Wow. It’s been almost a week since I posted anything here.
A decent regard for the opinions of mankind requires me to make an explanation of why I’ve been silent for so long.
Partly, I was having fun. I got invited to no less than three meals/parties/whatever over the weekend. It ate up my blogging time, and I’m not sorry.
I’m especially not sorry because the rest of my life is beset by an endless, complex set of distractions— each of them, in essence, unique, and thus requiring a disproportionate amount of my time. I’ve had to correct erroneous biographical information in Contemporary Authors, which required a lot of time spent online looking up fiddly little details, like exactly what year “Lethe” was nominated for a Nebula Award. (I’ve already forgotten the answer.) I’ve had to make a whole series of trips to Albuquerque in order to deal with one thing or another. I’m having a new fence installed on our property.
And I’m doing our taxes. Actually I’m not “doing” them, I’m just getting all the relevant documents ready for the accountant. Which is a bigger order than usual, because I was so busy and harassed last year that I didn’t keep my records organized. If I was feeling efficient on that day, I’d put the receipts in the appropriate envelope and label it. If I wasn’t, I chucked the receipts in the wire basket marked “taxes,” perhaps with a cryptic note.
This isn’t an insoluble problem, it’s just a time-consuming one. I generate a lot of receipts in a given year, and now I’m going through them one by one.
And so my time is being consumed, largely by stuff that isn’t any fun. Which is why I needed those get-togethers over the weekend.
What I really need is to hit the “reset” button. Which I am doing next month, because I’m going back to Turkey! For three weeks!
And it’s even tax-deductible (gotta keep those receipts), because the new book is set in Turkey, and I’ll be doing mega-research the whole time I’m there.
I won’t be having fun at all on this trip. Not in Istanbul, not in Ankara, not on the shores of the Aegean.
Work, work, work. That’s my motto.
What? What Day is it Already?
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Have fun in Turkey, Walter, and try not to work too hard!
I’ve had two memorable holidays there: a two week botanical holiday near Fethiye and a week in Istanbul seeing the sights. I find Turkish history and culture and the Turkish flora to be endlessly fascinating. I will have to go back again soon!
Congratulations. On the fun, on forcing yourself to wade through the receipts (I have yet to start mine), and most of all on the imminent and eminently work-related return to Turkey. Sweet.
Have a great time in Turkey!
–Bonnie
Mr. Williams, I am so sorry for your having to dig through a few receipts. I only need to drive back and forth between three of my offices, make sure all of the documents my two CPA’s and my accountant get moved, faxed or otherwise transferred to who ever needs them at this moment and keep track of what IRS deadline I am about to miss if I don’t track person C down in the next 30 minutes. I must say, It is quite fun keeping all of this from interfering with day to day operations.
Your business trip to Turkey sounds like fun. I am planning a vacation tonight myself. I am going to Walmart at about 3:30 AM to get some green tea. I can’t remember the last time I had the chance to be farther from my home or offices than a 20 minute drive.
Sorry for the rant. I do have a question that has bothered me for many years. I hope you can answer it on your trip. Is the country named after the bird or the bird after the country?
Hayley and I went to Turkey for the first time this past holiday season and loved it! Istanbul was awesome. I had the best kofte there I’ve ever had in my life (this is hard to admit, given my Lebanese pride). Hayley took my picture beside the sideways Medusa head in the basilica cistern. Then there was the Aya Sofia, the jaw-dropping Topkapi, etc, etc….
But if you get a chance and you haven’t been already you should go to cappadocia. We spent christmas day floating over a freaky lunar landscape in a hot air balloon. And then there’s the dark church, which sounds death metalish but looks like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churches_of_Goreme_Turkey
Ralf. Dude. My sumpathies. Your life totally sucks!
Saladin, this is my second trip to Turkey, so I’ve actually seen all the sites you mention. I’ve even done the balloon over Cappadocia!
The log of my Turkish trip can be found on this blog beginning in April 2006, and going on till I ran out of time to write it.
This trip will be concentrating on sites where I’m setting the new book, though I expect they’ll be scenic.
Very cool — can’t wait to hear more about the new book (if/when you’re ready to talk about it, of course).
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