.:DataWhat?:.

Best of 2012:

PJ & The Boy

The best of the best.

The AllMusic Redesign
This year I got to really focus my attention on the redesign of AllMusic.com, updating the design and offering more features.   Despite struggles and differences of opinion and the inevitable user backlash, this has been the most fun I've ever had at a job and I hope to keep doing this forever (even in the future when the internet is just light beamed into our heads from space).

We went to a terrific bar called The Royal Cuckoo in San Francisco.
The album selections were all kept in an old card catalog in the back. All Tropicalia, 60s country and obscuro LPs. The owner is the sister of  Lavay Smith who shows up to sing from time to time while her brother plays the Hammond B3 organ. It was dark and styled like a retro hunting lodge and I never wanted to leave.

Somebody put up this flyer at work:

Eating at Lamy's Diner in the Henry Ford Museum
There has been this cool old diner as an exhibit in the middle of the Henry Ford Museum and this year they opened it up to serve food. Better Made chips and Faygo in glass bottles anyone? Andrews Sisters on the tinny radio! Paper hats on the cooks! A dream realized!

Levi's 559 Relaxed Straight jeans.
If you've seen me in pants this year, these are probably the pants you've seen me in. Thanks for the "What Not To Wear"-style fashion advice, Darlin'.

Star Wars Night at Comerica Park
  
We did a handful of outings to see the Tigers this year, including a super-fun visit to Star Wars Night (as pictured above).
Then they went to the World Series. Bless you boys.
Van Halen put out a new album with David Lee Roth and then went on tour.
I got to see the Detroit show of that tour before Dave and Eddie inevitably got mad at each other.  I blathered on about it here.

Orange & Ginger Energy lotion from Bath & Body Works
Nice lotion, great when poured over ice cream. Also, the liquid hand soap makes a great chaser after a shot of cheap gin.

A romantic weekend with Bells on.

My wife whisked me off to a romantic weekend in Kalamazoo, the highlight of which was finally getting to take the Bells Brewery tour. Eccentric indeed.
Joss Whedon at SXSW
I got to see Joss Whedon speak at South By Southwest. He was funny and clever. Y'know, as billed.

Total Unicorn at SXSW
At South By Southwest we went across the highway to a little bar that was having live music. The main attraction was a band called Total Unicorn.  For a while there were these old roadies setting up equipment and I said to myself "Oh, I wonder when the band is getting here..." then the old guys put on full-head unicorn masks and started playing this bleepy bloopy electronic music. While wearing unicorn heads with light-up eyes.  It was life changing.

Visited Disney and the Harry Potter theme park.

We took a family trip down to Orlando to pay the mouse, and also hit up the Harry Potter theme park. While the tickets were pricey, I was glad to see the deep nerdiness of an entire theme park devoted to a children's book rendered in such incredible detail.
Even the shops that weren't even shops looked like shops.
Every time you turned around you got to see another subtle Easter Egg reference to the books or Potterverse.
Well done, Floridians.

The Ice Cream Bar in San Francisco
The Ice Cream Bar is a full service 1930s style soda fountain and classic lunch counter, serving house-made ice cream and sodas, kind of like a hip "mixology" cocktail bar but with ice cream. I had a root beer made from tinctures and (I believe) a bit of J.D. Rockefeller's own blood. It was delicious.

The first paragraphs of this interview with Jon Hamm in Esquire.
Little-known fact: Jon Hamm owns four eagles. They sit on separate perches in his backyard. Four species of eagle: golden, tawny, Spanish Imperial, and short-toed snake.
Previously unknown: Every morning, these eagles are fed, then rotated by a robed assistant whose sole duty is to judge which of these regal birds looks most like Jon Hamm on that particular day.


AllMusic on Commercial on TV

I helped to come up with the overall idea and coordinate the music for this promo that was eventually turned into a commercial as seen on DirectTV. 
I had a dream where my sister Emily said that Penny and I acted a lot alike and Penny said "We're just like Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill if they were in Spandau Ballet instead of ZZ Top."
Cool story bro

They opened a Culvers in our town.
All of the Butterburgers!!!1!

Obama got re-elected.
This means something.

I turned 40.
I had a big party with a bunch of my pals.
This is what I learned.



