Zymzym Potter

I must be doing something right:

I know how you feel.

Tunca, I know how you feel.
I try to tell you that I, too, sometimes feel left out.
That I, too, want to do things that I am not capable of.
I want to run faster, and hit a soccer ball with decent accuracy. I want to climb high and be the one picked first for a team.
I am really, truly sorry that I cannot make you feel better about it, though. There will always be such sucky times and you probably will be mad at me for telling you so.
One thing I can tell you for sure is if you insist on playing soccer with 6th graders, I just cannot watch you get kicked in the shins or get smashed in the head with the ball travelling 60mph. I simply will not watch anymore. So there.

Broken

I am getting better at the wheel. Really.

This can happen when you're trying to trim, though:
I just want to cry.

Keeping Busy

There are days when I think to myself "all I want to do is sit in front of the TV and watch reruns of EL Raymond." Really. I love that show. And those are the days when I barely have time to use the bathroom.

Take this past Sunday. Here's what happened:
-Take Arda to basketball practice (Burak takes Tunca to Freedom Park, at the same time)
- Go to a birthday party for Arda's friend from basketball team
- Meet relatives (waiting in front of our house for us to arrive because we had to watch the birthday kid blow the candles)
- Leave an hour later to another friend's house
- Ditch another friend whom we had promised to meet at the beach in the afternoon because of the traffic (and, they served us mini quiches and whiskey and wine and cheese platters - who could leave that?)
- Arrive home with two very hungry and dirty kids after driving in the usual Sunday evening traffic which makes a 10 minute drive into an hours drive.
- Feed, wash and put the kids to bed.
- Collapse after watching the last two episodes of Lost. What is the deal with Jack's dad by the way?

Fun fun fun.

My brother says my blog is pointless and not very informative. Here's what you should learn from this post: we have really cool friends who serve us whiskey, traffic in İstanbul sucks so don't go out unless you have to, and it's rude to invite people over and have them wait for you to arrive at your home. And make your beds in the mornings. Yes.

Random Photos

I really like what Wendolonia posts in her blog sometimes - daily pictures with just a few words...

I was just thinking that I am neither that talented enough to take nice photos nor that organized to carry a camera with me when I realized, I actually do have a ton of photos on my cell phone. The quality is terrible, but they are glimpses into my daily life - no special occasions, just moments I thought should be captured (oh the cliche is killing me!) somehow.
This is testament to one of the reasons why I truly love Arda's school. After having shoveled the minuscule amount of snow we received in February, the children were allowed to go out and walk like penguins on the little ridge! I was in a Parent - Family Association meeting, and first thought that the teachers would just ask the kids to get back inside, or to the back yard which is bigger, has acres of playgrounds, soccer fields etc. (and because this is the front yard and they're only allowed here for ceremonies).

Yet the few teachers you see in that photo were actually helping the kids climb the snow, and joyfully watching them have genuine fun. The one with the beige jacket is Arda.
This is my father and uncle leading my grandmother to one of many tests she had to go through in the hospital. She is holding onto both their arms, probably not unlike 50+ years ago, yet this time, they're the ones leading her and supporting her and explaining to her things she does not want to understand.

Off to a Mediocre Start

For those of you wondering how my experiments with the wheel is going, I will simply post the following photo:
Lots of re-kneading. Lots of plates, as well.

Mother's Day, Italian style, during Formula 1

Mother's Day came and went fabulously. The "new" tradition for the past few years have been to gather all the family in my sister-in-law Zeynep's mom's house in Sapanca, have lunch and just hang out. This year, there were 24 of us.

Here's the list of who's who:
My family (4)
My brother's family (3)
My parents (2)
Hubby's parents (2)
My uncle (1)
SIL's parents (2)
SIL's brother's family (3)
SIL's SIL's sister's family (3)
SIL's SIL's dad (1) (her mom passed away a few years ago)
Both my grandmothers (2)
One grandmother's caretaker/companion (1)

The lunch was wonderful, activities included eating a lot, then eating more, and after dessert, eating more. The children played soccer in the nearby field while adventurous adults made attempts to catch a frisbee in between 8 courses of salads, appetizers, meat, more meat, more meat, even more meat, fried zucchini and calamari .

