Saturday, December 20
Family to Bilkent to check on an overcoat for Brian at Real and a Christmas CD from Starbucks inside the Marks & Spencer. Brian didn't believe me when I told him that Aeden insisted on stopping at Starbucks for a muffin last time we had been there, but I'm pretty sure it is true. He's been conditioned to the logo and aroma of Starbucks just as well as I have been. No luck on the CD, as usual I guess I just needed to buy it while I was there the first time.

We were in Yesil looking at shoes and Lacey found a pair of leather boots that we both like (usually only one or the other of us likes any given pair). I sent Brian and the kids home in a taxi so I could pick up a few more Christmas gifts, and went back to Yesil to buy the boots. They were nowhere to be found. I asked a clerk about them, showed him exactly where they had been, what they looked like, size 35, etc. Nothing. Finally, I asked if they had ANY size 35 boots in the store. Nope. I was so frustrated and felt so hopeless. How stupid. You'd think the store clerks might be more interested in helping me spend my money, but sometimes not so much.