The year's slowly dragging it's feet across the finish line and, as such, bloggers are wrapping it up with a bow. Top lists are the order of business. I'll follow suit but with a bit of a twist. Here's a few arbitrary catagories followed by some nominees and the winner from 2006.
Best Album
Nominees: The Killers - Hot Fuss, Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene, Embrace - Out of Nothing, Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself
Winner: Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
Ask The Girl on this, I really didn't like them for a long while. I had a few of their songs but never could get into them. Then Alisa buys me a ticket to their show and I'm immediately blown away. These guys and gals can rock. This cd is BY FAR their best, in my opinion. Just so much fun to listen to all the way through... the way cds are meant to be listened to. As one 48-minute long opus. Trust me on this one. It's great.
Best Vacation
Nominees: Las Vegas - Family Trip, Las Vegas - Friends Trip, NYC - Super Bowl, Ann Arbor - Michigan/Ohio State Weekend
Winner:Tie Las Vegas - Both Trips
It's tough to decide between these two. The first was the family trip. Room was paid for, food was paid for, flight was paid for. I mean, it was probably the best Vegas trip you could imagine. It was the first with The Girl. I got to see my sister, her fiance and dad. Beautiful rooms. It was great. Yet, 2 weeks later I went with my closest friends in the world. Both college and high school. I saw Titus for the first time in a couple years. Kangas for the first time in a year. It was drunken debauchery where I lost nearly 30 times as much money as the family trip. Plus random cameo from a DC friend. (This catagory looks to be the most promising next year as there are already two trips planned in January, one to Chicago and one to NYC, and the two annual Vegas trips. Other possible VERY possible destinations include: San Fransisco, Seattle/Vancouver and London.)
Best Podcast
Nominees: Adam Curry's Daily Source Code, CBC Radio 3, Lynn Parsons, Sportweek
Winner: Sportsweek
I am always excited when I see the little blue ball in my iTunes telling me that I have a new episode waiting for me from each of these shows. I listen to each religiously. All four are so very different in their approach. But Sportsweek is the one show I really get excited about. It's the only one I listen to in the car. The only one I wait for. Gary Richardson does a wonderful job interviewing. This might be one of the best, most well informed sports radio shows on the air in the world. And luckily, I get to enjoy it because of podcasting. Thank you BBC!
Best Internet Application
Nominees: Flickr, BaseCamp, Blinksale, Bloglines
Winner: Flickr
No doubt. It's by far the most fun. Plus, it's turned in a verb. "I'll Flickr that." Just my fav... and I've turned my little sister onto it too. Sign up. Thank me later. No more needs to be said.
Best Book I Read
Nominees: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman, Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk
Winner: Freakonomics
I read a fair amount this year. Maybe more than I ever had. This is a tough one. I'm always a fan of Palahniuk. Klosterman just seemed to be on a book long rant. With Blink, I think my hopes were too high after The Tipping Point and, although very good, it didn't delvier up to those hopes. I think the book which made me think the most was Freakonomics. That's what I enjoy. Winner.
So ends my 2006. I know I'm forgetting A LOT from the beginning of the year. That's what this blog is for. Next year for me to look back and remember all those times so maybe, just maybe, this will be a more interesting post. Until then... Happy Holidays! I'm off to pack...