It snowed. The snow was on the ground. It melted. The ground was bare. It snowed. The snow was on the ground. It melted. The ground was bare. Which brings us up to today. Is it winter? or is it still Fall? I don't know.
What I know is this: dusk and dawn are long, drawn-out affairs. The sun may sink rapidly, but it stays light long after sundown. Looonnnng. The temperature is hovering around freezing. Daytime it is over, night-time it is just below - but the creeks, rivers, and marshes are freezing over. The roads are clear, but the shoulders are muddy. Since the roads are not very wide, and they are made more narrow by not being particularly useable, the muddiness of the shoulders greatly reduces the useability of the road. Greatly.
Last night we had a camp poker group. I was on my way somewhere else - to make a business conference call - and saw the game operating. I thought, "wow, great idea". As soon as the conference call was done, I went back to the poker table. Great. 500 ruble buyin. Great, perfect. I get in the game. Now, it is a typical "home" poker setup - lots of really stupid variable games. Hell, man, I don't give a good goddamn. I buy my chips and sit in. Enough cards go my way, and I fold often enough - that I end up 1k rubles ahead. Sweet. What was really great, tho, was that I could drop my worries, and have a good time, with the crew. Excellent, or aklithchna as we say over here.
