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Feather Spiral

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Blog Entries posted by Feather Spiral

  1. Feather Spiral
    Back from my 3-day trip to Cologne, I'm leaving for Roscoff tomorrow (Brittany) where I'll take a two-week course. They have Wifi and I'm taking my iPad, but I won't be very active.
     
    Anyway, between the moment we checked into the hotel (Thursday afternoon) and the one we checked out (early this morning), about half of our time was spent wandering the streets of Neumarkt and Heumarkt.
    My legs now hate me and I have a nice little blister on my right foot, but we bought a few things that should make up for it by being useful. I have memories of eating this pretzel (normal-sized, not the small cracker versions known elsewhere) while fearless pigeons closed in waiting for crumbs.
     
    Also, there were plenty of hobos there (about 12 men and a young woman), the great majority playing an instrument and singing. A lot of them were accompanied by their dog - I saw a guy teasing a Basset to have his finger munched on, and another with his large dog cradled in his lap receiving the petting of a lifetime.
    Made me think about this "male privilege" radfems keep yelling about, on which I'm making a post on Tumblr right now.
     
    In any case, we've brought back stuff of which I could make a list but feel too preoccupied to. One thing I'll mention though, is a blue jean-styled hat. :3
  2. Feather Spiral
    Hi again, fillies and sexycolts. :3
     
    First, lemme wish you a HAPPY NEW YEAR
     
    I'm using a USB internet device my uncle gave me (or rather left for me a few days ago so I can pick it up if I wanted), can't go to that Internet Café again because of the incident mentioned in the previous log.
     
     
    Before anything else, a few additions to the list of Turkish dishes you SHOULD try: haydari on bread to begin the meal, yahni or midye dolma (stuffed oysters) as the main course, ekmek kadayif or kazandibi for dessert. You might enjoy a cup of sahlep to stay warm inside, and eat macun (literally "paste") which is candy in an extremely viscuous liquid form.
     
     
    Anyway, resuming.
     
    On Thursday, my mother went to have lunch with an old classmate, while dad took my sister and me to one of his. The guy had this huge, complex train network in one of his rooms, complete with bridges and a tunnel through a hill. I took photos of it, as well as vintage car toys and weird house models.
     
    Friday was when we went around a lot. Crossed the Bosphorus to reach the Egyptian Market (Misir Carsisi) and Beyoglu, even took the very first Istanbul subway line ever ("The Time Tunnel", it's 70-something years old now) to the latter.
    Then we walked a long, weird path, looking for a certain quality restaurant. I personally was happy walking down steep hills and winding left or right (straight paths bore me to death), but it bothered the others.
    There was a park near the restaurant where we sat to digest, and I got to know some stray dogs, big dogs, sunbathing and chasing bikes to keep warm. My mother bought some souvenirs and gifts from the shops around, and shared macun with me on the way back.
    And we dined on lots of good stuff, like haydari, at one of my father's classmates' (YET ANOTHER ONE ).
     
    On Saturday we went to a new mall, with a bunch of outlets, by the airport where we had arrived. I finally could buy myself a shiny new pair of shoes, both classy and sportsy-looking.
    They also had a kind of park, a lake with geese and ducks and swans, parrakeets and chickens in cages, even peacocks.
     
    Not much happened on Sunday. Visited my grandmother's grave, and had tea with an old lady who had raised my uncle.
    Oh, two things happened on the way back though. First, on the minibus, some smelly drunk hobo climbed in; fell off his seat at one point, barely reacted until I pulled him up.
    Second, my mom and I stopped by the market near our home to buy dinner, and I found Varjak Paw in Turkish.
     
    Yesterday, New Year's Eve. My father spent it taking care of the rented apartment, while mom took us shopping before heading for her father's. Speaking of my grandfather, I wrote down some of the songs he often sings, I'm planning to look them up later.
    Anyway, we went to my grandmother's house to join my father for dinner and snacks.
    We then went back home and spent New Year sleeping, as we have been for a few years. Besides a harshly bitten lower lip and three toes smashed against a sofa, nothing special happened for me as I wrapped up the year.
     
     
    Today we're planning to arrange some painting job for the rented apartment, and in the afternoon, visit an old friend of my father's who owns a dog.
     
    Alright, now I'm being called because we must go, so I'll stop here. I'll be leaving the USB device for my uncle, so I won't be able to login until tomorrow, maybe in the morning from the airport.
     
    Hope to see you tomorrow, fillies and sexycolts.
    Fissy Faggot Sodacan the 69th Homo Erotis Pervertis, heading out!
     
