Christina

Back in Minneapolis for the first time in about a year was strange. Not much had changed in the city, and I felt like I had to go back to my old apartment there when it kept dawning on me 'Christina, you don't live here anymore! It was just surreal. I thought that some bad things that happened to me ( a lot of shit happened to me a year ago) would come back to 'haunt' me, but nothing has. I'm a different person now and my frame of mind has changed, I'm a lot more easy going now. maybe. I'm defintely not the stressball I was when I was at Uni. Terra was very quick to point that out right away. I just don't let things bother me as much. I think it's from defending yourself on your own across the world for one year.

Some things have changed. Terra ladygaia has a lovely, new place and has the cutest kitty!!!! Her name is Lydia. I love that cat. She even cuddled up and slept with me during the night. awww. <333 RockStar & Aquavit are both shut down, Let it Be Records was closed yesterday :( but it looks exactly the same from the outside. Oh, and there's a billboard with two half-naked men on it next to the Hotel Amsterdam. That wasn't there before either. heh. ;) We (I don't know if I should admit this or not *l*)went to the Mall of Death yesterday and it was worse than I remembered it! I knew it was kind of yuppie-ish, but yeah...after Barnes & Noble you run out of places to go, fast.

I kept commenting that the buildings downtown were 'so big!!' lol. I thought that was funny myself...

New Year's Eve was fab! The party was at Spike's spikenheimer's house. Thosquanta played a live set. I think they sound like Covenant meets the Sneaker Pimps! That's a big compliment from me.I met susina and she seemed really cool :)
I had tummy problems so I had to keep going upstairs, it also made me quieter so I didn't socialize as much as I probably would...but I had a good time! :)

I can still tell that after a week here, I'm still going through culture shock. oi.
Well, when I finally adapt I'll be leaving and then I'll miss it because I'm just that way. :p I don't understand why the American news media tries to make everybody so paranoid (okay i know, it's for control) and why the American media keeps searching for some type of American royalty..(see the Hiltons...) and why all the music is so ansty all the time. *shakes head* whatever.

2003-lookingback-survey:
1. What did you do in 2003 that you'd never done before?: became independent in London, England and Dublin, Ireland, ask my crush out on a date (and he said 'yes'!), went to Germany and saw Dachau, worked for Amnesty International Irish Section, saw the Manic Street Preachers live, was in my 1st band in London, saw the Dandy Warhols live, got more 'street smart', also got a bit 'colder', a lot 'stronger', and didn't buy a Madonna album ;)

