Up with a start at 11:30. Michael came down right after I got up and asked if I wanted to go over to Ortaköy with him. I was very interested in getting my G5 hooked up and tested, so I agreed to go if we could bring the computer back. Stopped by Michael's bank to find that his wire transfer had still not shown up. Got to the deserted Kumquat Coffee a little bit later. I attempted to check my email, but had even less luck than the other time we had been there. Something in the router or with the ISP was causing IMAP connections to timeout. Had to VNC into a computer I had access to at home. To work with my .Mac account. Had a leisurely lunch at a little cafeteria around the corner. Headed back to the house around 14:30.
fALk and Willow had gotten up around 13:30. I went about checking out my G5. To my relief, it powered up and seemed to be fine. fALk, Michael and I talked shop for a bit. We really needed to get some documentation put together for our VJ course and a formal proposal written for Club Indigo. We all agreed that we would get together at 19:00, after the heat of the day had passed, to get our work done.
fALk, Willow and I headed out in search of some Tea Tree Oil and some lamps to make flea traps with. We hiked down to Galata and over to Eminönü, stopping at every Pharmacy along the way to enquire about Tea Tree Oil. None of them had any idea what we were talking about. Our hunt for a lamp shop proved fruitless, but I was able to find some cheap towels. I had packed as much of my computer gear as I could at the expense of things I figured would be easier to get, like towels and clothes. We found a very modern seeming swim-wear shop where Willow looked for a new bikini. I marveled at coexistence of the swim-wear shop with the very conservative head scarf shop next door.
A sweet stall at Eminönü. fALk and I thought we would look very sharp in these outfits for our performances. (Turns out the outfits are for circumcision ceremonies for young boys.)
fALk's döner was carved with care and precisely weighed. A very abused dummy.
After fALk got some döner we hurried back over to Beyoğlu. Found a little light shop on the main drag back to our house. There were a number of halogen bulb desk lamps in their windows. Only two were close to working order and parts from several others were cannibalized to make them complete. We arrived back at the house half an hour late for our 19:00 meeting with Michael to work on the write up for the VJ course and the proposal for the residency at Indigo. Michael and Renee were out having Pizza and returned at 20:00. Despite having to get our work done, we managed to have an idle conversation for the next two hours. I finally mentioned that I would like to get some food and everyone sprang into motion.
We all headed up to İstiklal Cad to find a restaurant with some veggie options. The first place the Michael showed us looked super sketchy. Both Willow and I balked and suggested we go back to the place we had eaten at the night before. Michael insisted that he knew another place. After hiking a bit more, we came across Carnival Restaurant. The restaurant had been open for a little over a month and Michael knew the owner. Willow was very curious about the size of an artichoke dish. One was brought out for her to look and she decided that it was too small. Michael insisted that she take it and that he would pay for it. We all ordered what we wanted and I had felafel and tabouleh. Michael had seemed tense all evening and when it came time to pay the bill and fALk had only 2 YTL in his wallet, Michael got very annoyed. This soon turned into a very loud tirade about how fALk and Willow had been inflexible form the very start. They were caught in a very hard place. They did not have very much money and with the house being in the state it was, we had been forced to eat out all the time. All of the guests, myself included, had higher standards for the quality of food we preferred to consume than Michael did. fALk and Willow brought on Michael's ire because they were not willing to bend to accommodate our temporary circumstance.
After the meal Michael and Renee went off for an ice cream and I went for a walk with fALk and Willow. fALk had been in search of a nargileh (water pipe) since the afternoon when we had passed by a load of cafes with them in Tophane. We looked around on İstiklal Cad for a bit before asking at a cafe and were told that the best place to go was back to Tophane. We hiked back down the hill, passing close by Leyla. I got the others to stop for a couple of minutes while I checked my email with their wireless connection. We finally made it down to Tophane and found a bunch of outdoor cafes with nargileh. We picked one with some nice beanbag chairs. We ordered some tea and an apple flavored nargileh. The tobacco is soaked in fruit juice to give it a sweet taste and aroma. Over the pipe and tea we decided that we should have a chat with Michael to try and resolve the things that were causing friction in the group. We also discussed several alternative plans in case the issues could not be resolved and the group need to split up. A couple of the wait staff knew a bit of english and wanted to talk with us. İlyas had a brother living in London. He wanted to go and visit, but was having trouble getting a visa. Ercan had an English girlfriend. He had been studying english for eight months and was surprisingly fluent. We finally finished up around 03:00. There was a larger group of men that left the cafe about the same time we did. I heard them making some loud calls that I assumed were directed at us. I thought it would be a good idea to take a taxi instead of walking the empty streets unsure of the other groups motives and capabilities. The taxi got us up the hill for 3 YTL. Into bed by 04:00.
