3 am, I've just finished a huge translation on what a pain in the ass it is to obtain visas to some corners of "the West."

Two stunningly long-legged, high-heeled women, dressed up in all white and tight, walk slowly along Khreshchatyk, the part of the sidewalk that turns into a jampacked parking lot during the day - but now, with these two gorgeous women on it, it resembles a catwalk. My guess is they are going home after a night out at some fancy spot like Arena Citi nearby. Goddamn pavement slabs, they are probably thinking. Goddamn ex-mayor Omelchenko. If only he'd tried to walk in our shoes here.

A police car is driving right underneath my window, on the sidewalk, in the opposite direction. The cop in the passenger seat is literally halfway out of the car - he's rolled the window all the way down and is staring back at the two women as they vanish in the distance. Goddamn chestnut trees, always in the way, he's probably thinking.