Columbus Day, Kyiv style

So Happy Columbus Day. We were going to go out for the big Columbus Day parade but then a Native American group was protesting so we thought we'd take a pass. Didn't want to get caught up in some kind of scrum between the Italian Americans and the Native Americans.

So instead, we are heading to MEGAMARKET (with a name like that, it just feels better in all caps) for our first big shop. Katherine's been a few times and picked up what she can carry home, but today we're going to really shop. Very fun. We'll get a taxi home, we'll be so weighted down with delicious food and drink.

We have a fireplace. However, due to some government regulation that some lickspittle back in DC came up with just because there is no safety standards for fireplaces here and, you know, a fire in the fireplace could easily become a fire outside the fireplace, in the walls, chimney, whatnot, it is bolted closed. I guess they don't trust us to just follow the rules and, well, not start a fire. Anyway, Jack has decided the angled, slippery stone hearth makes a nice perch from which to survey his domain.

So, a fireplace. One that we can't enjoy on those cold Kyiv nights, but a fireplace from which our son will undoubtedly someday fall, probably resulting in required medical attention, but a fireplace nonetheless. Sweet!



A safer place is his temporary toy box. Ingenuity is our middle name. Well, not really, but people made fun of my middle name when I was a kid, so maybe I'll change it to ingenuity.



This afternoon I'm going to try out tennis in Ukraine. I think it will be similar to regular tennis, but, well, more Slavic, and maybe a little xenophobic, but interested in integrating with the rest of Europe.