A day to remember and reflect

With the latest potential Patriots scandal about to be completely blown out of proportion (seriously? "Radiogate?" Sports journalism has taken a major hit, mainly due to the very poor quality of writing (to say nothing of ethics). Anyway, I have nearly reached the point of throwing in the towel.

But that wasn't what I wanted to say. 14 years ago our lives were profoundly changed.forever. People who hate America tried to destroy our spirit. They may have destroyed some iconic buildings, and thousands of lives were sadly lost, but what was incredible about that day was the terrific resiliency shown, the sacrifices of our police officers (how we seem to have forgotten that in particular today, which is a terrible shame) , fire fighters, first responders, doctors, nurses, volunteers and all who came to the aid of everyone caught in the rubble or comforting families of loved ones departed. The shock never goes away. But our spirit can never be destroyed. Overwhelmed with grief, anger and a deep sense of loss, Americans came together in a way I will never forget. I remember how lonely I felt that day. Sitting in history class, we watched the news in total silence (that in itself what something unheard of for a rowdy bunch of 11th graders), and then once the news came through about the second crash, it was just too much to bear. I walked through the halls totally lost. Why the hell were we still sitting around in school? Did my parents, celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary in Bermuda, know? Were they safe and sound? How could such a thing happen? Why?

In many ways, Americans have come a long way since 9/11. Unfortunately, we continue to struggle with issues of race, discrimination, violence against our fellow man. Muslims are often targeted as radical fundamentalists and are therefore subjected to extra screening at airports. A profound misunderstanding of Islam led certain hypocrites to suggest burning Korans. Today more than ever we need to rediscover that which brought us together 14 years ago. We need to come together again, in love and compassion for one another. To build bridges of mutual respect, tolerance and love. Educate yourselves and each other so we don't repeat the same tragic mistakes over and over again.
Even though I like many only post once a year on this most solemn day in our brief history, it is something very close to my heart. We are a nation of immigrants, a fact which should also not go unnoticed, given the current crisis in Europe. I call upon my fellow compatriots to, at least for today, put aside ALL differences (political, socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, racial, etc) and say a prayer for the victims and families of all who gave their time, support, and in many cases, their lives. Let us also say a prayer for the POLICE. While some in recent weeks have certainly made egregious errors in judgment (esp the police officer in Millis who made a false report), the vast majority have continued to do their jobs faithfully, protect us by putting themselves on the line day in and day out, despite being grotesquely vilified in the media and by angry protesters. Let us also say a prayer for everyone, from firemen to first responders to bystanders who, without a moment's hesitation, put their own lives in jeopardy to help others. It is their heroism, their undeniable bravery, their love for their country and fellow man, these qualities are what make America great. And I am not nor will I ever be ashamed to call myself an American. Patriotism and nationalism are NOT the same. I am a patriot, not a nationalist. The distinction is sadly lost among some people, including (and often especially among) prominent political leaders. But I digress, as I don't want (nor has it ever been my intention) to turn this into a political diatribe.

While I cannot stem the tide of anti-American sentiment in other countries, I can say what (for me) makes America great. It's not about the American Dream, which incidentally, can mean different things to different people. It's about people of all shapes and sizes coming together, living together, helping each other not only in times of great duress, but for everyday matters, as well. GOD BLESS THE USA, and may we continue to grow as a nation, which means coming to terms with our own prejudices and through education, compassion, support and love bettering ourselves as people If we can this, then the 3000= lives will not have been given in vain. Let's be true to their memories and make our country and world a more tolerable, loving place. It's not easy, but with God's help and the help of our friends, nothing is impossible! Stay strong, America! United we stand.<3>

What are you thankful for?

Regardless of whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, what have you got to be thankful for? I am thankful, first and foremost, for my health, and for the health and happiness of my family and friends, especially he greatest mom in the history of moms, Lisa Taylor Tardif! I am also thankful to have a place to come home to and a warm bed to sleep in every night as well as enough food to eat every day. I have a lot to be grateful for, as, I suspect, do many of us. I am especially thankful for having friends to share Thanksgiving dinner with, as it is traditionally the time of year when I am most homesick and longing to be with my own family. I am thankful for my St. Andrrew's family, both in church and MIC,. I am thankful my best friend Michael John Wood has come to visit me in Moscow and give me a much-needed lift after what has been the hardest three months of my life. I am thankful for numerous other blessings, for which I can only get down on my knees and say an extra prayer to God for His infinite blessings and constant presence in my life.I wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving, wherever you may be. Go and celebrate and love and bring love to others. And of course, enjoy some yummy turkey and classic football games. What have you got to be grateful for?

