Principles of Uncertainty

I finally bought Maira Kalman’s book the other day, and I am just in love with it!  Not only is it a jewel of a work, but she can be equally whimsical and serious.  My favorite part is the way she sees beauty in little, everyday things, like the gait of elderly people, hats, tassels, [...]

Best of 2007 – Leslie’s Edition, Part 2 (The Un-narrowable)

These could have easily made my top ten on another day, but didn’t quite. As of today, they’re sort of ranked, with most favorites at the top.
“A Stone” by Okkervil River. This was not released this year, but I never really listened to it until this year, and I’m so in love with this [...]

Best of 2007 – Leslie’s Edition, Part 1 (Narrowed to 10)

How to choose? I have a really long list, and there’s so much I haven’t had time to really listen to… Anyway, I have had time to listen to these, and I really like them. Ranking them seems impossible, so they’re in no particular order.  Look for a post tomorrow with the [...]

Best of 2007 – c.go Edition

Christopher’s list came in with the disclaimer that the songs on his list were not necessarily released this year, but were “new to him” in 2007. Also, he notes that, “I felt compelled to list everything that was compelling to me.” So here they are, ranked and all!
1. “No Bad News” by [...]

A Collection of “Best of 2007″ Lists

I always like to see what others are picking as their favorites for the year…  Here are a few:
NPR Listeners Pick the Year’s Best CDs, From All Songs Considered
Pitchfork’s Top 50 Albums of 2007
Pitchfork’s Top 100 Tracks of 2007
Rolling Stones’ Top 50 Albums of 2007
Blender’s Top 25 Albums of 2007
Stereogum’s Best “Outsider” Albums of 2007
Bob [...]

Best of 2007 – E.K. Wimmer Edition

Eric states that these are in no particular order, so there are no numbers. I’ve tried to find YouTube videos wherever possible… A sidenote/funny anecdote about YouTube — last night a friend said “I love YouTube.” I thought he said “I love you, too,” and I was a little confused, as I hadn’t [...]

Some Goals for 2008

Act more consciously. Whether it’s eating or dating or work or friendships, I want to be thoughtful and deliberate.
Watch more television. Not in the rearranging-my-schedule-to-be-home-at-7:00 sort of way. But I want to watch the things I’ve missed out on, probably on DVD. On the list: Sex and the City, if [...]

Merry, Merry

Since I was little, our family has had a tradition of eating only hors d’oeuvre on Christmas Eve. There are always the usual suspects — cheese and crackers, a veggie tray, shrimp, etc., but over the years things have gotten more and more interesting. I think it has at least a little bit [...]

Several Superlatives

I thought I was feeling better today (and I suppose I was).  I went skiing with my brother and sister and had a really good time.  I kept up pretty well, despite the fact that I haven’t skied in about five years, the weather was gorgeous, and it wasn’t all that crowded considering the time [...]

Detox/Retox and The Two-Thirds Theory

The cleanse has mostly been undone by an unfortunate night of drinking.  I’ll blame it on that last shot — who knew it would be someone’s birthday at midnight?  It was fun, probably not worth it, and I’m not going to feel guilty for overloading my clean, pure body with alcohol.  Actually, I am, but [...]