Two For Mirth

freeform crochet galore

2009-03-06T21:28:00.007+02:00

two new hats, with titles inspired by the ever talented, ever amazing, ever handsome Chris Thile.

'a sweet young man who goes walking down the street

wiping blood off his hands'

'the ready to learn servant'

two very special hats.

sales, hats, and jimmy

2009-03-04T21:26:00.007+02:00

had my 17th sale on etsy ^^ a cute hat's going to minnesota!

i've also finished a new hat that is EPIC. freeform crochet, awesome colors, pretty details. it's the coolest thing i've ever crocheted. EVER.

'a very crestfallen lass is consoled by the beauty around her'

check it out here: quileute90.etsy.com

AND, last but not least, jimmy has arrived. who is jimmy, you ask? well, in Turkish it's actually called 'jemre.' jemre is the warm weather that comes in the spring time. first it warms the air, then the water, and finally the earth. we jokingly call this 'jimmy,' b/c... well, i dunno why. my madre made it up...'jemre' and 'jimmy' sound pretty similar. plus, we're great seinfeld fans, so talking about 'jimmy' creates some laughs. anyway, it's officially spring time here- the flowers are running rampant, the birds are going bonkers, animals are dropping babies left and right. and the SMELL. it's delicious.

Gardening, horses

2009-03-03T18:37:00.008+02:00

so, today was a day well spent. i vacuumed the house, washed dishes, then went outside to enjoy the wonderful weather. I'm fairly certain that the temperature went to up to seventy degrees!!

about an hour went toward training our youngest horse, an appaloosa named Lakota. i'm using the Parelli method- natural horsemanship, it's called. so far, he's responding well and i really look forward to all the things we're going to be able to do! riding bareback and bridle-less for example. THAT'S really exciting for me. i've always hated all that tack that horses have to wear. it seems to interfere with the formation of a connection between horse and rider. my balance is also really inhibited when i use my saddle. it's far easier to canter and gallop without one.

after i finished up with Lakota, i planted sunflowers, morning glories, peppers, and tomatoes with my mother, sister, and grandmother. something about the season really gets my blood going. getting my hands dirty seemed like the right thing to do, and i ended up spending the entire day outside! and because THIS

is where i live, doing so makes it even more enjoyable.

sometimes

2009-03-02T23:31:00.004+02:00

songs by this man can take me to the tops of mountains, so euphonious and exuberant are they. sometimes songs by this man make me feel like i'm going to cry, so sad and sweet are they. and SOMETIMES, i feel so silly and poetic.

New items

2009-02-26T14:13:00.002+02:00

'the much loved instrument'
'the triumphant treasure hunter'
'the blue winged storm chaser'
'the keeper of flora's secret'
'lover in the long grass'
new stuff on etsy:

quileute90.etsy.com

i guess it's time for a new post, huh.

2009-02-24T17:25:00.003+02:00

hmmm, well last sunday was an excellent day. one of the best i've had in a while. my parents are interested in starting a ranch business here for tourists. you know, horses people can take out for rides, some cute farm animals for the kiddies to pet. stuff like that. i'm so excited for the possibility of this thing too. i'd lead trail rides when i had the time. and the horses. oh, the horses. anyway, we went to a farm not too far from our house (30min?) for some ideas. poked around a bit, talked to the guy in charge of the place's horses. it was wonderful. the animals were gorgeous, the site was gorgeous. everything was just... WOW. and i realized that for a while, i was in horsey rehab. for about three years, equines were pushed to the back of my mind. but i've fallen of the wagon. horse addiction is in control again. maybe not as firm as it was, but seeing so many beautiful animals woke up my love for them.

i feel really great lately. for a lot of reasons, but the biggest is that i feel good about myself, great about where i live, and sure of my path in life. finally.

<3

2009-02-17T21:43:00.002+02:00

i love my dog.

cool

2009-02-05T14:59:00.003+02:00

my hat came :) and a bunch of other etsy stuff too. my worries have been eased.

