Ukrainian Month Names: a colorful, nature-based calendar

January : Січень (“Sih-chen”)
Named for the tiny, sharp, wind-driven snowflakes that feel like they are
cutting the skin of your face.

February Лютий  (“Lyoo-tiy”)
лютий means “furious”- a reference to the final storms of winter

March Березень
  (“Byer-eh-zyen“)
This is the month when the fresh leaves of spring appear on the березень-birch
trees.

April Квітень
  (“Kvih-ten”)
“Flowers”
 (“Trah-ven”)
“Grass”

May Травень

 (“Trah-ven”)

“Grass”

June Червень
 (“Chyer-ven“)
Named after Porphyrophora polonica, the Polish cochineal scale insect. These bugs were
once common in the sandy soils of Central Europe. The larvae form subterranean
cysts on the roots of host plants, which were harvested in pre-industrial times to
make an economically important reddish-purple dye.

July Липень
 (“Lee-pen”)
When linden trees bloom, producing a ubiquitous lime-honeysuckle scent.

August Серпень
 (“Syer-pen”)
Harvest month- this word means “sickle”, seen in the Soviet hammer and sickle
emblem.

September Вересень
 (“Vyer-eh-sen“)
Named for the purple erica flowers sold in street kiosks in early fall.

October Жовтень
(“Zhyov-ten”)
“Yellow”- for the yellow leaves of autumn.

November Листопад
 (“Listo-pahd“)
“Falling leaves”

December грудень (“Grood-en”)
Named for груда- the small lumps of frozen soil that form
as temperatures fall.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry Expands Medical Eligibility Rules for Military Service

 On Sept 3, the Defense Ministry of Ukraine amended its list of medical conditions which exempt citizens from military service. Individuals with the following conditions are now considered fir for service: 

- clinically cured TB

- clinically cured hepatitis

- slowly progressing blood diseases

- slowly progressing CNS disorders

- minor thyroid issues

- HIV+ and asymptomatic

-mild mental and neurotic disorders

Mushroom Season in the Uinta Mountains!

 It might be a slow wildfire season... but the heavy snows and abundant rains of 2023 have made for an excellent mushroom crop in the Uinta Mountains!

I chose an area with a high 2-week rainfall total, northeast aspect, and mixed aspen-conifer canopy to seek out these beauties!

Above: Wolf's Milk- Lycogala epidendrum

This is actually a slime mold, not a fungi!

Above: A wee puffball. Puffballs are edible; one just needs to be sure they are white and smooth inside- not the dark interior color of the poison pigskin puffball. And, most importantly, it can be easy to mistake a developing deathcap mushroom for a puffball, if one is not careful. Cut the puffball in half and ensure the flesh is smooth and monotonous, with no curving shapes of developing gills inside. It's always best to go foraging with an experienced myco-enthusiast if you're new!

Above: Honey mushrooms. Armillaria solipedus ("solid foot"). It's a good idea to avoid gilled mushrooms if you're a novice collector. However, honey mushrooms are one of the more easily identified species. They tend to grow on old rotted stumps or infected trees, and are actually one of the most aggressive pathogens of western forests. The largest living organism on earth is an Armillaria, in Oregon's Malheur National Forest. This fungus is distinguished by a cap and stipe that appears to have been sprinkled with cinnamon, decurrent gills (they run slightly down onto the stipe), and a ring (remnants of a veil which covered the developing gills, which is visible as a white ring around the upper stipe). Honey mushrooms are edible, but should be well cooked and never eaten raw or consumed with alcohol.

Chanterelles. This choice edible can be differentiated from its toxic look alike Jack O'Lantern in several ways. Chanterelles tend to be egg-yolk yellow, small (1-2" across), grow singly or in small clusters, have a scent of apricots, and have "false gills" which are thick, often branch, and do not bend as easily under pressure as true gills. Jack O'Lanterns can cause stomach upset if consumed. They are bright pumpkin-orange, tend to grow in larger clusters, can be 2-5" across, and have knife-edged gills, which bend sideways under pressure from a finger.

Porcini, or King Bolete, Boletus edulis. Recently named Utah State Mushroom, this is a choice edible and fairly easy to identify. Specimens tend to have a yellow-to-bun-brown cap and thick, white stipe. Spore prints are yellow-green. This is a pored mushroom, which spongy tissue, rather than gills or teeth, on the underside of the cap. Porcini have a fish-net textured tissue called reticulation on the stipe. Never eat a bolete that tastes spicy or bruises blue- these are features of non-edible genuses.

 

My Favorite Russian Poem

Дон Аминадо "Города и годы"               "Cities and Years" by Dom Aminado  

Старый Лондон пахнет ромом, Жестью, дымом и туманом, Но и этот запах может Стать единственно желанным. Ослепительный Неаполь, Весь пронизанный закатом, Пахнет мулями и слизью, Тухлой рыбой и канатом. Город Гамбург пахнет снедью, Лесом, бочками и жиром, И гнетущим, вездесущим, Знаменитым добрым сыром. А Севилья пахнет кожей, Кипарисом и вервеной, И прекрасной чайной розой, Несравнимой, несравненной. Вечных запахов Парижа Только два. Они все те же: Запах жареных каштанов И фиалок запах свежий. Есть чем вспомнить в поздний вечер, Когда мало жить осталось, То, чем в жизни этой бренной Сердце жадно надышалось!.. Но один есть в мире запах И одна есть в мире нега: Это русский зимний полдень, Это русский запах снега. Лишь его не может вспомнить Сердце, помнящее много. И уже толпятся тени У последнего порога.

