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Taxi horror, the unpleasant nose et alia
Feb. 3rd, 2009 08:30 amTaxi drivers inAnkara (probably in all of Turkey) are not an endangered, but an endangering species. When I go to work, i.e. at about 7.30, the rush hour is still far away, and traffic is rather quiet. Ankara is a very hilly city, which of course encourages drivers, who'd be insane enough anyway, to engage in mad downhill dashes. Last week, my taxi driver went down one of those steep hills at 80 km/h (that would be approx. 50 mph) and did neither brake nor even glance to his left when we came to a crossing. There's a traffic light, and it was green for us, but knowing that a red light is negligible advice at best and a challenge at worst for a Turkish driver, I didn't feel too well.
The unpleasantness of the nose is this (don't be afraid, it's not going to be icky): While I sleep, the side of my nose that is closer to the pillow usually gets blocked (this has something to do with my allergies). That wouldn't be a problem, because I'm used to it, and the other side is always free, but lately the cool, dry air seems to hit one single spot somewhere inside the poor nose, where promptly a nerve becomes irritated. It's a sharp, nasty pain that goes from somewhere at the back of my nose right into my front teeth and inevitably wakes me. It calms down after a while, if I cover the nose and upper lip with something warm (hand is enough), but it's still a pain in the, erm nose. Hopefully it'll get better when the weather gets warmer -- in spite of generous airing in the evening before I go to bed, the air is insufferably dry.
This week doesn't offer any possibility for skiving off work. We're having a new - and apparently sophisticated - locking system installed (electronic keys for the outer door, mechanical keys for the doors inside, and an electronic key safe right behind the entrance door, where you exchange electronic for mechanical -- another PIN code to remember, damn!), and since there's software involved, which the technician will explain to me, tomorrow is out of bounds. I'd opt for Thrusday, if only my new iPod and compact stereo didn't arrive on Thursday. It's impossible to enjoy being home and knowing that all those lovely toys are sitting in my office, waiting for me. Which leaves Friday, but skiving off on Fridays always makes people think you're skiving off. Maybe I'll manage to contain my enthusiasm for the new gadgets and simply take them home on Friday. Probably it all depends on how fed up I'll be by tomorrow evening.
The unpleasantness of the nose is this (don't be afraid, it's not going to be icky): While I sleep, the side of my nose that is closer to the pillow usually gets blocked (this has something to do with my allergies). That wouldn't be a problem, because I'm used to it, and the other side is always free, but lately the cool, dry air seems to hit one single spot somewhere inside the poor nose, where promptly a nerve becomes irritated. It's a sharp, nasty pain that goes from somewhere at the back of my nose right into my front teeth and inevitably wakes me. It calms down after a while, if I cover the nose and upper lip with something warm (hand is enough), but it's still a pain in the, erm nose. Hopefully it'll get better when the weather gets warmer -- in spite of generous airing in the evening before I go to bed, the air is insufferably dry.
This week doesn't offer any possibility for skiving off work. We're having a new - and apparently sophisticated - locking system installed (electronic keys for the outer door, mechanical keys for the doors inside, and an electronic key safe right behind the entrance door, where you exchange electronic for mechanical -- another PIN code to remember, damn!), and since there's software involved, which the technician will explain to me, tomorrow is out of bounds. I'd opt for Thrusday, if only my new iPod and compact stereo didn't arrive on Thursday. It's impossible to enjoy being home and knowing that all those lovely toys are sitting in my office, waiting for me. Which leaves Friday, but skiving off on Fridays always makes people think you're skiving off. Maybe I'll manage to contain my enthusiasm for the new gadgets and simply take them home on Friday. Probably it all depends on how fed up I'll be by tomorrow evening.
