When will the sun stop?

The white nights have fallen upon this city. This means that the sun doesn't ever really set.For example, this picture was taken at 4 am a week ago. It is even brighter now!

My curtains are thin and sleep is a phantom I chase every night. These days, I often find myself walking out into the night, hopping the fence in front of the Kazan Cathedral and sitting on the lawn there until 3 or 4 am, watching the fountain with the drunks and lovers. It's hard to feel danger in a city with no shadows. Though my eyes are heavy dark bags now from lack of sleep, I'm happy. They say in Seattle and London people get SAD; the seasonal depressive disorder that results from a lack of sunlight. How can you not be happy after months of cold and grey and wet and white, to finally step into a neverending sunny day? We sit on the river and drink and watch the boats on the canals, listening for canadian accents, or french, or japanese. The city is flooded with toursists. Theyve come for the sun.This is an interesting public health warning about venereal disease I found near the 10 Pushkinskaya non-conformist art collective. Gets the point across quite nicely I think.View out my flat of the decaying building next door. This picture was taken at 11pm. I love this building. The color patterns the years of wear have left on its facade keep my eyes busy.Last weekend I went to an Aikido demonstration on Ligovsky Prospekt. A master from Japan had come to give a demonstration at a local martial arts school. I must admit, after all the xenophobia I have borne witness to here in Russia, it was somewhat satisfying seeing 300 lb russian fighters bowing and groveling to a 5'5 140lb japanese man, who then proceeded to toss them through the air 3 at a time. It was quite a sight.
God bless these dogs and the ease with which they sleep under the light of the ever-present sun. May the rest well, and find food when they awaken.