Well for those who are not aware, today is Ash Wednesday. Now technically Lent is not a part of my religion, but I like to give something up anyway. Last year I gave up Chinese food and that went well. This year Chinese food and fast food. I know some people give up chocolate but I would just find that to be torture. A friend of mine is giving up meat. I don't know how that's even possible. I once attempted to give up red meat...it only lasted about 3 days.
In other news, plans have started to be made for my Dallas trip this weekend and I'm quite excited! Of course part of the plans will include watching Purdue beat Michigan tomorrow night! We're also going to do hot room yoga which I've never done before but have heard about and am quite curious. This got me looking to see if there is anywhere to do Yoga around here and wouldn't you know it...we have a yoga place! So once I return from my trip I think I'm going to venture out there and check it out. I'll keep you posted.
I was sent the video below and I found it pretty hilarious so I decided to post it on here. I never did get the belly dancing video to work because it was too big, even for Facebook.
Sunday is March 1. This is a day I look forward to all winter. Why is that you might ask? Because its' the day Great Lakes Ice Cream opens up for the season! If you ever come visit between Sunday and the end of October, I can assure you, we will be going there.
Sunday night, I have to call the clerk's office to see if I need to report to jury duty. That's pretty exciting. I really want to be on the jury. I know the cases in Midland won't be like the ones I read in my John Grisham books but I'm sure it would still be interesting.
I heard on the radio today that the second Twilight movie is coming out June 21...the first day of summer. That may or may not be true but that's what they are reporting.
Wednesday
Monday
I love Wisconsin...and carnivores...
I can now say that I've been to the state of Wisconsin...even though all weekend I called it Minnesota. Apparently I have my states a little mixed up.
Friday afternoon I drove to Chicago stopping in Indiana to pick up Colleen from an interview. Then in Chicago I went to play with my sister for a couple hours before we packed up the car and headed to Wisconsin! Kylie's apartment is super cute and in a GREAT location. We walked everywhere all weekend because it's all so close! Her apartment overlooks the Riverwalk and though it was frozen and snow covered while we were there, I believe her when she says it looks nice in good weather. We arrived in Milwaukee, did some snacking and chatting, and then headed out for the night! We decided to try some places Kylie had never been before just for a little change of pace. The second bar we went to had a pretty empty dance floor so we took full advantage and showed off our killer dance moves. I seemed to have misplaced my camera cord when I was unpacking after Turkey but once I find it, I'll be sure to post some pics.
Once we were done dancing, we headed to a place that Kylie has named "Clown Bar". As we were walking there we ran into some Australians on the street. What Australians are doing in Milwaukee is beyond me and I decided it was a moment worth documenting. Colleen, did you by any chance remember to ask them if they knew Louie?
Saturday morning we woke up rather early (I'll take some responsibility for that) and headed out for bagels. It was only after milk was spit up on to the table from laughing way too much (Is this meat!?) that we decided it was time to go. We changed into some warm attire (as it was now snowing heavily) and headed to the ice skating rink! Now, I haven't been ice skating in who knows how long but we managed to avoid any catastrophic spills so we couldn't have been that bad. We then headed inside to go watch Purdue beat IU in basketball (Go Boilers!) and then headed back to Kylie's for naps (which I did not take) and showers (which I did take).
Saturday night we were joined by Kylie's friend Carrie who fit right in. We headed to a bar called Bootleggers for our Mardi Gras celebration! After a little while at Bootleggers they switched from a DJ to a 2 man band. I'd have to say that they were pretty good (though Colleen disagreed for certain songs). :) We ended up staying there until close at which point we headed back to Kylie's for a dance party and staying up as late as possible.
Sunday morning we woke up, tidied up and then headed back on the road to Chicago. Then it was back in the car for me for another 5 hours. Thank goodness for books on tape and a lot of singing and dancing in the car. I made it back by 8pm and was asleep by 8:30.
This weekend...Dallas, Texas!!