Highlights of the day included getting stuck in traffic for hours because some smart ass thought that Mother's Day would be the greatest time to schedule a Formula 1 race in Istanbul, because, you know, all Turkish mothers would like a gift of a golden pass for Formula 1. I actually might have enjoyed it, come to think of it.

The necklace that Arda had made when he was in preschool 3 years ago now has a matching twin, made by Tunca, but this new one has feathers. "Feathers. Like bird feathers. But we didn't pluck them off birds. Teachers have to do that on their own."

I'm waiting for my brother to upload his pictures to .mac (my new favorite these days) so he can show off his new camera - more pictures to come.

The New Favorite Gift of ALL Times!

Remember I wrote about the mashed potato device my husband got me as a gift?

First of all, my husband corrects, that wasn't a Valentine's Day gift, but Mother's Day gift. Plus, it was supposed to be from the kids, and he just helped pick it. So I stand corrected.

I don't think my "gift" post had that much to do with this years incredible surprise. I am the proud owner of a Shimpo Whisper T pottery wheel now! Well, I went and bought it second hand myself but DH was the one who said "just go and get one if that's what's going to make you happy and don't worry about where we would put it, you can bring it to my office."
I think that is one of the most selfless acts I have seen him perform. You see, he works alone, as a consultant, is meticulously neat, plus enjoys (and needs) solitude to do stuff involving metals of some sort. Non-Ferrous ones. But now there will also be ferrous ones. Or something like that. Anyways, it is complicated and that's why I think he needs silence.

I always thought that his office was the one place he could escape to without my constant nagging, relentless questions, and constant need for attention. He actually gave that up so a) he can be with me more and b) so I can be happier.

So hunny, if you're reading this, the next years "best gift ever received" post on the Parent Bloggers Network will be something like this:

My husband got me the best gift I ever received.

I can hear you snickering about the followin, and I shall answer accordingly. I can be proper when I have to.

Comment1: knowing you, you will be too damn messy and he will kick you out in a matter of days.
Answer1: That's what my grandmother said when I was getting married, yet 14 years later, he sill hasn't. And you should see me with the mop. Though he did stare a bit at the mud on the ceiling. I have no idea how it got there. Really.

Comment2: knowing you, you will talk so much that he won't be able to concentrate on his work and he will kick you out in a matter of days. Nagger.
Answer2: First of all, see answer1, part 1 re. marriage and my grandmother. Second of all, potters don't talk much. They're much too busy trying to center a lump of mud.

Comment3: knowing you, you will get tired of the whole pottery thing in a matter of weeks and he will kick you out of the house for making him spend all that money. You monkey. Lazy monkey.
Answer3: Enough with the insults. Get a grip. I have been wheel throwing since 11th grade and I never, ever can think of anything more wondrous, more relaxing and more creative than that. It will help with my constant hiatus of creative constipation and I get to stop spending my time sleeping, playing guitar hero and other wasteful activities like shoe shopping. No erase that. Shoe shopping must go on. But less.

Comment4: you suck at the wheel.
Answer4: Yes. I know I am not that good at the wheel. But that's only because I haven't had the chance to practice. You shall see pictures of my creations soon. And that'll spice up this blog. So shut up. And really, enough with the insults.

Sing a Song

I have truly reached the epitome of my directing skills.

Halfway through watching home videos of Arda & Tunca taken since 2002, I realized that in EVERY SINGLE one that I am taking, I ask the either one, or both the boys to sing a song. Every one. Birthdays, baths, playing, reading, watching a movie.. Whatever the occasion, at some point during the video, I tell 'em "sing a song now."

And they both immediately start singing gibberish songs mostly polluted with words like pee, poop, bum, and boobies.

What's the message here?

When I figure out a way to compress the videos, I will post a few.

Definitely the one that has Tunca simultaneously sitting on, and then bursting a balloon, and the expression on his face and Burak and I literally rolling on the floor laughing.

MayDay Continued

The day is almost over.

This photo sums it all up.
No, that is not blood. They squirted red colored water from panzers (armored artillery vehicles) to the crowd so they could later arrest them easily:

I spent the day nearby with friends.

Here's Taksim, totally deserted except for cops because of the blockades:
All photos by DHA & Milliyet.