Author: Hettie D.

My name is Henrietta (Hettie) Dombrovskaya. I was born in Saint-Petersburg, Russian (actually, back then – Leningrad, USSR) in 1963, and immigrated to the United States in 1996. I love Saint Petersburg, the city I was born and raised in, and I think it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. Similarly (but differently) I love Chicago, and can’t imagine myself moving somewhere else in the observable future. I have three children, Igor, Vlad and Anna, all adults living on their own, and one (so far) granddaughter Nadia. I also believe that my children are the best thing that happened in my life. As for my professional life, I am working in the field of Information Technologies. When I was twenty, I’ve declared that the databases are the coolest thing invented and that I want to do them for the rest of my life. Thirty plus years later, I still believe it’s true, and still, believe that the databases are the best. These two statements together imply that I think a person can have it all, and indeed, I think so! Keep reading my journals to find out how I did it.

Long Bike Ride South

With Boris in town, we are making the most of these last days of summer and this God-given weather. I took Friday off, and we did the thing we’ve wanted to do forever – going on the South end of the Lakefront Trail and, while going, crossing all the bridges over the Lake Shore Drive!

We did it, and it was breathtaking!

Model Yacht Basin
Buckingham Fountain
Back to Rogers Park!

Mom’s Internet Saga

After my mom’s Xfinity internet was fixed, I was still determined to change her provider because I didn’t want to go through the same experience again. I ordered Astound service for her address, even before her Xfinity was fixed. This ended up being a very stressful half-day because I didn’t realize that the technician would call me about 30 minutes before arrival, and I went to my mom’s at 1 PM. The technician ended up coming at 5:40 (past the appointment window), and he couldn’t find where to disconnect my mom’s Xfinity, and we ended up working together (me looking at the meter while he tried to unplug different connections outside). He worked till 7:30, and between 1 and 4, I had constant calls from work, while the internet at my mom’s house was far from perfect.

Not to mention that I sat on her bed for all six hours, surrounded by two computers, two phones, and without any support for my back. And not to mention that I started working at six that day to make sure I was mostly done by 1 PM, and I notified everyone about that.

But the good part is that my mom finally has reliable internet for a very modest price, and I also got $200 credit on my account for sign-on. Canceling Xfinity was relatively painless, because they already had my record of dissatisfaction :). Now, the only thing left if to ship their modem back, and it’s sitting here at my home ready for shipping.

Conversation

Talking with my former neighbor R.

– My granddaughter met a couple of European girls in college and became friends with them. You know – now it’s cool to be European! People are saying: Awww, she is European! And in the past, it was the opposite, and everyone wanted to be American. I didn’t want to be Hungarian or Austrian. All my parents’ friends were from Austria, and I didn’t even want to stay at home when they had people over! I wanted to be American, and I would get out of the house and go out with my American friends. And it’s so different now!

Talking about her divorced son and his interactions with his children:

— He is so frustrated that he doesn’t see them enough and isn’t building relationships with them. When we were young, there was no such thing. You were not supposed to be friends with your kids. Now, my daughter and her daughter are friends. And when we were young, it was not even a question. Kids were supposed to do what their parents tell them, have good grades, and stay out of trouble. And nobody even thought of building relationships!

Just to be clear, she doesn’t think it’s a bad thing that kids are friends with their parents nowadays. She likes it, but she sees this difference, and I think it’s commendable that she sees it as a positive thing.

***

Talking with my other friend, whose daughter went to college in one of the Southern States.

— She is telling me: mom, the other girls arrived, and they all look the same! Like twins! All the same white blondes. You know how she’s used to seeing all different faces at her high school, and now she is: where is diversity?!

***

Having a conversation at work in the cafeteria. One of my co-workers wants to downsize after the last child departs for college, and reasons that he has very few options since he lives by the lake. I nod energetically, but two of our other co-workers who do not live by the lake are mildly puzzled.

— What do you mean? You mean, you have a good view?

— No, he means “living by the lake!”

— So the air? The climate? Is it better?

— No, it’s not about it. It’s “living by the lake.” It’s a thing!

My co-worker nods:

— Yes, once you lived by the lake, it’s non-negotiable.

Healing

My right hand injury was going back and forth for almost two months, and about three and a half weeks ago, I decided I should check with my physical therapist one more time. He assured me that these back-and-forths were normal and showed me a couple more exercises. He told me it will be two to four more weeks. As of now, I feel like it’s “almost” normal, to the point that sometimes I forget that the right hand is injured, but it’s still not 100%. My trainer told me this morning that it’s always like the last one percent takes the most time, and I believe him :). I am happy that I can do most things with my right hand, because it is still my stronger hand, and when I can’t operate it normally, it doesn’t make my left hand stronger 🙂

Monica In Chicago

I am glad we were able to visit, even if it was brief. We will plan it better next summer!

