panontro

Hi there - I am thinking about getting new windows and siding. I have regular wood but would like to get fiber cement (Hardie) and new windows. However, it's November and I think that it might be cheaper now (because not much work gets done this time of year) but I live in the North where the days are about 12 hours long now and the night are below freezing.

Any suggestions? Of course the siders and installers say they work year round, but wondering if there will be any potential problems with doing windows and hardie in probably late November by now. Thanks.

I'll be traveling to Moscow later this year and have never been to Russia before, so I have a few questions:

1. Any recommendations for good books on Cyrillic (so I can read the signs) and traveler's Russian? I am going as part of a work group so we'll have Muscovites with us but I'd like to know at least a little bit of the language (I am a native English speaker with no Russian, I have started trying to learn some Cyrillic/Russian but I don't have time for a full course). Especially interested in good beginner's podcasts - I liked Spoonful of Russian but she has stopped producing new versions for now.

2. Good places to go or things to see during a 3-4 day trip? Of course Red Square and the Kremlin and St. Basil's, and old Arbat Street was recommended to me, plus a boat ride.

3. Tips for staying out of trouble? I don't want to hide in the hotel but I've heard some pretty tough stories from others of one-way cab rides and shakedowns by the militsiya.

Any help appreciated. Thanks.