Life Chapters

Landing in a new city and figuring out what to do with it. The underground music scene — Rampue, Solomun — becomes the compass. First real apartment, no furniture, no plan. Long walks. Clubs on weekday nights. Cinema as a social ritual. The era of discovering that a city can change you if you let it.

First real DIY phase — lamp wiring, drilling, Baufassung. Making a Berlin apartment feel like somewhere. Bob Dylan becomes a permanent fixture on the speakers. Attack on Titan arrives and leaves a mark. Curious about everything, committed to nothing yet — but the restlessness is starting to look for direction.

Biodanza, contact improvisation, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona on repeat. DJ Shadow, Peter Fox, and early Google Analytics curiosity. Physical movement practices alongside a growing interest in film and data. A restless, exploratory year — no single obsession, many doors opening.

The peak listening year — 841 hours on Spotify. Xavier Rudd becomes an unlikely obsession: Spirit Bird, Follow the Sun on constant repeat. David Bowie dies in January and stays in the feed all year. Black Mirror lands like a gut punch. Animation resurfaces: The Secret of Kells reveals a whole world of studio craft that wasn't on the radar before.

The quietest music year of the decade — 472 hours, half of 2016 — but the quality is high. Otis Redding and The Beach Boys alongside Dylan. California Dreamin' becomes the most-played track. On screen: Rick and Morty earns a rare 10, Band of Brothers finally gets watched, and The Get Down briefly makes history feel electric.

Netflix becomes a fixture — Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Wife absorb hundreds of hours. Listening settles into a warm, dependable rotation: Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, The Beatles. Summertime becomes the year's most-played track. Future Man sneaks in as a 10. A year of comfort and consolidation rather than discovery.

Nine SNL sketches consumed in quick succession — a pure comedy detox. Then Anthropic and Claude Code videos mark the AI work era becoming real and professional. Dana and the Wolf relationship comedy. Kurzgesagt science deep dives. The Muppets on New Year's Day. Jacques Brel on Spotify signals something nostalgic stirring.

Nine The Office compilation videos watched back to back — pure comfort binge. Burning Man vlogs filling the exploratory gap. Classic music and a heavy Pratchett reading streak. Life was about to change dramatically, but in 2019 it was still the era of long series binges and literary deep dives.

Penn & Teller: Fool Us became an obsession — seven or more episodes watched in succession. A Wes Anderson film trailer deep dive, Cartoon Saloon animation, and the very first One Piece analysis videos. Stuck indoors, leaning into wonder and craft. Music swings between nostalgia (Avicii tributes) and soul.

B.D.A. Law and Ohara One Piece theory videos across the year. A genuine intellectual rabbit hole: lore, symbolism, and the deeper philosophy of the manga. Culminates in a massive New Year's Eve party — Bijou Matinee silent films, Lil Nas X, Mark Rober. Annie O's hot air balloon DJ set in Berlin is the peak of the era.

Childproofing windows, drawer locks, Thule bike trailer for kids — Winnie is on the move. Ukraine war news breaks through the otherwise domestic feed. sleep-o-phant (womb sounds for baby sleep) becomes the single most-played "artist" of the year at 665 hours. A sparse-watching period balanced by a Pratchett reading binge.

Survivor.io game guides take over spring and summer — a pure dopamine-loop phase. Then a single video in March 2023: the first ChatGPT explainer. The AI era begins quietly in the YouTube feed. National Geographic and History Channel documentaries. A hard SF reading streak — Simmons, Tchaikovsky, Islington — that doesn't stop.

Legends of Andor and Caverna board game tutorials mark the start of a whole new hobby. Angèle (Belgian indie pop) arriving strongly in the feed — a rediscovery of roots. Coffeezilla investigative journalism, Montessori parenting, a brief crypto phase, and Made in Abyss anime trailers. Soul and Motown return on Spotify.

Solo Leveling and Pantheon anime arrive as serious contenders. Flock Together board game adds another hobby layer. Tom Scott architecture videos, whittle carving, and the Berlin illusion museum. Miro interview technique tips suggest a job search in the mix. Music turns more eclectic — Belgian chanson, Cari Cari, Rodríguez.