask where and when, then video her receiving the flowers and email the video to me. Cool. She like some of the flowers so much that she took pictures (some of just the flowers).	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-03 09:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	This is correct. Flowers, jewelry, car-- in that order-- for many women. I know it also works that way for myself. Flower points increase with the aforementioned public nature of the flowers as well as the general appearance of the flowers/romantic nature. The jewelry points can go WAY up if you also get creative. My husband designed 1 necklace and one bracelet for me. He has also gotten me 3 pairs of earrings, 2 wedding rings, a pendant, and an additional bracelet in addition to these things. The designed stuff still is my favorite though. Also, the more thought and reasoning that can go into it, the better. My husband knows I don't like diamonds, so he has never gotten me one (good). he does know I like things like garnets and has paid attention to this. My husband knows I prefer lilies to roses... and pays attention to this as well. Little things like this are good. Car. meh. I have a car and we love each other just fine. His name is Car, he's been a great car, and he's seafoam green. I don't want another one! There you have it gents!	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-02 19:27:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	Flowers still trump buying a car I know, makes no sense, really, but it is how it is But you don't get any points deducted though!!! True dat. I think flowers, jewelery, and a car qualify in that order	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-02 14:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	OMG yes. Two important dates..women's day and their birthday (even if they say the birthday is not important, IT IS) but women's day is major, like, shoot-you-in-the-eye-with-a-bazooka-if-you-forget major. Also true - but birthdays warrant more creativity. Slim...maybe... Anyway this thread inspired me yesterday to make a run down the mountain while Alla and Pasha were skiing to get some flowers. My medical recovery plants me in the lodge for the rest of the ski season so I thought...why not? OH YEAH!!!! Immediate return on investment lasting most of the night (hey...I am only restricted to no heavy lifting and no ski crashes! Everything else is a definite GO!) Buy her some flowers for old times sake. A correct interpretation of the concept of "points" by any man Thank you for stopping by Felt the breeze	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-02-02 07:38:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	Typical American male. My husband is the first/only man to ever have bought me flowers, despite the fact that I had tried making it clear I liked/wanted them (in such ambiguous terms as "I love flowers, i wish you would buy me some"). I garden intensively and even live plants would have been good... I also collect houseplants so they would have worked.. but nothing. I was told they were "evidence of rampant over-commercialism" and that was that. I didn't care about the numbers or the type, either. I told my friend I was going to marry the first guy who finally got me flowers. So, I did! It was 3 roses, a monstera leaf, and a bit of gypsophilia. Since then, he also ordered flowers to be delivered for me at work for our anniversary, gave me birthday flowers, and recently.. I have noticed he has stopped. I'm still riding high on the 3 other times though, so I think 1 bouquet of flowers= about 2 years of total devotion from me. So, I think in about 6 months he is going to have to replenish.* *disclaimer for those who feel I am perpetually serious-- his gifts don't actually run out of joy for me, and he doesn't actually need to replenish points. A date of monumental importance in Eastern Europe (and so in our home) is International Women's Day - March 8. The most common gift is, guess what? In Ukraine, every woman gets congrats and flowers from men in her family (yep, all of 'em that are old enough to understand), and any other guy in her life, like boyfriend, colleague, boss, etc. Good occasion to score a few flowers if you can work it into a conversation	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-01-31 20:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	I would seriously love to see what happens when a (not their fault) guy from America gives his RUB girl flowers for the first time, and gives an even number because he doesn't know any better I bet hilarity would ensue Honestly, when I wrote the post above, I forgot about the odd number rule. I usually give her different arrangements, but don't ever count flowers here in the good old US of A. And yes, she has enthusiastically received an even dozen, and says she understands that there is a difference in custom and, in typical show of Ukrainian practicality, says "why waste an extra beautiful flower?". is this what you have to do to earn points ? is it really worth it Yes it is worth it, and no, I don't have to.