Friday afternoon I drove to Chicago stopping in Indiana to pick up Colleen from an interview. Then in Chicago I went to play with my sister for a couple hours before we packed up the car and headed to Wisconsin! Kylie's apartment is super cute and in a GREAT location. We walked everywhere all weekend because it's all so close! Her apartment overlooks the Riverwalk and though it was frozen and snow covered while we were there, I believe her when she says it looks nice in good weather. We arrived in Milwaukee, did some snacking and chatting, and then headed out for the night! We decided to try some places Kylie had never been before just for a little change of pace. The second bar we went to had a pretty empty dance floor so we took full advantage and showed off our killer dance moves. I seemed to have misplaced my camera cord when I was unpacking after Turkey but once I find it, I'll be sure to post some pics.
Once we were done dancing, we headed to a place that Kylie has named "Clown Bar". As we were walking there we ran into some Australians on the street. What Australians are doing in Milwaukee is beyond me and I decided it was a moment worth documenting. Colleen, did you by any chance remember to ask them if they knew Louie?
Saturday morning we woke up rather early (I'll take some responsibility for that) and headed out for bagels. It was only after milk was spit up on to the table from laughing way too much (Is this meat!?) that we decided it was time to go. We changed into some warm attire (as it was now snowing heavily) and headed to the ice skating rink! Now, I haven't been ice skating in who knows how long but we managed to avoid any catastrophic spills so we couldn't have been that bad. We then headed inside to go watch Purdue beat IU in basketball (Go Boilers!) and then headed back to Kylie's for naps (which I did not take) and showers (which I did take).Saturday night we were joined by Kylie's friend Carrie who fit right in. We headed to a bar called Bootleggers for our Mardi Gras celebration! After a little while at Bootleggers they switched from a DJ to a 2 man band. I'd have to say that they were pretty good (though Colleen disagreed for certain songs). :) We ended up staying there until close at which point we headed back to Kylie's for a dance party and staying up as late as possible.
Sunday morning we woke up, tidied up and then headed back on the road to Chicago. Then it was back in the car for me for another 5 hours. Thank goodness for books on tape and a lot of singing and dancing in the car. I made it back by 8pm and was asleep by 8:30.This weekend...Dallas, Texas!!
Wednesday
Winter...
Well, I made it back from Turkey safe and sound. I had this great plan to not sleep the night of my flight so that I could sleep the entire way home and be adjusted to the time zone by the time I returned to Michigan. Unfortunately, when this plan was tested, it didn't work exactly as planned. I arrived back in Michigan around 6pm and was home and in bed by 8pm. But 12 hours later I woke up as though I'd never even left the country! So I wouldn't call it a complete failure.
I spent most of the weekend attempting to get my life back together. I managed to finish all my unpacking, get a few groceries to survive the week, and even do a little socializing. As mentioned in a previous entry, the Dow Corning Classing tennis tournament took place this month. I only watched one set of one double's match but if I'm in town next year, I'd be interested in attending more. This match happened to be followed by Dueling Pianos. I happen to love dueling pianos and though it was no Thursday night piano bar at the Cactus, I still had a good time. Though the atmosphere is sufficiently different when you're surrounded by a crowd of people of all ages and not just a bunch of college students.
I was so happy that when I landed in Michigan there was hardly any snow on the ground and my car was easily found in the parking lot at the airport. I thought maybe the groundhog prediction was going to be wrong this year. As the weekend continued, I found out that it was not.
I also went and saw the International. I'd give it 3.5 to 4 stars. That last half a star might only be due to the fact that a short chunk of the movie took place in Istanbul. That made me rather happy. :)
This weekend I'm off to Milwaukee, Wisconsin!!
I spent most of the weekend attempting to get my life back together. I managed to finish all my unpacking, get a few groceries to survive the week, and even do a little socializing. As mentioned in a previous entry, the Dow Corning Classing tennis tournament took place this month. I only watched one set of one double's match but if I'm in town next year, I'd be interested in attending more. This match happened to be followed by Dueling Pianos. I happen to love dueling pianos and though it was no Thursday night piano bar at the Cactus, I still had a good time. Though the atmosphere is sufficiently different when you're surrounded by a crowd of people of all ages and not just a bunch of college students.
I was so happy that when I landed in Michigan there was hardly any snow on the ground and my car was easily found in the parking lot at the airport. I thought maybe the groundhog prediction was going to be wrong this year. As the weekend continued, I found out that it was not.
