March 4th, 2005 -- The other Duman

Clubs in Istanbul have virtually NO ventilation. This is a problem when you're trying to quit. Or see. You are almost required to order beer just to have something between your face and the second hand smoke.

In Turkish news, the countryside has been plagued lately by bad bottles of raki going around, blinding and in a few cases killing people. Raki is the national drink-- a sort of ouzo-like, anisette based liquor that one traditionally has with appetizers before the evening meal. It's a pretty good beverage, unless it's an illegal hooch variety with methyl alcohol in it. So currently the Turkish government is scouring the shelves looking for the bad stuff; and despite the tragic side of the story I can't help but be amused by the image of hundreds of soldiers valiantly pledging not to rest until they have tested each and every bottle of raki in the country. Iyi calismalar!

Personal news: I just got word from back home that my first and oldest cat, a tortoise shell calico named Molasses (more often just Mo), has joined the choir invisible. If she wasn't the meanest cat in the world, she was definitely in the top five. Man, that was a great cat. I suspect it was her disposition that kept her going for fifteen years. Fight on, Mo!

2010-10-29

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