Almost all set to go!

I packed my suitcase and my carry-on. I had to buy a carry-on bag because the airline has a very strict policy about the size of it. It is a cheap bag.

I also bought all the gifts except for some tea and pistachio nuts my friend likes.

Yesterday, I left home at 10 in the morning, dropped my car at the detail wash station. I got on the subway, transferred to a ferry to cross the Bosphorus and then got on a tram to take me to Grand Bazaar. Sounds complicated but it really isn't.

I strolled around Grand Bazaar for over two hours and finally got my friends and their kids gifts. I walked all the way down to the Spice Bazaar got my friend some spices, dried apricots, Turkish Delight. I then went to a museum to grab two books for the guys. By the time I was done and at home, it was past 6:30 p.m. I jumped in a cold shower and checked how much walking I had done: 13.158 steps, 9.1 km! Wow! So, I am capable of doing that. Hence, no reason to stay as a couch potato anymore.

Needless to say, there is no part of me not aching today.

Today, I packed almost everything but I am sure, I will forget something how trivial it may be.

I am really ready to get on that plane!

No more Meetings today!

The investment company came yesterday and we had a long meeting. They interviewed two sales people and our technical team leader yesterday. Today, they have asked for more information in writing. I guess they liked what they saw.

My boss seems content too. He told me that before they met me, they thought I would be OK as a COO but that they would probably have to bring a new boss from the outside. After the meeting yesterday, they said that they found me quite competent in many areas. It is nice to hear that but still, I am not going to think about it any further.

I would much rather stay as the COO and help out a new boss than becoming the boss myself. Too much stress is not something I look forward to.

All I want is to work for a couple of more years. We will see if that will be possible.

It is really hot and humid today. I will finish making the lists of what I will put in my suitcase and what to get as gifts. This weekend, I should be able to close my suitcase and bring it to the studio apartment since, I shall be leaving from there for the airport next week.

I was hoping to prolong my trip for another week but, the airline asked double the amount I had paid to change my return date. Yeah right! I am no idiot. Hopefully, next time I plan to be in the US, I will have no time constrictions and I can stay as long as I like. Why not?

Not bad for a meeting!

I had my meeting with the potential investors this morning. It was pretty good actually. I have no idea whether they would keep me or not if and when this buyout happens but, I have positive feelings about it.

It was one hurdle, I jumped over.

Tomorrow, there may or may not be another meeting. We will see.

Hurdles Before Vacation

The company who intends to purchase us is bringing a consultant from abroad. This Thursday and Friday, they will be introducing some of us to this consultant.

I have no idea what they will ask. It's going to be interesting. I am a bit nervous about it.

I am looking forward to not this but the next Friday when I go on vacation. I just can't wait.

The meetings on Thursday and Friday feel like the last two hurdles at a race.

What ifs are invading my brain again. What if we get sold? What if the owner does not stay on board? What if we don't get sold? Soooo many more!

T-Minus 15 days

I have 15 days to go before my vacation. I know it is too early but, yesterday night, I packed up my medications to last at least three weeks since there is a 50% chance that I may prolong my vacation by another week.

This weekend I will be doing some of my gift shopping. It is extremely hot so, it will not be much fun.

I will be bringing spices, Turkish Bath Towels, some sweets, dried figs and apricots along with some other stuff.

I am so excited and so ready to go.

This time I would like to spend most of my time doing things with my friends. In order to save time from shopping, I ordered everything that can be ordered online to be delivered to my friend's house. I love Amazon!

Smoking is bad for your health and your budget!

We had a stressful month due to some project not going as expected. Although the problem is not on our side and is being worked on, the tech person in charge of the project had some very stressful time lately.

He is a smoker but I did not know how much he smoked. It turned out that last month, he smoked almost 1/3 of his whole month's salary! Wow!

I told him outright that he should be an idiot to do that. He is barely 30, very overweight, very sedentary and a heavy smoker. Now, I am obese too but at least I made it to 50 and have never smoked.

He said, he realized that too and that he would start tracking his smoking. About time!