I also went and saw the International. I'd give it 3.5 to 4 stars. That last half a star might only be due to the fact that a short chunk of the movie took place in Istanbul. That made me rather happy. :)
This weekend I'm off to Milwaukee, Wisconsin!!
Thursday
All good things must come to an end
Well, my trip to Istanbul can pretty much be classified as "over". I'm sitting at the airport now waiting for my flight. I have to say that the last week flew by! Toward the end of the trip I debated extending my ticket through the weekend...but then I remembered how miserable it is to go back to work without adjusting to the timezone and decided against it.
Let's see...a new member of our team arrived on Sunday to review all the work we'd done for the last 2 weeks. Unfortunately, due to his limited time in Istanbul, he didn't get to do any sight-seeing. We did try to take him to some of our favorite restaurants though. This included one called "Go Mongo" which is a Mongolian restaurant that came highly recommended by multiple people.
Tuesday night a few of us went out for dinner. Then my cousin's fiance and I met up for some coffee (or wine as it turned out). Considering I just met her for the first time last summer on my last day in Turkey, it was nice to be able to spend so much time together while I was here for this trip! Hopefully we'll have a chance to hang out again before the wedding this summer!
Wednesday we were invited over to the home of one of the finance people from work. He had a beautiful home on the Asian side of Istanbul, a lovely wife (who is an amazing cook), and too cute little kids. The food was delicious and the company was great! Just another example of great Turkish hospitality! :) I'd have to say the perk of the evening was that this gentleman's wife was from Thailand so she prepared some Thai dishes and some Turkish dishes for our meal. It was all divine and sometimes I wonder if I wasn't Asian in a past life.
Thursday was our last day in the office. We went in for the morning to have our exit meeting and say our good-byes. The office gave us each a gift of beautifully decorated plates. I have a picture but I don't have my cord to connect my camera with me so I'll have to post those later. After we left we had our last team lunch and then sent two of our team members off to the airport. Another team member and I decided to spend the rest of our day with one last trip to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market to spend the rest of our cash. I have to say it was quite successful and Nat, you can start checking the mail for your Turkish Delight next week!
Thursday night my aunt picked me up to take me to one of my cousin's house's for dinner. As always it's always nice to get to see some family. Being away from home for so long can make you a little homesick so seeing family always helps! My cousin has an adorable son and a daughter who I just saw in July and can't believe how much they've grown in six months! I exhausted myself playing with them and probably will be incredibly sore from swinging them around so much but I don't get to play with them very often! I got some pictures of them too but again they will be posted later. Dammie, you won't believe how big Baby Emre is now!
After dinner I made it back to the hotel around midnight and continued packing my luggage which I'd made little headway on previously. Somehow I managed to fit all my stuff, all my purchases, the gifts I received, and a package for my parents into my luggage. I was well over the weight limit when I checked in but the guy didn't say anything and I wasn't going to point it out!
I'm anxiously waiting to board the plane as it's now 4:30 in the morning here and I haven't slept in almost 24 hours. And speaking of 24 hours, I realized that I forgot to pack my headphones in my carry-on so I won't be finishing 24 on this plane ride home.
I have to say that this was possibly my best work trip yet! I kept saying that we should give a poor review of the location so that we would have to come back again in 18 months, but I was just joking...sort of. :) We're already planning our trip back for this summer and the only thing better then a business trip to Turkey is a vacation in Turkey!
Let's see...a new member of our team arrived on Sunday to review all the work we'd done for the last 2 weeks. Unfortunately, due to his limited time in Istanbul, he didn't get to do any sight-seeing. We did try to take him to some of our favorite restaurants though. This included one called "Go Mongo" which is a Mongolian restaurant that came highly recommended by multiple people.
Tuesday night a few of us went out for dinner. Then my cousin's fiance and I met up for some coffee (or wine as it turned out). Considering I just met her for the first time last summer on my last day in Turkey, it was nice to be able to spend so much time together while I was here for this trip! Hopefully we'll have a chance to hang out again before the wedding this summer!