Can't we all just get along?

A naive question, of course, but one of my many shortcomings is my naivete, so I feel no shame in starting this blog post (and I apologize profusely for not keeping up with it as consistently as I had hoped/promised to) with a question. It's a scary world we live in, and living in Russia, I get caught up in all sorts of events. Last week's metro crash was another example of a close call. Twice I have narrowly escaped being the victim of a tragedy. The last close call came four years ago when I missed being a victim of the Red Line metro bombings. Don't worry, I am safe and very thankful for your thoughts, prayers and love. All the more reason to promote peace. What better place to begin promoting peace than online, where people frequently misunderstand and abuse their right to free speech to insult those who dare to disagree or suggest an alternative point of view  Thankfully, none of my friends (and no one I know in general) are guilty of this, but I have seen too many examples of swearing, racial and ethnic slurs, and in some cases even threats made in an moment of irrational anger and by people who prefer to remain anonymous to warrant putting in my two cents' worth.

I really need to stop reading comments to online articles or threads on Facebook. All I see is a horrendous display of illiterate, ill-informed ad hominem attacks on one another; seldom have I seen a sustained, civil (by which I mean courteous) exchange of views. It's more than just anti-American propaganda (which infuriates me) or anti-Russian (which frustrates me no less). We have forgotten (that is, if we have ever learned in the first place) how to treat one another with dignity and respect. We lack the courage, or often, even the factual knowledge,  to concretely respond to a well-formed, cogent argument, so we resort to childish name-calling,

Don't even get me started on all the grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors permeating throughout the internet. People DO judge you based not just on what you say, but how you say it. If you use a subject pronoun after a preposition, I will probably roll my eyes and groan a little bit. Little things like that drive me crazy, but they can be fixed. They can also be MODESTLY pointed out, not just corrected with arrogance  As an English teacher, I do have my "grammatical pet peeves", but I do seriously question not only the motives of people who attack each other online, but also their intelligence (academic and emotional). I realize it's often difficult to discuss certain topics (religion, politics and current events are particularly notorious for arousing powerful emotions) without becoming irrational, but there are still certain boundaries that need to be established. For me (and I assume many others) name-calling and other personal attacks on people/s character, appearance, reputations cross the line and those who engage in such behavior should bear responsibility for their actions.

Words, as we know, in the words of Albus Dumbledore in the final Harry Potter movie, "are capable of both inflicting pain and remedying it." I for one am extremely weary of such attacks as well as wary of associating with people who, willfully or otherwise, engage in such attacks. I feel like this is not the first time I've addressed this problem, nor will it be the last. What does it take for people to put aside their wicked wit (here I use wicked in its non-New England sense, haha)? What does it take for people to take the time to do a little bit of research into a particular subject? WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR PEOPLE TO OPEN A DICTIONARY OR SOME GRAMMAR OR STYLE REFERENCE BOOK? Okay, the last one annoys the English teacher and me, but that annoyance turns into anger when it is compounded by some hurtful comment, It's bad enough to say mean things, but if your insults contain misspellings, sentence fragments or other abominations to the language of Shakespeare, then be prepared to face the combined wrath of English teachers throughout the world. 0:)

Yet again, I am probably not the best model to emulate, as I tend to ramble and jump from topic to topic, but I do make a concerted effort to listen to many points of view before venturing an opinion. Maybe it's the introvert in me, but I've always preferred to listen rather than to speak out (initially, anyway). To lead by example rather than just by words or direct action. The axiom "Think before you speak" may be understood by all but is virtually ignored by many. It's especially dangerous online because once something is out there, it's out there for good. You may be able to delete something you wrote quickly, but not before someone somewhere has seen what you said and has formed (consciously or not) a defined opinion about you as a writer (or professional in your field) and as a person  When in doubt, DON"T SAY IT.

