Posted by Josefina
This is the weather forecast for next week in my corner (read ‘igloo’) of the planet Earth. In Russia igloo is «иглу». This is not a Russian word, even though Russia is a cold country. One knows that some words are not Russian words by the way they’re written. If a word ends on an «и» but isn’t plural, like for example «такси» [taxi], then that’s a clear sign of that its etymology isn’t Slavic. Or when a word ends on «о», as if it was a classic neuter, but then it doesn’t change in different cases, like «метро» [subway], and you know you’ve met one of them ‘foreigners’ in the Russian language. This goes for «иглу», which doesn’t change in any of the cases.
I have sent out a wish to «Дед Мороз» this year about the only thing I want for «Новый Год» (since in Russia they celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January, and then without any gifts, and as they say - when in Rome…). I want этимологический словарь [an etymological dictionary]. It’s the only thing I don’t have in my life, and the only thing I can honestly say that I truly, deeply, really need. If I had such a dictionary then I could look up all sorts of words and find out where they came from and how they changed through the centuries and I’m sure that then, right then, with that dictionary, I would be happy. And my life would be fulfilled 
What can I say; I did after all grow up in a Western Capitalistic Country…
Posted by Josefina
It seems that the people behind this weather service are not too familiar with Russian climate. (Or have their own special convictions regarding it.) I would advise them not exaggerate in this manner [since it might just hit -30 next week] but instead use a picture of a bear wearing a fur hat, holding on to a bottle of the trustworthy 40%…
Until I moved to Russia - and even more so after arriving in Siberia - I never knew the strength and power and glory of «колготки» [pantyhose; or just plain ol' tights]. This word is plural, and only in plural (perhaps because there’s two legs to each pair, or because it is just that - a pair - but hey, what do I know?), so the genitive form will be «колготок». In Russia tights can be a true life-saver. In my collection of tights I have tights for all kinds of weather. I could actually make f scale of my tights according to their ‘heat factor’ if I wanted to and had an extra 30 minutes. Tonight I woke up from being too cold, and I figured it was minus 20 outside, which would make the temperature in my dormitory room on the corner of the building about 10 above Celsius. Straight away, though hardly awake, I knew what kind of tights was needed. I got up and put on a pair under my pajamas pants - my choice was the next to warmest kind, because the warmest are so thick that it would make me sweat, and waking up sweating is almost as bad as waking up from being cold. I almost went back to bed after this, but then I remember something wise I had heard from old people - when it is cold, wear a hat. Because 80% of the body’s heat leaves through the head, wise old people have told me.
It is early in the morning and outside my window it is dark, but the snow is pure and white and new and sparkling in the glow from the street lights. I love early Russian winter mornings, when you walk through the new snow, when it is softly crushed underneath your shoes, and the white air that leaves your mouth looks like cotton candy, and everyone is cold and rushing somewhere long before dawn… And there’s ice and frost on the windows of the buses, and you can only see people in there through the wholes in the frost that they’ve made with the heat from their hands. And everyone’s wearing fur coats and fur hats and after a while you notice that you’ve got white frost on the tips of your eyelashes…
I love the Russian winter. This year it arrived one month later than usually, but that’s nothing, that’s alright, that’s okay - I’m all about forgiveness. Especially now that the snow is here!
)
I was just commenting on the fact that the term itself is a problematic one, in the context of what I said about Jews reading the Christian Bible. Sorry if I was unclear."
