Flu Hits Ukraine

I've heard rumors and panic for days, but the headlines finally hit BBC (my gauge for whether the news we hear out of Ukraine is legit): there is most definitely

"Panic in Ukraine over swine flu"

Schools are closed for 3 weeks in a mandatory quarantine. Movie theatres and other public gathering places are closed. Public events are severely limited. 60 people have died in the past few weeks from an 'unknown' respiratory infection. There are no more flu meds or face masks in the pharmacies.. .

My sense is that everyone is in a tizzy because of lack of information. The fact that people are dying of a 'mystery illness' is scary. Politicians have a great opportunity to react and blame and stir the pot of uncertainty in election season (Ukraine's first presidential election since the Orange Revolution in October '04 will occur in January). Sasha's family is fine and they say they're not worried. Sasha's nephew Max is home from his university classes in Crimea for the 3 week quarantine. But life goes on as usual in Pervomaisk. I just hope it stays that way.

Too much going on!

It has been a busy day (and yet despite that, I'm updating. . .). We're 90% moved out, but we had some things to take care of urgently this morning. I should have been preparing for a presentation I have at a conference tomorrow, but instead we were running an old mattress set to the landfill. It was a great accomplishment to learn where the landfill (well, transfer station) is located and to effectively dump our garbage, but it was not what I should have been doing today.

Despite distractions (like fielding calls for our business), I did manage to plan an ok lesson for class today (in the computer lab, they'll be intertained) and I think I'm ready for the conference tomorrow. I'm presenting on using blogs in the ESL writing classroom, so it is a perfect fit that I'm venting here ;). I go through how to get on blogger, why to use it, and show them examples of my class blog (interested? it's at http://writing4zinchuk.blogspot.com).

What is on the agenda for tonight: take the bus back home (direct bus--yay), hit WalMart for a couple things, and unpack. Hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight before the spotlight is on me tomorrow!

Moved!

We have (mostly) moved! HOORAY! Finally we've (almost) gotten rid of our tiny one-bedroom in Seattle (facing onto an alley, full of garbage bins and potholes). We're now in a peaceful 2-bedroom in Federal Way--complete with duck pond, washer & dryer, dishwasher. . .ah! civilization!!

Moving was rough--after traveling back from Ukraine, Sasha got sick with something. His only symptoms were a fever (101-ish), headache, and runny nose. He probably had that fever for 5 days, including the days we packed, loaded, and moved. Thank god we hired movers for the unloading process. Best money ever spent: for $150 two young nice trained guys moved all our furniture/boxes in about 45 minutes! If anyone needs a mover in the Seattle area, here's the link to their site: www.ecomoversmoving.com

Using movers actually put us in a better mood than we were before. It was so quick and easy--I wish unpacking was that easy! Since I'm commuting to Seattle, Sasha's been recovering, and I'm doing school/teaching, it has been hard to find time to unpack. Sasha has already learned how to use the washer/dryer, so that's a good thing :)

I guess I should do a post on Ukraine. I hesitated to post while Sasha was gone because I didn't want to openly and constantly announce to the world that Sasha was out of town.. for safety reasons, I guess. To sum it up, Sasha was in Ukraine for 3 1/2 weeks and hated most of it. It was hard to be apart (yes, we're one of those couples, who can't bear to be apart), he had a hard time with culture shock, and he was bored. He did film his friend/neighbor's wedding, so here are a couple photos:






One last thing: I promised my mom a recipe, so here it is:

Yummy Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Combine sugar and oil. Add eggs. Stir in pumpkin. Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with water. Add nuts. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes.

Happy October!

Natural Disasters

Last week I got an email from the Red Cross (I'm in the Seattle Language Bank as a Russian interpreter/translator). They were looking for volunteers with language abilities to volunteer in their emergency shelters as "there is supposed to be massive flooding this year due to faulty dams along the Green River, and it is predicted that thousands of residents will be displaced".

I hadn't heard anything (I only periodically watch the news), but it turns out that an earthen dam on the Green River is leaking and engineers are unsure/unable to completely repair it. The county has already declared a state of emergency and the Army Corps of Engineers has taken temporary measures, but predictions are that when the rains come, they will need to release a lot of water to take pressure off the dam. And so Auburn, Kent, Tukwila and Renton are likely to flood.
Eek!

More info here:
City of Auburn Green River Flooding Information

MyNorthwest.com

So, I have been doing shelter training at the Red Cross. 6 hours down, 8 left plus 6-ish hours of Adult CPR/First Aid. A lot of training, which has been pretty boring. But I guess the boredom is better than bored at home. I've edited all photos, done all my homework, classes are ready to go. I'm stir crazy, Simon our cat is stir crazy. Sasha needs to come back!

Week 0, down!

At UW the weeks of each quarter are counted. It pays to keep track of each week since there's usually only 10 weeks in a quarter and it flies by. Last week was most of 0 week--we start classes Wednesday, so technically Week 1 starts then, but I'll be so busy I may as well be starting tomorrow.