Wednesday we were invited over to the home of one of the finance people from work. He had a beautiful home on the Asian side of Istanbul, a lovely wife (who is an amazing cook), and too cute little kids. The food was delicious and the company was great! Just another example of great Turkish hospitality! :) I'd have to say the perk of the evening was that this gentleman's wife was from Thailand so she prepared some Thai dishes and some Turkish dishes for our meal. It was all divine and sometimes I wonder if I wasn't Asian in a past life.
Thursday was our last day in the office. We went in for the morning to have our exit meeting and say our good-byes. The office gave us each a gift of beautifully decorated plates. I have a picture but I don't have my cord to connect my camera with me so I'll have to post those later. After we left we had our last team lunch and then sent two of our team members off to the airport. Another team member and I decided to spend the rest of our day with one last trip to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market to spend the rest of our cash. I have to say it was quite successful and Nat, you can start checking the mail for your Turkish Delight next week!
Thursday night my aunt picked me up to take me to one of my cousin's house's for dinner. As always it's always nice to get to see some family. Being away from home for so long can make you a little homesick so seeing family always helps! My cousin has an adorable son and a daughter who I just saw in July and can't believe how much they've grown in six months! I exhausted myself playing with them and probably will be incredibly sore from swinging them around so much but I don't get to play with them very often! I got some pictures of them too but again they will be posted later. Dammie, you won't believe how big Baby Emre is now!
After dinner I made it back to the hotel around midnight and continued packing my luggage which I'd made little headway on previously. Somehow I managed to fit all my stuff, all my purchases, the gifts I received, and a package for my parents into my luggage. I was well over the weight limit when I checked in but the guy didn't say anything and I wasn't going to point it out!
I'm anxiously waiting to board the plane as it's now 4:30 in the morning here and I haven't slept in almost 24 hours. And speaking of 24 hours, I realized that I forgot to pack my headphones in my carry-on so I won't be finishing 24 on this plane ride home.
I have to say that this was possibly my best work trip yet! I kept saying that we should give a poor review of the location so that we would have to come back again in 18 months, but I was just joking...sort of. :) We're already planning our trip back for this summer and the only thing better then a business trip to Turkey is a vacation in Turkey!
Sunday
I love birthdays!
Well, here we are in week 3 in Istanbul!! Sometimes it seems unreal that I have been in Istanbul this long!! I feel so lucky that I got to see so much of my family on this trip. Even my aunt who lives in Indiana came to Istanbul on Saturday so I got to see her too!!
This weekend was much more uneventful then the others due to bad weather. We had planned to do a boat tour on the Bosporus on Saturday which had been predicted to be sunny and lovely but woke up to gray overcast skies. We ended up hitting up the malls instead. It was a successful trip I would like to say complete with lunch and a new pair of shoes (please ignore the ugly carpet in the picture). You can't beat that!
Saturday night I went out to dinner 2 of my aunts, my uncle, two of my cousins, my cousin's fiance and my cousin's finace's mom. It was a double celebration celebrating my cousin's fiance's birthday and my aunt's arrival in Turkey! Just like all our meals here it was delicious and huge! Afterward the younger half of the group went to Taksim to meet up with some of my cousin's friends and do some dancing.
They played some pretty awesome songs that you wouldn't normally here as much in the U.S. like Ace of Base and some Aretha Franklin! We left the first bar around 3 am and I thought we were going going home but apparently we were just heading to the next bar! You can always find a party at any time of the night in Istanbul!
In between getting from one bar to the next, a small party broke out in the street. I tried my best to get a picture of the dancing!
We ended up having to drive past my cousin's apartment on the way to the second bar and decided we were all exhuasted and passed on the after party. Instead we stayed up talking and rehashing all the good times we had as kids and talked about the fun we're going to have this summer when we come back for my cousin's wedding! My cousin's apartment has a great view of one of the bridges that connects the Asian and European sides of Istanbul which they recently added lights too.
Sunday we slept in and then I was dropped back off at my hotel which I've now started to call home. I secretly love living in a hotel. I love that I have a bathroom that's attached to my room. Plus I have a huge closet, fresh towels every day, and someone comes in every morning to make my bed, and every evening for turn down service and leaves me a little snack. What's not to love?
