Where did the store go?

Today, I wanted to get new glasses but alas! The store was deserted. They must have moved and I could not see if there were any instructions on the door or the window.

I asked my sister to call the guy who had recommended them to see if he knows where they are gone.

Progressive lenses are both expensive and tricky to fit. Good workmanship is a must so, I just do not go anywhere to get my new glasses. Both my eyes have different degrees. I also have astigmatism in different degrees in both eyes. So, it is difficult to fit my lenses well.

Glasses, Budgets and Thoughts on Spending Money

The visit to the eye doctor last week revealed that I needed a new prescription and therefore, a new pair of glasses. I use progressive lenses and they are so darn expensive. I desperately need a new pair of sun glasses too.

I have been wearing glasses for 42 years and I probably could have bought a nice car, may be even a small apartment with the money spent on glasses all these years.

Thankfully, I always earmark a certain amount of money for glasses every year for spring months since that is when I go to the eye doctor annually. Last year, my prescription had not changed so, I was able to save that money. This year, it will have to be spent.

My current lenses were a bit scratched so, I guess it is time to get a new pair of glasses anyway. Tomorrow, I will be ordering two new pairs of glasses. Mom will help me choose.

I do hate to spend money on glasses, clothing, home repairs, cars and etc. The only thing I do not mind spending money on, is travel. I love to travel but still, I budget my travels very carefully to make sure I get the best deals at the best possible prices. This is my only luxury.

At my age, my friends are either paying for school tuitions or expensive home mortgages or may be both. Some of them go to expensive hair saloons, spend too much on new cars, dining out a lot and etc.

I own my two apartments free and clear and the debts I am currently paying are not mine. I am paying them (30 months on the bigger one and  94 months on the smaller one) because I can and feel like it is my duty. I am currently driving a company car so, I have no car expenses. I own a 2010 Nissan Note that my uncle drives mom around in Ankara.

I am spending about 19% of my income on two separate debt payments and saving 45%. The rest goes to living expenses, utilities, insurance payments, and a small amount for taxes on the rental property I have. Taxes are automatically deducted so, there are not tax payments. This set-up allows me to have two vacations per year and I am content with this.

Upcoming Trip to Chios Greece

While I am waiting for the lab results and a call from my doctor nervously, I have decided to focus on something more pleasant for the time being.

The last weekend of April, I am taking my mom to Izmir to visit my SIS and BIL. We will spend the weekend with them and on May 1st, we will catch the evening ferry from Cesme, Izmir to Chios Greece. I had been there before just for a weekend and loved it. It is a nice little island with very friendly people, great food, nice beaches. Much much cheaper than Cesme for sure.

We shall be staying there until Friday coming back with the evening ferry. It takes about 35 minutes from Cesme to Chios.

Then we shall spend Friday evening and Saturday with my SIS and BIL. Mom will stay with them. I shall come back to Istanbul alone.

I have booked a rental car in Chios. They do not offer any automatic cars at all. Thankfully, I can drive a stick shift since, automatic cars became popular and available mostly after the 2000s in Turkey too.

I am hoping to be able to take quick dips in water despite the fact that it is still too cold for most people.

This is my "vacation with mom" of the year. Last year, it was Milan, Italy.

Depending on mom's mood and our health, I am hoping to take her to visit Scotland next year. It is a place I would like to see very very much. She wants to stay at a haunted place and I told her she is welcome to do so by herself :)

Doctor visits

I came to Ankara for business and while I am here, I wanted to take mom and myself to our routine heart and eye exams. Mom passed with flying colors. me? Not so much. My heart is OK but my TSH level is 11! Also the eye doctor told me my eye pressure was higher than usual and she wanted to follow that because, that can lead to glaucoma. So, I must be back in a month.

I made an appointment with an endocrinologist for the TSH and he wanted some tests suspecting Cushing's Syndrome. So, the tests will be done tomorrow.

No wonder I was not able to lose any weight lately. Also, this is a likely explanation for my insomnia too.

I am hoping that, I do not have anything bad. Until all the tests are done and the doctor tells me what is wrong with me, I will be worried...

Lazy Sunday

I got up really late today. It feels like I am making up for all that sleep I cannot get during the week.

Had a big lunch which kept me until now which is almost 8 p.m. Now, I am hungry and decided to have pancakes with strawberry sauce. I bought fresh strawberries yesterday and ate some of them. I still have some more to eat but, the rest is going in a strawberry sauce barely sweetened with a little sugar and vanilla.

I am done with laundry and am almost out of laundry detergent. I must make a list since, I see I am out a few other things as well. Like there is no salt either. Since I will be bringing mom on the weekend, I must stock up on some things. She will stay here for two weeks and then we will have our one week vacation together.

