January started out cold, and loud. At midnight, the fireworks around the city were exploding, and we had a sixth-floor view from which to take it all in. Naturally, they had begun days earlier in Neukölln, but even all those firecrackers set off on street corners were nothing compared to the array of shows welcoming 2012.
The new year also brought the first real snow of the winter; although it had snowed in December, none of it ever stuck or stayed on the ground. Instead, it was insanely cold, although I had little idea how much worse February would be. But for me, it’s the first time living in a place where there are winters. Surprisingly, I’ve become rather acclimated.
Still, something adding to my coldness was the fact that I ate raw in the month of January. My decision to begin the year with a detox definitely gave me less calories to burn, which means I was always cold. But I ate about 90 percent raw (with the exception of some nuts) and although there were a few negative side effects, there were many positives, including clearer skin, faster-growing hair and nails, more energy, and a regular sleep schedule.
I also went to a lot of shows during January. There were plenty of interviews I did where I wasn’t able to (or too tired to) attend the shows, but here are the ones I made it to:
6th – Kid Ikarus at Multilayerladen
14th – In Golden Tears (Photos) at Magnet Club
15th – Dead to Me (Interview) at Ramones Museum
17th – La Dispute (Interview/Photos), Former Thieves (Photos), and Cannoneer (Photos) at Magnet Club
20th – Ter Haar (Interview/Photos), Citizens (Interview/Photos), Age of Consent (Interview) at Magnet Club
Memorable moments include: dancing drunk to MGMT in the kitchen with my roommate on NYE, hiking to the top of Teufelsberg in the dark and the mud, reading the entire Hunger Games trilogy in about a week, and writing four poems in four days (that I’m actually kind of proud of).