SALE

2009-02-03T18:23:00.001+02:00

ETSY SALE!!!! ETSY SALE ETSY SALE ETSY SALE ETSY SALE ETSY SALE!!!! ETSY!!!! SAAAAAAALE!

etsy sale here:

quileute90.etsy.com

sigh

2009-02-01T23:55:00.004+02:00

i'm so down about etsy right now. things i'm getting from trades and even a few orders haven't gotten here yet... and some bimbo, after waiting 10 days for her order to arrive, filed an official COMPLAINT on the site, reporting a non-delivery. i only shipped the damn hat five days ago. it would've gone out sooner, but i hadn't had internet for 5 days b/c of terrible weather we had. the hat was shipped out the day i actually saw the order. her order is coming from TURKEY and if she was observant and actually checked when i shipped the item, she'd know that it might take a little while (usually abt 10 days). so i wrote her telling her the situation... after she answers me and we (hopefully) resolve the issue, i have to write etsy's abuse department telling them that the problem is taken care of. i'm annoyed though. part of being a good buyer in the seller/buyer partnership is having patience and understanding. which means not reporting abuse to the site after a week and a half. i'm a model etsy user (w/ both buying and selling) and with amiable manner on my part, this chick's ridiculous behavior shouldn't mar my good record.

I uploaded a bunch of new stuff, mostly clothing. check it out. the pic below is just an example:

it's part of the listing for the hat i'm wearing. but the shirt i'm wearing is available in a separate listing.

etsy shop!!

2009-01-28T12:18:00.001+02:00

new stuff!

quileute90.etsy.com

stupid etsy thing STILL not working for me on this page. grr.

here's a taste:

This is ridiculous

2009-01-20T21:27:00.005+02:00

In the last three days, we have acquired as many animals. On Sunday, we were at the farmer's market in the next village over, when under a produce table, I spied two chickens awaiting their fate. Their fate was of course, the stewing pot. Legs bound, the sorry fowl lay under lemons and chestnuts quite effectively tugging at my heartstrings. Now, we have two chickens. But they're both roosters. As we're in sorry need of a hen, we bought the female. Unfortunately for him, the other was a male. So there's one. A black hen we affectionately named Merry, because of mine and my sister's love for Lord of the Rings.

That same afternoon, I was reading in my favorite armchair when in came my cousin. He called me and my sister, saying that our neighbor had a surprise. So I padded outside in my slippers (because of course I have to defeat the purpose of wearing slippers and walk outside with them). The neighbor produced from under her jacket a petrified looking baby cottontail. I tried to act happy, but inside I was quite upset. One is NEVER supposed to take an animal from the wild. She said that she found it whilst picking mushrooms. It was just chilling under one. Thinking it was an orphan, she grabbed it. Unfortunately, rabbits of that type DON'T make burrows, so it's completely possible that it could have just been out and about and when my neighbor surprised it, it froze. Not knowing what else to do, we took it. Keeping in the spirit of our love of Tolkien, we dubbed it Pippin. That's two.

Yesterday on our way home from town, my mother, sister, and I saw a puppy trotting along the side of the road in our village. We thought nothing of it, as it looked healthy. 'It must belong to someone,' we thought. Then today on our way home from picking my sister up from school, we spotted the puppy again. This time, my mother slowed the car, I rolled down the window and cooed to it. The little puppy looked up at me with these sweet brown eyes and wiggled in excitement. Then she sidled away. On reaching home, my mother completely surprised me and told my father about the little dog. And even more to my astonishment, he told us to go get her. SO...phew, lots of writing... we drove back out to the road and saw that the puppy was with one of our neighbors. Upon talking to her, I found out that the puppy belongs to no one b/c the original owner tossed it out in the village. The fellow they tried to give it to chased it away, so this puppy (around three months old) is just wandering around by itself. In Turkish, they used the verb 'to throw.' So in this story, all I heard about was how people threw the puppy out. Makes me incredibly sad. After the story was told, I hopped out of the car, swept up the little moosh, and we were away. She's sleeping outside on the porch b/c we really can't have any more dogs inside. Not tied, not enclosed, it's her choice if she stays or goes. But she has food and water and knows how kind we are. I have a feeling she'll stay. She came with my grandmother, cousin, and me when we took our neighbor (the one who gifted us the bunny) some food. While we were inside, the little sweet heart laid down outside and waited. Oh, yeah, her name. Sam. Yay Tolkien!

