Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

Wishing everyone a wonderful time with family and friends. Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe!

Will be back after the New Year's. 

Problem with Blogger HELP NEEDED!

I do not know why but,I am having trouble with Blogger. I had to clear some gadgets including my blogroll. I will put it back in a few days. 

My blog was redirecting to weird sites and I spent hours to fix it. It corrected itself I think. EDIT: Not really. When I use a VPN, it works fine but, never workd properlywith 3 different browsers.

I also have difficulty reaching some other blogs on blogger.

Is there anybody else having the same problem?

Brrrr! It's Cold!

I picked up uncle from the airport on Wednesday and ever since he got here, it is freezing cold and rainy over here. Poor guy! He was planning to see friends and walk around his favorite spots. So far, he has been able to get together with friends only once.

Meanwhile, I have been keeping busy. 

The other night, I had a small health scare. In the middle of the night my heart started beating rather erratically and I freaked out. Came to the living room to calm myself down. Within 15 minutes or so, I started dozing off in the recliner. I got up and went to the bed. For a moment I even thought about waking uncle up for him to take me to the ER. When I told him about how I felt, he asked me a few questions and told me he did not think  it is important. He is a Pharmacisit and he also had a medical company for quite a while dealing with cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons. I still made an appointment to see a cardiologist just for peace of mind.

I went in yesterday and the Doc doesn't think it is serious either but, on Monday they will hook me up with a holter monitor for 24 hours. Due to my age, the menapause, BP, Type 2 Diabetes and my mom's history with heart vessel stents, he also told me it would be wise to have a tomography sometime but, there is no rush for it.

Today, I am taking it easy. I have two dolls my dad's uncle brought from France in early 70's. My grandma sew and knitted outfits for them. They sit on a shelf in my library. I realized that, they have gotten rather dusty and dirty. So, I gave both my girls a bath and washed their outfits. I also started knitting myself a sleeveless sweater with the yarn mom bought but never got to knit. Never tried that before. When I get to the harder parts of it, I will put them away to take them to a friend of mine who can help me with the arms and the neck.

I have dinner already planned. Except for the panko dipped chicken pieces which will go in the oven along with sweet potatoes and spaghetti squash, everything is ready. I am planning to make a veggie soup with the squash. I have other veggie bits to add to the soup.

Hope everybody is having a relaxing weekend.

@Home! Finally!

Yesterday's tasks turned out to be a wild goose chase so, the day was totally wasted. I should have come home on Saturday or Sunday.

Today, I went to visit the elderly couple who used to be my parents' good friends from our old neighborhood in the morning. The lady likes to vent a little bit from time to time and she does not have the opportunity to do so because, nowadays noone wants to visit elderly people due to COVID. I never took of my mask and kept my distance during the half hour I spent there. I took her to a quick grocery run and hit the road. As usual, I made good time up until the last 30 Km. Then, it was bumper to bumper slow traffic. 

As I was watching TV and relaxing, I dosed off. I must have been exhausted.

I have two loads of laundry I must put away before uncle gets here tomorrow. I also need to make the guest bed tonight.

Tomorrow, I will quickly dust and vacuum the floors before I go to the airport to pick him up.

I bought two tickets to the NASA Space Adventure Exhibition on Friday. I do not know if he will enjoy it but, nerdy side of me surely will. Haha!

I have not been able to read many of my favorite blogs lately so, I must catch up on them soon. 

Oh! BTW, I am officially on the payroll of the association as a part-time consultant as of today.

Feelings Associated with Certain Times of the Year

When I was a kid, we celebrated the New Year by decorating our home (no tree though, Dad didn't approve because we were not Christian) and exchanging gifts. Mom would cook special dishes and we always had chocolate cake right at midnight.  Early December, I remember being excited with anticipation of the coming New Year, gifts and family time. January 1st, has always been a bittersweet day for me because, well what is left to look forward to now? 

And then, one day, sometimes even as early as March, I would go outside and smell a difference in the air, feel some warmth and I would be filled with joy for the arrival of Spring. I would start looking forward to ditching the bulky clothes and spending more time outside. Once Spring rolled around and my allergies started bothering me, all I could look for was Summer Break which meant going somewhere by the sea or to my Grands on my Mom's side or both. That was the best! Spending time at Grandparents and going to the seaside was just awesome.

Once, August appeared on the horizon, I would be ready to go back to school and see my friends again.  The first days of school were always exciting and interesting with meeting new teachers. We would try to find out about them from other students who knew them and would talk about what would be the hardest subject that year. Two weeks into the school year, things used to become routine.

Then one day possibly in early October, I would just go outside and again smell the change in the air and be excited that Fall was on it's way. Fall has always been my favorite season. I remember walking in Kizilay, one of the longest avenues of Ankara during a Fall afternoon smelling wet fallen leaves after a short rain shower. I can still feel that experience

We celebrated birthdays but, never made a big deal out of them. Usually practical gifts and cake. Sometimes, a small number of close friends too.

