Seventy Freakin Movies

Seventy. That's a lot of movies. Plus we, at long last, have a brand new #1 movie of the year. Considering it's been the same #1 since I first posted the list, I'd say this is pretty sweet. I've seen a lot of the better 2008 movies since we last met, blog readers, so check out the top of the list and whatnot. Also, effing comment already.

Announcement: I have a 2nd blog that appeals to you all even less than this one: http://scarcerecords.blogspot.com/

I don't know why you'd want to read me rambling on about records (vinyl) but I do it anyway.

About a week ago I started working out of the "South Metro" office of Neighbor Newspapers. I now cover Fayette, Henry, Clayton and South Fulton counties. Alone. This amounts to me being very busy at work but it's not so bad.

I am addicted to Twitter. I am also quite fond of eBay. I've got to start using this blog to share shit I find online because I can't think of any good reason for you to be reading it.

Duke basketball is #1 in the country and I am firmly convinced they are the best team in the country at the moment. What they did to Maryland the other day was amazing. I can't wait to see what they do to Wake Forest tomorrow night and then the hurting they'll put on UNC in a few weeks. I love this team as much as any Duke team since 2002.

Soooooooo here's the 70 movies, surrounded by a few of my favorite GIF files. Enjoy.

70. Happening, The
69. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
68. Eye, The
67. Mamma Mia
66. Jumper
65. Promotion, The
64. Family That Preys, The
63. Charlie Bartlett
62. Zombie Strippers
61. Drillbit Taylor
60. Definitely, Maybe
59. Incredible Hulk, The
58. Journey To The Center Of The Earth
57. House Bunny, The
56. Baby Mama
55. Semi-Pro
54. Tale Of Despereaux, The
53. Hancock
52. Meet Dave
51. Hamlet 2
50. Hellboy 2
49. What Happens In Vegas
48. You Don't Mess With The Zohan
47. Step Brothers
46. Wanted
45. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
44. Yes Man
43. Marley & Me
42. Zack And Miri Make A Porno
41. Love Guru, The
40. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
39. Fools Gold
38. Pineapple Express
37. Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The
36. Appaloosa
35. Choke
34. Valkyrie
33. In Bruges
32. Australia
31. Happy-Go-Lucky
30. Leatherheads
29. Felon
28. Kung Fu Panda
27. Horton Hears A Who
26. Tropic Thunder
25. Rocker, The
24. Boy A
23. Deception
22. Revolutionary Road
21. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
20. Vantage Point
19. Milk
18. Get Smart
17. Role Models
16. Wrestler, The
15. Bolt
14. Let The Right One In
13. Gran Torino
12. Doubt
11. Burn After Reading
10. Iron Man
9. Changeling
8. Seven Pounds
7. Frost/Nixon
6. Man On Wire
5. My Blueberry Nights
4. Dark Knight, The
3. Synecdoche New York
2. WALL-E
1. Slumdog Millionaire

My Oscar Predictions

Here are my 2008 Oscar picks. The nominees just came out. I'm not overly thrilled with some of the choices but here are my predictions. I'll link you back to this post after all of my predictions come true. I copied and pasted from IMDB so if the text seems huge or links are involved then forgive me.

81st Annual Academy Awards^®

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Ceán Chaffin, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall

Frost/Nixon (2008): Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner

Milk (2008): Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks

The Reader (2008): Nominees to be determined

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Christian Colson

MY PICK: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Nominees:

Richard Jenkins for The Visitor (2007/I)

Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon (2008)

Sean Penn for Milk (2008)

Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)

MY PICK: Frank Langella (But I'd wager on Penn)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Nominees:

Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Angelina Jolie for Changeling (2008)

Melissa Leo for Frozen River (2008)

Meryl Streep for Doubt (2008/I)

Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)

MY PICK: Angelina Jolie (But I'd wager on Winslet)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Nominees:

Josh Brolin for Milk (2008)

Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder (2008)

Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt (2008/I)

Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)

Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road (2008)

MY PICK: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominees:

Amy Adams for Doubt (2008/I)

Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Viola Davis for Doubt (2008/I)

Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler (2008)

MY PICK: Taraji P. Henson (The ONLY Oscar this movie deserves)

Best Achievement in Directing

Nominees:

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Stephen Daldry for The Reader (2008)

David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon (2008)

Gus Van Sant for Milk (2008)

MY PICK: Danny Boyle

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Nominees:

Frozen River (2008): Courtney Hunt

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008): Mike Leigh

In Bruges (2008): Martin McDonagh

Milk (2008): Dustin Lance Black

WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon

MY PICK: WALL-E

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Roth, Robin Swicord

Doubt (2008/I): John Patrick Shanley

Frost/Nixon (2008): Peter Morgan

The Reader (2008): David Hare

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Simon Beaufoy

MY PICK: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Nominees:

Changeling (2008): Tom Stern

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Claudio Miranda

The Dark Knight (2008): Wally Pfister

The Reader (2008): Roger Deakins, Chris Menges

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Anthony Dod Mantle

MY PICK: Slumdog Millionaire (but Changeling is equally deserving)

Best Achievement in Editing

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter

The Dark Knight (2008): Lee Smith

Frost/Nixon (2008): Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill

Milk (2008): Elliot Graham

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Chris Dickens

MY PICK: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Achievement in Art Direction

Nominees:

Changeling (2008): James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

The Dark Knight (2008): Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando

The Duchess (2008): Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway

Revolutionary Road (2008): Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt

MY PICK: Changeling (But I'd wager on Rev Road)

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Nominees:

Australia (2008): Catherine Martin

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Jacqueline West

The Duchess (2008): Michael O'Connor

Milk (2008): Danny Glicker

Revolutionary Road (2008): Albert Wolsky

MY PICK: The Duchess (But I'd wager on Ben Button)

Best Achievement in Makeup

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Greg Cannom

The Dark Knight (2008): John Caglione Jr., Conor O'Sullivan

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008): Mike Elizalde, Thomas Floutz

MY PICK: Benjamin Button (reluctantly)

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Alexandre Desplat

Defiance (2008): James Newton Howard

Milk (2008): Danny Elfman

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman

WALL·E (2008): Thomas Newman

MY PICK: Thomas Newman - WALL-E

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Nominees:

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Gulzar("Jai Ho")

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Maya Arulpragasam("O Saya")

WALL·E (2008): Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman("Down to Earth")

MY PICK: Down To Earth (WALL-E)

Best Achievement in Sound

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten

The Dark Knight (2008): Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

WALL·E (2008): Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt

Wanted (2008): Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt

MY PICK: WALL-E (Wouldn't be surprised to see the Dark Knight take this one)

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Nominees:

The Dark Knight (2008): Richard King

Iron Man (2008): Frank E. Eulner, Christopher Boyes

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Tom Sayers

WALL·E (2008): Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood

Wanted (2008): Wylie Stateman

MY PICK: WALL-E (Same as above about TDK)

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

The Dark Knight (2008): Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Timothy Webber, Paul J. Franklin

Iron Man (2008): John Nelson, Ben Snow, Daniel Sudick, Shane Mahan

MY PICK: Benjamin Button (unfortunately)

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Nominees:

Bolt (2008): Chris Williams, Byron Howard

Kung Fu Panda (2008): John Stevenson, Mark Osborne

WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton

MY PICK: WALL-E

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Nominees:

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008)(Germany)

Entre les murs (2008)(France)

Revanche (2008)(Austria)

Okuribito (2008)(Japan)

Vals Im Bashir (2008)(Israel)

MY PICK: Vals Im Bashir (aka Waltz With Bashir)

Best Documentary, Features

Nominees:

The Betrayal - Nerakhoon (2008): Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath

