the year in review

Maya wanted top 5 lists, but I had more than five top records and then, in other categories, couldn't quite reach five or had to slightly exceed that number...what I'm trying to say is that this year-in-review is all over the damn place....

Top 10 records
1. Illinoise Sufjan Stevens
2. Plans - Death Cab for Cutie
3. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning - Bright Eyes
4. Escape from Dragon House - Dengue Fever
5. Guero - Beck
6. Celebration Castle - the Ponys
7. The Woods - Sleater- Kinney
8. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
9. Kaiser Chiefs - Kaiser Chiefs
10. The Great Destroyer - Low

Top five songs
1. Boulevard of Broken Dreams mash-up - Green Day/Oasis/Travis/Aerosmith
2. Jumpers - Sleater-Kinney
3. Hello, Tomorrow - Karen O.
4. Crooked Teeth - Death Cab for Cutie
5. Girl - Beck


Top 2 disappointing records
1. Late Registration - Kanye West.
(I loved the first record and this one - although it had great moments - just fell short for me).
2. Twin Cinema - New Pornographers
(I tried and I tried, but just could not get into this record).

Top 5 shows
1. Alejandro Escovedo - Palms
2. Robbie Fulks - Palms
3. Baby Grand - Luna's
4. Paul McCartney - ARCO Arena
5. Pernice Brothers / Jim White - Great American Music Hall


Top 3 Movies
I realized I didn't see very many movies in the theater this year - and there are a bunch I want to see between now and the Oscars (Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Narnia etc). Of the films I did see, many disappointed me in one way or another so in the end I could only come up with three 2005 films that I really really liked:

1. Me & You and Everyone We Know
2. March of the Penguins
3. Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic

Top 5 6 7 TV shows
1. Gilmore Girls
2. America's Next Top Model
3. Survivor
4. Desperate Housewives
5. Entourage
6. The O.C.
7. The Daily Show

Top 4 books
I rarely buy brand-new hardcovers and then actually read them during the year in which they were released so I'm cheating a little here with just my favorite reads.

1. Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
2. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson
3. Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight - Alexandra Fuller
4. Nickel & Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich

Top 4 Celebrity Crushes
1. Anderson Cooper - CNN
2. Andy Samberg (SNL)
3. Adam Brody - but only as Seth Cohen
4. Sarah Silverman

Top 5 Favorite Web sites
1. BoingBoing
2. Chocolate & Zucchini
3. Television Without Pity
4. Jossip
5. Not Martha


Top 5 personal moments
(not necessarily in order of importance - also, it looks like August and May were very good months for me)

1. Bought a house (May)
2. Celebrated sixth wedding anniversary (August)
3. Received actual physical grad school diploma in the mail (May)
4. Did first-ever non-school related poetry/prose reading (August)
5. Visited with aunt whom I hadn't seen in nearly 10 years (August)


Happy birthday Becca! And Happy New Year to everyone.....