I'll get down from my soapbox in a minute, but I just wanted to say one more thing. In a world marked by tension between individual and community, how then shall we live? Okay, one more thing, but my fellow FYPpers will appreciate that last question. ;) In an online world marked by often vicious comments and embarrassing word crimes (thanks to Weird Al for that term), how then shall we respond? It's time we returned civility to the Net, and then to the workplace, to school, to conversations on the street, to EVERY aspect of our lives. With civility comes respect. With respect comes trust. With trust comes a willingness to cooperate, to establish new ties and strengthen old ones. I don't know what will happen with ties between Russia and the USA, but that should not discourage Americans from coming to Russia, nor should it discourage Russians from coming to America. Both countries have wonderful people, a rich literary and musical tradition, Politics aside, we need to stick together. I have made some wonderful friends here in Moscow, not just American, but Russian, British, German, etc I have also taught many bright, funny, charming, motivated Russians who have taught me a lot about their culture, have helped me become a better teacher. One of my main things is that I try to promote civility in the classroom. No swearing. No dominating the conversation (give others a chance to speak). Everyone's opinion is vital. I often get frustrated sometimes with the media (both US and Russian). It's time to get over this Cold War mentality. Time to start working together. No more vragi naroda (enemies of the people). No more blaming the US or Russia for all the world's problems. Time to start taking responsibility for our words and actions. Time to revive rigorous intellectual discovery and debate as a replacement for our current "civil discourse" We can't change the world overnight. But if we change a few people's minds, encourage a more open, tolerant, respectful discourse, then who knows? Maybe the Sox will make the playoffs after all. Stranger things have happened. :) * Anyway, that's all for now I think. I will try to limit my next blog to a more specific update as to how I am doing. Most of you will have guessed by now that I have decided to stay at least one more year in Moscow. I have more responsibilities. I am on the Church Council. I have been promoted to senior teacher. I am (I hope) going to be continuing teaching an exam class come September. I have lots to look forward to, most especially choir starting up in September. :) We are singing Haydn's St. Nicholas Mass, with other Christmas songs to be determined later. For now, have a wonderful summer! Stay cool, keep swimming (literally and in the Dory sense :))) and don't commit word crimes, if you don't want to be a "Lost cause!" :D Love and miss you all sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!!

Peace and love,

Jon




*I am not annoyed by emoticons. Please forgive my use of them. Please also forgive my footnoting my own blog. :)))

Happy Thanksgiving!

Greetings, loyal readers! After a long, long reprieve, I have finally decided to return to the blog, which I used to keep up. Comrade Jon is back in Moscow (I've been back for two months now), working with Language LInk again, this time in a different center and living in a completely different part of the city. I will try to  write a more complete update later on, detailing some of my more recent adventures and hilarious choir practices, but tonight I just wanted everyone to know that I'm doing just well. A little bummed about working on Thanksgiving Day, but I do have Christmas off, even though I will be staying here for the holidays (what my plans are also still TBD). Anyway. just wanted to wish everyone a blessed Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans around the world! My warmest blessings to all, especially our troops and those who have to work! Cherish the memories with your families and loved ones. I am grateful that I have many families: not just my family and friends at home whom I love and miss terribly, but my St. Andrew's family, who have taken me in and embraced me with open arms; my MIC family, who have given countless hours of hilarious moments and introduced me to some brilliant repertoire, such as Borodin's Prince Igor, Mozart's Ave Verum and Coronation mass, Faure's Cantique de Jean Racine, Rossini's Petite Messe Repertoire as well as some fantastic musical medleys); my Holy Cross family, who have given me the confidence to try my hand at singing (and musical theater!), resulting in a lifelong passion for choral music; my Middlebury friends, from Russkaya Shkola to Startalkovtsy, from the choir to the talent show to having the face of a champion upon submitting the final draft of my MA dissertation, I will never forget the four summers on that blissful, picturesque landscape; my Toronto friends - Carolyn, Paulina, Nadya, and especially Zhanna, my lovely ladies, whom I adore; keep in touch, all of you; my MCA family, from Shining Start to my first ever classes of students - thank you for helping me transition from college into adulthood and helping me find my footing as a novice teacher; my BLI class of September 2008, for our many long days but fun evenings and reunions together - may we have many more wonderful moments together in the future!; my Language Link family - colleagues past and present, awesome roommates past and present, administrators past and present, and last but most certainly not least all the contacts, unexpected meetings, and wonderful friends I have made in this wild and crazy journey called life. May I never ever falter in expressing my deepest gratitude to each and every person who has touched my life directly, indirectly, greatly, or just given me the smallest form of encouragement. I love you all. May God bless you and keep you warm, well-fed and inspire whichever football team you may be rooting for to play a good game. Happy Turkey Day, everyone! Love, Jon

Just Keep Swimming....

So much tragedy has happened in the world in just the last few days. The attacks in Norway, the sad death of Amy Winehouse, and of course, in my own life, the recent passing of our beloved grandfather, Alderic "Pepere" Tardif. It is very hard sometimes to fathom just why people feel the need to solve problems with guns and hate rather than diologue and love. With regards to Amy Winehouse, however messed up her life may have been, her legacy will surely be her music.



