the id, the ego, & the single misfiring brain cell

So I quit seeing the dude who was treating me for fibromialgia, and if I'm spelling that wrong, at least I'm consistent. Now my back is kinking back up. Of course. This happens when you quit pumping temporary relief into it, I guess.

Meanwhile, I'm readying my things and self for an early departure for Oberammergau, Germany, on the morrow. I've balanced my checkbook, done laundry, and I'm charging all of the electronic stuff that I have to take with me everywhere I go. I can't just travel with a change of underwear anymore. I have to have my laptop, camera, iPod, phone, and Kindle. And a change of underwear. If I'm ever stranded on a deserted island, the only useful thing I'm likely to have is a change of underwear.

I'm going to O'gau for a NATO course, of course, so I have to lug a uniform with boots and stuff, too. Oh well. It's the price of admission.

***

The Turks have a wonderful, tangy soft drink that I've grown quite fond of. It's narli Ululag. Basically, it's a pomegranate drink. It got me in the mood for soft drinks, so I picked up some IBC soft drinks at the commissary. They don't really have flavor, though, unless you consider "sweet" a flavor.

***

I've decided I'll probably never be any better at chess than I am at golf, which is not very good. The idea of an actual game is intimidating and stressful. I've decided that I'm quite happy just taking my clubs to the driving range and putting greens. That way, I don't have to suffer through 9 or 18 holes of humiliation because I can have either aim or power, but not both. With chess, I'm usually content to do a quick tactics puzzle, and I'm happy. I wonder why that is?

***

Spring has come to Izmir, and it is a thing of beauty. The world is clear and bright and green, people are out walking along the bay, there's a light breeze, and a child is happily beating sticks against one of my building's metal poles.

***

I've been reading Last Chance To See, written by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine (sez the jacket, although the book is almost entirely Adams' work). In the book, Adams and Carwardine travel to various spots on the globe to see animals that are on the verge of extinction. It's an interesting mix of environmental awareness, zoological education, and travel book all wrapped into one. Very nice! And I never knew he'd written anything other than the Hitchhiker's series.

***

So...I have to be up and at 'em at an ungodly time tomorrow. The Chief in the ticketing office booked us for a plane leaving Izmir at 7:15am. This flight goes straight to Munich, which means we have to be there two hours before, right? OK. Now we have to be there at 5:15am.

The airport doesn't really deserve to call itself an "Izmir" airport, since it's well outside of the city limits (kinda like Denver International Airport, which is well off on the plains somewhere). It takes about 45 minutes to get to the airport from where I live. Add to this the fact that I need to catch the airport bus, which stops at a specific bus stop some time after the hour. This puts me at said bus stop at 4am. So I'm up and doing the bag drag at 3:30am.

But wait. It gets better. Tomorrow is when Izmir "springs forward." Effectively, I will be getting out of bed at 2:30am.

I almost needn't go to bed in the first place. Jeez.

d