1. Getting engaged--speaking of self-serving...screw it! What could be better than getting hitched to kt! (projectile vomit does not wash off monitors, ha!)
2. Van Fucking Halen Reunion Show in Philly--Guh! Leaving aside his eminent ability to shred, Eddie Van Halen is still a total rock god...HE WAS SHIRTLESS AND HOT!!!! Eddie and Alex are stone cold performers, undeniable dudes you just want to watch rock out. And EVH is (erm, was) a totally underrated songwriter (Little Guitars mofos!!!). Yes, Dave's singing went off the rails from time to time and yes he looks like a buff version of Uncle Morty...but his mere presence meant that Eddie couldn't do any of that Hagar or Cherone shit. SHOW YOUR LOVE!!!
3. emusic--Call me a shameless shill, but I am surprised that more people don't pony up the 10 bucks per month or at least try their omnipresent free trials. emusic runs deep and diverse, going from the big indie stuff to cratediggers delights and adding healthy dollops of world music yum, way good jazz and good good classical. Oh my god, I am such a fucking shill! Word of caution on the free trial: if you want out after the 25 freebies, opt out! otherwise they will start charging your card. punk move from an otherwise fine site.
4. My Surly CrossCheck--This was a big, spastic splashout for me. Not an ounce of buyer's remorse thus far, which, given my eminent ability to feel guilt for most any minor anything, is a good sign. Good rides rule, go out and get yourself a fun bike people!
5. Movies--I have yet to see many of the big hyped xmas oscar bait that i will of course like and that will bespeak my awesome taste. But I have seen and I really did like The Camden 28, Knocked Up (resist the backlash haters, it was funny!), No End In Sight, The Earrings of Madame De (an oldy but goody!), anything not named Spider-Man 3.
6. Tunes I liked this year are below. Right click and save if you want to preserve your taste of tancil. Um.
- Betty Davis--Shoo-B-Doop And Cop Him
- Wilco--Impossible Germany (Nels Cline for best guitar player in the worwho wears a shirt while playing!)
- Marnie Stern--Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
- Jorge Ben--Apareceu Aparecida. If you like Jorge, go and buy Forca Bruta and support Dusty Groove!
- The Superlatives--I Don't Know How (To Say I Love You).
- Spoon--aw, the whole album is really tight and yummy. Though I still don't know about that second song. Ok, I pick Don't Make Me A Target.
- The Budos Band--Chicago Falcon.
- Dinosaur Jr.--Almost Ready .
- Jean Sibelius--Karelia Suite. CLassical music is definitely the tits and this piece is really quite stirring!
7. 30 Rock & Friday Night Lights--I am such a sucker for the pleasant and what could be more pleasant than 30 Rock! As for Friday Night Lights...weekly stories of pretty people finding redemption? cmon! color me a sucker! FNL has no right to work as well as it does. And if you want to hate it, I cannot defend it. But I love it utterly and truly (and if you watch it, get the reference to Street? Seven! Got it? I am so cool!)
8. Lucali's Pizza--Maybe not the best pizza in NY. But better than that overpriced pizzxa nazi dude in the east village, nice and low on bs given the vast potential for bs, cheaper than other tutti frutti pizza places and the calzone IS the best in ny by a lot.
9. Random Moroccan BBQ Joint and Medina Stone Farm B& B --Vacation experiences rarely seem to make good stories, so I will spare you. Simply put: we ate succulent, cuminy bbq with a handsome Moroccan man on a terrace that was wedged in to the side of a snowcapped mountain. THAT is the tits my friends!
There's really no reason to go to the Medina NY (though it's not an awful little town), but I heartily recommend biking about the Erie Canal (aka the mellowest bike tour you could ever do). So, if you find yourself biking about the Canal and need to take a day off, you could do far worse than the Medina Stone Farm B&B. Big rooms, hay rides and great baked goods!
10. Since I am a spazz and can't quite limit myself to just 10 items, I also say viva to: The Treats Truck, The Erie Canal, seeing the Budos Band's play by the Gowanus Canal, the absurdly nifty concert series in McCarren Pool (hipster this, give me free rock in the sun!) , Fette Sau (it has more varied meats n spices and even with the teeming masses of twerps it is still less icky than Hill Country), the comics exhibit at the Jewish Museum and of course my cats.
