September was such a bifurcated month, with my family’s visit dominating the first half and the swift arrival of autumn marking the second. It really felt like a transition month, with everything creaky and complicated that entails, but still– September is the best month to be in Istanbul, truly.
Best of the Month
The month kicked off with my parents’ long-awaited visit, and it was wonderful. We took a quick trip to the Aegean coast to visit Ephesus and eat fresh-grilled fish by the sea, and otherwise explored the culinary and cultural delights of Istanbul. I missed them when they left.
September is also the month of our annual Wine Trip, and this time we went north to Luleburgaz and Kirklaleri for a day trip of boozing. I’m happy this has become a little ongoing tradition, because it’s always fun and the weather is always perfect for vineyard frolicking.
I went to my first real concert since the pandemic started, and it was a doozy– the Dutch Turkish psych band Altin Gun was playing in Istanbul as part of the Jazz Festival and I jumped on the tickets. It was terrific! I hope there are many more concerts in the future, because I missed them.
Even though it got crisp quickly, it’s been perfect biking weather, and riding along the seaside has been such a joyful addition to my life this month.
Worst of the Month
My parents came to Istanbul, but my sister Hillary left, and that was no good. I wish she could have stayed longer. But! Hopefully she’ll be back next year.
I also had some complicated interpersonal stuff that came up unexpectedly and knocked me off balance for a while, but everything has settled now, thank goodness.
What I’m Loving
Reads: I read two books my parents lent me while they were here. My mom gave me What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt, which was way more enjoyable than I thought it would be even as I felt very ambivalent about a lot of the characters, and “artists living expensive lives in NYC” feels so far away from our modern day’s reality that it sort of threw me. But I couldn’t put it down so I guess it was pretty good!
My dad lent me The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester, which was also good but felt a little bit like discount Eric Larson.
Music: Three songs I’ve loved this month are “All I Do” by Stevie Wonder, “Get Free” by Major Lazer and Amber, and “Jezahel” by Shirley Bassey.
Movies/TV: I felt this overwhelming urge on night to watch some film noir, so I rented Scarlet Street, a 40’s Fritz Lang film I had never seen. It was great! Not A+ film noir, but a solid B+, which is really the ideal kind of casual noir, in my opinion. I wanted popcorn noir, and it was exactly that.
Podcasts: I couldn’t listen to a lot of podcasts in the beginning of the month because of family visit time, but since then I’ve been catching up with Power Corrupts, which is consistently great. The episode “Click Here To Kill Everyone” and its examination of the Internet of Things really grabbed me and I’ve been recommending it to a lot of friends.
I’ve also loved LOUD, a podcast about the history of reggaeton that’s presented in an energetic Spanglish full of great beats. It’s only on Spotify right now, but worth seeking out.
The Film Files
I have been doing very little shooting! This has to change!
Ephemera
The weather turned very suddenly and just as suddenly, I wanted to start painting again. So I cracked open the ol’ watercolors and have slowly found my way back. Some friends and I have been meeting to paint together, and that’s made it even more enjoyable. I missed it.
Upcoming
A little earlier than usual, I’ll go to the US! And this time, instead of only parking myself in the Bay Area, I’ll be all over the place: Texas, DC, NYC, and that’s just in October. I’m very much looking forward to catching up with friends after this long stupid pandemic has kept us separated for so long.
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