I keep meaning to tell you about Blueberry, but I just spent the last two hours writing an email to the editor I met last week, so I'm going to be lazy and cut and paste that instead. It's a brainstormed list of article ideas. If you were about to move to Moscow, what would you care about?

Dear [Mr. Ed],

I hope you had a good weekend. I've brainstormed some article ideas, both expat- and science-oriented. Please tell me if any sound promising.

Expats:

-a guide to kiosks. What's good to eat? Who frequents them? What's the etiquette involved? What on earth is "Hooch"?

-markets. Where does the food come from? Who runs the stalls? If they're not Russian, is their job threatened by new immigration regulations?

-Who, among Muscovites, are learning English and why?

-If you live in a block of flats, odds are you've heard drilling and hammering at all hours as your neighbors remont their flat. What's the philosophy behind all the home repairs? How/why do people do it? Where do they get the supplies? Are trends changing as capitalism and prosperity set in?

-Starbucks is opening soon. What made them decide to enter the coffee market here? Could coffee-to-go culture take root in Moscow? (My students are always amused when my bright green travel mug shows up on my desk).

-I read that there's a guided tour starting near Patriarch's Pond at midnight on weekends, all about the Master and Margarita. I'm almost finished reading the book, and am curious about the tour.

-I miss peanut butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, brownie mix...where, if anywhere, are these things to be found? What do they cost? What are acceptable substitutes?

-A Russian expat and Moscow State University alum taught a class at my college called "Communism and its Aftermath." She spent some time back in Moscow recently, with her American husband and newborn daughter. What's her perspective on how the city's changed? What does she miss about Russia? What's life like on the flipside of expat-hood?


Science ideas:

-Russia's Druzhba oil pipeline is the longest in the world. It stretches from eastern Russia through much of Europe and the Middle East. Recently, it has been at the center of Russia and Belarus' energy disputes. What is the daily operation of the pipeline like? What were the challenges of constructing the segments that run through the permafrost of Siberia? How much maintainance does it require? Where exactly does the oil come from?

-The International Science and Technology Center, located near Novoslobodskaya, gives grants to ex-Soviet weapons scientists so they can pursue other areas of science and not be involved in further weapons development. What is the daily work of this organization like? Where does their budget come from, and where does it go? What changes have they seen over the past decade?

-The New York Times magazine recently ran an article that questioned how drugs are approved in the States, and how medical advice is decided upon and propagated. The article looked at the practice of clinical trials, and the role of the media and drug companies in influencing peoples' medical decisions. What is pharmaceutical development like in Russia? What sort of review process do drugs undergo before they go on the market? What government office is in charge of it, and what are the regulations involved? Are knock-offs of name brand drugs a big problem? How aggressively are prescription drugs advertised?

-In the States, a lot of published scientific research comes out of universities. In Russia, as far as I know, the Academy of Sciences is much more influential and prolific. What does this mean for how science is conducted? Does it help or hinder collaboration between scientists? How do people rise through the ranks? What does it mean for student involvement in major research? What important results has it produced recently? What's the internal organization like? Is the system working well? Is it changing?

-The zoo. What does it do to get ready for winter? How have recent warm winters affected it? What's in store for the future? Who plans the exhibits, and which are the most interesting?

-What's the deal with the space capsule at VDHKh? How did it get there? What's its history? Who upkeeps it?

-Stroll through a fruit and veggie market and you'll see shiny green apples from Chile next to their smaller, spottier local counterparts. How much market produce is locally grown, and how much is imported? From where? What are agricultural operations like outside of Moscow? Also, there's a dairy farm a couple hours south of Moscow that sounds kind of interesting (it's run by a German-Canadian guy who's registered on the website where I found all the farms I worked on in Europe).

-Russia is filthy-rich with oil and gas reserves. Geologically speaking, how did it get that way?

-Russia recently resumed sending planes to patrol its borders and nearby oceans, and the US government was quick to dismiss the aircraft as outdated. What sort of technology do the planes use? How much has the technology developed since the planes were built?

I know the head of the US Embassy's Environment, Science, and Technology Department and I'm hoping to see him again soon to talk about possible ideas and contacts.

Thank you for going through these, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

[that girl who's STILL hoping someone gives her a pen name]