Not AT: Back Again ** And In The Fire ;-p

[Guest guest]

Hi y'all,

 

Got back from my trip last weekend and found mountains of emails and

lots of smoldering issues that are ready to burst into flame if not

doused quickly .. so I have kept a low profile since then. I reckon I

need to come out of the hole.

 

This was the first time I've spent this long in the USA (32 days) in one

stretch since I retired from the Army in January 1989. It took but one

day to get used to jet lag (7 hour difference) when I hit the USA but it

is more difficult coming back this way - long ago, Uncle Sam recognized

that adding hours was much rougher so they worked up some pretty strict

rules to assist troops deploying to the Middle East. I've lost that

discipline now .. ;-p

 

The trip had it's ups and downs but overall the ups outweighed the downs

and it was a good one. It was part work and I knew I had to deal with

three unpleasant tasks that were spread out over a period of time/place

but I was able to lay back betwixt them ... overall, it was relaxing.

 

I was able to get back into a regular life style, and vowed that I would

not backslide. No more 80-90 hour weeks for this ol' kuntry boy!! I

thought I had resigned from management of Sato Travel here in Turkey ..

effective 31 December .. and looked forward to devoting those hours to

other matters .. but I returned to find out that it wasn't that simple.

Here in Turkey, they have a system that requires appointment of a

Responsible Manager .. and that means you are the person liable for all

actions. To make a long story short, I can't get out of that position

until February because Big Brother here controls appointment and

resignations for Responsible Managers. You gotta have one on the

payroll every day of the year and you can't replace that person until

the official decision is published in the Official Trade Gazette. Folks

didn't bother to publish it while I was gone .. ;-p

 

Watched a lot of great TV nights .. I think many Americans don't know

how good they have it. I think there are lots of fine programs and the

History Channel is fantastic .. every night they presented interesting

documentaries. Had a great documentary on the first century counted ..

the 1900s .. another on how the Depression and follow-on WWII changed

the entire structure of the USA. America is certainly unique as it was

created by historical events that did not occur in other places. Had a

week long run on the Vietnam War - it will be repeated this week. And

Monday night there was a presentation on the real facts behind the

Blackhawk Down incident .. in Mogafriggindishu, the most funky place I

have had the misfortune to serve in. This film will be worth seeing if

it comes on again. There are many interesting programs available if

folks want to watch and I believe that teachers should take advantage of

these programs in the classroom .. bottom line, I'm impressed with the

programs available on American TV. They're far superior to those we

had when I left the USA in 1988.

 

The only movie I watched in that month plus was a pay per view movie ...

the Last Castle with Robert Redford. That movie is the center of

political discussion here in Turkey now. It's a GOOD ONE!

 

Decided I didn't like Charleston .. not gonna choose it as my American

home. I guess I had some romantic notions about the city based on the

history rather than the reality - it is too hard to get around there - a

lot like Istanbul. I brought the snow to Charleston .. first time they

had seen snow since the late-80s. I had just crossed that 2 mile bridge

across the Cooper River when they closed it down .. ;-p

 

Some great seafood in Charleston (Gilligans is very good) but cost of

living (and salaries) are HIGH - far more than even the city of Hotlanta

and surrounds. As I have no intentions of ever working for the other

feller again, can't see living in a high-cost area. Gonna check out the

Land Between The Lakes area of KY-TN when I return in late April .. and

might just build a lakefront place. Haven't been there in 7-8 years so

if it's not the way I remember it, I might just settle (temporarily) in

the Allegheny Range of the Appalachians around Friendsville ... a nice

area. I'm still leaning toward living in both the USA and Turkey ...

regardless of which one I'm in, I always miss the other and I'm always

glad to get back .. and leave again .. ;-)

 

One thing is clear about housing prices in the USA .. they're driven by

location, location and location. A 1,500 sq ft vinyl siding home on a

10,000 sq ft lot in Charleston can go for $170,000 .. nice area long as

you don't mind the gaters hanging around the yard .. ;-p (I'm serious)

but that same money will get you a 4,000 sq ft brick home on 3/4 acre in

Conyers, GA in a Golf and Country Club area .. and in the town (pop 600)

of Friendsville, MD (NW finger twixt PA and WV) you can get 1,500 sq ft

for $65,000. There's no work in Friendsville (except for those who deal

with the whitewater rafters in the summer) and you can hear a mouse fart

at midnight but like I said, I don't plan to work for anybody and mice

farts don't bother me long as they're outside.

