My landlord sounds like the Don*

It's true. My landlord currently sounds like the Ukrainian version of Don Corleone. It's kind of creepy. I love "The Godfather" (the first one...the other two are just not the same) and think that Marlon Brando is fantastic with his distinctive voice and speech pattern.

HOWEVER

It is just not the same when "the don" turns out to be a quite elderly Ukrainian man (whose Russian is garbly even when his throat isn't infected and raspy) who, quite like those people who raise their voices in English when trying to speak to a native Spanish-speaker, gets extremely close to my face, talks extremely loudly, and gesticulates to the extreme.

Tonight, he kept pressing in to make his point. I kept stepping backward (reverting to my American upbringing of 'personal space')...until I was right smack up against the refrigerator and had no escape. He kept getting closer to explain something, but I was no longer able to follow along. This is when I just focused on his similarities with the Don:

1. raspy voice

2. putting on the pressure to make his point (Made him an offer that he couldn't refuse)

3. old and a little grumpy

4. intimidating as he gets up in my face (think "Sonny"...scary!)

5. Also...he repeated his message 6 times (kind of like when the Don repeats the same advice over and over to Michael, in an effort to warn him of impending betrayal). Should I be concerned?

If he keeps up the intense Godfather antics, I'm going to have to go to the mattresses. I'll take my cannoli with me, thank you very much!

*This post is for Dad, Mike, Kat, Amiee, and Brad.