Bill's Blog

I went for a bike ride yesterday, the first time in a long time! It was a short ride along the Anhor Canal, but it was good to get out in the fresh air. I rode around sunset and had to stop to take the photo above of the recently opened Crowne Royal Hotel. It was a perfect reflection on the canal. It was nice to feel the sun yesterday after a week of gloomy weather. The high temperature will be 9C (48 F). January is the month with the most overcast weather in Tashkent, with almost 40% of the days being gray. The average high temperature is 6C (43F) and average low temperature is -2C (28F).

In the evening we took the kids to the Tashkent Food Mall. They have inexpensive meals from a variety of restaurants in a Food Court-style setting. There is a nice bar and the place has a good vibe due to Westminster University being nearby. Lots of college kids including a “cyber lounge” which is kind of a club for young people with a bunch of computers. I noticed a group playing the same game Oliver and his friends do, I think it is called DMZ.

My nephew Beau Kralovec made the local news as his ice hockey team, the Wisconsin Windigo defeated an Alaskan team. He is seen in the video giving a hard shove near the goal. The Windigo play in the North American Hockey League and Beau has played in 27 games so far this season. He takes after his dad, my brother, who was a stud athlete and former Division II American football scholarship player at Northern Michigan University.

I ran across an interesting article in the local news this morning. Many Uzbeks go to Russia to earn higher salaries than they can get here. Remittances from Uzbek dispora are a big part of the economy. A guy from Andijon, a city in the far east of Uzbekistan, was working as a butcher in Moscow. While there he was approached by an official or unofficial representative of the Russian military. They offered him $5,000 / month to go fight in Ukraine. He agreed and completed a 2-month training before being deployed.

In late July 2023, he was sent to Shakhtyorsk and Bakhmut in Ukraine, where he met Tajiks and other foreigners. During the fighting until November 2023, the defendant, by his own admission, killed more than 10 Ukrainian servicemen.

For his activity on the battlefield, he was transferred to a reconnaissance unit of the Russian troops. Then, for five months, he participated in hostilities in Lugansk. – Gazeta.uz (January 4, 2025)

He only received a portion of his monthly salary and when on leave back in Moscow in December 2023, decided not to re-up his enlistment and returned to Uzbekistan. He turned himself in and received 4 years of probation. The judge took into account he came to officials and showed remorse and sentenced him to four years strict probation. He is only allowed to leave his home for work and study. He could have received 5-10 years of prison.

I had a nice day on Friday, starting a new yoga routine and going for a long walk in the evening with Obi. Our family played Nintendo’s Mario racing game together and I took out Oliver and his girlfriend Gianna for ice cream and cinnamon rolls. In the afternoon, I worked at school and completed several projects.

I took Obi for a long walk on the canal near the “Museum of Victims of Repressions” (the building with two blue domes). The goal of the museum is to commemorate the victims of political oppression by the Soviet Union. Over 10,000 people were arrested in 1937, over a third were executed and the rest were sent to labor camps. This was the period of the “Great Terror” and Stalin’s purges. He ordered the arrest of over 1.5 million people and 700,000 eventually were executed. I can just imagine the dread of hearing NKVD (People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs) agents at your door in the middle of the night. The Soviets not only arrested the head of the household but also the wife and children. Stalin was a complete monster and was one of the worst mass murderers in world history. I can see why the Uzbeks want in many ways to rid of all reminders of the Soviet era from their country. I would like to read more about the Great Terror and visit the museum.

The park that surrounds the museum is pleasant and on this cold and dreary day, it was mostly empty with a few people fishing on the banks. I crossed Amir Temur Avenue and did a large loop around the Japanese Garden and Exposition Center before returning to my car. Temperatures remain cold with a high of 2C forecasted today and cloudy all weekend. At least the rain stopped!

I end this post with a photo of an old Lada car with a huge amount of plastic tied to the top of the car. Uzbekistan like many countries, has challenges of recycling waste. I notice a lot of plastic does get recycled here, unlike most countries since the Chinese have stopped taking plastics from other countries. You see cars and trucks like below with big bundles of plastic being transported to recycling plants. I don’t think they get much for the plastic as it is mostly Luli (Roma) or extremely poor people collecting plastic.

