I’m going through a stage when I produce copious amount of writing. The topics encompass history, literature studies, copywriting, geography, psychology, arts, and perhaps another two… Read More

Summer was extraordinary this year. It was scorching hot yet calm. I spent some days sleeping in the afternoon for it was absolutely impossible to do any work. And much work I did! Alas, I d… Read More

Yesterday, on March 22, more than 6000 people were under a terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, a Moscow Region venue famous for tremendous concerts. By night, 40 people had been reported a… Read More

Following THE INTERVIEW of the century (Tucker Kalrson and Vladimir Putin), I want to point you to some posts on this blog that illustrate or analyze Russian history. Being an historian who… Read More

Three days or so before Christmas all markets and squares were like a great forest of fir-trees. And what fir-trees they were! Russia is very rich in them. The ones here are thin and brittle… Read More

Ivan Shmelyov (1873-1950) was a Russian writer and essayist who emigrated to France after the October Revolution. The Year of God (Лето Госп&#… Read More

Many of my friends with whom I exchanged the New Year wishes expressed a special hope for Peace and Victory. Judging by dispatches from the Western media, the end of the Special Military Ope… Read More

It’s been a custom to write a “sochelnik” post here on January 6th. I don’t normally do it in December because I don’t celebrate Western Christmas as a religiou… Read More

Since Tuesday it’s been abnormally cold in Moscow. Last time the temperature was so low in 2016 when it fell down to -33. This year it hasn’t gone below -30 at night, but -27 in… Read More

Psychologists today talk a lot about our “resource”. You either need to build it, or to maintain it and, if worst comes to worst, to recover it. Resourcefulness, overall, is para… Read More

I wish us, dear friends and readers, a good year. I won’t call it happy or prosperous, although I certainly want it to be such. But not all things can be foreseen, whereas goodness nee… Read More

I decided not to draw any results for the year 2023 nor to list my resolutions. As for the latter, I used to do this when I was in the first years of writing this blog. For one reason or ano… Read More

I wanted to have a lazy day this Saturday, so I didn’t set the clock. Indeed, this is my best way to relax and recharge: to have no alarm clock go off when I haven’t slept enough… Read More

I wish all my readers who celebrate Christmas today a lovely and peaceful festive season. May you and your near and dear stay warm and safe, and may the Eternal Light shine on you in all its… Read More

Today is Christmas Eve in the countries that celebrate it on December 25th. As for me, this time has marked, for the past few years, the period of celebrations that end on January 7th. I cel… Read More

Today the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of St Nicholas. In Europe, his day falls on December 6th; and in Russia it is otherwise called the Wintry Nikola Day. There is also the S… Read More

I don’t often write about my birthday on this blog. I am very grateful to all my Russian and some foreign friends who sent their greetings. I spent this day with my father at the perfo… Read More

Today I gave a masterclass on working with different kinds of sources when writing a Wikipedia-style article. Earlier in 2023 I have become a member of Znanie Society, which used to be a hig… Read More

Since last year I’ve been taking part in different academic events. Last year I had a paper on the pictorial fate of Wales, from Richard Wilson to William Turner, and I had an article… Read More

Another important aspect of December 31st was always a last-minute cleaning. I have recently written a text about residential and office cleaning in the Crimea, Russia; and me writing it in… Read More

One of my most vivid childhood memories is that of decorating a New Year tree. It was still the Soviet times, so we barely mentioned Christmas/Nativity. Instead, the whole country celebrated… Read More

My last year’s Christmas Tree Challenge has brought me a lot of traffic, thanks to Pinterest. Most importantly, it has inspired me to carry out November Thanks series of posts featurin… Read More

“Find Love…, and Love will come looking for you” I love this line from Paul McCartney’s Young Boy. It succinctly tells about the principal source of all bountiful th… Read More

Warmth is something we take for granted. A house should be warm, and so should our tea and meals, and winter clothes, and a hot water bottle. Little do we think, though, about the warmth of… Read More

Of all things I’m most thankful for I’d single out the friends that I acquired after 2014. The year when the Crimea reunited with Russia, a massacre in Odessa happened and a Mala… Read More

