Tapochki and other comforts

Life has settled into a nice routine here; teaching workshops continue and practice slowly accrues. I arrive at 10 and leave between 8 and 9. Our office is air-conditioned and our collective music taste is solid. We crowd into the kitchen to make our own lunches (pelmeni or pasta or sandwiches or just Chudo) and have tea several times every afternoon. It will be strange to break this routine once students actually arrive.

It's nice to stare out the window while the leaves are still green. Boy, I'm going to miss that. But also in my view is the log-house restaurant next door, which I'd been meaning to try. Except we came in today and found its roof destroyed, a fire having ripped through in the middle of the night. I don't know why and I don't even know if there are fire trucks here. Yesterday there seemed to be a lot of smoke and ashes floating by, but we figured they were just grilling up some mighty fine shashlik.