End of 2009 #4: My Tradition

I've had a blog for 5 years now, consistently...and 7 years total.

I have been spotty, at times, in my updating of it.

I've been better about that for almost a year now.... I missed few Thursdays this year, or at least since I decided to update on Thursday, and I've probably made up for all of those with a post or three each.

Throughout all of them, I've always had some kind of little award ceremony at the end of the year. It doesn't mean much, but I enjoy it.

And that's what this is.

It's kind of the one personal tradition I have in life (save for constantly failing at any sort of regular sleep pattern...if that counts).

So, without more introduction because the beginning is always going to be awkward, I give you the run down on things that meant something to me this year, in some way. Remember though, they're just things.... a year is more defined by people and experiences than any of these things ever could.

Also, a note: these are not all things that came out in 2009....many of them are much older. They are, however, things that I either first discovered or by which I was particularly impacted in 2009.

(other editions can be found here )

Book of the year: I've called this my hardest decision of this whole thing many times, and if that is true, then this year is especially hard, because I have never, since I've been keeping track, read so many books in one year. The totals came in at 13049 pages across exactly 50 books. That's 12 more books than last year and about 3000 more pages. For the lazy, that means the average length was about 261 pages per book...that's about the average length of any book...maybe a bit on the smaller end. The longest book I read was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and the shortest Missing May by Cynthia Rylant. A large portion of my books were, in fact, for my Children as Readers class (like, about 20 of them...) so I'm not sure that I'll get to 50 again next year without all of the time and compulsory reading English classes give...but, anyway, I think, as I think back on my total year, the year I read Harry Potter, it is impossible to pick a book outside of that series. Ultimately, I love Harry Potter more than any other set of books or individual books since the chronicles of Narnia, and my pick, as a result, thinking about the day after I finished it, I have to go with the final book The Deathly Hollows for my book of the year.
Runner-up: Love is an Orientation, Andrew Marin (after, to be honest, the other six HP books..)


Film of the Year: In my version of the academy awards, I use the movies I saw instead of the movies released. I only watched 71 movies this year...a far cry from last years 145...but I had 0 film classes this year, compared to 5 in 2008. The last movie I actually watched happened about two weeks ago too....whereas I averaged more than 2 per week last year (with a month away from all media at SLT...). But I did see some great movies this year! My winner and runner up are really kind of a toss-up, but I'm going to have to go with Once as my top film of the year. It's beautiful, watch it. Tonight.
Runner up: Everything is Illuminated

Director of the Year: I was incredibly close to eliminating this award this year. It was new last year, but I didn't quite expect it to last. However, in thinking about it, I did see, greatly enjoy, and kind of want to rewrite my I.S. about the films of Wes Anderson this fall.
Runner-up: David Yates (for Harry Potter)

T.V. show of the year: This is an interesting one...I don't watch much T.V. but I love what I do watch (mostly either on DVD or the internet, I will admit). Last year's winner (Heroes) has done nothing but disappoint...the constant favorite (the Office) definitely hit me in a big way this year as I basically watched nearly the entire series over the summer....Futurama (although thanks to the movies at least in part) even made a run for reclaiming its crown of old. But, and don't hate me for this, the reason I've not watched so many movies this year, and especially this fall and winter, has been thanks to the readily available copies of Gilmore Girls at the library. Perhaps it's something of a guilty pleasure...but even the campishness of the show endears me and the snappy wordplay, even idiotic at times, gets to me each time. And I'm not really all that attracted to Alexis Bledel, which I would normally expect from myself when I'm liking a show like that...but it's true...it's my show of the year...and I wish I could tell you why I love it so much, but I can't...so don't hate. You probably like Desperate Housewives or Seventh Heaven or Dawson's Creek or something...
Runner-up: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Now I move to music.

Last year, I decided to break it down by genre because it was so hard for me to listen and think about hip-hop/rap and the other music I listen to on the same playing field. 2009 definitely morphed that, and while I'll often listen to a playlist of one or the other, they do meld together far better for me these days....so my plethora of awards from last year have dwindled down to non-genre-specific things.

Song of the Year: Talk about hard. I listen to so much music all the time, it seems impossible to pick one song. But I've got to. I'm going to. I'm about to. This pick is more like a nod in the right direction and a beginning point than the defining song of my year, but it's the song I want to have my first dance as a married couple to (whenever it is I get married...). It is, perhaps strangely titled, but unflinchingly beautiful: Eric's Song, Vienna Teng (if you click on titles for my music awards, you can listen to the songs on Youtube!)
Runner Up: Never Let Go, David Crowder Band

Artist of the Year: This is probably especially hard because I've been all over the place with things I've loved...but when I really think about what has meant the most to me on so many levels, I can't not go with Mae Not only did I love them all year and love all of their new stuff, but dedicating a year's worth of song-sales to charity is a huge thing... I haven't encountered so much Kingdom-centered work in one place much in my life, and never so concerted, never so impassioned...and, for the purposes of these meaningless awards, never from a band.
Runner-up: Nas (warning: that is hardcore, socially active but still very gangster rap...and it's unedited)

Album of the year: Honestly, this isn't hard at all. It's Inland Territory by Vienna Teng by a wide margin. Every song is among her best, and the total album is a joy to listen to each and every single time. It's much harder to pick a runner up, to be honest...
Runner up: The Once Soundtrack by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

Sports Team of the Year: (note: this goes to the team I follow that did the best) I usually have to wait until Ohio State is finished with their Bowl game to decide this award. That wasn't the case this year and simply happened because they finally had a game on January 1st. (remember when all the bowls were on the first or earlier? Those were the days children!) It's a runaway for the Cleveland Cavaliers this year because they were and are the only team I follow in unsurprising and serious contention for the championship. That, and I love LeBron. A lot. Too much.
Runner-Up: OG Titan Football (for their surprising and surreal playoff run)

If you've read this in past years, you might remember that I said last year could be the last year for the video game of the year award, and I was right.... I didn't really play video games this past year, and doubt I will in 2010...

So, that means, that's a wrap.

I hope you have had a great beginning to your new year and a great ending to our whirlwind cultural gamut of holidays since October 31st. I know I loved them all.

Until next time folks!

-Zack

"Strange how you know inside me. I measure the time and I stand amazed"
-Vienna Teng