::

Innernets and Technology:

I started a Tumblr page

Tumblr is pretty incredible.
It has all of the things that I really loved about blogs so long ago: Just one image after another of funny, crazy, sexy, fascinating things.
Between Tumblr (instantly posting funny images) and Facebook (posting quick observations) it makes Blogger a bit of a tough slog.
Agile development methodologies
Nerdy to say, but Agile is just like making quick lists of things to cross off and when you're done you get a whole project that is completed.  I am appreciative to the folks who have walked me through this so far.

iPhone
While I miss my tactile keypad, I do enjoy the iPhone. Thanks, work.

I got a new Car Stereo from my darling bride.
It has a USB input so I can play my iPod in the car without trying to hook up the infuriating FM transmitter, but the coolest thing is that the background lights change color. This just in: I am easily impressed by shiny objects.

Crazy Cow video

MOOOOO!  Man did this hit the spot one afternoon.
Angry Birds Star Wars, Where's My Water and Minecraft
Oh iPad, I'm sure there are all sorts of great important things I could be doing with you, but simple games seem to be what I navigate back to for long stretches at a time.

Red Bull Stratos Space Jump and the Mars Rover
Space is the place, apparently. A worthwhile version of the space jump is available on the YouTubes here.

Acid Sweat Lodge
My favorite blog of the year.  These guys collect great photos of bikers, punks, log cabins, party dudes and metalheads, then classify the photos into scientific research groups Like "beards" or "brotherhood" or "hideouts"

G.O.A.T. performing "Quack Like A Duck"

This should probably not be seen (or heard) by anyone, but I'll be damned if some dudes I know didn't watch this video about 74 times in a row and laughed so fucking hard each time.
It makes me question everything I know.


::

Music:

This Spotify Playlist has my best tunes from 2012.


Spotify is like a faucet of music that you just turn on.

Albums:

3 Pears by Dwight Yoakam
A spectacular pop record by way of Bakersfield.


Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes
Super brassy soulful female vocals fronting a down-and-dirty bar band.


Some Nights by Fun.
These young kids like Queen records and pop hooks.


The Tarnished Gold by Beachwood Sparks
Sweet and dusty indie twang. This one really grew on me.


Hot Cakes by The Darkness
Cock rock extraordinaire. A return to form after that crappy album with the train on it.


Mirage Rock by Band of Horses
Another grower. Very melodic and anthemic rock with lots of backroads and mountaintop harmonies.


A Different Kind of Truth by Van Halen
Somebody commented that this album was better than it had any right to be, and that feels pretty spot-on.


Celebration Rock by Japandroids
These guys play loud rock and they sound like they're having fun. Both of 'em. 35 minutes of garage-door-rattling fun.


Home Again by Michael Kiwanuka
If The Band hired Bill Withers and Shuggie Otis to cover all of Astral Weeks, it would sound like this.


Pool Party by Ponderosa
Produced by Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips pal), spacey/swimmy melodies and reverb-y vocals.  Triumphant!

Additionally I spent a good chunk of the year tracking down great old late '60s/early '70s California psych-country tunes.
I envisioned long-haired hippy kids who heard a Merle Haggard record and smoked a big bowl and recorded a twangy freak-out tune or two in their catalog. 

My exploration grew from there, and I ended up with this playlist called California Gold Mine




::


Movies:
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Took Hank to see this when they re-released an IMAX version of it. 
We left for the theater across town just before kickoff on a football Saturday.
We wanted our journey to the movie theater to be as close to the Raiders opening sequence as possible: filled with traps and mortal peril.

The boy was totally into it, as is evidenced by his schoolwork:

The narrative says "The Boulder. Who is he again? Indiana Jones. Oh yeah. See the gold idol?"
Hunger Games
When Katniss shouts "I VOLUNTEER!" I get goosebumps.

The Five-Year Engagement
Not spectacular as a film, but I got to say "I know where that is!" about a hundred times since it was filmed in Ann Arbor.

Moonrise Kingdom
Funny and cute. I liked it more than Darjeeling Limited and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Looper
Hoo boy. This one was a heavy little mind-bender. Part sci-fi, part thriller, part horror movie, part shoot-em-up.  All crazy.

Argo
White knuckles throughout. Also Alan Arkin in anything is caustic and terrific.

