1st item in the suitcase

привет, my friend!

Yep, still in New York. Instead of rambling on my visa issues, I'll start talking about step 3 from my previous post.

When packing for trips, a comfortable pair of jeans is the first item I put in my suitcase. This time will be different though. As you may know, the weather in Moscow is pretty cold. According to www.weather.com, the average low temperature in December is around 16 degrees Farenheit (aka -12 Celsius, aka freakin' COLD!).

Therefore, the first item in my suitcase will be the comfy Columbia winter boots I received today in the mail (see picture on the right)

They are water-resistant, insulated, rated to -25 Farenheit (-32 Celsius) and an "aggressive tread outsole" -- you gotta love Marketing baloney! Anyway, I did quite a bit of research online, and found the best prices at www.sierratradingpost.com and www.zappos.com. Zappos offers free delivery and free returns, so it was an easy pick.

пока!