Friday, January 04, 2008

More than a day late, more than a dollar short

I am well aware that all my end-of-year sum-it-up posting should have been done last week. Christmas trees are down (well, mine isn't, but I am a week behind, after all*) and we are solidly into January, so I really should move on to 2008 already. But since last week was one of those spans where I temporarily forgot I had a blog (and also because CenterPoint Energy actually came early for my scheduled meter inspection today, meaning I really should do a very brief post and get myself to work rather than leisurely wile away what I thought would be a few hours waiting for them), I am going to do one more end-of-'07 post anyway. And then maybe I'll talk about something equally timely--you know, like LiLo's** stint in rehab or Paris Hilton crying on her way to the pokey.

That said, on to a one-week-late Friday Five.


My top five movies of 2007
(in no real particular order and bearing in mind that I didn't see half the movies I should have seen in '07, so Oscar will most certainly disagree with me on these)
  1. Once
  2. Juno
  3. Waitress
  4. Knocked up
  5. The Simpsons Movie
  6. Superbad
OK, that is actually six, but I can't decide which of those last four to switch to a tie or honorable mention spot, so six it is, I guess.

Next up, I was going to list my top five books of 2007, but I actually only read a sad, measly 11 books during the year, so it hardly seems fair to highlight damn-near half of them. So I'll just say the top spots go easily to Eat Pray Love and Tolstoy Lied and leave it at that. (Incidentally, I realize neither of those books were actually published in 2007. Everything about this post is late, so why should that matter?)

And finally, let's talk music. I could spend hours agonizing over my top five songs of the year, but that would defeat the purpose of knocking out a quick post and getting my ass to the office already. Also, it would put me in the same sad category as that guy in Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, and really, nobody wants to be that guy. So off the top of my head, with the request that you please not hold me to all of these indefinitely, here are...

Maybe my top five songs of 2007
  1. Band of Horses, No One's Gonna Love You
  2. Feist, 1234
  3. The National, Start a War
  4. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (from the Once soundtrack), Falling Slowly
  5. Lily Allen, LDN

See, now I'm already trying to revise my list, because frankly, much as I loved Lily Allen earlier this year, I'm feeling sort of done with her now, and I just heard Gomez's See the World on the radio and remembered how much I really, really liked that one, too (even if it did maybe come out in 2006 and not 2007, actually). And Rilo Kiley! Breaking up! I still dance around my living room whenever that one comes on, so how can I leave that out? Sigh. This is why I don't make Top Five lists. I give up.

All right then. Off to work. Happy Friday (and, of course, again, Happy 2008) to you all.



-----------------------------------------------------------------
* Also, I was raised Catholic, which means I can leave the little tree up until the Epiphany on January 6 and say it's for religious reasons.

** Note to Carrie, Jamie, and anyone else who lives in a world void of trash pop culture: LiLo = Lindsay Lohan. You're welcome.
-----------------------------------------------------------------



16 comments:

Jess said...

Sorry that the meter inspection guy showed up early so now you have to go to the office. Nobody likes that. But now I have a convenient list of movies to see and songs to download, so thanks for that.

Anonymous said...

Happy Friday to you, too, my dear! :) GOD. I cannot believe I have become so pathetically uninformed about the music industry that I ahven't heard one single one of those songs. New Year resolution, perhaps??

-R- said...

You and your non-pop-cultured friends. Is that a weekly? Ha, that still makes me laugh.

Also, I am not as nice as you and would totally take another few hours at home.

metalia said...

Ooh, I wanted to see Once and Waitress so badly; I'm sure they'd have made it on my list if I had. Happy New Year, Stefanie!!

Anonymous said...

I may not have semi-recently known who LiLo is, but I have always known how to identify a clove of garlic! Obviously, we have different priorities.

Your comment made me laugh out loud, though. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.

Anonymous said...

I like to leave the tree up until my birthday. I think the 11th is a good cut-off. That way, I can also justify that my decorations celebrate WINTER, not just Jesus.

Poppy said...

I whole-heartedly agree with you on everything I've seen/heard of what you've seen/heard: Juno, Knocked Up, Superbad, 1234, and LDN.

Whiskeymarie said...

My dad once thought it was funny to leave the wreath up until July.

And I saw a fully-lit tree in the window of a house on Summit Avenue in August once.

You've got time.

Aaron said...

Ooh! Nice movie list! Now I want to do one on Funky Carter; how could I have forgotten?

Also, not to split hairs, but that Lily Allen album came out in July of '06. Granted, the US release was in 2007, but I'm just saying. ;)

Anonymous said...

Whee! Thanks especially for the book recommendations; you seem to influence me in that way so I'll have to check out Tolstoy Lied. Agree with you about the movies, too, except for the 2 I didn't see yet (Juno and Waitress) but anticipate loving. Alas, my ex ruined Once for me, but it was really lovely.

Anonymous said...

What, no Special Topics in Calamity Physics?! :)

I just started reading Eat Pray Love on your (and many others) recommendation. So far, it's thoroughly addictive.

I, too, love all those songs, except I have had my fill of Feist for a while. I've crossed her and Regina Spektor off my list until they can be relegated to albums I listen to nostalgically, like Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill.

Stefanie said...

Jess--You're welcome. :-)

Lara--Well, I DID provide a handy link so you can listen to them... Start listening!

R--Hee. That still makes me laugh, too. No one else here knows what you're talking about, but that's OK by me.

Metalia--You should definitely see both of those! Add them to your Netflix queue!

Carrie--You know, I honestly don't remember asking you what a garlic clove was, but given the massive number of other culinary-related things I do not know, it wouldn't surprise me, I guess. And maybe someday you will leave me a comment that isn't teasing or insulting me in any way. ;-)

Noelle--I like that logic... particularly since it's now January 6 and I still haven't taken the tree down. Perhaps I will now keep it up until the 11th in honor of YOU.

Poppy--Great minds think alike.

WM--Whew. Thanks.

Aaron--I think the Once album came out in the UK in 2006, too, but you still put that on YOUR list! (Again, not to split hairs, of course...) ;-)

Red--Tolstoy Lied isn't for everyone (I have at least one friend who couldn't get into it), but I do think you would like it. And definitely see Waitress; I think you'd like that, too!

NPW--Ha! No, shockingly, Calamity Physics didn't make my "best of" list. Speaking of which... I have a copy I never, ever plan to read again. Does anyone want it??

shelleycoughlin said...

I will read it, if you don't mind sending it Boston! One of my pseudo-resolutions was to read more books that I wouldn't normally pick up, so that seems like a good place to start. :)

Stefanie said...

NPW--Send me your address and it's yours. :-)

Ronald Burgundy said...

Thanks for the top songs - I like The National and have already purchased on iTunes.

Stefanie said...

"Ron Burgundy"--Yay! I love The National. They get better and better the more you listen. I promise.