But I didn't come here to wax nostalgia for Amy Winehouse, whose music I am not familiar with, nor did I intend to report on the situation in Norway, though it goes without saying that my thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and victims of the unspeakable tragedy.



My blog today is rather a celebration of life. The life of one of the most inspirational men I've ever known, apart from my father John, who is himself one hell of a dad. Pepere has done so much: from lumberjacking to raising a family of several children, grand-children and great-grandchildren. Some of my happiest memories with Pepe have to be the last time I saw him, which was Easter in 2008 (I think it was just before Easter, actually, might have been in March, but anyway, the weather was FANTASTIC!). I spent a few days in a very nice trailor (once Lorelei's, a very close friend of the family, God rest her soul) a few miles from where Pepe and my aunt and uncle lived. We went to church on Sunday, of course, after which we went out for Pepe for a birthday dinner at Sam Seltzer's (the restaurant has recently been taken over by his son, so I"ve been told), with almost everyone on my dad's side of the family, including my amazing cousin Tim, home from duty, and his wife Alicia and son. That was a wonderful evening. I also remember playing "Pay Me", a rather intricate card game which always involved Pepe (or always seemed to, anyway) winning the elusive dime at the end. Before my grandparents moved to Florida, they used to host Thanksgiving dinner at their home in Sturbridge, MA, about an hour to the west of Boston. Mmmmm, Meme sure should cook. And speaking of cooking, I have to mention the wonderful 4th of July parties we used to have at our house! They always involved Dad preparing enough food to feed all of America. They always involved no less than 15-20 people staying over at our house, and they always involved Uncle Dave hiding Meme's meatballs, a Tardif favorite and staple of our parties or eating way too many, leaving (I think one year he left a half a meatball for Linda...good times) Saint Espirit...or as Pepe pronounced it, heard and frequently repeated erroneously by me...Santa Spree! Yes, not all of us can be fluent in French like my sister. 0:) But anyway, these are some of my favorite memories of both Meme and Pepe. The last major family get-together I recall, apart from our combined graduation party (I graduated from Holy Cross in 2007, and a week later my sister graduated from our local high school, so we had one huge party), was our grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary. It was a wonderful party, though preparing for it was hell. That couch in our basement is never going anywhere EVER AGAIN in my lifetime. But it should be said that the couch and recliners in our living room are absolutely amazing, I look forward to relaxing on them when I come home for a brief two-week vacation in October. But anyway, it was a fantastic party, we had a volleyball court set up in our park outside our house, people were just chilling, eating lots of yummy food (including Meme's super delicious meatballs), playing video games in our basement (which has since become my room after my parents kicked me out of my room after I went to college, another funny story in and of itself), swimming and having a gay ol' time. These are the things I"ll remember most, just being with Pepe and the family.

In church today, reflecting on the St. Matthew's Gospel, Fr. Simon asked us who/what our pearl was. And to myself, I immediately answered: "my family". They are the ones for whom I lay down my life without a moment's hesitation. They are the ones I love and tresure more than anyone or anything in my life.

Of course, I'm sad. Unfortunately, this month hasn't been particularly easy for me, and now I just feel emotionally and physically drained. Luckily, on Tuesday I leave for TURKEY!!!! One whole of month of teaching kids and teenagers the difference between the present perfect and past simple tenses, one whole month of games like "Back to the Board" and "Wheel of Fortune" (always a personal favorite, LOL), and one whole month of swimming in the sure-to-be gorgeous Aegean Sea. I am wicked, wicked excited, because this couldn't come at a better time in my life. I really need a break, and while I can't take a proper vacation until October, this is as good as one, as far as I'm concerned. (Wow, I have to admire how many times I used as in that previous sentence, hee hee!) But as my mom says, in the immortal words of Dory, "Just keep swimming..." Incidentally, I really couldn't picture anyone other than Ellen DeGeneres playing that role....wonderfully funny person. As I was saying (another use of "as", haha), I'll be gone for a month but should have Internet access at camp, so keep on writing, drop me a line and I'll respond as soon as I can.

I'd like to close with Psalm 23 (my favorite Scripture passage). "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (King James version)

Thanks for all your kind condolences and prayers! Keep them coming, I will pass them on to my family, who I know will be very grateful! Love you guys, keep swimming and keep writing! Talk to you soon!


Peace and love,

Comrade Jon :)

Summertime, and de livin is easy...

Greetings, my fellow Americans, and fellow American and European expats in Moscow! I realized that it's been nearly three months since my last blog, I figured you might want to hear how I've been. A LOT has happened in the last few weeks, most of it simply fantastic.

