Déjà Vu

Something that comes with age (...and I will turn a year older this week) is that you not only catch yourself thinking that you've seen - and worn - a lot of fashion trends before, decades ago, but that you meet people or end up in situations that are eerily familiar. 

At the beginning of my time at the Firm there was a colleague who, in retrospect, was partly a hiring mistake for that role (it was an internal transfer) and partly was treated with a distinct lack of emotional intelligence and leadership competence by her manager, who happened to be mine, too. In a nutshell, we could watch her getting more stressed by the day, become very emotional to the point of paranoia and it really put a strain on everything and everyone at work. Back then, in all honesty, part of me felt relieved that it was not ME who was in her shitty situation and who had to bear the brunt of our boss's moods. Mind you, I ended up in a not too dissimilar constellation a few years later myself that I eventually escaped by changing teams. 

These days, there are first signs that a similar drama is about to evolve and I am not prepared to be as passive and quiet any more, but want to contribute to a "de-escalation" if you so will.
In other news and also on the subject of déjà vu, I wonder if I might be on the fast track to becoming a bit too emotionally dependant on and comfortable with somebody I have spent a lot of time with lately, as they simultaneously fit the role of sibling, best friend and substitute for a partner perfectly. Not  that I am too concerned, really, but...watchful, for my own good.

Only Child

When this post goes live I'll hopefully be preparing for breakfast in Paris. When I booked the flight at the end of October, there were no protests there yet. Myself, I am not concerned for my safety as I am not planning to seek out any places that smell of danger and imminent escalation. My Mum, however, made remarks along the lines of "Who in their right mind visits Paris these days?!" as I knew she would. I am an only child and for as long as I can remember, my parents have been worried about me...and I have been doing exactly what they did not want me to. Mum does not want me to drive a scooter? Just pester Dad long enough until he caves. Parents implore you not to visit Northern Ireland (back then, still a rather tumultuous place) during my Erasmus year in Dublin: just say "yay, yay" and then go there anyway. Same with some holiday destinations, such as a planned visit to South Korea a few years ago when - pre Trump, but still - there was considerable tension because of heated rhetoric regarding nuclear strikes. Do I need to mention that I did not cancel my trip?

So. Now Paris. Parents not that happy. Daughter going there anyway.

Everything But the Sea

Last Sunday as I was ice-skating with a friend, we agreed that Vienna is pretty much the best place to live when it comes to recreational options. Outdoor swimming and other water sports in summer and ice-skating in winter right in the city centre and slopes just an hour away. Brief tangent: I am SO happy about all this snow right now (not that I want people to be snowed in or die in avalanches, of course) as it makes me think nostalgically of the winters of my childhood that I remember as white, mainly. This is most likely a gross exaggeration of my faulty memory, but never mind.
In a lot of other countries, people can only dream about such luxuries that I, personally, really appreciate and would not want to change for the world. I also love that several other European capitals are only a short drive or train ride away, depending which part of Austria you live in. It only occurred to me that this was not in fact the norm when I was on an Erasmus year in Dublin and hardly anyone in my History of Art class raised their hands when the lecturer asked who had ever been to Italy and seen some of the art we were discussing in the original. Admittedly, this was more than 20 years ago, pre-Celtic Tiger and before Ryanair got really big and affordable, but even so, it made me realise that having grown up in a town where driving to Italy for lunch and shopping was a pretty standard Saturday occupation made me stand out like a unicorn from my Irish classmates. It is all a matter of perspective. The Irish of my generation all have (more or less fond) memories of school trips to Bulgaria for skiing, which for Austrians of course is a very odd and eccentric idea what with all those mountains right at our doorstep. Similarly one of my ex-managers at the Firm would tell me about day-trips to Denmark which is not that far away from Hamburg, where he lives. Denmark is about as "exotic" to Austrians as Italy is to the Irish. 

The only thing I wish we (still) had is access to the sea. Other than that: no complaints.

Empties

While, again, I don't have any BIG, worthy New Year's resolutions along the lines of saving the world, inventing the cure for cancer or single-handedly putting a stop to global warming, I do have a mini resolution...also again: using up my HUGE stash of cosmetics and make-up products before I buy new ones. In the jargon of YouTube beauty gurus this means "hitting pan" or achieving "empties". This might sound like a minor feat, but for me, coming across the beckoning aisles of drugstores in countries like France (hyped beauty insider products!), Bulgaria (OMG, so cheap and such great quality!) and Korea (cutting-edge science that will not arrive in Europe anytime soon!) is a hard test to my shopaholic heart. Also, Niche Beauty's bi-annual (at least) "goodie bags" that you get once you purchase over a certain (rather high) threshold are very tempting...as are the vouchers I receive from local brands where I own loyalty cards. So...small step for mankind, big step for yours truly: don't buy any more stuff until you have used up some.