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-01-31 08:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Flower Power	This is a cultural thing, in my opinion, and not designed as a comment on any person (except the two mentioned). OK folks, here it is, from two marraiges and twenty years of one-sided, self-serving, empirical observation. I welcome any disagreement or suggested adjustment to the scale. These are generalizations only - and no flowers were harmed in the production of this scoring technology, unless you count their eventual death. American Woman One dozen roses = 1 point Eastern European Woman One dozen roses = 1 point for thinking about her + 1 point for buying roses + 1 point for any reasonably sincere presentation of roses + 2 bonus points for every one of her girlfriends that sees the roses (without limit) + 1 extra bonus point for every girlfriend who sees the roses while she is carrying them, and for every compliment she gets while carrying them. I use roses only as an example here, as it really doesn't seem to matter to Vika what kind of flowers she receives. My ex wife would have clipped me half a point for flowers that were not her favs though.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-01-30 19:39:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	"NO I NOT WILL BE GO BACK! YOU SO STUPID, DURAK!" You should have that put on a T-shirt	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2011-02-08 13:53:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	The door to door service? Definitely an acquired custom! I was doing that last week whne it is OMG below zero. No problem that she had to stay at school longer, she waited in the library until her heated carriage arrived! I just did the same today Dropped Vika at the door, and picked her up after (so she wouldn't be so cold). Definitely weird, as everybody knows she could walk easily through a foot of snow in the motherland without a problem.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2011-02-05 19:31:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	They closed the schools in Donetsk at -30 C and they were usually closed for at least one week during the winter because of the flu. We had a cold snap this week and Alla now says Pasha will be sick because they did not close his school at -24 F (about -32C) I was driving Alla to school all week and picking her up in the warm car. I pull up to the door of her building and she RUNS the 30 feet or so to the van and dives in. Mumbling things in Russina like "Gospity, Mamishka" Today was a little warmer, it finally came up above -0-. made it all the way to the low 20s! And sunny! PLEASE send Global warming! Vika is much better with cold now than two years ago. She likes fans and air conditioning, and doesn't object to cold air on her (much). She still prefers the door-to-door drop off service though. In my experience that isn't cultural though	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2011-02-01 14:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	I wonder what the ugly weather is doing to Ukraine now. Has anybody been there recently to comment? Vika says that the weather doesn't stop school or anything typically (although extreme cold does - I imagine all that cold air causes the kids in school to drop like flies ). Kind of like the Brits and rain, just get a brelly and go. Edited by Brad and Vika, 27 January 2011 - 07:56 PM.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2011-01-27 19:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	I miss being overseas. The scenery is just so much different in the clubs. Wouldn't know.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2011-01-22 17:53:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	Yes! On my first trip to Odessa I had reservations at Hotel Ayvazovsky on Bunina St. Sat next to a guy from Texas on the plane, he told me about OES. So I met Scott and Irina and Yulia, and I've been staying at OES ever since. Funny story, on my first stay at OES, I asked Irina out and she said yes. But Scott was having a "ladies' night" and I ended up leaving with another girl. After that Irina wouldn't talk to me. Which ended up a good thing because I ended up meeting my wife. And now I must delete this post... Scott is a decent guy, but honestly OES has had its share of problems in the down economy. We had a room last time that reeked of mold (from under the shower platform), and had some of the typical Ukrainian problems (TV doesn't work, etc.). But seriously, try Yakitoria.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2011-01-16 18:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	Sweet photos! Thanks for posting them. Such a cool place to visit. Guess my wife doesn't think so - she lived there her whole life and has only been here in the States for (almost) 9 months now - but we have fond memories and your photos bring them back. I picked a nearly dead flower from that garden for my wife the first time we met, at that fountain off Deribasovskaya. She still chides me for not buying them from the nearby shops. We were both alone and walked to Steakhouse for dinner. There's a gym called "Champion" on a side street between Ekaterinskaya square and Primorsky, used to cost 15 hryvnia per day, I remember walking there from our flat above the McDonald's, right past that 'Mexican' restaurant which I loved because it had the closest thing to real margaritas I could find in the city. Anyway you're right it looks less busy, guess I just couldn't resist the temptation to reminisce. Thanks! If your flat was above the Mickey D's, you must have been at OES. We stay there too, and walk through that park every visit. The mexican place on Ekaterinskaya also has live Jazz on the weekends sometimes. I didn't even know there was a gym close by. I buy flowers from the vendors in Cathedral Square at the end of the block usually. The great new sushi place I wrote about recently (Yakitoriya) is back up the street where the big casino used to be, almost above O'Neil's. The top floor of that building is a poker club now, but the lower casino is a restaurant - since the casinos have all been officially closed.