Encounters at the End of the World (2007): Werner Herzog, Henry Kaiser

The Garden (2008/I): Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Man on Wire (2008): James Marsh, Simon Chinn

Trouble the Water (2008): Tia Lessin, Carl Deal

MY PICK: Man On Wire

Best Short Film, Animated

Nominees:

La Maison en Petits Cubes: Kunio Kato

Ubornaya istoriya - lyubovnaya istoriya (2007): Konstantin Bronzit

Oktapodi (2007): Emud Mokhberi, Thierry Marchand

Presto (2008): Doug Sweetland

This Way Up (2008): Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes

MY PICK: Presto

I Would Be Excited But...

I would be excited today... inauguration day... but... I am a raging racist.

Not really.

More importantly, I now have Twitter. I have taken the plunge. I am not overly proud of it but if you have it, look me up. You can see some of my updates on the right. I added the Twitter widget for Blogger. I have also been adding a lot of links to the link section. The recommended spending section has especially seen a big overhaul.

I am going to be selling some records & dvds in the next week. I'll probably post them on here with prices (because I'll be posting them damn near everywhere) but if you're interested in trading with me, drop me a line.

I am up to 68 movies on the 2008 movie list. When I see two more I'll post the list again. We have a brand new #1 movie for 2008. That's right, something has taken over WALL-E.

Until then...

I Think I'm In Love

So I just got my Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock bottle and $11+tax gets you two glasses. I have to say: it's totally worth it. I think I'm in love. With this beer.

This brings me up to 32 different types of Samuel Adams tried.

The list:

Types of Samuel Adams Tried

	Boston Lager
	Sam Adams Light
	180 (Boston Restaurant Exclusive)
	1790 Root Beer Brew
	Black Lager
	Boston Ale
	Brown Ale
	Cherry Wheat Chocolate Bock
	Cranberry Lambic
	Cream Stout
	Double Bock
	George Washington Porter
	Hefeweizen
	Holiday Porter
	Honey Porter
	Imperial Pilsner
	Irish Red
	James Madison Dark Wheat Ale
	Longshot Boysenberry Wheat
	Longshot Dortmunder Export
	Longshot Grape Pale Ale
	Longshot Old Ale
	Longshot Weizenbock
	Octoberfest
	Old Fezziwig Ale
	Pale Ale
	Scotch Ale
	Summer Ale
	Traditional Ginger Honey Ale
	White Ale
	Winter Lager

Make That Sixty

All sorts of good stuff going on lately. I interviewed for a new, awesome job (more on that if the news is good). I have been watching a ton of great movies. My college basketball team is unexpectedly the best in the ACC and 2nd best in the country. Their rival is unexpectedly the worst in the ACC. My baseball team just signed an icon from the city I live in (quite possibly the greatest conversation piece ever). Even my personal life has taken an unexpectedly good turn.

It only took a few days but I've seen 10 more movies since the last post. We're up to 60 on the year and another 10 should be coming just as quick (I've had a surprising amount of free time and a lot of people who like doing this crap with me).

60. Happening, The
59. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
58. Eye, The
57. Mamma Mia
56. Jumper
55. Promotion, The
54. Charlie Bartlett
53. Zombie Strippers
52. Drillbit Taylor
51. Definitely, Maybe
50. Incredible Hulk, The
49. Journey To The Center Of The Earth
48. House Bunny, The
47. Baby Mama
46. Semi-Pro
45. The Tale Of Despereaux
44. Hancock
43. Meet Dave
42. Hamlet 2
41. Hellboy 2
40. What Happens In Vegas
39. You Don't Mess With The Zohan
38. Step Brothers
37. Wanted
36. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
35. Love Guru, The
34. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
33. Fools Gold
32. Pineapple Express
31. Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The
30. Appaloosa
29. Valkyrie
28. In Bruges
27. Australia
26. Happy-Go-Lucky
25. Felon
24. Kung Fu Panda
23. Horton Hears A Who
22. Tropic Thunder
21. Boy A
20. Deception
19. Revolutionary Road
18. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
17. Vantage Point
16. Get Smart
15. Role Models
14. The Wrestler
13. Bolt
12. Let The Right One In
11. Gran Torino
10. Burn After Reading
9. Iron Man
8. Changeling
7. Seven Pounds
6. Frost/Nixon
5. Man On Wire
4. My Blueberry Nights
3. Dark Knight, The
2. Synecdoche New York
1. WALL-E

