What a day!

Knowing that it will be crazy at the grocery stores tomorrow, I decided to do my shopping today. It was like a zoo!

I ordered some things online but, I wanted to select vegetables and meat myself. So, around 11, I left home to go to a farmers market to buy my veggies and salad fixings. Here is what I bought:

Arugula, Iceberg Lettuce, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Cucumbers, Eggplants, Artichokes and fresh broad beans to cook together, Strawberry, Melon, Garlic, Collard Greens, Broccoli and lemons.

Then I went to get meat and some cheese, eggs and yogurt. Bought 4 steaks and about 4 pounds of ground beef.

When I got home, I started processing the ground meat. Made beef patties, stıffed peppers and tomatoes and cooked them. I froze 6 portions of patties to be cooked later. I cooked some of the patties in tomato sauce and made some sort of a soup with tiny meat balls. The rest will be flattened in a few ziplock bags and frozen.

Wanted to stuff some of the peppers with a rice stuffing but, the rice had gone bad. So, that will have to wait till tomorrow.

After I type this, I will cook the artichokes and fresh broad beans in olive oil. Some of the veggies will need to be cleaned and processed but, I am tired now. May be later at night, may be tomorrow.

I am going to meet my childhood friends tomorrow one more time before we are locked down. Open air, social distance, plus masks of course. 

Change of Plans: Full Lockdown!

Since the cases have sky-rocketed lately, the Government finally caved in and announced a full lockdown starting the night of this coming Thursday till May 17th. The specifics of the situation is not clear yet but, it looks like we will not be allowed out of our homes during that time. Bummer!

So, if I will not be allowed to go to the beach, I am not going anywhere. I may as well go back home or stay put here in Ankara. My sister and brother are telling me and uncle to go to Izmir to stay with them but, why? They will be working all day and we will be bored to death. 

Uncle clearly declared that he is staying put. I am considering my alternatives but, I will most likely stay put over here.

Gosh! They should've done this a month ago and we would not be having this problem now. The Government realized that we were in really bad shape and no tourists will be allowed to visit from Europe. Now, they are freaking out considering the loss of revenue.

The Minister of Health says, they will be vaccinating the majority of the population over 40 by the end of June which I am not buying but, it still sounds promising for me to get my vaccine soon. Also, Russia and Turkey reached an agreement to produce the Sputnik V vaccine over here in Turkey. I am sure, that will help the availability of the vaccine as opposed to importing it.

I think I have enough yarn to play with and many books to read. Let's see if they will allow a few hours to walk outside to stretch our legs. I need to go and make a grocery list now.

Leaving Ankara for Antalya

I am thinking of driving down to Antalya on Thursday. There are a few things I need to do before I go.

- Visit the cemetery once more

-  See a couple of friends (already scheduled for  Monday and Tuesday)

- Separate warm clothes to leave in Ankara

- Vacuum the floors

- Clean the bathroom

- Set up the spikes and water bottles

- Move the bulbs to the cooler balcony.

- Clean the kitchen

- Fill the pill boxes

- Pack the stuff uncle wants from home

I am sure there will be lots of other small stuff to be done. 

Uncle is going to get his 2nd vaccine shot on Wednesday so, going on Thursday is a good idea just in case for side effects and such. He is allergic. Hopefully, the second dose of the Chinese vaccine will be OK.

It is still unclear as to when I can get my vaccine but, it looks like when it is time, there will be 3 alternatives to choose from, Pfizer BionTech, Sputnik V, the Russian vaccine and Sinovac the Chinese Vaccine.

I may go for the Russian vaccine. We'll see. Let's not count the chickens before they hatch right?

Life

Today I got up at 8:00 a.m. on my own without an alarm clock. Usually, I go back to sleep and get up at 11:00 a.m. but, this time I got up, had a piece of toast with a small slice of cheese and 4 strawberries. Then I went out, cleaned the interior of my car and drove to the nearby park where I walked for an entire hour.

It is a beautiful day and I was feeling so proud and happy. I finally sat down to rest a little bit and check my phone. Then I saw the message from a former colleague which said another colleague of ours passed away this morning. We had just sent birthday messages last week to her. She was only a couple of months older than I am. She had been battling with cancer for a long time but, she was so full of life that, it is hard to believe.

Once, when the cancer came back, she told the doctors that they could only give her pills because she wouldn't miss the chance to go to Mexico for three months. When she came back from her trip, her tests were much better and she lived at least 6 more years after that.

She was working, learning Greek, taking dancing lessons and constantly traveling. I am glad she did not get depressed and rather made the best of her remaining life. She will be missed but, her life was one to be celebrated. Rest in Peace dear friend...

Car Wash!

 I believe my car is still dancing downstairs in the garage to this tune:

I hadn't had my car washed in 6 months? May be longer? The interior is still very dusty. I will take care of that tomorrow but, today, I saw an automated exterior wash place without a line and drove right in. Wow, whaddaya know? My car is a really handsome guy. 