Our house (much to my father's dismay) has always been a place for unwanted animals. Almost all are rescues. The problem with my father is that he has a soft heart inside a tough exterior. He's incredibly sensitive, and ever time an animal dies, it really upsets him. Not that it doesn't upset everyone. Just the way he handles things is a little... weird. Anyway, I'm out. I'll probably take some pics tomorrow after Sam's had her bath.

most gorgeous hat ever... and it's mine!

2009-01-19T17:41:00.001+02:00

made by girlwithahook.etsy.com

she's awesome. it was my splurge for the year.

RAW FIBER!!

2009-01-16T11:03:00.003+02:00

i got a whole bunch of raw fiber from my neighbor. she's got tons and tons of it from her three sheep and she just GAVE it to me! i'm so incredibly excited about it b/c i get to go through the entire process, washing, carding, dyeing, and spinning. ahhh!! the only part i didn't get to do is shear the sheep. but they grazed in our yard for a while. they're incredibly cute- it's a mother and her two babies. we call the madre Sneezy b/c when we first met, she sneezed on me. but anyway, yay fiber!

oh, and my christmas present from my brother arrived today. hand spun alpaca yarn from silversunalpacas.etsy.com. she's got beautiful stuff.

new album

2009-01-15T21:59:00.005+02:00

okay, so my aunt was able to get the new edgar meyer and chris thile album for me when it first came out. alas, the friggin' package STILL hasn't gotten here. so my mother and sister surprised me and bought it for me online, my sister giving it to me in a cute paper envelope she made, with the album name (Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile) written in green and yellow sparkly ink!! at the moment, it's playing on this computer and i L.O.V.E it!!! euphonious to the max. these are two super talented men. superrrrr. and my sister is incredibly generous. she used her itunes money to get this for me. i think this calls for a little present for her. maybe a new hat... or maybe i'll do a watercolor for her. have to think on this one.

my first...

2009-01-06T11:03:00.003+02:00

ever comission!! on etsy!!

it's the Ruthenian woman. she passed through ellis island in the early 1900s.

woohoo

2008-12-30T17:20:00.002+02:00

new stuff on etsy:

quileute90.etsy.com

the etsy shop box won't work on my page...

oh poop.

take a look anyway!

On Ice

2008-12-24T10:00:00.003+02:00

Just for a moment, the moment I met her
I lost my breath but my
Lips whispered she is the one
Forgot who I was and who I was fooling
Didn't remember she could be my first cue to run

We move so fast
Never thought twice
Mine came at last
Fool on some ice

We stayed in touch but the touch
I was wanting from her came from girls
That scared me too little to love
So all of the thoughts
I thought I might tell her
Turned into songs
That until now she's never heard of

I have been taught
Love is a vice
Soak all these thoughts
And I put them on ice

The vice spins and the ice tends to melt
One night she asked me how I felt
The next day I woke up lying to myself
I feel fine
I feel fine
I feel fine

Thank God you're here
I need you to hear this
So sick of my shit
I promise I'm through tempting fate
I know I'm in love now
You are what love is to me
Please tell me this isn't too little too late

Oh let's move fast
Making out time would be nice
I'm so sorry
I put these things on ice
I would like to give you doves and rice

-Chris Thile

I've never listened to a song and had it resonate with me so much.

new stuff

2008-12-17T13:10:00.002+02:00

Just posted a bunch of stuff to etsy. Check it out- you may find something you like ;)

quileute90.etsy.com

History

2008-12-16T23:43:00.003+02:00

I wish that history was reported truthfully.

I wish that propaganda didn't poison people's minds.

I wish some Armenians didn't hate Turks for what happened in the past.