     
    UPDATES
     
    Back at home in France now, I realize I forgot to mention something: my mom found the other paper I had forgotten in summer. It had dropped to the floor under my bed.
    So I now have both pieces of paper; one with anatomy sketches (plus added things), the other with written ideas and a couple of pony doodles.
     
    Anyway, we had tea at that friend's yesterday, as planned. He lives in the country, in a village full of dogs lying on the grass and walking around, though I couldn't take photos of them because we were going fast and my camera is retarded.
    He had a German Shepherd, very social and even sticky, with which I had plenty of cuddling and nuzzling times. Very clever too; he wasn't allowed into the garden (because there was a pair of geese he didn't really like) and stayed outside the gate, but he nudged the metal bar securing the gates to the ground and almost opened them, though the two gates stayed together.
    Then an old man, their nextdoor neighbor, joined us towards the end. I learned some interesting things about my country's History, past and present, that I won't detail here.
     
     
    Finally, a couple of technical news.
     
    First, I went back to my previous digital camera, because -as said above- the new one is stupid.
    It has modes like "portrait" or "indoors" or "snow", where it chooses everything for me and I sometimes can't even switch off the flash. It's so stupid, the "pet portrait" mode reacts to unrelated things, like square patterns or trees, and automatically takes a picture. Worse, when I press the button to shoot, in some modes, it waits (I kid you not) THREE FULL SECONDS.
    Nope. Return to the origins. If you're old enough to remember that song.
     
    Secondly, the computers.
    My big old lagtop stays in Turkey because it's slower than ever before and falling apart. The technicians gave us CDs where they transferred as many files as possible, but we haven't been able to find them with the lagtop. Our only hope for reaching them here, is the USB DVD-CD player bought some time ago, as we have no computer able to play CDs (except my Wii).
    The netbook is back here with a new OS (Windows 2007) that is obviously not made for it. It is now unable to: adapt its resolution to the screen (everything is stretched horizontally), detect our WiFi signal (unless maybe I need to configure, but there was no such issue in Turkey), display battery level on the task bar, read an SD card directly... Also, I recall being told its files are lost for good.
     
     
    That wraps up my 2012-2013 New Year trip log.
  3. Feather Spiral
    MERRY CHRISTMAS FILLIES AND SEXYCOLTS
     
    I would've submitted this yesterday from the internet café by our home, but my time expired as I was making the final changes and I lost everything. Since the employee was stupid enough to think 2 minutes would be enough to retype it all, I just left without paying, as I hadn't actually taken advantage of the service.
    I haven't been able to catch up on sleep either. My tinnitus that started to sound like a mosquito, along with ezan (call to prayer broadcast from mosques every 5 hours), are two things troubling it.
     
    In better news... people who followed me on other communities (like DA) will remember pieces of paper, with art on them, that I had lost on the way back at the end of summer. I've found the one where I had practiced anatomy (NOTHING NAUGHTY ADDED loljk), the other containing written notes is still missing though.
     
    Aaaanyway.
     
    Moving on to the actual log.
     
    Our plane was greatly delayed (coming from Istanbul to fly back with us there) because of snow in Istanbul, and some of it was still there when we arrived. We couldn't enter our appartment until midnight, where we still had to sort out our stuff (gifts...) before going to sleep.
    Saturday started with a haircut for me. Don't worry, there's still enough for my handsome ponytail, even if a few locks tend to slip out. :3
     
    Sunday and today were spent at my grandfather's (mother's side), the one who sings and talks in a soothing voice. We ate, listened to him and chatted with the lady helping him, and I also scribbled a lot.
    Also I snapped photos of birds there, because the place is pretty tall (never knew why the English call it a "flat" ), mostly gulls and some crows.
     
    Our meals at my granddad's contained, among others, two things I strongly suggest you try: simit (those sold out in the street are way crunchier and firmer than in markets and shit) and köfte (meatballs, but more elaborately prepared and easier to chew).
    At other times we had lahmacun for dinner, which is another dish you MUST try if you ever visit this country.
     
    Monday was probably when we spent the most time moving around.
    My uncle took the four of us, plus my grandmother (father's side) and her helper, to a seafood restaurant for lunch; we ate fried anchovies, which have the advantage of being tiny enoough to be eaten with their bones. Then we visited the grave of my late grandfather and my aunt's mother (both on my father's side and lying next to each other).
    On the way back, we stopped by an estate councelling office about an appartment we own here. My grandmother used to live in it, before we occupied it for about a year, before emigrating to France and rented it to various clients.
     