The sun finally came out for a brief time yesterday afternoon! I went for a 9-kilometer run along the Anhor Canal while Nadia was swimming. I love walking and running through the city of Tashkent. I took a few photos from my exploration yesterday. I am a big fan of preserving the Soviet Modernist Architectural Buildings and noticed the old Tashkent Television Center facade, designed by E. Ablin. I hope to go inside and get some nice photos with better light, but as with many government buildings in the city, access is restricted. I think it is cool that an architect and construction company would go to the extra efforts to adding an artistic touch to a facade instead of saving money and going with functionality over art. There is a movement here to preserve these architectural gems. The city is rapidly developing and I hope leaders preserve this legacy of their history. It differentiates Tashkent from other cities through the world and it will always be one of the attractions or charms of the city for future generations. I am afraid that the character of the city will be lost with all of these huge building projects being built.

Another example of Soviet Brutalism/Modernist Architecture is the Summer Concert Hall of the Turkestan Palace of Arts.

A typical example of brutalism in Tashkent is the summer concert hall of the Turkeston Palace of Arts, whose architectural feature is a futuristic canopy with lighting equipment placed directly above the auditorium. The arena, designed by architects V. and Y. Hakobjanyan, opened next to the Palace of Arts in 1993 and was originally designed for 1600 seats. However, in the final project the auditorium was expanded to 3200 seats. The boxes wrap around the wide stage on its circumference.

A technical structure overhanging part of the stands and the stage is designed to house spotlights and other lighting equipment. The structure is supported in the air by four metal columns. During the summer season, the arena hosts dozens of productions, concerts and festivals.

I listened to the latest episode of the Sam Harris podcast while running. It was his New Year’s message and he said two things that resonated with me. His New Year’s resolution was to live 2025 like it was his last year on earth and he gave the example of NOT watching a bad movie, but watching a bad movie with his children was OK. That is how I am feeling as well as I am entering the last third of my life. I don’t want to spend time doing things that are not meaningful or pleasurable and I will not sweat the small stuff. I will focus what is important to me and what brings me satisfaction. I feel so fortunate to have a beautiful family and a rewarding career. Last night we watched the 1989 movie, Dead Poets Society together. It gave our family a good discussion. Nadia cooked a delicious cauliflower pasta. A beautiful night with my family!

The cold and wet weather continues, as it rained pretty much the entire day yesterday. Temperatures hovered around 3C all day, which is a bummer because a few degrees colder, and it would be a winter wonderland. Instead, it is a grey and depressive environment. We stayed up late for New Year’s Eve, and we all got off to a slow start on January 1, 2025. I walked around the Tashkent Botanical Gardens and pushed through a light rain to get a refreshing workout.

Nadia and I have completed watching the NetFlix spy thriller Black Doves. The six episodes were entertaining, although there were several holes in the plot. There were plenty of action scenes, enough character development, and enough relationships between characters to keep you cheering on them as they faced difficulties throughout the show. Ben Whishaw’s performance was especially endearing as a “triggerman.” His voice and acting are captivating to me. I remember his performance as Q in the James Bond films, but reading his biography, he starred in many other films. Keira Knightley co-starred and she has aged well. I haven’t seen her since she was a teenager in Love Actually. The Black Doves are a for-hire spy agency that sells information to the highest bidder. The plot includes the UK government, MI5, and, Chinese spies and diplomats, the CIA and the US embassy in London. All of which are in my wheelhouse of television viewing.

We kicked off the New Year by going to the rooftop bar at the Hyatt Regency here in Tashkent. It was the perfect spot because it was not crowded, but had enough people to make it feel like a party. It was not expensive either and we didn’t need to buy an expensive dinner and entertainment package that many of the places we looked into were offering. We arrived about 9:30 PM and had a great time with the kids. It is awesome that we can now go out with our adult-ish children. We laughed and danced a lot. Nadia was the driving force getting us out and together. I am so thankful to be able to start 2025 with our family! If it was up to me, we would have stayed home, but that is the advantage of marrying a younger woman, she keeps me young! The rooftop bar afforded us views of the fireworks and gatherings around the city, including right below the Hyatt.