I wish for Turks not to be looked at in a negative light because of what happened long ago.

I wish I knew the 100% pure, undiluted truth.

I feel hurt because some people so dislike Turks because of events passed.

Some anti-Turkish songs by System of a Down made me do some reading and thinking. What I discovered is that I'm quite upset by the hate this group preaches. And I feel... kind of wounded because I'm Turkish and I'm NOT guilty of anything that happened in the time of the Armenian Genocide. No one today is guilty of what happened. I feel pride for my country and my people. I love being Turkish, but I don't love the idea of someone perhaps hating me just because of the blood running through my veins.

thank you God.

2008-12-13T22:18:00.001+02:00

My lovely horse is fine. I'm so incredibly glad :)

Maybe...

2008-12-11T23:28:00.003+02:00

I should rename this blog "One for sorrow." You know, that old rhyme about magpies: "One for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a death, four for a birth...." and so on. My other horse is sick now. I think that there's some kind of poisonous plant in our yard that the two of them ate. The difference is though, that we recognized the problem early on with this horse. With Tay, my dear who died, we didn't recognize the problem until it was to late. With Asena, we noticed that something was wrong right off. And I really have a good feeling about her. I don't think she's going to die. The vet came out and gave her an IV and a pain killer. We walked her around for quite a while, to ease her abdomen pain. And when I left her, she was dozing comfortably. My other horse died of colic. It was horrible, a memory that I'm sorry to have even though I was glad to be there for him in his final moments. I don't want this to happen to Asena. Her life until we got her five years ago was the shits. She's very special.

I remember the first time I saw her. I was at a horse auction and she was tethered to a pole in the middle of a pen, other horses surrounding her. She's a striking mare, a very pretty chestnut with white spots all over her. She has a tendency to appear very melancholy. I think it's her eyes. They are very sorrowful. Next to her was another mare, a very beautiful black one. This horse was getting the attention of potential buyers because of her shiny coat and nice conformation. But Asena, my mare, looked at me with that sad, morose gaze and we just connected. When she came up in the auction, the event was winding down and there were very few people there. No one but my mother bid on her. So we got this sorely used horse that no one else wanted. In her eleven years of life, she had ten different owners who actually bothered to register to the Quarter Horse club or whatever it is. I don't know how many other people owned her and just didn't bother to register her. Her tongue was almost cut in half because of some cruel bit someone once used on her. She had bumps and scars. But the most upsetting thing was that people said she was a nasty horse. Very temperamental. I found that it was actually the opposite. Asena's extremely sweet and I'll admit that sometimes she can be a little witchy. But to everyone in my family, and especially me, she's wonderful. This is why I don't want anything to happen to her. I love her far too much and she's gone through too much pain in her life to die a death as horrible as the one Tay experienced. He didn't deserve that either. Unfortunately, I can't take that back.

I think I need to become an equine vet. For years and years that was my dream. Then my parents decided to move here, to Turkey, and I felt like I needed to abandon that dream. But as it turns out, equine vets are few and far between, especially in my area. Maybe becoming an artist is taking the easy way out. Maybe my calling is to become a healer of horses. I don't know. The older I get, the more confusing life seems to get. It has wonderful, sweet moments. But then there are horrible ones. I guess it's just how things go?

Today is...

2008-12-08T15:00:00.003+02:00

The first day of the holiday, Kurban. Our neighbors killed their goat, whom we so cleverly named "Billy." His left ass and leg are on the table next to me. I'm quite grossed out, as there are still a few little goat hairs left on his fatty haunch. And it smells. The raw meat smells. The cooking meat smells. I'm not a fan of this part of the holiday. Thank God people are starting to realize that maybe killing animals and sharing meat isn't the only way to help people and share wealth. Monetary donations are on the rise. Someday it'll get so that not SO many animals are killed. Despite this, the holiday isn't about killing, just to be clear. It's about helping poorer people. It's about sharing with your neighbors. So people kill animals and hand out the meat. I just don't want people thinking even nastier thoughts about Muslims. That's why I explain.

Life can be painful.

