Carnival knowledge; otherwise known as jet lag delight

There's something about jet lag that I covet; there is bliss in an absurd time schedule. Because Hawaii is 12 time zones and up to 13 hours time difference away from Turkey, my body goes through a lot of change when I travel back and forth between homes. As with my body, so does my mind.

Wherever my body exists, as opposed to wherever my mind thinks I am, I enjoy the nights. It's like a transformation into something different. By something different, I mean I see the night different- even if I often enough stay up until 2 am.

Something comes alive.  It's dreamy. Take today for instance; I went to work at 8 am, and returned home at 9 am... Yes, that is another story; I failed to read the email on the previous day (because I, again, left early- due to jet lag of course) stating that if we didn't have anything to do we didn't have to show up... So... I show up - it takes an hour before I even read that email- and start to organize. BAM and I'm so fast outta there on a slow dolmus back to Büyükdere, my village away from my village. I'm re-familiarizing all the sights, smells and sounds of Istanbul. I do love this about returning- anywhere that holds a place in my heart actually. Now that I have my sea legs back, I venture forth to 'our çay bache' (tea garden) for the requisite Turkish-style bitter tea served in dainty tulip-shaped thin glass with 2 cubes of sugar. Note that I only use 1/2 of 1 sugar cube... and only because it is necessary...

EdVice eventually shows up and we wax poetic about our recent travels. The day is a beauty; mid 80s with a light wind to kiss away the sweet, sweat dewdrops amassing as soldiers on the battlefield of ones upper lip. I proudly display my new belt ("gay leather belt") as EdVice so faux-flippantly describes it. We end up concurring that it is, in fact, utilitarian, if not a bit retro. I'd like to think a more modern adaptation for its meaning; Burning Man residue that is city-slicker friendly vibe.

We cover all topics of immediate interest; more importantly I declare a decree- demanding that 'we' (Brownie Walkers of Shame) venture off at the weekend to check out the newest Bosporus Bridge that finally opened to traffic this summer in our neck of the woods. Kitty Kat talk obviously surfaces. Our çay bache is in fact the nesting ground of their newest edition, Betty Poop (the suffix is my invention alone- as a term of endearment stemming from her wonder years and certain difficulties she experiences in her transition becoming a kept kitty kat.

Our walkabout consisted of cruising to a few markets... another byproduct of jet lag is that it becomes a free ticket to shun from exercising that carries, to a certain degree, a meaningful amount of validity. Whatever.  I'll take it. EdVice, just returning from Canada was outfitted in autumnal fashion ultimately complimented with a felt Fedora. We are obviously both excited for the arrival of fall weather and all the good cheer that rides alongside that wave. Not that you would gather that from my summer outfit.

Yes, back to that summer outfit and the ultimate accessory I was sporting, affectionately now known as my 'gay leather belt'. It is indeed special- mostly because every time I wear it I will think about MisSimone, who gave it to me! I can honestly say that it is a perfect city accessory if one doesn't like to carry a purse, etc. There are enough pockets in it to carry keys, money, chapstick/lipstick and cell phone without looking overloaded. I'm totes digging on it.  I will rock the shit outta that piece. It's cute with an edge to boot.

Back home doing my thing, I eventually fall into deep slumber- for perhaps up to 3.5 hours... Not good.  Here I am at 10:45pm totally buzzing, which is nothing unusual in itself, but will continue on into the wee hours of early morning I already know. This is it though; this is the addiction to jet lag. I guarantee you all that these frivolous hours will turn to gold. Whatever that means to me, I realize I cannot possibly describe to you all... but I think many will get :) 

I've already updated my Spotify with new music after stalking FB friends' lists, etc. I've worn out the kitties with their new toys. I've brushed their fur to the point of shine so bright that their coats reflect light- sparkaliscious! I've unpacked all my delightful potions. I'm digging on my daybed set-up that perhaps Settar, Mizgin or Zeyneb set up- each had a stint in kitty-kat sitting during my travels. I'm indulging in succulent, juicy nectarines that are at every green grocers right now- fashionably in season.  Right now I'm multi-tasking, thinking how to stream Hemlock Grove season 2 since Netflix Turkey sucks and it's not showing up as an option...

The list is endless. Jet lag nights helps me to check off things on this endless list I find.  One year, upon return to Maui, I watched the entire 1st season of Game of Thrones in 3 days of dazed stupor. Speaking of dazed stupor, thanks for the use of your couch for that Katie-girl!

