Yer very ‘eavy, very ‘umble servant finally landed up in Mordor yesterday, which is where I write this to note that, for the next couple of weeks, I am officially on holiday. It is a very badly needed holiday, at that – I originally planned to head off in early May, but I had to defer that due to project work, and then things got very intense for the next 8 weeks. I am genuinely very tired, especially as, just prior to my trip here to Russia, I had travelled for a short conference – and then, the same day that I got back home, I had to run around and get organised for my trip out to the Shadow Lands.

Due in equal parts to time constraints, internet restrictions – which are ferocious here in Russia, though you can get around them – and of course just plain general laziness, poasting will therefore be quite limited until I get back. Maintaining this site is effectively a second job, on top of an existing and quite demanding one.

There might be a few poasts here and there as I clear some mental cobwebs, but for the most part, things will be quiet.

Moreover, it is getting more challenging to find useful things to write about that people actually want to read, which is a big part of the reason why things have fallen off for some time now. One does not need to read the billionth “Ukraine is WINNING!!!/LOSING!!!” poast on teh innarwebz, after all.

Upon my return, I hope to provide a more comprehensive readout of how things are in Russia, as I plan to do some travelling in the country while I am here. (This may or may not happen – my schedule here is not entirely my own.) However, I can immediately say that life in Moscow, at least, is resoundingly NORMAL. I am in a very ordinary part of Moscow, not wealthy or near any major military installations, and I can confidently state that you get no sense whatsoever of a war on, other than recruitment posters and banners that showcase heroes of the SMO. There are no soldiers on the streets; the police presence is no different from what I remember of previous trips; and there is not the least sense of drama or trouble. The recent drone attacks on Moscow have made zero difference whatsoever to the life of the city.

Life in Russia is, in other words, pretty damn good – provided you are Russian and you know how to navigate life here. The Russians have a profoundly different set of systems than in the West, and that makes adapting to life here very difficult for foreigners – trust me on this, I know, having lived in Russia for 8 months during the Scamdemic, and having visited it nearly a dozen times.

Anyway, for now, this is Didact, signing off, as I go to learn how to play the balalaika from a local friendly bear.