100 things

Many web sites feature a ’100 things about me’ list. It is a good way of adding some personality to what may otherwise appear as a never-ending stream of inconsistent rants, so I decided to have a go at one, too.

1. I consider myself the luckiest person in the world.
2. Really, I do.
3. But, as a clever person once told me, nothing lasts forever.
4. Not that I am going to sit back and wait for that moment in time to arrive, though.
5. I very rarely think long and hard about major decisions.
6. While others have their religion, my life is guided by serendipity.
7. I have no idols.
8. But I admire bits and pieces of most people.
9. The most desirable characteristic of a human is the ability to laugh at oneself. A lot.
10. That is what separates most humans from animals.
11. Street knowledge is up there in the same category.
12. I would not know how to define it though.
13. Patience is a gift.
14. That I am not overly blessed with.
15. But I am a very slow eater in the morning.
16. Which makes me frustrated.
17. So I have been accused of looking like a bored kid when spending 20 minutes chewing on a piece of bread.
18. I anticipate all meals eagerly.
19. And love to cook.
20. But cannot stand food snobbery.
21. I even thought of naming my first-born, Kebab Kid.
22. Isobel is a pretty name.
23. And the title of a great song.
24. I love music.
25. How original.
26. There is something painfully boring about statements that no-one would ever disagree with, like the one above (24).
27. It goes for people seeking legitimacy under labels such as ‘good’ and ‘ethical’ as well.
28. Of course, we all want to do what is ‘good.’
29. But ‘good’ is nothing but an empty signifier.
30. Just like ‘truth.’
31. Language is a curious thing.
32. I have become much more aware of the performative aspects of language since moving abroad.
33. I have been living in the UK for almost 5 years.
34. I like it here.
35. But would never want to raise my kids here.
36. I feel nauseated when non-native speakers adopt a posh English accent.
37. And return to the Continent after a weekend in London having trouble finding the right words in their own language.
38. Grow up.
39. I am all for dialects and accents.
40. Embarrassingly, I sound like such a person (37) when trying to give an account of my research in Danish.
41. Attending university is the best decision I ever made.
42. Doing research is da bomb because it never ends.
43. Being a PhD student sucks.
44. Being a PhD student rocks.
45. I struggle not to criticise everything all the time.
46. Including who I am and what I do myself.
47. The petty politics of academia is awful.
48. Academic talent and leadership skills rarely mix.
49. My interest in birds dates back as far as I can remember
50. I own at least 20 books about birds.
51. When hearing bird song I usually know the species right away.
52. I am fascinated by the sound of sirens.
53. And industrial activity such as cargo trains being loaded in the night.
54. If I could dine with any person in history, I would go for sushi with Hitler
55. Or treat Gorm the Old along with Albert Einstein to a culinary experience at The Fat Duck.
56. “Hello, I would like to make a reservation for three people…”
56. Everyone should be forced to read Arendt’s ‘Eichmann in Jerusalem.’
57. Literacy is sexy.
58. Of all living people, I would most like to meet the pope.
59. I wonder if he knows how to cook.
60. I have a mental list of things I want to do before I die.
61. And a secret pact with a friend.
62. Maybe you will know about it once the plan materialises.
63. I have a great family and the best friends in the world.
64. We have done so many stupid things together that I sometimes wonder how we ever made it to this point.
65. We are probably really annoying to have over for dinner.
66. Because we can always tell stories that are even further out.
67. Like the time T wanted to prove that you can easily touch the electric wires overhanging the street.
68. Maybe it was not that easy after all.
69. I am a firm believer in granting kids leeway to set their own limits.
70. The most beautiful country on earth is Greenland.
71. Sleeping on a glacier is divine.
72. I lied when I talked about idols earlier.
73. Rasmussen, Nansen, Scott, and Shackleton are all part of the reason why that is the case.
74. ‘Classic’ polar exploration makes me want to go back in time.
75. But I think that is down to the ‘granny effect’
76. The ‘granny effect’ is the peculiar thing that happens when horrible things are rendered wonderful in retrospect.
77. Along the lines of, “We were beaten up every day, and we loved it.”
78. A lot of ‘wonderful’ things can be attributed to this.
79. I got really tired of rigid institutions when I did my national service.
80. And promised myself I would never say that I had a good time.
81. But occasionally I say stupid things such as, “I had a great time.”
82. I have no problem following orders, though.
83. Or pushing myself a little.
84. I want to complete an ironman race within the next three years.
85. And cross the Greenlandic Ice Cap.
86. The Nansen way.
87. I know the crew already.
88. Speaking of dreams, I often imagine myself navigating a boat made of crispy chicken skin down a river of Cocio.
89. Cocio is the greatest product ever to come out of Denmark.
90. Even better than the fairy tales of youknowwho.
91. Whose first and middle name I share.
92. Yes, my name is Hans Christian, and I spent my teenage years a stone’s throw from his birthplace.
93. My name is in neither Hanzi nor Gans, as the Russians say.
94. Gans? What kind of name is that anyway.
’95 was the year I first went to Roskilde Festival.
’96 was the second.
’97 was the third.
’98 until this year, just before going to bed, I would always select my clothes for the following day and place them in a pile according to my own specific system. Trousers below, socks and underwear on top.
99. I cannot wait to start working in a real job.
100. But first I need to finish my thesis.