keepin' tabs

пряники (prjaniki)

Favorite new treat: Russian "gingerbreads."Prjaniki are a traditional cookie extending all the way back to the ancient Slavonic tribes! They used honey back then, before sugar was around. Today they still make some with honey, called medovije prjaniki (honey gingerbreads). I like the kind with fruity jam inside (below).

Blogging: maybe and if so, half-assedly.

I'm considering writing a blog about my experiences in Tartu, Estonia. Because this task seems daunting and stressful, I have to establish some blogging principles:

1) The principle of non-commitment: I can bail at any time, including after this first entry.
2) The principle of irregularity: There will be no coherent system or logic to this blog, unless it emerges spontaneously.
3) The principle of inaesthetics: I may indefinitely avoid choosing a pretty layout or uploading any pictures.

Whew, that was a lot. I need to wind down with some tea now. Speaking of tea, it has become an integral part of my life since I moved here, integral in the sense of being responsible for holding the rest of my life together. Here's what was on the top of the list after googling "integral definition."

in·te·gral/ˈintigrəl/

Adjective:	Necessary to make complete; essential or fundamental: "integral sections".
Noun:	A function of which a given function is the derivative, i.e., which yields that function when differentiated, and which may express the...
Synonyms:	whole - complete - entire - total - full - integrant

I also have a favorite mug that gives me a sense of home. I found it in the dorm when I moved in and claimed it immediately. I am so afraid of losing it to flatmates that it stays in my room on my desk at all times. I provided a picture. It says "vitamin"and it's bright yellow on the inside, which is the best part, but it has tea in it right now.

Thanks for reading. I might write about Tartu sometime.