I DON’T HUG, EXCEPT FAMILY AND ONE OR TWO OTHER VIPs, AND I DON’T SHAKE HANDS.

I was happy when handshakes, and especially hugging of relative strangers, still seemed to be a thing of the pre-pandemic past, and naïvely believed neither would ever come back, since during the pandemic, we proved that they are, at best, unnecessary and pointless.

And within a week or two, everybody got used to not doing it. So why take it up again? How and why did we even start having to hug everybody?

But now both are back, with a vengeance and in full force (unbelievable, since half the population is sick with the seasonal flu or Covid or some other virus), and people insist on both with even more gusto than before, although I am quite sure my body language is very clear.

Hugs should not be reflexes, like ticks or Tourettes, but be reserved for people whom for whatever reason you really want to hug, and enjoy hugging, and handshakes are just stupid constructs, but these days, where my right had is often bandaged (and extremely sore), people try to shake my left hand instead, which is even stupider. What IS the point?

Nowadays, most people seem to be incapable of handling different social rules for different categories of people (complete strangers, acquaintances, friends) and there is one rule: hug everybody, even the person whom you would normally just nod to when passing them in the street.

However, if there has to be only one rule, as far I am concerned it will have to be – HUG NOBODY (with the special exceptions outlined above).

Since it is very difficult to do fireworks justice anyway, there is always ICM.

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Edit 3 January: Postponed once again. I did go to see the exhibition in the museum, but the weather was so bad that I skipped the rest of the programme. I will return as soon as there are new, interesting exhibitions and the weather is more stable.

Note to self: perhaps stay a night or two and include the following in the routes:

Tiergehege Wolfsburg, and the two churches by Alvar Aalso: Stephanus Kirche and Heilig-Geist Kirche.

Original programme:

Phaeno Science Centre designed by Zaha Hadid and Alvar Aalto Kulturhaus (from the outside), Planetarium (from the outside), Islamic Cultural Centre (from the outside) and exhibition in Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg (11.00 to 18.00) featuring works from Charkiwer Schule der Fotografie in an exhibition called Ukrainian Dreamers.

Also buildings designed by Alvar Aalto.

Autostadt Pavilion (from the outside), exhibition in the municipal gallery, opening hours: 10.00—17.00. Read more here: https://www.staedtische-galerie-wolfsburg.de/ausstellungen#fabian-knecht.

Approximate route here.

Both walks led by Eckehard Heiber.

28 December: Historical city walk through Mitte, part of it in my Kiez, or almost – the route on MapMyWalk here. (I left the walk a little more than half way through).

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31 December: Another historical city walk from Blankenfelde via Rosenthal to Schönholzer Heide. The route on MapMyWalk here.

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Took these when I was nearly home:

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On days where it fits in with other activities, I combine breakfast and lunch, usually with a big salad mid morning. The fancy word for that is intermittent fasting. I just call it skipping breakfast.

But on days where I need to eat breakfast, for example when going out for a long(-ish) walk starting relatively early in the day, I often like something with oats, for example overnight oats, as long as they have been enhanced with healthy and flavourful ingredients and are not too sweet. It is practical since it has to be prepared the night before.

For breakfast this morning, I had prepared these in the following way:

For two servings (two persons, or two days, as it will easily keep for another night):

Soak two tblsp chia seeds and two tblsp black sesame seeds in water for a little while, stirring occasionally to prevent the chia seeds from clumping.

Add (EVERYTHING organic, of course):

200 g oats

50 g whole buckwheat

Grated peel of one orange (this especially MUST be organic)

2 tsp cacao – the real, clean stuff, not cocoa: CACAO

2 tsp baobap powder (optional, adds health but not a lot of flavour)

2 tblsp tahin

One pinch salt

One pinch cardamon

1 tsp cinnamon (Ceylon – NOT cassia)

1 tsp ginger powder

One half tsp turmeric

One grated carrot

2 tblsp nuts, chopped, I used hazelnuts this time

One pinch chili (optional – that is just me …..)

4 medjool dates, chopped, more if you like it really sweet

2 tblsp – and this is where I always get stuck – they are like tiny raisins, in Danish: Korender, in German Korinthen, and google does not know what they are in English :-). These too must be organic, otherwise they are waxed and disgusting.

250 dl milk or to your desired texture (I always use a plant milk, this time one with rice and hazelnuts).

Mix well and leave in the fridge overnight. Garnish with yoghurt (I always use a goat yoghurt), pumpkin seeds, berries – whatever you like and have available.

I have received too many “maybes”, some for good reason, but most of them … let’s just say that the number of people in Berlin with commitment issues is astonishing … and not enough “yeses” (less than a handful) to constitute a New Year’s Eve get-together :-).

I have therefore made other plans for the next four days, mostly to do with walking outdoors instead of shopping and preparing, not to mention staying awake till midnight and beyond for people who may or may not show up ……

Last edit: It is probably all for the better, not least because I have now been advised to keep my right hand as immobile as possible until the pain, still considerable, and the swelling, gets worse every time I think it is getting better, go away. Which can take months, and longer the more I use the hand. So, thanks again, clueless, incompetent Berlin traffic planners.