This weekend I had a photo shoot (actually 2, the fabulous Nataliya and her too cute niece Kristina). If you're interested, find it on our blog: zinchukvideo.com/blog. I also went through most of TA orientation, again. Every year there are a couple 2-year TAs, and I was one of them. We are asked to come to orientation in our 2nd year in order to give our advice to the new TAs and get updated. I tried to balance giving advice and being annoying, but I fear that I didn't keep the right balance. It is a relief that it is over.

I bought books. I bought Sasha a birthday present. I bought some new shoes. I'm good and ready to begin, I hope. Tomorrow I have a full day of lesson planning and registration duties. It will be busy, but it is good to get started. I will be teaching Writing 4 for the 3rd time--I will soon be the writing expert. I'm actually going to present a seminar on blogging at a state-wide TESOL conference in October, which will be a fun way to gain professional experience :)

And I sleep. I go to bed very early (like 7pm last night), get up early, and I'm busy busy. It is good and refreshing. I'm glad autumn is here!!

Moving :)

So I'm under the covers, bowl of clam chowder in my belly, and purring kitty warming my feet. It's cold and rainy outside but I am happy and content. I've spent the last few days (re-)reading (Harry Potter 5-7), setting my own schedule, and taking care of things. Like, Goodbye, WellsFargo, hello sweet new credit union. Goodbye, crappy Seattle apartment, Hello Federal Way!

I found an awesome apartment in Federal Way that's 2-bedroom, washer/dryer, dishwasher, fireplace, vaulted ceilings, balcony overlooking the duck pond. A little bit of heaven and so much cheaper than now! We're set to move the weekend of Oct 17, so 1 month to go!

I really should take before/after photos of our miserable life in Seattle vs spacious and nice new apartment. Right now we are so crowded both in the apartment and in our location, that the openness of the new place is breathtaking. Yeah, the commute by bus will suck, but it is much better to have a nice life and crappy commute than crappy life with a short bus ride, don't you think :)

It gives me peace to know that I'm saving bucks (this has been a tough year) and saving sanity. Animals and nature bring us joy, so this apartment couldn't be a better fit :)

Slideshow - test

This is a new slideshow from out photo hosting company, pictage. I thought I'd give it a try here :)

What do you think?

Packing/Portraits

This week has been filled with one objective: getting ready for Sasha's trip to Ukraine. We have wedding edits to wrap up before he goes, gifts to buy, laundry and packing to do, etc. He leaves next weekend for about 3 1/2 weeks with his family. Unfortunately scheduling and money prevented me from going, but I'm looking forward to my time alone to rest, pack, and maybe do some photography work before school starts once again.

In that vein, I'm offering special Seattle family portrait prices for September. Now that I'm quite comfortable behind the camera for ever-so-stressful weddings, I've decided to branch out into portrait photography. Nothing like a nice afternoon, good lighting, and unhurried subjects to make for a great photo session. If you, or anyone you know, is interested, please contact me by phone (253-720-4109), by email alexander {at} zinchukvideo.com or on any of our blogs.
This is the session schedule/rates:
Rates
$50 – 30 minutes 1-2 people
$75 – 30 minutes 3-4 (perfect for Christmas Cards!)
$100 – 30 minutes 4+

*These prices include 10+ digitally-edited photographs hosted online, 1 professional 8×10 print.
You have the option to purchase digital downloads, additional prints, greeting cards, or even albums. Contact me for details!

September 12-13 – Seattle/Bellevue
September 19-20 – Everett, WA
September 25-26 – Tacoma, WA
* Additional fees apply for home visits

Please help me get the word out!! This is a great price and perfect timing for either back-to-school awesome school portraits or holiday photos. I'm eager to work with families, kids, babies, animals, etc. and I'm flexible to alternate ideas.

Basically, I'm home alone and want to get out and have fun :)

Hard At Work

10,000 years

It feels like it has been 10,000 years since I updated this blog. All my energy has been going into this blog:
http://zinchukvideo.com/blog
and teaching and working weddings.

Last Friday I finally finished teaching Summer Quarter. We're also beginning to wrap up our wedding season. And, I'm on VACATION FOR A MONTH! Yes, you heard me correctly. The next time I have to be anywhere is September 23rd!

That's why it's time to get caught up!
So, in July I went to my 10-year high school reunion.

old friends

Then, I went to my friend Phil's wedding. He was my first 'love'--we dated in 7th grade but I dumped him when somebody found out. Then we dated again in high school. He is now a good friend who also lives in Seattle yet I never see. His new wife Emily went to college with me, but we never knew each other. They compliment each other perfectly and I am so happy for them!!



Aside from that, it has been work-work-work, wedding-wedding-wedding!




I may as well take a second to encourage everyone to visit us on Facebook:
ZinchukStudios FanPage
Stop by and become a "fan"

Oh, and I tweet now too--find me on Twitter @ZinchukStudios
THAT's where all my time has gone ;)

I hope to update more often during September, so keep coming back!!