Dysfunction

So a frantic post on Cairo Scholars today listed a $500 reward for a lost cat. The email was titled "Emergency Plea: Delta Airlines Lost My Cat!"
Apparently Delta/Cairo Airports have topped themselves, losing a cat that was enclosed securely in an IATA approved cage. I have a similar cage, so I know there is no way the cat could have escaped unless someone let it out. I can only imagine what the poor owner was going through, but I am gobsmacked at the utter incompetence of Delta and the airport staff. Another tragic only in Egypt moment.

Kapitan Andreeevo

A couple of weeks ago we ventured across the border. The Turkish authorities reduced the time for Polish passports from 90 to 30 days, so we have to leave and re-enter every month. We took a two hour bus from Istanbul to Edirne, then crossed the border to Bulgaria at Kapikule/Kapitan Andrevo. Like any immigration experience, this one was time-consuming and tiring, but worsened by the fact that we had to endure the searing heat at 2 am. Worse, the Bulgarian border control "office" was swarming with flying roach-ants. That, coupled with the unbelievable stench on our bus, made for a pretty awful 8 hours. Budget travel, I can't wait to forsake you! Nevertheless, our time on both sides of the border was fairly enjoyable.

Things Edirne has:

Amazing old mosques, delicious lokum, a fun main street, kokorec (a supposedly tasty, haggis-like, turkish specialty that I do not have the guts to try), and other yummy-looking street food. And super friendly people!







Things Plovdiv has:

Budget ruins, a pretty old town, old ladies with blue hair, scandalously dressed helmet-haired women, and a penchant for body-builders (both male and female)






Apparently a friend of a friend in Plovdiv (the turkish "mis" tense would be so handy here) discovered ruins while excavating for the foundation of a house and decided not to declare the find to the government. Also, one can attend concerts in a roman amphitheatre... on the regular. Oh, and did I mention that Bulgarians shake their heads from side to side to say yes, and nod yes, up and down, to say no? VERY CONFUSING. Oh, Bulgaria, I don't think we'll be back anytime soon....

The Big F

I got wind of an amazing website a while ago, and I am only just starting to appreciate its significance in my life. Given the daily pressures of completing my neverending dissertation, and finding gainful employment, I sometimes get a little frustrated, but I try to keep it all in perspective and see the bigger picture. This is where failblog comes in. I find comfort and solace in knowing that there are many failures out there... and that I am not one of them. Today's fail is a gem: