Rescaping

Kötürümüm (I'm crippled)

2008-04-10T08:59:55Z

Yes, this is a picture of the inside of my foot. The picture was stupidly expensive. I should have gotten wedding pictures for that price. Last Sunday, I was hurrying down the hill from the Galata Tower to Karaköy so that I could catch a boat to...

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Turkish Hardcore (Geronimo to the Rescue)

2008-03-20T17:44:24Z

Last night, a friend of mine who works for a local independent record company took me to a little bar named after everyone’s favorite hallucinogen, Peyote. (The continuing European obsession with Native Americans as noble savages extends to Istan...

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A gauntlet of Natashas

2008-03-20T17:38:02Z

There is a bar in one of the neighborhoods near my apartment that always intrigued me. It is on a dark side street, and there was always a group of men gathered outside. A gaudy gold-painted loin’s head is mounted above the door. To my eyes, it ...

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I'm a futbol star(ter)

2008-03-20T17:35:56Z

Ever since I arrived in Turkey I have been looking for a physical outlet for my energy. I miss my bicycle in Philadelphia like crazy, and the roads and drivers of Istanbul are not amenable to bike traffic. I looked into joining gyms, but they ar...

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Aborted haircut

2008-02-28T13:23:16Z

Yesterday, inspired by the warm weather and a new pair of sunglasses, I decided it was time for a haircut. Feeling comfortable enough with my Turkish to navigate a barbershop, I resolved to offer my head up to the next erkek küaför that I came ac...

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“It’s just a like any European city…”

2008-02-28T12:55:02Z

I found myself using this phrase to many describe Istanbul to many potential visitors from the US and Western Europe. People seem fear that people in Istanbul will resemble Saudi Arabia, when in fact it reminds me of Budapest. However, in spite ...

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Is that all there is to a circus?

2008-02-28T12:31:36Z

Today, there is a story on the CNN Turk website about some monkeys that are on loan from Holland to the Boğaziçi Zoo. Apparently, the monkeys are able to sing with human-like voices. I was sadly unsurprised to see this in two newspapers today as w...

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Cold hearted Turks

2008-02-18T19:58:03Z

These ne'er do wells were all over the town on my walk tonight. Sure, this one seems harmless enough with that disarming smile. But he was trying to whack someone over the head with that broom. I almost ate his nose. Creepy napolian complex n'...

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Film frenzy, bestiality…

2008-02-18T17:55:07Z

Against my better judgment, I have bought a ridiculous number of tickets for the !F festival. But so far I haven’t regretted it. On Saturday, I saw three films, including the touchingly rendered and exquisitely shot Zoo, which premiered at the la...

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Snow and slush and wet feet

2008-02-18T17:53:40Z

There are times when the small, winding old-world streets of this ancient city seem less than quaint. Although the white decorates the trees and bushes of the city, making it look as beautiful as a holiday display, the streets are slippery invita...

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