I squat therefore I am and why the Vatican can shove it.

After seeing Beulah's entry on a sinus douche I've decided to post a potentially disgusting entry as well.

My last two days in Turkey we were put up in the same hostel as before in Istanbul, but this time in a different building that didn't have a western toilet...you know, the kind where you sit down. Instead they have what is basically a porcelain surface with a hole in the ground...very sparse indeed. I initially refused to use it, but also wanting to make the most assimilating into the native culture and not wanting to go outside to use the bathroom, I succeeded in squatting. However, I didn't follow custom and merely splash myself with a nearby tap (like a primitive bidet). Instead I did the unthinkable and actually flushed toilet paper in Turkey. What a badboy. There's a picture of the Turkish toilet here as well as instructions on how to use it.

In other news, I couldn't be happier to be back in Madrid, a city which I continue to forge lasting bonds with. It's hard to explain how much I love it here.

Also, I talked to Mater today and she told me about a hilarious wedding shower for my Prima. It actually made me miss home a little bit and the craziness of my familia hispana, especially the Tias. The crowning moment might have been my aunt's mother in law calling her a slut at her granddaughter's wedding shower and then denying it to her husband who happens to be a minister.

ALSO--They've set the date for the Papal elections on the worst possible starting day, a Monday. That means that at the earliest time I could get there they would have already had three days of elections and 12 votes, one of which will certainly produce a new pope, so it looks like god has thwarted me again...I guess he didn't want me upsetting the more serious pilgrims with my general joviality. So I guess this means I should probably head out to Florence to see Wubulu.