New to the community

[bowiechaser.livejournal.com]

Hi, as the subject says, I am new here.
I live in Vancouver, WA, where we have quiet a few Russian immigrants, and since I am in customer service, I'd like to learn a little Russian (if not the whole language) for a few reasons.
1) Because I think it'd be rewarding to know another language
2) Because I am nosy and want to know what's being said in Russian around me
3) Because I have a _very_ cute Russian man that gets coffee from me

Now, that said, I was wondering if anyone else lives around here and can shed some light on WHY there's such a prejudice against Russians? SO many people seem to have the "oh, the damn Russians" mindset, and it bugs me quite a bit.

Anyhoo, I borrowed a "learn to speak Russian" book & cassette series from the library, and WOW it looks hard! Any pointers other than "just dig in"?
~Lisa