Uninspired and overcommitted

For some reason, 2008 hasn't inspired me to write about anything in this space. Oh, I've been following events and collecting links for posts, they just never get written. Sometimes my would-be posts end up as addenda (also known as comments) elsewhere. So, in lieu of a post requiring any thought or research, and in order to avoid having January pass without anything new here, I'm posting a few photos from our summer '06 sojourn to Odessa and points thereabout. The full photoset from that day can be seen here.

Guy selling every imaginable type of light bulb at the 7th Kilometer Market
(officially the Avangard Market - read a great NYT article about the market here).

Кафе-Бар "Ё-Моё," Privoz Market.
The name is a phrase which means something like "Aw, Shucks," in the sense
that it's a euphemism for a commonly used vulgar expression. The window advertises
"assorted ice cream," "cold beer" and "hot dogs." We did not sample the fare.

I don't pretend to know Ukrainian, but I'm guessing the truck is labeled "Live Fish."
Also from the Privoz market. Read more about the market here.

In the beach/resort area of Zatoka, near the Karolino-Bugaz and Limanskaya train stations.
The yellow posters are promoting some sort of adult entertainment -
the sign says "Happy Titties Await You."

Beach in the area of Zatoka. The sign says (in Russian),
"Do not swim past the place indicated by the buoys."

The bulletin board of a "база отдыха" (recreation center, lit. "base of rest") named Micron -
the name is no doubt a relic from the Soviet era when some Research Institute's
employees and their families enjoyed one free trip per year to the Black Sea.
Now anyone can book a vacation there!