Dark Knight Rises and Wreck-It Ralph
Both of these were entertaining cartoons where beefy good guys triumph over a sinister villain who has a creepy backstory, via the help of a sassy young sidekick. 

The Avengers

Bang! Zoom! Hilarity! Group Dynamics! Flawed Hereos! Scarlett Johansson in a black bodysuit! Shawarma! Joss! So good.



::


TV:
Downton Abbey
Rich white ensemble cast has drama and acts crazy.

Storage Wars
Blue collar white ensemble cast has drama and acts crazy.

Game of Thrones
Medieval white ensemble cast has drama and acts crazy.

Plus I watched Louie, Mad Men, a ton of Tigers Games
and the live episode of 30 Rock nearly killed me:


"I done stole me a catfish! I'm gonna eat 'til I'm belly full!"


::



Books:
Reamde by Neal Stephenson
Man, this guy writes a book that will stick with you.  I never wanted this one to be done.

Terrific Neal Stephenson Reading Experience image from this blog.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
A terrific and timeless baseball love story.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Oh man, this was like a choose your own adventure book set in an Atari 2600 but, y'know, in the future. Harry Potter DaVinci Code Wozniak/Jobs Tron Indiana Jones awesomeness.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
A fun fantastic introduction into Sanderson's writing. I'll follow up with more of his books.

Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970 By David Browne
For anyone who gets sucked into the culture and music of this era, it is a fascinating read. These four artists intertwined and crossed paths in completely unexpected ways, and affected folks including Joni Mitchell, Clive Davis, Mike Nichols, Peter Asher, Dr. Arthur Janov, Carole King and Devo along the way.

Moneyball by Michael Lewis
It was about data and baseball.  I read it just as the season was starting. It clicked.


If any of these books look interesting, you can find 'em Here on my Goodreads page.
Plus I read the rest of those Game of Thrones books which took up a huge chunk of my reading hours this year.



::

Bad:

An unnamed unpleasantness
There was an event that happened in our home this spring that will go unnamed. Alls I can say is that I will be scarred for life. Some grody PTSD going on.

A buncha dudes I like croaked this year: Davy Jones, Ralph McQuarrie, Earl Scruggs, Adam Yauch, Doc Watson, Dave Brubeck, Andy Griffith.
For anybody who only knows Andy Griffith from his show or Matlock, please get a big orange drank and listen to his 1953 monologue called "What It Was, Was Football"...it will make you smile. It will.

Take/These Broken Wings/And Learn To Fly Again
My 80 year old father-in-law chose a pretty shitty time to break his arm while on vacation all by himself. I was out of town at a conference that I've always wanted to go to (SXSW) in Austin and my wife had to drive down to Nashville to be with him ON HER GOTT-DAMN BIRTHDAY.  I had to leave the conference and fly back early to relieve the Tetris matrix of our family members who were so kindly making sure our son didn't die while we were both in different parts of the country.  It was an unfortunate, inconveniencing event for everyone involved and it could have been avoided with a little bit of forethought.  A real shame.

The Imperfect Storm

There was a pretty brutal storm in our area this spring featuring local neighborhoods hit hard by tornadoes and for-realgolf ball-sized hail.

Dr. Arwulf stepping down from his Sunday Best radio show.
His radio show on WEMU was my preferred way of starting my Sunday mornings. He inspired my enjoyment of early traditional jazz from the '20s, '30s and '40s.  This year he stepped down but I do miss his quiet cadence and sleepy passion for great music.   You can hear a brief clip of what he would offer In this introduction to a hot Sidney Bechet tune.

Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon
A writer I really like writes a novel about two guys who own a vintage record store in the Bay Area? Sounds awesome! In reality it felt really jive-ass. Michael Chabon must have done some research into this world but to me it felt really forced. How much does he know about the African-American experience? And collecting old Soul and Jazz sides? Ug. It all felt really forced which was a big disappointment for me.

Road Trip to Tennessee
My grandma has some pretty advanced Alzheimer's to the point where the caretakers at her old-folks-home recommended that she be put in a facility that specializes in that kind of care. So my dad's side of the family took a trip down to Tennessee to move her from one facility to another. While the trip went as well as it could, it is still tough to see somebody's memory slipping away like that.

