Month: October 2017

Tocqueville wrote in the first volume of his Democracy in America (1835, “the Russians and Americans ….have suddenly placed themselves in the front rank among the nations, and the world learned their existence and their greatness at almost the same time.”

He also wrote,  “All other nations seem to have reached their natural limits, and they have only to maintain their power; but these are still in the act of growing.  All the others have stopped or continue to advance with extreme difficulty; these alone are proceeding with ease and celerity along a path to which no limit can be perceived.  The American struggles against the obstacles that nature imposes to him; the adversaries of the Russian are men.  The former combats the wilderness and savage life; the latter, civilization with all its arms.  The conquests of the American are therefore gained by the plowshare; whose of the Russian by the sword.  The Anglo-American relies upon personal interest to accomplish his ends and gives free scope to the unguided strength and common sense of the people; the Russian centers all authority of society in a single arm.  The principal instrument of the former is freedom; of the latter, servitude.  Their starting point is different and their courses are not the same; yet each of them seems marked out by the will of heaven to sway the destinies of half the globe.

    The unmitigated despotism that reigns over us established itself at the very period that servitude ceased in the rest of Europe.  From the time of the invasion of the Mongols, the Slavonians, until then one of the freest people in the world, became slaves, first to their conquerors, and afterwards to their own princes.  Bondage was thenceforward established among them, not only as an existing state, but as a constituent principle of society.  It has degraded the right of speech in Russia to such a point that it is no longer considered anything better than a snare:  our government lives by lies, for truth is as terrible to the tyrant as to the slave.  Thus, little as one speaks, in Russia, one always speaks too much, since in this country all discourse is the expression of religious or political hypocrisy.”

The Marquis de Cuistine (1839) wrote in his novel, Journey For Our Time: The Journals of the Marquis de Custine Russia 1839, ” I do not reproach the Russians for being what they are, what I blame in them is, their pretending to be what we are. They are still uncultivated: this state would at least allow room for hope; but i see them incessantly occupied with the desire of mimicking other nations, and this they do after the true manner of monkeys, caricaturing what they copy. They thus appear to me spoilt for the savage state, and yet wanting in the requisites of civilization; and the terrible words of Voltaire or of Diderot, now forgotten in France, recur to my mind – “the Russians have rotted before they have ripened.”

1835 and 1839…not much has changed.

This post is about over-commitment. Over-commitment is an invisible leach that seems to attach itself to me.  I’ve tried to break the strong bond that holds my leach and me together, but he is dug in deep.

It seems me and the over-commitment leach have been together for a long time – decades actually. My leach constantly fools me into thinking I have more than 24 hours a day, more than 7 days a week, more than 60 minutes in an hour. Shortly after I finished my first Masters in early December 2014. A week later, I was committing to another Master’s degree. I finished that Masters and said I was done. I mean, two Master’s degrees equal a PhD, right?  Wrong.

Before I knew it, I was enrolled in a PhD program and working in a new full-time job that requires more hours in the day than I have. The over-commitment leach has convinced me that sleep is optional and family time is for chumps. I would withdraw from my PhD program, but I have another parasite as well, the see-it-through-if-it-kills-me tick. Both have a grip on me right now. While I do see a light at the end of this semester tunnel – the next two years look fairly grim.

Lately, I have been thinking about how change always seems to be happening, which seems a little confusing in that we generally think of change as a deviation from the normal to establish a new normal.  The thing is, the frequency of how often this deviation occurs tends to make me think that change is constant and there is no real normal, rather just routine responses to the constant change, which makes it feel like normal.  I think that this is because as we age and our schedules and lives become more and more interconnected and complex, we add so many factors into our lives that at least one of them is in a state of change at any given time.  For example, between my co-authors and me, we have had two graduations, a birth, a wedding, a job change, a pending international move, and a host of other smaller events occur over just the past six months.  Each of these events marked a change in our lives as it did in the lives of those around us.