The 50 I've Seen So Far

As promised, I won't post the damned movie list unless there are at least 5 or 10 new movies to add to it. Here we have 10 since the last update. As always, they are bolded. These 10 were among the best of the year as we get into Oscar season.

In fact, 5 of the 10 make the cutoff for must buy (the cutoff is between Get Smart and Vantage Point). Even the worst of the 10 (Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa) was a really good one.

I'll be seeing Choke, Valkyrie, Frost/Nixon, Seven Pounds, Milk, The Wrestler, Appaloosa, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Duchess, Revolutionary Road, The Tale Of Despereaux and a few others in the next week or two so the top of the list should change significantly if the reviews of these hold up. I have enjoyed the hell out of this project and hope to keep it going for at least 50 more.

50. Happening, The
49. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
48. Eye, The
47. Mamma Mia
46. Jumper
45. Promotion, The
44. Charlie Bartlett
43. Zombie Strippers
42. Drillbit Taylor
41. Definitely, Maybe
40. Incredible Hulk, The
39. Journey To The Center Of The Earth
38. House Bunny, The
37. Baby Mama
36. Semi-Pro
35. Hancock
34. Meet Dave
33. Hellboy 2
32. What Happens In Vegas
31. You Don't Mess With The Zohan
30. Step Brothers
29. Wanted
28. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
27. Love Guru, The
26. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
25. Fools Gold
24. Pineapple Express
23. Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The
22. In Bruges
21. Australia
20. Happy-Go-Lucky
19. Felon
18. Kung Fu Panda
17. Horton Hears A Who
16. Tropic Thunder
15. Deception
14. Vantage Point
13. Get Smart
12. Role Models
11. Bolt
10. Let The Right One In
9. Gran Torino
8. Burn After Reading
7. Iron Man
6. Changeling
5. Man On Wire
4. My Blueberry Nights
3. Dark Knight, The
2. Synecdoche New York
1. WALL-E

Finally, The Best Of 2008

That's right, it's the best of 2008. As the coolest person you all know, I feel as though my opinion should be valued more highly than others. And as such we have the best of 2008. These aren't actually opinions though, they are facts. Every statement in this post is as true as the statement "the Red Sox play in Boston" or "Georgia Tech over Georgia was a fluke."

Without further ado... (Some of the subject ideas were stolen from McCluca, so big ups)

Favorite Female Celebrity: Anne Hathaway
The reason Get Smart is in my 2008 top 10.

Favorite Male Celebrity: Clint Eastwood
Changeling? Gran Torino? Still bad ass? Yes.

Top News Moment: Sarah Palin and my subsequent boner.

Top Sports Moment: Game 5 of the ALCS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wAlL988Z_U&feature=related
Red Sox down by 7 runs in the seventh inning facing elimination win the game
2nd place: UGA Basketball wins SEC Championship in staggering fashion
3rd place: Kansas kicks the piss out of UNC in the Final Four (I will no doubt remember this long after I've forgotten every other sports moment of 2008)

Favorite Athlete: Jon Lester... what a year.
By sport: MLB (besides Lester): Jonathan Papelbon, NBA: Mario West, NFL: Adrian Peterson, NCAA FB: Knowshon Moreno, NCAA BB: Greg Paulus (but whatshisface from Kansas who had the monster game against UNC deserves love as does Sundiata Gaines), NHL: Ilya Kovalchuk, NCAA Baseball: Josh Fields & Dean Weaver...