My Great Depression
My company's stock dropped considerably in 2012 and I lost a lot of money. It sucks.

Weird Beard
Hats off to you dudes who can grow a beard.
I gave it my best for about 2 months this year and only found out that
1) I look bad with a skimpy-ass beard and
2) beards are awful itchy things to wear.


It did, however give me the opportunity to sport this swell Magnum P.I.-styled cookie duster for about 20 minutes. 
Silver beard lining.
Sucks Gettin' Old.
Friends, I gotta tell ya, Almost upon the moment of turning 40 this year, my bones got creakier, my back got tighter, my joints make noise in the morning and my cuts take longer to heal. I have a scrape on my cheek that I got in early fall and I can still see it today.  I feel as though I should buck up and say "40 is the new 17!" or something, but I genuinely feel older. 

::

Thanks Innernets and those involved with my life.



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So I started a Tumblr because of course I did.

If you are interested in photos of crazy things, old technologies, sex kittens and pizza, you may want to tumbl over to datawhat.tumblr.com

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I have opinions about music.

So the first time I heard Van Halen's new single "Tattoo" was on WRIF and Drew and Mike were talking over the top of it, so I couldn't hear any of the lyrics. I remember thinking that from between the DJ bro-talk of "Cooter & The Bear In The Morning" it sounded a lot like Van Halen.

Big toms, lots of cymbal SHOOOSHing, a hammery guitar EVH solo, some DLR vocal goosestepping...sounded just about right.

I know it *could* be said that they were harkening back to the old days of low budgets and the fellas just goofin' and riffin', but it (and the YouTube video "ticker announcement" that was the intro of 3 songs from 1984 with recycled footage for 3 minutes) proved one clear thing to me:



Radiohead probably doesn't, Bjork seems to get by just fine, even The Darkness seems to be getting by on their own ego sweat and cocksure hilarity. But if you're going to record the album in your own studio and make your own chunky teenaged kid the bass player, you may not be making all the best decisions in the "Consumer Facing" department.



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Best Junk from 2011:

This and This:

They are secretly superheroes whose powers are awesomeness and hilarity.


New(ish) Job: I changed roles at work this year.
In the words of Jim James from My Morning Jacket: "It matters to me/Took a long time to get here/If it would have been easy/I would not have cared"


Looney Tunes
I got borderline obsessive about collecting Looney Tunes episodes this year. I think it is important for Hank to see those original Merrie Melodies cartoons in their original form. Robin Hood Daffy, Duck Amuck, Transylvania 6-5000 ... Chuck Jones, Robert McKimson, Friz Freleng and Mel Blanc should all have their faces on Mount Rushmore.



PJ and got to hear Aretha Franklin sing the National Anthem at a Tigers playoff game this fall.
She fucking killed it. YouTubez here


I got to witness all of the Moving Pictures album performed at the Rush: Time Machine concert from a beery suite with a bunch of my pals at a Toledo hockey arena for Dave Below's 40th birthday.
It was everything I was hoping for. The universal dream.


This gif:

Best joke from BrianSleeper:
"The joke’s on Luke. That can is empty. There’s no way Carrie Fisher ever gave a full beer away."


I went to a restaurant called China Poblano in the Cosmopolitan Casino in Las Vegas and it was likely the best meal I had all year.
It is a mix of Chinese and Mexican food where you can get little plates of all kinds of delicious crazy food taking the best of these two cuisines and jamming them together: Duck Tongue Taco with pork rinds! Chinese steamed bbq pork buns! Oaxacan Chocolate Terra Cotta Warriors! Kerpow! (that last one is an exclamation and not a Sino-Mex dish).

Also: They played a terrific soundtrack at the new Cosmopolitan Casino: All funky Motown, bossa nova, deep kitch-pop cuts and Black Keys b-sides. I felt like I was in a Soderberg version of a Tarantino soundtrack from a novel by Elmore Leonard.


Spent a magical night with the re-united Fluoride Program at the Lager House.
Their comeback show was 100% what they wanted it to be and it was amazing. Everything in its right place.


I feel like I spent more time Upstate Dreaming this year and I really locked into it.
A terrific trip with Mr. Eric Kelly to Raleigh Del Norte in the UP was everything I had hoped, and a family camping trip in the shadow of the Mighty Mac confirmed it: Call me Yooperman! Also I Saw an Eagle on the 4th of July! Pure Michigan.


