Back at work in the MCC...

The Ops Planner took pity on me toward the end of "yesterday's" shift and let me go home a half hour early, since even if the Form 24 arrived as I was packing my stuff, there'd have been little opportunity to translate it in time for me to get out on time.

As it was, I got home just ahead of the rush, cooked and ate some dinner, took a hot shower, and tried to go to sleep. I am not at all sure I ever did achieve full-blown sleep, but that's a moot point, now. I got up at 11:15 pm, pulled on some clothes and hied myself back to JSC for what promises to be a stimulating eight hours.

Assuming, of course, that I can manage to drink enough coffee. :^)

I'm set up in a room inside a complex that's generically referred to as the Moscow Support Room (or MSR) just a hop, step, and jump from the blue Flight Control Room. It's where representatives of major Russian subcontractors and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (a.k.a. Rosaviakosmos) maintain a presence for the purpose of supporting the U.S. side of this lashup here in Houston.

At first glance, the place doesn't look all that different from the rest of the consoles I've worked at in this building (nor is there any reason it should look different); a second look reveals there to be a lot of signs and labels in Cyrillic in evidence, which is what you'd expect.

Anyway, the night is young and I'm off to get more coffee and familiarize myself with my work "home" for the next week.

Cheers...

Only slightly, um, bored...

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.12
GTW/CS/H/E d-@ s+:+>: !a C++(+++)$ UL++>+++ P++  
L++>+++ E--- W++ N- w K? V Y+ PGP+ t(--) X++ R- 
b++ DI++ G- e++(+++) h*
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

Cheers...

Just one of those tunes that sticks in one's head...

I heard the song "Ваше благородие" (which translates, more or less, as "Your honor" in the sense of addressing nobility, as opposed to a judge) a few days ago and it keeps popping back into my head at the most inopportune times... such as a few minutes ago. It's an oldie, having been featured in one of the better known films of the Soviet era, White Sun of the Desert.

I'm terrible with song lyrics, generally, but the thing that grabbed me about this song was the refrain:

Не везёт мне в смерти, повезет в любви!

It's hard for me to express the thought in English, but the general thrust is something along the lines of:

I'm unlucky at dying, I'll be lucky at love!

In searching for the lyrics, I was a little surprised to find little variations in almost every instance, almost as if there is no "standard" version. In any event, here are (the?) lyrics. A quick and dirty translation, which tries, on occasion, to capture the rhythm of the original and probably betrays some serious lack of understanding of Russian culture and non-technical language, follows.

Ваше благородие

Ваше благородие, госпожа разлука,
Мне с тобою холодно вот какая штука.
Письмецо в конверте погоди, не рви...
Не везёт мне в смерти, повезет в любви!

Ваше благородие, госпожа удача,
Для кого ты добрая, а кому иначе.
Девять граммов в сердце постой не зови...
Не везёт мне в смерти, повезет в любви!

Ваше благородие, госпожа чужбина,
Жарко обнимала ты, да только не любила.
В шёлковые сети постой, не лови...
Не везёт мне в смерти, повезет в любви!

Ваше благородие, госпожа победа,
Значит, моя песенка до конца не спета.
Перестаньте, черти, клясться на крови...
Не везёт мне в смерти, повезет в любви!

из к/ф "Белое солнце пустыни"

* * *Your Honor, Mistress Separation!
It’s awkward being near you, isn’t that a kick?
Hold on, there, please don't tear that letter, it's not read...
I'm unlucky at dying, I’ll be lucky in love!

Your Honor, Mistress Fortune!
You favor some with kindness and leave others chewing dirt.
A bullet in the heart, wait! don’t call me yet...
I'm unlucky at dying, I’ll be lucky in love!

Your Honor, Mistress Foreign Lands!
You embraced me with great passion but never loved me true,
Wait a sec, don’t trap me, yet, in that silk web of yours...
I'm unlucky at dying, I’ll be lucky in love!

Your Honor, Mistress Victory!
I guess this means my song is not yet sung out to the end.
Stop, you devils, stop right now, swearing oaths in blood...
I'm unlucky at dying, I’ll be lucky in love!

Cheers...

The last hour of the shift...

...has been dragging on for at least the past 90 minutes, and it's only 10 after or so.

Even walking around the second floor a few times to work out the kinks induced by having one's butt planted in a chair for nearly 7 hours hasn't helped.

OTOH, it's not like I'm uncontrollably falling asleep. Not bad for a first night after a "slam" sleep shift.

I think I'll aim at a 3-hour nap once I get home this morning, and then try to fall asleep around 4 pm again to fall into a routine.

Cheers...