Change introduces stress.  As a matter of fact, there is a very popular psychiatric test which measures your stress level based on significant events occurring within a limited time frame as a way of defining how the changes in your environment impact your emotional balance because of the stress involved.  Likewise, there are studies on the physical impact psychological stress has on the body, and yet, if change is becoming more and more constant, you have to start wondering how you can ever hope to reduce your level of stress.  Volumes of books have been written on stress management, but in the end, each individual is pretty much on their own as to how to cope with the stress in their lives.  In most cases it works out to a wide spectrum of tools, but I have generally seen them grouped into the following categories:

1. Artistic pursuits – There are tons of examples, such as painting, reading, listening to music, performing music, sculpting, etc.  I think these are chosen because they speak to our creativity and give us some measure of control in an otherwise chaotic period.
2. Physical pursuits – These range pretty wide too.  I think these are chosen because they allow us to burn off excess energy and also because of the endorphins that kick in and make us feel better.
3. Intellectual pursuits – Generally, I consider these learning new things or training your mind.  I think these are chosen because it allows us to dictate and manage a change in ourselves that is internally driven rather than externally imposed.
4. Spiritual pursuits – I think these are chosen due to a desire to better understand an order in the chaos, or, from my personal experience, to let go and release things outside of my control in the belief that my Father is good and knows how to deal with the chaos that I don’t understand in ways I could never imagine.  It brings a peace from release of the chaotic into trusted hands.
5. Escape pursuits – These generally are self-medication activities that we all use to make ourselves feel better, whether it be pharmacological, dietary (e.g., “comfort” foods, etc.), shopping, binge watching television episodes, or the other many ways we try to distract ourselves.  These are generally done because they make us forget about the change and generally release some type of endorphin or other chemical biologically to make us feel better.

I am sure there are others, but these are the primary ones I have used myself.  Frankly, I think having an array of tools available is a good thing and would encourage you all to start to identify the many different options you have available to you.  The main thing they all have in common is that they all provide a break in time similar to the eye of a storm, where there is a pause in the chaos and a peace in the midst of the churn.  So, as you move forward into all of the change you will experience just this week, take some time and look for opportunities to find those pauses and enjoy the break in the chaos.

One thing has jumped out at me on this trip… experience is way more valuable than attendance. It seems an easy point to understand and accept, but I have seen very many examples of the inverse and yesterday and today I had two examples that reinforced the truth of this to me. One was in a pub and one was at an Abbey.  I will leave it to you to bring those two points together on your own.

The first, at a pub last night I had a delightful, if not difficult to understand conversation with a 67-year old gentleman named Tom. He was a mechanic by trade, an Irishman by birth and an avid follower of the local musicians, a trio of which were performing live yesterday evening. Despite his thick brogue and my hearing challenges, we managed to have a very interesting conversation, which made the entire time an experience rather than simple attendance at a traditional pub music night.

The second happened this afternoon when my wife complimented an older lady on her scarf. They spoke a bit and as we were preparing to leave, the lady and Sharon ended up swapping scarves, leaving her with a beautiful memory and experience of a beautiful place.

As I was typing this, a third episode just happened ending up with me dancing with a lady to “A Galway Girl” at her insistence and giving Sharon plenty of leverage to drag my uncoordinated body out at some point in the future.

The main point is this, take the time when you are somewhere to experience it, not just attend it. You may find it to be surprisingly rewarding.

i know probably made some Peanuts fans excited by the title, but this isn’t about Linus’ annual month of frustration. It’s simply a nod to the vegetable that dominates this time of year (or is it a fruit?). However, I am getting a little frustrated myself with the typical American economic approach of oversaturating any market niche that has shown a smidgen of success. Thanks to Starbucks we now have PSL seasoning for anything. Regardless, I love pumpkin in the right things and limit my pumpkin consumption to autumn and early winter. Here are some of my favorites:

pumpkin ice cream (had this today)

pumpkin roll

pumpkin ale (had this today as well, Jacques O Lantern by Evolution Brewing. I do like Schalfley’s better and the Old Bust Head version is worth the trip)

And that’s the list. Short but fulfilling when consumed in the appropriate season. Like so many other things.

Another story from Russia – another flood of memories.

Note: GAI, the Moscow version of CHiPs, is pronounced “guy-EE”

As one of the many rare joys afforded by supporting Vice President Gore’s visit to Moscow for the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission meetings (hereafter referred to as “GCC”), I was provided the opportunity to ride in a gen-yoo-wine Russian cop car, and I didn’t even have to get arrested to do it.  In fact, the officer driving the car treated me as a peer, which granted me some other privileges, which I’ll get to later.  The Embassy had been hiring the GAI to escort high-level US Government dignitaries for years now.  As it happens, the GAI was laid on to escort the arrival of The Honorable Dr. John Hamre, Deputy Secretary of Defense of our great US of A.