I got an iPad
To paraphrase what Dan Trenz enthused when he got his: "It is the 2011 we were promised."


This photo of Ann Arbor by Dustin Williams:

More sizes available here:


Incredibly enough we were interviewed on NPR about Baby Blankets. Recording of the interview here:
The interviewer was doing research on those white blankets with blue and pink stripes that hospitals wrap babies in. She stumbled across this post that I wrote on BabyRoadies about those incredible blankets, and apparently this makes me a respected authority on the subject.


They opened a Five Guys Burgers & Fries in our town.
So long hippy bookstore! Helloooooo big greasy cheeseburgers!


Got to see My Morning Jacket in concert outdoors at Meadowbrook with Neko Case and Kelly Hogan opening up.
They did a cover of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." Terrific company and a great time.


There are these great story CDs by Greathall that really got Hank introduced to King Arthur, Greek Myths, Famous Astronomers, Robin Hood and American Tall Tales.
A must for road trips.


Hank's first season of T-ball:

Wookiee Wizards FTW!!!


I had a blast playing the candy version of Russian Roulette (is that non-PC now?) with BeanBoozled Jelly Bellies.
Two participants each bite into identical-looking Jelly Belly candies. Is the black one Licorice or Skunk Spray? Is the blue one Berry or Toothpaste? Is the red one Strawberry Jam or Caterpillar Flavor? Silliness abounds!


We got a magical box called a Roku which streams Netflix, HuluPlus, Amazon, Crackle and other sources of "over the top" programming (as we say in the biz) right into your TV machine.
Simple enough for Hank to watch 754 episodes of The X-Men Animated Series all on his own.


A great little bar called Woodruff's opened up in Depot Town in Ypsi.
I've been closely following the activities of one Andy Garris since the summer of 2004 when he revitalized the Alley Bar on my street. He moved into the Elbow Room and did great things there until the man shut it down. Then he moved into The Savoy and did great things there until the man shut it down. Now he's whipped Woodruff's into a great little indie bar with the help of some area stalwarts. an of the year, in my liver's opinion.


I spent some time up North in a cabin in the woods for a lost weekend of beer in cans and loud music.
It was kinda like Weekend at Bernies except all of us were limp and unresponsive.

"Faaaack, Pal"
Mark's boss "Funkee"
"Cooter & the Bear in the morning"
The Doogie Howser theme
The piano coda to Layla
The fact that somebody bought a pineapple for some reason
Noodle jumping
Derek's terrific headlamp ("This was the best thing from the weekend! Everybody loved it!")
Covering that Band of Horses song with Steve Motrinc on lead lead vocals.
Brian's "West Virginia Whiskey Sour"
Cancer Dog.
Gravy 'Batin'
Sack Blabbath
"Knuckles & The Moose"
midget in vegas
air raid siren at 12:05 friday night
Brandon Inge's home run
"even when I win, I lose."


Spent a lot of energy and time and money having our front porch rebuilt this year.
Can't wait for next spring when we can use it.



Teh Intarwebs

Meh.ro is a site that I know nothing about but taps into my hilarity bone consistently.
Lurk and Awe!



This video of a drunk baby:

"You don't know me..."


The concept of Kickstarter.
Particularly it's ability to get new albums by Timothy Monger and Jim Roll made (or underway). Micro-Patronage: Huzzah!


There is a well-represented local blog called Damn Arbor which does a great job of local issues, food reviews, insta-news, campus what-not and funny observations.
Their list of Bars That Don't Suck is a good place to start.


The 2011 TLC lineup:

Oddly, 'Little People, Tricky Fridge' and 'Uterus Cannon' keep conflicting on my DVR


Get Stoked: Rad-Dudes.com brought nuthin' but photos of the raddest dudes around.
Sista site RadBabes.com is only worth looking at if you like 80s chicks aerobicizing in spandex, Wanda Jackson and David Lee Roth drinking with Material Girl-era Madonna.


This video went through my head during a very painful website launch this year:



Spotify became available to the US. It is like the faucet of music. I actually paid for a subscription.
Also this statement from their website: "To help us compile this information, we’ve called on the magnificent All Music Guide - the most comprehensive music reference source on the planet. They’re as nuts about music as we are."


