Rested, but still adjusting from a 10 hour jet lag, I'm back in Odessa. Working from Tacoma turned out to be more limiting than I anticipated with a dial-up connection and needing to keep the phone line free the majority of the day. Getting back into the swing of things, appropriate to update where things are and where this site is going...

First, concentration will be directed to adding the last of the essential documents for OdessaFX, coupled with testing links and gradually improving site appearance.

Next, OdessaFX will release for general and free distribution a portion of its English-Russian contingency documents. This document concerns first responders and emergency situations - police, fire and ambulance services. Expect to see this in the very near future.

The third item, we will be running a Russian Word/Lesson of the Day blog series. Each of these will include one or more essential Russian words presented in text and audio. The text will include the Russian spelling, English phonetics, and an example of its use. The audio will pronounce each word as it is spoken, and then by syllable.

More elaborate in scope, the OdessaFX site will expand to cover specific people, places and things of mostly operational interest. There is plenty online about tourist attractions; and occasionally, we will include our own tourist spotlights. Items of "operational interest" relate to the essentials of daily living - where you need to go to get certain things done. These posts will be categorized, include address, phone and other contact information; include a picture of the location; and a functional description of its importance, what is there, etc.

Several more projects are in the works and will be announced as they are implemented. February slowed things down - unavoidably; but I think things should get back in track in quick order. As the present state of the site attests, graphic design is not my strong point - the Drupal content management system thankfully has some clean and simple templates. As our focus here is on information, I intend to keep the visual appearance simple - even so, it could use a little spicing up. I welcome feedback on any of the visual changes that follow in the month of March.

So, for now...it's good to be back; time to get busy...

Best regards!

Mark