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2011-01-16 08:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	Brad and Vika, do you have any photos from your last trip to Odessa? I fondly recall the Potemkin stairs and Primorsky, very busy when I stayed there several times in 2009. Restaurants were packed with foreigners and their dates/interpreters. Agencies thrived on western visitors spending dollar after dollar. Clubs were full, as I posted in the below video taken in July. I would be curious to hear about Odessa, as my wife and I have not returned since April of 2010. Thanks. Ned	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2011-01-14 20:39:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	Speaking about the 1911, I always thought it was a mistake to switch from the Colt 1911 to the Beretta 9MM for the military. We did it to please NATO who uses the 9mm round. Most cops also use Glocks and other guns that use the 9MM ammo too, but the cops can use deadly hollow points and very lethal ammo. The military is stuck with FMJ rounds. Given that the FMJ is the only choice, I'd prefer the 45 caliber over the 9MM. I think this is why many Spec Ops types still go with 1911 side arms. I know some will say it's better to throw more rounds at the enemy (as with the 9MM) versus only 8 or 9 with the 1911, but I know that multiple 9MM rounds have failed to stop the bad guy...even some cops have stories to tell about the 9MM not getting it done, which probably explains why the .40 caliber is fast becoming the police round of choice. Just my views but I think 100 years of having the 1911 around, and still being produced by many different companies, speaks for itself. That's quite a track record. That was happening years ago in SC (where I bought the Glock .40. County officers were all switching from 9mm to .40 Glocks, while city cops had already switched to SIG .40s. Glocks are pretty safe. This happens maybe once in a million handguns. Maybe less than that, I don't know. My buddy out in Cali was shooting handloads. Glock is VERY specific about chamber pressures and acceptable load variations, etc. It says in their manual to use factory loaded ammunition ONLY. So, it was his fault. He wasn't trying to blow it up, but he wasn't shocked that it happened. He figured if his other pistols (1911s, etc.) could handle it, this one should too. He was wrong. Said his fingers hurt for a week. I've heard of similar things happening when using commercial/hunting ammo with M-1 Garands. The manuals are there for a reason. Read and heed them! Appreciate the explanation.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-12-22 20:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	He didn't show this one though, did he? I have a buddy out in Kali who had one do something like this in his hand. They are a fine piece, but like Russian wives, they're known to blow up sometimes. Er... no. What caused that? Since I generally avoid freezing my Glock in ice etc., I figured it was pretty safe.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-12-22 08:25:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	Maybe of your generation and even into mine but today's kids and young adults are more likely to know Glock than Colt. Blame it on the rap music. I own a Glock .40 myself. When I lived in SC I saw a rep take one out of his trunk at a police demo, throw it across the parking lot and into a mud puddle. He picked it out, loaded it, stepped over to the range (maybe twenty feet) and fired away. Then he showed a film with the same gun being split out of a block of ice and immediately fired. I was impressed.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-12-21 04:40:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	Kentucky passed that legislation some years ago Brad. A private property owner CANNOT forbid you from keeping a firearm locked in your privately owned vehicle, IF the parking lot is generally open to the public. they CAN forbid you from carrying a firearm in the bank, but not keeping one in your PRIVATE vehicle. KRS 237.110(17) But they CAN, and DO, have rules that require PRIVATE vehicles with firearms (not owned by police) be PARKED elsewhere. Since the bank, my EMPLOYER, pays for the parking, I prefer not to bring a firearm to work. I just do not feel like litigating	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-11-28 22:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Back from Ukraine/Czech	That sucks. We've had legislation introduced to protect our right to carry and secure our handguns in privately owned vehicles on company lots. I believe the votes are taking place this spring. Perhaps KY will have something similar after it passes in Ohio? We'll see. The bank also doesn't like the idea of employees bringing guns to work. You can imagine why.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-11-28 11:29:00