Sunday, April 26, 2009

The never-ending program.

I am constantly haunted by my children's demands for programs on the weekends. And on holidays. And in the afternoons. Every day. Day after day.

To an extent, I am happy to oblige - many of our "outings" as a family end up being wonderful days and we all feel fulfilled, happy to have spent the day together, with family and sometimes friends.

The programs mostly include a meal outside, meeting friends, inviting friends, walks, bike rides, kite sessions, museums and parks and such. And according to the weather, and the fullness of the weekend schedule, they are more or less the same.

Add, however, the finicky basketball schedule of Arda's, a birthday party, someone (mostly myself) ill or miserable (with sun allergies), the terrible awful horrible no good senseless traffic for no good reason but the sun shining, the result is chaos and me screaming off the top of my lungs to just let me stay home. And sleep. Or watch TV. Preferably with a soccer game on.

After speaking to the boys about the limits of programs and my limits of sanity yesterday (ok, there was yelling involved, I admit) they were quietly playing with their toys and drawing today. Never even once asked for a program. My husband must have felt guilty that after basketball practice, he took them grocery shopping and bought the most unneeded yet essential items ever: almonds, ice cream cones, chocolate, a watermelon, 3 green apples and cocoa puffs.

We are determined to go to the beach or the forest next weekend close to the city. It's a 3 day weekend, May 1st is finally a legal holiday!

It's sad, I would have loved to take my children along to the protests, show them that the righteousness and purity of labor is something to celebrate, not frown upon or worse, look down on. No way. Never in İstanbul.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Hateful.

I don't know what to write. This is just a vent.

I am sick and tired of putting on 50+ sunscreen every day.. day after day after day.

I am sick and tired of having to wear long sleeved and/or UV filtered clothing.

I am sick and tired of the blistered hands and neck and legs and feet and toes and ears - yea! ears!!

I am sick and tired of not being able to play with my kids in the summer. Of hiding under umbrellas and shadows.

None of this would have mattered if I could avoid having the dreadful blisters. I hate polymorphic light eruption with a passion. I hate sun allergies.

On a lighter note: check out Arda & Tunca golfing:


Sunday, April 5, 2009

A songwriter to be?

Tunca's latest songwriting adventure yielded to this:

the name of the song is some things changed
some things changed
everything changed
i changed
my brother changed, too
don't forget
the world changed
our family changed
therefore
the whole world changed.

Şarkının adı Bir Şeyler değişti
bir şeyler değişti
her şey değişti
ben değiştim
abim de değişti
unutmayın ki
dünya değişti
ailemiz değişti
ki
bütün dünya değişti

I don't even want to think about what prompted him to write these. I am hoping that the whole "change" theme was used in a positive way, he insists that "this just popped into his mind" and he "totally made it up."
I don't have a scanner so I just took a photo of it so it's all upside down and left to right but it'll give those of you who know Turkish an idea...

His spelling is great for a 5.5 year old, I think. But I'm biased that way because I also think that he's super cool.

ps.: I backed up. I also have a .mac account which was supposed to sync with my computer but for some reason did not before the horrible crash.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

The warning

keeps flashing on my screen - "it's been 10 days since your last time machine back-up." All I have to do is swivel in my swiveling chair take half a step toward the bookcase and pick up the silver (not black) external hard disk and hit the "yeah baby" button. Or the OK button, I can't remember which.

Yet I stay still.