Holy crap, welcome back Gretchy! I remember you from years ago, man, its good to see a familiar name on this board again.
Thanks for posting about the trips! I've had a fascination with Russia since I was a kid, and I know some of the language, so i'll be sure to check out the photos from Chernobyl.
Also, I feel you about the IT gig. My cousins are working in IT and being very successful, and while i've considered it, I don't want to spend my career in front of a computer screen. It seems like thats really where the moneys at though, especially if you don't have a college degree.