The agenda assumes that I had a lousy 2013. What’s the definition of a good year or bad year anyway? Julie Joliat hopes to make it better by suggesting the owner of a book a new challenge every week to spice up the year. I love hammams, but we don’t have any in Maastricht so I guess I won’t visit one this week. Last week the Swiss graphic designer suggested to fast for 3 days. I have done that once in 2013. Indeed, It gives you a better feeling. But I just came back from Cafe Sjiek, a restaurant known for their Belgian style fries and big portions of red meat so that suggestion hasn’t made anything better yet. It’s winter(ish) – how can anyone fast now?

I leaf through the pages of the agenda and the suggestions are getting better. Or easier to fulfill. ‘Make a list of things you want to do or ways you want to improve your life – week 3’ (I want to run every morning but most times I work too late) ‘Change the layout of your home – week 4’ (I do it all the time already and it gives me pleasure – your home is your castle, right?) ‘Sing – week 7’ (no way. I am a crap singer!) ‘Talk to somebody you don’t know’ (a pleasures activity) ‘Make an apple-pie for a neighbour (I hope all of them read this and will be nice to me. More than usual :) ‘spend this week without consuming any alcohol or drugs – week 42’ (Julie is obviously assuming people do drugs all the time. And assumption is the fuck-up for everything, Tom Astrella told me) ‘Start studying a language you have always wanted to learn – week 31’ (I wish to relearn French. I mean, how can 7 years of school French be completely gone in someone’s brain?) … plenty of things to scratch from the to do list.

When I started to write this I aimed to write a brief review of the past year and add some news about 2014. But I had a change of heart. Before dinner I attended the New Year’s reception of 4 cultural institutions from Maastricht: Jan van Eyck, Marres, Bonnefanten Museum and Academy of Fine Arts. It was a big gathering with many people. It was busy and loud, but ‘gezellig’. Each conversation started with ‘Beste wensen’. Once the new year begins people try to do things better than the year before. They wish for the best and hope for new energies. I got myself quite some things lined up this year but insetad of thinking too much about the past and to show-off about the future I enjoyed to read all this possible activities when I got home. Apparently they will make the year better. I think my Depot Basel colleague Laura Pregger was aiming for some spare time when she gave the nicely layouted agenda to me. Less work, more fun? I admit that I like working. As long as I do, I want to keep it that way. Hence we will see what this year will bring and how we can make the best of it. For a fact I know I won’t disconnect from internet (week 39) but I will go to the zoo (week 25).