Friday, February 09, 2007

things to read



The good thing about holidays is that I get to read things which have nothing to do with work.



Where we are now doesn't really have a library (sometimes I do miss Bilkent)

Some kind soul at work lent me a Terry Pratchett, but could not get into it and I have finished the one that Santa sent (Bill Bryson!!) I read an Ian Ranking last week, leaving me terribly homesick but when I get a few more pennies I will be getting a couple more from the bookshop. The wonderful Fleshmarket Close is called Fleshmarket Alley abroad! Do we have to talk about Lake Ness, too, to be understood?! In the meanwhile I've started something which the Bumpa left behind: Persian Fire by Tom Holland, so far so good.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Banks are Shite!!!

AAARRGGHH!!!

Bloody things!

In Turkey you cannot get paid into any bank, your employer tells you which bank to use.

Every month we have to wait for our salary to move from one bank to the other.

We do our banking with a supposedly better bank. However, they have just merged and become crappier than crap!

Without warning our telephone and Internet codes are no longer valid and we need to go to our own branch to get new codes. Of course, the bank is closed at lunch time and not open at the weekend. This is not a little branch either. It is one of the super dooper all-singing-all-dancing (never open and always busy) branches!

I am on holiday at the mo, doing all those shit jobs that you never have time to do normally - tailor, dry cleaning, cobbler, banks... (strange list!) So off to the bank I went, got my number and on the bottom of the slip it said in snide little letters "there are 67 people in front of you". OK so take a few off for those who take a number for each of the selections available (come on!! if I can work it out with my shit Turkish, surely they can, too!!!) that means there's still loads of people in front of me!! Thank God for the I-Pod!!!

To top it off our health insurance is also done by our bank and they like to take the premium a couple of times a month - just for the practice of taking out money and putting it back again it seems. We cancelled the direct debit but this just seems to encourage them! So of course they took it twice this month meaning there was not enough money in the account to pay the electricity standing order! So now I'll no doubt get a fine for not paying my bill, a fine for not having enough money in my account when a standing order comes and I need to go to the electricity shop to pay the bill since banks will only do it by standing order!!! AAARRGGHHHHH

Monday, February 05, 2007

An adult drink


You know, when I watch the TV and films and stuff people seem to have 'a drink'. Their friends and partner know what that drink is and how they like it served. I don't have a drink so when we were on holiday and had access to unlimited amounts of alcohol, I decided to go down the list of drinks to find my drink - and could I? No Not a one. Martini - gave me goosebumps as did a Margarita, Fizzes and sours didn't do it for me and campari tasted like cough mixture and not in a good way! Wine - not so much and beer not at all! Help!

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Holidays

Just back from a few days away in Antalya.



The weather was better than here - which is freezing and the food and the hotel was great. We spent our time in the Spa getting massaged and steamed and scrubbed down. I am sure I must have lost some weight just from the number of skin cells removed.

We also tried our hand at shooting and archery and found that we are both good at them - in fact we even came in second and third in a competition! - Umut second and I third! (not at all bitter!!!!)