There were and still are two religious holidays celebrated nationwide but, honestly I really did not care for them. Their dates change every year due to the lunar calendar. Mom would always buy us new shoes and outfits before those holidays and some kids would be so looking forward to that but, I have never cared for clothing items much. During those 3-4 day religious holidays, we would get together with the family, eat way too much and visit other family members but, when you are a child and when they make you run around fetching things and setting the table, serving the visitors and helping the adults, it is not much fun. Is it? Now that I do not believe in or practice any religion, those days are just vacation days. Besides, my family is very small these days.

We also have secular National holidays (April 23rd, May 19th, August 30th and October 29th) to celebrate and I love them but, they are usually just a day ,unless they come right before or after a weekend. 

One day, in 1989, I found myself all grown up and changing my first job. I would be starting my new job on January 2nd and they would be sending me to New York for 6 months (turned out to be three years and a half) in March. That year I did not have the January 1st blues, trust me.

I started my new job on January 2nd and as soon as I walked in, they turned me around and put me in a company car with a driver to go apply for my US visa. When I asked what was the rush, they told me I would be flying to NYC that coming Sunday, January 7th. What? It was supposed to be March. I called my Dad and he was tongue tied. I then called my Mom. She was as cool as a cucumber as they say and she told me she would take a day off to do some shopping for me and start packing my suitcase. What happened that week is a post in itself but, let's skip that for now.

When I spent over three years in the US, I fell in love with all the events and holidays such as St. Patrick's, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas (not a fan of Valentine's Day. Lol!) Even though, I am living in my own country for almost 30 years now, I still get filled with joy during the Holidays and there are so many milestones in a given year making me feel this way.

Some can argue that the holidays in the US are a symbol of consumerism but, I do not care.  I love how people are so happy and willing to decorate for every occassion and celebrate. Starting with Halloween, it is such a festive and happy time. As I type these, Christmas Music is playing in the background and I am kicking myself for forgetting to buy some hot chocolate mix. 

I am so in the mood for the Holidays. Uncle and I will be joining my SIS and BIL for the New Year and will spend some time together. 

To me, it is all about having a good time either with family or friends because, I do not remember most of the gifts I have been given but, I always do fondly remember how I felt on a certain occasion. 

Happy and Nice Day

I remember mentioning here that, there was a possibility for me  to work as a consultant for the management of a medical association. It is no longer a possibility but rather a reality because, we mutually agreed on working together. I am actually excited about this.

On my other part-time job, there is good news too. The Client loved today's candidate. It was a great interview and the young woman totally impressed the HR Manager and the Head of the Group but, we are still at the beginning of this process. There are two upper level managers and an assesment to go through. Also, they need to agree on the salary and benefits. So far, I think we are 25% done but, still it is a happy day.

I wish everyone a happy time too.

Pleasure and Business

I met an old friend over lunch today. We had a lot to catch up on. Her daughters are studying in Munich, Germany. Older daughter is working on her Master's Degree and the young one is attending College. Both are Computer Engineers (or rather the younger will be one too). I consider them my nieces and am so proud of them. My friend and her husband are both Electronic Engineers and they have been amazing parents all through their kids' lives.

We reminisced about old days and laughed a lot. I am glad we both had the time. 

Later in the afternoon, I attended an interview of one of my short list candidates with the Client. He was very talkative and had told me all about his projects in detail, during our one-on-one but, today, he was a different man. I do not know. I would assume, one would sit down and prepare for an interview, list down the points to talk about, some successful projects and her/his contribution. Apparently, not. So, this one was a bust. 

I will call the next candidate and tell her how to prepare for this interview. Sigh...

I will be meeting babyhood friends tomorrow. Hope, everyone has a nice week!

Relaxing Sunday

I slept really well last night. I woke up to the doorbell rang by the cleaning lady. She is quiet amazing. I asked her to clean up the kitchen first so that, I could start putting the stuff where they belong. Once I was done with my chore, I just took care of my own business.

She left around 5 p.m. and now, as I am typing this, I am very relaxed and the fresh smelling apartment makes it all the more enjoyable.

SIS just called me to say that they are preparing a list of meals they want me to make for them. Lol! I should lise a bunch of weight before I go and visit them. So, far, the list includes Zucchini Quiche, Lasagna, Cinnamon Rolls, Cig Borek and Homemade Pizza. 

4 Cinnabon Stores opened in Istanbul so, I may actually buy Cinnabon and take it to Izmir rather than making them. LOL!

Now, I will watch an episode of Death in Paradise on BBC and make a pot of vegetable soup for tomorrow.

Hope, everybody had a nice weekend.

New Heater

Today, the contractor's workers arrived right on time at 9:30 a.m. and set to work. They had to overcome some difficulties due to the limited space behind the kitchen cabinets but, they did a stellar job and did a nice cleaning so that, tomorrow,  the cleaning lady will have to deal with just a bit of dust. 

