2009: The Year in Review

My normal album listening and movie watching was not up to snuff, as I spent the better half of the year in a vortex I'd like to call The Thesis Spiral. 2009 came in with a whimper, as I began the year unhappier than I've ever been and contemplating dropping out of graduate school. After a few ugly months, my luck finally changed, and 2009 ended with a bang- new degree and a cool job lined up in Australia. Woohoo!

Without further ado, here's 2009 in review. (No more rhyming, I mean it! Anybody want a peanut?)

Album of the Year:
The Mountain- Heartless Bastards

Song of the Year:
Poker Face- Lady Gaga (okay, technically it was released in late 2008 but it didn't take over all humanity until 2009.)

Best Movies:
There are still several highly praised movies I've been meaning to see, including A Serious Man (the new Coen brothers film), The Hurt Locker, and an Austrian film called The White Ribbon that it supposedly stunning. Of the movies I did see, my favorite was The Informant! (the exclamation mark is part of the title, not a show of my own personal enthusiasm.) I also really enjoyed An Education, Inglourious Basterds, and The Hangover. I did also see Avatar in 3D and also thought that it was pretty awesome- definitely catch it in the theater, though, because the best the special effects are indeed special.

TV Addictions of the Year:
1. The Wire. You've heard about it, and if you haven't watched the whole series yet, make that your 2010 resolution.
2. Jersey Shore. Whatever, you know you love it.

Places I Went in 2009:
Johnson City, TN
Honolulu, HI
South Bend, IN
Newport, RI
New York City, NY
Milledgeville, IL
San Francisco, CA
San Diego, CA
Binghamton, NY
Australia
(note to self: This is why you're broke.)

Technological Breakthrough of the Year:
I retired my old hotmail account and started using Gmail. I can't believe it took me as long as it did.
Oh, I got a webcam for Christmas (dirty!) and am now on Skype so hit me up.

Hot in 2009:
1. Reunions. I went to two of them, my ten year reunion at Notre Dame and my Peace Corps Agriculture reunion. Both were held in the midwest and featured great times with great friends, but whereas one had clergy in attendance, the other had farm animals.
2. Book Club. I finally joined a book club that lasted for more than two meetings. Way to go Caity, Amanda, Andy, and Sarah!

Most commented post:
Mouse invasion at my Southie apartment. Gross. Another mark of 2009 was that after 6 years of fast times on East Broadway, I moved to my grandmother's house in Waltham. Who needs The Playwright when you can put on minks and whirl-a-size in the comfort of your own parlor?

Highlight of 2009:
Finally finishing fucking grad school.

I'm starting off the new decade with a trip to Germany and Austria in January, then I'll be back in town for a couple of weeks before the big move to Melbourne in February. I'm really looking forward to a fresh start in a new job. And despite the fact that I think Twitter and Facebook have brought the Age of Blogging to close, DCoE will keep plugging on, so keep on stopping by. Thanks to all of you for reading and commenting, and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2010!