TULA: My Home Town

Such lacy decorations of the house windows used to be VERY popular in my home town. But nowadays they are disappearing. Concrete and glass come in their stead.

My home-town, one of the oldest in Russia, older than Moscow, and much older than the USA, used to have a face of its own. Today it is almost completely gone.

When I was a teenager, I was bored by the town I lived in. I dreamed of foreign travels and distant lands. Time has elapsed. I've knocked about the world quite a bit and have been both to wild places and posh hotels. And, I must now say, there's no place like home. East or West, but your own house is best.

This photo is of a Russian Orthodox church.

An old one, one of the oldest in Tula, around 18th century, if my memory doesn't fail me. Tula was founded in 1146. One of Russia's oldest towns. In my childhood it looked very special, had a face of its own. VERY diverse and full of buildings that were works of art. VERY few have survived to this day. All is concrete, bricks, and glass now. No architectural embellishments. Simple (read primitive and cheap), and ... nothing to look at. There's no SOUL in modern buildings, they all look so much alike. The old ones exude, emit, issue charm of their own. WHY does it happen?

Do we have to state that the people of the previous generations were more spiritual and had a finer sense of beauty and wished to live among things beautiful?

I am not a handyman. I am not knowledgeable on anything except languages (where I really know what is what and, I can safely say, I am an authority of world significance. It goes without saying that my library of dictionaries (English) is one of the best in the world (my dear daddy short legs was going to hurl it out of the window). I know THE MOST important thing and admit it - I AM IMPERFECT and must constantly study and learn, study and learn, and you will remain, all this notwithstanding, pretty imperfect. People must admit to their imperfections, shortcomings and drawbacks.

I have noticed that Russia's number 1 information agency issues materials in English that is ... far from perfect. In actual fact, it's really BAD. So bad that even I, I, I spot it and can correct. More to it. I am willing and prepared TO WORK FOR YOU. Look at my translation samples and compare them to your stuff, full of errors close to absurdities. Let me do and make a good thing for you! No go... They do NOT wish to accept the proffered jam. They prefer to eat their old shit.Ah, it's the same old story repeated for the 33rd time!