They were very nice men too. So, I bought them lunch and also tipped them. They so deserved it. After they left around 2:30 p.m., I called their boss and thanked him too and praised his workers. He too was pleased. He told me, they will schedule the gas company visit for project approval on Friday and the authorized support crew to do one last control and start the warranty on Saturday for me.

While the work was in progress, the window guys came to install a vent on one of the windows as a requirement of the gas company. The windows are double-glass so, it was a bit tricky but, they also did a good job and cleaned up after themselves.

I had shut off the old heater last night and during the installation we kept opening and closing the windows and balcony doors so, the apartment got real chilly. I turned on the heater and napped for an hour or two under a blanket. Now, it is warm and real nice.

My BFF who lives in upstate New York and I just watched another episode of Spooks and I am almost ready to go to bed. The 8 hour time difference is a bit hard to manage but, so far, we have been doing well.

I have scheduled a few get togethers with old friends next week and I have a bit of a work to do too. 

Today, I washed uncle's bed cover and shams in his room. The cleaning lady will change his sheets which I will wash and put away before I leave. I asked him if he wanted a warmer comforter on his bed and he said no. I guess, he will not be coming to Ankara during the cold weather. 

Uncle will be coming to Istanbul to stay for a while before the New Year's and, we shall go to Izmir to spend the New Year with my SIS and BIL. After that, he will possibly fly back to Antalya and I will drive back to Istanbul.

This is going to be a busy month. 

Hope, everyone is enjoying the first weekend of the last month in 2021. Time flies by, doesn't it?

December Goals

A few days ago, I weighed myself and realized that I had gained 2 pounds! What! I shouldn't have been surprised though. I was not exercising as much as I used to and I was eating more carbs than I should.

I must lose those pounds and if possible some more before our New Year's family dinner. I also need to exercise at least 5 days a week. I am positive I will be able to lose those 2 pounds quickly.

I also keep telling myself I should track my grocery expenses for a whole month to see where my money is going but, I have never been able to do it properly. Now that all prices are sharply rising due to poor economic management of the country.

So, my health and my grocery spending are my top priorities this month. 

Even though, it is just 3 days into the month, I am happy to report that I have exercised every day this month. I also went back to journaling my meals on an app. This helps me a lot to stay focused. 

I grocery shopped today and kept the receipt. I will add a sheet to my budget Excel file and start making a price list as I note the cost lof each item there.

I remember having read that it takes anywhere between 2-8 months to form a new habit. I must track my exercise and journaling till they become real habits. 

Now, gotta go and deal with the kitchen. Some spaces need to be cleared, so that the contractor can do his thing without obstacles. 

My SIS and BIL owe me big time. Lol! I told them they will have to buy me an expensive dinner and my BIL said, they would need to gift me the whole restaurant. Lol! It is a hassle but, who else could deal with this? They work crazy hours and barely have time to take a couple of weeks off each year for vacation. The MIL and FIL are very sickly. Every month, they come to visit them. Besides, I love my SIS to the moon and back. There is nothing  I can't do for her. 

The Deed is Done... The Heater on Saturday

Yesterday, I drove to Konya with my friend who has been given the power of attorney for the sale of the share. We set out at 7 a.m. and by 11:30, it was all done! I got my deed. We then went to see the property and see if the grates were properly installed. As I was taking pictures of the grates, a young man stepped out of the new building next door and inquired whether we will be making renovations or sell it. I told him that we have no idea of how much it is worth and that since I live out of town, I haven't inquired about it yet. We exchanged numbers and he told me he will inquire about the value and let me know. Apparently, he may be interested in buying the property. Once I hear from him, I will inquire about the property value through different sources too.

My friend and I had lunch and I asked her if she wanted to see some of the historic places She wanted to go see Mevlana Museum. Mevlana was a 13th Century Sufi mystic and poet originally from Persia. He is mostly known as Rumi . His followers founded the Order of the Whirling Dervishes which is an interesting ceremony for many. It just triggers my vertigo. 

The Museum is next to the cemetery where my grandpa was buried. I told her, I would rather go visit grandpa. So, we split and did our own thing. We made it back home before 6 p.m.

The heater will be installed on Saturday. I asked my SIS to call the cleaning lady for Sunday or Monday. The Gas Company will come to approve the project next Friday and hopefully, I will be able to go home to Istanbul over next weekend.

Meanwhile, I realized that I have gained 2 pounds. It is because I am not exercising enough these days and have been eating more carbs than usual. So, I am going back to my exercise routine right after I finish typing and posting this. I ate a two egg omelette with cheese, shredded zucchini and dill weed for lunch. Dinner is going to be smoked salmon and avocado/arugula salad with a little flat bread. 

I gotta go exercise and then, work a little bit now.