2010: A Wrap-Up

My favorite person.

 Christopher Hitchens. Militant atheist, philosopher, and contributing writer to many prestigious magazines. 

Why? Because he's bad ass. Before writing a piece on waterboarding, he experienced it himself so as to portray the horrors correctly. 

 This year he was diagnosed with throat cancer, a result of a lifetime of drinking and smoking. He has continued on his book tour, his debate circuits, and his pieces on Slate.com. He will be lucky to live another five years. I think the world will be a little stupider when he dies.

Runners-up for best person:

Penn and Teller

Richard Dawkins

My favorite movie.

 Babies. It's quiet, non-eventful, but beautiful and charming. It follows four babies from four areas and lifestyles (rural life in a yert in Mongolia; high-tech life in Tokyo; a modern hippie upbringing in San Francisco; and a very primitive life in Namibia, Africa) from birth to age one, filming their milestones and daily routines.

Runners-up for favorite movie:

Easy A

The Kids Are Alright

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Toy Story 3

My favorite album.

 Katy Perry's Teenage Dream. Say what you want about bubble gum pop and its shallowness and musical irrelevance--I find her hilariously refreshing. 

Runners-up for albums:

Frightened Rabbit: Winter of Mixed Drinks

Lady Antebellum: Need You Now

My favorite TV show.

 Modern Family. Witty and heartwarming. It manages to be trendy without pushing the envelope, and the main theme is that every family really has the same dynamics, whether you're nuclear, blended, or of various "lifestyles."
Runners-up for favorite TV show:

The Apprentice: Go Brandy!

America's Next Top Model, which now rivals The Land Before Time for most sequels ever. Go Ann!

My favorite books.

The "I don't get you" awards:

Christine O'Donnell. You may say you're a member of the "values movement," but that makes you an outcast when it comes to COMPASSION.

Taylor Swift. You're not an innocent girl, betrayed by the older men you date who break your little porcelain country heart. You're a predator, moving from one man-victim to the next, telling the tales of your private relationship in manipulative kiss-and-tell songs. Be a grown-up and keep the details on your ex... PRIVATE!

Unidentified newlyweds. Just stay away from me. It's not even my battle and I want to fight.

 Worst moment.

 The oil spill in the Gulf. Also, most embarrassing moment as an American.

My favorite photo.

My songs of the seasons:

SPRING.
For the Price of a Cup of Tea by Belle and Sebastian
North by North by Faded Paper Figures
Electric Twist by A Fine Frenzy

SUMMER.
1,2,3,4 by Feist
Human of the Year by Regina Spektor
Different Names for the Same Thing by Death Cab for Cutie

AUTUMN.
Oh My God by Ida Maria
Electrical Storm by U2
Talula by Tori Amos

WINTER.
Keep Yourself Warm by Frightened Rabbit
Side One of The Wall by Pink Floyd
Waltz of the Flowers by Peter Tchaikovsky

My themes of 2010.

Confidence. Loyalty. Forgiveness.

Things I have learned this year.
Contrary to what I am inclined to think, I will probably not die alone with bunches of cats to eat my face.
Pretending to like things I do not like is fruitless. Case in point: Avatar.
Every cliche about motherhood is true.

All in all, pretty fantastic year.