The group around the narghile. İlyas and Ercan on the right.
fALk and Willow had gotten up around 13:30. I went about checking out my G5. To my relief, it powered up and seemed to be fine. fALk, Michael and I talked shop for a bit. We really needed to get some documentation put together for our VJ course and a formal proposal written for Club Indigo. We all agreed that we would get together at 19:00, after the heat of the day had passed, to get our work done.
fALk, Willow and I headed out in search of some Tea Tree Oil and some lamps to make flea traps with. We hiked down to Galata and over to Eminönü, stopping at every Pharmacy along the way to enquire about Tea Tree Oil. None of them had any idea what we were talking about. Our hunt for a lamp shop proved fruitless, but I was able to find some cheap towels. I had packed as much of my computer gear as I could at the expense of things I figured would be easier to get, like towels and clothes. We found a very modern seeming swim-wear shop where Willow looked for a new bikini. I marveled at coexistence of the swim-wear shop with the very conservative head scarf shop next door.
A sweet stall at Eminönü. fALk and I thought we would look very sharp in these outfits for our performances. (Turns out the outfits are for circumcision ceremonies for young boys.)
fALk's döner was carved with care and precisely weighed. A very abused dummy.
After fALk got some döner we hurried back over to Beyoğlu. Found a little light shop on the main drag back to our house. There were a number of halogen bulb desk lamps in their windows. Only two were close to working order and parts from several others were cannibalized to make them complete. We arrived back at the house half an hour late for our 19:00 meeting with Michael to work on the write up for the VJ course and the proposal for the residency at Indigo. Michael and Renee were out having Pizza and returned at 20:00. Despite having to get our work done, we managed to have an idle conversation for the next two hours. I finally mentioned that I would like to get some food and everyone sprang into motion.
We all headed up to İstiklal Cad to find a restaurant with some veggie options. The first place the Michael showed us looked super sketchy. Both Willow and I balked and suggested we go back to the place we had eaten at the night before. Michael insisted that he knew another place. After hiking a bit more, we came across Carnival Restaurant. The restaurant had been open for a little over a month and Michael knew the owner. Willow was very curious about the size of an artichoke dish. One was brought out for her to look and she decided that it was too small. Michael insisted that she take it and that he would pay for it. We all ordered what we wanted and I had felafel and tabouleh. Michael had seemed tense all evening and when it came time to pay the bill and fALk had only 2 YTL in his wallet, Michael got very annoyed. This soon turned into a very loud tirade about how fALk and Willow had been inflexible form the very start. They were caught in a very hard place. They did not have very much money and with the house being in the state it was, we had been forced to eat out all the time. All of the guests, myself included, had higher standards for the quality of food we preferred to consume than Michael did. fALk and Willow brought on Michael's ire because they were not willing to bend to accommodate our temporary circumstance.
After the meal Michael and Renee went off for an ice cream and I went for a walk with fALk and Willow. fALk had been in search of a nargileh (water pipe) since the afternoon when we had passed by a load of cafes with them in Tophane. We looked around on İstiklal Cad for a bit before asking at a cafe and were told that the best place to go was back to Tophane. We hiked back down the hill, passing close by Leyla. I got the others to stop for a couple of minutes while I checked my email with their wireless connection. We finally made it down to Tophane and found a bunch of outdoor cafes with nargileh. We picked one with some nice beanbag chairs. We ordered some tea and an apple flavored nargileh. The tobacco is soaked in fruit juice to give it a sweet taste and aroma. Over the pipe and tea we decided that we should have a chat with Michael to try and resolve the things that were causing friction in the group. We also discussed several alternative plans in case the issues could not be resolved and the group need to split up. A couple of the wait staff knew a bit of english and wanted to talk with us. İlyas had a brother living in London. He wanted to go and visit, but was having trouble getting a visa. Ercan had an English girlfriend. He had been studying english for eight months and was surprisingly fluent. We finally finished up around 03:00. There was a larger group of men that left the cafe about the same time we did. I heard them making some loud calls that I assumed were directed at us. I thought it would be a good idea to take a taxi instead of walking the empty streets unsure of the other groups motives and capabilities. The taxi got us up the hill for 3 YTL. Into bed by 04:00.
The group around the narghile. İlyas and Ercan on the right.
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