A Few More Favorites

I came up with a few more favorites from the year that was.

New Discovery: MKT Trail

I've lived in Columbia since 1996 and had never been on the trail until this summer. We took the kids a couple times and had a blast

Photo: This one

Janelle got a new camera this fall, and she's taken a ton of great pictures. This shot of me and the kiddos is on the aforementioned MKT trail in Columbia. I think it looks like we're walking in The Shire from Middle Earth.

Month: September

We often complain about how we go directly from summer to winter around here sometimes. This autumn was an incredible exception. I think we cooked, ate, and played outside more this past September than the entire last couple years. I can't wait until spring when we can do it again.

New Foods: Lobster and Sushi (not necessarily together)

I was fortunate to have my first real lobster dinner at a business conference in New Orleans this spring. Yum.The sushi introduction was a bit less exciting (refrigerated section of Hy-Vee), but also tasty. I'm a fan of both.

Poppy Love Song: Come On Get Higher, Matt Nathanson

Nothing particularly deep or special about this one, but I simply cannot turn the radio dial when it's on. A great sing-along song.

Kid-Friendly Movies: Prince Caspian

I'm loving our kids ages (8 & 5), as it means we've entered into true "Family Movie" territory. We're watching movies and TV shows together that we all enjoy. Don't get me wrong, I'm as big a Blue's Clues and Ruff Ruffman fan as anyone my age, but it's been fun to start watching Big Kid stuff, too.

Prince Caspian is a much better movie experience than Lion/Witch/Wardrobe, mainly because it's a better story for the screen. The battles are done well, even without much (if any) blood. And Blake even survived the "romantic" part at the end. Good show.

TV Show: Star Wars, The Clone Wars

First of all, this is not a great show. It is a very fun Saturday-morning-type cartoon that Blake and I have enjoyed together. I make the kids wait for me to watch each new episode -- just in case there is a scary part (but mainly because I want to see it).

Another Book: In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan

http://www.michaelpollan.com/indefense.php

The author makes a compelling argument that most of what we eat in our current culture is not food, but "edible foodlike substance." As discussed before, I'm a sucker for anti-status quo writing. His suggestion is simple but not easy: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Another Website: www.kayak.com

This travel site takes the best of the others (Expedia, Travelocity, etc.) and puts them in one place. It also adds a piece that is missing from most of the others: Southwest Airlines.

Feel free to share more of your favorites. You have about 15 hours 'til 2009!

Favorites of 2008

I guess if you have a blog it's pretty much expected to list some sort of End Year post. Here's my attempt to follow that crowd and share some of my favorite stuff of '08.

Rock Song: Old Enough by The Raconteurs
I'm a late adopter of The Raconteurs, and I thank BXR for overplaying this song over the summer so I didn't miss it.

Pop Song: I'm Yours by Jason Mraz
Another on the overplayed list, this was our family sing-along song all summer. This is a full album pick up.

DVD and Movie Dispenser: Once and The Redbox
Once is a great movie with incredible music. I was tempted to watch it again as soon as I finished it the first time. I wanted to renew my piano lessons from 1986.

The Redbox is genius (especially the one within walking distance of my front door) and will make a fortune off me -- one dollar at a time.

Video Game: Mario Kart Wii
I've been playing video games for more than 20 years, and this one ranks toward the top for pure fun, especially multiplayer, and especially-er online multiplayer. I'm not very good (yet), but for the first time in a long time I actually want to play enough to get better. (Sorry Guitar Hero - I just couldn't muster up the effort to dislocate my pinky in Expert Mode.)

Book: The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris
I tend to read/listen to a lot of books over the course of a year. And most years I don't read a book that changes the way I think. This guy did it by challenging conventional wisdom and doing it well. It's not a "do this" book, at least not for me. But it has a little something for everyone. A quote reference in the book is a good summation:

Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination. -Oscar Wilde

Website: Facebook
I check two websites every day: Gmail and Facebook. I now know much more about current friends of friends than I ever knew about people I went to school with for 12 years (check that -- now that I've "reconnected" I also know more than I ever wanted about my old friends from high school).

Tech toy: Moleskine
OK, I lied. I went anti-tech this year, trading in my PDA for some a pocket-sized notebook. It was a great trade. I always have it with me, and I don't have to memorize anything anymore -- it just goes in the Moleskine. It contains random sketches, grocery lists, and that million dollar idea that would have been lost by the bedside in 2007 (In the interest of full disclosure, I'm still waiting on that idea). Oh... and I don't check my e-mail every 22 seconds.

Trip: New Orleans
I had the opportunity to take a business trip to New Orleans last spring with Janelle. We had an incredible time eating seafood, drinking frozen something-or-others, and soaking in the environment. Highly recommended.

Musical Performance: David Cook on American Idol
At the risk of outing myself as an American Idol and Michael Jackson fan in the same sentence, my favorite live performance of the year was David Cook's Billie Jean. If you didn't see it, take two minutes to watch:




Favorite Person: Janelle Chandler, my rock-awesome wife
We've been married nearly 10 years (next June) and this one has been the best by far. We've had lower lows than most years, and higher highs as well. We've laughed, cried, traveled, sang loudly, defaced our otherwise perfect bodies with tattoos, and otherwise had a heck of a good year. I'm in love with that girl.

So there it is. What about you? What was your favorite song/movie/book/game/website/techtoy/trip/person of the year?