Now, as standard operating procedure, when escorting high-level visitors, the GAI (and other Russian security forces who shall remain nameless) prefer to drive at approximately 100 miles per hour, whenever possible.  Any traffic going the same way as the motorcade at any speed less than 100 mph is expected to vacate the road.  Any drivers who fail to do so may be forcibly run off the road.  It’s not as if they don’t get any prior notice, however; 10 seconds before the GAI car is going to hit said traffic violator, the GAI officer will turn on his loudspeaker and start spewing obscenities about the heritage of the driver, his mother, or maybe the driver’s lack of a mother.  Should the unfortunate driver miss these announcements, the GAI will drive up alongside the errant vehicle and the shotgun officer will roll down his window, grab his nightstick, and start beating the vehicle off the road.  Should THIS effort fail, the GAI driver will zip up in front of the traffic violator in such a manner as to cause the violator off the road in a most undignified manner, after which a second GAI car from the motorcade will pull over near the violator, check his papers, and promptly fine him (and probably take a bribe while he’s at it).

Want to know why I know so much detail?  I was the shotgun officer.  I held the stick.  And let me tell you, when that GAI officer told me to roll down my window and start beating that red Lada, you BET I was ready to do it.  Unfortunately, that driver saw the stick coming into striking range and dove off onto the shoulder of the road.  In addition to the above-mentioned fun, I had the joy of playing chicken with oncoming Russian traffic if the drivers were not quick enough in heading my GAI partners commands.  I think that no roller coaster or jet fighter could have produced the same blood curdling terror that my partners Sergei and Alex gave me on the trip from Vnukovo 1 and around Moscow.  While no beating of unsuspecting vehicles was done by me on either occasion that I enjoyed with the GAI, I did get a healthy respect for the driving skills of the GAI and the technology that the GAI now employs.  The GAI officer simple has to dial in the code of the light that he wants changed (mine two had the numbers down cold) and VOILA, the light changes.  If the light was manually controlled (they still have those here) the GAI would call the tower GAI and ask for him to time the light for the smoothest transition through the intersection.  I also learned that every site in Moscow has a code.   It was enough for our GAI to say he was departing 112 (the Kremlin) enroute to 231 (Spaso House, the U.S. Ambassador’s residence) and every GAIichnik would be ready to put up his little black and white stick (known as a Zhezel in Russian, or magic wand) to stop traffic for us from point A to point B.  We zipped through most areas with very little traffic worries, except where noted above.

As an added bonus to Dr. Hamre’s trip, I finally drove in the Kremlin.  This was something I have wanted to do for a long time.  I accompanied Dr. Hamre on his visit to Andrei Kokoshin, Secretary of the Defense Council (the equivalent to our National Security Adviser).  Mr. Kokoshin’s offices are located within the Kremlin walls in building 14 (next to Spaskiy Tower), entrance 2, second floor. We entered the Kremlin through the Borovitskiy Gate located near the Armory and exited there also.  I understand that most delegations exit directly onto Red Square through the Spaskiy Gate and around St. Basil’s Cathedral; maybe next time.  While I did not set in on the meeting (not invited you know) I did get to see the inside of building 14 and wait around with the two protective service agents while the meeting was going on.  Building 14 for those that know the Kremlin, is the mustard colored building directly across the square from the King of Bells.

The added work that these trips brought was (almost) always rewarded by some “interesting” experience that I will keep with me forever.

As I was rummaging though some old documents I came across part of a Christmas letter I had written in 1997.  I thought I would share some of the letter since the experiences listed could have happened to anyone of the 3 authors of this blog. So without further adieu:

Its amazing what can happen to you in Moscow.  Since arriving I have supported two trips by Vice President Gore, three trips by the Secretary of Defense (both Dr. Perry and Senator Cohen), and trips by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and numerous other Congressmen, Senators, and Deputy and Assistant Secretaries of State and Defense.  During these trips I have interpreted, acted as a tour guide, driver, transportation coordinator, control room supervisor, security coordinator, airport expediter, and bag boy.  Every trip has brought its own challenges and rewards. The opportunity for an OSIA interpreter to see the most powerful people in our government with their hair down is almost unheard-of outside of Moscow, and the memorable moments I’ve had during such visits are countless.

Another non-treaty-related experience I’ve had here was when the Russian FSB (the successors to the KGB) turned over a crate of documents to the US Holocaust Museum detailing Nazi atrocities in Russia during World War II.  I physically loaded these documents into a U.S. C141 Inspection aircraft.  Our counterparts at the Russian Nuclear Risk Reduction Center (RNRRC) were invaluable in this endeavor.  It has been said that our relationship with the RNRRC is the best US-Russian intergovernmental relationship going.  The delivery of these documents bore this out.