Odyssey

Last week I finally watched Odyssey. I watched it on Thursday at the AMC Dine-in Theater, not because I wanted to eat while watching, but because it was the only convenient option in terms of showtime and distance to the venue. That was my first time attending a screening in this theater, so now I know how the theater looks and what the best row is to sit in.

I think that’t the third Odyssey movie I watched in my lifetime. I liked, but without a hype. I think it says something that for thousands year, people still find inspiration in this epic. It’s a great story, and if after all these years, we still find something that draws us to the that plot, it’s not for nothing. The movie is very well done, the cast, the quality of cinematograthy, etc., except stepping away from the historical accuracty with costumes and armory (the wrong helmet types are bothersome, but I am unsure whether it was done on purpose to cater to the public expectations or not). Also, I didn’t like Polyphemus representation in a Gollum-like style, I like more the “traditional” presentation from the previous movies, and I think that Ancient Greeks thought about Polyphemus that way!

As much as I try not to read any reviews before watching anything, it was hard not to notice, that people were discussing the moral grounds of Odyssey’s decision, like sactrificing the lives of some of his men. But I believe that was the most true-to-the-story part! A special significans of Homer’s Odyssey is it’s representation of a snapshot in time, not only want people believed back than, but what they considered to be honorable, caurageous, what they considered being a treason, what they admired and hated, and what the “defaults” were.

I heardfrom some that this movie was better at IMAX, but to be honest, it was already enough noise for me to plug my ears from time to time, and I had no desire to be in a middle of a battle

GNU/Linux Meetup

I mentioned it already, but it was indeed my Wednesday highlight! It was the group’s first meeting, and there was quite a crowd! OSS is a huge topic that interests me on many levels (that’s why I jumped at the opportunity to be on the LPI board!)

Robert gave a great talk about the nature of Open Source, and perfectly described all aspects of it:

  • the source code is open
  • you do not pay to use it
  • you do not pay for giving it to anyone
  • you can develop your own products based on an OSS and make money
  • you can contribute

OSS is vital for code quality (you have thousands of testers worldwide). OSS is vital for DEI because anyone from anywhere in the world can use it.

It was very heartwarming to be welcomed at this meetup! I found a surprising number of people interested in what I am doing and interested in volunteering for the Prairie meetup, so I am trying to build momentum. One person with whom I talked told me that it’s the first time he has met someone as enthusiastic about the job they are doing as I am, and that he wants to help my organization. And everyone loved my Prairie shirt 🙂

Recharging Time

It was quite a week! There were some very positive things, but also some extremely annoying things, and lots of stress at work and otherwise. I started my workday yesterday really early, even earlier than usual, and was hoping to be done earlier as well, but instead, I had to work miracles for several hours, and then I stayed at my mom’s place for the switch to a new internet service provider, which also ran way later than I planned, so Friday night ended up not being a beginning of the weekend either! Today, I resolved not to look at anything work-related and to give myself a break from all my other queued activities and just recharge.

I might regret the latter part tomorrow, but today I feel great :). I started with a really long (33 miles) bike ride. The weather was perfect for biking (although it looked like I wasn’t the only one thinking that way), and even before 6 AM, it was pretty crowded on the Lake Front Trail.

Looking at the Loop from the South
Urban Prairie

Then I made breakfast and had a piece of cream cheese rhubarb pie, which I baked last night, and then headed to the closest beach (to maximize the time by the water). The water was just warm enough to be pleasant, and then I lay on the sand and listened to the waves, and there was nothing in the world except for the Lake and me 🙂

Today’s Positivities

  1. Mom’s internet was finally fixed! I am exceptionally thankful to Igor, who was able to come and be present during the technician’s visit. I am still switching my mom to another internet provider because I don’t want another poor customer service experience, but at least she has internet and is happy.
  2. I attended the first Chicago GNU/Linux meetup, and it was 2.5 hours of infinite positive emotions! Interested and enthusiastic people, great conversations, lots of new plans and new connections, and a great feeling that I am doing something good and making a positive impact.

Why I Am Not Going To Russia Any Time Soon

Sometimes, people (not those who know me, but just random people with whom I talk, like Uber drivers, inevitably asking, “Where are you from?”) ask me whether I visit Russia, and I always reply, “Not anymore.” Sometimes (to my surprise!) they are surprised to the level of: why, what war, etc., and sometimes I have to go at length explaining what and why. Well, here is something that happened to someone living very close to me: Igor’s article. Not only because of that, of course, but it was definitely one of the factors.

Note that if this person were more cooperative with the FSB, the latter might spy on me as well (not like I do not express my views publicly).