Jo over at Dreamwidth put together a list of daily questions for 2023 again Here’s my answers to January 1 – 16 guestions.

1 – Global Family Day: How do you define family?

By how close we are. Only my Mom is my family. My Mom’s SO who she lives with, is a relative of mine in my mind.

2 – World Introvert Day: Do you consider yourself an introvert, an extrovert, or something in between?

I’m in between, but lean very much towards introvert. I need my alone time, and always have.

3 – Women Rock! Day: From the Supremes to Janis Joplin to Tori Amos to Billie Eilish, women have made their mark in the world of music. If you were putting together an all-female play list, list five performers who would absolutely have to be on it.

Sade, Ofra Haza, Sarah Brightman, Caro Emerald and Sarah McLachlan.

4 – World Hypnotism Day: Have you ever been hypnotised? If so, how was the experience?

Nope.

5 – Whipped Cream Day: Do you like whipped cream? Have you ever made whipped cream from scratch?

Oh yes! I love whipped cream! I always make it from scratch – ready whipped cream isn’t much of a thing here. There’s only 1 or two Brand’s ready whipped cream sold here, and not in all groceries. You can’t use it for decorating cakes or anything because it melts in about 5 minutes. Occasionally I buy one bottle to use with “köyhät ritarit” (poor knights/French toast, I think?) along with strawberry or apple jam. But whipped cream layer cake is my favorite.

6 – Take Down the Christmas Tree Day: If you celebrate Christmas, when do you put up your tree and when do you take it down?

I celebrate Christmas but only with food and seeing my Mom and her SO. Until my very early 20s, we always had a tree but I can’t remember when it was taken down. I think right after New Year? We always put it up on the December 22nd or 23rd.

7 – I’m Not Going to Take it Anymore Day: What gets you to the point of saying you’re not going to take it anymore?

Bullshit by Kokoomus and Perussuomalaiset (right-wing political parties).

8 – Winter Skin Relief Day: What is the best skin moisturizer you’ve tried? Do you use different moisturizers for your face and body? Other than moisturizers, do you have any other tips for keeping your skin feeling and looking healthy during the winter months?

I have dry, atopic skin that gets irritated and develops rashes easily, so I have to use various strength medical lotions prescribed by my doctors. I do use some Aco face products from the chemist in addition to the ones ordered by the doctors, but can only use them like once or twice a week or ever rarer because my skin gets red and irritated also if they’re used too often.

9 – Coming of Age Day: What does coming of age mean to you? What, if any, coming of age ceremonies or rituals are practiced where you live?

Turning 18 is a big thing here! I guess most people celebrate their 18th birthday by going to a night club/partying and getting drunk. But I can’t stand loud noise, crowds, being the center of attention and hate the taste of alcohol so I just had a tiny birthday party with my best friend and Mom and delicious whipped cream layer cake. It was also not on the day of my birthday but the weekend after it because I was living in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area for library studies at the time, and went home for the weekend and that’s when we had the celebration. I don’t care for big dos and parties – I just want my dearest people present for my birthdays and not more than 2–4 people at a time.

10 – Shop for Travel Day: First celebrated in 2018, Shop for Travel Day has continued annually on the second Tuesday of the year ever since. The reason for it being situated at this time on the calendar has to do with the fact that, in many cases, the early weeks of January are an especially advantageous time to shop for travel due to many companies offering special deals and discounts. When was the last time you travelled within your own country? How about outside of your own country? If money (and time) were no object, where would you love to travel to?

Within my own country: day shopping trips to comics etc. specialty stores and such to Helsinki in the early 00s. Longer summer holiday trips (2-4 weeks) across the southern part of the country and then another to Lapland in the mid-80s. My best friend and I have also driven around a lot to historical sites or other interesting places around Turku, but these are like half a day trips. The latest one was before COVID-19.

Abroad: to London in 2008.

I’d love to go to London again and I’d love to visit Paris and Versailles, money and health permitting. But I’m not sure how I’d deal with the headache/migraine and Crohn’s Disease and other symptoms such as fatigue I have every day. Feels like they’d make traveling abroad useless and very difficult and all in all not worth the effort compared to the cost and physical effort it would take. But I think I would try if I suddenly had the money and been having more good days than bad recently. I’d just have to accept I won’t be able to see and do as much as back when I was healthy. This is a lot of improvement that I can even say maybe, because just three years ago my health was too bad and I wouldn’t have even tried.

11 – Take the Stairs Day. Does your house have stairs? If you have the choice of stairs or an elevator, which do you choose?

My apartment building does have stairs, but I live on the ground floor so I almost never need to use them. Only when I go to the basement storage which is the floor below mine.

Always elevator to go up, stairs to go down (unless I’m feeling really poorly, or am with someone who can’t do stairs).

12 – Marzipan Day: Do you like marzipan?

Sure!

13 – Make Your Dream Come True Day: Have you ever had a dream come true? Care to tell the story?

It was my dream growing up to become a librarian, and I did. But permanent librarian jobs are very hard to come by ever since the early 90s depression politician are always “saving” and reducing workers from libraries and other public services and also digitalization, and so I only ever got temp jobs. Then I became chronically ill and can’t work. So the dream came only half-way true.

14 – International Kite Day: Have you ever flown a kite? Have you ever been to a kite festival? Have you ever flown a kite at a kite festival?

Never been to a kite festival. I don’t remember hearing that we have them? Except as maybe an activity within other festivals? I think when I was a kid, we had a kite or other families we knew had one and I flew that? But I’m not sure. It certainly didn’t happen a lot because I don’t have a real memory of it.

15 – World Snow Day: Does it snow where you live? If not, have you ever seen snow? If yes, what do you think of snow?

I live in Finland so we should get lots of snow every winter! We used to when I was a kid in the 70s/80s but the last 20 years it’s gotten less and less, and for shorter and shorter time.

I love snow! Especially when it’s cold enough and it’s snowed enough that the walk ways and roads aren’t icy and there’s a good amount of beaten snow on the ground. My apartment building complex uses a maintenance service which among other things takes care of shoveling snow from the yard and parking lot and walk ways with tractors, so I don’t have to worry about any of that. So I get off easy. People who own their own detached houses, or live in a small apartment building that tries to save money, have to do their own shoveling so I get why a lot of people don’t like snow or just want less of it or less often.

16 – Nothing Day: Should we observe this day by not asking a question? Is it literally possible to do nothing?

I don’t know about other people but I can’t do nothing for more than maybe 10 minutes. But I’m happy to just read the day away, or to do something “unproductive” such as play with my fountain pens. But I can’t like sit and literally do nothing for long.