(no subject)

[solitary_summer]

::sigh:: I might start doing a-day-in-the-life picture posts next, because my ability and inclination to write are next to non-existent at the moment.


Had a lovely New Year with soavezefiretto (whose New Year was probably less lovely, having a cold, and all...); walked through the park in Schönbrunn which was more beautiful than I remember seeing it in a long time, mist dissolving to a brilliantly blue sky, bare trees dripping night-frost molten by the sun, rooks and sea-gulls on the frozen fountain-pond. Tea and cake in the Gloriette cafè, decoration of golden putti hanging in front of the windows, a waiter cursing a tourist standing around waiting for a seat who knocked a tray with two lattes out of his hands. Addicted her to AtS S4; watched Grease and squeed over Zack-as-Kenickie, found a Spanish internet radio station, ate grapes, danced to the Donauwalzer, stood at the window and watched the fireworks, or what we could see of them in the patch of sky above the yard and reflected in the windows opposite.

Watched the Neujahrskonzert on tv, then I dragged her for another walk through a windy, over-cast and mostly deserted, hung-over Vienna (although... showing it to her made me realise how much I love this place, in some ways); made Palatschinken, which weren't pretty, but edible, and evilly tempted her with more AtS.




1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
Take a belly-dancing class. Travel to Madrid. Lots of minor stuff, presumably. Plus several things that I not so much did, but happened/were done to me.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Half a resolution. This year... change my whole life be braver and more out-going find a new job be a bit more orderly and organised, perhaps. That seems actually feasible, since I already started the New Year with a clean and tidy apartment. Perhaps this will make my inner life less chaotic, too. Learn to achieve some sort of mental balance again. Spanish class.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister; also one of her schoolfriends whom I know slightly. A co-worker.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No

5. What countries/cities did you visit?
Madrid (Spain)

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
Love, but I'm not realistically hoping for that to happen, not the least because I've come to doubt that I'm actually capable of loving a real person instead of some idea/projection. Less depression. Better health. A full meal and a glass of wine.

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Oct. 30th, the birth of my niece.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I don't think I've achieved anything.

9. What was your biggest failure?
See above.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Helicobacter infection with resulting gastritis, aka The Annoying Stomach Thing.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
New computer (still shiny!), bright red skirt.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent and bills aside, computer, trip to Madrid, books, dvds, (surprisingly) clothes & shoes.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Not even so much my trip to Madrid, but soavezefiretto's visit. Very nervous.

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
If I have to think hard about it, the answer is probably, none.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you...

i. happier or sadder?
Hard to say. The first half of the year was not so bad, the second rather sucked. And post-Christmas I'm always depressed and/or brain-dead. New Year was vastly better, though.

ii. thinner or fatter?
Thinner, what with the not being able to eat all. Lost about five kilos.

iii. richer or poorer?
Perhaps a bit richer, although I hesitate to use the word 'rich'.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Everything? Have an actual life. Read.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasting time online.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Spent it with my parents.

21. How will you be spending New Years?
Spent it with soavezefiretto. (see post above)

22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
No.

23. How many one night stands?
None.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
Old favourites remain old favourites; I've been rather unenthusiastic about new shows. What I've actually been watching on tv with some regularity is House and QaF(US)

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No. And I didn't hate anyone last year, at least not in ways that I remember.

26. What was the best book you read?
F. Dostojewski, Der Idiot; M.Bulgakow, Die Weisse Garde

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
No new discovery this year, sadly.

28. What did you want and get?
Probably some minor things I can't remember.

29. What did you want and not get?
Getting well. Like, morning-coffee-well.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Brokeback Mountain, but I've barely been to the cinema at all this year. Liked Volver, too.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I can't remember, and livjeournal doesn't tell me, so it probably was boring. 34.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Lack of The Annoying Stomach Thing.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Not so much a concept, but with the weight loss I bought three just-over-knee-length skirts, which is new-ish for me.

34. What kept you sane?
Habit.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None, really; I rarely do. Although every time I see Pink on tv I vaguely think a) she's cute, and b) is she really straight?

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Eh. I do get stirred up about political issues occasionally, but can't remember, and don't particularly want to try to.

37. Who did you miss?
Judging from my dreams I still miss Alina, although from a more rational point of view I probably miss the memory of our friendship. Plus, now, soavezefiretto. This being-on-the-opposite-sides-of-Europe rather sucks.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
I really like the new co-worker who started this autumn. We have a very similar sense of humour, so there's a lot of quite un-professional giggling going on when we're together. Plus, she's also a fangirl. :)

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
How much one's own perception and state of mind can influence one's view of the world and oneself. The thing to learn now is how to consciously apply this knowledge, rather than just helplessly slip in and out of moods.

The necessity to open myself up to others and let them into my life; not to be afraid to depend on someone emotionally; you can't always be self-sufficient.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Can't think of one spontaneously, and I've spent too much time on this meme already to put an effort into looking for it.

41. Was 2006 a good year for you?
There were bright spots, and I guess it could have been worse, so I ought to be grateful, yadda, yadda, but on the whole, not really.

42. What were your favourite moments of the year?
Some with soavezefiretto (Toledo and Schönbrunn especially); seeing my niece for the first time; some of my 'photo-walks' through Vienna.

43. What were your least favorite moments of the year?
Obviously I tried to forget them. Nothing sticks in my memory and I'm not going to research. A vague memory of too much depression.

44. Who were you with?
The usual suspects, mostly.

45. Did you make any new friends in 2006?
See 38, I think she has the potential to become a friend.

46. Who are your favourite new friends?

47. What was your favourite month of 2006?
May.

48. What was your favourite song from 2006?
I'm more an album person than a song person, really.

49. What was your favourite record from 2006?
RHCP, Stadium Arcadium. I listened to that a lot over the summer especially. And P. Kribbe & A. Bieber's Walk With Me.

50. How many concerts did you see in 2006?
Aynur/Mikail Aslan, Sound of the Tembur

51. Did you have a favourite concert in 2006?

52. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2006?
None at all since The Annoying Stomach Thing started, and after almost nine months I really do miss the occasional glass of wine and getting... not drunk, just a little tipsy, sometimes. Glühwein and Christmas punch. ::sigh:: And, yes, i'm aware this makes me sound like an alcoholic.

53. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2006?
No. I'm boring like that.

54. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
Probably repressed it. I'm ashamed of my whole life sometimes; it's not so much what I do that what I don't do.

55. What was the worst lie someone told you in 2006?
None that I know of.

56. Did you treat somebody badly in 2006?
Probably.

57. Did somebody treat you badly in 2006?
No particularly traumatising memories. Nothing worse than the odd annoying customer, I guess.

58. How much money did you spend in 2006?
See 14; do the math.

59. What was your proudest moment of 2006?
I haven't done anything to be proud of.

60. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2006 and change something, what would it be?
I don't think there was any of those life-changing, pivotal moments in 2006.

61. What are your plans for 2007?
I should consider looking for a new job, but the prospect terrifies me enough for it not to qualify as a plan as such. Perhaps buy a DSLR camera; take a lot of photos, learn to take better ones. More reading, less procrastinating.

And reading through my answers, seeing a therapist would probably be a good idea.