sundays & summer

instead of following the turkish election (2nd round) i decided to do something that wouldnt affect my mental health as negatively and worked on a puzzle while listening to an audiobook (Tommi Uschanov: Onko Brexit totuus Suomesta?). it is a sunday after all, usually dedicated to my wellbeing. i finished both the puzzle and the book and started new ones. i also drafted* an objection to the councul regarding a new alcohol license application in the neighborhood. sounds very middle aged and conservative... i knowingly wanted to live in a lively neighborhood but i guess i dont want it to get any rowdier, yet thats the risk living here carries. liveliness does also mean a (positively) busy park on a sunny day like this and we had a lunch picnic with a doctor enjoyed the sun and life around us.

*i actually didnt draft much, ChatGPT did.  when getting content from ChatGPT ive noticed that it's important to direct it to write for the british reader, otherwise the output is more american. and there are distinct differences so it really is necessary.  

yesterday Can & Burcu hosted a house party and we were there. it was refreshing to socialize like that, like a start to the summer. 

ive been thinking how constantly "everything is in crisis". NHS has been in crisis for all the tim ive lived here and when i did some googling of old news headlines, apparently even before. same with finnish healthcare. education too, constantly in the process of falling apart and scraping the bottom. other areas seem to be in an eternal decline too, elderly care for instance. i am not suggesting they arent strugglng, they really seem to be, but im wondering when was the "golden period" for these services or structures... was there ever such a time? im just thinking if somthing is in constant decline, what was the starting point and if every year we reach a new "bottom", how low will it go, and is it perceived or objectively overall worse? does it depend on how we measure, that changes over time too? i certainly dont have answers and i also witness some of these problems so im not suggesting they dont exist, but the bigger picture over time is elusive for me.