Nobody's Business but the Turks'

JL is rappin bout Istanbul, which reminds me: I'm going there! Tomorrow! (Holy shit, tomorrow!) I hope you won't fret over the absence of exciting housekeeping posts while I take a weeklong furlough from dot-policing.

I'm feeling like old Yves about my predeparture to-do list—lots of packing left and probably a little panicking, too. This is my first trip abroad since Moscow in 2003, but moreover, it's the first expedition I've taken that wasn't preceded by a college-level art history or language course. I think I've taken the right steps to educate myself, but only yesterday I discovered there is an entire class of regional mythological creature of which I was previously unaware: daevas! Let's Go: Pandaemonium is silent on this score.

Dearth of knowledge aside, I'm terribly excited. In great detail I just told the local deli cashier, who's never given me any real indication that he understands English, about my ongoing negotiations with Volkan the Hotelier, who frankly doesn't want my business if he thinks I'm paying tourist-season rates once the calendar flips to March 1. Anyway, I'm dusting off my Byzantine texts (heh) and will see some of Turkey's contemporary stuff, but I'm there to spend a week on the Bosphorus with my lady. See you back here in a week.

UPDATE: Of course! Can't forget to mention that I'm adding to my global funny hat collection. The top model I already own; the bottom will soon be mine.