life rattle show no. 1247

Presented on THURSDAY, march 14, 2013

Hosted by laurie kallis

featuring

"Anna Maksymovna"
"Disturbing the Universe"
and
"A Chameleon"

by Nikita Pchelin

tonight's Show

Tonight, on Life Rattle Number 1247, we present three stories written and read by new Life Rattle writer Nikita Pchelin.

Nikita Pchelin was born in 1988 in the industrial city of Volgograd, Russia, where the Battle of Stalingrad took place, 968 kilometres south of Moscow. Nikita, his father, Igor, a mechanical engineer, his mother, Vera, a teacher of Russian language and literature, and his older brother, Igor, a teacher of biology and chemistry, immigrated to Canada in 2005, in search of a better life.

After completing grade twelve at a secondary school in Mississauga, Ontario, Nikita studied computer science and French at the university level. He currently works in the IT field in the healthcare industry.

Nikita enjoys tinkering with everything technological, except, perhaps, the products of Apple Inc.; the study of foreign languages, of which he speaks three to date; and taking on leadership roles in Toastmasters International.

Nikita Pchelin’s writing has a strong analytical sensibility. With a critical eye that misses no detail, and sharp, precise language, he evaluates the world around him.

In our first story, "Anna Maksymovna," our young narrator is confronted by a very opiniated, older Russian woman, and learns there is much to consider beneath her difficult manner.

Tonight's second story, "Disturbing the Universe," has our narrator comparing two educational systems, one of which is found to be sorely lacking—with the exception of a provocative English teacher, who challenges her unsuspecting students.

The final story, "A Chameleon," reveals how our narrator copes with a job and fellow employees that he can barely tolerate.