31
December
2003
Have enjoyed Christmas thoroughly, despite having to work both on the 25th and 26th. It was a really lovely family holiday, and the days since have been spent spending time with friends.
I just love having the energy again to go out and do stuff, without feeling under pressure or overwhelmed. I truly appreciate that again.
Have to work the next four days — today, too, until after 9pm. But I’ll go out to meet some friends afterwards anyway, just for a drink or two and to watch the fireworks over the Rhine. Everyone and their dog will be there.
Unrelated to the season — I took this picture on Saturday while sitting in one of my favorite cafés. Beautiful, isn’t it?
I also took some pics on Christmas Eve, trying to capture the things that make it special to me. Don’t know that I succeeded, but that can’t be helped.
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Posted: Life, Moments, Photos
24
December
2003
So today is Christmas’ Eve, which is the main celebration in my family, probably because my dad always had to work on Christmas when he was still a Baptist minister… My brother and I will decorate our tree soon, after putting up the tree and the nativity scene yesterday, and tonight we will light the candles for the first time and have dinner. After that we’ll sing and read the story from the Bible before opening our presents. And at 10pm we’ll go to a night service somewhere.
I just love Christmas — to me, it’s so full of love, and peace, and family, it’s one of my favorite days of the year. But now I have to go and wrap my presents! 
Oh, and I almost forgot: The picture was taken at the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand.
Posted: Life
21
December
2003
Unconscious Mutterings
- Exchange:: I always get a bad rate when exchanging money.
- Parental Advisory:: Eminem
- Blowout:: feels good sometimes
- Spider:: Shelob
- Happy:: I always try to be
- Intense:: intense looks give me goosebumps
- Corrupt:: politics and economy
- Got:: a life?
- Crude:: not my style
- Three:: stooges
Posted: Memes
21
December
2003
Saturday Senses
Let´s go with a classic hipothetical situation this week: you have to go to a desert island for a 3 year research. You can only take one person with you and 2 items of each category below. What do you choose and why?
[sight]:: Which items you can look at or watch or read do you choose to bring along?
My ‘Lord of the Rings’ book, the movie ‘Playing by Heart’.
[taste]:: You are allowed to choose only 2 diferent types of food to eat for the whole 3 years. What do you choose?
Pasta and chocolate.
[smell]:: You will miss people, places, your life in general, right? Say you can take “bottled” smell to remind you of things you will miss. Which smells are they?
My mom’s smell when I hug her. The smell of peppermint.
[touch]:: Which 2 grooming or higiene items do you take with you?
toothbrush, body lotion
[hearing]:: You´re allowed to take a mp3 player along, but with only 2 songs. Which ones are they?
Idlewild - Scottish Fiction, Flogging Molly - Devil’s Dancefloor
BONUS QUESTIONS:
1) You have a choice of 3 other items, any items, anything. What can´t you absolutely live without? Get creative!
I don’t think I could live without my laptop, I really don’t. Also, my old toy dog Lumpi to help me sleep, and a picture of my family.
2) Who do you take to the island with you and why?
Oh, hard one! Maybe Märrie, because we never get tired of each other’s company and she makes me laugh.
Posted: Memes
20
December
2003
So this Wednesday was the theatrical release of the third and last part of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, ‘The Return of the King’. And this year, I dressed up — as a hobbit lass, complete with Ears and a scarf knitted after the one worn by Pippin in the movies. Yes, I am obsessed — why are you asking? *g*
But first: it’s almost Christmas, and although people here don’t tend to get too crazy with the decorations, I stumbled across this little gem of a garden — an impressive collection of ‘garden dwarves’ side by side with a little Christmas village.
Made me grin.
Today my dad, my brother and I will go and buy our Christmas tree — it’s tradition to wait so long, and we won’t even decorate it until the morning of the 24th. Can’t wait!
Back to the topic — me as a hobbit. My favorite picture:
Cute, huh?
I hope I’ll have opportunity to dress up in the future — I just enjoy it!
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Posted: Fandom, Photos
13
December
2003
Posted an entry about my trip in November to visit my friend Märrie near Bonn, Germany in the travel log. We had such a great time there - and I got to live out the fangirl in me at a big Lord of the Rings convention (my first one).
Next week is the start of Return of the King, the last part of the trilogy, and I can’t wait for it! I’ll even dress up as a hobbit for the first show Wednesday night… Yes, that’s how obsessed I am! LOL
But it’s making me happy to be all fangirlish and exchange spoilers and premiere pics with other fans, so I’m not too embarrassed about it.
I’m doing pretty well at the moment - been doing light-therapy daily for the last week, and it’s really helped me a lot. I’m more or less back to normal right now - and that just feels so good!
Posted: Fandom
8
December
2003
I’ve installed PHPCurrently - but if you look to your right to the ‘currently’ section, there’s nothing there. Can someone explain to me what I did wrong with the include? (I have no real idea about php, so it probably is my fault.)
This is what I added to my main template (with brackets, of course): ? include(”home/chocolat/public_html/currently/current.php”); ?
I also tried several other ways (like ?php, or just “currently/current.php”), but nothing worked.
Would be grateful for tips and pointers!
Posted: Site
6
December
2003
This week I took a couple of pics of the Christmas market on Barfüsserplatz and the big tree in the courtyard of the townhall. I just love the decorations in the dark, and the way people walk around with wide eyes taking everthing in…
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Posted: Life, Photos
5
December
2003
I’ve been thinking about whether or not to talk about this here, since it’s public and all - but then I decided that it’s nothing to be ashamed about. I’ve only just been diagnosed by a doctor today, and I’m not even going to start hiding it!
From SADA:
SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a type of winter depression that affects an estimated half a million people every Winter between September and April, in particular during December, January and February.
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Posted: SAD
1
December
2003
So I did manage to at least upload the two pics I took around here. This is Basel during a much too warm winter.
One is from last week, when they carted wagonloads of snow to the cathedral square (right in front of the Anthropological seminary) and built a little ramp for children to ski on. Too cute for words — they even had a little ski lift and real instructors!
The other one is not so much funny and more serious. Because after all, today is World Aids Day, and it should never be forgotten what a threat that disease still is. I even remembered to wear my red ribbon to uni — and the whole weekend our trams and buses looked like this:
Posted: Photos