Cleaning Day - 2

Well the walls could not be scraped. The traffic was horrid and by the time I got home, I felt doing absolutely nothing.

Bathroom cabinets are 1/3 done. Tomorrow is another day.

All the curtains are down. Some of them are in the wash and some are already back up again! Unlike  my mom, I do not iron my curtains. They do not get wrinkled so bad and as soon as they are out of the washing machine, I hang them so, I can get away with not ironing.

The electronical items are all in a big IKEA bag ready to be taken to work.

I thought some curtains needed to be replaced but I am surprised to see that older curtains are still looking better than some of the new ones. Anyway, I have decided to postpone the curtain business till next year. Money saved!

Actually, there is a curtain outlet and what I buy are generally very inexpensive so, we are not talking big bucks here. Once I had renewed the entire living room curtains at just USD 85 including sewing. My curtains hang from the ceiling to the floor so, we are talking about a lot of fabric. Many people praised me on how beautiful my curtains looked and could not believe how cheap they were. I tell them where the outlet is and all they have to know is the measurements before they go, select the fabrics and order them. Almost always, they end up not going and spending a lot more money for mediocre looking curtains. What can I say? They must be growing money on trees.

I could not get a hold of the guy to put a new curtain rod in the kitchen. May be he quit? I do not know. Well, no rush.

I think, I still want to go that art exhibit opening. There are a couple of curtains I want the cleaning lady to hang back up and then, I can take a shower and get ready. Depending on the traffic, I may leave the car on this side and cross the Bosphorus on a ferry and then take a cab to the Art Gallery.

My To Do List for the weekend

Today, I am going to leave work a bit early so, I am hoping to reach home by 6 o'clock.

Here is what I would like to do today:

- Take down some of the curtains
- Scrape the wall parts that have been damaged by water during the winter and throw out the scrapings (I will have to call a contractor later on to see how this can be permanently fixed)
- Arrange the contractor to put up my kitchen curtains to come and do the job tomorrow. My walls are concrete and I need a power drill which I do not have.
- Do one load of laundry.

Tomorrow:
- Wash all the curtains and put them back up (Actually, I would like to replace some curtains later in the year so, while they are down, I can take measurements)
- Throw away junk and clean up the bathroom cabinets
- Clear out all the old electronics, put them in my trunk to bring to work
- Take a shower, dress up and head for the opening of the art exhibition

I am planning to sleep as much as I can on Saturday night late into Sunday. I will tell my family not to call and I will turn off the volume of my mobile phone.

I think, this is enough for this weekend. I am definitely not cooking. Will order something healthy like fish and salad.

Where is spring? And why have I become insomniac?

Blossoming trees, greener grass, less rain, more sunny days... But, I am still wearing a coat! What is wrong with the season? It seems like the winter insists on staying.

I remember nice, lukewarm breezy spring days in the past. Sudden afternoon showers followed by sunshine that made everything sparkle in April. They are no more...

Human kind must have seriously messed up the ecosystem. 

During the last few months, I have started having difficulty sleeping well. I sleep only a few hours every night and very lightly. I keep waking up for no reason at all. The studio apartment I am keeping to stay during the week is noisy so, I was blaming the noise mostly but, it is not just noise.

When I stay at my primary residence, I get to sleep a little better but not as good as I used to.

Can this be the footsteps of menopause? Can it be something else bothering me without me being aware of it?

The other day, I looked at the mirror and was shocked to see how tired I looked. 

This weekend, the cleaning lady will come on Saturday. I will do my best to tire myself out just to see if I will have a good night's sleep at night. 

A childhood friend has an art exhibition opening on Saturday as well. I would like to go but, we shall see.

Productive Weekend

I had a somewhat productive weekend. I had promised myself that I would throw out or give away at least 50 items. So, I attacked the various drawers and my tool box at home and in a few hours, I was able to remove 50+ items.

I fished out all the cords and cables and upon careful inspection kept a few that I needed. I will bring the rest to work to see if technical guys may make use of them.

I am also going to bring an old printer which only works as a scanner and an extremely old laptop to work.

I need to look through my books to see what can be donated. Anything that accumulates dust is my enemy ha ha! (insert evil laughter here)

I think, I can give away some old towels and linens too since the drawers are overflowing.

Bathroom cabinet is also one of my targets.

You see, there is still quiet a bit to be done but handling them in small chunks truly works. Now, I do not see this as an overwhelming task. Also, I do not create a big pile of mess at once. One drawer, one box, one cabinet at a time with frequent breaks is easy. When I am done with a box, it goes back to where it belongs so, ne mess, no fuss, no kicking myself for being sloppy.