As  the Embassy mission changed from within, so did the Embassy change from without. Literally from my front door, I have watched the demolition and the reconstruction of the new embassy building, otherwise known as the NOB (New Office Building).  I write about this because after the well-publicized “bug” fiasco during the construction of the new embassy building, we still occupy the old U.S. Embassy building, or, as it is known locally, the EOB (Existing Office Building).  A smaller compound was erected to house the hundreds of construction workers brought in from the U.S. to preclude a repeat of the first building’s bungling, and controls on construction materials are tight, ensuring that they are not embedded with undesirables at their source.  In the end, the new Embassy Chancellery may be the most expensive federal office building (cost per square foot) in history. Note:  By current estimates, we will move into the NOB in September 1999 (we actually moved into the new embassy in April 2000).

Often, changes to Embassy life are brought on by international politics.  Case in point: parking wars between the U.S. and Russia.  You may not realize that the big “R” word (“reciprocity”) doesn’t apply strictly to inspection and escort missions. Every event in the United States involving Russia or any of the countries of the Newly Independent States has direct repercussions here and affects the lives of every Embassy employee and family member.  Anyone who has been to the Russian Embassy in Washington will note the lack of parking directly around the embassy grounds; in the spirit of reciprocity, the Russian government restricted the parking around the U.S. Embassy last year.  This all took place in the weeks after the New York Police allegedly beat a Belorussian diplomat and towed the sedan of the Russian Ambassador to the United Nations. It was also during this period that two U.S. vehicles “spontaneously combusted” while parked at the Embassy.   These two so-called accidents were attributed to faulty wiring.  There was even an “unofficial” operation by the Moscow police called “Operation Foreigner”. This was aimed at ensuring the Moscow Diplomatic corps’ (not just the American diplomats) compliance with Russian traffic laws.

Change doesn’t stop at the Embassy, however; in preparation for the 850^th anniversary of Moscow’s founding, Mayor Yuri Luzhkov launched a massive campaign to overhaul and beautify Russia’s capital.  Measures taken to improve the city’s appearance included the passing of an “ugly car” law, which allowed for the immediate impounding of vehicles deemed unsightly, a ban on “clamshell” garages in high-visibility areas, and strict regulations on the construction of kiosks and cafes, which had been springing up like mushrooms on every street corner.   Moscow’s Beltway, the MKAD, is also getting some sprucing up in the way of widening and repaving.  Sadly, for Moscow’s drivers, this will soon include toll roads on major thoroughfares, such as the road to Sheremetyevo Airport.

Mayor Luzhkov also took on the daunting task of re-instilling Russian national pride through the refurbishment of pre-Revolution buildings and, curiously, through the establishment of a chain Russian fast food restaurant, Russkoye Bystro.  At one point, Mayor Luzhkov claimed that Russkoye Bystro would put McDonald’s out of business; while Russkoye Bystros are now fairly widespread, McDonald’s has multiplied from two restaurants in 1994 to over 13 today.

By and large, Russia has a cash-driven economy.  It’s true that many stores and hotels accept credit cards, and “Avtobank” signs marking ATMs are more and more common, but the US dollar is still the currency of choice.  So enmeshed in the Russian economy is the US dollar that when the US Treasury introduced the new $100 bill, it also mounted a program to educate Russians on the differences between the old and new bills, how to spot counterfeits, and why Russian banks shouldn’t charge customers to exchange old bills for new ones.  So while the Russian ruble is the only officially authorized form of currency, every ruble spent is backed by a US dollar stashed in some Russian bank’s vault.

While on the topic of money, another upheaval in the Russian economy was the devaluation of the Russian ruble, dropping the last three zeroes and turning 10,000 rubles into 10 rubles, 50,000 rubles into 50 rubles, etc.  To us foreigners, this just meant we could now divide by, for example, 6 instead of 6,000. To Russians, this meant that all price tags now needed to be written both in old and new rubles, and at shopping areas where dollars are accepted (although this is technically illegal), vendors now have to provide additional explanation on prices (“18 dollars or rubles?” “Dollars.”).  Most people still speak in thousands of rubles, and change from large bills is a bewildering mix of 5,000-ruble notes and 5-ruble coins.

All this said, I get ready for another two winters in Russia and another two years of experiences.  I leave you with a quote from the Marquis de Custine from his Russian journals, written in 1839: “When your son is discontented in France, say to him; Go to Russia.  It is a journey which would be beneficial to any foreigner; for whoever has really seen Russia will find himself content to live anywhere else.”