Roots

My roots were a mess and I had no time to go to the hair dressers. Actually, I was trying to postpone it till late October right before my trip. Since I have to go to the court tomorrow, I decided to take care of my roots. I had no idea what color I needed so I had to wing it.

The result is somewhat darker than my regular shade but, it works. I was afraid that it would be worse and that I would end up with a very sharp difference. Phew!

When I am in the US, I will need to take care of my roots myself. If worse comes to worse, I will color it all giving up what is left of my balayage.

A Former Headache Rearing Its Ugly Head... Bah!

I do not know if I have mentioned this before but, at my previous job, we had a toxic employee. My ex-boss and I were able to place him at a customer site so that he could not jeopardize daily operations. The project lasted for over a year and everybody was comfortable with the arrangement. My ex-boss sold the company, new owners took it over and the said project came to an end eventually.

Knowing this person, I alerted the new management about the upcoming problem and the new GM decided to offer him another customer site project. He did and the idiot rejected.

Right around those days, the company arranged for a dinner party and the GM decided to talk to this guy once more.

All through the night the GM and the guy talked but could not come to a conclusion. Finally, late at night as he was leaving, I have realized that he was very drunk so, I told the waiters to call a cab for him and urged him to leave his car. He refused it but I insisted and told him that he could expense the cab. He said fine and walked out. Well, being the idiot that he was, he took his car without waiting for the cab and right around the corner, he came across another car and somehow got involved in a fist fight with those people. The police station was within quarter of a mile so, they came immediately and arrested the guy since he was drunk driving. We were still at the restaurant when he called the GM. At that hour of the night both the GM and another manager went to the police station and I got a hold of the company lawyer. We went out of our way to help him but the level of alcohol in his blood made it impossible for him to keep his license. Due to a previous DUI, his license got suspended for two years!

Well, our business required everybody to drive and hence, we had issued company cars to all.

The guy came back a couple of days later. (It took him two days to sober up). The GM told him that now that he will not be able to drive, he should accept the customer site assignment since the customer provided transportation. He refused it AGAIN! The GM was way more patient with him than I would be. He talked to him for at least two hours and finally gave up. We then terminated his contract having no other choice.

He decided to sue the company which is fine. However, the first court hearing is on Monday and being a witness, I have to go. Bummer! I was really hoping that the court date would be set later and I would be abroad so that I would not have to go. Bummer again!

At least the previous company is sending a car to pick me up to go to the court on my request.

My tips for Rental Cars

We all know that shopping for prices and reserving a car well in advance of the travel dates are important to secure the best prices.

I rarely need to rent a car in my home country since I have a car. When I need one, I shop around using international sites and believe it or not, I get the best prices through them.

I usually need a car when I am abroad. With my upcoming trip I need a car for about 41 days. Rental companies allow you to rent for only 30 days so, as I am dropping the first rental, I will be picking up the other.

I have started searching and reserving good deals months ago and made and canceled several reservations. I wasn't expecting to find better deals as the date approaches but, I kept on looking and am very glad I did. This week I have been pleasantly surprised by a better deal on the first rental.

I use AUTOSLASH and a few other sites but, I found the best prices through AUTOSLASH this time. It is a real neat site where you can enter your reservation details so that they can track and find you even better deals if possible. You get to see the offers and then make the reservation online through Priceline. If you are a foreigner like I am, do use a VPN to be able to see the Autoslash offers on Priceline. If you don't, you may see higher prices. Autoslash has a pop-up that tells you this. You may always ask for help and they respond pretty quickly. I am not being paid for this post and this represents my experience.

My time frame for rentals include Thanksgiving and days close to Christmas. One of the busiest times when car rental prices sky rocket. It is always more expensive in the New York area anyway.

I am pretty comfortable with the current prices on my reservations. The killer is Damage Waiver and Additional Liability Insurance. American consumers who already own cars and car insurance do not have to purchase those since their policies cover rentals. As a foreigner I have to. I knew this from the start and have made my budget accordingly.

I have rented cars several times and have never needed the insurance but, I am not going to risk anything. Peace of mind is important. I hope never to need the insurance and always be able to pay for it.

This and That

Today I went to get my driver's licence renewed. It is a silly process. I went to get a health certificate first. The doctor did not even take my pulse. She signed off on what I have put down on paper. She sent me to an eye doctor upstairs and the eye doctor gave me a basic exam and confirmed my current prescription.

