No, Buzz, I AM your father...

Yes, I've been watching Toy Story...and Toy Story 2...and Toy Story 3...easily one of the greatest animated trilogies (each film stands well on its own as a well-crafted, incredibly funny and extremely well-acted (and directed) film.) , maybe one of the greatest trilogies period...that, of course, is open to debate, but the fact remains that Pixar never fails to impress.

Anyway, I was going to talk about something completely different now, haha. So I'm back in Russia, and I'm ECSTATIC to say that I did not have a problem coming back. I tell you, it's uncanny how I'm prone to this ridiculous adventures, but as they say, I've got loads of stories to pass on later on, so I suppose it's all good. I've been working for a couple of weeks now, everything is for the moment hunky-dory. Although having said that, WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED, NEW ENGLAND???? Losing to the Jets at home AGAIN?! COLOSSAL FAIL. This goes beyond epic fail...)However, as I alluded to in a previous status, life goes on, and after all, soon it shall be spring training, and the 2011 Red Sox, who I have to say look fantastic on paper, will soon get to strut their stuff. How it makes me long to be back in Boston....sigh...soon enough, my friends, soon enough.

As my parents are schmoozing in Florida, New Englanders and Muscovites alike deal with the snow...and the cold...and the utter inability of anyone to actually shovel...or plow the damn street (GOOD GRIEF, WINTHROP!!!). Oh winter...

In other news, I read the most interesting story in the Moscow Times. There has been a debate to reform high school education in Russia. One of the results would be to reduce the number of obligatory classes and introduce a course in "patriotic education", called Russia in the World. In effect, all other classes apart from this course, phys ed and a safety course would no longer be required. As a weekly contributor to the Moscow Times who also has a talk show on Ekho Moskvy put it, loving Putin would be required, math and English would not. While educators and ministry officials defend the proposal, giving students more freedom to choose what field to specialize in, their native language, Russian, would no longer be a required course. Nor would math or any other science courses. One person even said something to the effect that being a patriot is more important than math. I don't mean to overgeneralize or anything, I'm just presenting one of the many debates in education reform (you know me, anything that concerns education, in particular reform, I want to know as much about it as possible). It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Nothing really major to report at the moment. Just trying to quietly do my thing, pulling my hair out to get students to correctly use the third person form of the present simple tense. Good times, good times. Looking forward to sharing more stories, as well as hearing lots more from you, my devoted friends and followers of this often mundane, more often random blog.

All thoughts and comments as always welcome! For now, this is Comrade Jon signing off.

God bless and God speed.

Peace, love and lots of hugs,

Jonathan :)