Speaking of Katie-girl, we have this thing for podcasts.  Perhaps this is a thing for all archaeologists though, to get through all those mind-boggling hours spent monitoring bulldozers while standing in the hot sun, or the pouring rain, or relentless winds blowing sand in your face... Anyway, I have 2 new fab podcasts to soak up, one of which I already knew about but was holding off on.  So, Serial season 2 is revving up- such as season 1 did with Adnon and the murder mystery.  Season 2 deals with an American soldier stationed in Afghanistan who goes AWOL one day as he tires of the war machine. In short, he gets kidnapped by Al Qaeda, blah blah blah. I'm sure most of you heard the news story when it went down about 2 years ago?

The 2nd podcast is just golden. Katie-girl is right; it is OUR podcast. You see, we were semi-serious years back in wanting to do an archaeology podcast, "As the Trowel Turns", coined by us and countless others no doubt... I even made up a twitter account and posted snippets and pictures. We coveted this idea, yet had no time to deal with it. My Favorite Murder has everything we envisioned in ours; dialogue, intrigue and fun, except this one is about murder. The 2 chicks have a great chemistry with enough content, comedy and drama all in a laid-back style of letting it come out as it will. Their storytelling style is just easy to follow. I mean, I'm not even that interested in murder!  It is really about their dynamics.

So, I think I'm over the computer at this point in the evening and will move on to something more organic. Speaking of organic - trees, paper- I'm reading The Master and Margarita right now. Just started it so getting to know the characters.  This is always fun when entering into a new book that you are getting into.

UPDATE: Sweet kitty Shaika Spot was lying next to my feet and it just wasn't close enough and she had to get up and lay ON my feet. *Collective "awwww" I can hear from afar right now* The kitties and I had a fab reunion- as always.  Shaika is just lovey dovey, and cagey, and curious. Sami Bey is more introspective, I guess.  He is analyzing, wondering. He plays the good cop bad cop all in one, starting off as indifferent bad cop. Then when he's had enough shunning me, he creeps up to rest next to me, giving in to my affections, if cautiously. I love seeing his transformation.  The kits; their personalities are so different. Like kids, I suppose. Yea, family. My beast family :)

It's feeling pretty good to be back in the 'bul indeed
Peace

Putting a new spring in my mix- ROAR

It's been a while since my last post, and it is a glorious morning in bed with coffee and kitty kats so... here we go.  Time to play catch-up.  On the subject of coffee though, I finally ran out of my coveted Anthony's Maui Coffee... That was a good 5-month run.  Now I am forced to return back to Starbuck's.  At least I can purchase it at the NEX here at the same price as US$.

 So, the French Roast isn't bad at all actually.  I've finally figured out how to deal with French Roast coffee.  You just don't need as much as usual for your french press or drip thingy, etc.  Only in the last week have I figured this out.  Paired with some almond/pralene/hazelnut milk and some coconut sugar... it's pretty darn tasty in my book.  Perhaps this has inspired me to post.

Or perhaps it's because I've learned a few things this past week about running here in the desert as well that I feel like sharing.  These things range from podcasts used to run; sports headphones; and how to run in the desert.  The last is important enough because it's heating up here.  It was a blissful 4 months of running here.  Sometimes I even had to wear longsleeves.  Only 2 weeks ago I donned my beanie as well for a late afternoon run... Gasp, right? Well, that was short-lived for sure.  I'm back to my baseball caps.

So first, podcasts.  I've done some research a fair bit on this.  I'm not usually a runner that carries an iPod.  It's just not my style- or wasn't.  I can't even remember now what I used to do when not listening to music!  Did I just listen to my breathing?  Perhaps I counted trees, or light posts, or some landmark where I decided I could run to and then stop.  I don't know.  What I do know is that my typical run is right next to my apartment at the A`ali Running Track. Yes, it is brick I know, but apparently my knees are used to it now so... Anyway, running around a (1 kilometer) track can be dull for sure so I suppose this is how I took up running with music.

Even in SE Turkey I ran on a (clay or some other softer type of material) track, but I wasn't ready to accept running with music. I think the real determining factor was running on the treadmill (dreadmill) at the gym.  This is a new addition to my life as sometimes it is so hot outside that you can't run out in the heat.  I'm too much of a wimp to really devote my pre-dawn time to getting out of my cozy bed to go for a run.  Perhaps that might change in the coming months when it gets unbearable again outside.

I have tried before I recall, but there was always the problem of ear buds falling out and then you have to run and mess with that shit. This, of course, messes up breathing (at last mine), and so back went my iPod into hibernation yet again.  Another issue was what to listen to when running.  I just wasn't up to speed on any of it.  But now...

Two weeks ago I was at the NEX (Navy Exchange, where I have privileges to shop). This comes in handy for all sorts of things; US magazines (Vanity Fair, National Geographic, Women's Running) that won't set you back a load of money because it's all in US$ normal prices; sports shoes that also are priced the same.  As well, you get the bonus of knowing that they are not knock-offs- which many are here in the region.  This was more of a problem in Turkey I suppose.  But no matter, if you buy western running shoes, etc, they are going to be hugely expensive if they are the real deal.  Even the beloved Converse can be acquired for a mere $40, as opposed to $120 in Turkey...