Five Best Movies (So Far - I've seen 45 of them this year which is about 35 more than most of you, but intend to see 100 more):
1. WALL-E
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. The Dark Knight
4. My Blueberry Nights
5. Changeling

Three Worst Movies:
1. The Happening
2. Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
3. The Eye

Best Blog:
"How Hi The Fi?" http://howhithefi.blogspot.com/

Five Best Albums (no order - this is also subject to mass overhaul)
Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
T.I. - Paper Trail
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
TV On The Radio - Dear Science
Flight Of The Conchords - Flight Of The Conchords

Favorite Hip Hop Song:
T.I. (Feat Rihanna) - Live Your Life

Best Live Band I Saw This Year:
Of Montreal

Favorite 2008 Book Of The Very Few I've Read So Far:
John Hodgman - More Information Than You Require

Funniest Internet Video:
Andy Samberg & Co: Jizz In My Pants (SNL)
2nd Place: Bo Burnham - I'm Bo Yo

Favorite Things I Got Into In 2008 That Don't Necessarily Have Anything To Do With 2008:
Cormac McCarthy, The Office, Flight Of The Conchords, Book Collecting, The City Of Atlanta, Octane Coffee, The Hawks, The Falcons, The Thrashers, cigars etc, and, oh yeah, this blog.

Hopes For 2009: I hope the blog continues to grow and turns into something more interesting. I hope the Red Sox win the World Series, Duke wins the NCAA Championship, UGA wins the BCS, Jeff Gordon wins the Sprint Cup, Love, New Music from Bob Dylan, Sufjan Stevens, DMB... New book by Cormac McCarthy... The movie "The Road" is the best of the year, a high paying job, losing weight, staying healthy, strengthening friendships, seeing more independent films, broadening my horizons further, having time to read my books, making lots of money, figuring it all out and continuing my 24 1/2 year dominance of everything. Happy new year, bigness.

A Survey About 2008

Looking back at 2008
Borrowed this from Phillip who borrowed it from Katy...

Where did you begin 2008?
Gainesville, Florida in a repulsive bar around very few people I still speak to.

What was your status by Valentine's Day?
See previous question

Were you in school (anytime this year)?
Nope

Did you have to go to the hospital?
Nope

Did you have any encounters with the police?
My all time greatest police encounter: I had the police called on me for going to get my stuff back from my ex before the police ultimately decided that I had every right to do what I did and she would've been breaking the law if she'd kept me from doing it. I am not very good at capturing the epicity of this in words.

Where did you go on vacation?
I can't remember any true vacations. Just lots of mini ones.

What did you purchase that was over $500?
Uhh... I can't remember

Did you know anybody who got married?
Didn't go to any weddings this year (except in the 1st week of Jan) but my friend Brendan got married the other day.

Did you know anybody who passed away?
Probably.

Did you move anywhere?
From Athens to Lithia Springs in January. From Lithia Springs to Buckhead in July. Hoping to be there for awhile.

What sporting events did you attend?
A ton. 2-3 Hawks games, at least 10 Braves games, 1 UGA football game, 1 Thrashers game, 2 NASCAR races, 11-12 high school football games, several other random high school games, and probably some I'm forgetting.

What concerts/shows did you go to?
Of Montreal in Athens recently. I'm sure I saw others but it wouldve been much earlier in the year.

Where do you live now?
Atlanta, GA

What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2008?
Oooh... uhh... I'll go with "Enjoy a new Jason Mraz song"

What has/have been your favorite moment(s)?
Game 5 of the ALCS. There is no greater feeling.

What's something you learned about yourself?
I learned a lot about love. Stuff like what really matters in a relationship...

Any new additions to your family?
I'm sure my brother has impregnated a few mexicans that we don't know about.

What was your best month?
June. But I can't say why or else I'll get sued.