2008-12-02T21:52:00.004+02:00

My poor, dear horse died. The nature of his death hurts me, and it almost pains me more to know that he's buried all alone. I loved him very much. He's the one in the middle. Poor baby was only 11. Tay, was his name. He was my first horse, whom I've had since I was 11 years old and he opened the equine world to me. That was one special horse.

Etsy shop!!

2008-11-23T21:10:00.001+02:00

My etsy shop is up!!!!

Here's the address:

quileute90.etsy.com

Go there! Buy stuff!

I'll be posting more items soon!

Sweet yarns!!

2008-11-22T22:40:00.004+02:00

I'm getting these sweet yarns for Christmas! I'm so excited! And I'm totally making myself stuff with them first!

Also, love is a funny thing isn't it? How do you know when you're in love? Bah, such silly talk.

School

2008-11-18T17:42:00.003+02:00

I went to the art school I'll hopefully be attending today. I LOVE it. The building is so cool. It's tiny for a school, with one hallway with twenty foot ceilings. It's lined with rooms on the left and right. The rooms are double story, you can get upstairs by a small staircase inside the classroom. It's kind of like a loft. But the coolest part is that on the hallway side of the room, the whole wall is glass. There are small porthole like windows inside the classroom. And what I THINK before the building was a building, it was a series of shops down a narrow alley before they covered it and tiled the floor. It's awesome.

The only bad part is that I may not be able to go there! I'm the first foreigner to inquire about going to the art branch of the university and there may not be any openings for foreign students in the university in general. If that's the case, then I have to become a citizen which may take a little while. Becoming a citizen now has it's perks though. I'll have my Turkish ID. I'll be able to work legally (that paired with my tax ID # which I already have). And I won't be limited by all the foreign protocol bull crap. When I want to pull out my American passport I can. But when Turkish ID would be easier then I'd have it. Anyway...

Sigh. Foreign affairs suck.

But foreign art schools in seaside settings are ace.

p.s. I want this hat. For serious.

Meh.

2008-11-14T14:54:00.003+02:00

I just finished my second day of library volunteer work, which isn't so much volunteer work as me sitting in the library, studying my Turkish. There's absolutely NOTHING for me to do. It's cool though, b/c I kind of enjoy getting to study in a library again. I've missed a school atmosphere. My only complaint though, is that these stupid kids are so goddamn disrespectful. I was left in charge of the library for like, thirty minutes, tops. These four little girls march in and when I try to explain to them, in English that the library is closed, they LAUGH at me. So I'm like, "Haha, yes. It's really funny that I can't speak Turkish. Get out." Then they come back with another girl who, when I try to tell them to leave, brushes me off with the comment that her "Mum is English." She was the snottiest kid on the face of the planet. So I said "Fine, then. You'll understand this: the library's closed. You're not allowed in here." She decides that's she's going to stay anyway, and I acquiesce. I mean, how could I not. It's not like I actually work there and have any grounds to discipline kids. This is all okay though. I can deal with it. What bothered me was that they continued to make fun of me. It was a little embarrassing, considering I'm eighteen and they were maybe ten at the oldest. Here I was thinking that kids in this country were taught to respect their elders. Some shit that is.

My fuzzy haired friend

2008-11-11T14:20:00.003+02:00

ZZZZZZzzzzzzz....

2008-11-10T14:55:00.003+02:00

I'm pretty beat. Just got through a few hours of horse training then olive picking. We've got a five year old gelding that I've broken to ride. Now we're just in the training phase, getting him to listen perfectly to my commands. He's a sweetie and has made the job really easy so far.

As for the olives, we've got many MANY olive trees on the property and we're collecting them for eating and also for making olive oil. I was in the tops of trees; it was so much fun! I've got tons of scratches, but it was worth it.

