General Stuff - I was born in the glorious city of St.Petersburg, Russia on the 4th of May 1976. At age six I moved out of the city area to a small town called Sestroretsk. There I grew up, went to school, played with friends and did other things you would expect from a kid (including prowling around with a slingshot). When I turned 17 I went back to St.Pete and reside there in happiness ever since.

Family - My family consists of my parents, my sister and my dog. Mom was born in Kazakhstan (she is Russian with some Ukrainian blood). After World War 2 she moved to St.Petersburg, then Leningrad, leaving her sister and two brothers in Kazakhstan. She is an accountant. My dad was born here in St.Pete and lived through the German blockade. Though he was very little at the time, he remembers the bombings and his empty plate with just a few bread crumbs to eat. He became an engineer and started working for the military. He became a specialist in tank and missile engines. For a while he worked in the Southern part of the Soviet Union where they developed and tested new tanks. Then he went to Siberia and worked at some secret place with intercontinental missiles. I call him a rocket scientist :) My sister Marina got married and moved to the island of Madagascar with her husband. He was local to that area apparently. There she became fluent in French and Malagacy and sick with hay fever. Lots of gators there she says. In 1995 my sis moved back to St.Petersburg leaving her hubby behind. Now some words about my dog. He is a very happy black poodle and loves to meet new people. Dad named him Joker, don't ask me why. I don't know. Unlike many dogs he doesn't chase cats which I think is a sign of good manners.

Genealogy - Little is known about my ancestors. To mention the trivial part of it - I am of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and belong to the tribe of Ephraim (it's one of the tribes of Israel). More recent ancestors are somewhat hard to find because of the impact of the Soviet period on the life of the Russian people. Many records have been classified, lost or destroyed. I know that on the mom's side we had some Ukrainians and her grandfather was a "donskoi kossak" if you know what it means. Dad's folks were from all over it seems like. Some of them were of the family of Kibalchich and played a significant role in the Revolution. Michael and Gregory Kibalchich made a bomb and assassinated Alexander II. Got jailed for it but became heroes among the communists.

Work - What I do for work. Mostly I work as an interpretor or translator. I have worked a lot with foreign companies, especially American. Assisted in establishing business connections, import of medical equipment, sold armored trucks and other fun stuff.