The Winter Palace

St. Petersburg Metro

Here is some artwork from the same station. The metro has a classic
feel to it. If it wasn't for the fashion of it's riders the scene has
a cold war feel.

St. Petersburg Metro

I love mass transit and the metro in St. Petersburg has a classic
feel and great art work. Here is the hallway of the Green line at the
Vasstaniya Station.

Getting my bearings

I've stopped to caffeine up and grab a snack while I orient my self
with the city. The cyrillic alphabet throws me off a bit although I'm
managing. Beautiful sunny day!

До свидания!

Arrived in Russia

All is well. The flight was late but the driver from met me at the
airport no problem. I'm checked in to my luxurious hostel, kidding.
What it lacks in luxury it more than makes up for in location.

Later everyone, I'm off to tour.

Headed to Russia!

I'm off to St. Petersburg. Let's roll!

Sent from John Stephany's Old iPhone

From the sauna of DC to a Finnish "sauoonah"

What a wacky day. After being up for roughly 32 hours I'm hitting the sack. I've already been to three countries, with a 4th, Russia, in store for Monday to Wednesday.

I left the miserable 100+ temps of DC to finish my night with a fine meal, great company, and a few beers while enjoying an authentic Finnish "sau - oonah".

I'm totally racked and ready for some sleep. 

The contrasts of travel

This morning I was in the 100+ degree oppresive heat of Washigton, DC
helping high school students move out and in a diaspora head across
the country to thier hometowns. They were sad and crying which
indicates that they had a pretty good experience. Now I'm on jet in
Frankfurt, Germany on a chilly rainy day (@57 degrees) waiting to head
to Helsinki, Finland.

Today I've essentially eaten brunch twice with Deutsche frühstick
(German breakfast) thrown in for good measure.

I running on about 5 hours sleep and if I can make it till tonight I
should beat jetlag.

I'm lookin forward to visiting Päivi, essentially my big sister, and
her family. She lived with my family for a year as our exchange
student when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade. Her brother Tommi, who's
my age, stayed with us numerous times also. We have all stayed in
touch and this is actually my second visit to Finland, my first was
very short and in the heart of winter. I reality I'm visiting family.

Heading to Europe

Last post until I touch down in the old country.

What's on tap?
Visits to Finland, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Germany.

Who I am visiting?
Old friends who were exchange students, my place of birth and my exchange in high school in Gunzenhausen, and Russia.

Later!

Sent from my iPhone

Pervez Musharraf

Back at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. This time we are here to listen to a talk on the state of US - Pakistan relations with former Army Chief and President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf.

Iwo Jima and the Marines

The group is at the Iwo Jima Memorial to watch the Marine Corps Band and the silent drill team. I've seen I a couple of times but it's always awesome.

It's sunny, but toasty evening in the District.

Here is a beautiful view of DC from the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Camden Yards

Amtrak, Baltimore, and Wakefield's knuckleball

After a short delay I'm riding Amtrak to meet up with Tom D. in Baltimore for the Oriole v. Red Sox game.

The ride I short and pleasant. As an added treat renown knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield, is on the mound for the Sox tonight. He's older than I am, throws a 75 mile/hr fastball and is only a few wins away from two major milestones.

The first is 200 career wins, the second is 193 wins as a Red Sox player. That would surpass two pitchers you may have heard of, Cy Young and Roger Clemens. Not bad for a failed minor league first baseman.

The knuckle ball is mystical, no one really knows where it's going. That's why he can get away a fastball with such low speed. He only became a pitcher after a minor league coach said he would have no shot at the majors with as a position player.

A former bullpen catcher with Red Sox described catching Wakefield as, "Trying to catch a butterfly with chop sticks."

Another rough summer day.

All Roads lead through Erie, Pa!

A fellow faculty member of SPS and I were talking the other day and we quickly found out he had been to Erie for a pre-wedding party for his fellow St. Alban faculty member, and Prep alum, in the great city of Erie, Pa.

One of their stops was at the Polish Falcons club on the east side of Erie. Since the Polish Falcons obviously caters to one of my ethnic backgrounds the Stephany family has some ties to it. My faculty chum extolled to virtues of it's cold beers and bountiful and tasty chicken wings, particularly their inexpensive costs.

So today after class he shows me the t-shirt he is sporting. Well done, well done indeed!

National Cathedral at dusk

Beautiful summer evening in DC. Cool weather and despite the tragic loss by the US women in the World Cup a great day.

Hard to believe that a week from now I'll be in Europe. Wow.

Georgetown U College/Pro Summer League

I'm catching some summer hoops at Georgetown. It's a pro/am league, basically it's the DC version of the Bluff City Classic.

Watching the filming of Meet the Press

The Bishop's Garden

Lincoln

Civic Minded Idiocy - Hot Chicken and Jorts 2

Good Beer for a Good Cause

As many of you may guess my friends have two great traits; one they are really caring, civic minded people and second they are prone to fantastic and entertaining acts of creative idiocy.

One of my friends started a beer company a few years ago, Jubilee Beer, that donates HALF of its profits to Oasis Center in Nashville, TN. The mission of Oasis Center is;

Oasis Center has evolved over the past four decades into one of the nation’s leading youth-serving organizations, offering safety and support to Nashville’s most vulnerable and disconnected youth, while seeking to also teach young people how to transform the conditions that create problems for them in the first place.

Links
Oasis Center

Jubilee Beer

Here is a short video about Jubilee Beer and Oasis Center. (The civic minded part)

The Creative Idiocy Stuff
Hot Chicken and Jorts - 2011 Part 1


Hot Chicken and Jorts - 2011 Part 2