Month: January 2016

Translation Difficulties. I would never have guessed that Head of Household in the U.S. tax system refers to an unmarried person (or one living apart from their spouse for a prolonged period) who has dependents (for example, children), rather than the head of a family.

Day two. Stood in line at the Social Security office to get a Social Security Number. Although we’re in a good neighborhood, the crowd was diverse and very large. I waited one and a half hours for a number ticket, and another one and a half hours to be called. In response, they gave me a piece of paper barely resembling a document, stating that my SSN application was accepted, and everything should be processed within 2 weeks.

Almost wandered into the Thinkgeek office. It’s right next door to the Social Security Administration. I should order something from them, since that’s the case.

At work, 100% of the people around me are English speakers. Overall, there has been quite a drastic transformation – since January 2nd, not a single person I knew before has appeared around me. I mean, everything is new, including the people around me.

I live in the city of Vienna, a suburb of Washington. It’s like our Reutov, only… According to the 2013 CNN/Money and Money magazine rating, Vienna is ranked third in the U.S. for best living conditions. http://time.com/money/2791413/vienna-va-3-best-places-to-live/ But with its own features: housing here is among the most expensive in the U.S., and so are the taxes.

So far, I haven’t held cash in my hands. I think it’s possible to live here forever on cards (credit cards), if it weren’t for one thing – laundromats operate on coins. I still have some clean clothes left, but it seems I need to start looking for coins tomorrow.

The workday starts early, but it also ends early. It’s eight in the evening now, and it has been quiet for three hours. The silence is deafening. Well, three hours ago “there was almost no one”, and now there is absolutely no one. It’s unusual. But it’s very peaceful to work.

View from Washington

http://wpo.st/E5c11

Lebanese Taverna: McLean, VA

https://www.swarmapp.com/r_aliev/checkin/568b15ef498eb62e100848d8?s=L8mQeuTebSMhe00LfxbBdewcuiI&ref=fb&source=openGraph

As my Facebook network becomes more international, some of my posts will be in English and they will be restricted to American friends/colleagues (via Facebook friend lists functionality). My posts in Russian will be restricted as well.

Dear American/UK friends, please let me know by sending a personal message if you are English speakers and my posts in Russian mean nothing to you. I’ll add you to the Facebook list 😉

They warned of traffic jams. I reached the office in five minutes, and there were plenty of parking spots in the covered parking area.

My direct phone number in the USA is +1 (571) 352-90-42. Calls to it will be forwarded from +7 (906) 710-56-10.

Texts from the Russian number are not forwarded anywhere, so I do not even have the opportunity to read them.

Saw an interesting installation from the street in a deserted office, seems like premarabank in the warnerbuilding. It looks like it uses the effect of semi-transparent mirrors.

Seeking advice on a digital piano – if anyone from my contacts could be tagged in this post, I’d be grateful.

Today I found this model for sale at Christine’s piano (used): http://www.nwpianogallery.com/YamahaCLW14.html (the model in the photo looks very similar)

It appears to have wooden keys even. Excellent condition. Sounds rather good, played on it.

Priced at $700 – includes everything from a quality (but used) piano bench to delivery.

But – the year of manufacture is unclear (will check, the model was produced from 1989 to 2008), and yes, it weighs 86 kg. Won’t be surprised if it has a tube amplifier inside)

Here are some other specifications: http://www.pandahi.com/1005915727.html. It has MIDI outputs. Anyone familiar with this model or know someone who might be?

Alternative – Yamaha YDP-142, with which I would receive 100% support. However, it’s not easy to find one for $700 at the moment.

@[100001260941134:2048:Anton Brejestovski] @[100000569108009:2048:Ivan Shapovalov] @[100000049103611:2048:Andrey Grozniy]

In the states, McDonald’s is different. I seem to have miscalculated with a small snack (for scale, that’s a 0.5L coffee in the background).