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I never have them. I have one this year but i can't tell. ;)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My cousin Stephanie had my goddaughter, Sidoni on 18 May.
4. Did anyone close to you die? My dog Blossom died. I cried for the entire first 2 weeks of 2003. because a bunch of people close to me died at the end of 2002. It was really really horrible. I thought i'd spend all of 2003 crying and mourning. it was insane.
5. What countries did you visit? UK, France, Ireland, Germany, USA
6. What would you like to have in 2004 that you lacked in 2003? don't trust people as easily as I did. Take better care of myself.
7. What date from 2003 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? many dates. I'll go with 28 July. my 23rd birthday.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? becoming fully independant and living in central london.
9. What was your biggest failure?Choosing to take an easier, but in the end a stupid decision, which was made even before I got to the UK in the first place, so maybe that's 2002's biggest failure...hm. Now I've learned that sometimes the harder way has to be the way to go.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I spent a lovely night in Dublin with my head in the toilet, yeah. I also injured my knee in Dublin and it's still not healed. :( I'm not limping anymore but when I put pressure on it, it still hurts.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Those Dublin> London< Dublin plane tickets. hehe.
12.Whose behavior merited celebration? What!!?! Jen...
13.Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?hahahahahaahahah..ask Jen ;)
14. Where did most of your money go? Rent, food, band stuff, traveling.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? seeing the Dandy Warhols and the Manics...especially since I knew I was going to see the Manics only 15 minutes before I left for it. Sam rocks. lol
16.What song(s) will always remind you of 2003?
The Darkness- "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" (listening to it now..<333333)
Kylie- Slow
Oasis- Stop Crying Your Heart Out
Rachel Stevens- Sweet Dreams my L.A. Ex (I hate that song, but it was on the radio every 10 minutes...)
Westlife- Mandy (same as above)
anything on the Manics Lipstick Traces album Esp. 'Judge Yr'self'.
anything on the Dandy Warhols' Welcome to the Monkey Basket album
Dandy Warhols- 'Horse Pills'
Duran Duran's Wedding and Greatest Hits albums
The Pogues- 'If I Should Fall by the Grace of God' and 'London Girls'
Meredith Brooks- 'Bitch'
Pulp- 'Common People'
U2- Still Haven't Found what I'm looking for
Sugababes- 'Hole in the Head' and 'Too Lost in You'
Annie Lennox- 'Why'
No Doubt- 'It's My Life' (Talk Talk cover)
David Bowie- 'New Killer Star'
The Clash- 'Tommy Gun'
Mark Owen- 'Four Minute Warning'
All the Pretty Horses'Creature album
Madonna- Hollywood
anything by Turbonegro
anything by Serafin
17.Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier. much.
ii. thinner or fatter? I'm thinner, but it's way too easy to gain weight here...I need to go on the treadmill or something...
iii.richer or poorer? poorer. just a bit though.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I did a lot of everything. ;) Ask Jen..lol..I stretched myself to the limit.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? stress myself out ....I've learned not to do that nearly as much....so stupid...
20.How will you be spending New Year's?see above. at spikenheimer's NYE party!
21Compared to this time last year, has your biggest crush receded or gotten stronger?receded....to nothing. it's easy to do when they move thousands of miles away now.
22. Did you fall in love in 2003?No.
23How many one-night stands? private information ;) :p!! I'm trying to be somewhat classy on this thing..;) I remember walking down the rainy streets and Jen saying 'At least I haven't had sex with the world!!'!! It was a joke, a joke. I hope it was a joke. hahaha..okay, all the class has just disappeared *l* Then she called me a "world class culture slut". Thanks Jen, I love you too. :x...I'm pure and innocent!!!!! *looks around* really. ;)
24. What was your favorite TV program?V Graham Norton, MTV2 Europe
25Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? oh fuck yeah.....but it's stupid to waste energy on hate, so I never think about it.

26. What was the best book you read? 'If this Was Happiness', the biography on Rita Hayworth.
27. What were your greatest musical discoveries? All the Pretty Horses, Sugababes new stuff, Manics rare stuff, The Darkness.
28What did you want and get? Money. Dinero. Geld.
29. What did you want and not get? David Bowie's Pin-Ups and Low albums.
30. What was your favorite film of this year? Some Like it Hot! Very old, but was very new to me. <33
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Went to Garlic'n'Shots with Becky Jen and ex-bandmates, got presents, drank £115 worth of drinks, spent the night in Becky's 4-star hotel room. I was 23. I'm an old fart. ;)
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? no more drama!!!! no more dealing with immature brats!!
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2003? It went from glammish normal to glammish/gothish trying to focus on my own personal style more(you wouldn't guess that at the NYE party tho...lol)
34. What kept you sane? Jen and my own personal drive. I'm very stubborn. I never give up.....;)
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Nicky Wire. I never thought of him like that until I saw him in person... yum.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? Oh. we're not going into that here...I'm sure I'm annoying people enough by non-lj cutting this ;)
37. Who did you miss? Terra ladygaia, Becky miss_lixx, and Sarah.
38. Who was the best new person(s) you met? Robin, Jen, Sam, Dave, Stephen, Sebastian, Kevin, Jesse, Ben, Fiona and Heather (again!!) haha ;)
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2003: go after what you want in life and make sure you know what you're dealing with.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: 'I have earned my disllusionment. I have been working all of my life....I have been fighting the good fight'- Ani Difranco, Not a Pretty Girl.

oh and Terra ladygaia burned me her Creatures album!! (Siouxsie Sioux's latest band...) it's fab! thankyou sweetie! *hugs*

EDIT: I JUST GOT A PACKAGE FROM ROBIN!!!!!!! LOVEYOU!!!!!! X10!!! SHE MADE ME COOKIES!!! *many Portland/Minnesota dancy hugs and goes to listen to the Darkness in your honour* ;) I miss you!! You made my day :D well, obviously. ;)