Old London smells like rum  Tin, smoke and fog,  But this smell  Be the only one you want.  Dazzling Naples,  All permeated by the sunset  Smells like mules and slime  Rotten fish and rope.  The city of Hamburg smells of food,  Forest, barrels and fat,  And oppressive, omnipresent,  Famous good cheese.  And Seville smells like leather  Cypress and vervain  And a beautiful tea rose  Incomparable, incomparable.  Eternal smells of Paris  Only two.  They are all the same:  The smell of roasted chestnuts  And violets smell fresh.  There is something to remember in the late evening,  When there is little left to live  What in this mortal life  My heart was greedy!..  But there is one smell in the world  And there is one in the world of bliss:  It's a Russian winter afternoon  This is the Russian smell of snow.  Only he can't remember  A heart that remembers a lot.  And the shadows are already creeping in  At the last threshold.

Zelensky: "We Are Still Here"

 In this self-recorded video, broadcast in the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky asserts that he and his government are staying in Kiev. On the night this was filmed, Russian forces had cut off Kiev from Western Ukraine, had seized key areas north of the city, and were trying to push south to seize the capitol. "I'm here" Zelensky says. Zelensky also reportedly answered a US evacuation offer with, "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."

More Sharing Economy… Driving Uber vs Lyft in DC

LYFT COUPON CODE:                VIRGINIA147995
Good for a free ride for new Lyft passengers, or $750 sign-on bonus for new Lyft drivers

UBER COUPON CODE:                   KKE8S 
Good for a free ride for new Uber passengers, or $500 sign-on bonus for new drivers who are already Lyft drivers/other sign-on bonuses vary by city

So, after applying for Uber a month ago and going through the background check twice (they forgot to check my old out of state license, so it looked like I had only been driving a car for a few months and Uber initially denied my application), I was finally hired this week.

Here’s how driving for Uber vs Lyft compares down here.  Below info is based on driving between 5am-2am, 7 days a week, in Downtown, NOMA, Foggy Bottom, Cathedral Heights ,around Howard U, Arlington, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, College Park, and Silver Springs

Lyft                                                                                                                            Uber                                                                                   

Base fares are maybe 3-5% higher than Uber                                   Base fare 3-5% lower than Lyft

Tips average 8-10% on top of fare                                                    Uber discourages tipping

Average drive time to rider is 4-10 min                                       Average drive time to rider is 2-6 min

Occasionally there are 25% surges.  Higher surges are rare.              Very common surges 20%-290%

Surges have a tendency to end before you can move into an area.     Surges tend to last long enough                                                                                                                                                 to reach

There aren’t a whole lot of predictable, every day surges.         Uber DC surges 1/3 to ½ the day,                                                                                                          often at rush hour, during rain and events

Average wait time between rides is 5-10 min                      Average wait time between rides 0.5-4 min

Riders are often friendly and chatty                                         Riders more likely to play/talk on cell

Current sign on bonus is $750                                                  Sign on bonus for Lyft drivers is $500

$1500/wk guaranteed for 1^st 4 weeks if drive 50hrs                          No current earnings guarantees

10-20% weekly bonus available, but it is a pain in the butt to get      No weekly bonuses currently

So, the long and short of it is that its very worth it to sign up for both Lyft and Uber for the signup bonuses.  After that, expect to make roughly $10-$25/hr before income tax. 

Now that I have Uber I almost never turn the Lyft app on.  It is better to immediately get an Uber fare, than to wait for a Lyft fare, and then drive a longer distance to pick them up.  For rideshare drivers, bigger is better.  Lyft does do a 20% bonus, but to get it, you have to take almost every request (even if it means driving, unpaid, 25min to get to the request), and you need to be driving for Lyft during all those peak hours when Uber is surging to 50-250%.. not worth it at the moment.  Another thing I’ve noticed about Lyft is that about 20% of my requests get cancelled after I’ve driven towards them for a couple minutes…. Then I don’t get paid.  On the other hand, Uber has given an inaccurate location on about 30% of my fares so far, resulting in wasted time, unpaid driving, and aggravation for everyone involved.

One thing Lyft is nice for is slow times during midday… running both apps at once increases chances of getting a fare without a long wait time.

Lyft and Uber have been a great gig so far… giving me the ability to earn a comfortable income, but still travel or take an hour or a day off, at any moment that I wish.

Yea sharing economy!



LYFT COUPON CODE:                VIRGINIA147995
Good for a free ride for new Lyft passengers, or $750 sign-on bonus for new Lyft drivers

UBER COUPON CODE:                   KKE8S
Good for a free ride for new Uber passengers, or $500 sign-on bonus for new drivers who are already Lyft drivers/other sign-on bonuses vary by city