Happy birthday to you!!

Nice! Great job on passing your exams and courses. :)

Oh, I see. Is it expected in Russia/Russian culture to be close to family when attending uni and pursuing a career? I suppose most families would want their child to be close to home, but I decided to move to uni seven hours away.

haha, yeah, I don't think much about cars, either. :p I'm happy with a modest and economical car, too. But retro cars are indeed nice! (And I kind of have a thing for Jeep Wranglers, lol.) :)

I will have to read "Tender In the Night" now; the only book I have read by Fitzgerald is The Great Gatsby (which, by the way, the movie will be out soon!) I am currently reading "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle (spiritual book, haha) and I have many more books to read this summer, including philosophy books by Rollo Mays, "Nature" by R.W. Emerson, and books by Carl Sagan and Richard Dawkins.

Lol, I also have a few psychology books I did not finish reading for my courses. And yes, Freud's theories, especially about dreams, are interesting, but I tend to like Jung's theories more. Have you read a lot of psychology and sociology books for your studies? Are there any books you recommend? I read "Don't Believe Everything You Think" for my research methods class, and "The Lucifer Effect" for social psychology, which are both great books.

How was the Cosmopolis premiere? It hasn't released it in the U.S. yet, but I'm not sure if I would like it. I haven't seen many movies with Robert Pattinson in it, to be honest! I just saw Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, and it was great! I don't watch a lot of movies, but I like Christian Bale's acting (have you seen him in The Machinist?), as well as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jenna Malone, Adrien Brody, and Keira Knightley.What other actors and movies do you like?

Regards,
Michelle

That's okay, Den. You must've been busy with exams and studying! How did they go? :)

And isn't it nice to finally be on vacation? Is your school far from your native city/hometown? (Do you visit home often while you're in uni?) That's great that you're getting your license! :) You must be excited to also get a car, haha. Any car in particular that you'd like?

Glad to hear that you also read 1984! It is indeed a great book (I need to reread it, actually). I have not heard of "Tender In the Night"; what is it about?

Sadly, I haven't read any books for fun this whole school year, actually. Reading the books required for my classes takes up a lot of my time, but I am currently reading on Freud, Jung, and "Inner Work" (dream analysis) for my psychology summer course. It's a good book if you're interested in dreams.

My vacation has been great, although I wish I didn't have to take summer school, haha. I'll be done in 2 weeks, so I'll still have 2 months to go home and spend time with friends and family. How is your vacation going so far? Any plans?

Regards,
Michelle

Wow! Then you have a lot of time to study for different classes/exams. I wish it was like that here, but sometimes, we have 2 or more exams in one day. (Our final exams are all within one week.) Well, good luck with your exams then. :)

As for me, I am doing good. I just finished exams and school last week. Now I have three months of summer break/vacation (school starts late September). But I have decided to take summer school the month of July. Not much else is new, except I just got a new job on-campus, moving to a new house near campus/school, and I'm planning on tutoring to middle school students for a class in October.

How have you been? What's new? I'm sorry we haven't caught each other online on Skype yet.

Best,
Michelle

Hey, Den, how have you been? :) Is your school year over, and if so, how were final exams?

hehe how r u ? :>

hi :P nice meet u ^^

That's great that you read a lot of different foreign books; I will surely ask you for Russian and foreign book suggestions some time, haha.

And I did not know that. Interesting fact.

Ah, I see. Yes, in the US, not all workers get paid vacation, either. I believe the average paid days off are two weeks (excluding national holidays) annually in the US. But most places don't give time off between Christmas and New Year's, especially if you're working in a minimum wage job..

Anyway, sounds like a lot of fun during the holidays over there; it sounds so festively celebrated, haha. That's great. Do you guys watch a certain place on TV where everyone counts down the minutes til the New Year? In the US, a lot of people watch the ball drop in Times Square (in New York), and my family and I usually watch it on TV. This year, I want to celebrate with my friends, too, maybe party or go to the club or something, haha, but we will see. They usually celebrate with their family, as well.

Haha, that's good to know. Lol, it looked unfamiliar and out of place with English, so I wasn't sure. :p

I'll have to add them to my movie list; thanks for the suggestions, haha.

Ah, yes, I figured that the literature requirements are different in Russia (like I'm sure it is in many countries). If you have the time, though, I do recommend rereading "The Great Gatsby." :) And I've heard great reviews about "Crime and Punishment," and I plan on reading it..perhaps this summer, haha. That is cool how you try to read different American books, although I am not a fan of Twilight, lol. But to each his own. :p Is Twilight popular over there like it is in the US?

Well, I guess I was early in wishing you Happy Holidays, lol. I did not know that in Russia (and other countries) Christmas was in January, so please excuse my ignorance. How do you and your family celebrate Christmas and the New Year, if you don't mind me asking? What is the holiday season like in Russia?

Ps. Is "рфв" a Russian word? Lol. I was confused reading your sentence.

oh no there's nothing ..
I just wanted to say hello to you alone