Eccentrify - Melange.
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11:56 pm
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Melange.
ISTANBUL
So I went to Istanbul. My wife went to Constantinople. These are the sorts of things we argue about. She took more photos. I ate more kebabs. We both ate too much Turkish Delight. I don't even know where to start. Go to Istanbul, thank me later.
Drinking raki in a backpacker's bar to the sounds of Johnny Cash's cover of Personal Jesus *and* an amplified muezzin in the background. That was pretty special. Getting my new boots shined by a man who went on to shine my wife's Converse Allstars as an encore. Don't ask how, I still haven't worked it out.
"Where are you from? Australia? But your friend, I think she is from Heaven!"
The overwhelming desire to buy a Sharpie and start tagging things "Ozymandias" (Dear Watchmen geeks: No.)
A metal band in a tiny bar somewhere, with a crowd of fans all singing along to Metallica in Turkish. I count 3 black Tshirts, and 2 tattoos. I shit you not. These people look like real estate agents.
And the ultimate dessert. Take a sweet cheese, somewhat like Mozzerella in texture. Wrap a disc of it in birds-nest pastry. Deep fry the fucker, cover it in ground pistachios and drench it in rose syrup. Seriously, nearly killed me. This, apparently, is what the Turks mean by "cheesecake".
There were some mosaics, as well, but you can read about those anywhere. Seriously, just go. I cannot possibly do it justice. It is a city of contrast, of thousands of years of cultures and ages rubbing up against each other, more so than anywhere else I have seen. And so, so beautiful.
[ETA: See Also]
TRAPEZE
Haven't done a lot in a while - been doing straps, and, of course, been on holiday. To Istanbul. Did I mention? So it was nice, tonight, to get on and go straight into a nice, controlled tuck over to skin-the-cat. Which I don't think I could do before I left! 2 weeks rest has consolidated the shoulder strength nicely. Did all my standards except one-knee hocks. Did one on the right leg, lost it trying a second. I'll get back to those. Is good.
FITNESS
Ran BootCamp hill in 5:34. 25 seconds faster than my previous best. After, as I say, 2 weeks off. And then straight into pullups, cranked out 8 with good form. This also is up around my best. I grow strong! Weighed in tonight at 81.2 kg. So doing nothing for 2 weeks except eat Turkish Delight has resulted in losing 4kg. Wonder how long I could keep that up?
RUSSIAN
Horosho! I have actual conversations now! Not long or complicated ones, but ones in which I do not feel humoured!
WORK
Well, I'm back. Politics suck, but I got to spend my day building variants on silks toys for a certain crazy Uzbekistanian. There are worse gigs.
MY MOTHER
I spoke to my mother, for the first time in 5 years. IT was not a terribly involved conversation - she has a new dog, the drive from her house to her sister's house is 7 minutes faster now that the council have built a new road, she was making soup. But I did it.
MY WIFE
Is awesome. We drew giraffes!
That's about it, I think. Any questions?
jai.
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the ultimate dessert
Künefe! Although you could soak damned near anything in rose syrup and it would be delicious.
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/687717/381575) | | From: | ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) qamar |
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| Date: | July 2nd, 2009 09:28 pm (UTC) |
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Want photos of you upsidown! That is all.
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/37295344/319666) | | From: | gnat23 |
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| Date: | July 2nd, 2009 11:18 pm (UTC) |
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Sounds awesome!
-is envious- I think I must go to Turkey...
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/65023269/403211) | | From: | meleah |
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| Date: | July 3rd, 2009 02:08 pm (UTC) |
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| | This question brought to you by too much wine. | (Link) |
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Yes! did you feel less likely to be raped in Turkey than you would have in Morocco?
(plz to be answering - this is actual statement by fellow faculty in middle eastern studies at my old workplace on hearing of my morocco plans last year)
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/24416280/445023) | | From: | tyggerjai |
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| Date: | July 3rd, 2009 11:10 pm (UTC) |
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| | Re: This question brought to you by too much wine. | (Link) |
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... I've never been to Morocco. I did not feel particularly likely to be raped in Turkey. Anecdotally, however, _ryn said that she felt much more comfortable as a white female traveller in Istanbul than in Cairo.
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/81400583/5519371) | | From: | _ryn |
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| Date: | July 6th, 2009 06:35 pm (UTC) |
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| | Re: This question brought to you by too much wine. | (Link) |
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Turkey was fine; they're certainly friendly, but not intimidating. Similar to Italy, assuming you've been there? I was asked out by several waiters, and got a lot of hellos from the local boys, but nothing like actual harrassment. Egypt, on the other hand, is hell of earth.
| | From: | _ryn |
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| Date: | July 6th, 2009 06:25 pm (UTC) |
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I am from Heaven. So is the Turkish cheesecake of death. On my last day I went back to the coffee shop to say goodbye to the old man again, but he wasn't there. I shall miss him! |
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