Let's start with work. I've decided to stay on for another year. I've had such a great year that I feel like I need to continue. I am pretty sure this will be my last year, but then, as most of you from St. Andrew's know, I said that last year too, and here I am.. Anyway, because my best friends Bob and Alexa are getting married in October (YAY!!!!!), I need to work over the summer to pay for my trip home in October. Right now I'm not certain if I can come home for Christmas, but I will certainly be home for good no later than early June of 2012, just in time for my five year reuniuon at Holy Cross (OMG!!!!!! Where DOES the time go?) Oh, and one more awesome update, I'm going to Turkey next month, I was asked matter-of-factly about it and I answered, "um....HECK YES!!!!" Score one for Jonathan! :) All-expenses paid, no less! Details to come as soon as I learn more about it.

Now on to choir. We had our concerts last month, on the 17th at St. Andrew's, and on the 24th at the Yauza theater. Both went amazingly well, and I am particularly grateful to my friends Ryan and Dan for coming. Don't know what's on tap yet for next season, but hopefully the men will increase in number as we get closer to the start of the new season, so guys, warm up those vocal cords and get ready to sing some awesome Christmas carols (plus whatever else we will do). Yes, I know it's June, but we always do Carols fof our December concerts.

I'd thought I'd close with some touching lyrics, dedicated to all of my friends, especially those who are engaged and planning to tie the knot, as well as those dear friends with whom I have, for one reason or another, lost contact. No matter how far apart we may be, I promise I will always be your friend, I will always love you and you can always count on me.


"The Best of Friends" Olivia Newton-John

Sometimes people leave, it's sad but true. But this, I do believe, they stay a part of you. And if you go away to live some other place, I will think of you each day and see your smiling face.

And I will always be your friend, no matter where you are, just around the bend, or very, very far. Wherever you may go, when you reach your journey's end, no matter what I'll always be your friend.

I will always be your friend cause though we're far apart, I see you in my dreams and feel you in my heart. And though the years may fly, I know we'll meet again, and when we do, I still will be your friend. I'll always be your truest friend.

May God bless and keep you as we head into summer. Congratulations again to my sister Linda for graduating from UMass (somehow she passed French, miracles do happen, LOL) and to my cousin Josh who graduated from Marlborough High School and is starting at UMass Amherst as a freshman this fall. Our family is very talented, not to mention, intelligent and beautiful! (and modest, too, hee hee) 0:)

Miss you all like crazay! Love you all and hope to see you and talk to you soon!

Peace and love,

Comrade Jon

Oh what a beautiful day...

There's a bright, golden haze on the meadow
There's a bright, golden haze on the meadow.
The corn is as high as an elephant's eye
And it looks like it's climbing clear up to the sky.

Oh, what a beautiful Mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day.
I've got a beautiful feelin'
Everything's goin' my way.

All the cattle are standin' like statues
All the cattle are standin' like statues
They don't turn their heads as they see me ride by
But a little brown mav'rick is winkin' her eye

Oh, what a beautiful Mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day.
I've got a beautiful feelin'
Everything's goin' my way.

All the sounds of the earth are like music
All the sounds of the earth are like music
The breeze is so busy it don't miss a tree
An' a ol' weepin' willer is laughin' at me

Oh, what a beautiful Mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day.
I've got a beautiful feelin'
Everything's goin' my way.
Oh, what a beautiful day!

This song perfectly describes my current mood. Some of you may know why, but for those who don't, it will have to remain a secret for the time being (or just send me a private message). Anyway, spring is here, and even though there is lots of snow, ice and puddles to be found everywhere, there is definitely a smile on my face and a song in my heart. It's been a long time since I felt that way, that sense of pure joy, optimism, love for all things and happiness. In an uncertain world marked by global terror, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and now the conflict in Libya, I felt it (perhaps naively so, but I am and have always been unabashedly optimistic, as anyone who knows me well will tell you) necessary to spread a bit of light, radiance and sunshine into our lives. I make no apologies for it and if I had time, I would write many more notes similar to this one, because no matter what, we all strive to find that glow, that spark to keep our spirits strong, to keep us motivated during the daily grind.

My wish for you today is not only to have a beautiful day, but to have a beautiful feeling, to be absolutely positive, that today will without a doubt be a beautiful day. A positive attitude can disarm even the most stubborn grump. Keep the faith, as we say all too often in Red Sox Nation. Or, to quote the amazing Kevin Millar, "Cowboy up!" Take care, y'all!

Peace and love,

Comrade Jon :)