The uhhh, the Nutcracker

 Yesterday I went to the ballet Щелкунчик (The Nutcracker) by Tchaikovsky at the Bolshoi Theater. It was absolutely magnificent, and especially festive. The set, dancers, and especially orchestra were just so incredible...it's no wonder they're the best in the world. Now, some of the readers may wonder, 'How is Bryce able to go so such spectacular things on his modest budget?' Well, there are two answers to that. One, the ticket cost me 100 rubles, or three dollars since I'm a student. Two, life can get pretty manageable when you're only looking after yourself. So the answer to financial stability is maintaining a miserly attitude folks.

And here I am wallowing in my miserly gluttony. It's beautiful isn't it?

The real story though was how we got the tickets. We woke up at 5 am to make it to the theater just as it opened so we could sign a random 'student ticket' notebook that in no way was official, but is enforced by those who sign it. Throughout the day we were supposed to check in to ensure the notebook's safety from others who came later. On the metro ride to the theater, I was fortunate enough to have a very drunk, and very fragrant man sit next to me. We had such an emotionally berserk discussion. First he explained that he really liked me, we shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. At another point his drunk eyes found the curious ability to give me a death stare, and he threatened to hit me in the most unpleasant of places. I told him, 'Sasha, I don't believe you would do that. We've gotten along so well thus far, and I don't think you want to hit me in the яички.' His eyes softened, and began their drunken wander again as he admitted that I was right. He was drunk, not angry, he just got a little confused. In the end, we became fast friends. I think my time in Ukraine really polished my ability to talk to angry drunks, if nothing else.