My eldest son Owen was not feeling well, so we took the party home, played Mario Brothers, watched Michigan defeat Alabama in the Citrus Bowl, and did some more dancing with him. I feel blessed to have such a beautiful, healthy family that likes to spend time together. These moments of all of us together are getting rarer as the kids grow up and forge their own paths in life.

It was a miserable day weather-wise yesterday with cold temperatures (between 3-6 C), intermittent rain, and grey skies. I did manage to get out between downpours and ran 10 kilometers along the Anhor Canal. The origin of the word Anhor is not known, it could mean anzor=grape, angor=field or anhar=rivers. The Russians developed it in the 1800s and it formed the boundary between the old town and the newer part of the city. It is my favorite place in the city and I’ve walked, run, and cycled many kilometers along the canal. The best way to deal with inclement weather is to ignore it. I had a good workout and Obi ran with me the entire way. I also learned the first bridge over the canal is called Urda. City officials recently added a stop light and crosswalk on the bridge to make it safer for pedestrians.

I love being able to watch sports and not have to rush off to school. The Detroit Lions had a classic Dan Campbell victory against the 49ers this morning. They were unstoppable on offense, went for it on fourth down in crucial times, and came up with two interceptions to win The Lions have the best offense in the league, averaging almost 33 points per game. They need it because their defensive unit has been decimated by injuries with basically an entire defensive unit sidelined for most of the season. It really hurt them to lose their best lineman, Aiden Hutchinson, but it was followed by two great linebackers, Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez. The team has 14 wins and 2 losses for the season and is tied with North Division rival Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings and Lions play each other next week, with the winner claiming the North Division title and the #1 seed in the National Football Conference. Due to the playoff structure, the loser becomes the fifth seed despite having 14 wins and has to play road games. I was proud to see them give a good effort tonight and win the game! They lost the NFC championship game in San Francisco last season and this was a revenge game for that loss.

I love the media narrative being against the Lions. Before the injuries earlier in the season, they were the Super Bowl favorites. Now with the injuries, experts are picking Minnesota or the Philadelphia Eagles. I think that takes the pressure off the team and they can continue to play their loose, aggressive style. It is so strange to have them play big games during prime time and have the national commentators talking about them all the time! They already have accomplished so much.

14 victories is the most in franchise history, 8 and 0 on road games, #1 offense in the league

• 14 wins is the most in franchise history in a season
• 8 and 0 record in road games (first time in franchise history)
• Two running backs and two wide receivers gaining over 1000 yards in the season (first in NFL history)
• Four players with over 1000 years from scrimmage and at least 7 touchdowns (second team ever, first since 2004)
• Three players with 12 touchdowns or more (fourth time in NFL history)

I can’t wait for the game next week! Go Lions!

Yesterday we visited the Yangiabad Weekend Flea Market. Every time I go there I find interesting items to purchase. There are cool Soviet era, “made in the USSR” antiques. The best find was a functioning Sputnik wind-up men’s razor. The Soviets designed electronics to be durable and repairable, unlike today’s products. I cleaned it and could check the blades. It is missing accessories (brush, second beard trimmer blades) but perhaps I could find them. It cost me $7.75. The middle photo is of a Soviet desk thermometer. It was missing the pen holder and was damaged, so I will look for a better one. Finally, I purchased two Abba records, the one below from 1977.

So many interesting scenes. The market is on the grounds of a former factory. We discovered “Pigeon Alley” (photo below) where men were selling rock doves. They were quite animated and had lots going on. It reminded me of the cock fighting markets of Latin America. In the winter the scene is a bit grim and I forget there is poverty here in Uzbekistan. The government does a good job of not having homeless people, but there are still many people who need assistance. I think for my New Years’ Resolution I will make a pledge to do more to alleviate income inequality and help those less fortunate.

