Babies vs Dogs

Go ahead and call someone, Hannah!

Have you ever noticed how a baby can be a lot like a dog? They eat off the floor, they play fetch, they follow you around until you show them some attention, you have to bathe them, feed them, they like to play tug-of-war with your clothes, they chew on your socks and shoes (at least Steven does), you have to potty train them, and I have even caught Steven eating his own throw up. At least you can get rid of the dog if they are too much trouble.

That is why everyone should own a dog (not a cat, since they take care of themselves for the most part) before ever deciding to have a baby. I'm not saying I would get rid of Steven! Just that it is very similar to having a dog. So if you want to know what it is like to have a baby, get a dog. The more difficult they are to train the better.

Since B was on posting duty this week and wrote such a short post, I decided to supplement it with a What Is It?™ Actually, this one is more of a What Does He Mean?™, but you get the idea. As always, the rules are simple: the first one to post a comment with the correct answer wins a point.

You learn all kinds of interesting things in culture study, but some of my favorites are the gestures, which can mean the same thing in Russia as they would in the West, or can be radically different. Basically, your challenge this week is to figure out the meaning of the gesture I'm making in the below photo. Since this one is a bit more challenging, we'll open up the competition a bit and even our friends who live or have lived here are welcome to contribute the answer. One caveat, though: if you've lived in Russia, you only get credit for your answer if you include the Russian word most frequently associated with the gesture (and, for the rest of you, don't worry, it's not one of those words and not one of those gestures).

Oh, and just in case it's not clear, that's my thumb tucked in between my index and middle fingers. Happy guessing, and thanks for stopping by.