Okay, I won't mention the war.

The weather here is surprisingly terrible. We had a full 24 hours of snow and now we have freezing winds and sub-zero temperatures. It's nearly April!

Started a new group of students this week, upper-intermediate level, which I inherited from our departed Canadian. The only phrasal verb they know is 'fuck off'...

My flatmate is convinced his new girlfriend is a spy. I think he may be right. So there is a general air of paranoia in our flat...

The first post for over a week, I'm sorry, our network has been down.

Last Saturday I went with a few other teachers to a club at Ulitsa 1905 Goda called Tochka, to celebrate, yes, St. Patricks Day. This is fast becoming a very important Russian holiday, though I'm not quite sure why.

Tochka is a big club that looks like a converted barn, though I'm sure it's not as you don't find many barns in central Moscow. And as with most Moscow clubs, it took us an hour to queue up to get in, another half an hour to put our coats in the cloak room, and then when we entered the club itself it was only half-full. Get a system, people.

Anyway. The main attraction of the evening was, and I quote, a number of 'Keltski Rock' bands playing. Keltski rock, if you are wondering, sounds a lot like the lead singer from Rammstein backed with the population of Summer Isle from the Wicker Man. Or death metal with fiddles, as you prefer.

Also, very bizarrely, ran into five of my old students from Obninsk. This is now the second time that this has happened, and while it does make me look very popular - every time I go clubbing I get jumped on by gangs of teenage girls, often literally - it is quite disconcerting. As was meeting a girl who went to uni with my brother, which I don't think has ever happened before.

It's snowing here, for the first time in two weeks. So it doesn't really feel like spring! At least it's not cold, somewhat above freezing.

Another four-day week... ho-hum.

Went to a party on Friday, hosted by Kostya and held in his one-bedroom flat. He managed to fit around 25 people in it which is quite impressive, as only eight people live in this flat usually! Yes, eight! Only!

Anyway, turned up late as I had been working in Mitino, while Kostya lives in Vykhino (check the map, it's a long way). Trust me, bursting in on a room of 25 Russians who have already been drinking for four hours, on a holiday weekend, is an interesting experience.

Woke up next to a fat, snoring Russian with no idea of where I was, or who he was, another interesting experience. The next thing I knew, some girl was offering me chocolates, something I still find quite inexplicable.

On Saturday went to a restaurant called Yolki-Palki, which is the Russian equivalent of a Harvester, if you can imagine such a thing. It's not at all bad, and they are popping up everywhere. Can't complain.

Sunday, Monday, did nothing. Knackered.

Another three-day weekend this weekend, as it's International Women's Day. All these days off are really disrupting my timetable... life is hard. But... International Women's Day - which other countries celebrate it? I'd love to know. Probably the Ukraine, and Georgia, and that's about it.

Talking of disrupted timetables, my groups are changing around a lot at the moment as Trevor the Canadian has gone back to Canada. Also Jamie is ill so it's only really me and Anthony holding down the fort in our little corner of Moscow.

Lots of adminy stuff too recently. We have just had a quality control exercise, which I seem to have made it through. And next week I'm getting observed, just to check I'm not a totally duff teacher. So if I'm back in England in a week's time you'll know why! No, I'm not too worried.

Found a great electronics market in the west of Moscow called Gorbushka. Actually, it was recommended to me but it really is colossal, 1200 little shops and stalls (it's indoors) full of pirate CDs and just random stuff. You can even buy English-language NMEs... well, I know this will interest precisely no-one, it doesn't even count as an anecdote but I felt I should write something.