It has been so nice to have our family together again and Nadia and I are spending as much time as we can with them. It is fun just to hang out at home in the evenings, watching movies, making dinner, etc. Our guest Sarah baked gingerbread houses for the kids to decorate. Oliver and I loved watching the Fulham FC game in the English Premier League last night. I am looking forward to my trip to London next month.

I took the kids to the Magic City Mall / Amusement Park. Ocean loves amusement parks and it was rewarding to see her happy. Magic City is basically an outdoor shopping mall with a Disney Magic Kingdom facade. I wonder if the developers needed to pay Disney to use aspects of the Disney brand? They also have some amusement park rides and a cinema so it is a good night out with kids. It is next to a big park where I often walk Obi and so I see it a lot but rarely go in. As my readers may know, I loathe the big amusement parks (Disney, Universal Studios) but go to them for my children.

The graphic above from the New York Times got me thinking again about global warming and climate change. Because fossil fuels are so vital to our modern lifestyle, we are not slowing down or stopping adding greenhouse gas emissions to our atmosphere. Global warming will continue through the century. It does not look to be an existential threat and it won’t be happening in my lifetime, but looking long term, I am concerned about the quality of life of my descendants and future generations. I was born in raised in Michigan’s Upper Pensinsula (UP) and as you can see on the map, they had a white Christmas. In speaking with my brother, he is noticing warmer temperatures during the winter and this report from the Washington Post shows the city of Marquette, Michigan, has warmed 0.55 degrees F per decade since 1980. One of the reasons I love the UP is the famous “lake effect” snow from Lake Superior. I always remember snowy winters! However, Lake Superior is rapidly warming, and projections show by the end of the 21st century, it will warm by 5-9 degrees Celsius. This will result in the mid-term (2040-2059) more lake effect snow due to less ice coverage in winter, but it will come in a shorter time frame (February to March). By the late 21st century (2080-2099) there will be a substantial decline in overall snowfall amounts across the Upper Peninsula, projected to be reduced by 30-34%. The lake-effect snow will be confined to mid-to-late winter (January to March). There will be more precipitation, but it will be more rain than snow. The research suggests that while the Upper Peninsula’s famous lake-effect snow won’t disappear entirely, there will likely be a significant reduction in snowfall and a shorter snow season by the end of the century, with the greatest impacts in early and late winter. Central Asia has also seen a decline in snowfall and higher temperatures. As you can see in our back garden, there is not much snow.

I had a nice day yesterday, spending time with my son Oliver between meetings at school. We changed his flight dates so he can spend an additional 3 weeks with us in Tashkent! We stopped at the Korzinka grocery store so he could get his favorite roast chicken and Fuse Tea drink. I also drove him to his friend’s house, just like old times. Driving my children around gives me time with them!

I love the interlude between Christmas and New Years. Partly because I am on flexible/remote working hours and relaxing as much as I can. The gift of time is such a luxury with my busy work schedule. I love being a head of school and wouldn’t want it any other way, but getting some downtime is so nice. One bummer yesterday was the poor air quality as you can see below. It is better today with 185 reading as I am writing this blog post. I am not bothered by poor air quality, but I feel for people who do. A haze was noticeable around the city and I tried to capture it in a photo at a stoplight. The government needs to get on this to improve the lives of Tashkenters.

I made a short video of our trip to the Mirabad Market and family dinner on Boxing Day.

We had a nice Christmas morning with breakfast delivered to the chalet and a few hours of skiing. We only bought lift tickets for the bottom half of the mountain due to the thin snow cover and icy conditions above the snow-making machines. I needed to concentrate with lots of ice patches on the snow. Breakfast was delicious, I love Central Asian porridge. The best thing about the trip was just spending time with the kids. Driving back home reminded us all the road trips we used to take when we were younger.

Nadia and I walked Obi to school while Owen shot baskets in the gymnasium. We then had a nice Christmas dinner with 20 friends at Kaspikya Restaurant, a Russian seafood place in the Tashkent City Mall. It was great to connect with so many people on the holiday. We’ve stopped giving gifts to the children. We paid for them to come to Tashkent, and that is their gift. Christmas is not the same without young children at home, but the gift of time together is more appreciated.