Then I went to the Government Office where they issue and renew IDs, passports, DLs. I had to wait for about an hour because I went in earlier than my appointment. Then they canceled my current DL, gave me a temporary one and told me that they would be mailing my new license. It is good for 10 years so, I do not have to do this again anytime soon.

Old licenses did not have expiration dates. New ones are valid only for 10 years. I used to have a US license from NY State. I think it was good for only 5 years? I am not sure.

Then I went to get my glasses adjusted. While I was at the mall, I picked up a tube of toothpaste.

I came back to have tea with mom.

Tomorrow mom and I will go grocery shopping. I think, on Friday, I will go to the Grand Bazaar for gifts.

While I was out a former colleague from many years ago called me and we decided to have coffee next week. He is a nice guy and I thought he had moved to Canada with his family. Seems like he has one foot on this continent and travels from time to time.

After that one of my employees from my last job called. He is over the moon that he is about to be offered a job by a multinational company. He had it with the new manager he reports to. He is a great guy and deserves the best. I hope, he gets the job. There may be a few stumbling blocks but, I have a positive feeling about this.

I have finalized my rental car arrangements. It is the most expensive part of this vacation and I am not even renting a car for the whole time. Just 41 days out of 78.  The killer is the DW and the ALI I must purchase. Since I am not a US citizen with a car coverage that would take care of a rental car, I must purchase the expensive insurance. However, I am now convinced that I got the rock-bottom prices on my rental car.

Phewww! Good News!

Today, I looked up results online and saw that the biopsy report was completed. However, I could not access it. So, I called the Report Department of the hospital and asked them to e-mail me the results. They did. I instantly realized that there was nothing bad but, I wanted to be sure so, I took a picture of the report and sent it to a pathologist friend of mine.

She responded immediately saying that the results were good and there was nothing to be worried about. What a relief!

I love having several doctor friends. Almost all of them are my HS mates. It was a great school and my friends are really nice and cool people. We get together every year at a beach resort run by another school mate but, this year I could not go. They have been posting pictures on our FB group and asking about my mom. I am so thankful for having them in my life.

To celebrate I baked a marble cake and made tea for both of us. She is very relieved too.

Tomorrow we will go see her doctors and I am sure they will confirm the same good results.

I had put a stop on all preparations about my long US vacation. I was going to cancel it if she needed another surgery and long term care. Now I must go back to my gift lists and start shopping.

I also need to renew my driver's license and I am going to take care of that on Wednesday.

Thank you for all of you who had sent good wishes and kept us in your prayers.

Still waiting

I think we will not find out about the result of the biopsy before Tuesday when we go to the doctors. Waiting is killing everyone in the family.

On another note, there are still errands to run to keep us busy. I did three loads of laundry the day before. Today, mom and I went to get my new glasses (they have a weird feeling, need to be adjusted), get back my uncle's now waxed coat. Then we made a stop at a farmers market to get some veggies and figs. Fresh figs are in abundance these days. They are so sweet and good.

We then when to one of my mom's favorite places for lunch and she treated me. We both napped when we got back home.

While this biopsy is hanging up in the air, I cannot think of anything to do or write.

Waiting may be the worst...

Mom had her endoscopy, colonoscopy and the other procedure yesterday. The day before, since she was trying to empty her bowels out, she could not sleep at all. During the day, she has been put to a mild sleep twice. As soon as we got home, we both slept soundly for a long while.

The pathology reports will be available within a week or ten days. Her uterus is still a suspect. She has mid reflux and gastritis. Her colon was fine. The doctor found just one polip and removed it. We will know if there is going to be another surgery in a few weeks.

Waiting is the worst I think.

Today, she is back to her old self thankfully.

Not over yet...

Mom had her control appointment today. The surgeon told us that the pathology was fine and the appendix did not seem like a big deal to cause so much pain to her. So, she suggested that mom sees an ob-gyn and get an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. Yikes!

She saw the ob-gyn today and he saw a suspicious growth in her uterus so, he decided to go in and see what it is.  She is scheduled for all the above on Thursday. The doc is a cutie so, mom.is not protesting much. Lol!

Tomorrow, after a light breakfast she is only allowed clear fluids till next morning. After the endoscopy and colonoscopy, she will rest a little bit and go in for the other thing. Hopefully, on Thursday evening, I will bring her home and everything will be fine. The doc says, he does not suspect you know what. Even if it is an abnormal growth, it will have been dignosed at a very early stage and they will clean it out immediately.

Think positive, think positive...

After we were done at the hospital, we went to get her the rollator. It is pretty and red. Lol! I liked the red one better and mom agreed to get that one.