    Next morning (yesterday) my father was running errands at banks (I think), and I went to that Internet café where I typed a detailed log before losing it when my time ran out.
    My mom, my sister and I spent the afternoon at one of my mother's cousins', and had tea with my aunt who came later. She owns two cats, one of which was constantly seeking contact and even curled up in people's laps, licked my hand purring, replied to my clumsy meows... even when we were eating, he came to have attention, not food.
     
    Today, as I've said, we were at my grandfather's.
    But first, we picked up my laptops that had crashed; the old lagtop's hard drive was recovered on CDs but it's slower than ever (took several minutes to boot), the netbook is faster but both the OS and hard drive had to be renewed (without recovery of the old data). While we were shopping (I, my sis and mom) in the afternoon, my father had us buy a USB drive to transfer the data onto the netbook (because only the slow lagtop has a CD slot), though I found a 16-GB one, which should be enough to just contain everything... forEHVUR!
     
    And now, we're having dinner at a pretty restaurant near my uncle's place, and I'm typing this log instead of eating my entry course. ROFL
     
    There.
     
    Untıl next time, fillies and sexycolts.
     
    Fissy Faggot Sodacan the 69th Homo Erotis Pervertis, heading out!
  4. Feather Spiral
    I have semester finals this afternoon and tomorrow, then we'll be flying to Turkey for two weeks. Not that that's gonna matter much in terms of activity here, but I won't be responsive to any PMs or quoting/mentions.
     
    Therefore
     
    Merry Christmas/Hannukkah/Kwanzaa/whatnot and a happy New Year to you all in advance. C:
     
    In other news, I have an ear infection with inflammation, plus I feel really tired and sore. But I already went to my doctor monday, and after taking medication for a few days, I feel better.
    Taking a flight while having ear problems might be problematic though.
  5. Feather Spiral
    So my father bought me this tiny little fan when we were in Cologne, in replacement of the larger one that I used to use for a few reasons (background noise to drown out my imaginary mosquito, airflow to help me breathe...). With that, I have something that achieves the same goal while consuming less power, which is a nice compromise between me needing a fan and my father worrying about the electricity bill.
     
    At night, the fan sits on top of a box (one that contained a magician's kit, with special cards and a hat and everything) to be at the right height. And last night, I was hearing a strange, eerie, otherworldly hum in my dream; it induced a storyline and events to match, where objects affected by the tune would be altered in space-time.
     
    I woke up
    ...and realized the noise was still there. Like the humming of a machine of sorts, but so fuckin regular, just like ambient music.
    I was waiting to wake up from that, but it continued and I felt my body normally. Then I understood it was real.
    Sounds like a creepypasta, doesn't it?
    Well, I was really creeped out for a bit, especially since this was unusual.
    Then I remembered the fan, though I never knew its noise to sound like THAT. I managed to stretch over to it and push the switch to the "off" position...
    And surely enough, the tune stopped.
     
    That's when I realized, it's the sound of the fan's vibrations, from the edge I had put it on (rather than the middle like before) resonating inside the box.
     
    I've recreated the noise upon Viscra's request (see my status) and tried to record it on my camera (the only means of digital recording I have at the moment).
    The quality is terrible, the actual noise is way higher§pitched than this. So if someone can isolate the middle and high frequencies (the background sounds lower to me, at least) and sent the fixed tracks to me, I could put them up here.
     
    Here are the original files.
     
    This one is not so bad, though a little short. Sounds like it could be a BGM for a deserted factory kind of environment, don't you think?
    DSCI0005.WAV
     
    Here's a longer one, the middle and end of the record sound rather accurate (watch for the high-pitch part, it's normally present ALL the time but my camera misses it for some reason).
    DSCI0008.WAV
    I prefer this one by far because, unlike the others, that high-frequency component is clearly audible.
     
    The last record was made with the box flipped, to see how it sounds with the fan on the opposite side. I don't like this one so much, you can hear my hand trembling against the box.
    DSCI0009.WAV
  6. Feather Spiral
    I omitted to say it elsewhere, but I'm certain I've mentioned my two-day (April 30th and May 1st) London trip in Skype chats.
     
    My father didn't want us struggling with a suitcase or travel bag, so we stuffed everything into backpacks.
    Worse, because of the inn's hours, we had to check in after 4pm and check out before 10am, not to mention all the places we wanted to visit. So, aside from the first evening's dinner and the second one's breakfast, we pretty much carried all of it around.
    I'm just glad that only lasted two half-days, otherwise my shoulders would've hated me for a week.
     
     
    Anyway, onwards to the actual journal.
     
