Ultra Slavonic

Poor George and Laura! :)))) But I always thought that only men are supposed to remove their gloves, so maybe it's only George... Anyway, I'm sure no one notices such things now, unless you're a president :)) Besides, in Russia it isn't very common for women to shake hands at all, except for formal occasions. I think it's different from both Europe and the US. That is, if, for example, a guy is introduced to me and some male friend of mine in an informal situation, he will definitely shake hands with the other guy, but probably not with me (just saying "nice to meet you" is enough); if a girl is introduced, she will not shake hands with anyone. But maybe this is changing now, as people are becoming more westernized.

Kev, your prose is as witty as ever. And I didn't know you could ice skate.

As for the glove thing, well, dag nab it and yeeeHAW! In Texas, we call shaking hands with our gloves on "shaking hands." > Shaking hands without a glove on is a way to spread bio-terrorism, and then al-Quaida would win. Either you shake hands with your gloves on with us, or you shake hands without your gloves on against us.

(To the casual reader, please note I am neither from Texas, nor do I believe one should always shake hands with his or her gloves on.)

On shaking hands: There isn't total equality in the sexes in the US either. Cross-gender handshakes, so to speak, are universal in the workplace but not as common in social situations.

Here I'm never quite sure what to do when meeting a woman, so I usually let her make the first move. (Hmm, that seems to be my general strategy with women, actually!) The handshake can go along with a kiss on the cheek, which is a habit rarely found among Americans, especially those of my generation.

This is all good material for a message on perceptions of feminism in America, which I'm preparing now in time for March 8.

Jou, I found that ice skating in Russia is more difficult because rinks here are usually outdoors, with a section of a park flooded and allowed to freeze. Skating uphill is a bit of a challenge. You also need to watch out for obstacles like trees and piles of snow.

On equality and shaking hands, strange that you say that because it seems to me that Americans always want to shake your hand when you meet them - and as I'm not quite used to it, I always hesitate for a split second before accepting the handshake, which must look really idiotic :)) I like the idea of equality, but it's so hard to change your ways, like not to expect men to hold the door for you, and so on :)))

Well, Americans do always want to shake your hand, but travel guides to the Northern Europe (including Holland and maybe Germany) always tell you not to be surprised if women and even children offer to shake your hand right away. So, in my opinion, gender differences are stronger in the US than in Northern Europe ... which is why I'm always surprised about Russians remarks about feminism in America.

Ack, I'm giving away all my material for my March 8th post!