Fourth day of the new year and I already have a 4 day string of exercising and decluttering one drawer/closet per day. Yes, the threatened black garbage bag is really out! New Year's resolutions-a piece of cake. You'll notice I didn't go for the tough ones, like writing a novel, getting more money for stage 4 cancer treatments or bringing peace to the Middle East (finally!)
Looking forward to a great year and of course looking back over 2011, I have to offer up some of my favorite things. First, the easy ones:
BEST BOOKS
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (fiction) A sprawling novel set between Ethiopia and America of twin boys with a special bond, tested by life events. Hard to put this one down.
The Emperor of all Maladies by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee (non-fiction). A history or, as he describes it, a "biography" of cancer. He talks about all cancers, not just breast cancer and relates some pretty amazing stories. I particularly liked the description of how difficult throughout history it's been to gain acceptance of new procedures and ideas.
Life by Keith Richards (biography) 20+ disks, but well worth the listen. (You know I love Keef!)
BEST TRIP
Do you have to even ask? Alaska, hands down. As my Park Service son would say my "place attachment" remains strong. Wonderful family travel, beautiful scenery and things I thought I'd never do--kayak to a glacier, hike in close proximity to the bears, and fly in a Cessna 210 around Denali.
BEST ALBUM
Bright Morning Stars by the Wailin' Jennys- discovered this group at Bergen Community College performance and practically wore out the CD, playing it in the car. Also loved their earlier album, Forty Days and especially the single Arlington, which starts with a lovely Irish drum and has beautiful poetic lyrics. (click on link to listen)
BEST PLAY
I have to restrict this category to Shakespeare, since I saw 14 plays by the bard this year, ranging from Bergen Community College production of As You Like It to King Lear with famous British actor Derek Jacobi at Brooklyn Academy of Music and also with Sam Waterston at the Public Theatre. (You know you're in trouble when you start seeing the same play and comparing different versions of it) Gary saw an additional 2 plays, but I drew the line at military history plays--Richard II and Henry V.
A Midsummer Night's Dream - a fun, easy to like Shakespeare play by the NJ Shakespeare Festival in a perfect setting: the outdoor stone amphitheatre at St Elizabeth's College.
Now the harder categories in which to pick a favorite:
BLOG: "Gee, I love them all," she said modestly.
My pick for 2011 would be:
I still buy green bananas. Yes, Tim, I still chuckle every time I sit in the family room with my feet up in couch potato luxury.
MOVIE: Lots of good ones, none really great.
I liked The Descendants, War Horse, Midnight in Paris, The Help, The Artist. Off beat: The Guard and Win-win. But as for best picture, I'll leave that to the Academy.
This post is starting to look like a Pinterest page, so I'd better stop. No, I can't get involved in yet another website!! (although it's fun to browse.)
Now it is not that I didn't absolutely love "I still buy green bananas" (particularly after recently potatoing in the family room's blissful comfort). But here's to ALL the 2011 award winning blogs!
ReplyDeleteI eagerly await all this year's posts.