The Year-End Meme

Books Read: 203 Comics Read: 44 Concerts Attended: 4 Semi Precious Weapons and Jason Derulo, 14 January Lady Gaga's Monster Ball, supported by Semi Precious Weapons, 26 January Kid Cudi, supported by B.o.B., 26 March Snoop Dogg, supported by Janelle Monae, 20 October Movies Seen in the Theatre: 20 Sherlock Holmes, Avatar (3D), Clash of the Titans (3D), Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3, Letters to Juliet, Robin Hood, A Team, Despicable Me, Inception, Salt, Step Up 3D (2D), Scott Pilgrim vs the World, The Social Network, American Splendor, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One, Burlesque, The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, TRON: Legacy (3D), Tangled (3D) Movies Watched Outside the Theatre: 28 Museums and Monuments Visited: 3 Meramec Caverns, 19 July Shedd Aquarium, 03 October Art Institute of Chicago, 04 December Sporting Events Attended: 4 Women's Basketball: Purdue vs Iowa State, 17 January Football: Purdue vs Ball State, 18 September Women's Volleyball: Purdue vs Northwestern, 12 November Men's Basketball: Los Angeles Clippers vs Sacramento Kings, 25 November Theatre Attended: 10 Hamlet, 20 February, Purdue Theatre An Enemy of the People, 25 February, Aquila Theatre Top Girls, 27 March, Purdue Theatre Scapino!, 23 April, Purdue Theatre Avenue Q, 29 April, Work Light Productions The Chester Cycle: The Fall of Man, 18 May, Purdue Theatre The Merchant of Venice, 09 July, 3 Theater Group A Night with Bill Cosby, 24 September The Matchmaker, 02 October, Purdue Theatre Amadeus, 13 November, Purdue Theatre Best Film I Saw in 2010: Toy Story 3, hands-down. Honestly, I waffled between naming The Social Network and Inception, because both were just flawlessly crafted, but the gender issues are difficult to swallow. Toy Story 3, however, managed to be brilliant on both artistic and emotional levels, while never inspiring any meta-rage. Best TV Shows I Watched in 2010: Community and Cougar Town are doing amazing things with genre, with character, and with continuity. Each episode impresses me--Community with its staggering variety, and Cougar Town for its boundless heart. Best Episodes of TV I Watched in 2010: "Modern Warfare," Community: If you haven't seen it yet, YOU MUST. "Mr Yin Presents," Psych: An absolutely brilliant Hitchcock homage. "Vincent and the Doctor," Doctor Who: I wept. "The Big Bang," Doctor Who: The way this all weaved together was amazing. "For the Team," Warehouse 13: I have NEVER seen a science fiction show pass the Bechdel Test so spectacularly. Best TV Moment I Watched in 2010: "Devil You Know," Burn Notice Cinched with the following exchange:

"Do you really want to pay for your son's mistakes?" "He paid for mine."

Said without any sort of dramatics, and better for the lack. Best Book I Read in 2010: Like No Other Lover by Julie Anne Long. OKAY LOOK, this is a Regency-era romance, and that title is just embarassing I KNOW, but it is the most finely-crafted book I have read in AGES. Just look at this sentence:

He still couldn't seem to resume thinking clearly, and normally thoughts poured through him the way his blood did: ceaselessly.

Look at the way she deploys that colon! It's an artful combination of adverbs and punctuation, with structure imitating the implication of the imagery. And I'll tell you, Long is even better with semi-colons. Favorite Albums of 2010: Kanye West's latest, which has a long title don't remember. He never disappoints, but this album exceeded my expectations, both in ferocity and in fun. The grandiose "Power" is my favorite, but "Monster" is impressive, and "All of the Lights" is just beautiful. Best Concert I Attended in 2010: LADY GAGA. It was a spectacular show. Best one I've been to, honestly. Favorite Song of the Year: Tom McRae's Me & Stetson. This song is right up there with "Karaoke Soul" and "End of the World News (Dose Me Up)." I endlessly miss seeing Tom perform live. All-Around Best Things About 2010: Cohort and Comic-Con and CCCC. All-Around Worst Thing About 2010: Tact is just not saying true stuff. Something 2010 (Should Have) Taught Me: Do not procrastinate about grading! (This is something I should have been learning every year since 2002, actually.) Why 2011 Will Be Better Than 2010: I don't know, y'all. 2010 was pretty awesome.