# Five questions December

It's that time again and these five questions are the first new post
on my SDF phlog. Here we go:

1. Is there anything from 100 years ago you'd like to see revived
today (e.g. motion picture films without preceding advertisements,
serialized novels in general interest mass market periodicals, more
people wearing hats and gloves)?

After having read Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain" recently, I often
think about going to a classic, 1920s-style sanatorium for a couple of
weeks. At least according to this novel, these were places of peace
and contemplation, where a highly structured but almost compulsively
slow-paced daily routine brought calm even to restless minds.

2. What's the best book you've read so far this year?

It's a German book without any translation. The book is called
"Schönwald" by Philipp Oehmke. It is about a German family with some
interesting characteristics. Each member is examined individually, and
all paths lead to a specific culmination and turning point where all
old conflicts come to a head. The book is very topical and set during
Trump's second term in office, with many references to the decline of
the MAGA movement. But even aside from that, I can highly recommend
it.

3. What's your favourite musical discovery ((sub-)subgenre, artist)
this year?

Well, according to my Spotify Wrapped… just kidding. While I can't say
that I discovered something genuinely new, I re-discovered the Cocteau
Twins, which I used to love in my mid-20s. Many of their albums were
remastered recently and I went a couple of weeks listening only to
them. 

4. Share up to five of your favourite 'foreign language' terms and 
expressions, e.g. "sprezzatura" (Italian), "folie à deux" (French). 

* hyggelig - a Danish and Norwegian word that describes a cozy,
contented mood evoked by comfort and conviviality
* sopivasti - a Finnish word describing something that is "just right"
* froufrou - a French term for the rustling of a woman's dress that
consisted of drooping layers of satin or silk. Later, the word came to
be used to describe decoration that was perceived as excessive,
verging on the ridiculous.

5. You can have one person from any time in history call you for
advice and follow what you tell them to do. Whom would you like to
have call you?

I don't really want to tamper with Big History and would never assume
that I would have sound advice for anyone. Instead, this is very
specific. I wish I could advise Charles Ferster to represent his
theory of depression a bit more against cognitivists like Beck in
their 1971 discussion of cognitive vs. behavioral theories of
depression. 

(The psychology of depression: Contemporary theory and research:
Friedman, Raymond, J., & Katz, Martin, M. (Eds.) New York:
Winston/Wiley, 1974)