-
Disclaimer
Though this journal is dedicated to a totally fictional person who is not connected in any way to the real Amanda L. Sloat, PhD and all, the author has to confess that real Amanda is also beautiful and cool and clever and cultured and blah-blah and patriotic and God Bless America.
In spite of the real Amanda's point of view to politics as a major ( Read more... ) -
The Genesis
For me writing about love in English is like kissing through a pillow. No matter how much feeling or energy it involves all you get is the dusty aftertaste of your own stupidity.
But I have to - because she does not read Cyrillic.
So now we are back to Amanda. She was not actually born. They (I mean the Rayburn Office’s janitors Jose and Carmensita) ( Read more... ) -
First Amanda
In 1981 I was called up. I wanted to serve my duty in Afghanistan. I had nothing personal against Afghan people but I was so bored by the idiocy of Communism and by my pathetic life as a no-good skid-row youngster that Afghanistan seemed like a very nice time. Islamic fighters at that nice time fought on the American side. In between the battles ( Read more... ) -
A Gloomy One
Politics is a cocktail of filth, blood and dandruff. Remove the dandruff and you’ll get more blood in the potion. Add some filth - and the dandruff ingredient will prevail. It is as obvious as the fact that armies everywhere are headed by idiots. Sometimes honest and brave but still idiots, because they kill people they’ve never met before on the ( Read more... ) -
Yitzhak
The owner of “Amanda’s”, Yitzhak, once said to me that Jews and Russians are very much alike. “Both cultures are guilt-driven and nobody likes us including ourselves”. I think he was right. After all I have never met anyone cleverer than Yitzhak.
“The European civilization”, Yitzhak continued, “is based on reason and reality. And the principle ‘I ( Read more... ) -
America
All my childhood I adored America. My father was a fan of VOA and Radio Liberty. I worshiped Huckleberry Finn and Elvis. Actually I thought that all Americans were heroes, cowboys and frontier men.
Yitzhak was the first human being I ever met who had visited the US. His son lived in New York. And when I asked Yitzhak how it was in America he put it ( Read more... ) -
Sloat
The meaning of “sloat” is defined by One Look dictionary as: “rock pool, puddle; cessation (of rain)”. This word is of Gallic origin. As for surnames in America you can find approximately 3000 Sloats. Some of them are famous like Bill Sloat. Some are just sloats - like all of us - just puddles on the rocks of life. -
John's Speech
While Amanda was teaching herself politics in Edinburgh I was picking tomatoes in West Sussex. My newspaper sent me to write an article about how illegal immigrants work in England. The greenhouse firm I worked for was titled “John Hall Nurseries”. I was making ₤200 a week there.
John Hall was a nice guy. He liked drinking and dirty jokes.
I wrote an ( Read more... ) -
In the Army
The first six weeks in Specnaz they usually try to beat the shit out of you. In such situations you have two options - to become a speechless and obedient animal or fight back, taking the risk of being beaten to death.
It took three weeks for me to start fighting back. At that time I was already very close to the animal position.
It happened in our ( Read more... ) -
Victory Above the Eyebrows
Once I won a gubernatorial election campaign for a client for the price of two vodka bottles and a jar of black caviar. It was in the very far northern region of Russia. We had no chance due to my client’s financial disabilities and because the rivaling figure was an incumbent governor who controlled the local press and had the support of a major ( Read more... )