I used to have it washed inside-out but, due to COVID, I do not want someone I do not know inside my car. I wish we had more of those self-wash places like in the US. There are only a handful of them and my car desperately needs a good vacuuming. May be I can find one around me. Need to check the gas stations.

Today, I went to my routine eye exam. I go in every 6 months because of the glaucoma in my left eye. After that, I walked at a park with a nice soft walkway. I walked around it twice. Then, I went to a nearby hobby shop to get more yarn for my giant granny square throw blanket for my guest room. After a small grocery store run, I came home. 

Right now, the diswasher and the washing machine are running and I am having a nice "cuppa joe".

In a bit, I will make hummus and steam some broccoli for dinner. 

Such a nice, peaceful day. Wish everyone a nice week!

Love Technology!

As a young kid, I loved watching Star Trek Original Series and then, I got interested in all things space related. I have read books about "aliens",  watched and read other Sci-Fi works and at my current age, I am pretty much the same. I even own a copy of this book: Day of Honor Omnibus which is 1104 pages long. It is about a sacred day of Klingons. 

So, you may imagine my disappointment in 21st Century. As a kid, I honestly imagined a peaceful world, lots of space missions, meeting other species, everybody having access to food and work, etc. come 21st Century. Naive? Yes, absolutely. But, wouldn't it be great?

With all that said, I am still thankful for the current technology available to us. It makes my life so much enjoyable especially during the time of the pandemic. I get to speak to my family as frequently as we like, we can "see" each other while we speak, there are tons of material to keep life enjoyable such as audiobooks, tons of online content on pretty much anything and everything. Banking, dealing with Government offices or other businesses, ordering food and groceries can be done online now. I find this fascinating. Heck, we don't even need to red maps anymore! I remember those good old times, I kept getting lost while driving in the US early 90's. 

I worked in the US between 1990 and 1993 and then for another 6 months in 1995-1996. I have made great friends there. I was able t keep contact with some of them through simple letter and card writing nd sending via what we call snail mail nowadays. With some, I had lost touch. However, I was able to track down some of those people many years later through technology and now we are in touch again. I was in touch with a handful of my High School friends before Facebook. Now, I have access to not only 80 % of my graduate class but, a hole bunch of graduates of various other years. We seek out help, get to help others and do so much more via our groups. 

When I was in the US in 2018, my BFF's husband was very sick and was at the hospital. I had originally planned to stay for two weeks but when my friend asked if I could stay longer, I was able to extend my visit but I needed my prescription medicine which I couldn't get in the US. So, I reached out to a couple of Facebook groups and an old co-worker of mine told me her cousin who lives in the US would be going back home in a few days and that she could bring my stuff. We met in NYC where my friend's husband was staying at a hospital. I was spending the day with him, keeping him company so, I just took a half hour break to hop on a bus to collect my meds. Use of availabe technology made it so easy.

My closest friend is American and she lives practically 5K miles away from me but we, speak to each other every day and we watch murder mysteries and crime procedurals. While we chat on Whatsapp, we watch our shows on Netflix or Amazon. 

I also know that technology made some things more stressful. People who are working complain about being so reachable at all times during the day and prolonged work hours. I symphatize with that and I am sure HO work will require new rules and regulations which will happen one of these days. Remember the Industrial Revolution, child workers and extreme hours? 

So, I love Technology and am very thankful for those who made it possible.

Identifying a Lost Cause When U See One

I have participated in my last meeting for the last candidate we had submitted to the client. Phewww! I am sooooo relieved. 

I wish my friend develops the skill to identify a lost cause when she sees one. I think I partially have that skill and if it weren't for her, I would have given up this client long time ago. 

Instead of hiring someone ever since I have told her that I would no longer work, she buried herself under more work. I understand her ambition to want to make more money because, she has two kids. One is studying medicine in Belgium and the other will soon be going to College too. Her husband is retired and although he is looking for a job, he can't find one. She is the sole bread winner and that is very stressful for her. 

A part of me says I can still work and be productive whereas, the other part says I should take care of myself and focus on self and family for at least a year. I will listen to the latter.

I went out and bought some planters and soil. Need to change the planters and soil of the two plants we have at home in Ankara. Poor plants were left alone for almost two months but, they survived. Troopers! As soon as I got here, I watered them and then bought some soil amendments. However, changing the planters will probably help them further. They are rather huge plants. I bought a plastic sheet to cover the balcony with. I think, it will be a messy job so, please wish me luck.

Crazy Weather

Today I met one of my babyhood friends at a small park. We brought our own coffee and my friend brought a healthy oat-banana cake. We had our folding chairs. It was a glorious day, 23 degrees Centigrade, 73 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Tomorrow it will be 18C/64F with rain showers, Friday 6C/43F and there will be snow! The weekend is supposed to be cold and snowy as well. Go figure! And some say there is no global warming because it is not warm, ey? The weather is out of whack and seasons are shifting. What else is needed to believe in global warming? Eventually, farming will be in trouble and guess what that means.