I've almost finished a new portrait, so I'll post that eventually. And I've also learned to knit!!! Yay! I'm in the middle of a scarf (knit) and a hat (crochet). I'm thinking of making a cowl type thing for the neck, and some fingerless gloves. Maybe a big chunky headband for people with curly hair, dreadlocks, or whatever. OH, leg warmers too! But I reeeeaaaalllyyyy want some hand spun yarn. I've seen some online and it's incredibly beautiful. I'll bet it's soft too.... oh man. Maybe soon.

Gallery stuff for my artwork is still in the air. This guy I know found a place to frame my portraits for cheap. Apparently my matting abilities aren't good enough... oh well. Thus is life.

Skull shrapnel...

2008-11-08T20:35:00.004+02:00

...will kill you when I explode. You know how it feels when you're waiting for something very important? The unbearable pressure in your chest that could be called 'anticipation?' Feeling so jittery that all you do is bounce all over the place? When you can hardly contain yourself?

That's how I feel.

I can't think of a good title.

2008-11-07T14:43:00.004+02:00

I just finished a new portrait and I think it's my personal best. Haven't taken it off the drawing board yet b/c I don't have any paper to mount it on or any matte board to matte it.

Anyway, I'm starting an etsy store soon! I'm pretty excited, but also a little apprehensive. I just sincerely hope that there will be some people who'll like my items enough to purchase them. I'll post info about my store and items on here later.

Peace <3

I'm so crazy.

2008-11-04T17:51:00.004+02:00

Soooooo, I dropped some major cash last night on etsy.com. Well, it wasn't really that big a sum until the cost was converted from USD to YTL. But I love love love the things I bought.

This really sweet bag pictured below, and a headband (which I'm gonna wait to post until I get it and can take photos of me wearing it) are my lovely splurges. The bag's made by bonspielcreation.etsy.com. She's a really talented at her craft, plus she's really nice! Check out her shop!!!

On another note, I'm really excited to see who wins America's presidential election! I may not live there anymore, but I still have friends and family members whose well being I care about.

Aaaaand I'm really excited because sometime this week I'm heading into town to meet with some gallery folks about getting my stuff shown. In fact, I'm gonna go work on a new portrait after I'm done here because I REALLY REALLY need some quality stuff that I'm proud of to bulk up my portfolio. Ah! I almost forgot! I'm going to see about starting college in January instead of waiting until next year!

Peace :)

How do I love thee?

2008-11-03T14:45:00.001+02:00

Let me count the ways...

This lad is the most amazing musician in the world. Chris Thile plays the mandolin better than anybody I've ever heard. He's like, black belt level. A virtuoso. I aspire to draw as well as he plays. To be a Chris Thile of my craft, as it were.

He is also one part my perfect male.

Check out his music. Any of his solo projects kick major ass. His days with Nickel Creek were phenomenal, and his stuff with his new band, The Punch Brothers, is remarkably euphonious. Oh! He also JUST came out with a new collaborative album with Edgar Meyer. I have yet to listen b/c my copy hasn't arrived yet. But I'm certain it's excellent.

On another note, I think I'm on the verge of blowing over $100 on Etsy. Some stuff is just too damn hard to resist.

Oh! One last thing. I saw a scooter rider get hit by a car today. No one was hurt; this car pulled over into the right lane, right into a guy on a scooter. They bumped each other and the scooter fellow kind of wobbled. The funny part was that they both stopped and just stared at one another. People REALLY need to be careful down here though. Scooter and motorcycle riders just zip in and out of traffic. My dad even had a real accident with a motorcycle driver. The guy ran a red light and smashed into the side of my dad's car, flipping up onto the windshield, shattering it, and hurting my dad's hands pretty badly. The motorcycle driver broke a lot of bones and I'm fairly sure his neck was broken as well. Crazy people.

Peacock feathers!

2008-11-01T10:47:00.000+02:00

I saw this on Etsy this morning. The seller is whichgoose.etsy.com. Her stuff is really awesome!

Coolest Hats!!!!

2008-10-31T17:21:00.000+02:00

I saw the coolest hats on Etsy yesterday. They're made by:

www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id+28125

She's already sold this one pictured above.

But I'm thinking of asking her to try her best to recreate the style and color palette.