I feel like I still have so much left to do while I'm here and not enough time to do it all. Working for most of the day really gets in the way!
This weekend was much more uneventful then the others due to bad weather. We had planned to do a boat tour on the Bosporus on Saturday which had been predicted to be sunny and lovely but woke up to gray overcast skies. We ended up hitting up the malls instead. It was a successful trip I would like to say complete with lunch and a new pair of shoes (please ignore the ugly carpet in the picture). You can't beat that!
Saturday night I went out to dinner 2 of my aunts, my uncle, two of my cousins, my cousin's fiance and my cousin's finace's mom. It was a double celebration celebrating my cousin's fiance's birthday and my aunt's arrival in Turkey! Just like all our meals here it was delicious and huge! Afterward the younger half of the group went to Taksim to meet up with some of my cousin's friends and do some dancing.They played some pretty awesome songs that you wouldn't normally here as much in the U.S. like Ace of Base and some Aretha Franklin! We left the first bar around 3 am and I thought we were going going home but apparently we were just heading to the next bar! You can always find a party at any time of the night in Istanbul!
In between getting from one bar to the next, a small party broke out in the street. I tried my best to get a picture of the dancing!
We ended up having to drive past my cousin's apartment on the way to the second bar and decided we were all exhuasted and passed on the after party. Instead we stayed up talking and rehashing all the good times we had as kids and talked about the fun we're going to have this summer when we come back for my cousin's wedding! My cousin's apartment has a great view of one of the bridges that connects the Asian and European sides of Istanbul which they recently added lights too.
Sunday we slept in and then I was dropped back off at my hotel which I've now started to call home. I secretly love living in a hotel. I love that I have a bathroom that's attached to my room. Plus I have a huge closet, fresh towels every day, and someone comes in every morning to make my bed, and every evening for turn down service and leaves me a little snack. What's not to love?I feel like I still have so much left to do while I'm here and not enough time to do it all. Working for most of the day really gets in the way!
Thursday
A little talk about music
So, I'd like to touch on two topics here.
1. Has anyone else seen the video to "I Hate This Part" by the Pussycat Dolls? They play it constantly on the music channel that I watch here and I'm a little confused. Nicole Scherzinger does all the singing in the song. The other 4 girls just dance or hang out and look sadly (or maybe it's supposed to be seductively) at the camera when it's put on them (which is rarely considering they're not singing). So why are they even there? And didn't this Nicole girl try to break off on her own? Maybe she just needs the name of the band. I don't know. I just felt the need to tell someone.
2. They have been playing a song here called "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga (who also sings Just Dance). I don't know if it's already made it to the U.S. or maybe it never will because it's not as catchy as her first one. But I rather like it. I'm going to suggest that you all listen for it or if you really trust my taste in music, go ahead and download it.
1. Has anyone else seen the video to "I Hate This Part" by the Pussycat Dolls? They play it constantly on the music channel that I watch here and I'm a little confused. Nicole Scherzinger does all the singing in the song. The other 4 girls just dance or hang out and look sadly (or maybe it's supposed to be seductively) at the camera when it's put on them (which is rarely considering they're not singing). So why are they even there? And didn't this Nicole girl try to break off on her own? Maybe she just needs the name of the band. I don't know. I just felt the need to tell someone.
2. They have been playing a song here called "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga (who also sings Just Dance). I don't know if it's already made it to the U.S. or maybe it never will because it's not as catchy as her first one. But I rather like it. I'm going to suggest that you all listen for it or if you really trust my taste in music, go ahead and download it.
Wednesday
Dinner and Dancing
Last night a couple people from the office here took us to dinner at the Galata Tower located in Taksim. When we arrived in Taksim we walked around for a bit. We first went to the Cicek Pasaji just to see it. The Cicek Pasaji is a famous passage in Istanbul. There is not a lot too it but it's pretty inside.
As you exit the Cicek Pasaji you end up in the fish market. There are lots of restaurants along this street and they try to lure you in by showing you all they fish they have by putting it on display.
