Bezdomny, Worland and Constipating V. Topple, IV

In case any of you were wondering, the weather in Moscow today is....cold and gray. It snowed overnight, but it had already, so that wasn't big news. But no sun. That is what makes Russian winters famous. Lack of Vitamin D...I swear it's making all of us squirrelly-like.

I'm reading The Master and Margarita (in English), and its thrilling to read the story while living in Moscow. I walk past the Metropole, or visit Patriarch Ponds, or even Sayadova Street. But the real fun is looking around for evil. When I've had a particularly good read on the Metro, I step out, looking around at all the flushed cheeks, looking for the Professor. Bulgakov makes you feel like it is entirely possible to look round and find signs of evil in everyday, tired faces, and Moscow leaves much to the imagination. It's dirty and vulgar, and people push and stare you down, but it's still beautiful and proper, and somehow you can imagine shady characters walking along the twinkly New Year's decorations on Tverskaya Boulevard, luring others to fight, fear and degrade one another, even as the monuments on Red Square dauntlessly look on. Heee heee, it's great fun.

By the way, bezdomny in Russian means "homeless", for anyone who wanted to know.

In other news, I get lots of spam to my work account. In fact, this server seems to have no filtering capabilities at all, and I get to spend precious minutes deleting these parasites from my inbox. There is some sunshine, however. I get to make up little stories about my spammers. The following are some of the "people" who have sent me emails in the last few months:

Nipping B. Bootlegger
Spicy S. Spurt
Damn E. Fun
Ink-Donor
Constipating V. Topple
Defying A. Twelfths
Balkhashing M. Revealing
Stoic C. Discoed
Acribable K. Misfires
Reversals S. Harried
Warbled R. Persisting
Remonstrates U. Facilitation
Sunbeam P. Cervical
Groveler K. Cheviot

"Well, good lord! If it isn't Nipping B. Bootlegger!"
"The very same! Ascribable, old man, how are you?"
"Alright, alright, except the clap's giving me a bit of a time. Have you heard about old Spicy Spurt?"
"No, my word, what's happened?"
"He challenged Constipating V. Topple to a duel!"
"No!"
"Yes! Except you know old Spurt, bit erratic, isn't he? He shot off early, and hit Stoic Discoed!"
"No! How tragic! And I thought I was the one who Misfires!"