PHLEGMATIC DOG AT MIDNIGHT

I walked "home" through the midnight rain last night, through Red Square. Thankfully, it was not a shower, only a steady rain, a bit more than a drizzle. I had asked for it because I had space in my Lucent Technologies bag to have carried my plastic jacket. One of those decisions where you don't to debate considering it has been raining on and off during the past several days. It's like when I am driving, I always, always signal, rather than decide that this situation I should, and the next situation, I don't need to. (Well, I have beat that into the ground, haven't I?)

I finally, finally found Phlegmatic Dog, voted the coolest internet cafe in the world. It is the best I've ever seen, with music in the background all the time.

The model is very interesting. You don't pay for the internet service; you pay for the food. I suppose you want to pay something back so you do order something. I don't suppose there is any minimum order, and I don't know what happens if you just use the machine and don't order anything.

(Let me get back to my notes and not flounder around).

Thankfully, it was not a shower, nor a steady rain, but a bit more than a drizzle. Thre was no reason for me to get wet, since I had spae in my bag to have carried my plastic raincoat, but I guessed wrong and now I have to change my uniform. I have been wearing the same pair of trousers since I left the US on 24 August and now I will change into the other while this one dries.

Well, that is certianly a lot better than the time I visited Jamaica wearing onlyh one pair of jeans. My idea of travelling light. Not only was a friend embarrassed, but so was my daughter, Winsome who pulled her hand away while we walked Cumberland Avenue, just past the bridge where we bought those fantastic grated-coconut what-you-call-it? (Verena, help!) I was about 6 or 7 then, going to Franklin Town elementary school. To this day, I remember that bright youngster who came to school barefooted. Wonder where he is today? From those days, I've felt closer to the poor, than to the rich. And not because of my economic malaise.

Back to notes:

I finally found Phlegmatic Dog, thanks to my determination and the help of the most gracious young woman last night. I finally approached a restaurant on Revolution Square where I saw a man and a woman, apparently connected to the restaurant. The young woman was on her cell phone and smiled when I showed her that I had written Phlegmatic Dog in Russian. Let me see if I can recreate it here: фдэгматик дог Hopefully, it will show up in my blog as Russian.

She called another friend. Meanwhile, an Asian woman arrived and said one, quite gruff word: Dinner! But the young miss had her wait another five minutes while she told me how to get to the internet cafe. I had searched on the building before but found another internet cafe. I thanked her profusely and went on my quest again. This time, I returned to the other and while asking for their competition, a customer entered and told me it was upstairs. Cut the suspense: I finally found it.

Now all they had to do was to say: "If you are coming from Red Square, take a left at Marshall Zhukov, walk to the eternal flame for the Unknown Soldier, and make a sharp right." Of course, their business card is more helpful, suggesting that you enter from the Alexander Park, but you need to get there first to get to business card.

Last night I had two large beers and shrimps. It came up to 400 rubles, a much better experience than breakfast, which cost 440.

PBB