Next we went to the French Street in Istanbul for some drinks. All the houses have been restored and are now available for an open air road festival. 29 Houses, 43 shops in between two small roads, all are now hosting new cafes, Brasseries, Patisseries, wine houses and restaurants. And they all are in French style. We went to the Artiste Terrace for a good view from the top. My favorite part was that it was really dim in the restaurant so they attached an LED light to all our menus! 
Here is some history on the tower. I should probably put that all these history facts (and some of the pictures) I've been putting in my blog are from Wikipedia. The Galata Tower is one of the city's most striking landmarks, it is a huge, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline on the Galata side of the Golden Horn. The tower was built as Christea Turris in 1348. It was the apex of the fortifications surrounding the Genoese citadel of Galata.
The nine-story tower is 66.90 meters tall (62.59 m without the ornament on top, 51.65 m at the observation deck), and was the city's tallest structure when built. The elevation at ground level is 35 meters above sea-level. The tower has a diameter of 16.45 meter at the base, with 8.95 meters diameter inside, and with walls 3.75 meters thick. Last night we went out on the observation deck and took some pictures. It was a little foggy out so they didn't turn out as good as hoped but maybe we'll get back over there this weekend to take some better ones.
There is a restaurant located at the top of the tower. It's a set menu (which is actually pretty delicious) and then there is also a show during dinner complete with Turkish folk dancing and belly-dancing! I've included some pictures. I tried to upload a video of the dancing but it didn't work so I'll have to try to put it on Facebook later.
Side story: A few weeks before I left for this trip, I had to go get a special card for work that allows me to go to our manufacturing sites located near the water without an escort. I won't go into much detail on that. You have to get your picture taken for the card that they give. Now, I'm not really one to be shy around a camera except that they guy told me that I couldn't smile. Something about the camera not being able to process the white of people's teeth. Hmmmm...it was the middle of January and my skin is almost as translucent from the lack of weekends on the boat and yet somehow my teeth are too white? Below is a picture which I'm sure its going to be pretty close to what the one on my card looks like. That's a keeper.
As you exit the Cicek Pasaji you end up in the fish market. There are lots of restaurants along this street and they try to lure you in by showing you all they fish they have by putting it on display.
Next we went to the French Street in Istanbul for some drinks. All the houses have been restored and are now available for an open air road festival. 29 Houses, 43 shops in between two small roads, all are now hosting new cafes, Brasseries, Patisseries, wine houses and restaurants. And they all are in French style. We went to the Artiste Terrace for a good view from the top. My favorite part was that it was really dim in the restaurant so they attached an LED light to all our menus! 
Here is some history on the tower. I should probably put that all these history facts (and some of the pictures) I've been putting in my blog are from Wikipedia. The Galata Tower is one of the city's most striking landmarks, it is a huge, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline on the Galata side of the Golden Horn. The tower was built as Christea Turris in 1348. It was the apex of the fortifications surrounding the Genoese citadel of Galata.The nine-story tower is 66.90 meters tall (62.59 m without the ornament on top, 51.65 m at the observation deck), and was the city's tallest structure when built. The elevation at ground level is 35 meters above sea-level. The tower has a diameter of 16.45 meter at the base, with 8.95 meters diameter inside, and with walls 3.75 meters thick. Last night we went out on the observation deck and took some pictures. It was a little foggy out so they didn't turn out as good as hoped but maybe we'll get back over there this weekend to take some better ones.
There is a restaurant located at the top of the tower. It's a set menu (which is actually pretty delicious) and then there is also a show during dinner complete with Turkish folk dancing and belly-dancing! I've included some pictures. I tried to upload a video of the dancing but it didn't work so I'll have to try to put it on Facebook later.
Side story: A few weeks before I left for this trip, I had to go get a special card for work that allows me to go to our manufacturing sites located near the water without an escort. I won't go into much detail on that. You have to get your picture taken for the card that they give. Now, I'm not really one to be shy around a camera except that they guy told me that I couldn't smile. Something about the camera not being able to process the white of people's teeth. Hmmmm...it was the middle of January and my skin is almost as translucent from the lack of weekends on the boat and yet somehow my teeth are too white? Below is a picture which I'm sure its going to be pretty close to what the one on my card looks like. That's a keeper.
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