I spent most of my teen years away from Russia but Moscow was my home. I was studying abroad — first in the US, then England — but would be back In Moscow for every school break. I missed Moscow during my boarding school years and missed it even more…

I don’t know if this game has a name. We started last night and it escalated quickly. I arrived in Florida from California, my wife met me at the airport Fort in Lauderdale, we drove home and went straight to dinner — it was my Mom’s sixty third birthday. On…

I started what I call “structured” running in the spring of 2020, the year of the pandemic. Structured means running consistently and with variety. I often reminisce about the spring and summer of that year. Running became my unbreakable and uncompromising habit, but I struggle to remember how exactly it…

The other day my eighteen-year-old son and I were discussing something totally unpolitical — our housing rental search. My son just graduated from high school and had time to join me on most viewings; he was learning to drive so these trips were convenient occasions for him to practice. Usually…

I’m not a cynical person, and there is no gloominess in my character. Well, it’s a strange mix. I’m a very happy ever-optimistic introvert, on the one hand. On the other hand, when I come across weddings (as one example), whether in real life or on social media, I often…

Probably. I am leaving a chance. But so far, in my thirteen years in the country, I haven’t gotten close. I experienced the country intimately, its different coasts and the middle, across four decades, so this is not a note from a tourist but an immigrant who calls the country…

Friday morning. I took my son to school, came home, and went back to bed — I didn’t sleep well at night. Got up at 9.50, which is very late for me, and had breakfast. Started feeling a very subtle discomfort while eating. Took my laptop and started working, half…

I’m not humble about my writing skills — they’re fine. And I like writing. Though I’m fluent in English, there is no question that it’s my second language. I learned it in my mid-teens, and I speak with a slight accent. There is no “accent” in writing, but I still…

Go-all-in. Having Plan B is bad because you’re allowing for the possibility of failure. Watch this video by Arnold Schwarzenegger. I disagree. I failed a few times and think you should have plan B. You should assume failure. In fact, in some circumstances, your Plan B should be your most…