So Long 2007

has it already been a year? it seems like yesterday that we made superhero costumes for halloween.

for the past few days, i have been trying to figure out the best way to describe the year without sounding too confessional or impersonal, which of course leaves room only for the inaccurate or unsatisfying. giving this fact consideration, i would have to say that 2007 has been a trying year, a year of a heavy heart and certain denouement. my father is especially melancholy tonight. he says nothings the matter but i know that it’s because he misses his mother, that he wishes that she could have joined us at the dinner table for new years eve tonight.

for me, 2007 was the sound of pages turning too fast. it was the inevitable reevaluation of what the present would come to be. it was saying ‘so long’ (not good bye) to the comfort felt in the presence of loved ones. and it was a ‘so long’ that broke my heart.

people dismiss sorrow and grief as negative energies but i think they’re also important because they make you realize that you cared about something or someone that was important to you. they come hand and hand with love, really; you feel sorrow and grief because you loved. it was that kind of year for me and i’m okay with it. i still have the blues when i wake up, but i’m happy that i loved. every ‘so long’ i’ll say will keep me connected as long as i remember, and i think i’ll be remembering. sorrow is love is goodbye is one.

before things get even more self-indulgent, i should mention that there has been some definite good times. i haven’t forgotten them. i think about them all the time. and we all know how it feels to think about good times; equal parts nostalgia, heartache, and joy.

3 more hours until 2008. soon i’ll say ‘so long’ to the year that was 2007 and say ‘hello 2008, you’re quite the looker!’ i’m looking forward to the new year and i hope you’ll be there to make it a great one. won’t you join me?

i’ve got a tree to grow.

music of 2007 list

i would hesitate to call this a best music of 2007 list because a) there are many albums i never got around to, b) i’m certain that i have neglected to mention some great music from the albums that i have had a chance to listen to, and c) you won’t believe me as a credible source. it might be more appropriate to call it an ” opinionated highlights of music in 2007″ list. all albums/songs on the list were released in 2007 and are possibly obvious selections.

albums

1) Person Pitch – Panda Bear
2) Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga – Spoon
3) Sound of Silver – LCD Soundsystem
4) Strawberry Jam – Animal Collective
5) Graduation – Kanye West
6) In Rainbows – Radiohead
7) The Shepherd’s Dog – Iron and Wine
8 ) † – Justice
9) The Reminder – Feist
10) Friend Opportunity – Deerhoof
11) Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool – Lupe Fiasco
12) Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon – Devendra Banhart
13) Marry Me – St. Vincent
14) Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
15) 8 Diagrams – Wu Tang Clan

smartest album on mainstream radio

Good Girl Gone Bad – Rihanna

graceful transition into limelight

leslie feist

best artist to be thoughtfully included in a motion picture

kimya dawson/ the moldy peaches

guilty pleasure, beloved joy

High School Musical 2

best youtube artist

Tay Zonday of “Chocolate Rain” fame

some stand out tracks

Somewhere Down the Road – Feist (from the Hottest State OST)
Flightless Bird, American Mouth – Iron & Wine (from the Shepherd’s Dog)
Superstar – Lupe Fiasco (from The Cool; i went to a lupe concert and it was the most terrible day ever, but somehow it made the song more memorable)
International Players Antem feat. Outkast – UGK (from UGK; RIP Pimp C)

more stand out tracks with music videos

Lies – Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (from Once OST)

Backed Out On The… – Kevin Drew (from Spirited If…; J Mascis!)

Teddy Picker – Arctic Monkeys (from Favourite Worst Nightmare; this one is a better song and video, but for i tend to like this one)

Paper Planes – MIA (from Kala)

All My Friends – LCD Soundsystem (from Sound of Silver)

book recommendations 2007

the following is a list of books i have read this past year and would recommended others to do as well. i should start reading the harry potter books; it’s hard to deny the impact those books have had. if you didn’t read too many books this year, you can make it a new years resolution! in no particular order:

wizard of the crow – ngugi wa’thiong’o

beautifully written political and social satire about the fictional republic of abruria, the story unfolds like a folk tale with unmatched clarity and resonance. it is an obersvation of our place on this earth and the love that will keep us together. hands down, my favorite book of the year.

the zoo story – edward albee

i was given this play as a gift from a friend and i always wondered if it was symbolic. like, was this given to me for a reason? oh by the way, the play ends with a man getting stabbed at the park. just like in my life!

the man who was thursday – g.k. chesterton

then who is thursday now?

shortcomings -adrian tomine

story about a cynical asian american guy who is forced to come to terms with his life through his rocky relationship with his girlfriend and his attraction to white women. poignant observations of racial/sexual relationships. amazing illustrations, best graphic novel of the year.

laika – nick abadzis

true story of the world’s first dog (and living being) to travel space. this story about the noble pup made me cry from beginning to end. it’s absolutely deliberate, but it got me. my eyes were sore from crying too much. have not cried that much in a long while, no joke. i am so lame.

watchmen – alan moore

what’s not to say about the watchmen. one of the most important graphic novels ever.

pictor’s metamorphoses: and other fantasies – hermann hesse

hey man, nobody said it would make sense. fantasy as life, life as fantasy, fantasy as allegory.

the invention of hugo cabret – brian selznick

it’s a pretty book, man. and since it’s 526 pages, people will think you are a monster of a reader. instant cool points, right? j.k. (rowling)

the pilgrim’s progress – john bunyan

still reading this one. it’s a christian allegory. my friend gave me a 1914 pressing of the book. very cool.