Best of 2007

1. The Assassination of Jesse James
2. No Country for Old Men
3. Juno
4. Control
5. Paris Je T'aime
6. King of Kong
7. Ratatouille
8. Zodiac
9. Hot Fuzz
10* TBD (probably will be There Will Be Blood)

So many other good films:
Once, Into the Wild, Knocked Up, Michael Clayton, Gone Baby Gone, Across the Universe, This is England, The Brave One, the first 2/3 of Sunshine, Planet Terror

Didn't Like: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Eastern Promises, Sweeney Todd, Superbad, Margot at the Wedding, Darjeeling Limited (want to give it a second chance)

Music:
1. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
2. Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
3. Radiohead - In Rainbows

Didn't listen to much music this year.

Books:
Blankets
Black Hole
A Spot of Bother
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Man. Is that it?

Places:
St. Augustine - actually rather liked it.
Houston - also liked it, very much.
Galveston - rode horses on the beach, pretty lovely.
New Orleans - in love.
Helen, GA - very cool.

Et al.
Henry Barfight
Twinhead/Christian Comic Chaos
Romp/Chomp and Stomp
Too much else to remember.
Very good year.

2008

Read more (gotta keep it up). Run, lose weight. Save more money.

DVDs I still need to watch:

Woman Under the Influence
Killing of a Chinese Bookie
Opening Night
Brief Encounter
M
The Lives of Others
Foreign Correspondent
The Wrong Man
Suspicion
I Confess
The Stranger
Killer Bait
Le Corbeau
Quai des Orfevres

GPB & J

Today was my first day of work at Georgia Public Broadcasting. After working for about a month with my former professor Jonathan Harris on getting situated, I was finally accepted as an apprentice in his program.

The day began with their office party -- I've never had such good timing. A great way to meet people and a smörgåsbord of free food. And then my work day commenced, after a wonderful tour by Julian. I'm working on an oral history project featuring World War II vets from Georgia. It's really interesting, but not the most thrilling thing to work on. I'm reminded of the vets interviewed at the start of episodes in the Band of Brothers mini series. Only now the vets speak at great length about their experiences. It feels like a very meaningful project to be working on, which is very different from other shows I've worked on.

I just feel in my element at GPB. Plus, judging from the office party, the staff is a more approachable size, more close-knit. And much friendlier. The Executive Director thanked everyone and listed many projects that have been worked on. It seemed more arduous than endearing, but it did make me think, I can't remember the last time I worked on something and felt the impact of that work.

Another plus is the longer train ride. Granted, any excuse to ride MARTA for a shorter duration should be heeded, but I do, for some reason, enjoy the North/South line. It's very unreliable and there are a lot more people who ride it, but it makes me feel like I live in a city. And not to mention, walking through Midtown is an exhilarating way to start your day (it'll be better once it's cold again!). Plus, the longer ride means I have some real time to read.

I've begun reading Harry Potter. I'm minutes away from finishing the first book, and I have to say it rides the line between reminding me of reading books when I was a kid and being a really well-told story. This is all complimentary. The stories are so good and the characters so well defined that you can't help but get sucked back into that mental cave of comfort you had when you were a child.

Postscript

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_French_phrases - i.e., guide to pretension.

I'm never reading again.

Ok, so that's not true. But I just got a new HDTV from a coworker. And it rocks. We're not even watching HD movies or anything, it's just such an upgrade from our last 19" TV. The sound alone is worth the upgrade. We gave the new TV a test run with the last scene from Hot Fuzz. What a good choice, I heard sound effects I'd never heard before, and it looked gorgeous too. Then, we watched Planet Earth...again, splendid. Then, I watched Minority Report. Then, we watched Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Needless to say, I love watching movies on this thing. I really want to burn through the movies I own that I have yet to watch. Because I'm a huge nerd, here is a list of my ten favorite Criterion Collection films (after reading through this same feature on their site, I couldn't resist):

1. In the Mood for Love

2. Le Samourai

3. Battle of Algiers

4. Playtime

5. La Haine

6. The Third Man

7. Man Bites Dog

8. Hoop Dreams

9. The Royal Tenenbaums

10. Faces