In expressing our gratitude we should not lose the sight of one, most curious fact. We thank God and the Universe for providing us with opportunities. We are capable of thanking ourselves fo… Read More

Britain celebrated Remembrance Day, and I wrote on my Russian Telegram channel about it. November 11th was first marked in 1919 by the decree of King George V. Since then, and especially aft… Read More

I’m moderating my first mastermind, and this is a new thing for me. I can see where I’m falling back on my previous managerial experience, and what aspects of it need improving… Read More

My gratitude note is short today. I’m grateful for the quiet inspiration that spurred me to make a good progress on my work. We have come to think of inspiration as a bout of madness t… Read More

November 7th used to be widely celebrated as the birth of the Soviet State. It was considered a benign democratic antidote to the tzarist system. If we take seriously the fact that the three… Read More

Today I spent a fairly hectic day. I gave three classes, wrote some prose and posts, recorded a couple of extracts from Kazuo Ishiguro’s An Artist of the Floating World. I’ve had… Read More

I was hoping to spend the long weekend relaxing. Instead I had to go shopping and do some things about the house; and tomorrow I’m teaching. Yet I’m grateful to be able to work a… Read More

On the Day of National Unity our gratitude goes to the patriotic spirit of the 17th century Russian citizens. A chain of ill-thought events following the death of Boris Godunov led to the Mo… Read More

Today, my gratitude goes to Nature. Its wisdom is such that it always reminds us that all periods of our life are intrinsically interconnected. The seeds of maturity and old age are sown in… Read More

Today I’m grateful to my positive thinking. I’m trying to be an informed optimist, which entails a good understanding of life and people. My positive mood is generated by my awar… Read More

I’m starting another challenge here. I see that you liked Christmas Tree challenge I had in December last year. So now I’m going to take you for a pumpkin ride! November starts w… Read More

If Marylin Monroe had been alive, she would definitely visit Mr President, if in disguise. I recently saw the play The Insignificance at the Oleg Tabakov Theatre, and if Marylin were able to… Read More

I shall especially remember this year’s Teacher’s Day. You see, despite the fact that I’d been teaching foreign languages for several years, my students weren’t parti… Read More

There were many events dedicated to the International Children’s Day in Russia. Indeed children are the future of any country, all the more so in Russia due to the country’s trad… Read More

Back in 2007, when I worked at my first Advertising agency, I had to research into national holidays in different countries. For example, the International Women’s Day is a day-off in… Read More

A historical moment: Uganda passes the anti-gay law, to protect African children from paedophilia and LGBTQ+ The post Uganda Passes the Anti-Gay Law appeared first on Los Cuadernos de Julia Read More

On March 22nd, 2023, Belarus marks the 80th anniversary of annihilation of Khatyn village - one of nearly 5,000 villages that suffered the same fate during the Russian phase of the Second Wo… Read More

Vladimir Putin acts as Alexander Nevsky, making a choice between the antagonistic West and the more traditional China, now epitomised by Xi Jinping. The post The Shadow of Alexander Nevsky i… Read More

The days are getting longer. I now finish some of the days in broad daylight – a far cry from the bleak midwinter. On such days I want to have my own cute and cozy balcony where I coul… Read More

It’s hard to believe how many things can happen in a relatively short period of time. On March 8th, I went to see an exhibition of works of Igor Grabar dedicated to the artist’s… Read More

When I was little, on February 23rd we celebrated the Day of the Soviet Army and the Military Fleet. At school, we drew pictures and gave small presents to the boys who were duly expected to… Read More

In these 3 weeks I taught a lot, visited a museum, had numerous meetings with friends and colleagues, and did three excursions in my favourite part of Moscow. I visited several temples, incl… Read More

The abnormally low temperatures in Moscow have brought spectacularly bright sunsets. The red glow against the frozen sky amazes and terrifies the viewer. Like I wrote a few years ago, the te… Read More

I’ve chosen the religious name for Russian Christmas this year. Indeed, I wanted to stress the religious aspect of this holiday in Russia. So many people visit churches on January 6th… Read More

I spent today at the ArtPlay creative quarter in Moscow. I had a fantastic photo session in a studio with a photographer. ArtPlay itself is a fantastic place and I hope to have more time to… Read More