observations

So far, "working from home" is going very well. As long as I've got something going on, it beats every other job I've ever worked at. I cook, I keep my home clean & neat, I do my translations, I organize (my life, my computer, the closets, our move), I go out for walks (ehm, on the water) at unexpected hours of the day, it's just been wonderful, knock on wood. And I realize just how much more I can do with my time. I still try to wake up early, but haven't been quite successful at meeting my targets, target being 8; my entry into the breakfast scene being 9.30. ish. In the end, I like owning the day-to-day in my life. I went to Nisantasi today and ran into so many people. Am I really popular or is Nisantasi popular? I ran into Eylem, then this girl I met a few weeks ago at a brunch at J&S, Mark (that's no surprise though, House Cafe is his cafe-office), and last but not least, Teri and her sister and friend. It was a great afternoon, with familiar places & people, chatting and coffee.

On the way back home, I saw a woman and her daughter who was not a day old from 9 in twin chadoors (kara carsaf as we say) sitting in a bus stop. Just sitting side by side like two crows, only their eyes and noses showing. This is not the outskirts of town or forgotten neighborhoods on the Asian side. This is Emirgan. I wish I had a picture to prove. I know I don't need proof, they are so common now that most of you don't need proof to believe me, but I just had to document that (mental note: take your camera with you everywhere, not just to daytrips with your husband). I have so much to say about this but I will censor myself until I'm out of here.
So I'm back home, about to start putting together some dinner for my husband and then getting ready for tonight's girls' night out. I hadn't done this in a while so I'm happy, we're going to have a great time. Will take camera.

sufi

bugunlerde mazhar-fuat-ozkan'a kesin donus yaptigim icin sufi'yi ne zaman dinlesem icime bir heyecan doldugunu farkettim. melodiden midir, ritmden mi, temadan mi bilemedigim icin biraz arastirdim. sufi hangi yilda cikmisti, o zamanlar hangi evde oturuyorduk, kac yasindaydik, nasil bir insandim, bunlari dusundum. sonra isin icyuzu anlasildi. sufi sarkisiyla 1989 yilinda eurovision yarismasina katilmisiz. o yillarin eurovision heyecanini, mazhar-fuat-ozkan'in her zamanki naif sevimliligiyle birlesince, bende derin bir heyecan birakmis.
sonra neydi o karsidaki kulubun adi? bu tarafta da subesi olan? cubuklu hayal kahvesi. orada konserlerine gitmistik, ne cok eglenmistim.

real simple: life made easier

I love real simple's website. They have so many solutions for everyday life, and such good suggestions. It really makes life 'real simple' to tackle every day, and be content and happy with what you are achieving on a daily basis. Because that's something I value so much in life. To be able to enjoy the mundane details in life. Of course, this shouldn't mean that we should enjoy the mundane so much that we don't go out looking for new, bigger challenges that will give us more out of life. It is just to say that there is a lot to enjoy in real life as well, as opposed to a life that is all goals and fantasies and aspirations, and in fact, every day of every person you can imagine is made up of those small moments that are 'simple' and, well, mundane. . . Going back to real simple, look at their forms & checklists section, for instance! It's awesome, they have 'Essential Travel Information Worksheets' (checking that out RIGHT now), lots of checklists about wedding planning, printable shopping lists, and even inventory worksheets for your basement, attic, family room, et-ce-te-ra! All this sounds amazing to me. It opens the doors of a whole new world, since in Turkey people are not too big on getting organized.
and I love their illustrations.
and they have a life & soul section.

I just made it my homepage.

vefa

vefa kelimesinin ingilizce karsiligini bulamadim. loyalty, trueness, gibi seyler diyor sozlukler. benim aradigim karsilik o degil. arayip sormak, 'orada olmak', aylarca ortadan kaybolmamak gibi bir seydir benim bildigim veda. sadakatle karistirmamak lazim. senelerce ses vermeyip de hala anilara sadik olan insanlar da var. sonuc olarak, nedir vefa ingilizcede?

First Day At Home

Observations: I work so much harder when I'm at home. There is no time to procrastinate, in a strange way. When I don't have work at hand (work being translations), I go do housework. Before that is over they call me for new work.
(Doug just said it's only 5.45. It's true! And we just came back from a walk to the forest, took deep breaths and saw a flock of birds burst out and fly in front of the moon. Beautiful.)
I also find that you need to be planned, organized, and keep yourself in a schedule when you're at home. Otherwise, you may not know where you're going and what you're supposed to do. My suggestion is to wake up at 8 every day, go for a walk/run, and then be home at 9 and start the day. I'll tell you how that goes!
One day is so long to sit in an office. There is so much to do in life. Day #1, I'm happy. But it doesn't stop there. Let's push it further, self.

sunday post #2

most of the time, i talk to people inside my head. i have long talks where i explain myself and my standpoint, why i do the things i do and why they should take my advice. these conversations never happen in reality, no one is convinced, and i keep living in my own world. in real life, i don't like talking that much, because i can't get my thoughts together on the spot. in my inner monologues, my thoughts are together, i'm poised and everything is in order. i wonder if i'll ever have a similar conversation in real life. probably not. it's like assigning a certain persona to a celebrity in your fantasy, a persona that has a readiness to find you cute and attractive.

yine mi sikayet?

Evet.
Bu Turklerle ilgili bir sey mi bilmiyorum.
Doug'in dizi cekimi icin gittigimiz dizi setinde bizden baska herkes, istisnasiz herkes sigara iciyordu. Saat gecenin ikisi, ortalik dumandan gecilmiyor, acabilecegimiz bir pencere yok ve yorgunuz, ama herkes sigara iciyor. Hatta sigaralari bitiyor ve yeni paketler aldiriliyor, onlara baslaniyor. En son, ugur yucel ve ozan guven (tabii ki onlar da tiryaki) yeni sahnenin provasini yaparken reji asistani 20 yaslarinda bir kizin, tutmasi gereken kagitlar varken elinde hala tutmaya calistigi sigara yuzunden zor durumda kalip, sonra da sigarayi masadaki kulluge koymak zorunda kaldigini gorunce, 'eh yani' dedim. Basrol oyuncularinin prova yapmasina yardimci olurken 20'lik bir tipin elinde de mi sigara olabiliyor? Hic mi is ahlakimiz yok? Sigara icilmesi yasak degil diye, herkes, her an mi icmeli? O an Doug'la birbirimize baktik ve ikimizin de yuzunde 'bu ne bicim is' der bir ifade vardi.
Muhtemelen daha once de gordum isinin basinda hala sigara icmeye calisan tipler (ki sokak saticisi olsa bile alisveris yapmam oylelerinden), ama galiba bu kadarini gormemistim.
Sonuc olarak bol bol duman soludum, filmcilikle ilgili bir sey yapmiyor olduguma cok sevindim, ozan guven ve ugur yucel'le ayni mekanda ve cogunlukla ayni odada 10 saat vakit gecirdim, hatta karizmayi cizip ozan'la fotograf cektirdim, ve sabah 4'te evime gelip uyudum.