Political Discussion, and Tits

The House of Pain nightclub, as I said, grows less and less hospitable to we foreigners -- the hostility is generally understated, however, and expressed in quiet scorn rather than open disapproval.

Last Friday, however, was the first time I was openly called out. We were sitting with some of the few girls we know who still actually seem to relish our company, and a guy I know from Czech Republic -- an engineering student -- came over to say hi. The young Russian guy he was with heard that I was American, and began violently gesticulating: "NO! NO! Americans no welcome in Russia!"

I said, "Look, moron, NOBODY likes George Bush, what the hell do you want me to do about it? I'm hear teaching English to people so they can have some global economic power, what the fuck do you want from me?"

I said this in English, and somebody translated it; I might have been able to say the same thing in my bad Russian, but it wouldn't have had such elan.

"America want control world! America protiv Russia, we need World War III!" And this from a guy who wasn't even drunk.

Now I was on my feet. "Are you serious??!! You want EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD ON THE EARTH TO DIE, BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE GEORGE BUSH??!!" I switched to bad Russian here -- "You're ready for your mother, father, grandmother, and all the people in the world to die, slowly and painfully??!"

"Is it better to be a slave?" he said in Russian.

"MY GOD! Have you never heard of Nuclear Winter, you dickwad? You would destroy the whole world, rather than just wait two years for him to fucking get voted out of office??!!"

"If you hit me, I call police and you go jail!" yelled the Russian guy. He wasn't especially big or anything, although neither am I. He held up his mobile phone.

"Easy Rambo," said one of my colleagues, putting his arm around my neck. "Come on now."

"What? I'm just making conversation, what?" I said, genuinely confused.

"Are you aware that you had both of your hands in fists and were leaning forward with a vein standing out in your neck?"

"Geez, was I? Really? I didn't. . ." I offered to buy the Russian guy a drink, and apologized; he wasn't really having it however, and at about that time a girl I know dragged me out to the dance floor.

I've almost gotten in several fights recently, and have generally been in the position of starting it. I've always said that when you start wanting to lay hands on the natives, it's time to leave; I guess my time is about up.

Now: here are some pictures of tits that I have taken at the House of Pain. As promised.