2005 In Synopsis and Lists

Well, kids, this is it, the last day of the year, and what a amazingly sucky year it's been, too. I dreamt last night that I was the sacred holder of the magic bungee cord, and I had to protect it at all costs from evil clowns and dark wizards. Seriously. So this must mean something, but I'm damned if I can figure out what, and I really hope it isn't a portent of Things to Come.

Since everyone else in the world is doing Best Albums and Best Movies and Best Books and stuff like that lists, I thought I'd get into the act with a highly biased and personal reflection on 10 Best A Random Number of Somewhat Interesting Things from 2005. I started creating links at the bottom and moved my way up, but I've lost interest in googling, copying and pasting at this point, so if you're interested in these movies you will just have to google them yourself. Sorry about that, but you know, it's a form of exercise and all.

Movies: The new Harry Potter was marvelous, the Brothers Grimm was really good, I think that it was 2005 I discovered Scotland, PA, and even though it's like 5 years old, it's joined my top ten movies ever in my whole life, movies I'd take to a desert island, although then when I got there I'd probably be really bummed that I just had these DVDs and no power to play them, and I would weep and curse that I hadn't used the space for a bag of rice or a bottle of whiskey or something more useful than stupid DVDs. Must Love Dogs bit the big one, it was quite sucky, and I saw Uzumaki, a Japanese horror movie which left lasting scars in the form of total confusion about whether I was being eeped out because the movie was scary or just because it was so, well, bafflingly Japanese.

TV: I rediscovered TV in 2005 in the form of DVDs and so I managed to get completely hooked on first, a gateway drug: Upstairs, Downstairs and then the television equivalent of heroin: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, which, if you don't know, is about a vampire detective agency because, see, the whole world, or at least California, is actually infested by demons who live in the underworld and there are dimensional vortices and all kind of demons everywhere, or at least, like I said, in California. Which if you think about it explains a lot, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and the mudslides. Then I watched Lost, which ended much too soon, and now I'm hooked on Six Feet Under which is also, interestingly enough, set in California only with ghosts instead of demons, and I like it despite the fact that I actually pretty much loathe all the characters except for Nate, who I am in love with even though he's irritating too.

Books: Just recently I've rediscovered Jan Willem van de Wetering but there must have been some other books I read in 2005 that left an impression on me, right? Right? I'm trying desperately to remember here. Oh wait, yes, Elizabeth Willey, and Pat Murphy and Tim Powers again and always, and it turns out that Peter S. Beagle actually wrote more than three books, and I got to read those. I'd have to go to my room and look at books to be reminded and I can't leave the computer, because than M (who I'm not actually allowed to mention on my blog anymore, he's embarrassed and furious with me) will seize the computer to play video games and that will be the end of that.

Music: This was the year of Tinariwen for me, African music yay, and also a year that I dredged up a lot of old punk and listened to that, and I discovered the Dropkick Murphys, who rule. I want the new James McMurtry album and the Duhks album and the Robert Earl Keen album, and maybe I'll get them, you never know. Oh and that wretched dog ate Genesis, Selling England By the Pound, and now I have to replace that.

I could go on and on about my personal life, but then I kind of have already done that, for what is this blog if not an extended, cathartic and revelatory (some would say way too revelatory, like embarrassing Mom, jesus, don't you ever mention me again, I don't know what's wrong with you) examination of my personal life, in 2005 and now, soon to be coming your way from the bright future of 2006. Where is my jet pack and super video communicator and condo on Mars, anyway?