Podcasts Archives - Elliot Negelev

Time with Dinna (Part III)

Elliot — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 22:45:00 +0000

In this personal and funny third installment with Dinna, we revisit stories from her early adulthood and parenting years. She recounts her brief history with a charming suitor named Mark. The episode then turns to Elliot’s chaotic childhood memories—from pig pens and laundry detergent pranks to tree-climbing and stuttering episodes—most of which Dinna can’t corroborate […]

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Time with Sammy (Part XI)

Elliot — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 17:08:10 +0000

In this eleventh installment of Sammy’s story, we pick up as the family leaves Italy and arrives in Calgary in late 1979. Sammy, joined by his grandson Ramone, reflects on first impressions of the city—its emptiness, its sprawl, and the early days spent downtown near Prince’s Island Park. He recalls landing a drafting job within […]

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Time with Sammy (Part X)

Elliot — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 18:01:30 +0000

In this episode, Sammy looks back on the six months he, Dinna, and their seven-year-old son spent in Italy after leaving the USSR — the first time any of them had lived in a new country. He shares what it was like adjusting to a completely different culture, finding a routine, and navigating the immigration […]

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Ramone Talks with Sammy

Elliot — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 00:20:36 +0000

Host Ramone and guest Sammy discuss their family’s immigration journey from the Soviet Union (now Russia) to Canada. Sammy shares that their family lived in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) before immigrating in 1979, undergoing a long and challenging process that included stops in Vienna and Italy before arriving in Canada as landed immigrants. They reflect […]

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Ramone, Elliot, & Frisbee Rob

Elliot — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:16:19 +0000

Ramone, Elliot, and Frisbee Rob engage in a free-flowing conversation covering a variety of topics, from paintball and laser tag to small-town life, travel, and personal experiences. They discuss past paintball outings, including competitive matches against coworkers and unexpected encounters with fire ants. Rob shares insights from his extensive travels across Canada, visiting schools to […]

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Time with Dinna (Part II)

Elliot — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 18:49:56 +0000

In this episode, I continue my conversation with my mother, Dinna, revisiting childhood memories—including the time I drank ink and when I broke a vase by setting up a web of string. She shares her perspective on those moments before we shift to her youth, discussing her school years, her passion for English and math, […]

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Time with Ramone (Part II)

Elliot — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 21:28:52 +0000

In this episode, my son Ramone takes over as host, kicking off a debate about a nine-on-nine baseball matchup—him versus me—which quickly expands to hockey, basketball, and ultimate frisbee, with plenty of smack talk. We reminisce about past family debates on “clone matchups” before shifting to teenage drama, as Ramone shares how a joke about […]

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Time with Sammy (Part IX)

Elliot — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 22:04:29 +0000

In this episode, I interview my father, Sammy, about our family’s escape from the Soviet Union in 1979. He recounts the tense journey from Leningrad to Vienna, where we first experienced the abundance of the West, before secretly entering Italy with the help of some locals. Along the way, he reflects on the fear of […]

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Time with Dinna (Part I)

Elliot — Sun, 02 Feb 2025 20:27:14 +0000

In this episode, I interview my mother, Dinna, about her childhood in post-war Gomel, Belarus. She shares memories of growing up in a multi-generational home, the hardships of Soviet life, and the simple joys of childhood, including friendships and family traditions. She reflects on her love for books, the rigid Soviet education system, and the […]

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Time with Sammy (Part VIII)

Elliot — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 23:29:56 +0000

Sammy continues his gripping story of emigration from the Soviet Union. He describes the pivotal moments that led to his family’s decision to leave, including financial challenges and the underground network of information that guided them through the process. As they prepared their exit, Sammy recounts a nerve-wracking trip to Moscow, where he was unexpectedly […]

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Time with Sammy (Part VII)

Elliot — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 22:15:52 +0000

After a long break, the conversation with Sammy resumes as he explores the personal and historical significance of his name, sharing family stories and an unexpected discovery about its origins. He recounts efforts to trace the Negelev family name at Yad Vashem and reflects on Soviet-era naming conventions, bureaucratic confusion, and the suppression of identity […]

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Time with Sammy (Part VI)

Elliot — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 20:21:06 +0000

In this episode, my father, Sammy, continues sharing his life story, reflecting on his early years of marriage with my mother, Dinna, in 1970s Leningrad. He talks about their courtship, the challenges of planning a wedding under Soviet bureaucracy, and the realities of communal living. He also shares what it was like becoming a father, […]

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Time with Sammy (Part V)

Elliot — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 20:06:22 +0000

Sammy begins by describing the hardships he faced after returning from military service in 1968. Shortly after his discharge, his father’s wife, Nini, suffered a severe injury, which led to a devastating cancer diagnosis. Sammy details the struggles of caring for her, from carrying her down flights of stairs to hail taxis to securing heavily […]

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Time with Sammy (Part IV)

Elliot — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 21:04:00 +0000

After returning from military service in 1968, Sammy faced the challenge of caring for his father’s wife, whose illness highlighted the severe shortcomings of the Soviet healthcare system. While managing these difficulties, he secured work as a draftsman but recognized the need for higher education, enrolling in evening classes at the Institute of Civil Engineers. […]

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Time with Sammy (Part III)

Elliot — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 20:50:54 +0000

In this episode, Sammy continues his story, reflecting on the changes in his family after his mother’s passing and his father’s swift remarriage. He details his struggles to adjust, his time at technical college, and the friendships he formed during this period. Sammy recounts his introduction to smoking during a frigid Moscow winter, his discovery […]

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Time with Sammy (Part II)

Elliot — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 20:41:29 +0000

In part two of my conversation with Sammy, we pick up where we left off—his parents’ lives in post-war Leningrad. Sammy shares insights into his father’s post-military life, working various manual jobs before settling into a factory maintenance role, while his mother faced workplace struggles and blacklisting after an unfair dismissal. He recounts his early […]

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Time with Sammy (Part I)

Elliot — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 20:25:57 +0000

In this episode, I interview my father, Sammy, about our family history, tracing back to his father, Yuri, and his mother, Pesya. We explore Yuri’s early years as an orphan after World War I, his service in the Soviet Army, and his survival through World War II. Pesya’s life in Leningrad during the blockade is […]

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Time with John

Elliot — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 17:10:19 +0000

In this episode, I sit down with John Beltrano, a family man, dog owner, and deep thinker. We talk about woodworking, raising kids, pranks, technology, automation, and how humanity is adapting (or failing to adapt) to rapid changes in society. Our conversation ranges from humorous childhood stories to philosophical musings on the future of civilization, […]

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Time with Ramone

Elliot — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 22:52:04 +0000

In this episode, I interview my son, Ramone, about his life, interests, and family history. We discuss his love for baseball, hockey, and snowboarding, his experiences with travel teams, and his unique name origin. The conversation takes a lighthearted turn as we talk about European history, Frisbee, bicycles, music, and even theories on intelligent life […]

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