Friday, February 19, 2010 early evening - Moscow time
From what I could tell, nothing was lost in translation today. For the first time ever, I conducted a lecture with an interpreter. It took a few minutes to get into the dance of it all, but once we found our tempo we were off.
Of course I only know what I said to the crowd. I honestly have no idea what the interpreter said (I forgot his name.) But from the feedback that we got, he either taught an informative program, or he did a fantastic job of translating what I said. I caught him ad-libbing once when I said something that was not funny and then, once it was translated, everyone laughed. I asked the fellow what was so funny because I didn't think what I said was all that funny. He smiled and said he made a cat joke. Hmmmm....one can only guess.
In the hotel lobby - getting ready to head out. Meeting with the translator just before the lecture.
It was hard to cut my lecture down to half of the normal time, taking into consideration that it would all have to be repeated in Russian. But this also gave me plenty of time in between thoughts to decide what I might say next. I had to forgo the jokes. I wasn't entirely sure if they would make it through the translation process, and was afraid I might end up being the only one laughing.
A local breeder, exhibitor, and TICA judge brought two LH Scottish Folds for me to use as demo cats. I did a lion cut on a nice red tabby boy and gave him some of my signature pom poms down the tail. He was agreeable to most of it but also got a bit testy at times. This was a good thing because I was told the audience really wanted to see me handle an aggressive cat.
I made the mistake of wearing a nice outfit for the occassion, forgoing my usual grooming garb for the demo part of it. This meant that, while I shaved down Mr. Red Tabby, I became one myself. I do believe the hair multiplied as it was transferred from the cat to my clothing. It took 1 1/2 sticky rollers to get out enough of the cat hair that you could tell what color my tights were.
The audience was amazing! They had some excellent questions at the end and would have kept me there for a long time if I had not gotten kicked off the stage so the next speaker could do her thing. (Sorry Kitty!) When it comes to cats, I can talk for days. Just ask my family.
Afterward I was invited to speak at the veterinarian symposium the following morning, doing a short demonstration with a live cat to show some handling techniques. This was quite an honor.
When the show was over, Mike and I bundled up and made the 10 minute trek through the wind and snow back to the hotel. This morning I had opted for fashion over practicality. This meant that I suffered with each step through the snow and ice and heels much too high for such conditions. By day's end my feet were killing me! But, hey, the boots looked good so what if I had to endure pain and suffering and risk slipping on the ice and breaking my neck?
On the way back I told Mike that all this walking in the snow must be good for my glutes because I was kinda sore. I visualized my butt getting in shape during our visit to Moscow, simply from walking in the snow. No exercise involved. But my dear husband reminded me that the day before I had slipped and landed on my arse. Well then, dash a girl's hopes. So much for the buns of steel.
I am tired. Beyond tired really. But the hotel is warm and my belly is full. I hope that we sleep through the night because Mike was kind enough to share his nasty cold with me.
Being introduced by Natalia.
Doing a temperament assessment on a cat I'd never met until that moment.
The translator had a question of his own.
The shave down.
Demonstration of a lion cut and handling techniques.
Fielding questions from the audience.
