Well, it had to happen eventually, and it finally has. Winter, real Russian winter, has arrived.
Today's high temperature appears to be cresting at a balmy -15 C/ 7 F. With wind and snow. I'm seeing some numbers in the forecast for later this week that begin with a "2": -25 C, yikes! I'll admit that the mild winters of North Carolina have made me soft, but this is ridiculous!
* * *
To brighten the outlook, how about some fun stuff from the archives?
From the complaint files, one from the chief accountant of a state farm near Moscow. He wrote that, having recently arrived to work there, he found the books and affairs of the farm in terrible condition. When he turned to his co-workers and superiors for help, they engaged in a systematic campaign of disruption and offensive behavior. The letter then proceeds to detail many of these events; in fact, these episodes are given much greater attention and detail than the problems with the farm's operations.
A few gems from the letter:
A party member, comrade N. "in a drunken state used vulgar words to offend the accounting staff on account of their request that he make good an unpaid debt for the acquisition of 40 kg. of meat."
"In November of this year, the veterinarian of the Troitski Borki section, a member of the party organization's council, comrade R. entered the [accountancy] office and, expressing himself in the choicest oaths, struck the glass on a desk, breaking it, upon which he was thrown out of the accountancy."
"In October of this year, a tractor-driver, comrade S., appeared in the state farm's office in a drunken, undressed, completely naked state; with his appearance, the accountancy staff and workers in the office fled out of shame."
Is it me, or does this sound less like an office and more like a frat party?
Today's high temperature appears to be cresting at a balmy -15 C/ 7 F. With wind and snow. I'm seeing some numbers in the forecast for later this week that begin with a "2": -25 C, yikes! I'll admit that the mild winters of North Carolina have made me soft, but this is ridiculous!
* * *
To brighten the outlook, how about some fun stuff from the archives?
From the complaint files, one from the chief accountant of a state farm near Moscow. He wrote that, having recently arrived to work there, he found the books and affairs of the farm in terrible condition. When he turned to his co-workers and superiors for help, they engaged in a systematic campaign of disruption and offensive behavior. The letter then proceeds to detail many of these events; in fact, these episodes are given much greater attention and detail than the problems with the farm's operations.
A few gems from the letter:
A party member, comrade N. "in a drunken state used vulgar words to offend the accounting staff on account of their request that he make good an unpaid debt for the acquisition of 40 kg. of meat."
"In November of this year, the veterinarian of the Troitski Borki section, a member of the party organization's council, comrade R. entered the [accountancy] office and, expressing himself in the choicest oaths, struck the glass on a desk, breaking it, upon which he was thrown out of the accountancy."
"In October of this year, a tractor-driver, comrade S., appeared in the state farm's office in a drunken, undressed, completely naked state; with his appearance, the accountancy staff and workers in the office fled out of shame."
Is it me, or does this sound less like an office and more like a frat party?
2 comments:
-25? Just be glad it's not -40. Luckily, I think we had only one day of that. But -35 was around for a while...
Haha, who am I kidding? We're ranging from -13 to -4 and I'm not going outside!
We may get to -40 yet, although I hope not.
In any event, I feel your pain. Living in NC for the last 4 winters has made me soft. I acknowledge this.
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