In between all the stresses of this past weekend we've had a few special moments.

As we drove to Rockport, Massachusetts, Jake and I decided to take some time to stop and enjoy the beautiful weather and the most amazing little town. The sea was calm and the sky only had white clouds. Jake couldn't believe the sand was really on the beach naturally. He claimed it must have been imported there.




The same day, I caught sight of the geese and begged Jake to stop. Much to my delight, he did and I spent the next twenty minutes watching the awesome animals.




On Sunday, the weather was getting colder but I still made Jake stop by Jamaica Pond, one of my favorite spots right by Jake's house. Ducks and seagulls were enjoying a little nap on the half-frozen lake. Earlier, we went to visit another photographer in Andover, MA and just as we exited his office, it started to snow in lumps and I decided it was important to catch a glimpse.




As stressful as this weekend was, we had a few special moments and made sure to enjoy every second of them. It's always a good idea to remember the little things as they're what make the world go round.

Previously? Uphill.

I spend some of my free time volunteering at the Housingworks Used Book Cafe.



















Some of the best people I've met in ages.

Previously? Mentally Horny.

Jake and I have spent one day each in the last two weekends leaving the house and doing some good.

I've listened to many people talk about how they feel helpless and how they want to do something, which is why they buy flags, light candles, visit fire stations, donate money, etc. Many have visited ground zero to do all they can. Some, more than all they can.

Two weeks ago, I logged into my company's volunteering site, to lookup some information for my applications. The site listed ongoing volunteer projects as well as ones coming up in the next month. As I read one after the other, I decided that's all I wanted to do. I wanted to spend all my time volunteering. Not down in ground zero, but in the millions of other places that needed it and have been needing it for quite some time. I don't mean to put down anyone who's helping down by ground zero. They have all my respect and then more. I am not sure that I'm emotionally prepared to face the scene so I appreciate others who do.

I think what I like about volunteering is how little effort it takes to make a visible difference. Selfishly, I love the sense of accomplishment I get from helping others. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's the truth. Not to mention it's loads of fun.

Last Sunday, Jake and I took a trip to Brooklyn to volunteer at BARC Shelter's Dog Show and Festivities. We helped raise thousands of dollars for the shelter and had tons of fun watching the dogs with their tricks and costumes.



On Friday, we drove to Boston to spend our Saturday volunteering at City Year's annual Serve-A-Thon. Since Jake's an alumni of City Year, he's gone back to Serve-A-Thon for the last ten years. I've joined him on the seven that he's attended since we start dating. The Serve-A-Thon always inspires me. Seeing thousands of people up at the crack of dawn in the Boston cold, energized to make a difference would win over even the more cynical citizens, I hope. Over the years, we've painted, scraped, washed, weeded and always had tons of fun.



There are opportunities to serve every day, every minute and every second. If you don't like animals, you can work with the elderly, the blind, children, or the sick. You can paint, read, mentor, teach, build, or simply keep someone company. I don't do it because it sounds good, I do it cause I have fun, I meet new people, I learn and I receive just as much as I give. If not more.

Martin Luther King said, "Everyone can be great because everyone can serve."

Don't you want to be great?

Previously? Theory of Relativity.

I'm not a bird person.

When I first moved to New York City, I knew I was going to live by myself in a city where I knew practically no one. Ideally, I wanted to get a dog. But with the obscene investment banking hours, I knew that the shelters wouldn't let me have a puppy.

So I figured a cat might be a better alternative. Cats are more self-entertained, I assumed. Well, I found out I am dreadfully allergic. So much so that the white of my eyeballs swells when in the same room with a cat. That ruled out the cat option.

My mom kept saying that I should get a bird. Wouldn't I want a cute, little bird?

A bird? Who wants a bird? You can't hug a bird. You can't give him kisses and have him curl up on your lap. No, I told my mom, I wouldn't want a bird.

A few weeks later, on my way home, I saw a bird store with tons of colorful lovebirds in the window, chirping loudly. I don't know what made me walk in, but next thing I knew a parrot the size of my face was sitting on my arm, looking into my eyes. When the storeowner quoted me several thousand dollars for the fascinating creature, I balked. Maybe I could see a cheaper, more affordable size?

Which is how I ended up with cupcik.









In the five years that cupcik and I have shared the same apartment, he's never ceased to amaze me. This tiny, blue creature is curious, intelligent, and playful. He imitates the phone ring, he figures out how to maximize his level of fun and he makes our life much more entertaining.

His little feet make small clicking sounds when on the parquet floor. He walks over to the mirrored legs of our chairs and pecks at the bird he sees. He is so excited by the clicking of the computer that he flies on to the keyboard to have a piece of his own. He loves chewing on paper and landing on your head. He's sweet, kind, and comes to everyone.

He's made me into a bird person.

Previously? 121,110.

It's all Heather's fault. When I saw her post about the camera, I told myself I wasn't gonna buy it.

I am sucky at taking pictures. I already own a digital camera and the watch camera. I run Windows NT on my desktop and it has no USB support. It's too bulky.

Those are just some of the really good and legitimate excuses I had. I was good, I resisted. But the little voice in the back of my head refused to shut up. I kept inquiring and checking availability at CompUSA but I resisted buying it.

Only until last night that is.

I am officially the proud owner of one Aiptek PenCam.

I found out a few annoying features: it won't let you take a picture when there isn't enough light and you can't see the picture after you take it. You can only see your pictures after you download them. But it's really light. Has an almost hollow feel. And it rocks!

Here are some mirror shots of Olga and Me, discovering the limitless fun my new toy offers.

Doesn't it just look like it's so much fun?

Previously? Fictional.

Even though he's a male, my birdie can't speak any words but I sure do love him like crazy.

As a little kid, I had huge ears that stuck out through my thin, straight hair. (We call them ladle ears in Turkish, but Jake says there is no English saying for someone with big ears that stick out.) Each time we were in the bathroom together, getting ready for school, my sister would tease me and say that I shouldn't put my hair up cause it made my ears stick out even more. Over the years, my ears stayed the same size while the rest of my body grew. My hair also got thicker and wavier. I'm quite sure, my ears don't stick out as much anymore, but I still don't wear my hair in a ponytail.

Since I need help relaxing and since I thought it would be tons of fun, I decided to take pottery classes. Saturday morning was my first session. I put so much effort into holding the clay properly that my fingers made strong imprints on the clay, prolonging the process called 'centering' which is when you need to smoothen out the clay's outer surface. My teacher kept teasing me and asking me where all my frustration came from and whether we could do something to get rid of it. I figured telling him that that's why I took pottery to begin with would be futile.

Previously? Friendship.