EndorphinGirl™ was EndorphinGirl™even before she knew it. Elaborate you say - let’s go back a little in time. Well not
too far, simply to a time when EndorphinGirl™ was living and working in Moscow, Russia – she was endorphin-focused then too!  Recently you were introduced to one of EndorpinGirl™’s
old friends, Adreena Linn.  As EndorphinGirl™ reflects back, she is quite sure Adreena Linn, a former colleague, was at least with her in spirit during this particular escapade in Moscow in December of 1999. And between the two of them, they avoided what could have been an ugly situation. 

On a cold snowy Friday evening, EndorphinGirl™ was
home getting ready for a company Christmas party, circa mid December 1999. Her friend and colleague Ing Rid, from Sweden, flew in for the party and was also getting ready at her house. They took their time getting all dolled up in fancy clothes for the extravagant Christmas party. In fact they had both been in London a few weeks prior for a business meeting and met during some spare time to shop at none other than the Laura Ashley store for some festive wear. (Laura Ashley may sound like an oxymoron for an EndorphinGirl™ and perhaps not the preferred designer but it worked out okay!) The locale for the Christmas party was walking distance from EndorpinGirl™’s apartment (i.e., dom) – make note, this is important information.



As they got ready, EndorphinGirl™ realized her fancy evening purse was not large enough to hold her documents. You see, at least at that time, foreign nationals were required to have identification with them when outside. This identification was generally referred to as ‘documents’. Typically this would include carrying your passport with visa, everywhere you ventured! That particular evening and only that particular evening ever, EndorphinGirl™ decided that because she lived only walking distance to the Christmas party locale, she would forgo carrying her passport because it did not fit in her dainty evening purse. This decision proved to make an interesting and almost bad end to the evening! 

EndorphinGirl™ and Ing Rid walked to the party locale. The evening was very festive and great fun was had by all. Everyone was in great spirits, particularly because the company was the only in their industry who lived through and conquered the 1998 Russian financial crisis. So needless to say Spirits were overflowing.  As the evening came to a close, Ing Rid left to go back to her hotel room, as she had an early flight back to Sweden the next morning. EndrophinGirl™ stayed on a bit with a number of other lingerers talking, drinking, singing, laughing.  One friend, Arkady Vobig, sat down at a piano and started playing like Emil Gilels was in the house - who knew Arkady had this hidden talent!  Someone else picked up a balalaika and started playing so the after party started!  But soon the number of lingerers started to dwindle and  EndorphinGirl™ decided it was time to go home. Although it was near-midnight late, she was not far from her home so thought nothing of walking home alone at this bewitching hour. 

As she left the building, a heavy snow had blanked the streets and was still prettily falling.  She was reveling in the fun of the evening when noticing a Russian Militia machina (i.e., police car) hovering slightly behind her on the same side of the street she was walking on. For a quick moment she though OH NO NOT CARRYING PASSPORT but continued on her way.  What seems like a split second later the car pulled up alongside her, stopped, and one ‘policia’man got out and asked for her documents! She explained in broken Russian ‘nyet documents, doma, doma’ (attempted translation – no documents, small purse, don’t fit, going home - - instead she simply said no documents, home, home)! With dark piercing eyes looking at her, he scratched his head nodded and got back in the car.

EndorphinGirl™ continued walking fast. The Militia machina turned West on the next corner. As she neared that corner she saw headlights of a car shining down the street. Gut instinct (women’s intuition?) told her it was the same policia machina. In record-breaking-decision-making-speed she thought a) run home where her two young sleeping EndorphinKids (one fluent in Russian and a good negotiator at the tender age of 4) are being watched by two young Russian female babysitters or b) return to the party.   She chose option b in that record-breaking-decision-making-speed because although she knew that her 4-year-old could talk the policia out of any misunderstanding, common sense prevailed  – never wake a sleeping child! And EndorphinGirl™ crossed a street, continued to fast walked, picked-up speed and started to jog in what was by now knee-deep snow on the dark and deserted Moscow streets.  

Out of the extra eye women have in the back of their head when their children are small and/or during that foreboding-sense-of-danger moment, EndorphinGirl™ could see the car turning and speeding up to her. One policia jumped out of the car and was running behind her. Adreena Linn no doubt was running alongside her in Spirit(s) cheering for her because in no time she was back in front of the Christmas party building. And as luck would have it, a number of colleagues, you know those final lingerers (thank goodness they had lingered!), were starting to leave the party, including tall Pal (pronounced Paul) from Norway, R&I Vitaly from Moscow and a few others.

As EndorphinGirl™ neared the door to go back into the building, Pal was walking out, and stepped between her and the Russian militia just as one was about to put a handcuff on her wrist. She could feel the metal touching her skin. By now both of the militia were on the scene. Immediately a loud negotiation ensued in English, Russian, Norwegian and perhaps some other languages. Eventually it calmed down and there was a ‘spirited’ end to this escapade.  It was settled by the Russian militia walking away with many bottles of Spirits from the party. Shortly after  EndorphinGirl™ was escorted home by several work colleagues. 



Wondering handcuffs, what was the crime? Well there was none except perhaps not having ‘documents’ on hand but that’s not a crime, maybe an infraction, but not a crime! The impact of what could have happened to EndorphinGirl™ only settled in the next day. You see not to generalize but at this point in time there were some bad Russian militia.  Like really bad! And kidnappings were not entirely uncommon in the city. So best not to speculate what if.  If it must be known, the only tale in this non-fiction escapade is that Adreena Linn wasn’t there in person, but EndorphinGirl™ felt her energy as she ran through the streets of Moscow back in mid-December 1999.

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This week’s EndorphinGirl™ snap is not yet synched with today's blog - so be on the look out for EndorphinGirl™ sporting her third eye in future blogs and overall synchronization between blog and snap.  However, today's blog is EndorphinGirl™ in her continued cross-training state, courtesy of EndorphinGirl™'s artist son!

Until next time, keep on endorphing!

EndorphinGirl™

[Countdown: 106 days]