another postcard

cutting corners - fail blog

Is it the corner of a box or the corner of a room?

I failed to take any pictures on the 27th - so here's an optical illusionary picture taken from the couch. Oh, and link to Fail Blog.

day 26

dirty laundry

Can you find the tp in the wash? :)

heat & shadows

Yesterday the snow started sticking around. I sure wish these radiators kicked out more heat!

Oyak Renault

p90x - Day 1

Today I started the p90x workout program. This is one of my six "before" photos. If anyone else works out using a Beachbody program, their site has good tools and support. I created a profile so I can "workout" in the site super gym with other members. Check it out here. My member name is aimhigh29.

workout

basketball

snow

zoo world

After hours of playing this game, my brain has officially turned to mush.


Edited with GIMP.

minestrone

self portrait

Only took 2 pics today and both were self portraits. Here is the best one.

a night out

I let Ufuk talk me into going out dancing with him and his friend tonight. People don't head to the clubs until midnight, so we had a little time to kill. We went to dinner at Köfteci Yusuf and then we drove over to Uludağ University to play with Murat's puppy. Murat is a resident director at Uludağ.



Finally, we went out dancing at Club Vici. It was fun.

late night snacks

sitting, waiting, wishing

New Shoes

New Shoes by Paolo Nutini

Woke up cold one Tuesday,
I'm looking tired and feeling quite sick,
I felt like there was something missing in my day to day life,
so I quickly opened the wardrobe,
pulled out some jeans and a T-Shirt that seemed clean,
topped it off with a pair of old shoes,
that were ripped around the seams,
and I thought these shoes just don't suit me.

CHORUS:
Hey, I put some new shoes on,
and suddenly everything is right,
I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling,
it's so inviting,
Oh, short on money,
but long on time,
slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine,
and I'm running late,
and I don't need an excuse,
'cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes.

Ah Bursa...

Guess who's back? Josh is back. Yapacak bir şey yok. As you can see in the photo, he is soooo happy to be back in Bursa.

I just ate my chicken pesto pasta and now I'm watching Josh thump Ufuk in Pes 2010.

Earlier tonight, I attempted two great feats, volleyball try-outs and gnocchi. Neither turned out the way I hoped. I was asked to just watch practice tonight and come back tomorrow to play. The gnocchi was even worse. It tasted like little lumps of flour, yuck! Next time I'll use less flour and make sure it is a higher quality. I also might include some ricotta and grate the potatoes. And maybe I'll move to Italy and get a real Italian Grandmother to help me, just to ensure it comes out right.

Luckily for me, volleyball and gnocchi, there is always tomorrow.

a little patch of blue sky

VIP

banana bread

into the oven



out of the oven



on to the plate...and into my belly :)

Going red

"You'd find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair," said Anne reproachfully. "People who haven't red hair don't know what trouble is."

One of those days...

This afternoon I walked to Tophane Park. I took lots of picture. I had some great shots of the flocks of birds in flight and sitting in the trees. I was planning to recreate Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" in photos.

I found lots of random beauty. I photographed a plastic lawn chair that was stuck up in a tree. I came home and uploaded the pics to my computer, and then deleted the SD card. When I went back to the computer folder where I uploaded them...THEY WEREN'T THERE! Ugh. Oh, well.

The power went out about 3 or 4 times tonight. So I present to you, how I entertained myself the night the lights went out in Bursa...well, at least went out on Kükürtlü Cad.

soup

Today I made some soup. It was supposed to be bean and barley, but oh the joys of cooking abroad, I ended up with orzo instead of barley, doh! It tasted pretty good, but the orzo was overcooked by the time the carrots were fully cooked.

It was also my first time using dried beans, so even though I soaked them overnight, they along with the orzo managed to soak up almost all of the broth. Well at least for next time I know all these things. Plus, now I can actually find some barley to use instead of the pasta.

First snowfall of the winter

When I looked out the window this morning, there were giant snowflakes coming down! The snow all melted off within a couple hours, but it was pretty while it lasted. This shot was taken barefoot from the front balcony of the apartment, so it isn't anything special, just a quick shot before my toes froze off.

I lazed the day away. I only left the apartment to go to the closest supermarket for water and food for lunch and dinner. For both meals, I had soup and french bread. It was extra delicious on a day like today. This afternoon I took a long bath, gave myself a pedicure and sat around and played on the internet.

You say unemployment, I say fun-employment. :)

In search of the Green Mosque

Today I walked around Bursa in search of the Green Mosque. It should have been easy to find but since road signs are so few and creepy men are so plentiful, I didn't follow my original planned route. I almost gave up because it was getting dark, but just as I was about to turn back home I spotted it. And who knew, it wasn't even green. The türbe (tomb or mausoleum) is a bluish green color but the cami (mosque) was white.

I was plenty wet and soggy by the time I made it home, but in good spirits. Although finding the mosque was tricky, I've now proved to myself that I can find my way around. Even when I'm not 100% sure where I am, I know enough landmarks that I can find my way back to the apartment. I also know now that walking along the highway, even though google thinks it's a good route, just leaves me confused. Next time I head out to see the Green Mosque I'm heading straight past Zafer Plaza, the mall that we frequent. Familiar well trafficked roads are the way to go. Plus that way the round trip walk will be short than the 3.5 hours I spent traipsing around today.

I'm excited to go back when I have more daylight. I want to explore the area in more detail. It is one of the most touristy areas of Bursa. Maybe if I find a good coffee shop in that neighborhood I can make some English speaking friends!

I woke up this morning listening to the rain drops bouncing off my windows, thunder and the yell of the man who wanders the street selling bread.

Josh and I went to the silk bazaar for scarves. Mine is a black and white Turkish design from the Ottoman Empire. We also picked up some trinkets at a gift shop, where I bought a groovy chakra bracelet.

Happy New Year

Here's to opening up and expressing myself in creative ways, to being present in the moment, to being grateful for all things in my life and documenting my journey.

To a new vision and fantastic year..."When you open up to the ultimate, immediately it pours into you. You are no longer an ordinary human being - you have transcended. Your insight has become the insight of the whole existence. Now you are no longer separate - you have found your roots." - Osho

To finding my roots and spreading my wings.