 

Traveled 12 states .. saw my mother, children and grandchildren .. that

was good and they were all well ... and saw a few old friends. Ate lots

of good Suth'ran chow, listened to some good C & W and relaxed between

crash projects. Some days I made 500 miles .. others I'd do 50 or so

and stop if something caught my eye. Spent two days just walking in the

hills at Monteagle, Tennessee ... nice place with a Kuntry Kitchen

that's been there better than 30 years. You can be satisfied just with

the vegetable bar - I have never made it to the dessert bar. On the

flip-flop, spent two days roaming in the Smokey Mountains.

 

Saw snow the entire time - it followed me - to the dismay of many folks.

Suth'ran folks close schools five minutes after the first flakes hit the

ground .. ;-p

 

It is relaxing to drive in America .. in over 4,200 miles .. and with

snow on the roads part of the time, I saw no POV accidents .. just a few

18 wheelers that got out of control but they were one vehicle

accidents. Smokies were out in force .. collecting those Green Stamps.

State Police in America have one primary job .. traffic control .. and

they do it well. Perhaps too well. The younger ones remind me a lot of

Military Police troops. Took a couple of years and a lot of supervision

to get the red lights and sirens out of their blood.

 

Stopped into Friendsville on the way in for a few days ... hired a new

manager for Appalachian Valley Natural Products (Jim is no longer with

us) and rented a new store (5-6 times larger than present) next door to

the old store. New manager is Margaret Collins. Stopped by there again

on the way out .. we did some drywall work, painting, venting, etc.,

shopped for new furnishings and did all the other humma-humma required

to move and the actual move is taking place this week and next ... we're

doing it slowly so we can keep up with the orders, etc. Not announcing

tele/fax/email changes for a couple of weeks and even then, we'll keep

the old ones open till everybody gets the word.

 

New management will make life a bit easier for me as Margaret and her

new assistant, Rachel, are very well-organized ladies and put out a lot

of good work. Still gotta figure out more ways to work smarter because

I plan to double sales and travel a bit this year and there is just no

time for working harder.

 

We completed the upgrading of our new facility while I was there.

Thought I was gonna have a walk-in cooler but I was mistaken .. so I

bought a monstrous chiller .. it is second hand and I'm not sure of the

square footage but it is four door and around eight feet wide by six

feet

tall. Great for hydrosols and citrus. New facility was a restaurant

and it has a street entrance with large glass windows and a back

entrance with a loading dock. Super large store room and overall, I am

happy with the move and hoping I can outgrow the place in a year or so

... ;-p

 

Even though I really dislike them, I bought a Sony laptop, but the

danged system was set to pull up my mail from within Turkey .. wouldn't

work. I didn't know that until I returned. Orders, etc., were

forwarded by my folks in Turkey to my folks in MD, but a few thousand

other emails (from 17 December onward) are stacked up and I'm working on

them - so if I owe you a casual reply, it's on the way. If you wrote me

prior to 17 December and do not receive a reply by next Monday, I didn't

get it ... so please forward it to me. Not sure why or how wide the

problem is, but we have had a lot of bounces from both the Turkish

server and the one in Maryland. My folks in Maryland are calling

customers when they get a bounce from within the USA so you might get a

call from them .. ;-p In most cases, we're finding that the mail was

received and the server lied.

 

As is the norm, the first ten days or so of American food (water?) kept

me bloated and eating Rolaids .. then it stopped completely. Come back

and I go through 4-5 days of the same thing on this end. No doubt in my

mind that we get used to the particular bacteria in the area we live

in. Americans and Brits who have visited me here go through the same

thing for a week or so and then they're fine. Of course, I eat more

fats when in the USA but that doesn't explain the return of the problem

when I come back to Turkey ... we eat few animal fats here.

 

Even though I have a mountain of email piled up, it's good to be back.

I guess I should say " back home " because I didn't really feel like

America was home this time. I hadn't stayed there long enough to think

about it that much on previous trips but this time I gave it a lot of

thought. I want it to feel like home again but I reckon it's not like

that now. No question that life is much easier in America .. in fact,

when you have some basis for comparison it becomes even more noticable -

and certainly political/economic/commercial/communication systems in the

USA are far superior to those in Turkey .. but the social system here

has a lot to be admired. That'll change in time but not in my time I

reckon. To get the best of both worlds I gotta continue to increase my

frequent flyer milage.

 

Upon return to Ankara, I found that there had been snow on the ground

since before Christmas .. and it is still there. To date, that is a

record .. hadn't happened in more than 35 years.

 

Anyway .. that's all and good to be back. I've been reading notes on

the lists but not replying .. likely will remain that way for a few more

days as hell never breaks loose until I return from a trip .. and in the

last 48 hours or so, the Devil has dumped it all on me .. ;-p

 

Happy New Year to everybody .. and y'all keep smiling .... :-)

 

Butch http://www.AV-AT.com