A Dinner and a Play

Today, I met one of my childhood friends for dinner at the restaurant of an arts center in Ankara We had a nice early dinner and then saw a solo play. I didn't know the young actress but, she was really good. I am not a fan of solo plays however, this one truly surprised me.

I gave my father's history magazines to my friend. She will give them to her brother. Now that, my car and trunk are almost empty, tomorrow may be a good day to have the car washed. I need to check the weather report because, I hate it when I have my car washed and it rains the next day.

I also asked my SIS today, to contact the plummer in the Ankara apartment complex since we were having some trouble with a couple of things. A super nice guy showed up right on time and quickly fixed both issues. 

My SIS and BIL will be coming tomorrow for the Ramadan Feast. We will get to spend some time together but, they will have things to do separately as well. I have no plans till Wednesday when I hit the road again. Time to chillax.

Wishing everyone a nice weekend!

And voila!

 

I had set the alerts at IKEA for the darn hinges and yesterday late at night, I got a message that the hinges were now in stock at the nearest store. I jumped in the car this morning and got them. Isn't it a simple clean look? There are only 8 things in display. So much easier to dust.

I ran the vacuum and mopped the floors yesterday but, honestly, if I weren't too tired, I could have done a much better job. 

The contractor came and delivered the paint to be used in mid-June. I wanted to get the paint a.s.a.p because, the prices keep going up.

I have been trying to eat out of the freezer and fridge lately and I must admit, I did a good job this time. Only a small cauliflower, two carrots and a container of yogurt is left and I am taking them with me. Tonight's dinner is pizza, to use up the last bit of the cheese and the tomato sauce.

I took out most of the things I will put in my suitcase with the exception of my meds, computer, cables and etc. After I type and post this, I will go and pack. I want to have a relaxed dinner and night knowing that all is done.

My uncle told me to get tablecloths for the table on his balcony. I asked him the dimensions and he had no clue. Lol! Why are men like this? I told him to measure it and get back to me. I took out two from my stash which do not fit my table. I guess mom had bought them for me but, they are rectangular and my table is round, oval when opened. They do not fit my table open or closed. I am hoping, they will fit his table. If not, I will get him new ones. 

I think, I will leave some of my beach stuff in Antalya this time. 

On Thursday, I will have my winter tires changed, pick up my new glasses and hopefully get my car washed. On Friday, I will do a little shopping since SIS and BIL will be coming for the Ramadan Feast which starts on Sunday. The day after the holiday, my cousin and I will be heading for Antalya. Uncle will be having her two nieces one from his late sister's side, other from his late brother's. Cousin will fly back home on the 12th.

Busy Sunday Updated Edition

After I posted below, I got to work on the TV bench. I opened the box for the door and I found out that there are no hinges. Yup! They sell a door without it's hinges and none of the people warned me about it. On top of that, they are all out of hinges. I have checked stocks of all IKEA stores and none of them has hinges in stock. How stupid is this? So, my project will remain unfinished just because of a stupid supply chain issue. UGH!

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Since I have only two more days before I go on my vacation, I am trying to get the house clean.I am done re-organizing my bedroom and the guest room. After I post this, I will go clean up the bathroom cabinets. 

I have tossed few more items as I was re-arranging the closets. I found a lot of hangers from the dry cleaners by me. I am taking them to the guy who owns the place. Since I do not work, I rarely need dry cleaning nowadays but, every hanger is a cost to him. So, I am thinking he will be glad to get 25 free hangers. Another thing re-cycled and re-used. BTW, the hangers are not the wire type ones. They are mostly plastic. So, this will be a tiny help for the landfills.

My sister and I were talking about doing some improvement at my uncle's home this year. I mentioned that I had a bunch of extra sheets that I no longer want and she told me to bring them to Ankara and give them to her FIL's caregiver. My trunk is already full before I even put my own suitcase in there.

Today, I need to be done with the TV bench and the bathroom cabinets, make my packing list.

Tomorrow, I need to dust, wash the windows from the inside and pack everything that I would like to take with me first to Ankara, then to Antalya. On Tuesday, I will run the big vacuum cleaner all around the house, mop the floors and clean the fridge. 

So far, my quest to purge was successful thanks to my readers who cheered and motivated me. Once I am done with the cleaning, I will post some pictures. 

Nice break

Yesterday I had to go to some hospital at the other end of the city for my part time gig with the medical association. On the way back, I dropped by my friend who owns the headhunting business. I gave her the air mattress and the laptop she had given me. I had given up using that long time ago because, it has a slow mouse. I could not fix that problem and it was driving me crazy. My old beloved laptop is still fine.

I ended up staying for dinner and I had a nice time with her and her husband. For now, I am done with ethe work but, I will go back to pick up a couple of positions in the Fall. Fall and Winter are good times to work. Although annoying, that gig gives me a purpose and a bit of money.

Last evening, I received a text from one of my High School friends saying that another friend was in town and they would be having breakfast at the restaurant run by the Culinary Arts Academy of  Istanbul at the Sakip Sabanci Museum. They were able to get a reservation for 9 a.m. and asked me if I wanted to join them. I happily accepted. Two more friends joined us and the five of us had a great time. After days of purging and working hard, these two get togethers were a welcome change of pace. It was a beautiful day, partly cloudy but nice.

