Tayyiba Haneef's "From Russia with Love"?Not so much.

We honestly couldn't wait to read Tayyiba Haneef's online journal after enjoying Danielle Scott's so much. And we were not disappointed. Haneef plays in a Russian volleyball league, so we're betting she has some great experiences to share with us.

"Whoever said 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' must have lived in Russia."

Eep. That's, that's not a good sign.

"On most days we wake up to Grey skies and cold weather."

Oh Lord. This is gonna be ugly, isn't it.

"It is springtime but you would never know it by looking outside at the grey skies and snow covered ground."

Yeah, I'm, I'm gonna go read "Cat in the Hat" or something after this, cheer myself up.

But then again, might as well find out what life is like in the former Soviet Union. Turns out things in Kazan, Tartastan, Russia, are not exactly organized. Haneef reports that traffic is a "disaster," where "everyone makes their own lanes," and that she sees 4 or 5 accidents a day. (That's no different than the 405, is it?) Haneef also writes that hot water is not always easy to come by, and that Internet connections are few and costly.

"We do however have a McDonald's and an Ikea."

Wait, wait, wait. Kazan doesn't have lines on their streets, hot water you can count on, or reliable Internet service, but they do have Happy Meals and easy-to-assemble Swedish furniture? Maybe Russia should reconsider capitalism. I'm beginning to think they're not ready yet.

However, life isn't all doom and gloom. Haneef and teammate Therese Crawford, have Lloy Ball and Clay Stanley in town, "so we are able to go hang out with them for fun."

Yes. Hanging out with Lloy Ball and Clay Stanley is fun, isn't it.

As the article comes to a close, it's obvious that Russia isn't for Haneef. She's looking forward to returning to California, as well as her impending marriage and subsequent honeymoon in Jamaica. Living in Kazan, Tartastan, Russia has led her to "truly cherish what I have at home":

Family, friends, good food, clean water and a nice home to say the least. Once you have lived in another country you value even the little things, such as peanut butter or pancakes and eggs, SO much more!!!

Peanut butter. Pancakes. Eggs. God bless America.

Danielle Scott is SO big time

So USAVolleyball.org has given us a lot of online journals from youngsters such as Candace Lee and Dani Busboom, so it's a nice contrast to have one from Danielle Scott, a USA veteran with a wealth of international experience.

The differences between these entries are subtle, but they're there. Plus, Scott is as big a player as we've had the last 10-15 years, and we don't hear nearly enough about her.

So why is Scott big time? Because she casually talks about things I have no concept of. Whereas journal entries by the youngsters talk about how much fun they're having in Colorado Springs, Scott talks about playing in the Brazilian Superliga for Cimed Macae. I don't even know where or what Macae is, but it sounds good. The youngsters talk about getting to know former colleges foes, while Scott writes things like "we drove from Sao Paulo to Paraty (Parati) during carnival," and "we stayed in a quaint Pousada," and doesn't bother explaining any of it to us. The funny part is I don't even mind. But I appreciate her letting us know that Paraty is better known as...Parati.

Scott closes up the article by telling us that Wiz Bachman (she became "Wiz" apparently when Lang Ping became "Jenny") is playing for Toshi in Japan, but has a cold right now because "it's freezing in Yamagata YIKES!" I have no idea what she's talking about, and yet I can't help but be intrigued. My new goal is to figure out a way to work "Yamagata" into casual conversations.

"I forgot my coat. Good thing I'm not in Yamagata! Ha! Ha-ha...heh."