I tried to make her relax and we spent some time outside just chilling and having tea.

Tomatoes!

There are a few more weeks while we can get the best tomatoes at the best possible prices. Today, I went to a farmers market and despite my mom's protests, I bought about 20 pounds of tomatoes. I processed them and scooped them into ziploc type bags. She likes them in the winter for cooking yet she did bot want me to do it for her.

I did not listen and I am glad. She now has lots of good quality tomato sauce nicely freezing. Now she is happy. I guess she thought I was too tired and just did not want me to bother.

I am done with errands. I would like to relax during the weekend and go back to Istanbul on Monday.

47 days to go till my big vacation! getting impatient and excited.

Errands errands...

I came to Ankara with mom on Monday. We were both very tired so went out for dinner. All Tuesday I was with some alumni of my HS and we spent half of the day at the court supporting 4 of our friends. The rest of the day we were all together talking about the surreal experience. It is a very looong story and not mine so, that is all I will tell about it. I walked quiet a bit that day.

This morning I took my old car that I leave at my mom's garage to be serviced. I asked them to change the battery too because, I know that it would die very soon. While waiting, I decided to walk and boy did I walk! Tonight I am meeting two childhood friends for dinner and tomorrow I will take the car for inspection.

Mom is very bored so, tomorrow I am taking her out a little bit. Other than coming to Ankara, she did not go out after the surgery. Over the weekend, we shall meet my sister and brother in law and go back to Istanbul on Monday.

I am really tired already.

Gotta find a new cardiologist

Bummer!

My mom and I used to go to the same cardiologist in Ankara every 6 months. Today, I found a message on my cell phone that she has left the hospital and now she has her own practice. Our insurance does not accept individual practices and also, a single doctor cannot issue a certain type of report for meds we take on a regular basis. It has to be a board of doctors which you can only find at a hospital. One of mom's meds require a report every 6 months. The rest is every two years.

We liked our doctor and have been seeing her for the last 10 years or so. After I come back from my big vacation, I will look for a cardiologist in Istanbul possibly at the hospital mom had her appendectomy. I intend to ask around to my doctor friends also, before I decide on a new hospital and new doctor.

We came to Ankara today and I ran one errand to get it out of the way. Tomorrow I am meeting some alumni of my HS. I know most of them only through Facebook. It will be nice to meet face to face.

Good sales

Yesterday when I went to the bank, I parked at the grocery store's free parking lot because, they charge you for the rest of the parking spaces. When I returned, I noticed the good sales that is going on and grabbed two packs of 32 rolls of TP. I have some more at home and I think my stock will last me a long time.

I have skipped the perihables since, we are not going to be here for a week but, I bought some detergent along with the TP.  Mom disagrees with me and says with the limited space in my apartment, I should not be stockpiling. Well, the only thing I put in my closet is the TP. The rest of the stuff are put where they belong.

If I feel like purging further sometime soon, I will empty out some space for stockpiling.

By the time you read this post, we will probably be either on the road or, in Ankara.

Have a good day!

WoooHoooo! Debt is gone!

I am happy, happy, happy, even, over the moon! Since November 2016, I had been paying a debt that belonged to a family member because he did not have the means to take care of it and not paying it would cause loss of a family home and some other complications. Since, I was earning very well at the time, I had taken over this debt.

Today, I made the last payment! THE. LAST. PAYMENT.

I have only one remaining debt now, a mortgage on an apartment that I purchased from the same family member so that he could generate some cash and to keep the apartment in the family. We all use it. It is a 3 bedroom apartment close to many beaches in the city of Antalya.

There are 64 more mortgage payments but, it is a lot lower than the one that has been paid. About 1/3 of the other so, it isn't all that important.

Pheeewww!

This and That

I have fallen off the weight loss and exercise wagon in the summer but, I am back on track now. Despite that, I still lost 4 pounds but, it could have been a lot better.

I have to admit that every time I am on the treadmill, I want to give it up during the first 15 minutes. Past that mark, I motivate myself by looking at the screen and setting mini goals like "I am going to up the incline once I hit 1 mile" or "I am going to keep on at 4.2 miles till I hit 35 minutes". I am making a game of this and walking between 35 and 55 minutes every day.

Now that it is cooling down a little, I would like to walk outside too. I need to purchase gifts for my upcoming vacation so, there is some motivation there as well.

We are going to Ankara on Tuesday, coming back on Monday. I have several errands to run so, it is going to be a busy week.

Today, the cleaning lady could not come and since we shall be away for a week, I do not mind it. When we come back, I can dust and vacuum.