Also, because of her beautiful work, I decided to try my hand at crocheting. As a result, I have this really sweet orange hat!! I love it and it's silly earflap :) There's real satisfaction in being able to make something that you can wear.

moly_x: international moleskine exchange

2008-10-30T11:17:00.000+02:00

I've joined the moly_x: international moleskine exchange. This is such a cool concept! Groups of artists from around the world exchange Japanese Moleskine and regular Moleskine sketchbooks, drawing, painting, collaging, whatevering in them. It's a way to encourage communication between artists all over this blue ball we call Earth and to have some fun.

I'm part of the moly_x_portrait 3 series. I'm so excited to start!!

Check out the site: http://www.flikr.com/groups/molyx

And don't forget to follow my group's progress at: http://mxportraits3.blogspot.com/

Used books and banana milkshakes

2008-10-29T21:26:00.000+02:00

So yesterday I went down into the city for the first time with a friend, Sukhleen. My first friend in this country!! It sounds so very silly, but when one moves away from everything that is familiar, something as simple as making a friend proves to be significant. Maybe I should backtrack a little. I just moved to Turkey from the USA. New York to be a little more specific. I've been here for a few months and I was feeling pretty lonely and bored for a while. That feeling is no more!

Anyway, this trip into the city was great! I met Sukhleen on the steps of the local art university (which I will be attending next year. Very exciting!) and we wandered around for a while, just exploring some clothing stores. One thing about this country that I don't like that much is the price of clothing. Or perhaps it's just this area. I'm in a pretty touristy location, so people are willing to pay obscene prices for things. You know, make exceptions. But I LIVE here. I can't go and spend 50 YTL all willy nilly on a blouse. And there don't seem to be second hand shops here. Of the garment variety, that is. I mean, there are plenty of these shops filled with furniture and nicknacks. I found an antique Singer sewing machine a while back. Unfortunately, I can't wear a sewing machine. In the United States, I used to LOVE The Gap. I would buy things on sale, when they had been marked down 50% or more. That was great! But in Turkey, something that was say, $50 in the US costs more that the normal conversion rate would dictate. I'm pretty certain that sellers add at least 20-30 YTL to the price of an item. NOT fair.

Because of this, Sukhleen and I kind of gave up our search and just meandered up and down side streets, admiring the whitewashed buildings and their pretty walled or wrought ironed gardens whilst trying not to be mowed down by the frequent speeding scooter.

After a while, the two of us decided that it was time for a drink, so I led the way to this cool, kind of grungy cafe. Or maybe that's not an appropriate word to describe it. It was just kind of Spartan. I got to practice some of my Turkish and the fellow at the counter understood me perfectly! We sipped our tea, talked, and watched some stray kittens bouncing around in the flowers next to us.

A bit of time passed and we continued on. I have absolutely NO clue how we ended up here, but eventually we stumbled across a bookstore that had a small but interesting collection of used books in English. There were about five-THOUSAND books on prostate cancer. I haven't a clue why. The guy working in this place greeted us at the door and I mumbled something in Turkish, fooling him into thinking that I actually SPEAK Turkish. When he said something to me a little while later, and I looked at him like a moron, the truth was revealed. I've found that Turkish people, particularly men, are very curious about where I'm from and just what I am. He asked me all these probing questions about my origins and my family's origins. You know, back in America, if I didn't want to be talked to by a guy, all I had to do was give him a really intense stare. Scary intense. When I did the same to this lad, he didn't back down. In fact, he kept talking to me. Long story short, I managed to get out of there with an old textbook on Psychology and a copy of Jane Eyre.

We had time for a banana milkshake which was DELICIOUS. Whilst sitting on the steps of the university once again, waiting for my ride, Sukhleen and I discussed how forward Turkish men are. Some of them. They tend to stare in quite a lecherous fashion which is really disconcerting. This isn't all males over here. Just some. But think about it: a girl doesn't like being leered at. Alas, leering is just something I'm going to have to get used to. Or maybe I'll just have to start flipping them off. I don't know.

That's enough for now.

Peace.