Weekend update

Not that there's anything exciting or even remotely interesting to report, but if I only wrote about exciting things, this journal would be a bit meagre.

I had a nice surprise last week. Backstory: Since our ambassador is so very 'interested in culture' (not that she's got a clue, but that doesn't matter of course), we have now a small budget for cultural events. Last week an Austrian author called Josef Haslinger (my German-speaking friends might recognize him as the author of 'Opernball', the story - and movie - where some neo-Nazi terrorists hit  the Viennese Opera with a gas attack during the Opera Ball) came to Ankara, and somebody told me that he was travelling with a lady (unsurprisingly, because he's quite the ladies' man). What a surprise, though, when said lady entered my office on Friday - she wasn't one of Haslinger's usual entourage, but instead an old friend from Vienna who owns a bookstore there together with her husband. She'd merely picked the opportunity to go to Turkey, because Haslinger had asked her to set up a book table at the places where he read. She didn't have much time, but came to my place on Saturday, and we had coffee and a nice long chat out on the balcony.

On Saturday afternoon I went to see The Queen with some colleagues, and was totally enthusiastic. I loved that movie. I loved Helen Mirren who really, really deserved her Oscar. It was part hilarious, part very touching (especially Charles's 'talk' in the car with his mother, her coldness and jealousy when he said Diana had been such a good mother, and then her motherly behaviour towards her dogs). Afterwards we had dinner at an excellent Asian restaurant.

Sunday was mostly dedicated to writing and talking to friends via Skype. Exchange Fic will probably be finished in a couple of days. I proofread what I've got so far yesterday - small adjustments so as to avoid contradictions, but no big re-write, I think. Quite a cute little story, if I say so myself.

BTW, Shiv, if you read this: Since I'll be finished next weekend at the latest, feel free to dump any work, orphaned prompts etc. on me, I'd be delighted to help.

OK, back to work now. I got to fire the cleaning woman - she really deserves it. She doesn't work, and if she does, for a change, she cleans everything with the same rag, from the toilet seat to the ashtrays and phones. As things are, I'm quite surprised my ears haven't yet sprouted haemorrhoids.