     
     
     

    ----------/----------/----------

    Summary in no order: I slept through the train rides as well as scribble sketches and some poetry, saw Madame Tussaud's wax statues of celebs and politicians, bought postcards with witty quotes, took notes while visiting museums, ate a cupcake and a scone for the first time, gathered newspaper articles for inspiration or arguments, bought poetry and ancient recipes books, rode buses around town and had Indian food.
     
     
    The Eurostar ride in the morning was rather eventless (is that a word?), I spent most of it sleeping and scribbling. The latter also was my main activity on the way back last evening.
    First thing we did, was top up the two Oyster cards from my summer trips there (I'd got one at each trip since I didn't know the first would still be valid) and buy one-day Travel cards for the other two members.
     
    And then DAY 1 began! :3
     
    First morning, we took the tube to Madame Tussaud's famous wax statues museum, where we split up. I and mom went in while my sister and father traveled around (to Trafalgar Square and stuff) on double-decked buses.
     
    We snapped a few photos with celebs in there; I remember Marilyn Monroe and Freddie Mercury, as well as Charles Chaplin and Atatürk. There were statues of Tussaud herself, one working on a severed head which I pretended to assist her with.
    I also entered (alone) the "Scream" attraction, where I entertained myself watching people get scared by actors wearing make-up. Not gonna say I wasn't nervous because of the dark and the ambiance, but I can proudly announce I only jumped once from startlement. Hell, I even clapped at a well-done scare, I think it was because of a good hiding spot.
    Outside of that, there were torture devices and statues of famous murderers (uplifting). It was followed by a ride through Londonian History in tiny taxis on a rail, I took notes all the way through, from the Great London Fire to the World Wars.
    After eating a sprinkled white-chocolate-covered apple there, we ended the visit with the Marvel Superheroes 4D animation advertised outside. Whatever the fuck 4D is supposed to mean, to be fair it was 3D on 180°, and they reused the same "OBJECT IN YO FACE LOL" trick over and over.
     
    Then my mom wanted to see the David Bowie exhibition at the Victoria&Albert Museum. She remembered the station wrong (and I didn't recall it from my museum visits in previous travels), but we took the opportunity to have crepes for lunch, and I got a couple postcards with witty quotes - like "don't put your mouth into motion before your brain is in gear".
    When we finally got to the V&A Museum, the tickets to the exhibition were sold out. We still spent the first half of the afternoon walking around the museum, I taking notes as I walked by some pieces (mostly because there are portions of Mythospective taking place in the real world).
     
    We then left for the inn, when a brief mishap made us split in the tube so we each carried on alone. But in the end, all four of us were resting together in our room (yes the same tiny room, NOT A SINGLE DROPLET OF PRIVACY OR MOVING SPACE FOR ANYBODY) before leaving most of our stuff (FINALLY) and going out for dinner.
    We stopped by a pastry-café-thing for dessert, which was an occasion for me to try a cupcake for the first time in my life (there are muffins in France but NO CUPCAKES WTF IS THIS CONTRADICTION).
     
    It was hard to sleep that night, because my father kept getting up to open the window of the tiny room.
     
    But anyway, DAY 2 begins!
     
    After some sort of vaguely satisfying breakfast at the hotel, my father decided that we'd go all together this time. It didn't really suit my mother's wish to see the David Bowie exhibition - nor my plans to see the Tower of London, but that one's not going anywhere.
     
    So we went to the British Museum, which we didn't have time to visit in its entirety but I still saw enough to take even more notes, this time on African(*) and Asian cultures (mostly death rituals and "supernatural" matters). I also bought books, like a collection of Ancient Roman/Greek recipes (with modernized ingredients) and animal haikus.
    While buying a sandwich there to eat later, I got myself a scone; the dough (texture and color) reminded me of a Turkish dessert whose name eludes me right now.
    My mother, again, wanted to enter the exhibition on Pompei there, but she got upset and decided against it.
     
    Early in the afternoon, we took various buses and went around, stopping at Selfridges to have lunch; dad and sister had fish&chips (BOOORRIIINNNG) while mom and I got Indian food (king prawn wok in my case, mutton and stuff for my mother).
    After that, there wasn't enough time left to actually visit the Tower of London, but we still took the tube there to see it.
     
    Then we headed directly for St Pancras to go back home.
    And that, folks, was the end of this journey.
     
    (*) Among the Minki (African wooden carved figures) I was stunned by a statue of the exact same animal I'd seen in a dream months ago: a dog with two heads, one on each end, that acts as a guardian of sorts. Considering I was taming it -WITH A HUG- in the dream, one might wonder if there's some sort of symbolism or premonition going on...
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