I rushed home by noon time to meet the contractor for the paint job estimate. He is a nice guy and it was nice to meet him again. He had done a great job when I redid my bathroom and kitchen. 

In the afternoon, I only did a load of laundry, shifted just a few things around and napped. So, not much was accomplished today. Tomorrow, I am starting the big clean-up. I have decided to wash the windows only from the inside because, I will not be home for a long time and I am sure it will rain several times making a mess with all the pollen.

I am not done with the TV bench yet. I have figured out a way to hide the cables better so, I will do some minimal dismantling. 

Decided to go to Ankara on Wednesday. I made dinner and used up all the chopped meat in the freezer. I have leftovers for tomorrow too. I think, I will be able to use up all that can go bad before I leave. If I can't, they are coming with me.

Hope everyone is having a great spring weekend.

Reclaimed Spaces

Yesterday, I felt a bit overwhelmed when I started with the bookcases. I remember going through them with mom a few years ago, sigh... Apparently, I could not let go of many things during that round. Well, I did better yesterday. I am sure, I can let go some more but, the reclaimed spaces yesterday was sufficient and I was tired. Honestly, I could not remember some of the books and want to read them again. 

SIS thought he had my dad's matchbox collection but, no, I have that. I told her I could give the collection to her and she agreed. I will take that to Ankara and leave it there for her.

Today the apartment looks worse but I know, I am getting there.

The trip to the other IKEA went well and I got everything I thought I needed. Today I started putting the new TV bench together. It looks like I needed 6 legs but I bought 4. I gotta go back to get two more. No big deal. Putting together this unit is easy because there are no drawers, just two doors and shelves.

I re-arranged and changed places of a few things. I am pretty happy with the bookcases. I want to clean the two back rooms and the bathroom thoroughly over the weekend. I do not think I have enough time to deal with the buffet/sideboard. However, that is going to be relatively easy. 

The contractor will come to give me an estimate on the paint job and we shall decide on a date in June.

I am waiting for the guys to come and pick up the old TV unit. If they do not show up till 5 p.m., I will just push it outside my door and leave it there. Because, I have to go to IKEA to get those legs.

I took a short break to write these. Gotta go back and keep on working.

Is it just me?

I sit down to work, be on the Internet, read a book or just do something sitting for an hour or even more and then, I get up to go to the bathroom or to make tea or something else in another room and my phone rings. 

Every time I walk away from my phone, it rings. I always have to come running back.  I started taking my phone with me everywhere at home just because, I know it will if I don't. 

And here is another one: Whenever I am on the phone with someone, someone or sometimes more than one person tries calling me. I can hear the call in the background. Then I will have to call back. Why do people have to call me at the same time? 

Is it just me? Or does anyone have the same problem?

Today I attacked the bookcases. First I carried the magazine holders to my car as I had planned. That cleared two shelves. 

It has always been my dream to have things grouped and stored properly. Today, I finally managed that with certain things. My travel books, cookbooks and personal finance books are all grouped together. I will pull all travel items like baggage tags, travel pillows, locks and etc and put them in one box. I also pulled all my photo albums, photos that are in boxes and envelopes together and put them in one huge box. I would've loved to digitize them and get rid of the physical ones but, the scanner I bought was not great in scanning printed pictures. It did work wonders with the dia-positives though.

I set aside quiet a few books that I would like to give away. 

I am also giving an air mattres that I never used, to a friend. Her daughter is going to Med school in Belgium and she has a very small apartment. My friend had mentioned that the air mattress she had for guests was no longer in usable condition. Remembering that I asked her if she still needed one and she has happily accepted. I am glad some of my things are finding their way to people who will actually use them.

I cancelled the IKEA order because it looked like they would not be able to deliver. There are two IKEAs not too far from me. The one closest did not carry most of the parts but, today I decided to check the other and they show everything I need in stock. As soon as I finish this post I will go get the TV bench. Then, I will finish what I have started today. I am hoping to be done by all purging by Friday. I will deep clean my home before I leave for vacation. 

Hope you are having a nice and productive day!

Progress!

Today was another awful, cold and rainy day but, here is what I accomplished:

- Cooked the fresh broad/fava beans

- Worked for about an hour and a half, made phone calls, read CVs, e-mailed a few people.

- Took the CDs to the friend of my friend.

- Took down everything on the shelves of my closet, dumped them on my bed and re-arranged clothes. I do not care the weather is still miserable. In my book Spring has sprung so, the warm clothes are now in their storage boxes. It took me close to an hour to do it all. Happy camper over here!

- Sewed some loose buttons before storing the items for winter.

- Put my kitchen in order (which lasts only a few hours)

- Tossed a few bottles of expired cosmetics. Bathroom cabinets are down at the bottom of my list but, since I saw them, I just got rid of them.

- Finally, I made myself a screwdriver and it was a bit heavy on the screw side of it. Lol! Feeling relaxed and a bit tipsy because, I normally do not drink anything heavier than red wine and an occasional beer.

Here is a picture of the bed with everything dumped on it:

Tomorrow, I am attacking a box and the books. Will also carry all the magazine holders to my car. This way, when I am done with the books, I will be done with the whole library.

I also need to take an inventory of the food at home. I am planning to leave on Wednesday or Thursday next week so, I have to make sure I use up all that I got. I do not like to drag a bag of groceries along with my suitcases to Ankara. 

It was a busy and productive day. Take care!