More propellant loading...
Dec. 6th, 2008 11:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexpgpThere's a bus going into town this afternoon, but as it is scheduled to leave town for "home" at about the time the Government Commission is scheduled to meet and "decide" whether to roll the rocket out to the pad tomorrow morning or not (nobody expects surprises, so the rocket will roll out), no meeting participants will be going into town. It's no great loss, except I will have to find someone to mail a letter for me.
Yesterday's party went off well, and even the weather cooperated by warming up to the point where a light jacket was adequate protection against the elements. Unlike some of the other informal get-togethers that have been organized during the campaign, yesterday, there was quite a bit of interaction - of a personal, non-work kind - between Russian and US management, to the point where interpreters were swapped out five times.
Some of the stories being told and opinions being expressed were interesting enough for me to stick around after being "relieved" by a new interpreter, especially those related by Leonid G., who has worked at the cosmodrome as both an officer and now a civilian for just over 41 years. Besides his chops as a manager, Leonid also crafts a mean jar of spiced salted cucumbers, and he spent some time explaining his technique to make absolutely scrumptious pickles, in his inimitable style.
Last night was sauna night, and I woke from a post-party nap in time to get a couple of heats before the facility was turned over for "ladies hour." A lot of the French team was in the mini-bar, just a few feet down from the sauna (which is across from the room with the plunge pool) and behaved themselves... I don't know... predictably (?) whenever they heard doors opening and closing from the sauna end of the hall, by whistling and generally carrying on like adolescents. Drinking pastis de Marseille will do that to you.
I plan to pursue some outside interests this afternoon, before changing and heading over to the полтинник to do some "whisper" simultaneous interpretation during the Commission meeting. (Which reminds me... there ought to be an agenda floating around somewhere... which will help me if I can get my hands on it.)
Cheers...
Yesterday's party went off well, and even the weather cooperated by warming up to the point where a light jacket was adequate protection against the elements. Unlike some of the other informal get-togethers that have been organized during the campaign, yesterday, there was quite a bit of interaction - of a personal, non-work kind - between Russian and US management, to the point where interpreters were swapped out five times.
Some of the stories being told and opinions being expressed were interesting enough for me to stick around after being "relieved" by a new interpreter, especially those related by Leonid G., who has worked at the cosmodrome as both an officer and now a civilian for just over 41 years. Besides his chops as a manager, Leonid also crafts a mean jar of spiced salted cucumbers, and he spent some time explaining his technique to make absolutely scrumptious pickles, in his inimitable style.
Last night was sauna night, and I woke from a post-party nap in time to get a couple of heats before the facility was turned over for "ladies hour." A lot of the French team was in the mini-bar, just a few feet down from the sauna (which is across from the room with the plunge pool) and behaved themselves... I don't know... predictably (?) whenever they heard doors opening and closing from the sauna end of the hall, by whistling and generally carrying on like adolescents. Drinking pastis de Marseille will do that to you.
I plan to pursue some outside interests this afternoon, before changing and heading over to the полтинник to do some "whisper" simultaneous interpretation during the Commission meeting. (Which reminds me... there ought to be an agenda floating around somewhere... which will help me if I can get my hands on it.)
Cheers...
