Takes a piss...

It took me 2 boxes of Lebanese Traditional Sweets, 1 box of Turkish Rye Flour Bread Mix, 3 baking cups, 2 blender cups and 1 colander to balance the camera and take a picture of myself posing against the Bosphorus from the balcony of the house. It also took me 2 minutes of failure, 4 minutes of innovation, about 10 minutes of experimentation, 4 times of 6-second exposure, 43.00 mm focal length, f/14 aperture value, a rubber band to fix the failing battery cap of my camera and 12 minutes of late arrival to a meeting up with a friend in the neighbourhood. All was influenced by a thesis-work environment picture taken elsewhere in the continent in a fading sunny sky just about an hour before my efforts. It took hell of a piss out of me to contemplate and compliment to the contemporary art production that D. had sent me.

I left home, met up with C., wandered around to find Monday night bars closed in the neighbourhood, heading off to Taksim to a familiar sight for a couple of hours of "social drinking" and discussions on various issues. A mild and cool night. On the way back I briefly saw V., visiting for a day from Italy. At one point I told her I could not plan as spontaneously and wildly as I used to do in the earlier days. The new responsibilities of life were taking the piss out of me.

A few years back, I had my first walk around Osmanbey, Pangalti and Kurtulus on a random get-away from summer heat depression. I had ended up in narrow streets in the ever-changing topography of Istanbul which is always full of surprises, surpassing kids playing football on an inclining street cut across in the middle by an old, tall plane tree. After G. moved to Kurtulus two years ago, my visits became more frequent, usually ending up back home after a nice walk with a stomach filled with pasta-with-tuna that G. is famous for. Tonight I was really tired and told V. I would take a cab back, but as soon as I stepped outside my walking urges and ruling feet led the way.

After 20 minutes I was 4 apartments up my house on our street to come across a car parked 'fully' on the pavement. The same car was there a week ago and I had duly span its windscreen wiper around as a universal gesture of "please don't park your car and obstruct the pedestrians next time". I hate people blockading public space.

I waited for a few minutes, monitored the street, let the few late-night cabs drive by, pulled down my pants and I took a piss out of this unjust abuse of pedestrian space by peeing on the car.

I walked home, got in the elevator. There was a new carpet laid out on the surface. It felt soft and comforting for my tired feet. I think I did a good job with the picture I tried to take of myself earlier in the night.