But I digress... The point being that it is so convenient to stop on base as things are cheap.  Since I don't make money in the local Bahraini Dinar, this makes things even more convenient.  My last useless mention that has nothing to do with the originally intended commentary is that I can also eat at Taco Bell...

So the story continues, I was at NEX and looking at ear buds.  I decided to finally believe in the sports buds that have the wrap-around thingy that goes around your ear with the speaker firmly implanted inside your ear.   The first time I put them in and BAM! Amazing!  I love it when I'm skeptical that something won't work and then I prove myself wrong.  Even the low-tech clip thingy that comes with it so you can clip the wire to your shirt works.  Another concern was always that I had to carry the iPod ( it's not one of those tiny ones) and I thought that would be weird.  Of course I didn't want to purchase an arm band for it for the same reason.  As well, I thought that purchasing all that shit was just being too needy :)

At the same time as this breakthrough, there was also a breakthrough in the running music department as well.  Of course there are all kinds of free podcasts to download for runners with music mixes.  None, that I tried out, seemed to suit me.  Then I discovered Shredz Workout Mix in the iTunes store!  They are all 1 hour mixes and just intuitively seem to know where I'm at in my run.  Workout mix #11 is my favorite right now.  At about 45 minutes, there is a mantra repeated: ENERGY that keeps increasing  in volume and culminates into another high-energy mix.  It is right where it's needed for my run.

This being said, there are so many workout podcasts out there that are tailor made.  One podcast creates mixes for training for a marathon and puts 'gongs' in the song where you stop and walk for a minute, etc.  I mean, they are really tekkie now, which is brilliant.  Another fabulous podcast, that I don't listen to while running because it's not music, is from Ben Greenfield. He's a cool-cat in the sports fitness/nutrition world, as well as an avid Ironman. He has a solid science-based approach to it all and doesn't pull any hoodoo voodoo crap that masses will eat up and get 0 results with.

Those of you that know me know that I always had issues with yoga classes that were too 'hippy-dippy' to put it oddly.  I am a scientist.  I like the geek-speak approach.  Give me 'heart-rate' over 'heart-centered' talk, and you have hooked me.  Don't get me wrong, exercise is a spiritual devotion for me.  In fact, it's the closest thing to this "God-particle" bliss that I have discovered so far.  I've always said that my body is my institute for spiritual enlightening.  My 'church' or place of worship ROCKS!  And as long as it rocks my world, that is just great.

So with all this tekkie stuff I'm using now (don't forget the Timex Run Trainer GPS with heart-rate monitor that I purchased last summer and use devotion-ally, or my minimalist shoes that I switched to), I am like Inspector Gadget when I prepare for my runs.  I've got all this shit to hook up to myself, and it's a fun ritual.  Why is it fun?  Because everything works as it's supposed to.  I mean, I don't go blindly into this stuff.  I did plenty of research in order to obtain all this.

Lastly, and likely most importantly, is how I train now has completely revolutionized my runs here in the desert environment.  I had been struggling for the past 4 months with just getting through 5k runs.  I mean it was just so hot, and my breathing was all wonky, etc.  Concurrently with the tekkie stuff, or a little bit before those additions, I decided to do some research on running in extremely hot environments.  I didn't find much to benefit me, or so I thought, so I decided that I need to switch things up.  My typical run is on the track if I don't want to have to drive somewhere to run.  It's flat. I mean FLAT.  It can be boring like a treadmill, so how to switch up the routine?  SPEED Intervals!

I can't say how much this has improved my overall adaptation to running here, as well as seeing an increase in my casual runs, etc. I feel overall healthier, I can run longer, and I sleep incredibly well now.  I'm up to 10k workouts now.  Here's my latest run recipe:

A 4 km warm-up run (A little more than a warm-up I suppose)
A 1 km fast walk
2 km of 100 m fast interval running (with each 100m separated by a 100m moderately paced walk)
2km of 200 m moderately paced running (again, separated by a 200m more moderately paced walk)
A 1 km walk cool down.

I'm loving my current mix. Spring is in the air certainly!

Okay, that's all folks

Going rogue- in the style of Hollyday

So I'm pondering professionalism this weekend- in between edits on my final paper submission for school. To take time off from writing really necessitates writing something else- like an entry in my blog, so as to continue with writing...of some sort. Don't worry, this volume will lead into professionalism at the appropriate time.  First I'll distract you all with scenes from one night in Kula... Maui really is a wonderland. It is amazing how many different environments are wrapped up into a small Pacific island. Seriously, it was COLD last night- in the upper 40's. The smell of Eucalyptus was intoxicatingly seductive.