What music will you remember 2008 by?
Hip-Hop in general. T.I., Lil Wayne, Chris Breezy... Living in Atlanta has really broadened my Hip Hoprizons. I expanded my Indie tastes too but to a much lesser degree. I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting.

Made new friends?
Actually I've made a ton of new friends. I still don't know how this happened. Most of the people linked to the right for fellow blogs were people I wasn't that close with this time last year. I'm pretty glad about that.

Favorite Night[s] out?
The Of Montreal concert... the night with Tyler and his work friends... and best of all, the night at the Venezias til 4am.

Any regrets?
Always.

What do you want to change in 2009?
I dunno, I did most of my changing in late 2008. I guess I'd like to lose weight and improve my faith but I've been working on those things for years now.

Overall, how would you rate this year?
Pretty crappy. No sports titles outside of the Georgia Basketball SEC championship... Spent a lot of time in relationships that are no longer going... Never overly thrilled with my work situation... I dunno. The year certainly had some high spots, too, but generally it won't be missed.

Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?
Friends houses, movie theatres, sporting events, work...

Change your hairstyle?
I keep it short now. That's probably not something I was doing this time last year.

Get a new job?
Yeah.

Do you have a New Year's resolution?
Sort of. Already mentioned it earlier.

Did anything embarrassing happen?
Hmm... probably... nothing comes to mind off hand.

Buy anything new from eBay?
Not as much as last year. Money hasn't been free flowing.

What was/were your favorite purchase[s]?
This laptop is certainly up there. My GPS, my crappy but excellent service phone, all of my books, DVDs and records, my DVD rack (i know, lame), the lunch boxes, everything pertaining to the Red Sox, work clothes, the Wii... I'm forgetting some.

Get married or divorced?
Haha!

Be honest - did you watch American Idol?
I hate everyone who watches this show including members of my family.

Did you get sick this year?
Of course. I'm still fighting off the damn cough from it, too. I'm on prescription meds though so it's almost over.

Start a new hobby?
Book reading/collecting! Also: lunch boxes (even though I only have 6), and then just expanding upon other hobbies... I also slowed/stopped some hobbies (I rarely buy new Red Sox hats)...

Are you happy to see 2008 go?
Absolutely. Anything I liked about 2008 could easily be repeated in 2009 whereas the crappy stuff is stuck in 08.

Drank Starbucks in 2008?
Yes. I love the Starbucks vibe: the music, the mugs, the people... but all of their beverages are awful. Which is why I am addicted to Octane which has all of the better parts of this minus commercialism.

What are you wishing for in 2009?
Red Sox World Series, Duke championship, UGA championship (2010?), love, money, health, the continuation of my favorite hobbies, a new job, Hanley Ramirez in a Red Sox jersey, Mark Teixeira's death... a fantasy football championship, the movie "The Road" to be brilliant, a new brilliant Sufjan Stevens album, Bob Dylan doesn't die... I don't die either.


I'll be back tomorrow with actual Best-Ofs for 2008.

What A Year For A New Year

Happy 2009. I'll have my best of 2008 lists up later today or tomorrow. In the meantime it's lyrics to the song I'll be playing all day. Also coming later: Christmas, various life developments, various sports things...

Anyways, here's Dan Wilson - What A Year For A New Year:

What a year for a new year
We need it like we needed life I guess
Last one left us lying in a mess
What a year for a new year

What a night for a sunrise
And we thought the dark would never end
Reaching out to try to find a friend
What a night for a sunrise
Sunrise

What a day for new day
And our star shines like a miracle
And our world is almost beautiful again
What a day for a new day
New day

What a year for a new year

What a night for a sunrise
And we thought the dark would never end
Reaching out to try to find a friend
What a night for a sunrise
Sunrise

Soon we’ll be lying in our beds
And new dreams will fill our heads
And the old ones will be ended
Hope we’ll forget about this place
Let it go without a trace
Wipe the teardrops from our faces
Oh! What a year for a new year!