Anyhow, we enjoyed our day very much and chatted away. 

Tomorrow I am going to buy a laptop computer to donate to my Alma Mater. I haven't been to the campus for a long time. It will be nice to go and stroll around. Although they offered to pick it up, I told them I would rather drop it off to see the campus again. It will sound weird but, they do not let everybody in the campus. Going through security is a hassle. 

A friend of mine got me a favorable price for the computer through a distributor. When they found out that it was for a donation, they even gave an additional discount. 

The school was actually asking for second hand computers and for a moment I thought about buying myself a new one and donating my current computer but, decided against it. I actually do not need a new computer. Mine still works fine and once I get rid of the part-time gig (yes, it is still dragging on), I will only need it for Internet, blog writing, and some MS Office apps. I decided a university student who cannot afford a computer can benefit more from a new one. Besides, I am only being frugal. I can afford a new computer anytime I want. 

Tomorrow is my baby sister's birthday. I cannot believe she is turning 48! That means I will be turning 55 in June. Yikes! I still feel somewhere between 25-30. Not physically of course but, mentally.

In Ankara

I made it safely home in Ankara. I drove all the way under rain which I truly dislike but, I did it anyway. It was not too bad really. I made a couple of turkey sandwiches and took a can of coke and did not stop on the road. I love to listen to audiobooks or to old BBC Crime radio shows while I am driving. The one I listened to yesterday would be politically very incorrect today. A 14 year old boy seduced by an adult woman, a policeman telling the same 14 year old that he was gay and that they should not socialize "for the time being". Social norms have surely changed over time.

There is this mountain pass on the road from Istanbul to Ankara which is usually snowy but, I found that most of the snow is gone except for some patches under the trees facing North.

Today, I went out and sent a card to my sister whose Birthday is on the 8th. It was one of those cards which tell you about the highlights of the particular year you were born. I remember picking it up at a small shop in Mystic, CT in 2019. Well, last year was a chaos so, I did not even remember those cards. I will make sure to remember to give my BIL his card this coming September.

I have also scheduled flowers to be delivered to my baby sister. While I was ordering the flowers I saw that they were offering to put a picture on the vase so, I found a cute picture of us when she was possibly 9 months old. I am sure she will get a kick out of it. 

Then I went shopping and now I am well stocked here in this apartment except for salad greens. There is a farmers market on Friday so, I will get them then.

Tomorrow, I will be meeting with my babyhood friends at a park. We all have folding chairs and we shall get together, maintaining our social distance. It is supposed to be a very warm day. I will also make sure to walk a little while in the open air.

I like this apartment. It is almost twice the size of my own. 

I think, I will now go and look at some yarn at a nearby hobby shop because I left all of the crochet stuff back at home. Off I go! Stay safe and be well everyone.

Packing and Putting Winter Clothing away

As much as I dislike packing and rotating seasonal clothes, I am stuck having to do them both today.

I have packed all beach stuff in one bundle. Now I have to pack seasonal things and summer stuff. Then, I will make sure I pack my medicines, high blood pressure monitor, all electronics and chargers, all the keys, footwear and finally the fridge tomorrow morning. Oh and cosmetics... 

I am planning to be away for at least 10 weeks so, packing is a chore and I am trying to keep everything at a minimum. 

After I have written the above, I kept packing and I can safely assume I am 3/4s done. Phew! I would like to pack all except for the cooler before going to bed. Oh and the flower pots. 

For about a half hour, I thought about postponing my trip for another day. Yeah I know, I can be the queen of procrastination. However, due to the rapidly rising cases, in case they shut the city down tomorrow or ban travel between cities, I do not want to be here. Ankara and the vicinity of our neighborhood over there is in much better shape.

Today I have seen a message posted by the apartment management. Since March 2020, there had been 11 cases of COVID at our complex. Wow! I never knew. 

So, off I go to complete my tasks for the night and go to bed.

Vaccine!

My uncle is 62 so, he got his first shot on Tuesday. Due to her autoimmune disease, my sister is gonna be vaccinated too. Her husband is supposed to get the shot since they live together.

Up until last week Sinovac, the Chinese vaccine was the only option but, now Pfizer-BionTech is available at certain locations. Dependent on the hospitals' storage capability, people are being given options.

The Minister of Health has announced that obese people will also be administered the shot but, so far, the health portal says I am not yet eligible. When I go to Ankara, I will call the hotline to see if I can get myself in.

I will opt for the Chinese vaccine if I am given the option. If not, I will take whatever they will give me.

My aunt-in-law and my cousin who lives with her told me that they decided not to get vaccinated. Rolling my eyes at that decision. My aunt (my late uncle's wife) is over 70 and she has many ailments. They run a gift store which, in my opinion is a hot spot. My younger cousin has MS and her immune system is already compromised. I hope at least she decides to get the shot. Or may be her doctor will urge her to get it.

Oh well...

I never thought I would live through a global pandemic but, here we are. I am expectig alien invasion next but, I think the aliens would not bother unless they can feed on us.