...
I know this might be a big surprise, but they are no longer communists. That went out with the breakup of the Soviet Union. A Russian cavalry colonel taught me to ride world class hunters and jumpers. He was one of the sweetest old men you'd ever be privileged to know. One of my best friends in grade school was the daughter of a Soviet defector.
This whole scene about "Russian oligarchs" we're going to rob is because we were the ones who made them that rich to begin with, by giving them the wherewithal to loot Russia in the 1990s.
Now Putin is taking away our looting and corruption machine known as "Ukraine".
I believe I may be suffering from a kidney stone, and right after I get my dressing changed today, I'm going to shuffle over to the ER because the pain is knocking me down for serious.
...
Good grief. My wound goddess thinks I've added SHINGLES to my list of woes. I am formally OUT of my fancy ass pain pills, and she is having to light a fire under one or another of the doctors at the clinic to see if I can't get more by the end of the day.
Shingles.
Ludicrous.
I do, however have a couple of patches of raised and red skin very near where the worst pain is... even though it doesn't hurt at all to touch them... the skin is fine. It's the internal pain that's about making my eyeballs squirt out of their sockets.
pipe up any time....
