Best of 2005

2005 was a good year. I got a new job, car, and bike. I went to Maui, Yosemite, Tahoe, Dallas, Saratoga Springs, Clearlake, Burning Man, Reno, Monterey, Big Basin, and Shasta. I'm not in debt. I've put 1800 miles on my bike since June.

Life is good.

Best Book of 2005
(tie) The Bell Jar and Blue Ridge. The Bell Jar is a "classic" book that I managed to avoid until this year. I probably would have hated had I read it in high school, but, as a 26-year-old, I found it hilarious, stark, and true. And short! Always an attribute.

Blue Ridge is a weird little book I found on the street. It doesn't entirely make sense and the plot's a little nutty, but the language is just too fun for words. It's a carnival -- and everyone's invited!

Best Movie of 2005
Shaun of the Dead. Kind of falls apart at the end plotwise, but in terms of most laughs per minute, this was hilarious. Nothing pulls me out of a funk like a comedy, and this was the best one I saw this year. Runners up: Hero, Kung Fu Hustle.

Best Album of 2005
Wyclef Jean, Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101. I only bought three albums this year, but this one was fantastic - so long as you don't mind non-English music. In general, I find I don't care much about music these days (no longer in that critical 18-24 age group) and I may abolish this category entirely in the future and list NPR instead.

Best Political Moment of 2005
Standing up against the Bush Machine on torture. That it was so difficult to do is very embarrassing.

Best Physical Accomplishment of 2005
Completing the Napa Century and feeling really strong. New goal: complete at least one new 100-mile bike ride per year.

Best Airline of 2005
Suntrips.com. A week in Maui, a convertible, round-trip flight, and a beachfront condo for $800 baby! Great for Mexico too.

Best Food of 2005
Sushi. I used to hate seafood, but sushi--so clean! so pure! so subtle!--brought me back into the fold. Now I only hate select kinds of cooked fish. Also, pizza now gives me stomach gurgles. Ugh.

---more to come, as I think it up!