21 Curiosities of 2013

Keeping it light, here are some of the things I did this year:

1. Ate medjool dates for the first time in my life.
2. Went on an accidentally long bicycle tour of 30ish or more kilometres in the early morning in May. Let's finish retracing the former course of the Berlin Wall! my mother told me, inclined as she is to heroic feats of endurance upon the two-wheeled vehicle. (In past years she had followed the Berlin Wall almost all the way from Spandau to the east and back to Potsdam; we were doing the last stretch through Babelsberg, Sacrow, Kladow, etc.) As it turns out, the distance and time duration had been grossly underestimated.
3. Saw the Vienna New Year's Concert.
4. Began reading a Hungarian book via translating machine and picked up the vocabulary és, ház, and száz.
5. Did an admittedly lousy presentation for a Byzantinian literature class in January, where I felt so tired that I was practically 'floating' up the stairs in the Fehrbelliner Platz subway station on the way there.
6. Picked out the violin concert repertoire (Paganini, Wieniawski, Kreisler etc.) on the piano with one hand, whilst housesitting for uncle and aunt in the country in October.
7. Ordered tons of books from family shop over the year, e.g. Principles of Classical Ballet by Agrippina Vaganova, Erste russische Lesestücke, Long Walk to Freedom, Greek textbook, autobiography of Morrissey etc.
8. Listened to all of the National Public Radio's list of 'Heavy Rotation' and '100 Favorite Songs' music in 2013, on YouTube.
9. On January 19th, had holes and ladders in all of my tights but wanted to wear Scottish skirt to university anyway, and thus decided to wear a pair of tights which required clear tape in three places, and employ book bag and coat as shields. Most awkward and silliest day ever.
10. Watched Oxford vs. Cambridge boat race for the first time in my life, on television in March; and went to Potsdam for a solitary walk as snow still lay on the ground even though it was already Good Friday.
11. Kicked myself out of university in July.
12. In April, went nuts with a cleaning schedule and overhauled the entire household with daily dishwashing and garbage-emptying, weekly window-cleaning and vacuuming and toilet-scrubbing, heroic cleaning of the refrigerator, etc. Since it was in the spirit of journalistic inquiry I only kept it up diligently one week, but for that week I timed it and everything.
13. In May, concocted chicken broth for the first time in my life. If I recall it correctly, it was destined for a chicken pot pie after a Pioneer Woman recipe. Later in the year, I made fattoush and a raspberry cranachan and a vegetable stock with white cabbage.
14. These past weeks, began reading Japanese manga in a sweeping degree: all of Skip Beat! released so far, Fruits Basket, Natsume Yuujinchou, etc.
15. Eggnog. It was a little overpowering in its freight of Scotch whisky and rum; very well received by the family.
16. Was assembling Ikea shelf. Floppy backboard of shelf had slid out of place after first nail had been affixed. Gouged scissors into hand whilst prying nail out of the Ikea bookshelf. Went pale as a sheet. Slathered injury in iodine salve, imbibed sugary tea and lay down to mitigate shock. Have a lovely scar there now. Also, perforce, tickled the ivories with the right hand only for a time.
17. Began watching Africa's Next Top Model. Liked Australia's again, too, but feelings of shame and dismay interfere with watching America's any more.
18. Read The Portuguese Revolution: 31st of January (Oporto 1891) in Portuguese.
19. Bought a year's worth of Guardian Weekly issues in paper. Answered perhaps one King William's College Quiz question correctly in the latest issue, but have left a sudoku game entirely unfinished in an old issue . . .

[N.B. Dec. 28th: It turns out that I had numbered these things incorrectly, so there are only 19 curiosities after all!]