There are many new arrangements in place since I last posted. Most importantly, I have purchased a very small wooden desk and a very large wooden chair. Actually, most importantly we have purchased a bed and mattress that is actually comfortable, but after that, this desk and chair are the greatest improvement to my well […]
Return to work
It was the quietest winter I’ve had in a while, I think, in terms of taking time off and not having work to do. On the weekend the GF and went for a very pleasant walk in the Belgrad forest. The first part of it, which was on an established trail, we passed about a […]
Worries
This Hamas Israel business is really worrisome. Also, unusually, personally worrisome as we have many synagogues and a Muslim Brotherhood settlement within a few minutes of our front door. But I really don’t know what will happen, and it is terrifying politically and in terms of human suffering.
Sudden decision
This morning I woke at 5 to finish some work and just as I completed it at around 7, I got a call from my father, saying that my siblings were all going to be in Lahore this weekend, why don’t I come too? I looked at tickets, they were very expensive, and then there’s […]
Same place as last year
After emerging, with some difficulty, from nearly a year of extreme overwork, I find myself in nearly the same place as a year ago. Nearly agreed to a work assignment that will eat up the winter (but comes with travel), nearly agreed to joining a committee that nearly killed me last year, and have rejoined […]
Mall aesthetic
Today we decided to go and explore the Camlica mosque, the immense structure built on a hill on the Asian side, dominating that view. It required a ferry to Uskudar and then a metro and then a climb up a hill past a place where we had lunch (kuru fasulye) and up through a large […]
Market day
This morning, or rather early afternoon, the GF and I went off to the Ferikoy organic market, though first to the small restaurant nearby which only serves one meal, breakfast, consisting of freshly baked naan, eggs, honey, cheese, butter and salad, all sourced from their village in Erzincan. It’s a nice breakfast, but it was […]
Climb down jump off
Having bashed through an obscene amount of work the last few days, and missed more deadlines than I probably have in years, today was, finally, a quieter day. Well, I say quieter as I did finish an article and then go off with the GF to run a series of errands, most of which had […]
Post office lunch
Strolled down to the post office today, which has been converted into a sort of community space with a low key zero-waste restaurant. Pleasingly, the food was good and it wasn’t too expensive, so I think I will be going back there. Work remains overwhelming, though I’m slowly making my way through it. A few […]
Dipping a toe
I started dipping a toe back in Istanbul life yesterday by going down to the best local coffee followed by a stop at the best local cake/antiques shop which sadly doesn’t have the best coffee otherwise I would be there all the time. For dinner we went to the neighbourhood manti shop in Cihangir, which […]