Grantland
More for the Klosterman than the Simmons, but it is all quality writing.


Bad Lipreads like this Herman Cain one

Hooo boy. "Women got extra-fatal lady shimmer of no maximum strength" = Larfs.


DamnYouAutoCorrect made me whiz myself with larfs.
The ones where the autocorrects just keep autocorrecting are the best ones. Extortion. No...Axe Murder. Dammit Exfoliate. NO! EXAMPLE!


The fact that a movie called Terror at Blood Fart Lake exists.
Sadly it was not directed by Bill Zebub who has some spectacularly-titled films like "Jesus Christ, Serial Rapist" and "Antfarm Dickhole" on his SAG card.


This gif:

It's in the puddin'





Recordings:


This Spotify Playlist has my best tunes from 2011.
Spotify is like a faucet of music that you just turn on


Nothing is Wrong by Dawes
This record spun around my turntable more than any other in 2011. Just really pure, honest songwriting and solid messages. Plus a harmony or three.



D by White Denim
Kind of a mix between Buffalo Springfield, Tortoise, and Yes. Rootsy but jammy but smart but spacey. Some people will think that sounds like a terrible idea. I would usually be one of them, but I dig it.



The New Britton Sound by Timothy Monger
Local hero writes great songs, records them and then puts them onto playable media. Film at 11.



The King is Dead by The Decemberists
Thank you Peter Buck for steering their ship into the heartland. More blather from me on this topic here



Circuital by My Morning Jacket
This hit me just right this year. So much to dig into. Jammy, rockin, soulful. Everything except Black Metal.



God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise by Ray LaMontagne
His VH1 Storytellers where he covered "Out on the Weekend" by Neil Young was inspired. More blather from me on this topic here



Andrew Leahey & the Homestead by Andrew Leahey
I have to be honest about this one...I work(ed) with Andrew this year and y'know how sometimes when you work with somebody and they say "Hey I just made an album" and you go "Oh great, now I gotta pretend to like this" but honest to Gram this record sounds really terrific. Great songs well recorded in a 1930s movie theater and some solid songwriting. This is the album I've been hoping for years that Ryan Adams would put out. Listen here:



Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
Beardy beardy sing song beautiful.



Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2 by Beastie Boys
Another solid release. "Don't Play No Game that I Can't Win" was my Jam this summer.




The Harrow & the Harvest by Gillian Welch
Thrum thrum hollar twang. Glad to see Gillian and David Rawlings stripping it back down to basics.

Again, This Spotify Playlist has my fave picks from these albums plus a few more from Eisley, Laura Marling, Richard Buckner, Release the Sunbird and maybe more.


Televizzle:

Louie.
I really got into Louis CK this year, and his show is a brutal and hilarious and one of those shows that media historians will be talking about in 50 years. And anytime Ricky Gervais is on it is beyond gold: Example


Mad Men
I can't actually remember if there were any new episodes this year, but this show is still two of my faves.


30 Rock
Still the funny. Saw lots of reruns this year. Season 5 recap.


The Detroit Tigers played a lot of Baseball on my TV this year.
Bless You Boys.



The Cinema:


The Tree of Life
The front runner for my favorite movie of the year. While it didn't make a lot of sense as a direct narrative, the imagery was amazing and it really seemed to capture some of the internal struggle of being a father and being a son.



Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Well done, everyone involved. One of the rare experiences where the films are close to as enjoyable as the books.



Tron Legacy
Zoom! Laser bikes! Overwrought dialog and fake Zen Buddhism. Exactly what I was hoping for.



The Trip
Worth it for the Michael Caine bit alone.



American: The Bill Hicks Story
A longtime Hicks fan, I was a bit nervous as to how this animatic-style documentary would work, but it was actually not as distracting as I thought it would be.



Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
My nerdish obsession on the comedy kept going this year, and the Joan Rivers doc really showed me what an obsessive nutjob she is. Bravo.