I think I will Melt Away

It is brutally hot despite the breeze out there. I am sweating as I sit watching TV. All windows are open.

It is almost 7 p.m. as I type this and the weather web site says it is 32 degrees Centigrade, (89 degrees Fahrenheit) with 74% humidity. I have a feeling that they are lying about the humidity.

Yesterday night, I had a terrible time falling asleep. My apartment never gets this warm so, I never needed an A/C. The studio gets very hot so there is a stupid old A/C. I think, I am going to move to the studio and sleep there tonight.

I haven't been at the studio for the last ten days since I had gone to Ankara and then came back and worked from home. I need to pack up some food items and some clothing items so, I better get started.

The best salad I ever had!

I enjoy salads at restaurants here in Istanbul because they are made with many tasty ingredients. I never buy some of the things they use like some fancy grains, kinoa etc.

I always thought half the produce would go bad if I purchased a variety of salad ingredients but, this week, I have decided to try my own mix without fancy stuff so, I purchased the following:

1 small iceberg lettuce
4 big carrots
2 pounds of baby cucumbers
2 pounds of tomatoes
5 beets
1 pound of sweet peppers
Baby arugula
Dill weed
Parsley

I have used everything except for the carrots and beets for my first salad. I topped my salad with a good portion of poached Norwegian Salmon. For dressing, I used pomegranate molasses and extra virgin olive oil. I am so glad. It was such a filling and healthy salad. I will make variations of this till I use up all my ingredients.

To make the fresh produce last, I put them in paper bags and wrap them with plastic baggies they come in, just loosely and put them in the produce section of the fridge.

Tonight, I am going to make "kısır" which is our version of tabbouleh. I will use up most of the remaining parsley and half of the peppers. We tend to put more bulgur wheat in it. I eat this not as a salad but as a whole one dish meal. It goes best with tea.

I will use up the remaining cooked salmon tomorrow. Then I will use a variety of cheeses and some eggs for protein over my salads. I promised myself not to eat anything else before I use the salad ingredients.

I had an omelette with cheese and dill weed for breakfast this morning so, I do not need any more protein today. The kısır will be just fine for dinner.

Debt Aversion: Is that a thing?

Some of my favorite bloggers stopped blogging or are blogging rarely so, yesterday I started looking for new personal finance blogs to add to my blogroll.

As I was perusing, I have seen bloggers who are doing financially pretty good in terms of budgeting, setting aside retirement money meanwhile paying down mortgages and car loans. Some debts they had were in the neighborhood of a total of a few hundred thousand dollars. Yikes!

To me it is very scary but these folks were happy and content.

I hate debt. I try to avoid it like the plague. I do not have any debt of my own but, I have taken over a couple of payments from a family member because that person is unable to make those payments anymore and we would like to keep the properties in the family.

Every single month, I look at those payment schedules and look at the money sitting in my savings account and I start itching to pay them right away to get rid of them both.

The sad fact is, one of them is a loan you cannot pay in full. There are exactly 24 months to go on that one.

The other is a mortgage of 10 years and it goes well into 2025. Hate, hate, hate that! The only reason why I am not closing the mortgage is that I can still earn more interest in my savings accounts than the interest on the mortgage. It is 10,53% versus 12%. Not a big deal but still... Logic dictates me not to do it.

For some people debt is a way of life. For me, it is the Plague. If I say, it gives me physical pain, it is not an exaggeration.

Still no city water so, working in pajamas

Everything is ready at work for the utility company to inspect and turn on the city water but, they are taking their time and not hurrying.

All this week is Home Office time. So far, it seems to be working out therefore, I cannot complain. I didn't even have to go as far as the studio. Being home is nice!

I just ordered some groceries online and I am all set till Sunday. Some things will last longer but they are mostly drinks and staples that are meant to last longer.

I am trying to drink as little coke as possible so, I am brewing tea in the fridge. Sometimes, I drink it as it is, sometimes I pour in a little apple juice or some sort of sugary ice tea to make it taste a bit better.

I had to use up some tomato sauce and anchovies so, I made pasta for dinner tonight. The next four days will be healthier with salmon, eggs, grains and lots of salad.