no reason my feet should hurt this much, except for the 9 hours of walking today and the 5 yesterday.

St. Petersburg really is a really beatiful city. and yes, both of the really's, thank you very much.

someone asked me the other day what kind of paintings i like and thought for a little bit, and i really can't figure out what kind of paintings i like. in fact i can't even think of any paintings i like. i like looking at paintings, but i look at the paint and the painting and its fascinating and beautiful and then i look at the picture that it all paints and i don't really care. this does not mean i like abstract art. i like that one white guy who lived in the south of the US who i got a book on this summer. I want to say Wallace Stevens, but that's just pulled entirely out of nowhere, so don't take that for what it says, unless it really is Wallace Stevens, in which case i think i like his paintings.

i hope there's snow on my birthday. we had snow on my birthday once in michigan a long time ago. maybe its cheating to have snow on my birthday when i'm in russia, but i don't care.

and i have grand plans for thanksgiving, but that's only because i'm a fool and i'm looking forward to having my expectations crushed.