Exit Through the Gift Shop
Artsy (but not so much with the fartsy)



All of the other junk I watched:
Rango
Rio
Cars 2
Gnomeo & Juliet
Midnight in Paris
Cedar Rapids


Book Learnin':


The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Man oh man, this was a fun read. Well-written, strategy-filled (although pretty dark for younger readers). I was tempted to list the trailer as one of my favorite movies of the year because I watched it about a hundred times.



Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
This continues to be a bit of a tough slog but very worthwhile. A billion great characters with wild-ass names and a million sub-plots to keep straight, but it's all starting to click together. I think one of the things that I really like is that Martin is not afraid to kill off one of his main characters in a heartbeat...

somebody posted this alternate title which I think is very appropriate:





The Real Animal House by Chris Miller
A blast to read. Music played such a big role in the book that I (of course) created a Spotify playlist of all of the songs mentioned favorably in there.



The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Despite the fact that this was a story of two sisters growing up in the 1930s/40s in a small Canadian town as told by a creaking octogenarian, Margaret Atwood's sentences are an incredible thing to behold and this kept my interest with its sheer lyrical beauty.



Bossypants by Tina Fey
I'm sure the other people around me on the plane thought I was an insane person because I was laughing so loud.



Life by Keith Richards
Good lord, how is this man still breathing?



Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Soul crushing and beautiful all crammed into 3,000 pages.



The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke
This sci-fi yarn digs into how humanity could (will?) react when everything can be peeped upon through wormholes, etc. No crime, no espionage, rampant teenaged sex on park benches... this book has it all.



The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
A whip-smart sci-fi murder mystery from 1953. If you have watched Blade Runner as obsessively as I have, you will dig this book.



Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
Another sci-fi classic. It is amazing that the concepts can remain so fresh even as we are chuckling at their ray guns and automated computational machines.





Bad Juju

Uncle Rolley
My Uncle Rolley pulled his RV to that great campground in the sky this year. Always quick with his toolbox and a bit of fatherly advice, he called every man in the family "Son" and really meant it. He is sorely missed.


City Flats hotel
My darling bride and I took a mini-vacation to the very hep City Flats Hotel here in Michigan. We had some great times and some fine dining until this cocksure assholish bartender overserved me on Gin Martinis which ended up for a very rough night (and not nearly as romantic as I had hoped) as well as a pretty ugly morning after. That is why I am never drinking again.


Google+
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!1!!" - Mark Zuckerberg


Missing a Mud Hens game
So here goes. For Hank's last week before he started Kindergarten, PJ and I planned a whole week of awesome activities. Waterparks, arcades, playdates, The Lego Store ...and it was to culminate in us seeing the last Toledo Mud Hens game of the season. So we roll into town at about 4:30 on Sunday to drop by Tony Packo's for a hot dog (with the boy dressed in his new birthday Mud Hens t-shirt, me in my new birthday Mud Hens hat) only to find Toledo to be a ghost town and PLENTY of seating at Tony Packo's.

We had opted for a Sunday game instead of our original Saturday plan, and as it turns out I got the time wrong: It was a 1PM game and I thought it was going to be a 6PM game.

I was beyond crushed. We had talked about the game for weeks -- the boy's last adventure before he was thrust into the public school system and I bungled it by not looking closely at the time on the ticket. AND IT WAS THE LAST GAME OF THE 2011 SEASON! No Do-Overs! How fucking poetic was that? Shee-it. What a heel.


Skunks
My dog finally got sprayed by an Old West Side skunk which meant that I was awake at one in the morning using the dog and cans of tomato juice to re-create the final scene of Carrie. Her muzzle still stinks when she gets wet.


Bert Jansch and Charlie Louvin died.
A sad year for lonesome music.


Borders Books closed down

Henry started crying when we told him Borders will be closing.
He kept asking "*ALL* of the books will be gone?"



In Hot Water
Our hot water heater crapped out and in the midst of replacing it, the "technician" broke off a pipe and water went everywhere. Guitars got wet, it was an unpleasant scene.


Spent some sad days in my funeral suit this year.
It doesn't get easier.


The music industry is not making anything better.
"I was driving a forklift in a warehouse for a while. Before that I was holding a road sign for Con Ed in while they were working on the power lines in the Upstate. January in the Catskills with snow banks and dead deer next to me. I worked for the census last year." - Richard Buckner, one of my favorite singer/songwriters.


::

Thanks Innernets and those involved with my life.


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