I had a long evening of draft revisions planned but thankfully my considerate hijackers whisked me away to the enchanting Eucalyptus forest in Kula atop Haleakala near an elevation of 2500' amsl. It was my 1st hollyday party of the season: a black/white/red attire affair outdoors under the starry night with the most incredible food & drink & entertainment at the outdoor ampitheatre. It quickly turned to freezing but the party continued on with a HUGE bonfire just down the path from the band, or yea, and the open (in every sense of the meaning) bar.  A good time was had by all & the MOST amazing bacon wrapped chestnuts appeared outta nowhere... Kudos goes out to the man attending the meat station. It was so tender and succulent juicy diving morsels coming off the fire... Red Velvet cupcakes, Haupia/chocolate pie... SO MUCH FOOD! It was just a sweet bohemian gathering of Maui peeps enjoying each other. Ancil's band played 2 sets & they just rocked it. Rasha is all throaty w/her sultry voice! Just fabulous evening & I'm happy to reflect on it. I'm also happy I pilfered some Red Velvet cupcakes when leaving for... right about now... along w/my coffee in bed!

This transitions into my thoughts about professionalism. I have never really considered how I should 'present' myself to my professional community because, well this is me. I am strange, I am goofy, I am nerdy, I am wild, I am dedicated to enjoying life to the fullest, I am professional when I need to be- which is a lot of my waking hours... So in doing some initial research of how I want to advance my career I have been doing some investigative research on potential jobs, bosses and locales. I've contacted many colleagues from my past from jobs we have worked on and this has been fantastic in itself to re-connect on this level. Now I am wondering how professional I'm supposed to be about it all though? I mean everybody I know well enough to trust giving me feedback knows me, knows who I am, what I am capable of, and what kind of situation I am looking for that will compliment my background.

What I haven't really considered though is that these potential situations might be researching me as well!  Will they be googling me? Will they find this blog? Will they read it? Should they read it? Should I care?  Certain camps are of the thought that I should protect myself & I initially thought so but then I really delve into the chemistry of the situation: All this evidence of myself is me. It is me how I really am so why wouldn't I want a prospective employer to check it out & see if I am right for them? I don't know, I'm pretty proud of what I have accomplished in this life so far- all the while living life with my special flair simultaneously working very hard to build a career I am proud of.

I recall once a few years back when telling my boss I was leaving for 4 months to go backpacking from Africa to Turkey that I needed to do this and it would make be a better worker and I would come back more charged and a better person, and worker, for it. He looked at me, amazed, and signed my vacation request... I think he was impressed that I had the balls to just tell it from my heart. I wish more people would just 'tell it from the heart'. I seem to have less & less tolerance for people that can't just fess up and speak their truth. Certainly this is the case for men as of late. I hope not so for any potential employers of mine because what you see, & read, is what you get. What can I say, it's so simple an equation really.

That said, I am ready to elevate my mind to the next challenge. If any of you potential employers are blog-stalking me I thank you. You will not be disappointed. Let me just tell you what I envision for myself: I'm ready to become part of a multidisciplinary research cooperative. I'm ready to make a difference through my work. I'm up for the challenge of exhausting days in the field collecting data, analyzing data, grueling hard labor and all the while benefitting myself as well and gathering my own data that will take me further into my research so I can articulate what my future PhD research will encompass. It will take on elements of ESL/EFL, it will take on elements of anthropology/archaeology/ethnography, it will take on critical applied linguistics. And you know what, I'm going to LOVE every excruciatingly painful, sunburnt, sleep-deprived, fantastic, life-altering minute of it... So, I suggest you consider your choice wisely because I'm a keeper. Oh yea, I'm not all that keen on monitoring bulldozers & excavators anymore. I'll do it as it's always a great time to listen to my favorite podcasts (NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell, The Watchercast ((thanks Katie-girl!)), No Agenda w/Adam Curry & John C. Dvorak, Savage Love ((yes I am female & have urges...)), Naked Archaeology, Grammar Girl's Quick & Dirty Tips, Filmspotting, Acoustic Long Island, 3 Wine Guys (("Let the Whining Begin...")), Accordian Noir, Net @ Night, Brooklyn Jazz Underground, NYC History: The Bowery Boys and so many more) and it is really good exercise and a fantastic butt workout so I do like this element of it, but it is really dusty, noisy and mind-numbing as well.

I've loved it that some of my most respected friends in the industry and giving me feedback so readily. The sky really is the limit from here: Guam, Micronesia, Hilo, Oahu, American Samoa, Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Istanbul, Poland: I'm not going rogue, I've been rogue...