An Adventuresome Saturday

I actually just had an unexpected adventure trying to post this... I came up to the loft of my apartment to work on my computer, and flipped the switch to turn on the light. It gave a flash and a loud pop, surprised me thoroughly, and did not come on. I put getting a new bulb from the housing lady on the mental list of things to do. So I came to my computer… but it said that the network cable was unplugged – which was patently false. I was about to yell at poor Vlad when I noticed that he was running on battery power… I went to another light switch and tried it. Went to the hallway, the bathroom… None of it was working. I had succeeded in blowing the circuit breaker. Yippee.

I grabbed my flashlight (I knew I brought it for a reason :)) and went to the fuse box. It was all in Latvian. Not my day, I guess. So, I went back to the loft and looked up the words for “light” and “electricity” in my Russian dictionary to relay my problem to the fellow downstairs. I walked up to the door of the little office and sort of stared for a moment, trying to decide where to start explaining. I must have looked very odd and quite confused. I finally got out a “the electricity isn’t working,” which he kindly responded to by coming up with me to take a look at it. I think there was a point at which he asked me when I noticed it – I then attempted to explain the light… and realized I didn’t know the word one uses for “blew” in Russian. So I just made the noise accompanied with a hand gesture. That seemed to get the point across. He figured out the fuses, fixed it with no problem, and showed me how to fix it in the future. Now everything (but the blown light, of course) works again. So... here I am :).

My day, like most Saturdays, started late, when I got up at about 9:45 and then lazed around in my PJs… checked email and blogs, made myself a cup of chai, surfed the web. I then sorted through my shrinking collection of clean clothes, found a white T-shirt (to my great joy) and got ready to set out on a day of shopping. :)

There were only two items on the list: a “fuzzy Russian hat” for myself and a birthday present for Daniel, my brother. As to the latter, we will have to simply leave it at "I acquired one," since publishing the details now would be more than a little counterproductive :). The story of the hat, however, may be told...

Across from my first apartment there was/is a little hat shop - which is marvellously convenient, since ushankas (that's "fuzzy Russian hats") are not to be found in just any store, even here in Latvia. (Maybe particularly here in Latvia, considering the cultural feelings. Anyway...) So, I walked into the shop… and paused. I found that it is a hat and fur shop. This is, of course, a wonderful place to find an ushanka… but it’s also bound to be very expensive. And it looked like the furs must be mostly hand made, because that is what the two women there were doing when I walked in. But I figured it was worth a try. I asked them if they had any ushankas. I was, upon that, deluged with hats. First a grey rabbit… then a brown mink… then a black leather and fox… and there was a brown leather and something or other waiting in the wings. But the grey rabbit had won my heart with its color and softness and very good price. So I bought it. I was much gratified by the fact that I paid much less for it than I would have in the States - which is one of those joys of shopping that those who have not been initiated into the practice would never understand :). My new ushanka sits happily in my room, waiting to be transported back for what I now hope will be a very cold winter in VA :).

Of course, you can't go far in Riga without running up against something interesting... In my travels I stopped to watch a school dance competition. They were doing some neat folk dances -with some recognizeable contra moves included - and were in traditional costume. [I wish you could have been there, Em, you'd've liked it.] Later in the day, as I was walking in Old Town, I saw (I kid you not) a Lincoln Navigator limo decked in pink bows and frills. Never a dull moment :).